D&D 5E Sigil and the Outlands has Planar Rules

[Quickleaf]

Just double-checked, out of curiosity, and in the 96 page 2E box set "Sigil & Beyond," the Factions take up...6 pages. In the Sigil Gazateer section. I expect that's roughly what we will get here, in coverage of organizations in the Gazateer, not in the player section.

The Player's Guide to the Planes booklet in the old boxed set was where the factions got their spotlight - about 18 pages of material (some filler) with each faction getting 1 page. No idea how it'll be organized, but there's definitely 15 pages worth of material on the factions easy, if they choose to emphasize them.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

If they don't have something new to add to existing races/species, I don't see much point in a reprint, and anything wholly new would presumably have been seen in a playtest.

The Feral Tiefling and other variant options from SCAG are still in print, and while the archdevil-specific tieflings from MToF are interesting, the version they are playtesting for the '24 PHB seems to be moving away from the "infernal/diabolic-only" tieflings we've had since 4e and back toward a broader "pick your heritage" style. If any kind of tiefling gets an update in Planescape, it will be an early version of the '24 tiefling.

Similarly with aasimar - the only reason to give them a reprint is if they were to repurpose the Upper Planar "pick your heritage" options from the initial pass of the '24 ardling. Likewise with genasi, save that there really isn't anything they could add - unless they want to bring back paragenasi...

Again, I could see bariaur sneaking in as a relatively minor variation of centaur, and while I'm not expecting it, you could be right about a version of the second pass ardling making it in, but beyond that, I'm not expecting much, particularly since, on some level, Planescape is the kind of setting where options from basically every existing sourcebook could conceivably be show up - everything they've put out in 5e is a viable Planescape racial option, unless your DM wants to keep options from certain settings (Eberron, for example) locked away from the Great Wheel.

More to the point, though, I think the PC options portion of the book will also be the area where they cover the Factions, and if anything, that is probably MORE vital to Planescape than additional racial options.

Yes they are in print in a seperate product, for the tiny space it takes to include their mechanics it makes sense to include them in Sigil and the Outlands so Planescape fans don't feel obligated to buy a completely seperate book for core Planescape races, races whose origins (Tieflings, Aasimar, Genasi, Gith) all come from Planescape so having to buy a completely seperate product to play them given that reprinting their mechanics would take up a page or two at MOST just makes practical sense.

If you don't include them expect alot of complaints. Heck I'd even concider adding Satyrs, Eldarin, Centuars and Shadar Kai as well as Planar creatures they make sense in the Feywild, Shadowfell, and the more chaotic Upper Planes, especially Aborea.

For new races I could also see Bladeling. As for why we haven't seen more Planescape races in UA, its because most of them have been done, and the few others aren't hard to design, and they likely don't want to overwhelm folks with none 2024 core playtests when there is already so much core 2024 stuff to play test already. Or the Planescape playtests may still yet becoming, its not till the fall.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

Which factions do you think we'll see?

I heard that Keys from the Golden Vault features the Fated & the Fixers (who try to keep Blood War at a stalemate) in Affair on the Concordant Express.

Honestly, hard to say. I imagine most of the classic Factions will still be around in some form, with a few like the Mercykillers possibly swapped out with their post-FW incarnations depending on how the timeline is handled.

I'm hoping that new Factions like the Fixers are mainly additions rather than replacements, but there may be places where they can combine and streamline existing Factions and make something compelling. If we are going with a post-FW setup with the Factions allowed back in Sigil, I don't see much reason to keep the old cap of 16 in place - bar the Factions from being directly involved in city government and let increased ideological competition keep them in check, alongside a very keen statement that, after the Faction War, The Lady's keeping them on a very short leash.

Maybe even elevate a few of the old Sects while we're at it.

 

[Parmandur]

Honestly, hard to say. I imagine most of the classic Factions will still be around in some form, with a few like the Mercykillers possibly swapped out with their post-FW incarnations depending on how the timeline is handled.

I'm hoping that new Factions like the Fixers are mainly additions rather than replacements, but there may be places where they can combine and streamline existing Factions and make something compelling. If we are going with a post-FW setup with the Factions allowed back in Sigil, I don't see much reason to keep the old cap of 16 in place - bar the Factions from being directly involved in city government and let increased ideological competition keep them in check, alongside a very keen statement that, after the Faction War, The Lady's keeping them on a very short leash.

