House Rules (no chat here)

concept: the multiverse is a Road

planes literally touch each other along a road(s) that connects them

player design - unique race, with their accompanying plane

travel is physical movement (not portals) so can be done by any means - walking, beast riding, machine, flying, etc

there is 1 major city that sits at a nexus of several roads (all roads lead to Rome idea):  META CITY

adventures can be within the city, like a multiverse version of shadowrun or by adventuring through planes to a destination plane

planes have unique rules as expressed by something simple like  magic:none, tech: high, social:medium, divine: low


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I see 5e has a system for Renown.  I will likely use something along those lines.

for example (names just thrown out at random), there will be a few factions in each ward and some that are universal with which you can earn renown by doing jobs and\or joining.

high tech ward:
Lonestar cops
Ares armstech
Tyrell synthetics

egyptian fantasy ward:
priests of Ra
followers of Set
Ali Baba and the 40 thieves

universal:
merchants guild
Marshalls (on the Road, so go into all wards)
black market dealers

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races are all re-skins, but from any book with GM approval, as there are no actual custom race-building rules
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basics about the economy of Meta City:

Memphis (Josh's Egyptian style fantasy ward) - is home to many races of beast-folk as described on his page.  Memphis is on the Road to the plane of Fire (not earth as previously pictured).  Memphis is also the only known location of what they call Ra stones, after their god.  Ra stones are a universal power source that works on all planes.  Ra stones are the primary source of income and geopolitical power for Memphis in Meta City.

Capadocia (home of the Chromites) - is a vast underground city.  The Chromites have many side tunnels that honeycomb their plane.  They provide valuable raw materials for Meta City, especially those with "magical" or unique properties like Mithral, and Adamantium.   Much of Meta City has been built with these materials.

Rata Sum (home of Asurans) - is a floating city connected to the plane of Air.  The Asurans are master engineers, though they rely on magic over science.  Unconstrained by the rules of physics or logic, they are able to invent wondrous devices.  Their creations are as much art as science.  As such, their production ability is limited.  Asurans are often employed as designers and engineers for other wards.  They do produce finished products but on a small scale.

New Tsian aka "Night City" (home of humans) - is a futuristic city in the mold of Blade Runner and Cyberpunk.  The power of the humans is in their manufacturing and diplomacy.  The humans can use their technology and robots to mass produce the designs of the Asurans, using Chromite materials and powered by Ra stones.  Humans have an uncanny knack for getting along with all the races and are often used as mediators and negotiators.

updated (not final) map of Meta City and the Road\planes

Meta City



NW - Capadocia, home of the Chromites, underground city.  Walking city coming down the road!  on the Road to  earth plane

NE - tech city, adjacent to underwater city of the Cephalopods, elemental water Road

SE - Floating city, adjacent to Sky Maze, Road to Air

SW - Memphis, Road to Fire


map of the planes and Road



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go for 8th level
standard 27 pt buy


for magic items:

1 rare
2 uncommon
as many common as you can afford with starting gold for lvl 8

500gp + 1d10 x25 (525-750gp)

mind the attunement rules


and remember that magic items don't have to be "magic items".  they can be reskinned from other planes:  a high tech device, an aether-powered wondrous invention, etc

player's choice, not a roll, on the rare and uncommon.  I may change it, but I am thinking that they should be character-defining items.

starting class\background equipment + 500gp for what you've earned post 1st + magic items as listed

no alien tech, as a balance issue.  re-skin bows\crossbows or anything from PHB
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official GM rules for guns  

Simple firearms:

pistols =  light 1d6 (range 30/120)  

rifles = 2H, 1d6  (range 80/320)

martial firearms:

hvy rifles =  heavy, 2H .
1d8  (range 150/600)
1d10 (range 100/400)


all firearms - no loading
on a natural 1, you jam and must spend 1 action to unjam
+dex bonus to damage, same as bows\xbows

Keep track of ammo only if it's special type or magical ammo (same for bows\xbows)

Use the same stats for any type of gun - western style, modern\high tech, laser guns, etc.  I know that isn't logical per se, but I don't want this to be a huge balance issue and this keeps it simple.

There are special guns, but they are the equivalent of magic items (re-skin magic bows.

+1 ammunition works the same
arrow of slaying can be re-skinned into any ammo type
javelin of lightning - 1 shot laser blast
necklace of fireballs = grenade bandolier
potion of firebreathing = dragon's breath round for a shotgun or flamethrower
magic staves\wands = multi-guns used by technomancers

Robyo wrote:
I like the standardized damage codes, despite tech level. My only quibble would be the choice to reskin damage type. So, a bullet normally does Piercing, but a laser might do Radiant, an antimatter gun might do Necrotic, etc.

great suggestion, make it so!
that will be up to the player to decide based on their home-plane.  damage type can be any 1 type: fire, cold, electrical, radiant, necrotic, etc
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I intentionally made pistols Light and simple so they could be dual-wielded, without loading for any firearms


normal rule:

Two-W e a p o n F ig h t in g
When you take the Attack action and attack with a light
melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can
use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee
weapon that you’re holding in the other hand. You don’t
add your ability m odifier to the damage o f the bonus
attack, unless that modifier is negative.
If either w eapon has the thrown property, you
can throw the w eapon, instead o f making a melee
attack with it.


this applies to light pistols as well



I see these 2 feats

C r o s s b o w E x p e r t
Thanks to extensive practice with the crossbow, you
gain the following benefits:
• You ignore the loading quality o f crossbows with
which you are proficient.
• Being within 5 feet o f a hostile creature doesn’t
impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls.
• When you use the Attack action and attack with a onehanded
w eapon, you can use a bonus action to attack
with a loaded hand crossbow you are holding.

and

D u a l W i e l d e r
You master fighting with two weapons, gaining the
following benefits:
• You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a
separate melee weapon in each hand.
• You can use two-weapon fighting even when the onehanded
melee w eapons you are wielding aren’t light.
• You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when
you w ould normally b e able to draw or stow only one.



