Is the "itinerant planeswalker" a viable character type in Eberron? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Is the "itinerant planeswalker" a viable character type in Eberron? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
JulesCARV
10-23-07, 12:32 AM I'm wondering whether an "itinerant planeswalker" (or, alternatively, "transdimensional hobo") would be a possible character in Eberron.

Basically, a wandering type, a bit of a mercenary,a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, a bit of a thug, and a bit of a spiritual seeker. He might find himself recruited as a mercenary to fight for the demons in Shavarrath (assuming they could somehow give him immunity to the "flying blades attack non-natives" effect), and when he gets badly injured in a battle with devils, spends his recovery meditating and seeking enlightenment in a monastery in Adar. Then once he's recovered and gets bored or disillusioned, he joins an adventuring party of kalashtar, and when the adventuring party splits up after completing its objective or succumbing to bitter acrimony, he winds up in the Eldeen Reaches. He eventually wanders into Lammania, and finds a small inn in the woods catering to lycanthropes who primarily identify with their humanoid form and other Lammanian folk who might have an interest in an inn. He spends a few weeks there, mopping the floors, washing the dishes, clearing the tables, and generally doing odd jobs. Then a group of planeswalking adventurers from Fairhaven arrive in the inn, and ask him if he's interested in joining...

And so on and so forth. No real home, either geographic or planar, and no real objective. Perhaps seeking something, but not really sure what it is.

I'm thinking that the answer is that no, this is not a viable character concept. The planes in Eberron are just too alien for this to work. It might work in Planescape, but in Eberron, the planes aren't for random mortals to wander around in. You can go there, but you don't stick around mopping floors and doing dishes in an outer planar inn: you get in, do your business, and get out as quickly as you can.

At least, that's my impression. What do you think?
DyloniusFunk
10-23-07, 08:51 AM I have to agree. The planes in Eberron are not really designed to be used as locations for adventures, they are designed to be used as plot devices that affect Eberron. At leats that's my take on it. What makes your character archtype work in core/Planescape is a group of planes that have multiple connections, and a central meeting point (Sigil). In Core when you reach high levels eventually you strart traveling the planes but in Eberron there are plenty of high level threats on the planet itself that the lanes don't need to get involved unless the DM wants them to. So yeah it sucks but unfortuantly the planes just aren't as prevelant in Eberron as thier are in other settings. You could just replace the Eberron cosmology with the Wheel, but then you open a whole can of worms by tinkering with the worls history anfd things like Manefest zones (No Syrania, no Sharn) and what to do about the Dalkyer and the Quori.
Ohtar Turinson
10-23-07, 08:58 AM You'd have to be high level, and if I were DMing for such a character I would want some sort of reason, perhaps a philosophical one, for the wanderings, but I think it could be done. Not as easily as for Planescape, but it could be done. They would not be sweeping extraplanar barroom floors (though in the Planescape games I have run there isn't exactly much space for that idea either for the most part).

The planes touch the material world in many places; it is possible that you go there and never know how you got there, and never know how to reach home. Perhaps they are "touched by the traveler," never to rest or lay down their load until some event occurs. I might have to use that as an adventure hook.
Arryn
10-23-07, 12:37 PM I've got to agree with the others that this is not an ideal "flavor-fit" for Eberron. Now that's not to say that it can't work, but I don't think it will be easy.

The major problem with this character is that we know so little about the Planes of Eberron. Now if there were a supplement addressing the Planes, then I think it would be easier. (Nudge nudge wink wink Keith) For this concept to work, your DM is probably going to have to put in a lot of effort to develop the Planes properly and he or she may not have the time for that.

Basically I think you have a hard sell on your hands, because unless your DM is really fired up about the character and willing to put forth the effort needed to make it work... I suspect that the finished product will probably fail to meet your expectations.
Edymnion
10-23-07, 12:40 PM Actually, I would say that it is more possible in Eberron than in other settings, just less desirable.

Unlike other settings, portals to the planes actually do open up on a semi-regular basis in Eberron. You literally could just go for a walk one day in the woods and find yourself in a certain endless twilight forest. Or be caught in a raging fire, run through a sheet of flames, and come out in Fernia.

Its just entirely a matter of luck, although several of the inhabitants of those planes do seem to be able to know when and where such a portal will open (going off of Keith's books here).

And while several of the planes are fairly friendly towards us mortals (as in, we don't die the instant we set foot in them), others are actively hostile (like the blade bit you already mentioned, the raging fires of fernia, etc).

So, overall, I would think that its actually easier to be a planeswalker in Eberron, due to not always needing magic to actually planeshift, but there is less reason to actually do so than in other settings.
taski
10-23-07, 11:42 PM I think it's a very viable concept. The biggest obstacle to your plan is that the planes haven't been developed much yet.
So what if we don't know there's an inn in Lamania? We also don't know there isn't one. Who knows, what with the growth-inducing properties of Lamania, that inn could have a serious yellow mold problem (a job for a mercenary if ever there was one). Until a Planes of Eberron book shows up, you'll need a very creative DM to pull it off.

