KM's Big Thread of Planescape Races

[TarionzCousin]

Tieflings and Aasimar and Chaonds and Zenythri and Fey'ri and Tanarukk and Shadowswifts

I can't download the files right now. Are these the "Planetouched" races in the pdf?

 

[I'm A Banana]

I've edited the Bariaur Charge and the speed, giving them the ability to ignore difficult terrain rather than 2 extra squares.

I can't download the files right now. Are these the "Planetouched" races in the pdf?

Not specifically. I went with a more 4thified terminology. But thematically I think I captured what set planetouched apart as a group from everyone else (namely, the leadership skills and the "planar energy").

So if you're looking for specific fey'ri stuff, you won't find it, but if you want to build a character that is a charming and insightful creature touched by evil, you definitely will. Call them a fey'ri and say they were dsecended from elves and it'll fill the same kind of narrative space, even if the old 3e fey'ri had a bunch of SLA's that this guy doesn't.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

This doesn't look bad.
(read: Like it very much. )

Here are my complaints anyway:
Bariar:
I think the ability to ignore difficult terrain is a little too powerful. You should probably limit it like the Elven power - this one allows you to shift in difficult terrain, IIRC.

Planetouched:
- I am not sure if the Halos power isn't a little to strong, since it deals damage and causes a secondary effect. On the other hand, the Dragonborns Breath weapon has a better area.
- There's a typo in the power for Avandra, and you should probably revise the entire sentence. Maybe use the word swap instead of shift?
- The Epic Endless Halo feat makes the Paragon Path ability useless, and works a little oddly with the Paragon tier feat Aura. I think the Sustaining of the Aura should not deal damage, especially if you consider that it can become a Burst 3. That's a lot of damage to a lot of targets.
- Considering the Aura abilities, I think the Halo shouldn't heal, but just grant temporary hit points. Infinite healing is not per se wrong in 4E, but I think it might come off as a little to powerful for Epic Tier abilities.


Oh, and be honest - you're only writing up the Planetouched because of the hot chicks pics you wanted to use.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Here are my complaints anyway:

It's the only way I'll learn!!!!1

Bariar:
I think the ability to ignore difficult terrain is a little too powerful. You should probably limit it like the Elven power - this one allows you to shift in difficult terrain, IIRC.

Probably right, but I need something that makes them faster at all points. The idea is that they get to move more squares than other PCs in a round. Straight speed might not be the best way to handle that, so how, I wonder...

Planetouched:
- I am not sure if the Halos power isn't a little to strong, since it deals damage and causes a secondary effect. On the other hand, the Dragonborns Breath weapon has a better area.

Yeah, I compared it most directly do the dragonborn breath. In exchange for only hitting next to you, you add a little effect. Its less useful for ranged characters like acher-rangers and wizards and warlocks and certain clerics and the like, so the extra effect may persuade some of them to take it in considering a defensive approach (you come near me, and you'll be sorry!).

- There's a typo in the power for Avandra, and you should probably revise the entire sentence. Maybe use the word swap instead of shift?

I tried to make it close to the wording on the Channel Divinity feat, but I could have been half-asleep, so I'll take another look.

- The Epic Endless Halo feat makes the Paragon Path ability useless, and works a little oddly with the Paragon tier feat Aura. I think the Sustaining of the Aura should not deal damage, especially if you consider that it can become a Burst 3. That's a lot of damage to a lot of targets.

Hmmm...good point. Perhaps if sustained, you can instead add some damage to your melee attacks instead?

- Considering the Aura abilities, I think the Halo shouldn't heal, but just grant temporary hit points. Infinite healing is not per se wrong in 4E, but I think it might come off as a little to powerful for Epic Tier abilities.

Temp HP might be good enough, I'll take a closer look at it, I remember thinking it might've been out of whack.

Oh, and be honest - you're only writing up the Planetouched because of the hot chicks pics you wanted to use.

Are you complaining?

 

[I'm A Banana]

So I've edited the Bariaur stuff again. Now, ignoring difficult terrain costs them a little something -- either they spend more time doing it (and they can't make a double-move) or they are charging. That should be pretty reasonable, the total ignoring was a little too binary, definitely.

I revised the Avandra power (ha!), and changed the sustained halo to add the quality to your melee attacks and touches rather than occupy a burst 3 with permenant destructive might (way too powerful!). I've gotten rid of the at-will halo feat, replaced it with something that lets you use the halo more often. This kind of fixes the problem with the healing, so I think I'll leave it at healing.

A character with all these traits is still lighting up like the fourth of july, but I guess if you've got it, flaunt it!

 

[Lorthanoth]

These are great. Well done especially on the bariaur!

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Are you complaining?

No. But this little cheap tricks to tempt me into reading more of your material... work.



(Though the fact that there was interesting stuff to read around the pictures might have helped a little more. But "I am reading it for the articles" is a common excuse, isn't it?)

 

[Quickleaf]

KM, the bariaur's "Freedom of Movement" is a KO punch of awesome. I bow to your design skills. Keep up the good work! I'll be paying attention to this thread.

About planewalking and skills... While the "outer planes" (Astral Sea domains) are encompassed by Religion, I think that a Planescape 4e campaign warrants a new skills. Perhaps you could combine the PS3E skills Planar Expertise and Knowledge (Planes) from Planewalker?

Oh, and a question - why don't I recognize many of the planetouched varieties? I see that you're reaching into myth, but is this your own creation or recreation of a later planescape book?

