Planescape General and Q&A
Thread starter questions: How would you integrate the concept of druid- and shaman-style magicians in the planes, those who would draw strength from "nature" and commune with "the spirits of the land"? Dark Sun sets a precedent for doing so in the Inner Planes, but what of the Outer Planes which are already manifestations of mind, heart, and soul?
Discuss Planescape and the Great Wheel here, whether the original AD&D 2e version, the 3.X version, the 4e version (yes, it exists in 4e, down to the baernaloths, the yugoloths, the Heart of Darkness, Maeldur et Kavurik, Tenebrous, Pelion, and the Last Word all being canon as of Dragon #417), the 5e version, or your own original blend.
I am exceedingly well-lanned on Planescape canon under a holistic blend of 2e, 3.X, and sometimes even 4e lore. If you have any questions at all about the setting's lore, feel free to ask, and I will give you direct quotes and citations from as many primary sources as I can, unlike afroakuma. I will note when something is open to GM interpretation, and explicitly note whenever I give merely my own personal interpretation.
>Basic setting summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planescape
>Comprehensive Planescape reference index: http://www.rilmani.org/psIndex.txt
>Planewalker.com planar encyclopedia: http://mimir.planewalker.com/encyclopedia/plane
>Canonfire.com planar encyclopedia: http://canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Outer_Planes
>Rilmani.org planar encyclopedia (contains unmarked fanon, so beware): http://www.rilmani.org/timaresh/Outer_Planes
>List of all the multiverse's gods (contains all gods mentioned in D&D products, but also has plenty of speculation and fanon for mythological deities and for powers with few details on them): http://mimir.planewalker.com/forum/list-dead-gods#comment-58090
Old threads with previous questions and comprehensive answers: https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/search/text/%22comprehensive%20planescape%22/
>>46793461
This is another line of inquiry I have fielded in previous threads.
By default, Spelljammer *is* part and parcel of Planescape. Spelljammer and every other published setting (save for Ravenloft) cover what goes on in the Prime, while Planescape describes the rest of the multiverse. Planar adventurers are going to have to visit the Prime sooner or later, and for that, a GM is well within their rights to bring in Spelljammer material.
Planescape acknowledged Spelljammer a few times, such as the mentions of crystal spheres and phlogiston in page 5 of the original boxed set's Player's Guide to the Planes, page 32 of the Planewalker's Handbook, and page 160 of On Hallowed Ground.
However, the Planescape books were always reluctant to go into detail with regards to Spelljammer elements, and for a good reason: the latter product line was already dead. Thus, the integration between the two settings was minimal, even in Prime-focused elements of Planescape.
A good example of this is the initial faction overview for the Harmonium in pages 90-91 of the Factol's Manifesto. This establishes their home world of Ortho as a single Prime world. It contains no mention of crystal spheres, spelljammers, or wildspace. Canonically, the Harmonium dominates one world in the Prime, and that is it.
(Meanwhile, Dark Sun, which *was* an active product line at the time, inexplicably received plenty of spotlight in that very entry. Apparently, people in Sigil regularly compare the Harmonium to the champions of Rajaat, as if Athas's secret history was common knowledge in the Cage?)
In other words, while Spelljammer and Planescape are canonically integrated by default, the integration is minimal, and you are going to have to do the hard work of tying together setting elements yourself. (For example: Does the Harmonium have a crystal sphere empire? Does the Elven Imperial Navy stop by Arborea often? Do the illithid travel to Ilsensine's divine realm in the Outlands frequently?)
>Spelljammer and every other published setting (save for Ravenloft) cover what goes on in the Prime
The Phlogiston is distinctly not part of the Prime Material Plane.
Do you think by making the strange and wondrous mundane that the setting really suffers for it? I find myself having difficulty making compelling adventures.
>Or, the Drizzt-Shaped Hurdle.
TL;DR - Make a Good-aligned drow character for a typical D&D setting (or a drow that is fundamentally a "good guy", if you really don't like alignments) that you would either allow in your games or would yourself like to run.
