"Oh great, gravity is broken"

[Zahhak]

So, I'm building a setting, and (without getting into too much detail) one of the areas I wanted to have is basically a place where gravity is broken. Most of the mechanics I've found from different games that deal with gravity are either manipulating the effect (feather/anvil fall), or just changing relative down (Plane of Limbo and some spells that force the person to fall one direction). I've done some reading on TVTropes about this, and that's about all I can find, but it seems like there should be more out there, and I was hoping some of you could give me ideas on mechanics or general ideas for gravity being broken. Some things I was thinking:

* specific areas have variable force of gravity
* areas of variable direction of down
* areas where a specific object is "down" (basically you fall towards a random rock)
* areas where "down" is a specific, but generalized direction (maybe even towards the sky? Probably too fatal)

Explanation no one cares about:

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Basically, the Gods in this setting have a habit of dealing with Elder Evils by ripping their souls out and sticking them in things. Like swords, pots, tool sheds, mountains... an entire plane of existence. You know, the usual things? Well, the powerful ones are able to manipulate whatever it is they're trapped in, and one of the Elder Evils is able to mess with the gravity in the mountain his soul was stuck in

So yeah, I have a few ideas, but not sure about mechanics, and I'd kind of like some more. Basically, I want to use gravity as a puzzle.

[Farastu]

If you can get your hands on any of the 2e Planescape books, especially those on the inner planes unusual gravity is addressed. For mechanics probably not all that useful, but I've gotten a lot of good ideas from those books. For example on the Plane of Air up and down is "whatever direction a person thinks it should be" and a person can try to change up and down, or even nullify gravity all together and reach a state of zero g. You end up with people doing things like hurtling through the air while riding on a chunk of rock because to a certain extent they can control how gravity affects objects near them as well.

In certain places gravity becomes "normal" (such as some of the larger landmasses on the plane).

In Planescape's Limbo if I recall gravity was actually really inconsistent, and a lot more chaotic than just having "down is what you make of it" everywhere but I'd have to double check (I haven't ran a game in Limbo yet so haven't read extensively on it).

The negative energy plane in 2e Planescape also had subjective directional gravity, but the description mentions it more being a matter of "you move forward, up and down by force of will" and your movement speed has as much to do with your strength of will as with your actual physical speed, which is quite different than most planes with that sort of gravity.

There's also Pandemonium, where down is towards whatever surface you are closest to (meaning walls quickly become floors).
On the Infinite Staircase the surface of the stairs is "down" so you can have people walking on both the "up" and "down" side of the stairs (it's like that M.C. Escher painting, or the staircase scene in Labyrinth). Same deal with Mechanus, every surface of every cog in Mechanus is "down".

If I wanted a place with really chaotic broken gravity I'd just mix all these different "types" of gravity up and then add some of my own ideas.

[Fiery Diamond]

Actually, the 3.5 DMG has some mechanics suggestions for almost all of the things you mentioned in the area about the planes. That's a good place to look.

[jindra34]

As for an idea for how Gravity could break: Have it 'flow' like a fluid, with solid objects having the direction it affects them be dictated by the relative vectors of the 'parts' they touch. Maybe a bit too complicated.

[Sith_Happens]

As for an idea for how Gravity could break: Have it 'flow' like a fluid, with solid objects having the direction it affects them be dictated by the relative vectors of the 'parts' they touch. Maybe a bit too complicated.

I'm confused, are you suggesting having gravity be based on an R³->R³ function?

[endoperez]

E.R. Burrough's Mars books take place in a planet where the low gravity makes the earthman superhumanly strong. When he takes a step like he would on earth, the force is like that of a jump - which meant he had to learn to walk anew.

The force of a running step throws him several meters into the air, and when he actually jumps, the results are so impressive the locals initially though of him as some sort of a physical god, or something.



So, area of low gravity:

* when first entered, make a balance check for every movement before you get accustomed to it
* afterwards, moving at normal speed doesn't have any penalties
* balance or jumps checks can be made to increase movement speed significantly
* jump check results are extremely impressive


Now, imagine something with a Pounce living around the area...

[Zahhak]

In Planescape's Limbo if I recall gravity was actually really inconsistent, and a lot more chaotic than just having "down is what you make of it" everywhere but I'd have to double check (I haven't ran a game in Limbo yet so haven't read extensively on it).

In 3.x it's subjective and the Githzeri (or was it Githyanki?) use it to their advantage by developing schools of martial arts built around the idea of subjective gravity.

...and then add some of my own ideas.

That was what I was going for actually, not strictly existing mechanics, but ideas for how to create an area of broken gravity, or where I could go to get some ideas.

As for an idea for how Gravity could break: Have it 'flow' like a fluid, with solid objects having the direction it affects them be dictated by the relative vectors of the 'parts' they touch. Maybe a bit too complicated.

I'm confused, are you suggesting having gravity be based on an R3->R3 function?

It would be fairly simple I think to to take the idea of gravity flowing like a stream and simplify the math to make a map that simply has direction of flow arrows. But this is a pretty cool idea, thanks Jindra

Now, imagine something with a Pounce living around the area...

Part of the idea with this plane is that the only things that actually live there are the trapped souls of elder evils and very powerful demons/devils that are able to exert their will into the objects they're trapped in. Nothing lives here, because the moment the city they're in realizes something is there, it's going to be killed.*

*Yes, that example was lifted from Ravenloft, which this setting is partly inspired by.

[Jay R]

1. Gravity is toward the surface you have most recently touched. Imagine a 10x10 room. You're fine - until you touch a wall. Then you fall onto it. You can walk around on that wall all day, like Fred Astaire, until you touch a wall, floor, or ceiling.

Also, I assume that a dwarf will find it more disorienting than others, since his senses are playing him false.

[jindra34]

It would be fairly simple I think to to take the idea of gravity flowing like a stream and simplify the math to make a map that simply has direction of flow arrows. But this is a pretty cool idea, thanks Jindra

The thing with it is because its flowing things might block it and cause sudden changes. Or the party might destroy things blocking it. So representing it as a static situation isn't quite what I was saying.

[Zahhak]

Never sketch the coarse of a river with objects in the river that alter the flow of the river, and then add/remove them? It seems remarkably like the same principle.