WHAT IS THE FAR REALM?
A TIMELESS LAND OF WRITHING FLESH & ELDER EVILS
Little is known about the Far Realm. In Dungeons & Dragons, it is a place that exists beyond known reality. It is also the home and birthplace of all manner of eldritch horrors, including patrons that may preside over Great Old One Warlocks. Bits and pieces of information regarding the Far Realm can be found in D&D's various editions. Here's a close look at what may be the game's most nightmarish setting.
The Far Realm: A Place Beyond the Known Multiverse
While information on the Far Realm in 5th edition remains sparse, D&D’s 3rd edition Manual of the Planes delved into the impossible geometry behind this extradimensional space. In short, both gravity and time are absent in the Far Realm, and instead of the normal rules of physics, the Far Realm is composed of an infinite array of translucent layers that seemingly meld into each other. Inhabitants of the Far Realm can pass from one layer to another simply by willing it, and landmarks—encompassing everything from alien seascapes to forests of giant floating tentacles—might stretch across multiple layers.
Forget what you know about the various planes of existence in D&D. The Far Realm is beyond the planes themselves, and according to the Dungeon Master’s Guide, might well be a separate universe existing outside of the D&D Multiverse. Just as we can’t exactly fathom what exists beyond our own universe, the majority of denizens from D&D’s various worlds have no idea what lies in the Far Realm. Learned mages and daring Githyanki sailors of the Astral Sea might have an inkling of this unfathomable cosmic space. But even then, those who strive too hard to understand it risk shattering the limits of their mind.
Monsters of the Far Realm
Chances are, travelers to the Far Realm will be flummoxed by the place’s strange geometry, only comprehending bits and pieces of lifeforms and landmasses depending on which layer they stand on.
The Far Realm first originated in the 1996 module The Gates of Firestorm Peak, for D&D’s 2nd edition. There, adventurers learned of a portal that ancient elves had once opened to the Far Realm, freeing a host of deadly alien creatures. That portal has long since been closed, but the monsters born from the murky goop outside of the multiverse have over time found their way into D&D’s various worlds.
When considering creatures either native to the Far Realm or touched by its energy, think of aberrations—including D&D mainstays like the Beholder, Illithid, and Aboleth, as well as lesser-known entities like the Neogi and the Nothic. 3rd Edition D&D also featured the Kaorti, an alien race who had once been wizards of the Forgotten Realms but were transformed into unnatural, desiccated humanoids by one of the Elder Evils, the greatest of Far Realm creatures.
The Elder Evils of the Far Realm
The Elder Evils are hinted at in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes as “beings set apart from what mortals consider reality,” as well as the masters behind the sinister heralds of doom known as Star Spawns. Usually incapable of leaving the Far Realm, the Elder Evils’ influence leaks out into the worlds of the Material Plane, often influencing the actions of power-hungry cultists.
Examples of these horrific, primordial forces include
- THARIZDUN — the Chained Destroyer god who created the Abyss
— KYUSS - the Worm That Walks, a giant supposedly composed of a mass of slithering maggots.
Fans of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos will find the Elder Evils familiar, since Lovecraft wrote of unfathomable titans that existed beyond the fringes of reality, dwarfing all human conceptions of good and evil. Any Dungeon Master looking to portray these immense beings might do well to investigate Lovecraft’s writing or read the sections on cosmic horror and fear and stress in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.
Visiting the Far Realm
The Far Realm is unkind to creatures from the D&D multiverse. Tasha's Cauldron of Everything includes a rollable table of environmental effects for the Far Realm. A character could suddenly find the ground has turned into writhing flesh or that they are compelled to complete a ritual that will conjure a Death Slaad.
"Each round the adventurers are in the Far Realm, they must each make a successful DC 15 Wisdom saving throw at the beginning of each turn or suffer the effects of confusion that round. The chart has been modified from the one in the Player’s Handbook to more accurately reflect the effects of the Far Realm."
"Rrakkma" , an introductory adventure to Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, includes a punishing mechanic that shows how quickly the Far Realm can warp a character's mind:
CONFUSION BEHAVIOR
D10 | BEHAVIOR
1 | The creature uses all its movement to move in a random direction. To determine the direction, roll a d8 and assign a direction to each die face. The creature doesn't take an action this turn.
2–7 | The creature doesn't move or take actions this turn.
8–10 | The creature uses its action to make a melee attack against a randomly determined creature within its reach. If there is no creature within its reach, the creature does nothing this turn.
Adventures in the Far Realm
While the Far Realm might seem difficult to grasp, its nebulous nature also makes it a compelling sandbox for DMs who want to make their players’ heads spin.
1. The Far Realm’s most direct link to the characters is the Great Old One Warlock patron. The reasons behind why this ancient entity might share its power could be the stuff of an entire campaign, particularly one starring warlocks who all serve the Great Old One. Perhaps this elusive patron is a benevolent deity of the Far Realm, and is in fact seeking to get the characters to travel to its domain to defeat the encroaching forces of the kaort!
Consider the following three hooks for adventures involving the Far Realm:
2. Previous editions of D&D hinted that psionic power originated in the Far Realm. This is an excellent kernel to explore in an adventure starring character subclasses like the Psi Warrior Fighter, the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, and the Soulknife Rogue. Paint the characters as outcasts who are feared for their Psionic Abilities, similar to mutant heroes like the X-Men. Then, dangle the possibility of them learning the origins of their power in the Far Realm. Perhaps a group of Githyanki—who also specialize in psionics—are willing to transport the characters to the Far Realm, but only if they first assist them in an assault on a Mind Flayer outpost in the Astral Sea!
3. If you want to incorporate a smidgeon of the Far Realm into your game without making it the focus of an entire campaign, try crafting a single dungeon based on this Esoteric Dimension. The characters might stumble into the dungeon via a portal, or perhaps while fiddling with a Cubic Gate left behind in an Aboleth’s treasure horde. Their quest to escape can easily take up several sessions at the gaming table. Reskin one of the levels of Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage for a quick start, replacing the monsters with aberrations and setting the dungeon in a multi-layered tentacle forest of the Far Realm instead of the hallways of Undermountain. Your players will be none the wiser, since they’ll be too busy trying to figure out exactly where they ended up!
Cosmic Depths Await You
There’s no time like the present to start planning a dive into D&D’s most bizarre setting.
Just remember to be humbled by the sheer insignificance of your place in the multiverse, for any who dare to investigate the Far Realm will quickly come face-to-face with cosmic truths not meant for humanoid minds!