A recent thread got me thinking about something: Drizzt Do'Urden and the reputation he has or, more specifically, the "Chaotic Good Drow" stereotype. It seems to me that /tg/ believes that any player who wants to play a drow is most likely going to try and roll up Drizzt or a close facsimile, and /tg/'s DMs live in perpetual fear of a horde of Drizzt clones invading their games.
Two things, though. First, I've never actually encountered anyone on /tg/ who claims to have *actually had* a player who did as much. While I don't doubt that they existed in the early to mid 90s in the wake of the Icewind Dale trilogy and the Dark Elf trilogy, I'm starting to question if they ever really proliferated in tabletop beyond the 90s, let alone all the way to today.
Second, it creates an interesting challenge: can you create a Good (not necessarily Chaotic) drow that *isn't* a Drizzt clone? One that you would be fine with allowing in your own games? /tg/ is a board full of creative people, so surely the various Anons are up to the task.
By the way, I'm not asking for a community-created character in the vein of sandwich, rather, I'm asking for each /tg/ Anon to come up with their own take on a "good" drow.
For the purposes of this challenge, you have to assume a "standard" D&D take on drow culture - Matriarchy ruled by priestesses of Lolth, living underground, hatred of the surface races, Evil, etc. You don't necessarily have to assume the Forgotten Realms, though.
>>46850413
>playing as a non-human
Fuck that noise.
>>46850640
I take it you can't think of any decent way to run a Good-aligned drow, either?
>>46850413
This isn't exactly what you said, but I played a Drow character once like pic related. Still evil, but mostly just wanted to be alone, so he left the underdark and made a hovel in the swamp and accidentally became a folk hero to the neighboring town
>dwarves suck!
>why do they use axes, it don't make sense lmao
Sounds like someone hasn't played a fookin' dwarf! That, or there's an unnatural amount of tree lovin' 'ere!
As fer why we use axes, IT'S TO CUT DOWN YER' GODDAMNED PANSY TREES YA' TREE HUGGER! Just cause it pisses yee off~
Digga pls
I love Urist
Okay
Old enough to bleed, old enough to _______.
>>46849185
Work in a concentration camp.
>>46849185
Get wrecked, OP.
No, not as a punchline, I'm tired of people trying to give attention to a lying attention whore.
>>46849185
>Old enough to bleed, old enough to CREEEEED
What kind of info do you keep on your GM screen /tg/? Or do you just use a laptop?
>>46849117
I have a stack of papers with relevant info.
I never use a screen though. Separates me from the players and creates a them against me mentality which is what I don't want from my games. I also don't ever roll dice against my players. I give them the option of rolling against themselves or passing it on. One guy, rich, has killed more PCs than all my other players combined. I'm almost tempted to award him some token, like that players character sheet or a portrait of that character or something when he does it.
GF made a perfect, cheap GM screen out of two 3-Ring binders. Great for if you need layers of tables and dont want to bookmark pages.
>>46851069
clever girl
What mechanical advantage should bathing grant?
>>46847026
You get charisma/persuasion penalties if you smell like shit.
Not smelling like sweaty testicles and poop
>>46847040
>>46847044
>cast Prestidigitation at-will
Does being a true god preclude them from dying? Could one god kill another? Or is the most you can do is to change their state of being?
>>46846625
In Dominions when they die they are gone unless they have enough followers to "call" them back. Not sure where from, but that's not really explained. Probably something like that though; if the god has enough followers then he could be brought back, though weakened.
I always prefer to run a setting's religions on the basis of "follower strength".
You may disrupt the energy of a corporeal mass to the point that it leaves/fades, whatever. But a single devout follower will keep the deity in existence.
Yes, it's another aSoIaF Quest. For those still hype this will be starting up tomorrow. Interested players recommended that I provide a twitter account for them to keep track of and a reminder thread if there was no general quest thread to post it in.
Starting at 7pm EST it should carry us over nicely till just before the new season premiers.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaesterChecwyn
Pastebin: http://pastebin.com/DdjSwibJ
Previous threads: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Gauthier
The purpose of this thread is tweak a few minor issues as well as work on the House where needed.
