Everyone speaks "Common", which is the normal, default-language (probably associated with humans), with each other species/race having their own [weird sounding] languages At best, basic and functional. At worst, speaks to some really euro/Anglo-centric perspectives on how language works. Fine for your personal D&D game, but both unrealistic and uninteresting in terms of worldbuilding. (1/10)

Everyone just speaks the same language but no explanation is given as to why Again, basic and functional. Makes very little sense unless you're in a very small setting, so you'd think I'd dock that for being unrealistic. But this says 'this story doesn't have the scope to handle translation logistics' and I respect that honesty. 3/10

Earth (or future Earth or AU Earth) where everyone just speaks different real world languages By default, the most realistic! Perfectly respectable. Can be very easily used to explore the real-life politics of language. But by dint of being realistic, also a little boring, though it's ultimately all in execution. (5/5, +/- 2 depending)

Scientifically-created perfect instant universal translator For when you need your cast of international/intergalactic characters to I appreciate this one for giving me a willing suspension of belief for how all these characters can understand each other. However, introduces a new belief to suspend because i Do Not Believe we could invent this under real world physics. I find this fun but think writers could get weirder about this one. (6/10)

Magically-or-psychically-powered (etc) perfect instant universal translator The last one, but make it magic. Which sure is just a rebrand in the techno babble but works better for me. Again, I think writers could get weirder (6.5/10)

Characters speak "Common" as a lingua franca, deconstruction remix Okay, now we're cooking. You're actually exploring what would cause a so-called "common" language means, the history that would cause it to take root, and the interspecies/racial/group politics and tensions that exist. Fun! (7/10)

Look at me, I made a conlang! Okay, cool, impressive. but like... did you do anything with it? (7.5/10)

I made a conlang (or conlangs PLURAL) and it's relevant to both characters and plot! Damn, fair enough man. Respect. Tolkien would be proud. however, i personally am jack shit at languages, so if it's relevant enough to the plot I need to understand it, I'll struggle. it's not you, it's me. (8/10)

Characters speak many languages in this setting, which is a major political theme My personal catnip. It's like speculative linguistics and anthropology and politics and all this bullshit i love. <3 <3 (9/10)

They're smart fuckin birds, I believe in them

Big update today for my Mushishi inspired ttrpg! All of the locations, green things, and NPC traits have been filled in! It's basically the complete game, minus a few lists and examples I need to fill in.

Next steps are playtesting, refining, editing, and theeeen layout.

Call it the "Plane of Balance" and you'll get an eyeroll from the natives.  The Outlands is the 'biggest' outer plane, and its opinion of Good and Evil are covered by "shut up we have real things to care about."  Sure there are a few chessmasters playing the great game and keeping the universe from swaying towards one cause or another, but even a lot of the big players think they're off their rockers.  Most of the Outlands is focused on their own interests and problems.

Not a lot is written about the Outlands because... well it's not too different than a Prime Material World.  Cities, Wildlands, and Rural chunks abound.  And the people aren't actively hostile, but don't rush to help everyone they meet either.  Most petitioners got here by being average, and they're keeping that drive.  And the exceptional characters tend to enjoy not constantly dealing with interruptions from people with annoying alignment ideas.

Their easy retirement is handled by the plane's travel quirk.  You get to your destination fastest by "minding your own business."  This sounds obvious but it's not just the lost time from going out of your way to help and harm others.  The Outlands guides people who interfere with others towards other groups of busybodies, and people who leave well enough alone closer to their goal.  So those looking to sell stuff find those who show interest in buying, those looking to cause mayhem and Evil find crusaders looking to battle for Good, and everyone else deals with the other groups as little as possible.

Gods in the Outlands : The Gods around here are usually focused on something.  Nature, Knowledge, Magic, Commerce, Crafting, and they have a realm devoted to doing that.  Sometimes realms will intersect, but usually they have something they want to do, and they do it.  Everyone else can either help or leave them alone.

