Provisional Rules for the Planar Gaming System

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Provisional Rules for the Planar Gaming System

or, How to Make a Character when the author is too lazy to write up a bunch of stuff.

Ok. Lets be honest. The author of this site is either too swamped or too lazy to have run through and typed huge lists of skills, advantages, disadvantages, and detailed rules on how to create characters from any species (badger through beholder). Thus, this page exists. Its purpose is to tell you how to use lists you can find elsewhere with this system. Feel free to add or subtract from these suggestions, or if you feel really inspired you can offer to help me.

Section One: Advantages and Disadvantages

It is easiest to use the list of advantages from other game systems. In particular, the lists from GURPS and L5R fit well. L5R ads/disads require no work (costs are the same), although some may not be applicable outside of Rokugan.

GURPS Advantages and Disadvantages are also easy to use, although exact conversion of effects is left up to individual GMs for the moment. To get the PGS cost of an Advantage, divide the GURPS cost by 5. Note that some GURPS effects actually fall under Traits in the PGS, and should not be bought as advantages. Similarly, a number of the Mental disads fall under Passions, and should be taken as such.

Section Two: Skills

Skills are remarkably easy to convert from system to system. Just find a list of skills you like and use it. In general, the more specific a skill, the easier it is to purchase. White Wolf skills would be at least Hard, as they are very broad based, while GURPS and L5R skills should for the most part be Average skills. Virtually any RPG online will have a list of skills you can use. Here are a few links to good skill lists:

Thomas' Not-As-Boring GURPS Page - One huge list of GURPS skills.
Tesarta - Look under the Persona RPG Info for a big list of skills.
Jen's L5R Compilation - This lists many of the L5R ads, disads, and skills.
Prism - v2 has a huge list of skills in a tree form. Take each level as one reduction in difficulty level.
Alternate Realities - Though a very geek-based system, this does have a nice simple skills list.

Section Three: Racial Generation

To date, this concept has given me the biggest hassle of anything I have attempted. Why? Well, there are three general approaches out there to creating non-human characters. They are, in no particular order:

1. Assume every character is effectively human, except for a few minor differences.
2. Start all characters as human, then run through alterations to bring the final species to what is desired. All of these modifications involve Character Point costs or gains, so the final species package either costs points or gives a character bonus points to play with.
3. Assume that you are what you are, and all non-major effects that come out of this (size, infravision, etc.) are free.

The Planar Gaming System will use a hybrid of the second two systems, but I have yet to figure out how exactly this is going to work. In the meantime here are my suggestions for possible courses of action you can take to build all those freaky, non-human PCs.

Option One: Figure out what advantages the species would have, then figure out how much these advantages would cost. Take that many points worth of Benefit Points (from the Age section) and move them toward the bottom of the distribution. Thus, the species will start with more cool powers by birth, but will get fewer points to play with later in life. Ignore Racial disadvantage point costs. You suffer the weaknesses of your species, period. You don't get bonus points for being a cat; you chose to be a cat, so you get all the hindrances of cat-hood without getting extra points to compensate.
Option Two: Assume all characters are effectively human, with any other cool powers (such as electric shock, bonuses to skills, or infravision) counting as advantages or Powers that the PC can choose to purchase with his starting character points. Again, disads do not figure in to cost, as above.
Option Three: You can go through and build a race using Advantages and Disadvantages, figure out the final point cost, and then subtract that cost from the number of character points that the PC has to start with. This is the pure GURPS method. Suggestions of how to do this are available in GURPS Compendium I and on the phenomenal (and massive) GULLIVER project site (book 3).
Option Four: Assume that the species can do what it can do, and can't do what it can't do. The end. No points adjustment needed, but the GM will have to be careful what species he allows into the campaign.

As for converting races from other systems, I would recommend that only L5R, GURPS and D&D 3E be attempted, as I am not familiar enough with other systems to offer advice. L5R offers Humans, Nezumi, and Naga (plus, if you are really insane, Free Ogres). These can be used without need for conversion.

GURPS is a relatively easy system to convert, as all that is involved is figuring advantages, although specific effects may well be modified by the new dice system (assume -2 penalty is -1 die, and -5 is -2 die, with additions being comparable). Some advantages can be better handled as Powers, but this is a GM call at this point. Also, assume each +2 to a Attribute translates as a +1 to the associated Trait in the Planar Gaming System.