>>46846621
Get a trip, it prevents faggots from messing up the quest easily.
Good luck
>History
House Gauthier was founded in the wake of Aegon's Conquest. While our family were well of businessmen with a tidy profit coming in the towns wool industry, we were not noble.
Following the scorching of Harrenhall one of the various minor retainers of the Targaryen's took a liking to one of the daughters of our family, thankfully in an honourable and wholly besmitten manner. Given that marrying a commoner would be scandalous, and titles were being handed out like lemoncakes, he simply used his influence to raise our family to minor nobility and subsequently married our daughter.
Since then House Gauthier has had a reputation for siring beautiful women (and fairly attractive sons too). We have used this to our advantage, marrying our way into half the nobility of the Riverlands and even a few houses beyond. Over the past 300 years it is rare for a rival Riverlands house to not have an aunty, grandmother or sister-in-law sympathetic to our cause.
While the females of Gauthier are married off according to their station, the males of Gauthier often stick to their own lands or return there after years of adventure. These fellow warriors, all distantly related by blood or marriage, form the 100 Gauntlets. A collection of knights, squires and freeriders that are the boisterous male branch of the Gauthier line.
It is a good life for them, as the Riverlands have been peaceful these past few years and their days are spent in contests of arms and hunting (and even the ignoble brawl between cousins).
>>46846781
Done, cheers mate.
One thing we need to tweak is the Destiny Point players spent on 'Spear Fighter I'. It was justified by saying it was for jousts and boar hunts -however- the benefit it provides is that a miss with a spear allows you to attack a DIFFERENT opponent at Athletics-1. This isn't really useful for what anons had in mind.
To that end I'm providing a list of alternative qualities we could invest our spare desitiny point in.
>A) Artist: Create works of art (you may specify the form)
>B) Authority: Reduce disposition penalties to Persuasion by 2 (makes it easier to convince people who don't like you)
>C) Brawler I: Fist attacks gain the Fast quality. Damage from fists is now equal to Athletics-2.
>D) Berserker: Each time you take an injury or wound you make a Fighting attack for free against an adjactent enemy (no bonus dice). You may continue fighting after defeat if you pass a Formidable(12) Will test. You may make this test equal to your Endurance rank.
>E) Charismatic:You may add +2 to the result of one persuasion speciality.
>F) Cohort: Another character is created that is loyal and follows your commands. Gain +2 Intrigue and Combat Defence in their presence.
>G) Expertise: Choose one speciality, you now have +1D to all tests related to that speciality.
>H) Favoured of Nobles: +1B to persuasion with characters Status 4 or more.
>I) Favoured of Smallfolk: +1B to persuasion tests to those with status 3 or less.
>J) Long Blade Fighter I: May sacrifice all bonus dice before fighting test to increase degree of success by one. Also add +1 to results against enemy's without a shield.
I'll be taking votes on this now.
>H) Weapon Mastery: Choose a weapon, increase damage from that weapon by +1.
/tg/ I would like to request a brainstorming thread. I need scary stuff.
My players are inured to terror, a fifty foot monster made of still living screaming tissue doesn't invoke fear, it instead is to be rendered down into XP.
I want to remind them what fear is and I want to give them something a bit new.
I want weird critters, things that go bump in the night.
I don't need statblocks but I do need creepy premises. I'm trying something a bit unusual, one theme is that apparent mental illnesses, aren't, they're symptoms of a parasitic critter.
As in, got depression? It's not you, it's an elder thing soaking up your happy memories or using you as a dumping ground for his feels.
Just a few little things to give flavour:
>your roommate is out of town for a few weeks. You wake up one morning and he's back a month early. With no memory of having been away. He seems to not be quite all there. Then you get a voicemail saying he's having a great time in Japan.
>a species of critter that preys on the lonely. You're at home, fapping or whatever, and the door you swore was locked swings open. You start getting a feeling of being watched when you do things around the house, it intensifies ten fold if you are distracted, say gaming with a headset on. Always something in the corner of your eye until...well the accident report said you fell, but after six months decomposing on your kitchen floor, who knows.