Adventures in the Outlands :  Adventuring in the Outlands is similar to adventuring in the prime.  There's less demons/angels and more 'annoying monsters' but 'old ruins made by cults/wizards,' still litter the place.  The big difference is that it's not limited to your singular prime world.  No, some Dark Sun rain cult might be a couple miles down river of a Steam Wizards research lab, kept apart by the laser crocodiles until some fairies captured them for chariot races.  Things are weird in the Outlands, just not Good or Evil weird.

The underdark in the setting keeps going down and down. At one point you hit the Storeroom. Its a giant planet spanning warehouse containing everything needed to populated dungeons. Millions of wood door, billions of torches packed into crates, ensless rows of traps yet installed and evil temples and shrines neatly arrayed.

And somewhere below, in the center of the world, dwells the master of all dungeons.

This place is a shithole.  Sometimes literally.  Caught in the Blood War, with larger Evil groups trying to take chunks of the plane from them, the petitioners of Carcerai decided to make their home plane the worst place fucking possible.  To pile up the filth, mud, and shit until no one would want to live here.  The only reason there are places that aren't filthy is because they don't want the filth demons to have anywhere nice either.

Stuck between the Abyss and the Grey Wastes, Carcerai is the place where those who are between pure indulgence in their dark whims, and a drive to enforce their unholy will on reality.  And that lack of conviction has generally left them in a bad spot.  Bullied by everyone around them, they retaliate with self destructive sabotage.  And so Carcerai is a place no one wants to be.

Because of that it's a great place to shove things or people you don't like.  The locals will gladly help lock up anyone who gets sent here.  If anything you might have to bribe them to not torture the living and break the inanimate.  Then again most things and people sent here are too difficult to easily damage.

Gods in Carcerai : Not many Gods want to be here.  Usually those that end up stuck in this place are part of a Pantheon that shipped them down here, and their primary goal is to get out and get revenge.   Their realms tend to be less miserable than most chunks of the plane, but visitors will likely be conscripted into the escape attempt.

Adventures in Carcerai : No one wants to go to this shithole, but there's a lot of treasure down here.  A lot.  As well as a lot of forgotten prisoners and lost souls.  Which means there's all sorts of rich folk willing to shell out a lot of gold for those who can stomach digging through the muck for those items.  As well as many weapons buried away by those who wanted their weaknesses sealed.  Just be warned, the locals are every bit as evil as any demon or yugoloth, and much angrier.

The plane of Chaos and Good, Arborea is a haven for all who believe that in the end, the key to being good is the will to do the right thing.

Despite the name this plane is not all trees, or for that matter, all nature.  There's plenty of cities, urban centers, and well maintained farms.  The thing is, the wilderness is always close.  Just a day's travel away for those who have an urge to find it.  And in return there's usually a city close by.  Or at least a town or village.  Arborea is the land of Chaos and Good, and the petitioners here follow the whims of their heart.  Whether that be grand adventure, or a simple life in a big city library.

The goal of Arborea is to further the cause of good by drawing people in.  And that's generally how the plane works.  It tempts visitors not with sin, but with good honest fun, and is happy to lead people along by their whims.  Showing them how much nicer things would be if they helped out as well.

That isn't to say the people here are absorbed with what's right in front of them.  Arboreans are quick to help others, and eladrins are well known to rush off to go 'do some good' at a moment's notice.  Some consider this short sighted, but being quick to act has helped a lot of people.  Many adventurers ended up here, and while the wilds offer them challenges to test their might, they'll also run off to other planes or the prime worlds now and then, as their conscience (or idle whims) demand.

Gods : Arcadia is lousy with gods, having both Mount Olympus and one of the larger Elvish pantheons around.  Still they mostly follow the same patterns, building a home with a decent sphere of influence and then letting people enter and leave as they wish.  Now you'll have to follow their rules in their home, but that's just proper courtesy, right?

Adventures in Arcadia : The whole plane is built for adventuring.  Specifically running out into the wilderness and fighting some huge monster.  The plane sets things up so that those monsters never go on a rampage (without outside intervention) but several chunks of Arcadia are as dangerous as the lower planes.  Still there's no place better for monster parts.  Also the powers and proxies here are quite happy to hire adventurers to handle things.  Or for that matter just post a reward for a task and let adventurous sorts handle it.  