Dungeons and Dragon 3E is actually very easy to convert to this system. Use the chart for Trait values to convert from D&D attributes. Racial bonuses can be treated as Affinities, increasing the number of dice kept when using a particular skill by one for every +2 bonus to the skill in D&D. Most other powers can be directly ported over to the Planar Gaming System.

Section Four: Techniques

For those who do not play the L5R RPG, Techniques are a special form of knowledge that can let you do all kinds of neat tricks. The original set of Techniques was just for warriors, letting them fight better or in a particular style. Later, other types of schools got Techniques, such as Magistrates, Hunters, and Courtiers. Techniques are very similar to class abilities from other, class-based games, and are somewhat similar to Paths/Gifts from White Wolf and the nifty Martial Arts powers from Feng Shui and GURPS Martial Arts.

In order to make the Planar Gaming System more universal in nature, I have decided to abandon the idea of strict School/Class progressions found in L5R and D&D. I, however, just couldn't get myself to abandon Techniques, as they are just so bloody cool. Sorry. End tirade. Back to relevant stuff.

All Techniques have a Rank, rated 1 through 5. In order to learn a Technique of a particular Rank, you must have both the Insight Rank to learn that Technique and at least one Technique of each Rank below the rank of what you want to learn. Thus if you have Insight Rank 2, you can learn a Rank 2 Technique, but only if you already know a Rank One Technique. Or, you could learn a Rank One Technique and have no problems. (For more on Insight Rank, see the appropriate L5R rules for the moment)

Techniques are not easy to learn, however. In order to begin play with a Technique, you must purchase the Trained by a Master Advantage (8 pts) that means you were instructed in a skill by someone who knew a Technique for it. You must also meet certain requirements to purchase a Technique, usually a certain number of levels in a skill or a trait, but possibly involving other advantages or disadvantages. Finally, you must pay a Character Point cost to learn the Technique itself.

Here is my attempt to price the Techniques:

Every Technique should have a net cost of 20 + 15 * Rank in requirements, assuming that all skills start at 0 and all Traits start at three. Thus, for example, a Rank 1 Technique might require two Traits at 4 (16 pts.), Soul at 4 (12 pt.) and would then cost 7 CP base to purchase.
The range of the Technique should modify its cost. All Techniques are tied to skills. If a Technique can be used with a broad range of skills (for example, all weapons), double the cost. Somewhat more restricted techniques (all ranged weapons) multiply cost by 1.5. Specific skills (Fast Draw Katana) multiply cost by 1 or even 2/3, depending on how useful the Technique is.

NOTE: I have no idea how well this actually works. If you have commentary on this, suggestions, etc. please send it to me.

Section Five: Powers

All supernatural powers, which some systems classify as magic, psionics, or superpowers are covered under a single form in the Planar Gaming System, called Powers. Powers are rated and used just like Traits and Dimensions, but do not add to Insight. This section will eventually be extensive, but for now, here is a brief look at how powers work.

Assignment
All Powers are placed under one Dimension or another, based on what they do. Effects dealing with time, entropy, or probability go under Time. Effects dealing with movement of body or senses goes under Space. Matter involves alterations to physical forms, creation of objects, and playing with the four classical elements. Mind involves communication and knowledge. Energy covers gravity, electromagnetism, heat, and kinetic energy. Finally, Soul deals with all aspects of life energy, its creation, destruction, and recreation.

Once you have assigned your designed power to Dimension, you may start purchasing the power. The cost depends on how versatile the power you seek is.

    A very broad power (everything covered in the Dimension) or a very useful power (for example, instant death)
            Cost = n * (n+8) (n=level being raised to)
    Broad Power (Project Energy, Control all Fire)
            Cost = n* (n+5)
    Specific Power (Project Fire)
            Cost = n * (n+3)
    Very specific power (Project Fire from left middle finger)
            Cost n * (n+1)

Skills in the Power
All powers require a skill (generally Very Hard) to operate. This skill is purchased based off of the Dimension to which the Power is assigned.