>every memory you have corrodes as this feeds on it. The more you recall the memory, the quicker it goes.
>>46846067
Tone is more important than content when it comes to horror in PnP. Also, what you can't see is a gajillion times scarier than what you can.
>>46846067
That bunny is adorable.
>>46846067
Disease and infection is a common premise that you could exploit, especially if the characters are in isolation.
I'm currently in a debacle with how to homebrew a blue mage type class for the players of my campaign. Like the final fantasy series, the PC who is a blue mage would absorb the skill of an enemy if they were 1) Struck with said spell, 2) Observe the spell well enough to understand it's workings 3) Eat the enemy of said skill
I would also like to make it to where this is a versatile class that isn't just a squishy caster with high risk low reward.
I like the idea of them being a sort of hybrid class as either a rogue with a curved sword and the ability to absorb skills after killing them or a thief with a dagger that can pilfer skills from the enemy without killing them. The type of absorption is up to the player but I like the idea of DEX+INT casters that can be badass without having to rely on magics.
Any help?
>>46845506
So basically want a character who can learn every type of magical skill in the game without really having to learn it? Yeah, that's totally balanced-sounding.
Not anything that strong. I'm thinking monster skills, not just any magic on a whim.
>>46845506
I think spellthief from 3.5 would fit that well, but I've no idea how hard/bad a translation would be
Can you tell what's wrong with this situation?
>>46844358
>Martial
>accomplishing something
I better have him roll another round of Stealth checks just in case.
>>46844392
No, he's the bait.
The wizard left 3 hours ago with the gem- the one the fighter's carrying is a fake.
He doesn't know that, though.
>>46844358
Groping a depiction of a woman is thoughtrape and the entire game system is badwrong because of it and the artist must be shot to restore the hurt feels.
Am I right?
How do you get your players to come up with personal relationships with each other's characters or backgrounds that are intertwined?
Too many times I have one guy who says something like "My character wouldn't be adventuring with you people".
Any good systems that encourage this?
>>46844050
As a player, I tend to make joint backstories with a buddy of mine.
It's more fun that way.
>>46844086
I feel like it is always more fun for everyone involved. But I always end up with five lone rangers, so to speak.
Or more truthfully, people of differing ideologies that have little reason to want to undertake quests for the same motive or even the same kind of plot hooks.
>>46844156
Steal a page from Samurai Flamenco's book and have some ancient sage scouted five "chosen champions" without realizing they can't ALL be the chosen champion/party leader.
Has your character seen some shit, /tg/?
>>46843905
Yep.
Usually after having one of his spectacular drug/booze binge blackouts.
He's woken up in a pile of mimes of various races, with aboleth mucus all over everyone, wearing nothing but a cockring of localized invisibility(Penis), because apparently mimes can't get off on a visible dick.
He's also come to and vomited an angry, sexually frustrated, pixie who was wearing a ring of acid resistance as a belt, and had at least two other enchantments to survive in him. Along with the pixie were some partially digested Psilocybin mushrooms, which the pixie tried to rape his nose with, possibly because he puked her up too early, thus blue-ovary-ing her.
He really needs to stop doing these things.He won't.
>>46845101
welp. that's the thread everyone, have a good weekend.
>>46845101
Even if this is fake, I have to applaud your ingenuity and creativity in the relms of tabletop gaming. May rnjesus guide you through your adventures.
By and large what color has the best__art__?
>>46843031
Green. I like flowers and shit
>>46843031
Lands is objectively blue.
Everything else? I dunno, black maybe?
>>46843228
Lands arecolorless____;^)____
>Your friend hands you this bottle
>"C'mon, take a sip man, all the cool kids are doing it"
What do you do, /tg/?
>>46843008
>inb4 detect evil and smite
Pummel him and force him to drink it.
Assuming it's a potion of gender reversal, rape ensues.
>>46843008
>Your friend hands you this bottle
>Your friend
