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

[Corinnguard]

I guess I'll start this thread since I suggested it in an earlier thread. We all know that a new version of Planescape will be coming out at the end of this year. But we don't know what WoTC might have in store for it. So that just leaves us coming up with another wish list of what we, the D&D community, would like to see.

The Factions: Faction (Planescape) - Wikipedia

I think that, like the Guilds in the Ravnica setting, the Factions within the Planescape setting are going to be Backgrounds that anybody can use for their character.

Species: Planar sub-species of all the species living out their lives on the Prime. An Elf who hails from Arborea is going to be very different from an Elf who comes one of the many worlds of the Prime. New kinds of Planetouched species and new variants of the ones we are already familiar with.

Planar subclasses: Nuff said.

The Planes: A more in-depth look at them, please.

New gear and new spells

Planar threats: New monsters and older versions of Planescape monsters converted to 5e. Planar phenomena.

I think this sums up what I would like to see in a new version of Planescape. How about you?

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

I'll just be watching this one from the sideline with a large bag of popcorn. Mostly I'm curious how WotC will solve the PS fundamentals of alignment etc - on paper it should be an even harder nut to crack that the Dark Sun "problems", at least if they want to preserve some of the meaning and feeling of the setting. But we'll see, we might get surprised.

 

[greatgreenpanda]

Have one artist give a beautiful and unique look to the setting. Tony DiTerlizzi did a most excellent job with the TSR version. And while I maybe dreaming on this, recreating the box sets and maps that TSR did would be so nice to see in todays pdf world.

 

[DarkCrisis]

More than 5 pages of lore

 

[The Glen]

Bring back back the interplanar freakshow. The planar tieflings that only had the fact they had nothing common in common. Not the crayon box of demon boys but uncanny valley the race. Sentient wombats who only communicate through ululating. Clerics who worship the number 17 as a God. 8' tall half lings that are perfectly in scale with the rest of the races on their world. Make it weird But make it wonderful.

And for God's sake make it more than 64 pages

 

[Stormonu]

I think the Factions should be Patrons, not backgrounds. Maybe use a Piety-like system to track Faction standing.

Hopefully most of the book will cover Sigil & its factions, the Outlands and the Planes, with at most a short intro adventure. If it doesn't have a full-page coverage (2 or more would be better, 4 pages per plane would be my hope) for each plane, I would count that as a product failure.

Race options should be relatively small (I'm expecting Ardling, Rogue Modron and Aasimar - <edit> Bariaur would be nice as well) - but I'd like at least to see a table for Tiefling attributes so we roll back to the unique appearance for that race. I suspect a couple of backgrounds (Planar Guide, Planes Wanderer, Planar Petitioner, Factol, Outlander, Sigilite) and maybe a couple subclasses (a rogue "Portalpicker" who can force open portals would be interesting, as would a Dustman Barbarian)

And of course, a monster section - Dabus, Mercykiller Collector, Guvner Judge, Sensate Madman, Cranium Rats, a few new devils/demons and a couple new outer plane/Sigil/Outland creatures.

 

[SkidAce]

I think the Factions should be Patrons, not backgrounds. Maybe use a Piety-like system to track Faction standing.

Hopefully most of the book will cover Sigil & its factions, the Outlands and the Planes, with at most a short intro adventure. If it doesn't have a full-page coverage (2 or more would be better, 4 pages per plane would be my hope) for each plane, I would count that as a product failure.

Race options should be relatively small (I'm expecting Ardling, Rogue Modron and Aasimar - Hybisil would be nice as well) - but I'd like at least to see a table for Tiefling attributes so we roll back to the unique appearance for that race. I suspect a couple of backgrounds (Planar Guide, Planes Wanderer, Planar Petitioner, Factol, Outlander, Sigilite) and maybe a couple subclasses (a rogue "Portalpicker" who can force open portals would be interesting, as would a Dustman Barbarian)

And of course, a monster section - Dabus, Mercykiller Collector, Guvner Judge, Sensate Madman, Cranium Rats, a few new devils/demons and a couple new outer plane/Sigil/Outland creatures.

Good news, I think we have Cranium Rats, let me check. (cause I'm sure I used a version last month...)

