Planescape to Mutants and Masterminds

Planescape Races

So hear are some of your basic races for Planescape.  Across two and a half editions (three and a half for the tiefling) some of the racial traits from one source have been almost contrary to that of another (Githzerai racial ability scores, I’m looking at you!).  For the most part, I have tried to consult a variety of sources (which I’ll list at the end) for this compilation. 

For the most part, I’ve tried to simplify things, replacing resistances and saving throw bonuses with partial immunities as appropriate.  M&M is really not as granular in dealing with specific effects as D&D is.  The major exception is bonuses vs. mind influencing effects; I replicated this with Mind Shield. 

On the subject of ability scores, if one source contradicted another, I left it out.  If several sources tended to agree, I tried to go with those.  Monster and PC sources for these templates were considered, so some of these templates (like the Bariaur with its Growth) may have abilities beyond the PC considerations. OTOH, I have tried to get as much as possible point wise while staying true to the original source material. If the original write ups gave a progression selection of abilities, I have left those off the base builds.  Instead, I will include them in the notes that follow the specific race. 

In a number of situations, for whatever reason, I list a couple of options for an ability bonus or power.  In that case, choose one of the two (ex, Aasimars have listed +2 Cha or Str, choose one of these, not both!).

One thing I regret about the D&D's approach to outsiders is that it gives everybody and their cousin has Darkvision.  If I were designing it, only a few like the Tiefling would get it.  But it was included in the source material, so I brought it here too.

The heavenly blooded planetouched are largely what you expected.  Wise, charismatic, and having a few special abilities.  Note that the meager spell Light only translates into the 1 pp/rank Environmental Control.  If you want to go with the version that uses the spell daylight, change it to Light Control and add 4 more pp to the template Typical Complications: Honor, Fame, Secret (Upper Planar blood)

The wild and wooly people of Ysgard, the Barriaur are somewhat like more free-wheeling kindred of the centaur.  They have somewhat of an innate resistance to magic, so their Magic Resistance may increase with their PL, increasing the cost for it accordingly.  They are known for charging and ramming with their powerful horns. Typical Complications: Temper, Addiction

The personality of the flighty genasi fits its ties to its elemental shifting winds.  Like all genasi, wind dukes are the products of humans and outsiders with elemental subtypes to them. Typical Complications: Prejudice

The children of humans and earth elemental outisiders, the earth genasi are plodding and blunt, easy to get rooted down in one position or goal. They have the ability to move across the earth without even leaving a trail. If you’re going for a fighter among the genasi, these guys are your mark. Typical Complications: Prejudice

Caustic and brightly energetic, fire genasi have a (very) limited contro over normal flames, provide the ability to brighten normal flames or darken the light they provide. Typical Complications: Prejudice

Water genasi have some ability to move in the water and to conjure it out of thin air. Typical Complications: Prejudice

Notes: The evil Gith from the astral plane have the potential for powerful psionic abilities; I’ve just included the bare bones.  If you need, you can add the following powers for more experienced Githyanki: Concealing Amorpha is Blur (4 points).  Dimension Door is Teleport (extras: area [burst], flaws: short range only -1, PF: Selective, 2 pp/rank + 1 pp), Planeshift is super-movement 3 (dimensional movement, 6 points).  The power resistance of a Githyanki can increase with its PL. Typical Complications: Enemy (Mind flayers, Githzerai)

Notes:  The chaotic yet monastic paradox that is the Githzeria is a cousin to the Githyanki; they live on Limbo and also have powerful psychic abilities. If you want to add on the Planeshift, it is super-movement 3 (dimensional movement, 6 points).  Like its cousin, the Githzerai’s power resistance can increase with PL.  Note that in 2e they had a penalty to Wis and a bonus to Int, but in 3e with their monkification the opposite occurred.  Chose the modifications that best suit your character. Typical Complications: Enemy (Mind flayers, githyanki), Responsibility (keep your people free)

Notes:  The Rogue Modron (or Modron Outcast, as it is known in 3e) was a bit of a toughie.  Out of all of the PS races with a grab bag of abilities, it’s this one.  I decided to go for a compromise on this one between the varying editions.  As you probably know if you’ve played Planescape, the Rogue Modron is a unit, for whatever reason, has been cut off from the rest of its almost mind hive race of hierarchical semi-constructs. Typical Complications: Enemy (Modron hierarchy), Accident (social misinterpretations), Obsession

