Planescape Check Out The Planescape Character Options

WotC has unveiled some of the character options to be found in the upcoming Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse setting in a D&D Beyond article and a video.

The player options include two backgrounds and a handful of feats. The backgrounds are the Gate Warden and the Planer Philosopher, and the feats include Scion of the Outer planes, which gives you a damage resistance and a cantrip based on the plane you have a connect with. For example, a chaotic Outer Place give you resistance to poison and access to the minor illusion cantrip, which the Outlands give you resistance to psychic damage and the mage hand cantrip. Also included are a couple of new spells and some magic items.

Preview Planescape Character Options for Your Multiversal Adventures

This article is a deep dive into the backgrounds and feats found in the three-book set Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse!

www.dndbeyond.com

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[Henadic Theologian]

An article in DnDBeyond too.

Preview Planescape Character Options for Your Multiversal Adventures

This article is a deep dive into the backgrounds and feats found in the three-book set Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse!

www.dndbeyond.com

Honestly Planar philosopher makes the most sense for Clerics and Paladins, it's where the Gods Dwell (mostly), the very source of their power and much of their goals and world view and afterlife.

 

[Imaro]

Honestly Planar philosopher makes the most sense for Clerics and Paladins, it's where the Gods Dwell (mostly), the very source of their power and much of their goals and world view and afterlife.

That's a pretty limited view of the background and everything the planes offer. The Planar Philosopher is anyone trying to understand the truths of the multiverse. I don't think it fits any particular class better than any other but that's just me.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

That's a pretty limited view of the background and everything the planes offer. The Planar Philosopher is anyone trying to understand the truths of the multiverse. I don't think it fits any particular class better than any other but that's just me.

You miss understand me, I was making the point that Planar Philosopher shouldn't be restricted to Ascendant Factions, and I gave a POV of why any Cleric would make sense as a Ascendant Philosopher, but their are other possibilities as well, like a Warlock who studies planes in order to forge the right pacts safely or a Sorcerer who studies the Planes because her spark is a broken piece of a portal or plane, or she's a Divine Soul, or is a Monk Githzerai or a Conjurer who needs to understand Planes for his school of choice or a Druid who grew up on Aborea, that Yggardsil Barbarian or a Lore Bard, or Horizon Walker Ranger, or a Soul Knife Rogue got his powers from growing up on the Outlands near a source of Pyschic Power, and wishes to understand wtf is going on, etc...

 

[Imaro]

You miss understand me, I was making the point that Planar Philosopher shouldn't be restricted to Ascendant Factions, and I gave a POV of why any Cleric would make sense as a Ascendant Philosopher, but their are other possibilities as well, like a Warlock who studies planes in order to forge the right pacts safely or a Sorcerer who studies the Planes because her spark is a broken piece of a portal or plane, or she's a Divine Soul, or is a Monk Githzerai or a Conjurer who needs to understand Planes for his school of choice or a Druid who grew up on Aborea, that Yggardsil Barbarian or a Lore Bard, or Horizon Walker Ranger, or a Soul Knife Rogue got his powers from growing up on the Outlands near a source of Pyschic Power, and wishes to understand wtf is going on, etc...

But it's not restricted to Ascendant Factions... its a pretty flexible background that can be flavored multiple ways and is presented as such... I think the point is that if you are a faction member then being concerned with the "truths" of the universe is almost a given...

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, the Feats have nothing to do with the Factions as such, they seem meant to work whether a player is involved with one or not, just tied to Planar links.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I never liked any of the factions, so I'm glad their is no mechanical disadvantage for not joining one.

 

[Delazar]

Rowan Darkwood is factol of the Fated, so I guess…

… Faction Wars never happened!

good!

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

Rowan Darkwood is factol of the Fated, so I guess…

… Faction Wars never happened!

good!

Each of the classic Factions in the "Ascendant Factions" list (which is frankly all but one of them) has their pre-FW factol back when every one of them save Rhys were either killed, mazed, or otherwise "disappeared" over the course of the FW, so yeah the 5e Planescape is clearly not a direct continuation from the post-Faction War status quo.

Not strictly a rollback of the timeline either, though, given the presence of the Mind's Eye instead of the return of the Believers of the Source and the Sign of One, so I'm more inclined to call it a remix.

End of the day, while I actually like playing around in post-FW Planescape, this is probably the better approach to take for the official 5e version of the setting. Keeps the maximum amount of pre-existing lore material viable for use should newcomers to the setting choose to delve into the older books.

 

[Remathilis]

Each of the classic Factions in the "Ascendent Factions" list (which is frankly all but one of them) has their pre-FW factol back, so yeah the 5e Planescape is clearly not a direct continuation from the post-Faction War status quo.

Not strictly a rollback of the timeline either, though, given the presence of the Mind's Eye instead of the return of the Believers of the Source and the Sign of One, so I'm more inclined to call it a remix.

End of the day, while I actually like playing around in post-FW Planescape, this is probably the better approach to take for the official 5e version of the setting. Keeps the maximum amount of pre-existing lore material viable for use should newcomers to the setting choose to delve into the older books.

Honestly, I liked the Minds Eye far more than the Believers and the Singers, so this is a straight win for me.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

Honestly, I liked the Minds Eye far more than the Believers and the Singers, so this is a straight win for me.

The Mind's Eye always felt like the natural extension of the Godsmen belief system to me, so them replacing the Believers of the Source was functionally never more than a rename and a changing of the guard for the various Faction high-ups as far as I was concerned. Especially notable given that their 5e incarnation has seemingly taken up running the Great Foundry just like their Godsmen forebearers.

Admittedly less so with regards to the Sign of One - there is some overlap, to be sure, but I've always felt the Signers had enough unique about them to justify their own independent Faction.

Ultimately though, I think one of the better aspects to the 5e Planescape's new take on Factions is that they seemingly threw the old "Only X Factions Are Allowed to Exist" rule in the bin altogether. There are seemingly only so many "Ascendant Factions", but it's unclear whether their number is actually capped or just representative of the current arrangement of power-blocks in Sigil, and by all accounts there's room for as many "lesser" Factions as you want to fit in, which makes bringing back the Signers, Sodkillers/Sons of Mercy, various old-school Sects, etc. remarkably simple.