Planescape 5e Planescape- What would you like to see in the upcoming setting?

[Parmandur]

I think you're reading too much into it - Cleric PCs draw their mechanics from the domain they choose, not the deity that grants them access to that domain.

For the purpose of the playtest, it doesn't matter whether you get access to the "Fire" domain because you worship Asmodeus, or Lathander, or Hestia, or Imix, or Surtr, or just the abstract concept of the sun - it matters whether the "Fire" domain is functioning properly as designed or needs some tweaks. It'd be a different matter if the Asmodeus "Fire" domain and the Lathander "Fire" domain were mechanically distinct and needed to be tested independently, but at that point each deity would effectively be its own subclass, or even multiple subclasses.

Talking about the deities that exist in the multiverse that the PCs can choose from has a purpose for developing the character's mindset, motivations, backstory, etc., but I wouldn't expect them to devote too much page space to them in the playtest, any more than I would expect the section on wizard school subclasses to deep dive on the Red Wizards of Thay.

That's a topic for the final book, not the playtest docs.

But there is fluff that speaks in generalities of the sorts of divinity the Life Cleric might follow: I just doubt they are going to add Apollo, Odin or Horus in the final product this go around. Different cultural climate.

 

[cbwjm]

But there is fluff that speaks in generalities of the sorts of divinity the Life Cleric might follow: I just doubt they are going to add Apollo, Odin or Horus in the final product this go around. Different cultural climate.

I don't think the cultural climate pendulum has swung so far that they won't mention these deities in planescape, time will tell but I don't think there will be much in the way of outrage if they mention Zeus or Anhur or Thor in Planescape.

 

[Parmandur]

I don't think the cultural climate pendulum has swung so far that they won't mention these deities in planescape, time will tell but I don't think there will be much in the way of outrage if they mention Zeus or Anhur or Thor in Planescape.

We'll see sion enough.

 

[James Gasik]

Like I said, I wouldn't blame them for trying to avoid any potential outrage, even if it's a low chance of occurring. But pushing things they own over things that they don't own is the sort of corporate strategy I would expect.

I might just be overly cynical at this point.

What they really need to do is discuss how deities go by different names, and can even be worshipped in different ways by different peoples so that the specifics don't matter so much.

In 3.5, for example, there was a feat to allow my Cleric of Lathander to be a quasi-heretical Cleric of Amaunator, who is (or isn't, they have flipped the script a few times) a different aspect of the same deity.

Or the ongoing debates about Lolth vs. Lloth, Tiamat/Takhisis, Bahamut/Paladine, etc. etc.. I read this fascinating article once talking about how Inanna, Ishtar, Tanit, Astarte, Ashtoreth, and Aphrodite are likely all the same goddess.

I'd really like to get back to Priests being able to worship whole pantheons, concepts, or philosophies, so that playing a Cleric is simply a matter of "pick a Domain you like, then worry about who/what/where/why/when you worship, be it an established deity or a fringe cult somewhere".

Of course, that would start to explore the Cleric/Warlock divide a bit, which I'm all for.

 

[Demetrios1453]

But there is fluff that speaks in generalities of the sorts of divinity the Life Cleric might follow: I just doubt they are going to add Apollo, Odin or Horus in the final product this go around. Different cultural climate.

Eh, I'm going to have to disagree with you here. Marvel has been using the Norse and, more recently, Greek pantheons in the Thor movies, and there really hasn't been any backlash, other than over Zeus' rather over-the-top stereotypical Greek accent. D&D should be able to mention them, and probably treat the subject with a significantly larger amount of dignity and respect.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I don't expect Planescape to go into much detail about Gods. They are honestly fairly unimportant. The most notable god in Planescape Lore is notable cause he was killed.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Eh, I'm going to have to disagree with you here. Marvel has been using the Norse and, more recently, Greek pantheons in the Thor movies, and there really hasn't been any backlash, other than over Zeus' rather over-the-top stereotypical Greek accent. D&D should be able to mention them, and probably treat the subject with a significantly larger amount of dignity and respect.

I think the only controversy is what an awful movie Love and Thunder was, but I think that angered MCU fans then more then my fellow pagans LMFAO.

If they aren't removing real world Gods from the Forgottens Realms then I find it unlikely they do so in Planescape. They might have sensitivity readers go threw it, but I'll but key real world Pantheons will be there.

They might try and go in the opposite direction to be more inclusive like adding a Loa region to Aborea or something.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I don't expect Planescape to go into much detail about Gods. They are honestly fairly unimportant. The most notable god in Planescape Lore is notable cause he was killed.

They are unimportant in Sigil, they are EXTREMELY important everywhere else. They can literally change the plane's geography or lock you out from visiting it.

I'm not saying they will be the focus of the book, but they will be mentioned in Planar sections where they have a big impact, like Greco-Roman in the layer of Olympus or Asmodeus in Hell, Lolth in the Abyss, Norse Gods in Ysgard, like how do you do these planes without a reasonable mention etc...

I'm not suggesting each individual divine domain will get explored, just the big broad important stuff.

 

[cbwjm]

I don't expect Planescape to go into much detail about Gods. They are honestly fairly unimportant. The most notable god in Planescape Lore is notable cause he was killed.

Same, at most I expect some being mentioned with their respective planes/layers, at minimum I expect updated tables with their domains. Otherwise I don't think they'll have much of a presence in the setting book.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Same, at most I expect some being mentioned with their respective planes/layers, at minimum I expect updated tables with their domains. Otherwise I don't think they'll have much of a presence in the setting book.

I don't think expanded domains would come until the PHB.