Notes:  The last of the first batch of racial writeups, the tiefling’s distant ancestors included a fiend.  Their fiendish nature exudes a certain cunning and fiendish air of animal magnetism around them.   This is the writeup for a standard tiefling, and of course of all the planetouched races, the tieflings may vary the most.  I may do a conversion of the random ability rolling table sometime in the future. Typical Complications: Temper, Prejudice, Reputation, Hatred

 

Sources Consulted for these Write ups: Expanded Psionics Handbook, Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (3e), Manual of the Planes (3e), Planescape Campaign Setting (2e), Planescape Monstrous Compendium, Planewalker's Handbook, Planewalker dot com's PS3E CS

The Harmonium, peace and cooperation above all, what’s more to say?  As all are martially trained, I gave the template some combat bonuses.  They also have their token Charm Person ability here as well.  As believers in conformity and cooperation, members of Harmonium are obliged to follow the orders of their superiors in the faction, even if they seem stupid.

While the Harmonium are the police of Sigil, the Guvners the Judges, the Mercykillers are the bounty hunters and executioners of Sigil.  As such, their grim philosophy centers around retribution for crimes committed.  Their special Benefits allow them to break laws in the pursuit of criminals, but they must surrender themselves to authority if they break the laws for other reasons.  In addition, they rarely give up pursuit of criminals until justice has been done.

The source material gives the Mercykillers a number of special abilities.  One of this is a Detect/Discern Lies ability, which I have represented as a fairly powerful but Limited Mind Reading ability. Note that by the book, on the Mind Reading, the two Limited flaws might be worth a total -2 modifier.  However, for 6 ranks in Discern Lies I consider a cost of no less than 3 pp a valid cost to pay for it. Their ability to do damage on their targets at a cost to themselves I have translated with a new Vengeful Blow feat that is similar to the inherent array feats from W&W.  It is a strike with the auto-fire extra and the side effect flaw on it for a total of a +0 modifier.  Basically, the Vengeful Blow can do more damage on a very good attack roll.  However, if the blow fails to hit or the target makes his toughness save, then the damage flings back on the attacker.  It has a cost of 1 pp per rank when purchased independently.  It functions as an Alternate Power with equal ranks to the base power.

The Anarchists are pretty much as they sound, their shtick is to infiltrate the other factions and tear them apart from within.  Every anarchist has the ability to pose as a member of another faction and not be detected.  I have interpreted this creatively, as both a Concealment effect and a Variable Feat power that is limited to Benefit (alternate identity) and feats related to the status and positions of social power the real faction members would have (security clearance, etc.).

Signers, again, are your basic solipsistic, “perception is reality” types.  They’re mostly about imposing their own images of reality upon the world.  Not too much to say here.

Sensates believe that throughout one’s life a person should experience as many new things as possible and to cherish life’s experiences.  As such, they only reject new experiences if there is some obvious danger to them or others.  The Sensates are as a whole a canny and perceptive bunch, with the ability to feel others’ pain, literally, with the sensory touch (an Empathic Healing).  

The Ciphers believe in unity of one’s mind and body as one vessel, one tool.  Success and wisdom does not come from laborious, slow thought, but rather choosing the right action at the right time. Their abilities reflect these goals.  Note that once a Cipher has chosen a plan of action, she’ll have to follow through with it.  In game play, a player affected by this Complication cannot go back against his first announced plan of action.

The last of the first batch of factions, the Chaosmen are among the most predictably unpredictable folks.  They basically worship chaos and spontaneity, and won’t dedicate themselves to highly organized and long-term plans, operating much more in a short-term and off the cuff manner.  

The Xaositects have two special abilities.  The first of them is fairly mundane, scramblespeak, in which they can jumble up their words to hide messages (I represent this by a bonus to Bluff and the Distract feat).  The second special ability is the Babble ability, the power to scramble all the spoken words in the area into meaningless gibberish (a Limited Auditory Obscure).  If you go the Powers as Skills/Feats route, you may decide to turn Babble into a feat.