Manual of the Planes

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The Manual of the Planes is a recurring sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons which examines the various planes that make up that edition's cosmology, discussing notable details, planar travel, alterations to magic on those planes, and unique magical items, spells and creatures native to or derived from those planes. It may or may not also provide suggestions on creating an alternative cosmology to the one presented in its pages.

So far, there have been Manuals of the Planes published for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2e, D&D 3e, and D&D 4e.

In at least 4th edition, the Manual of the Planes is also an in-game Wondrous Item that a lucky player can find. It grants the bearer the ability to cast the Analyze Portal ritual, if they can't already do so, at half the time and cost and with a +4 bonus to their Arcana check. Additionally, once per day, it can be used to alter the destination of a chosen portal for 1 minute. This may not sound like much, but it lets you, for example, turn a portal that would normally be useless to you into a useful one, or disrupt an enemy's attempt to escape through a portal.