[Click here for PDF version]
By Ken Lipka
This is a guide booklet for my next D&D campaign, set in the Planescape setting using the 3E mechanics. Although the vast majority of you have already played with me in this setting before, we do have a couple of you who have either never played in the setting before, or have only limited exposure from the last campaign. So, I'll try to include some of the basics of the setting and my playing style along with all the changes that the veterans are looking for.
Ken's Gaming Style
I probably don't need to document this, but it can't hurt to remind everyone. (As I'm writing this portion of the guide, I'm
feeling rusty as a game master, so this is something of a reminder to me as well.)
I am a role-player. I am into RPGs for the stories and the characters. That goes double when I'm running things as the DM. As such, I am expecting (possibly unfairly) my players to do the same. This means that you can get more experience points for out thinking (or more accurately, out weirding) your opponents. When making a character, put your focus on personality, background, goals, etc. While having cool mechanics at your disposal are well and good, you'll enjoy the game more if you have a character than can also do stuff without a lot of dice rolls.
I'm putting this 'disclaimer' out there because I can see that the early game sessions are going to primarily be role-playing and puzzle solving events. While there might be some combat, it's going to be rare until the game gets rolling. Even as things get into the thick of the plot, there might not be all that much of it. This is not so much because I'm against combat, but because I'm having trouble (at this point in time) justifying its existence based on the story concept I'm basing the campaign on. Of course, that being said, don't make a character that's completely ineffective in combat because it won't be totally absent from the game.
Campaign and Character Concepts
The text on the splash page pretty much spells it out. Your character has seen that job posting and decided to investigate it.
(And, ultimately, accept it.) Just to clarify things, the campaign is based around the player characters being bounty hunters for
hire. However, rather than hunting criminals, they are traveling around hunting specific sensations and experiences. One
mission might have the party traveling to a specific town to drink the first glasses of autumn beer, while the next might have
them seeking out the feeling of utter revulsion.
In terms of characters, things are pretty much wide open. I don't have any firm restrictions on race, class, or alignment (well, no Chaotic Evil characters). You are free to dream up whatever you want and run with it. However, I do want to suggest some guidelines when coming up with your characters. Obviously, first and foremost, your character has to be the sort of person who would be willing to answer a "help wanted" ad that involves travel, honoring a contract, and working on commission. Also, a team player would be helpful (serves to keep that elusive "party unity" thing going).
Now, while I don't really have any restrictions on WHAT you create, I do have some restrictions on HOW you go about it. I'd like you all to start with what has become the "tried and true" Character Questionnaire. Not only is this a helpful guide for creating the character, it lets me know exactly what's going on inside the character's head. This is important not only because it helps me play your PC when you can't be at a game session, but it also helps me create adventures that will interest both you and the character you are playing.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- *Statistics in Plain English? (Low, Below Average, Average, Above Average, High) STRENGTH DEXTERITY CONSTITUTION INTELLIGENCE WISDOM CHARISMA *What does character look like? *What race is your character? (Just in case the physical appearance doesn't make it clear, or if the character is usually in disguise) *Early History? *General Personality LIKES: DISLIKES: LOVES: HATES: GOALS: FEARS: *Flaws (usually behavior traits; prefer to have three; don't have to be negative things per se - "always protect children" can be considered a flaw) *Core Beliefs (prefer to have at least three) *Skills of Definition *Special Equipment/Companions (both what you do have from either purchase or class benefits, and what you want if it's not in your budget) -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
The three most important sections on the questionnaire are the Goals, Flaws, and Core Beliefs.
The goals are important because I'm going to be creating one or more subplots based on what the individual characters want. For example, if your PC is questing after a legendary artifact and is using the job as a means to seek out rumors of its location, I may just oblige you and drop rumors every now and then about the object.
The flaws and beliefs are closely tied together. Both of these are the true indicators of how your PC will behave and reveal their true nature. The beliefs are especially important in the Planescape setting, where belief equals power. The beliefs represent the very core of your character, the building blocks of his personality and life. Besides just being good for role- playing, I'll admit they will also give me adventure ideas. Expect to have your character's beliefs challenged at least once during the campaign. (Flaws will be exploited on a more regular basis.)
