Planescape Running a Planescape Campaign with Optional Proficiency Rules from the DMG?

[overgeeked]

I'm tempted to run Planescape in 5E. I'm looking for simple mechanics that would tie the dice rolls to the alignments of the characters, their philosophies as well as their factions. Has anybody tried that? The simpler the better. For now, I'm thinking using the optional rules from the DMG p 264: there are no skill proficiencies, but you can add your proficiency to your ability check if it ties to your Background or your Personality Traits. This would expand to philosophy and Alignment.

For example, during a social interaction, you could add your proficiency to your Charisma roll if you make a cogent argument in line with your belief.

In addition, Hero Points could be acquired and used following a similar logic: when your character fortifies his beliefs, ascends to a higher rank in a faction, etc.

What do you think?

I would love to get a group willing to use those proficiency rules. I want to go one step further though, ignoring the bonus or the proficiency dice and just giving advantage on anything related to class, background, race, personality traits, bonds, etc. but still use the stat modifiers. You're a dwarf stonemason? Great, have advantage on stonemasonry related-checks. Done. You're a rogue? Great, have advantage on all the appropriate rogue-related checks. Done.

 

[Dumboldt]

You could get advantage (or a smaller flat bonus) when making a cogent argument in line with your belief.

Yes, but I thought advantage too big a bonus so proficiency seemed interesting. On the other hand Hero Points can reach impossible DCs whereas Advantage cannot, so they could create little miracles in-game that seem to fit the setting.

It doesn't need to represent anything more specific that the ambient miasma of alignment-mattering particles. The idea makes sense in the PS context IMO, and I wouldn't worry too much about quantifying it. Specific lists and rules helps mitigate the argument issues. YMMV.

Exactly haha, belief-midi-chlorians directly affect the planes and using proficiency feels like it puts belief on the same level as skill set, the mental and the physical, so to speak.

I agree that it can create tedious arguments, so it would need guidelines. And maybe advantage / disadvantage is the simplest way to go, I'm going to give more thought about it.

 

[Malmuria]

Surely endless IN CHARACTER debates around Alignment is the whole point of Planescape?

Maybe a debate about why CG or some other belief is the best makes sense in character, but not so much a debate about "what is CG even"? The latter would need to be fairly objective within the reality of the multiverse. So maybe you should have a very solid idea of what each of the alignments mean, and the players can find out by trial and error if they're doing it right, error possibly leading to landing in the wrong plane of existence