D&D 5E [D&D 5e] Planescape- In Through the Out Door (Full)

[Unsung]

If we're talking about a ghostly jazz musician, drifting across the planes? That is classy. I very much approve.

So far 5e has no direct equivalent to level adjustment or ECL. I think that's for the best. A lot of those powers and abilities can be represented just as well through either class levels, bonus proficiencies, and the treasure economy of a campaign. As a ghost, for example, there's good reason for you not to be able to equip a lot of magic items-- not the least of which being armour. So your ethereal nature compensates for that and is quite powerful, but not overwhelming. There are further downsides, like being warded from entry by things that corporeal beings wouldn't think twice about. We could talk about it and agree to what we all feel are fair limitations. A line of salt. A religious symbol carved in the door.

The limits would be different for a partially imaginary being, one believed into reality, but whatever they might be, I like the concept and I'm willing to work with you on it.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Picayune Leveaux

Effigy Bard 1
Medium-size Undead (Augmented Humanoid) (Fire, Incorporeal)
Chaotic Neutral



[sblock=Crunch]
[sblock=Stats]
Hit Dice 3d12
Initiative +1
Speed Fly 30' (perfect)
AC 13 (+1 Dex, +2 deflection bonus granted by Charisma modifier)

STR -- (8 when corporeal)
DEX 13
CON -- (12 when corporeal)
INT 14
WIS 10
CHA 15

Face / Reach: 5' / 5'

Special Attacks:
Corrupting Thoughts
Infuse
Manifestation

Special Qualities:
Fire subtype
Incorporeal subtype
SR --
Undead traits
[/sblock]

[sblock=Corrupting Thoughts]An effigy can blast a living being with a memory, thought, or dream at a range of up to 30'. The creature targeted must succeed on a Constitution check DC 13 (10 + 1/2 effigy's HD + Cha modifier) or take 2d6 points of damage and 1d4 points of Charisma damage.[/sblock]
[sblock=Infuse]Once per day, an effigy may hit a humanoid or monstrous humanoid no more than two size categories larger than itself with its incorporeal touch attack. The opponent must make a successful Wisdom check DC 13 (10 + 1/2 effigy's HD + Cha modifier) or suffer an immediate 1d6 points of fire damage and become infused with the effigy's spirit. The effects of infusion on the opponent are similar to those of a magic jar spell, except as noted here. Upon infusion, the effigy gains control of the infused creature. While infused, it uses the body's physical ability scores but its own mental ability scores. It also uses whatever attack forms the subject has available.[/sblock]
[sblock=Manifestation]An effigy dwells on the Ethereal Plane and, as an ethereal creature, it cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When an effigy manifests, it partly enters the Material Plane and becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane. A manifested effigy can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, or spells, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source. A manifested effigy can pass through solid objects at will, and its own attacks pass through armor. A manifested effigy gets a +10 to a Dexterity check to move silently.

A manifested effigy remains partially on the Ethereal Plane, where it is not incorporeal. A manifested effigy can be attacked by opponents on either the Material or the Ethereal Plane. The effigy's incorporeality helps protect it on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Ethereal Plane.

When a spellcasting effigy is not manifested and is on the Ethereal Plane, its spells cannot affect targets on the Material Plane, but they work normally against ethereal targets. When a spellcasting effigy manifests, its spells continue to affect ethereal targets and can affect targets on the Material Plane normally unless the spells rely on touch. A manifested effigy's touch spells don't work on nonethereal targets. An effigy is not considered extraplanar when on either the Material or Ethereal Plane.[/sblock]

[sblock=Bard Spells]TBD[/sblock]

[sblock=Proficiencies]TBD[/sblock][/sblock]

[sblock=Background]Picayune is, or was, an aging Black jazz funeral trombonist. A gas explosion in Metarie, Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina burned Picayune's shotgun row house to the ground. The resulting inferno rent Picayune's body, sprinkling shards of his animus across The Planes.[/sblock]

 

[CanadienneBacon]

[MENTION=6781406]Unsung[/MENTION], I looked through the 3.5 Monster Manual and Monster Manual II, as well as the 3.0 Manual of the Planes. I realize we are playing 5e, but I don't own the 5e PHB. I am hoping you will permit a Bard (there is no Bard in the 5e .pdf, so here's hoping Bard appears in the full-on 5e PHB).

I could not find a monstrous humanoid to re-purpose, but I did find two items that intrigued me. The Ghost template from the MM, and the Effigy from MM II. I blended Ghost and Effigy to come up with my own race, which I am calling "Effigy" because I think it sounds cooler, I like the word better, and it more closely fits my vision for the character.

I did my best to tone down Ghost and Effigy, keeping what I consider to be essential components of both for the character I have in mind, and dropping or scaling down the non-essential and/or overpowered tidbits. I consider both Corrupting Thoughts and Infuse essential. Corrupting Thoughts is a re-skinned version of the Ghost's Corrupting Gaze special attack. Corrupting Gaze calls for 2d10 damage; I set Corrupting Thoughts to do 2d6 damage. If 2d6 damage is still too overpowering, I'm open to reducing it further. Infuse is basically the core of my concept for this character as a whole. Infuse comes from Effigy (in the Monster Manual II). I intend to use Infuse as a means to infiltrate others' minds to get them to believe that Picayune is, in fact, a "real" creature. I guess you could say Infuse is my gateway back to eventual corporeality. It's also a great offensive tool; the original version of Infuse calls for 2d6 fire damage, which I reduced to 1d6 fire damage.