The Setting
Yes, all you veterans already know what's here, but for our newer players, I'll attempt to say what Planescape is all about. To
quote Inigo Montoya, "Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up." Those of you who played in my last campaign
understand perfectly. We played for nearly two years and you guys were still finding out new stuff about how the game world
worked. So, I'll just hit the very basic highlights of the setting. I'll sit down with folks individually to explain in more details
things that directly affect your character.
First, picture a normal campaign setting. It could be Oerth (the World of Greyhawk), Toril (the Forgotten Realms), Mer (the world of Dark Water), or Dominion (Robb's homebrew world). Regardless of the specific planet, they're all pretty normal, right? You've got plants, animals, and people; mountains, cities, and oceans. The world might be trapped in the throes of an ice age, or could be mostly ocean with only a few islands poking above the waters. The key thing is that each is singular and tends to compose the whole of a character's world and reality.
Planescape is about everything else.
Planescape is set in the Spirit World, the Afterlife, the Kingdom of Dreams, the Elemental Planes, and thousands of other alternate realities that make up the rest of the Multiverse. A normal campaign world is called the Material Plane; these other realities are the Outer (and Inner) Planes. The planes are the homes of gods, fiends, celestials, and other mysterious creatures. And your PC is going to be right there in the middle of them.
In many ways, a campaign that uses Planescape is the same as any other. The PCs have a home city they live in, and they travel beyond its walls to seek out adventure. The difference is that the scope of the travel and the adventures is much grander than on the Material plane. It is perfectly normal (in Planescape) to live in a city built in the shadow of a fallen god's ribcage then enter a magical gate to work in a city that clings to side of an iron gear the size of a continent. Surrealism just became reality.
Because the campaign takes place primarily in the home of the gods, it is very important to remember that belief has power. In Planescape, faith can literally move mountains. If enough beings in one location believe in a certain concept, they can actually move the real estate around them from its current plane to one more suited to their beliefs. Additionally, strong beliefs can give beings powers and abilities that those of lesser faith don't have. The most common example of this is a series of groups collectively known as "the Factions". A Faction can be thought of as a "thought guild"; although a better concept is that it's a group of "philosophers with clubs". A Faction is a group of people who all believe the same way about the point of the multiverse and are willing to fight to prove the rightness of their cause. This collective belief gives every member abilities related to their belief.
If the Planescape setting has an official center, it would be Sigil, the City of Doors (also called the Cage). This city is built on the inside of a gigantic stone ring, which floats above the top of an infinitely tall spire in the center of an infinite plane. (Does your brain hurt yet?) Sigil is the ultimate cosmopolitan metropolis and neutral meeting ground - angels and devils are known to sit down and share a drink in a bar. Everyone and everything passes through its portals at some point. It is ruled by a mysterious figure known as the Lady of Pain. The city is also home to the headquarters of all the various Factions (of which there are only 15).
The Mechanics
You will definitely have to bear with me as the game starts up. This is because I have decided to keep up with things and run
this game using the relatively new 3rd Edition (3E) mechanics for D&D. I haven't really played it all that much, so running
things and converting 2nd Edition (2E) to 3E is going to be rough at first. Anyway…
At the start of the game, I will "only" be using rules found in the three core rulebooks, plus two. These five books are: The Player's Handbook, The Dungeon Master's Guide, The Monster Manual, The Psionics Handbook, and The Manual of the Planes. While I do like the materials presented in such supplements like the various class options books, I think I better play it safe and get a good feel for the basics (more or less) before I expand things to more options. If you are looking to use something not in the 'core' books, talk to me and we'll see what we can work out.
NOTE: The only book you'll have to buy, borrow, or steal is the PHB. (Maybe the PsiHB if you're into mental powers.) Otherwise, the others are for the DM, so keep your noses out! You'll learn about what's in these other books soon enough…
Character Creation
To generate your character's statistics, use my standard method: roll 4d6, take the highest three dice; do this six times; arrange the scores to suit. (Remember that stats are now more forgiving than in 2E - bonuses start at 12.) For hit points, a character gets maximum hit points for his first character level, and then rolls normally for all other (and future) character levels. I will be using a system known as “your die or mine” for hit points. That is, if you don’t like the number you rolled for your hit points, you can ask me to roll your hit points instead. However, you must take what I roll, even if it’s worse.
