The_listener
2013-01-10, 07:05 PM
Planeswalkers in D+D campaigns.
M:TG presents both a massive opportunity and huge challenge for DMs looking to present a new gaming experience for their players. It offers almost unlimited scope within a single campaign and the ability to wield highly powerful characters within a wide variety of (helpfully for GMs) strongly preset – but still vague – settings.
Though any of the multitude of M:TGs planes would provide for a perfectly interesting setting for a campaign it is their concept of Planeswalkers where the true opportunity lies. Here are near demi god characters which – whilst mortal – still wield tremendous power through their innate capacity to channel mana – the magical ‘currency’ of the M:TG settings. A wide variety of planeswalker and non planeswalker villains and heroes as well as the vast inter planar threat that is the realm of Phyrexia allows for a suitably epic scope where needed.
The Planeswalker template:
A Planeswalker starts life as any other mortal creature would – native to one of the multitude of planes. Planeswalkers are not restricted by species (though they are all sentient creatures capable of individual thought, defined in D&D terms as any creature with intelligence 3 or more), and with one sole exception there are no planeswalker constructs. They are not restricted by their choices in profession or lifestyle, though most are driven to achieve in whatever field they exist within. Most are ambitious and many who receive the Planeswalker ‘spark’ often receive it from a time of turmoil (near death experiences are common initiations for Planeswalkers). Combined with an infinite number of potential backgrounds and home planes provided by the multiverse, there could be considered any infinite variety of potential Planeswalkers.
Planeswalkers are therefore extremely varied in appearance, manner and character and can cover any point of the alignment field. What they all share however is a significant amount of power. No one becomes a Planeswalker without having significant power to begin with.
Prerequisites:
Character level 10 (including level adjustments from templates)
Character must have undergone a traumatic and life threatening event immediately prior to gaining this template (to the point of having almost actually died, rather than merely threatened).
Character must have some ability to cast spells or spell like abilities of any description (not from items).
Creating A Planeswalker
"Planeswalker" is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature with 10 or more HD and the ability to manifest spells or spell-like abilities (Or Psionic ability) (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A Planeswalker uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and type: The creatures type changes to Outsider (Native). Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points.
Red, White, Black and Blue Planeswalkers Size does not change, Green Planeswalkers however have their size increased by one step.
Initiative: A Red Planeswalker gains a +2 bonus to their Initiative checks.
Hit Dice: Hit dice do not change.
Armor Class: Red, Black, Blue and Green Planeswalker's AC does not alter. A White Planeswalker gains a +4 deflection bonus to their AC.
Attack: A Planeswalker retains all the attacks of the base creature.
Full Attack: A Planeswalker attacks with whatever weapons they had avalible.
Damage: -
Special Attacks: A Planeswalker retains all the special attacks of the base creature. A Black Planeswalker gains the following Special attack.
Vitality Syphon: Once a round as a standard action, A Black Planeswalker may drain 1d10 hp from a target creature within 30ft, the target is entitled to a will save (Dc 10+half the Planeswalker's HD + the Planeswalker's Charisma modifier. For every point of damage caused with this ability, the Planeswalker gains 1 temporary hit point that dissipates after 1 hour.
Special Qualities: All Planeswalkers gain access to the Mana pool:
Mana Pool: Once a character has become a Planeswalker they must then choose which colour of mana their character is associated with. They are permitted to choose one mana type per full 6 Character levels that their character has. They may select the same type twice. As a character gains levels they can choose an additional mana type for every 5th level. You only gain the aforementioned colour based abilities dependant on your first Colour choice (Example, Gerald a 12th level Spellsword Picked Green as his first Colour and White as his second, would only develop the unique abilities of Green mana yet could use the Mana generated abilities of Green and White.)
A character generates mana according to their chosen type at the start of their turn in the initiative step. Unused mana points are wasted and are regenerated each turn to a new quantity – you cannot save and accumulate unused points from one turn to another, though you can delay your use of them to counter the abilities of other players outside of your own turn.
