How do you actually Planescape?

The1True

The1True

My my my, we just loooove to hear ourselves don't we?
squeen said:
It seems that WotC are re-releasing Planescape for D&D5e in 2023. Is that good?
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Only if they get ol' Monte back on the dreamteam...
Finally, WotC takes on a project that's likely to throw me in with the rest of you grumbly old grogs. "Everything was better in the 90's! Get off my lawn!"
 
The1True

The1True

My my my, we just loooove to hear ourselves don't we?
Looks like it's got funky magical defences.

Also, the small matter of getting up there in the first place...
 
Beoric

Beoric

8, 8, I forget what is for
Alexander Moonbeam said:
The fact that it walks will do a lot of the heavy lifting in that regard.
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It walks on sharp, pointy legs? Is it walking on an adamantium surface? I guess I should have read the title of the map.

I assumed it was flying (the legs being like the appendages under a probe droid), and that any assaults would be aerial. One massive balcony to land on from any direction, and 8 large entrances accessible from said balcony, also in any direction. Plus all the windows. And nothing resembling a barracks, so no defenders to speak of. A citadel is supposed to be a military fortification.

EDIT: Where can I find details on the defence of this thing? I would like to run a simulation.
 
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Beoric

Beoric

8, 8, I forget what is for
On reflection, the fact that it walks is even worse, because those legs are vulnerable, I see no obvious means of protecting them, and it is so tall there is no hope of concealing it (there is a reason tanks have as low a profile as possible).

Also, you could probably stop it with the advanced magic of " big ditch" and other earthworks. And what offensive value does it have? It is pretty useless as a troop carrier, unless the troops can fly, and it isn't big enough to carry many of those.

And like, how much magic and treasure was poured into that thing? Under 3e rules, how many low level wizards could you equip with wands of fireball for the same cost?

Generally, mechas (which this really is) look cool but are actually pretty limited tactically.
 
The1True

The1True

My my my, we just loooove to hear ourselves don't we?
ToFW_Walking_Castle_Art_by_Zoltan_Boros_copy.jpg

It's got weird shield thingies. I don't know why I am apologizing for this ridiculous contraption though.
Also, a lot of those balconies look like weird bowls or pipes rather than walking surfaces. This is all very silly.
 
The1True

The1True

My my my, we just loooove to hear ourselves don't we?
I guess as Sandboxy as a late-90's crpg could be? Like the Planescape tabletop game, a lot rides on your alignment choices, and your alignment is pretty fluid throughout. There are quite a number of possible outcomes to the game and parts that only open up to certain alignment/class choices. I know people who dust it off and play it again every couple of years. I really liked it. I'm not alone in that. It stands the test of time.

It had some classic planes-themed spells like Mechanus Cannon which I continue to port to home campaigns :D
 
The1True

The1True

My my my, we just loooove to hear ourselves don't we?
Sorry, apparently I didn't hit Post yesterday ^^^

squeen said:
Another one for @The1True
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I am a huge DiTerlizzi fan it's true! I'm pretty sure they were targetting a GenX, gritty, alt-everything world when they designed Planescape, but the artist just took things in his own direction. I love the feedback loop between artists and designers. Bron and Dark Sun, The Big Four (Easley, Elmore, Parkinson, and (uch) Caldwell (the Leifeld of the group) on Dragonlance, Wayne Reynolds on Eberron (and Pathfinder) etc.
 
Two orcs

Two orcs

Officially better than you, according to PoN
I friend who ran a long and complete 5e campaign plans to run his next campaign in Planescape. He as more of a story gaming bent, but asked me advice on how to make Planescape feel different and how to include the types of "success, but" or "failure, but" mechanics he likes from games like Star Wars: Edge of the Empire. My suggestion:

Planar Intervention
Whenever you roll a natural 1 or natural 20, in addition to your success and failure one of the 9 alignment planes has influenced the situation positively or negatively. Roll d20 to see which (odd numbers are positive, even are negative), a natural 1 or 20 means it's the plane matching your character's alignment. Each plane should have a list of effects the DM picks from or rolls from to see. Example:
Chaotic Good - Arborea
1. Plants grow in an unexpected place, hindering or aiding progress (thorns blocking a path, vines providing a ladder)
2. A surge of emotions grips you or someone nearby, joy, wrath, fear, etc.

You get the idea. The tables would be different enough that your alignment would matter, and certain places would ofc. resist/bring forth certain planes more than others.
 
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