D&D 4E How would you re-envision Planescape with 4e?

[Najo]

So, 4e has come out. You are working on the WOTC staff incharge of making the campaign guide for the 4e Planescape setting. What changes do you make to the setting? What do you focus on for the players to do? How do you change D&D game play? What changes do you make to the story? What sort of content do you plan for the campaign guide?

 

[Aristotle]

I... wouldn't *dodges rain of rotten vegetables*

I loved the setting. I loved the tone. I just don't think, given a newer and seemingly more adventurer friendly cosmology that we need it. I would (and I already recognize this as a likely unpopular idea) do a single book called "Planecape" or something similar. It would detail the core gods, and maybe a brief extended pantheon, but not focus on them. It would provide information on the various planes, how to get to them, how to survive them, and what you will find while your visiting. Factions, as groups of mortals who inhabit the planes, could be covered. Sigil could, possible, be reimagined and provided in some detail. I see it as a city of gateways floating in the abyss. Doorways to everything, surrounded by nothing. All levels of play would be covered, but high levels would be emphasized.

A lot of detail could be provided about how characters with 21+ levels interact with higher powers and where characters end up post-30. Or, if there is a ton of extra room, the planes could be treated as an expansion. With 10 additional levels of hot god on god action.

It would be a Deities and Demigods, Manual of the Planes, Immortals Handbook compilation, all provided with as much planescape flavor as can reasonably be packed in.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Take some of the changes I like, throw out the rest, and put some of my own things in.

But with Planescape I would emphasize the philosophical nature of the campaign setting.

Meta-plot wise I'd pick up right from where Faction War left off, the factions are still officially banned from Sigil by the Lady of Pain, but they're back in a sort of incognito way. Except that they're competing against many new groups and planar sects (Planes Militant, Ring-Givers, etc.) and the guilds. Play up on this situation so that there's many possibilities for a political game.

Bring back monsters that haven't been brought back yet, even reconceptualizing ones that didn't quite work the first time. Modrons though are fine as they've always been IMO. Though Guardinals and Rilmani could use some revisions, as they weren't too fleshed out to begin with.

I'd make Guardinals into Shamanistic Guardian Spirits, and less anthro. Maybe even group Shedu, Lamassu and Buraq into that group. For Rilmani I'd make them into a race of ancient humans altered by alchemy, who plot against all the major powers.

Also offer many suggestions on the ancient history of the planes, and nature of beliefs, myths and other archetypes.

 

[Najo]

I am going to steer this one a little bit. Though I ma trying not to influence these threads much. Obviously, the Great Wheel and much of D&D's planar cosmology is being changed. So, the question is, how should Planescape embrace this?

The real question first, is what is Planescape really about? Well, I want to throw in my own two cents on that one:

Here is the heart of Planescape in bulletpoint:

• The Lady of Pain

• Sigil

• Factions

• Wars of Ideals, Faiths and Philosophies

• The Blood War

• Planar Adventure from 1st level

• The look and feel of that great art, story and even the chant

• Playing in the realms of outsiders and gods

• Unlocking the secrets of planar reality

• Planar Gates, Keys, Puzzles, Secrets

• Planar Magic (where spells work different based on where you are)

I think if you keep this, throw out the Great Wheel and rebuild a planar cosmology with sigil at the center of it and the faction vying for power beneath the shadow of the lady, and then throw in the planar forces of the Blood War seeking to use sigil and the outlands (redone in the new cosmology), you still have an amazing setting. So, how do you build on that? Would you keep the great wheel or change it, and what would you change?

 

[Incenjucar]

The thing about the Great Wheel as that it was specifically NOT how things actually worked, it was just one of the models that were used for convenience. Everything is linked by portals and the like, but everything is still infinite in every direction.

You don't really have to change Planescape much to fit with the new rules, if you're willing to write up the lost monsters, since classes and how magic worked never really mattered that much, unlike in some of the other settings where you have all these major paragon examples of classes (Elminster, etc.).

 

[Steely Dan]

I would like the timeline to be frozen just as it was with the first boxed set – the Faction War killed me.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I realized that Planescape wasn't intrinsically tied to the great wheel being the absolute truth of how the multiverse works, but a very close approximation of how the multiverse works as far as most planewalkers are concerned.

But a Planescape Campaign Setting book for 4e should be filled with creative and neat ideas and locations to use. Weird situations and characters to throw in, and I'd at least have a sidebar in the book entitled "How Ideas Can Kill".

And one thing for sure is I'd bring back all of the black humour and ironic humour that existed before. Whether it's jokes poking fun at typical D&D fare, pop-culture, post-modernism and even the readers themselves. I'd have the book go a lot lighter on the cant, but still have some good examples in places like the intros of chapters.

Bring Tony DiTerlizzi back for even just one new illustration (but hopefully more), since by the time this book comes out, the movie adaptation of his children's fantasy books, The Spiderwick Chronicles will have already come out.

As for 4e stuff in particular, I'd like to see interesting talent trees and paths that while very useful for planewalking, also happen to offer very interesting choices in other situations.

 

[Najo]

Bring Tony DiTerlizzi back for even just one new illustration (but hopefully more), since by the time this book comes out, the movie adaptation of his children's fantasy books, The Spiderwick Chronicles will have already come out.

That is a very good point. Timing and marketing Tony along with the campaign setting and maybe the launch of another game like Torment and planescape could bring new people to D&D 4e.

 

[Najo]

I would like the timeline to be frozen just as it was with the first boxed set – the Faction War killed me.

what specifically did you not like about the faction war?

 

[Steely Dan]

what specifically did you not like about the faction war?

Too numerous to list, but basically it boils down to I don't like it when authors come along and mess with a campaign setting/advance the timeline (that's for individual groups to come up with if they wish, IMO).
Suddenly because of some module that some dude wrote, the cool, established Planescape campaign (the original boxed set fluff) is turned on its head.

That is why I like their approach to Eberron.