 

[I'm A Banana]

Now introducing perhaps one of the most playable versions of the "rogue modrons" ever created. I had kind of a lot of fun with this guy.

I went with "outcaste" instead of "rogue" because (a) rogue is a class, and (b) "outcaste" helped emphasize the feel of these modrons being outside of the caste system of the normal modrons.

I kind of want to run this guy levels 1-30 and then take him up against Orcus for some vengeance for the Modron March... "I'll show YOU who is the One and the Prime!"

No. But this little cheap tricks to tempt me into reading more of your material... work.

Hahaha, good. I hope you enjoy those sexy sexy modrons.

KM, the bariaur's "Freedom of Movement" is a KO punch of awesome. I bow to your design skills.

I graciously accept bows, curtsies, contacts for freelancing, and payment in dollars and euros!

About planewalking and skills... While the "outer planes" (Astral Sea domains) are encompassed by Religion, I think that a Planescape 4e campaign warrants a new skills. Perhaps you could combine the PS3E skills Planar Expertise and Knowledge (Planes) from Planewalker?

I think I need a Planewalking skill for the setting that mimics both of those, but these races are meant to be able to be used in other settings, too, so I probably won't integrate the skill with them. I'd also have to think of uses for the skill that don't just involve "How much do you know about plane X?" because that just doesn't seem like it would cut it. I might have it able to mimic some features of the Nature skill, but I'd want it to do something all its own, too.

Oh, and a question - why don't I recognize many of the planetouched varieties? I see that you're reaching into myth, but is this your own creation or recreation of a later planescape book?

They're basically original.

"Einjeriar" did pop up in one of the PSMC's, but they were just kind of generic upper-planar warriors, so I pulled a 4e and took a cool name for something totally different (and more similar to the Aasimar).

[sblock=Design Diary notes for the planetouched]
Actually, the planetouched varieties were something that I wrestled with a bit. 4e takes the name "tiefling" and appropriates it for a truly different creature than the PS tiefling. Part and parcel of that race's feel was the idea that you were the trash of the multiverse, nobody loved you, and everyone thought you were going to kill them and eat them (and half the time it was true). The 4e guys, being nobles from a fallen empire, turn that pretty much on its head. They're also expressly tied to devils, which aren't THAT unique in the planar spectrum anymore (Hell is just an island in the Astral Sea). So I found myself having to kind of re-create the 2e/3e tiefling with this version of the planetouched, and also offering up the aasimar and the genasi...at least. All the while ignoring the 4e tiefling laughing about its upgrade in the corner.

I think I did okay. The kanaima should give you the same gemeral feel of a 2e/3e tiefling in Sigil. The einjeriar should do likewise for the aasimar, and the genasi should be okay there. Rather than Good vs. Evil, it's Primordials vs. Gods, Beggars vs. Nobles, which is a very Sigil/Planescape motif.

I was a little concerned about "needless symmetry," but with planetouched being the default race other than human, I wanted them to have plenty of options, and also to give a good baseline for introducing new types. Now, all a DM has to do to introduce a new bloodline of planetouched is give them a halo ability and decide if they're considered noble or rejected. You don't need a new ability score modifier or a new spell-like mechanic, just another variant on the halo.

And along the way I got the Foundlings and the Darklings as kind of analogous to the Positive Energy and Negative Energy planes.

So the new variants are kind of the cause of "tiefling" going to a totally different creature, and of a need for one way to reflect at least 6 different races.
[/sblock]

 

[BendBars/LiftGates]

Seeing your modrons make me so happy. No joke, I'm sitting here staring at the pad of paper where I was writing down my own thoughts on rogue modrons. I'll give you what I think so far:

1. You call them "outcaste," which is not a word. Either you meant "outcast" or you intentionally coined a new word, alluding to their hierarchical caste system, and their expulsion from it. Either way, keep the term "outcaste," because I think it's awesome.

2. Quadrones have always been 6' in height, but honestly that always sort of bugged me. I automatically imagine them being shorter, and the proportions of something so boxy being so tall gnaws at me. In my version, I had quietly bumped them down to 5' and hoped no Planescape veterans would call me out on it.

3. The paragon path. Awesome, but there are a couple of formatting errors. First, the quote is awkwardly split between two adjacent columns. Second, the second two powers read "Storm Horns Utility 12" and "Storm Horns Attack 20," respectively.

4. Modron March is a really awesome feat, and I love how creative you get with modron abilities. Honestly, I was kind of stumped for making the modrons seem cool enough. I wonder if 5 damage is enough, though, at paragon levels. Maybe damage equal to your level?

5. Relentless Persistence is fantastic. It's a really subtle effect, but it's exactly what 4e does best: using rules to quietly suggest the character of a creature.

6. Autocrossbow confuses me a little bit. How many crossbows do you have mounted on you? 10? Can you fire ten times without reloading, but then you have to spend 10 minor actions to reload them all?

7. Aviatronics seems cool, and a good compromise between non-flying PCs and winged quadrones, but I don't get what the advantage of flying while shifting is, unless I missed some way that modrons get to shift several squares.

8. I feel like they ought to have an ability that benefits allies, to highlight their organization and teamwork-oriented nature. Or maybe I should just play that modron warlord I've been dreaming about.

9. Like in their original incarnation, I don't think a bonus against Illusions would be out of order.


Fantastic work. This might be my favorite of your race writeups.