I am certainly open to further re-tooling, and welcome your input. Other monsters that I considered before settling on the Ghost/Effigy combo include: allip, angel, nightmare, shadow, spectre, will-o-wisp, wraith, glimmerskin, and satyr.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

If Fenris goes with his Satyr Bard concept, I can very easily roll with Sorcerer or Cleric.

 

[Queenie]

My tiny little fairy doesn't need armor, after all, if she dies, all she needs is her party to bring her back to life by saying, "I do believe in fairies, I do, I do!" Lol This is so great, I am really excited for this new challenge. Tomorrow we will be at a comic shop, we'll take a look at see if we can nab the book you're talking about. They had a lot of 4e stuff last time we were there.

So I really like what you wrote skinning the halfling into Pixie, I like the description in the Monster Manual too. We've been going back and forth about warlock versus Druid (which I've never played, actually never played a warlock either but am more familiar) or sorcerer. Sorcerer fits but I have a bunch of them in games right now so warlock is more appealing. But Druid could be okay too, so I just have to sit down and really look at the comparison. I am totally open to suggestions from the peanut gallery too.

I think I would like, if I can, to be able to change from tiny to normal size. Even if it's just a little bit. Kind of like Una, from Legend. I think it will be helpful to the party. That's my main concern, that I am creating some weird tiny creature who won't be too helpful because of the fighting. So I have to concentrate on spells and being creative ( which is the fun and the challenge!). I don't want an annoying character either.

I have to say, after rereading everyone's concepts 1) they are SO good and 2) I am totally jealous of all you guys who come up with three awesome concepts with backgrounds and everything at the snap of the fingers. Making characters is hard for me. I enjoy the playing part and I do like getting to pick out character traits but coming up with the story just takes me time, I don't know why. I guess I feel pressure to make something I will enjoy playing FOREVER AND EVER!!! Lol Anyway, good job team

Oh one more thing. After rereading the opening post, I realized I have played some of this before in 3.5. Our characters needed the special library on the circle, so my character created a portal and traveled to Sigil. I think we were 17th level at the time. We then ended up going to, uh, wherever Lloth lives from there. So I have done some Planescape traveling. I recalled it from some of the pics you posted Unsung, so thank you!

 

[Shayuri]

Hehe, in the interests of full disclosure, most of my concepts were repurposed from other games that died young. None of my characters ever dies. They just go back into the Waiting Room to wait for another chance.

Canadienne, consider making that 'Corrupting Thoughts' ability a reskinned Vicious Mockery cantrip? It does a bit less damage, but also imposes disadvantage on the victim's next attack, so it has a nice debuff attached to it...and that seems appropriate for a mental/emotional attack.

And it makes balancing a new race a lot easier if you're not asking for a fairly powerful at-will attack to be attached to it, I'd think.

As for me...I need to go back over the past couple of pages and make a list of what folks have settled on it looks like.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Canadienne, consider making that 'Corrupting Thoughts' ability a reskinned Vicious Mockery cantrip?

I like it. Is there anything else I could pilfer?

 

[Shayuri]

No need to pilfer. You're a bard, and it's a bard cantrip so it's all good.

As for the rest, I have only one actual thought...the rest really needs the GM to make some decisions. The thought I have is that since 'belief = reality' in the outer planes...and further, since the Ethereal Plane is more or less inaccessible through most of the outer planes...it would be kind of cool if this Effigy worked kind of like a tulpa sort of thing, where it is a physical manifestation of thought and belief. This would be a lot easier to balance than any kind of incorporeality.

It also leads to an interesting example of how belief is a double-edged sword. This incarnate idea, this thought given form, was able to survive the death of its originator by finding other minds to believe in it. Enough people believed it to be real that it -became- real. The downside of that is that...if those people believe the idea to be dead, oops...it is. So the idea has a body, and all the advantages therof...but because bodies can be hurt, must eat and sleep, and can die...well, that all applies to the Effigy too. He's riding a tiger, trying to get enough belief that he can continue being an entity in the world...but at the same time aware that the beliefs that make him real also limit and threaten to define him.

Maybe that's why he limits himself to small groups and teams at the moment? A handful of people he can manipulate into believing more or less whatever he wants them to...and can therefore determine his own nature. But if he tried to make himself real to a large number of people at once, he'd lose control of that. Sooner or later misconceptions, or 'unauthorized' opinions and beliefs would start cropping up... and he'd change to match them. At least, that's the fear. Or maybe it already happened once?

 

[KirayaTiDrekan]

I was thinking it would be nifty if my character, the Franken-Modron, wouldn't be able to see or hear the effigy since it doesn't have much in the way of imagination, at least at first.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

I was thinking that we would start out with no one believing in Picayune. He'd haunt the party, trying to get y'all to believe in him, and occasionally helping out with Bard buffs until y'all started to believe. Picayune thinks that if he can get a group of folks to believe in him, he could be wished back into existence and find his way home to New Orleans.