Not all of Eberron's planes are too dangerous to visit. I doubt Syrannia would be all that inhospitable, and Irian doesn't have that fill-you-with-positive-energy-until-you-explode property that the Wheel's positive energy plane has. What with manifest zones, you could actually go there at level 1 and not die instantly.
Romulus LoneWolf
10-24-07, 07:06 PM Hey, I'd allow it. Sounds like a nice, cool character concept to me.
Blaine_Furntog
10-25-07, 12:07 AM I'm wondering whether an "itinerant planeswalker" (or, alternatively, "transdimensional hobo") would be a possible character in Eberron.

Basically, a wandering type, a bit of a mercenary,a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, a bit of a thug, and a bit of a spiritual seeker. He might find himself recruited as a mercenary to fight for the demons in Shavarrath (assuming they could somehow give him immunity to the "flying blades attack non-natives" effect), and when he gets badly injured in a battle with devils, spends his recovery meditating and seeking enlightenment in a monastery in Adar. Then once he's recovered and gets bored or disillusioned, he joins an adventuring party of kalashtar, and when the adventuring party splits up after completing its objective or succumbing to bitter acrimony, he winds up in the Eldeen Reaches. He eventually wanders into Lammania, and finds a small inn in the woods catering to lycanthropes who primarily identify with their humanoid form and other Lammanian folk who might have an interest in an inn. He spends a few weeks there, mopping the floors, washing the dishes, clearing the tables, and generally doing odd jobs. Then a group of planeswalking adventurers from Fairhaven arrive in the inn, and ask him if he's interested in joining...

And so on and so forth. No real home, either geographic or planar, and no real objective. Perhaps seeking something, but not really sure what it is.

I'm thinking that the answer is that no, this is not a viable character concept. The planes in Eberron are just too alien for this to work. It might work in Planescape, but in Eberron, the planes aren't for random mortals to wander around in. You can go there, but you don't stick around mopping floors and doing dishes in an outer planar inn: you get in, do your business, and get out as quickly as you can.