Maybe even elevate a few of the old Sects while we're at it.

I doubt the new sry will acknowledge any pror timeline, othet than refences to Torment. Reboot, like other 5E Settings.

 

[Parmandur]

The Player's Guide to the Planes booklet in the old boxed set was where the factions got their spotlight - about 18 pages of material (some filler) with each faction getting 1 page. No idea how it'll be organized, but there's definitely 15 pages worth of material on the factions easy, if they choose to emphasize them.

Yeah, that sounds about right. The Sigil book in question also had a bit about running Adventures that I would expect to be in the big Adventure book instead, as well.

 

[Parmandur]

Yes they are in print in a seperate product, for the tiny space it takes to include their mechanics it makes sense to include them in Sigil and the Outlands so Planescape fans don't feel obligated to buy a completely seperate book for core Planescape races, races whose origins (Tieflings, Aasimar, Genasi, Gith) all come from Planescape so having to buy a completely seperate product to play them given that reprinting their mechanics would take up a page or two at MOST just makes practical sense.

If you don't include them expect alot of complaints. Heck I'd even concider adding Satyrs, Eldarin, Centuars and Shadar Kai as well as Planar creatures they make sense in the Feywild, Shadowfell, and the more chaotic Upper Planes, especially Aborea.

For new races I could also see Bladeling. As for why we haven't seen more Planescape races in UA, its because most of them have been done, and the few others aren't hard to design, and they likely don't want to overwhelm folks with none 2024 core playtests when there is already so much core 2024 stuff to play test already. Or the Planescape playtests may still yet becoming, its not till the fall.

On the contrary, they didneeprint stuff from MotM for Spelljammer that was made a big deal of in the setting books, namely the Gith. Monsters of the Multiverse exists to house those general D&D exotic options, so I expect no reprints there.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

On the contrary, they didneeprint stuff from MotM for Spelljammer that was made a big deal of in the setting books, namely the Gith. Monsters of the Multiverse exists to house those general D&D exotic options, so I expect no reprints there.

So you do Planescape setting right you need to buy MotM for many of the core races, yeah that makes no sense.

I'll point out many races got reprints in multiple books, Goblins alone got printed in VGtM, E: RftLW, EGtW, GMGtR, and MotM. Aasimar were in the DMG, VGtM, EGtW, and MotM. Genasi were in EEPG, EGtW, and MotM. Gith were in MToF and MotM. Centuars and Minotaurs got printed in GMGtR, MOoT, and MotM.

 

[Quickleaf]

So you do Planescape setting right you need to buy MotM for many of the core races, yeah that makes no sense.

I'll point out many races got reprints in multiple books, Goblins alone got printed in VGtM, E: RftLW, EGtW, GMGtR, and MotM. Aasimar were in the DMG, VGtM, EGtW, and MotM. Genasi were in EEPG, EGtW, and MotM. Gith were in MToF and MotM. Centuars and Minotaurs got printed in GMGtR, MOoT, and MotM.

Yeah, what the writers will do is anyone's guess! For me, I associate tieflings (Planewalker's Handbook-style "random table"), aasimar, gith, and rogue modrons the most with PS - I'd expect/hope for them to be included in PS. I love bariaur too, but we never got to use them much so don't know how much traction they received.

If they were to get weird, it'd be fun for there to be a mimir/floating skull sidekick character who could be run by either GM or a part-time/guest player. But that might be too out of the box.

 

[Parmandur]

So you do Planescape setting right you need to buy MotM for many of the core races, yeah that makes no sense.

Yet they just did that, for the comparable Spelljammer set. Gith are allover those books, including new stat blocks and Adventure material...but, no PC option. That's left for MotM. Which is why I think they put 30+ PC options in MotM: to have a go-to so they can avoid so many reprints.

 

[Parmandur]

If they were to get weird, it'd be fun for there to be a mimir/floating skull sidekick character who could be run by either GM or a part-time/guest player. But that might be too out of the box.

IMO, the two major failures of 5E are the inability to include Tiny or Large PC options, and the lack of any system to allow using any "Monster" as a PC.

Yes, Savage Species was my favorite 3E supplement, how did you guess...?