The amount of mana that a character generates is equal to half of the Planeswalkers hit dice (not including level adjustments from templates, etc) for each colour type they have. A level 12 Human Wizard with no level adjustments and 2 White mana types would generate 12 mana points per turn. A Blue/black character of the same level would generate 6 black and 6 blue points.
Mana points can be used at any point during the round, but are only generated in the players initiative step. They are used to purchase an ability from the lists given for each colour, or from the colourless ability selection. The cost of each ability is listed first, and must be paid for with mana points of the appropriate colour. Colourless abilities do not require any specific colour. Some abilities may require mana of two or more specific types, whilst others may require that only a certain amount of specific colour be paid, after which any colour is acceptable. This is detailed on the ability.
Mana points that are used to conduct an ‘action’ rather than an ‘instant’ take up a standard or full action as described in the listed ability. Attack actions or movement actions also operate as they would a normal action of that type.
Each type chosen provides a quantity of mana points to the character for their use in game each turn. They can use this to cast from a range of abilities according to their selected mana.
Planeswalker's generate 2 extra mana a turn if they are in one of the corresponding locations.
Black: Swamps, Graveyards and desecrated areas.
Red: Mountians, Volcanos or highly heated areas.
Blue: Oceans, Rivers, Water fountains etc.
Green: Forests, nature preserves, etc.
White: Plains, Consecrated areas.
A Red, Black, Green or White Planeswalker gains no additional special qualities; a blue Planeswalker however, also gains Telepathy 100ft, and the ability to cast Detect Magic 3/day with a caster level equal to his character level.
Abilities: Red: +2 Dex/+2 Cha
Blue: +2 Int
White: +2 Wis
Green: +2 Str
Black: +4 Cha/-2 Con
Skills: Same as the base creature.
Enviroment: Anywhere.
Challenge rating: (Not sure yet)
Alignment: Does not change.
Level Adjustment: (Not sure yet)
Mana abilities are in the works and this was only very briefly proof read.
M:TG presents both a massive opportunity and huge challenge for DMs looking to present a new gaming experience for their players. It offers almost unlimited scope within a single campaign and the ability to wield highly powerful characters within a wide variety of (helpfully for GMs) strongly preset – but still vague – settings.
Though any of the multitude of M:TGs planes would provide for a perfectly interesting setting for a campaign it is their concept of Planeswalkers where the true opportunity lies. Here are near demi god characters which – whilst mortal – still wield tremendous power through their innate capacity to channel mana – the magical ‘currency’ of the M:TG settings. A wide variety of planeswalker and non planeswalker villains and heroes as well as the vast inter planar threat that is the realm of Phyrexia allows for a suitably epic scope where needed.
The Planeswalker template:
A Planeswalker starts life as any other mortal creature would – native to one of the multitude of planes. Planeswalkers are not restricted by species (though they are all sentient creatures capable of individual thought, defined in D&D terms as any creature with intelligence 3 or more), and with one sole exception there are no planeswalker constructs. They are not restricted by their choices in profession or lifestyle, though most are driven to achieve in whatever field they exist within. Most are ambitious and many who receive the Planeswalker ‘spark’ often receive it from a time of turmoil (near death experiences are common initiations for Planeswalkers). Combined with an infinite number of potential backgrounds and home planes provided by the multiverse, there could be considered any infinite variety of potential Planeswalkers.
Planeswalkers are therefore extremely varied in appearance, manner and character and can cover any point of the alignment field. What they all share however is a significant amount of power. No one becomes a Planeswalker without having significant power to begin with.
Prerequisites:
Character level 10 (including level adjustments from templates)
Character must have undergone a traumatic and life threatening event immediately prior to gaining this template (to the point of having almost actually died, rather than merely threatened).
Character must have some ability to cast spells or spell like abilities of any description (not from items).
