Planescape Check Out The Planescape Character Options

WotC has unveiled some of the character options to be found in the upcoming Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse setting in a D&D Beyond article and a video.

The player options include two backgrounds and a handful of feats. The backgrounds are the Gate Warden and the Planer Philosopher, and the feats include Scion of the Outer planes, which gives you a damage resistance and a cantrip based on the plane you have a connect with. For example, a chaotic Outer Place give you resistance to poison and access to the minor illusion cantrip, which the Outlands give you resistance to psychic damage and the mage hand cantrip. Also included are a couple of new spells and some magic items.

Preview Planescape Character Options for Your Multiversal Adventures

This article is a deep dive into the backgrounds and feats found in the three-book set Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse!

www.dndbeyond.com

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[Micah Sweet]

So question, do they have rules for PC Bariaurs or is the picture of a Bariaur in association with "PC options" just a wind-up lol?

It seems like the monster book would have room for some PC races honestly.

It appears to be a wind-up.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

All decisions in business are based on profit. That's the point of doing business. If you make unprofitable decisions, very soon you find yourself with no business.

That is nonsense. They are just as often based on executives' day dreams, and the inertia of big brands insulates them from ever 'finding yourself with no business'.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

It appears to be a wind-up.

WotC really know how to get my goat...

 

[Micah Sweet]

Firstly, I think that's an overstatement - decisions don't tend to be as pure as you're suggesting, and indeed, when people try to make them that pure, they usually screw up and end up driving audiences away (this can be seen across a variety of products and media).

Secondly, even if we see this as true, this product is prima facie evidence that WotC aren't very good at making profit-centric decisions with D&D. The reality is, for example, that crunch sells (demonstrated across decades of RPGs, very much including WotC ones), but WotC have been doing less and less crunch for quite some time.

I have no doubt that a Planescape which had more player options - like races, factions which were actually mechanical, and so on, would sell more copies than this one will, simply because people who aren't intending to run Planescape will pick it up for those options.

This is, if anything, evidence of a company kind of going against its best financial interests.

So they can make decisions that aren't in their financial interest as long as they are bad all around. Hahahaha!!! They're not even good at what they're trying to be good at!

 

[bedir than]

Its an important factor, but it doesn't always trump all other considerations like it to does with WotC.

Really?
It's WotC that is using AI art in a million dollar product in order to save a few dollars?
It's WotC who used their lies about the OGL to launch an Asian themed Kickstarter without being Asian?
It's WotC who used their game from being an actor to make D&D whiskey?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Really?
It's WotC that is using AI art in a million dollar product in order to save a few dollars?
It's WotC who used their lies about the OGL to launch an Asian themed Kickstarter without being Asian?
It's WotC who used their game from being an actor to make D&D whiskey?

Is this for or against my point? The AI thing is the only one I've heard about, and they only changed tack because the public found out and raised a stink, and that would cost them more money in their estimation then keeping with the AI art. WotC wants to avoid the public giving them a hard time. That supports my point.

 

[bedir than]

Is this for or against my point? The AI thing is the only one I've heard about, and they only changed tack because the public found out and raised a stink, and that would cost them more money in their estimation then keeping with the AI art. WotC wants to avoid the public giving them a hard time. That supports my point.

Wizards had an anti policy at Magic prior to the Bigby's issue.

There are other companies using it in order to make their profits go brrrrrr while you accuse WotC of being a profits only company.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Wizards had an anti policy at Magic prior to the Bigby's issue.

There are other companies using it in order to make their profits go brrrrrr while you accuse WotC of being a profits only company.

Maybe I'm wrong about the sequence of events, but WotC has that policy for the reason I outlined above: public relations, which feeds back into increasing sales.

I don't really have an opinion on the AI art issue anyway, because I don't really care about art as a selling point, beyond letting me know what stuff looks like. Words are far more important to me.

 

[bedir than]

Maybe I'm wrong about the sequence of events, but WotC has that policy for the reason I outlined above: public relations, which feeds back into increasing sales.

I don't really have an opinion on the AI art issue anyway, because I don't really care about art as a selling point, beyond letting me know what stuff looks like. Words are far more important to me.

Sure.

But you do realize that any scrutiny to your claim that WotC only cares about profits destroys the argument?
Most companies in the space are so concerned about their leadership's investments they don't pay living wages. Wizards does pay a living wage for its creative staff.

 

[Scribe]

It's WotC that is using AI art in a million dollar product in order to save a few dollars?

If they could do so without backlash from the terminally online? Yeah they would.

It's WotC who used their lies about the OGL to launch an Asian themed Kickstarter without being Asian?

LOL. This is grade AAA snark, and I unironically applaud it (take a look at the contributors though and get back to us) but if we want to talk about a company leveraging its reputation and place in the industry to do...pretty much anything it wants while headed by a bunch of old white dudes...lol. Honestly though, this is top tier snark.

It's WotC who used their game from being an actor to make D&D whiskey?

Thats not Rated G enough for todays Wizards.