All stories should have more disabled people, honestly, because disability is a basic part of being alive! What am I supposed to think of any given fictional community if I never see any elderly people, any retired people, any injured people, or any disabled people?

Major Plane : Hades (NE)

Also known as the Grey Wastes, most people present the plane as a colorless joyless desert.  Which is completely incorrect.  The colors are faded, but mostly because the realm is covered with blood; most people are miserable, but only because the high up fiends are using them as entertainment; and the lifeless wastes aren't from natural forces, it's because everything of value has been stripped.  This is the front lines of the Blood War.  And it's also filled with the hidden sanctums and staging areas of the Yugoloths, where they can revel in all their horrid desires with the wealth made from playing both sides.

Of course the souls that get sent here usually serve as entertainment, slaves, and/or food for the devils and demons camping here.  They suffer until the last light is snuffed.  Then they're repurposed for the needs of the higher ups.  Lesser yugoloths are also usually forced to serve as logistics or support for the fiendish armies.  Meanwhile the more powerful fiends and their favorites lounge about in excess from lucrative contracts, while avoiding as much combat as possible.  Yugoloths can only be killed permanently in Hades, so they avoid fighting there at any cost.

The plane that serves only Evil, Hades is possibly the worst place to visit.  The vast stretches of featureless wastes in between fortresses and walled cities reward those that commit vile acts, while punishing the good.  Torturing and murdering travelers for no reason will speed up travel, while offering them a drink will slow you down.  This doesn't just mean good and neutral travelers are slow, but also anyone who wants to go fast now has a great reason to butcher them.

Gods : The gods that live here almost universally have sequestered their realms from the rest of the plane and ruthlessly exploit and abuse anyone trying to use those places for shelter.  Or really anyone.  Only their followers can expect anything from them, and even then only sometimes.

Adventures in Hades: While most people want to leave, there's still plenty to do.  Hades is the center of the soul trade, where night hags market off larva and soul gems, which means you'll need to go there to buy back a stolen or sold soul a lot of the time.  There's also the blood war, which everyone keeps a close eye on.  And the wastes have plenty of horrors spawned from constant war that merit study.  

Arcadia sits between the Mechanus and Mount Celestia.  A realm of perfectly organized orchards, villages, and rivers where groups of the plane's residents run everything in lockstep.  Arcadia is filled with those who believe in Law and Good, but just weren't quite good enough.  They consider Mount Celestia's full dedication to Good to be a little too soft or unrealistic.  However they also reject the amoral focus of Mechanus.

What this generally means is Arcadians have a lot more rules they expect people to follow, and are a lot more willing to impose those rules on others via force than Mount Celestia is.  Unlike most people they actually do mean it when they say they're doing things for the good of all.  And souls that go to Arcadia strongly agree with everything done here.  But a lot of people think they're a bunch of jerks even if they are fighting for Good.

This obsession with order does lead to incredible results.  The perfectly maintained orchards grow fruits that are as good as potions.  And the other resources and meals have similar positive effects on people.  For a lot of the souls that come here, living a simple life according to the needs of the plane is a true paradise.  Similarly the martial orders that gather to bring Law and Good to the universe stand proud, knowing they're the front line against Chaos and Evil.

Gods : The Gods that reside in Arcadia tend to keep their own patches mostly self sufficient.  They'll work with their neighbors, but their actions are focused more on the material planes and the needs of mortals.  Arcadia is fine with that.

Adventures in Arcadia : It's not called a plane of conflict for nothing.  Most of the plane is boring, but a place where people who are 'almost good' live will attract all kinds of attention.  Modrons work to claim chunks of the realm for themselves, Mount Celestia sends preachers to try to bring people closer to good, Devils try to trick souls into falling, and just about everyone comes to buy or steal crops.  And Arcadians aren't innocent.  They're almost always busy planning a crusade or "civilizing" a chunk of the Outlands to expand.  There's plenty for a heavily armed group of adventurers to do.