Edit; yes, Volo's and Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I do want them have Planetouched as a full-fledged species option. They've suggested it was one on it's own initially when brought up with discussions on the Tiefling, but may have backed out of the idea, as Tieflings are moving more in the direction of what they were before.

I also want to see the Guardinals, Celestial Eladrin (Arvandorei? Sidhe? Azatas? whatever they're calling them now) and Rilmani back in 5e.

I definitely want to see the main focus on Sigil as a setting, but with a good bunch of details on the various planes too.

 

[humble minion]

They already playtested a really general version of factions as backgrounds in a UA didn't they?

As for what i want to see - lean into the weirdness hard in Sigil, lean into the impossibly vast and otherworldly hard in the actual planes. I think modrons being central to the product is kinda inevitable (ha, d'ya see what i did there?) and that's a good thing, but take us to some other bizarre and epic places in the Planes, like Acheron, the Positive Material, the paralemental plane of dust, Pandemonium, Yggdrasil, the Celestial Brueaucracy, etc etc etc. Don't just to a high points planar tourist cliche that goes to Sigil and the City of Brass and some fiendish realm and some celestial realm and decide you've covered all the bases. The planes are infinite. Use that.

Oh, and make the setting an actual setting, not a pathetic grab bag of rules designed to run one specific and inadequate adventure. And bump the damn page count up a LOT from Spelljammer, for pete's sake. Dump the GM screen to do it, if its not already too late.

Also, modron PCs, cranium rats, animal lords, bebeliths, hollyphants/maelephants, and please, do something interesting with inevitables finally. Bariaurs can go though - nobody ever really cared about them...

 

[bloodtide]

Well...

Tone and Spirit: I would LOVE to see a beautifully done take on the planes, while staying true to the original. I want people to pick up the book and feel awe, interest, amazement, wonder and even confusion. The planes must be "wow a reality beyond the normal world", not just "plane number six has rocks". With serious alignment stuff mixed with slight humor mixed with the uncanny.

And it goes without saying I hope the setting is, ahem, full of enough dark so a clueless basher might be able to make some jinx and good choices and become a cutter.

Scope and Size- I don't see how you can do a plane in less then five pages. And with 20 plus planes, depending on how you count, that's at least whole book right there. Some how I think they will do the little more then a paragraph per plane, and they will really short the setting.

Alignment- Planescape uses alignment, 5E does not...... It would seem like they would 5E wash the planes into "sort of good" and "sort of evil" places? And that would not really fit with the setting. I would like to see the old 2E alignments, but doubt they will even consider that.

The Great Wheel-I guess there is the temptation to have a chapter of "there is no offical D&D cosmos and every group should make up their own wacky planes however they see fit". But I really hope they don't do that. If they want to, release a book "Make your Own Multiverse", but a Planescape product uses the 2E Elemental Sphere and The Great Wheel

Sigil- Another huge part of the setting. And again it will need more then a paragraph or two. I hope they can find the room...

Gates and Portals-The way a ctuuer moves about the planes is by use of gates and portals. I hope they don't change this....

No Modern Changes- I hope they can get through the setting with out making all kinds of changes they think might offend modern people. Like renaming every outer plane and every monster and deity.

No Astral Sea- please, please, please have them make the Astral a PLANE again. And not some Sea of Stars that Spelljammers zoom up into 'space'. And...Planejammer is fine, but DO NOT mix Spelljammer with Planejammer. You DON"T take off from a moon in space, fly across the Astral Sea, slip into an Abyssal ocean to fight a Demon Kraken, then sail over to Ysgard for some drink and ship repairs, then zip back through the astral sea to land on the jungle planet.

Crunch Overload- I love crunch I really do...but there is just too much. To do even just a background, archtype, and whatever they call "race" now would seem impossible. Plus another 'general' ones. And that is on top of doing the Factions and other Sects. I just see this as a huge loss. They will likely only have a handfull of each, and worse make them very short in length.

Spells-hope they can find enough room for the couple of plane hopping spells

Monsters- If there is any room left? Maybe one per plane? Hope that can even do that much?

