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By Ken Lipka
The skills and feats system is one of the core, and cool, features of the 3E mechanics. These are the things that really help to define a character and make him different from other characters. Although I am trying to stick to the rules published in the five core books I listed in my Player’s Guide, there are a few holes that have to be filled in to make a proper conversion of Planescape from 2E. So… here we are.
KNOWLEDGE (Int; Trained Only)
With the expansion of the game world to include the entire multiverse, there are a large number of opportunities for new knowledge skills. What is a list of areas of knowledge appropriate to the Planescape setting. In general, all of these planar knowledge skills are considered class skills for planar characters, and cross-class skills for prime characters. (There can be exceptions based on character background.)
The Planes (This skill can be used Untrained by Planar characters)
This is a catch-all skill that covers a very broad knowledge of how things work; the character knows a lot of general information, but not much detail. The kinds of things known include: the general types of planes (Inner, Transitive, Outer); a basic idea of what each kind of plane is like; the general workings of portals, conduits, and color pools. Overall, this expresses a general level of familiarity with the multiverse.
Inner Planes
This skill is represents another broad area of knowledge, but some more details are known as the character with this skill has focused on the collection of planes known as the Inner, or Elemental, Planes. The character knows the names of the seven planes that make up the Inner Planes (Wind, Waves, Metal, Flame, Wood, Positive Energy, Negative Energy) and has a general idea about the environment on each one. The character also has a chance to know about the natives of each plane and possibly some locations on them as well.
Transitive Planes
This skill is similar to that of Knowledge (Inner Planes), but it deals with the three planes known as the Transitive, or Between, Planes. These planes are the Astral, Ethereal, and Plane of Shadow.
Outer Planes
This skill is similar to that of Knowledge (Inner Planes), but it deals with the seventeen planes known as the Outer, or Philosophical, Planes. These planes are: Mount Celestia, Bytopia, Elysium, The Beastlands, Arborea, Ysgard, Limbo, Pandemonium, The Abyss, Carceri, The Gray Waste, Gehenna, Baator, Acheron, Mechanus, Arcadia, and the Outlands.
Upper Planes
This skill is the first of the Knowledge skills the represents more detailed knowledge about the planes. Given the vastness of the Outer Planes, the best way to learn some of the darks is to focus on specific groups of planes, rather than all of them. Seven of the Outer Planes are collectively known as the Upper Planes (or, Planes of Good): Arcadia, Mount Celestia, Bytopia, Elysium, The Beastlands, Arborea, and Ysgard.
Lower Planes
This skill is similar to Knowledge (Upper Planes), but instead focuses on seven planes collectively known as the Lower Planes (or, Planes of Evil): Pandemonium, The Abyss, Carceri, The Gray Waste, Gehenna, Baator, and Acheron.
Planes of Law
This skill is similar to Knowledge (Upper Planes), but is concerned with the following five planes: Baator, Acheron, Mechanus, Aracadia, and Mount Celestia.
Planes of Chaos
This skill is similar to Knowledge (Upper Planes), but is concerned with the following five planes: Arborea, Ysgard, Limbo, Pandemonium, and The Abyss.
Planes of Conflict
This skill is similar to Knowledge (Upper Planes), but is concerned with the following six planes: Bytopia, Elysium, The Beastlands, Carceri, The Gray Waste, and Gehenna.
[Specific Plane]
In addition to taking a Knowledge skill dealing with groups of planes, it is possible to specialize in just one plane. This gives the character the best chance of knowing something about a given plane, but the character will virtually no knowledge about anything else planar in nature.
The Blood War
This knowledge skill grants a character information about the eternal conflict among the three primary evil outsider races: the Baatezu, the Tanar’ri, and the Yugoloths. It covers major battlefields, noted warriors and generals, and logistics.
PORTAL FEEL (Wisdom; Trained Only) (Class skill for the Gatecrasher prestige class)
Sometimes a planewalker needs to know what’s on the other side of a portal or gate before he steps through. This skill also allows a cutter a chance to gain some insight into the portal’s exit point.
Check: You can determine certain facts about a particular gate or portal.
Feat - IMPROVED BODY FUEL [Psionic] (Prerequisites: Inner Strength, Talented)
This feat allows a psionic character to more efficiently make use of the Body Fuel class ability. (This feat replaces the existing Body Fuel feat in the Psionics Handbook.)
Benefit: With this feat, a psionic character has more freedom in his decision to burn ability points in place of using psionic points when activating a psionic power. It is still a free action, and it still costs 2 ability points per 1 psionic point, but the character may now burn stat points and spend power points at the same time. EXAMPLE: A psion with 5 power points left in his pool wants to activate a 9-point power. With this feat, the character can spend the 5 power points, and then burn 8 stat points for the remaining 4 power points. (The character is not required to spend all his remaining power points; less could spent at the cost of more stat points burned.)
Normal: Without this feat, a psionic character can only spend power points or stat points to fuel a psionic power, not both at the same time.
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Authored by: Ken Lipka E-mail me: krlipka@yahoo.com |
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