Planescape: The Perfect MMO Setting?

[Cevalic]

You couldnt ask for a better setting, especially with the ease of adding content through portals since it makes since instead of some odd add on. Eventually, you could even include some of the worlds maybe, although that would probably be asking too much. Just adventuring in the outer planes would be pretty cool. Excellent idea.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

You would have to make allowances for PCs of different factions to adventure together. There is no good-evil divide and there are too many factions to irrevocably prevent PC A from hanging out with PC B.

 

[Erstwhile]

This idea just drips Awesome. I have thus far resisted WoW, Guild Wars, EverQuest, etc. But a Planescape MMORPG - that, I could not resist.

Instead of "belief of the masses" affecting reality everyone has their own, tangential, reality.

In MY tangential reality, someone has invented a Planescape MMORPG and I am playing it RIGHT NOW.

 

[TarionzCousin]

However, if there was a high-quality Planescape MMO - I would quit my job and live on the street in a wifi zone donating plasma to pay my monthly MMO fees.

The first step in getting well is admitting that you have a problem.

However, your point is well taken. I, too, would sign on for a good PS MMO--"good" being defined in so many ways, but including "roleplaying" servers.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Did I suggest it wasn't?

No, Mr. Defensive, and I never suggested otherwise.

 

[I'm A Banana]

You would have to make allowances for PCs of different factions to adventure together. There is no good-evil divide and there are too many factions to irrevocably prevent PC A from hanging out with PC B.

Shouldn't be a huge problem, though. Parties of different factions happen all the time in the PS games I'm familiar with -- they have other goals to pursue, and there's bound to be some overlap somewhere. If your faction goals conflict with other party members, team up within your faction. If your alignment goals conflict with your faction, team up within your alignment. If both are in harmony but you're worried about irking the Yugoloths by taking that "Stop the Blood War Shipment!" quest, don't take it!

A Reputation system handles this very well (and captures the feel of the kriegstanz nicely, to boot): complete goals for one NPC, you gain points toward their organization, but loose it toward others.

In my mind, like in a regular PS campaign, there are faction things going on, but there's also alignment-based things going on, general organizational things going on, political or monetary things going on...I could see PSMMO characters never adopting a faction if they weren't particularly concerned with it, pursuing faction-neutral quests or just never bothering to talk to the Faction Recruiter.

For instance, say there was a Dustman plot to collect on the bounty of an innkeeper who is of the Prolonger sect (shouldn't be too hard to imagine...heh). If the character hung out at the Mortuary and talked to the right NPC's, they might hear about it, and even be given quests related to it (help out our assassin, gather information on the Prolonger, etc.) If the PC hung out at the inn and talked to the right NPC's, they might hear about it and be given quests for the other side (prevent the dustman plot! save our inn!). As one character pursues the plot, he gains reputation with the Dustmen (who then can offer to train him in certain feats or offer him certain items). As the other character pursues the plot, he gains reputation with that particular inn, and maybe one of the rivals of the Dustmen. At a certain point, the "patch" is put through, and the side that had the most successful quest completions for it "wins:" the NPC is killed and removed from the game, or the NPC survives and the Dustmen start offering different quests (for now...). Either one generates new missions.

The player, depending upon their faction affiliation, might do either (or both, with different characters). One might advance a faction cause, the other side might hinder it without really advancing any opposition.

And if the Dustmen gain some ascendancy this push, perhaps Sigil seems a bit more dull and NPC's don't seem to care as much and Undead become more common mobs in the quests and the Sensate quests get a little more numerous...and maybe the same character who helped out the Dustmen last kill this innkeeper now wants to even the score: they take a mission to find a grove of Arborean Grapes for the Sensates so that they can brew a particularly potent wine to make everything *significant* again.

I would see very little physical PvP within the hub of Sigil (too many level 20+ harmonium elites lurking around...unless the Harmonium has been weakened by recent efforts, of course...), with this more Reputation-based PvP being the big coloring here. Of course, actual PvP could and should exist as well, in moderation and in the right areas.

Something that I would change from core 3e PS, though: No Level Adjustments. Give us fairly balanced, flavorful ECL +0 versions of the PS races. I don't mind giving up darkness as a spell-like ability that much.

No, Mr. Defensive, and I never suggested otherwise.

Heh, okay, noted. Mah bad. Perhaps it's just my tendancy to read message board posts as if Comic Book Guy were saying them. Sorry.

 

[Jim Hague]

Given that Torment is one of the best damn CRPGs of all time that featured real choice and mapped out a goodly chunk of Sigil...yeah, this'd get me to play a fantasy MMO.

 

[Jer]

Good gods!

Someone has described a MMORPG that I might want to play! Even if I have to pay for it monthly!

The possibilities of a setup like that are almost endless. You'd have logical reasons for new "expansions" (look, new portals to the Abyss and Hell are opening up over here - go check them out), a real reason for why you can't do PVP in a "safe" zone (imagine a player trying to start some PVP action in Sigil and having the Lady show up and dump him into a maze for an hour as punishment), multiple worlds to explore and expand (not just the Outer Planes and the Inner Planes, but even alternate Primes if needed), a ton of built-in factions to hand out "quests" to players -- its all right there. And its wrapped up in a gameworld that is still recognizably fantasy, but different enough from the big guns out in the market right now that you'd have a chance at pushing the market open rather than just languashing as a second-class citizen.

I can't believe I didn't think of it myself -- its a great idea.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Factions, while not required, could give a character unique powers and abilities. I like the DMGII Affiliation rules for this: as your Reputation Score rises higher with a given affiliation (including the factions, but also including things like the Planar Trade Consortium and the Alignments), you start gaining benefits, including interesting powers. With less belief-based organizations, you get things like discounts, contacts, NPC hirelings, special items...

 

[Remathilis]

I love it.

Class Wise: I see fighter, ranger, paladin, monk, wizard, sorcerer, cleric, bard and rogue all working. Expansions could add warlock, hexblade, scout, swashbuckler, favored soul, etc.

Racial: With so many options, I'd have to narrow it down to the "classics".

Aasimar
Bariaur
Githzerai
Genasi (air, earth, water, fire)
Exiled Modron (maybe?)
Human
Tiefling

I'd keep Githyanki a villainous race for now. I'm not a big fan of the new planar races, but Neraphim, Spikers, Chaond or Zenyuri might all work as well... No elves, dwarves, gnomes or hobbits though!