Your PC will have three character levels to spend on class (one or more) and race (yes, some races cost a character level). This translates to 3000 experience points. This also means that you will have 2700 gold pieces to spend on starting equipment (more on that later).
Class choices are pretty easy. You are free to choose from any of the core classes. For those without the books:
Character race gives you many options. In addition to the seven core races from the PHB, there are a number of races specific
to the Planescape setting. In addition to the races, you also have to choose whether your character is from the Material Plane (a
Prime) or native to the Outer/Inner Planes (a Planar). The complete list is:
See my Planar Races document for the details on the new races.
Planning Ahead
There are two other character aspects that you should take into account when creating your character. The first is the concept
of Prestige Classes. These are specialized and elite roles available to veteran adventurers. Almost any normal class can choose
almost any Prestige Class. Unfortunately, the 3E mechanics are set up such that you basically have to build your character to
become one of them right from the start. Many are built such that you can't take them on the spur of the moment. Also, in
general, a character has to be at least 5th level before he can become a member of one. The following Prestige Classes are
available:
The other option is one that can be chosen at the time of creation, or later on, should the mood strike you. That is the option to join one of the 15 Factions. Each faction is built around one solid belief, and members gain powers based on that belief. The factions are best summarized by the following Planescape nursery rhyme.
Sixteen Secrets
A tiefling lullaby by Chris Nichols
Who in Sigil runs the show? Sixteen secrets that we know...
Anarchists love fire and blade,
They pull down those who've got it made.
Athar spit in the preacher's eye,
While false powers bleed and die.
Bleakers laugh and go
insane,
There's no point and life is pain.
Ciphers act on whim and hunch,
Weird and mystic are that bunch.
Dustmen are naught but cold hard death,
Life is so much wasted breath.
Fated count the jink they make,
Never give if you can take.
Godsmen tumble end o'er end,
Seeking always to ascend.
Guvners order realms of dreams,
Making rules and counting beans.
Hardheads are an ordered lot,
March left, march right, no time for thought.
Indeps are a motley crew,
Bloods and berks and shouters too.
Red Death saw your dirty deed,
They'll make you pay until you bleed.
Sensates reach to feel it all,
True bloods stand, while bubbers fall.
Signers think we're in their head,
But we'll remain when they're all dead.
Sinkers revel in decay,
By entropy we'll pass away.
Xaosmen embrace discord,
Random chaos is their word.*
[* Alternatively, "Bow-wow you puce wombat running Bob fence."]
Sigil's guarded by She Who Flays,
The Lady rules, now and always.
See my Factions document for the details on these groups.
Equipping the Character
As I mentioned earlier, you will be starting with a 3rd level character. Since the PC has been around for a bit, he's got some
stuff - 2700 gold worth of stuff to be exact. This figure covers not only mundane gear such as clothing and backpacks, but also
any exceptional (masterwork tools or planar metal weapons) or magical (healing potions) items that the character has.
I will also be doing something close to what I did back in my "Pirates of Dark Water" campaign - handing out character- specific magic items. These are items of relatively minor power that fit in with your character's concept. However, these are not automatic. These will be given as rewards for a fairly detailed character description, background, etc. The more info I get, the better I can tell if the character would have found such an item that doesn't count towards the PC "budget" you are working with.
For those without the DMG, here is a (partial) list of items that you could get for 2700 gold.
Final Considerations
Once you've equipped your character, you will most likely have some money left over. At this point, it's now time to convert your loose change into the money system that will actually be in use in the campaign.
The money system is of my own creation and uses its own, unique, coinage. The coins that make up the money system are as follows:
Changing your leftover starting money is easy - you keep the same number of coins, just rename them according to the following list:
Prices listed in the PHB and DMG remain the same and follow the same renaming scheme. That is, something that costs 15 gold pieces will cost 15 cages. Likewise an item that goes for 2 silver will cost 2 infernal.
The trick comes when you want to make change and convert one coin to another. The relative values of the coins do not follow the same scheme as the standard copper-silver-gold economy of the PHB. Instead, use the following conversion rates:
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Authored by: Ken Lipka E-mail me: krlipka@yahoo.com |
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