Creating A Planeswalker
"Planeswalker" is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature with 10 or more HD and the ability to manifest spells or spell-like abilities (Or Psionic ability) (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A Planeswalker uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and type: The creatures type changes to Outsider (Native). Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points.
Red, White, Black and Blue Planeswalkers Size does not change, Green Planeswalkers however have their size increased by one step.
Initiative: A Red Planeswalker gains a +2 bonus to their Initiative checks.
Hit Dice: Hit dice do not change.
Armor Class: Red, Black, Blue and Green Planeswalker's AC does not alter. A White Planeswalker gains a +4 deflection bonus to their AC.
Attack: A Planeswalker retains all the attacks of the base creature.
Full Attack: A Planeswalker attacks with whatever weapons they had avalible.
Damage: -
Special Attacks: A Planeswalker retains all the special attacks of the base creature. A Black Planeswalker gains the following Special attack.
Vitality Syphon: Once a round as a standard action, A Black Planeswalker may drain 1d10 hp from a target creature within 30ft, the target is entitled to a will save (Dc 10+half the Planeswalker's HD + the Planeswalker's Charisma modifier. For every point of damage caused with this ability, the Planeswalker gains 1 temporary hit point that dissipates after 1 hour.
Special Qualities: All Planeswalkers gain access to the Mana pool:
Mana Pool: Once a character has become a Planeswalker they must then choose which colour of mana their character is associated with. They are permitted to choose one mana type per full 6 Character levels that their character has. They may select the same type twice. As a character gains levels they can choose an additional mana type for every 5th level. You only gain the aforementioned colour based abilities dependant on your first Colour choice (Example, Gerald a 12th level Spellsword Picked Green as his first Colour and White as his second, would only develop the unique abilities of Green mana yet could use the Mana generated abilities of Green and White.)
A character generates mana according to their chosen type at the start of their turn in the initiative step. Unused mana points are wasted and are regenerated each turn to a new quantity – you cannot save and accumulate unused points from one turn to another, though you can delay your use of them to counter the abilities of other players outside of your own turn.
The amount of mana that a character generates is equal to half of the Planeswalkers hit dice (not including level adjustments from templates, etc) for each colour type they have. A level 12 Human Wizard with no level adjustments and 2 White mana types would generate 12 mana points per turn. A Blue/black character of the same level would generate 6 black and 6 blue points.
Mana points can be used at any point during the round, but are only generated in the players initiative step. They are used to purchase an ability from the lists given for each colour, or from the colourless ability selection. The cost of each ability is listed first, and must be paid for with mana points of the appropriate colour. Colourless abilities do not require any specific colour. Some abilities may require mana of two or more specific types, whilst others may require that only a certain amount of specific colour be paid, after which any colour is acceptable. This is detailed on the ability.
Mana points that are used to conduct an ‘action’ rather than an ‘instant’ take up a standard or full action as described in the listed ability. Attack actions or movement actions also operate as they would a normal action of that type.
Each type chosen provides a quantity of mana points to the character for their use in game each turn. They can use this to cast from a range of abilities according to their selected mana.
Planeswalker's generate 2 extra mana a turn if they are in one of the corresponding locations.
Black: Swamps, Graveyards and desecrated areas.
Red: Mountians, Volcanos or highly heated areas.
Blue: Oceans, Rivers, Water fountains etc.
Green: Forests, nature preserves, etc.
White: Plains, Consecrated areas.
A Red, Black, Green or White Planeswalker gains no additional special qualities; a blue Planeswalker however, also gains Telepathy 100ft, and the ability to cast Detect Magic 3/day with a caster level equal to his character level.
Abilities: Red: +2 Dex/+2 Cha
Blue: +2 Int
White: +2 Wis
Green: +2 Str
Black: +4 Cha/-2 Con
Skills: Same as the base creature.
Enviroment: Anywhere.
Challenge rating: (Not sure yet)
Alignment: Does not change.
Level Adjustment: (Not sure yet)
Mana abilities are in the works and this was only very briefly proof read.