Dual wielder still makes sense for melee, as you can use a bigger wpn, double draw\stow, and AC bonus

:study:Crossbow expert is fine since crossbows kinda suck with loading


NEW FEAT!

Pistol expert

Thanks to extensive practice with the pistols, you
gain the following benefits:

• Being within 5 feet o f a hostile creature doesn’t
impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls.
• You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when
you w ould normally b e able to draw or stow only one.
• You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a
separate melee weapon in each hand.



I basically just combined the two feats as pistols can already be dual wielded.  Hand crossbows retain their penalties (guns are simply better).

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I had asked for a vote and Rob, Alan, Josh (those with characters) all replied.  The outcome was a soft 2 to 1 for Planar Law Enforcement and 3:0 for getting the band together.



Homework for the party:  3 amigos

each character has established 3 contacts\friends\allies over the course of their time going from level 1 to 8.  Please write a SHORT backstory for who they are, how you met, what they can do and why you help each other.   A picture is always great!  add them to your character page (not here).   These are people that will help you and may ask for your help in return.  They are not your henchmen or lackeys.  They will not go on combat missions with you.   However, you have built a mutual trust over the years.

1) must be a law enforcement contact from your home plane, or wherever you currently call home

2) a criminal or merchant type from a plane that is not your home

3) free choice


by SHORT, I mean something like....

1) Corporate Detective Hoshi used to bust me (at low levels) when I was running guns from New Tsian (high tech city) to Capadocia (underground city).  I would tip him off on my competition's dealings and in exchange he would let me go.  He got his arrest quota and I got out of jail free.

SKY MAZE - plane



THE CRUNCH ward



New Tsian\Night City ward



Memphis ward

Chris wrote:race: Asura (borrowed from GW2) re-skinned gnomes
ward: floating city

tech:none
divine: low
social: high
magic: high

The Asura are fantastical inventors, if a bit on the eccentric side.  All of their inventions are powered by crystal-magic energy.  None of their machines would actually work without the power of the crystals.  

They live in levitating cities.  Their architecture is roughly Mayan style.  They also build self-automated golems and power suits in which they ride.  Asuran Engineers (re-skinned mage classes) are very common though they can be of any class.

Asuran society has no real leadership.  They have evolved into a self-determining social collective.  

Chris wrote:Bug's "walking city"



"walking suburbs"

Chris wrote:I had a lot of windshield time yesterday and got a few more wards\suburbs to share:


On the previous map, the plane labeled "Atlantis" (on the road to the Deep Abyss\water elemental plane) is populated by a race of sentient Cephalopods



tech: high, social: med, magic: low, divine: med

Cephalopods vary in size from small to medium (use halfling, any medium or goliath as templates)

The Road that leads from the Deep Abyss is an underwater current through their city.  Their capital city is built into a coral reef the size of the Grand Canyon.  



The Road turns into a river as it flows into the high tech city ward of Meta City (name for the great city at the planar crossroads)

Chris wrote:Another ward of Meta City is occupied by the Chromites.  They are an organic mineral-based sentient people.  Their ward is an underground city called Capadocia (after the ancient underground city in Turkey).

tech: low, social: med, divine: high, magic: med

Chromites can vary in size from small to medium (use gnome, dwarf or goliath as templates).  Chromites have the longevity of elves.  Their appearance can vary from solid rock to crystal to gem.









The Road is underground through their ward but emerges from a cavern that leads to Meta City.

languages - each plane has their own native tongue

common = Cityspeak, gutter talk, a mishmash of chinese, spanish, english, asuran, chromitan, memphisse, cephalopodian, what-have-you. you don't need a translator. every good cop speaks the lingo.

Planes travel and incongruity rules:

What happens when a mage goes onto a high tech\low magic plane?  or when a cyberpunk visits a low tech plane?


If a character has abilities tied to a certain quality (magic, tech, social, divine) and they visit a plane with a lower value, they risk losing their abilities and becoming "disconnected" from their home plane.

After 1 long rest, the character suffers DISADVANTAGE on all rolls related to the incongruous abilities.

After 1 long rest per level, they lose all access to use those abilities until they return to their home (or similar level) plane.



Also, NB (note well) these rules do NOT apply in Meta City or near the Road that connects the planes.  These rules only apply if you leave the area of the Road (which is why Meta City is not affected) and really go deep into the plane itself.  

GM explanation

This is more of a world-flavor thing and not really meant to hinder the PCs (unless you really go off the Road and deep into a plane).  PCs can rest on\near the Road and be fine.  This feeds the idea of short "shadow runs" because you really don't get a full chance to take a long rest.  Short rests are fine.