Adventure- if they include one, I hope they could do a good "tour of the planes" type one. Or maybe just update

Tales of the Outer Planes?​

 

[TravDoc42]

I'd like to see some of the various creatures that populate the Planes make an appearance! Things like the Incantifers (powerful immortal wizards who feed off of magic!), the keepers (mysterious men-in-black aberrations), linquas (Constructs from Gehenna addicted to serving the deity of thieves), formians (lawful ant centaurs) and even oddballs like moignos, the sapient math equations from Mechanus!

As well, some cool NPCs like Shemeshka the Marauder, the Us, and Alluvius Ruskin would be awesome to see, hopefully with stat blocks to accompany them!

And hopefully some of the Planar Cant makes its way in, even though I somewhat doubt that it will, unfortunately.

 

[OB1]

As one of the few people who enjoyed the format and content of Spelljammer, I wouldn't mind seeing something similar for Planescape.

80 Page setting guide - 30 pages on a reimagined Sigil, it's factions, and it's way of life. 50 pages split between the outer planes.
80 page monster guide
80 page Tier III adventure that blasts thru Sigil and 4-5 outer planes

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The faction war could continue in the Gatetowns. There is a great potential here.

Interesting PC species. Not only the glitchlings, but also the bariaur or the paragenasies. I miss the mechanatrixes from Fiend Folio, those planetouched from Mechanus.

* Summonable monsters, paraelementals and quasielementals: ice, magma, smoke, clay...

* A new plane style Feywild or Shadowfell. There is a potential in the mirror plane.

* Planar dragons, and planar dragonborns. The infernal dragons are perfect for Ravenloft.

* A second layer within Sigil, like a second toroid, but larger, with the size of a region, not only a megacity.

 

[Atomoctba]

I would really love if they give useful directions for those that want to play before the Faction Wars. Full rules for all the 15 Sigyl ruling factions before the war.

I know many people like the Faction Wars and it is all ok. But lots of us (including myself) consider it what broke the setting.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Hoping the elemental feats make it in from the UA. They were so useful for helping make an elemental themed character.

 

[DarkCrisis]

The Nameless One
Annah of the Shadows ("I don't even know how to spell jealous!")
Morty
Fall From Grace

Just put a code for a free copy of Torment on PC in the back of every book.

 

[Quickleaf]

I would love to see the folks behind PS: Torment (Chris Avellone & Colin McComb) – or at least the design ethos they had – brought to bear on the setting (e.g. show us ways the PCs can "move mountains/gate-towns with belief" or "talk an evil spirit/illusion-made-manifest out of existence"). Don't leave it as a snappy byline – design the heck out of the weirdness/philosophy as a central feature.

In terms of product, I want it to mostly go the opposite direction from Spelljammer: Adventures in Space. So make it more lore and random table heavy (a la Worlds Without Number), focused on giving the GM the tools to design their own adventures on the planes. BUT guide the design towards every plane as an adventure location, not just "oh yeah, it's there as backdrop, but this other place is where the adventures are" (even places like Bytopia or Elysium). Due to page count limits, this may necessitate focusing on the Outer Planes & Sigil, and leaving the Elemental Planes for another product/adventure.

 

[Corinnguard]

Planar dragons, and planar dragonborns. The infernal dragons are perfect for Ravenloft.

This reminds me of when Dragon Magazine came out with a couple articles on each kind of planar dragon. The Pyroclastic Dragon of Gehenna. The Beast Dragon of the Beastlands. The Elysian Dragon whose breath weapon could make you drunk if you failed your Constitution save. Each article had a sidebar for anyone wanting to create a planar Half-Dragon.

I would be thrilled if Planescape 5e came out with a table on Planar Dragonborn.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The Elysian dragon (that with a duck beak) is perfect to sell toys for children.

 

[majorarcana02]

I would really love if they give useful directions for those that want to play before the Faction Wars. Full rules for all the 15 Sigyl ruling factions before the war.

I know many people like the Faction Wars and it is all ok. But lots of us (including myself) consider it what broke the setting.

FWIW, Keys from the Golden Vault makes a few references to at least 1 classic Planescape faction, even specifically stating that it operates out of Sigil. So that suggests that we might see a return to the pre-Faction War status quo.