At least, that's my impression. What do you think?
Eh? Pay more attention to Edymnion, there's no reason a guy like me can't try to travel the other planes as well. I might be stuck on this one more often'n not, but that ain't no good reason to settle for the same prey every day.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
JulesCARV 10-23-07, 12:32 AM	I'm wondering whether an "itinerant planeswalker" (or, alternatively, "transdimensional hobo") would be a possible character in Eberron. Basically, a wandering type, a bit of a mercenary,a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, a bit of a thug, and a bit of a spiritual seeker. He might find himself recruited as a mercenary to fight for the demons in Shavarrath (assuming they could somehow give him immunity to the "flying blades attack non-natives" effect), and when he gets badly injured in a battle with devils, spends his recovery meditating and seeking enlightenment in a monastery in Adar. Then once he's recovered and gets bored or disillusioned, he joins an adventuring party of kalashtar, and when the adventuring party splits up after completing its objective or succumbing to bitter acrimony, he winds up in the Eldeen Reaches. He eventually wanders into Lammania, and finds a small inn in the woods catering to lycanthropes who primarily identify with their humanoid form and other Lammanian folk who might have an interest in an inn. He spends a few weeks there, mopping the floors, washing the dishes, clearing the tables, and generally doing odd jobs. Then a group of planeswalking adventurers from Fairhaven arrive in the inn, and ask him if he's interested in joining... And so on and so forth. No real home, either geographic or planar, and no real objective. Perhaps seeking something, but not really sure what it is. I'm thinking that the answer is that no, this is not a viable character concept. The planes in Eberron are just too alien for this to work. It might work in Planescape, but in Eberron, the planes aren't for random mortals to wander around in. You can go there, but you don't stick around mopping floors and doing dishes in an outer planar inn: you get in, do your business, and get out as quickly as you can. At least, that's my impression. What do you think?
DyloniusFunk 10-23-07, 08:51 AM	I have to agree. The planes in Eberron are not really designed to be used as locations for adventures, they are designed to be used as plot devices that affect Eberron. At leats that's my take on it. What makes your character archtype work in core/Planescape is a group of planes that have multiple connections, and a central meeting point (Sigil). In Core when you reach high levels eventually you strart traveling the planes but in Eberron there are plenty of high level threats on the planet itself that the lanes don't need to get involved unless the DM wants them to. So yeah it sucks but unfortuantly the planes just aren't as prevelant in Eberron as thier are in other settings. You could just replace the Eberron cosmology with the Wheel, but then you open a whole can of worms by tinkering with the worls history anfd things like Manefest zones (No Syrania, no Sharn) and what to do about the Dalkyer and the Quori.
Ohtar Turinson 10-23-07, 08:58 AM	You'd have to be high level, and if I were DMing for such a character I would want some sort of reason, perhaps a philosophical one, for the wanderings, but I think it could be done. Not as easily as for Planescape, but it could be done. They would not be sweeping extraplanar barroom floors (though in the Planescape games I have run there isn't exactly much space for that idea either for the most part). The planes touch the material world in many places; it is possible that you go there and never know how you got there, and never know how to reach home. Perhaps they are "touched by the traveler," never to rest or lay down their load until some event occurs. I might have to use that as an adventure hook.
Arryn 10-23-07, 12:37 PM	I've got to agree with the others that this is not an ideal "flavor-fit" for Eberron. Now that's not to say that it can't work, but I don't think it will be easy. The major problem with this character is that we know so little about the Planes of Eberron. Now if there were a supplement addressing the Planes, then I think it would be easier. (Nudge nudge wink wink Keith) For this concept to work, your DM is probably going to have to put in a lot of effort to develop the Planes properly and he or she may not have the time for that. Basically I think you have a hard sell on your hands, because unless your DM is really fired up about the character and willing to put forth the effort needed to make it work... I suspect that the finished product will probably fail to meet your expectations.
Edymnion 10-23-07, 12:40 PM	Actually, I would say that it is more possible in Eberron than in other settings, just less desirable. Unlike other settings, portals to the planes actually do open up on a semi-regular basis in Eberron. You literally could just go for a walk one day in the woods and find yourself in a certain endless twilight forest. Or be caught in a raging fire, run through a sheet of flames, and come out in Fernia. Its just entirely a matter of luck, although several of the inhabitants of those planes do seem to be able to know when and where such a portal will open (going off of Keith's books here). And while several of the planes are fairly friendly towards us mortals (as in, we don't die the instant we set foot in them), others are actively hostile (like the blade bit you already mentioned, the raging fires of fernia, etc). So, overall, I would think that its actually easier to be a planeswalker in Eberron, due to not always needing magic to actually planeshift, but there is less reason to actually do so than in other settings.
taski 10-23-07, 11:42 PM	I think it's a very viable concept. The biggest obstacle to your plan is that the planes haven't been developed much yet. So what if we don't know there's an inn in Lamania? We also don't know there isn't one. Who knows, what with the growth-inducing properties of Lamania, that inn could have a serious yellow mold problem (a job for a mercenary if ever there was one). Until a Planes of Eberron book shows up, you'll need a very creative DM to pull it off. Not all of Eberron's planes are too dangerous to visit. I doubt Syrannia would be all that inhospitable, and Irian doesn't have that fill-you-with-positive-energy-until-you-explode property that the Wheel's positive energy plane has. What with manifest zones, you could actually go there at level 1 and not die instantly.
Romulus LoneWolf 10-24-07, 07:06 PM	Hey, I'd allow it. Sounds like a nice, cool character concept to me.
Blaine_Furntog 10-25-07, 12:07 AM	I'm wondering whether an "itinerant planeswalker" (or, alternatively, "transdimensional hobo") would be a possible character in Eberron. Basically, a wandering type, a bit of a mercenary,a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, a bit of a thug, and a bit of a spiritual seeker. He might find himself recruited as a mercenary to fight for the demons in Shavarrath (assuming they could somehow give him immunity to the "flying blades attack non-natives" effect), and when he gets badly injured in a battle with devils, spends his recovery meditating and seeking enlightenment in a monastery in Adar. Then once he's recovered and gets bored or disillusioned, he joins an adventuring party of kalashtar, and when the adventuring party splits up after completing its objective or succumbing to bitter acrimony, he winds up in the Eldeen Reaches. He eventually wanders into Lammania, and finds a small inn in the woods catering to lycanthropes who primarily identify with their humanoid form and other Lammanian folk who might have an interest in an inn. He spends a few weeks there, mopping the floors, washing the dishes, clearing the tables, and generally doing odd jobs. Then a group of planeswalking adventurers from Fairhaven arrive in the inn, and ask him if he's interested in joining... And so on and so forth. No real home, either geographic or planar, and no real objective. Perhaps seeking something, but not really sure what it is. I'm thinking that the answer is that no, this is not a viable character concept. The planes in Eberron are just too alien for this to work. It might work in Planescape, but in Eberron, the planes aren't for random mortals to wander around in. You can go there, but you don't stick around mopping floors and doing dishes in an outer planar inn: you get in, do your business, and get out as quickly as you can. At least, that's my impression. What do you think? Eh? Pay more attention to Edymnion, there's no reason a guy like me can't try to travel the other planes as well. I might be stuck on this one more often'n not, but that ain't no good reason to settle for the same prey every day.