My players (lvl 17) will soon enter the aforementioned Positive Energy Plane (PEP). This is, according to D&D lore, the most dangerous/destructive plane of existence (even more so than the Negative one!). There is no official mechanics for 5e for what is happening there, so based on the previous editions' lore and mechanics I brew my own and tailored for my campaign. Let me know your comments or opinions.
Purifying Vitality. You are immune to the blinded, deafened, paralyzed, and poisoned conditions while on the plane. If you were affected by any of these conditions when you entered the Positive Energy Plane, they immediately end, as if by the lesser restoration spell. If a condition could not be removed by lesser restoration, it is instead suspended for as long as you remain on the plane.
Necrotic Adaptation. You have resistance to necrotic damage while on the plane. If you already had resistance, you instead have immunity while you are on the plane. This trait has no effect on constructs or undead.
Overflowing Healing. Any healing spell restores the maximum number of hit points possible for that spell. This trait has no effect on constructs or undead.
Effects at the Start of Each Turn
Regenerative Light. You regain 7 (2d6) hit points. This effect does not apply to constructs or undead.
Undead Disintegration. Undead creatures take 7 (2d6) radiant damage.
Assimilating Foreigners. Make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. You make this saving throw with a +2 bonus if you are resistant to radiant damage, and with a +5 bonus if you are immune to radiant damage.
On a failure: You lose 1d4 Hit Dice, and the DC resets to 10. If you do not have enough Hit Dice remaining, your body and all nonmagical items you are wearing or carrying burst into radiant light, and you die, leaving no physical remains.
On a success: You gain temporary hit points equal to 10 times the number of Hit Dice you are currently missing, and the DC increases by 5.
Assimilating Foreigners has no effect on constructs, undead, or creatures native to the Positive Energy Plane.
Weightless Expanse
There is no gravity on the Positive Energy Plane.
All creatures are considered airborne at all times.
Any creature that does not have a flying speed can still move freely through the plane. Such a creature has a minimum movement speed of 30 feet while on the Positive Energy Plane.
Movement does not provoke falling, and creatures do not fall prone as a result of losing balance or being knocked prone.
Effects that rely on gravity (such as being pushed off a ledge or falling damage) have no effect unless they explicitly function in no gravity.
It is rather obvious that with this mechanic players must be well-organized: an initiative roll the moment they appear in the PEP, keeping turns and everything. With no air, they have chance to utter only one spell with a verbal component, or one sentence, using up the air they had in their lungs when they entered the PEP. PEPs radiance heals and restores, but also corrodes the undead quickly, and living slowly. I didn't particularly like the Exhaustion mechanics or loosing hit points for this one (why would you be exhausted here? you are in a 'refreshing' plane), so went with losing hit dice. It can be also adjusted, e.g. to losing just 1 hit die on a failed save to slow down the progression, or to losing 1d6 or more if you're an evil DM. Same with the DC progression, could be +2 or +3 instead of +5: up to your needs.
I don't like the airless mechanic. At least in previous editions I don't recall the Plane having that trait. Feels like it's just there to screw spellcasters. Assimilating Foreigners seems like a needlessly complicated mechanic. I'd instead stick with the old mechanic of the regeneration continuing above your maximum HP and if you exceed twice your normal max HP you have to start making increasingly-difficult saving throws or explode, with exploding being automatic if you hit triple your HP.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
In every lore bit I read from previous editions the lack ot atmosphere is underlined - I'm not sure if that was included in the old mechanics though. The No Suffocation is actually against some bits of lore - you are supposed to suffocate on the PEP without proper preparation. But, I am a merciful DM, and other pieces of lore point out that while suffocating on the PEP you don't need to breath because of the restorative properties of PEP.
You would have to describe mechanically how the regeneration exceeding the maximum HP works in 5e - please, try it. I think no matter what you try, you would create something at least as complex as Assimilating Foreigners. You could:
try to use Temporary HP - an official D&D 5e mechanic for health exceeding the regular HP. But here's an issue: a player has right to choose to either keep his current temp HP (even if it is 0) or to replace it with a new pool. If they always choose to keep their current temp HP, they will never explode!
try to temporarily and progressively increase player's hit point maximum: hard to describe it concisely.
actually exceed the maximum HP. While this underlines the power of PEP, it would be a precedent for D&D 5e mechanics and going against its design.
To simplify Assimilating Foreigners, maybe the resetting DC is a bit much. If one prefers the linear progression of fear (instead of sinusoidal) and even shorter time spent on the PEP:
Assimilating Foreigners. Make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. The DC increases by 1 on each subsequent turn. You make this saving throw with a +2 bonus if you are resistant to radiant damage, and with a +5 bonus if you are immune to radiant damage.
Failure: You lose 1d4 Hit Dice. If you do not have enough Hit Dice remaining, your body and all nonmagical items you are wearing or carrying burst into radiant light, and you die, leaving no physical remains.
Success:You gain temporary hit points equal to 10 times the number of Hit Dice you are currently missing as a result of Assimilating Foreigners (minimum of 10).
Success (Alternative):You gain temporary hit points equal to 10 times the number of turns you spent in Positive Energy Plane since you entered it.
Assimilating Foreigners has no effect on constructs, undead, or creatures native to the Positive Energy Plane.
Hello fellow DMs!
My players (lvl 17) will soon enter the aforementioned Positive Energy Plane (PEP). This is, according to D&D lore, the most dangerous/destructive plane of existence (even more so than the Negative one!). There is no official mechanics for 5e for what is happening there, so based on the previous editions' lore and mechanics I brew my own and tailored for my campaign. Let me know your comments or opinions.
Environmental Traits of the Positive Energy Plane
Overwhelming Brilliance. Visibility cannot exceed 30 feet.
Airless. Creatures cannot breathe here.
No Suffocation. Creatures cannot suffocate here.
Purifying Vitality. You are immune to the blinded, deafened, paralyzed, and poisoned conditions while on the plane. If you were affected by any of these conditions when you entered the Positive Energy Plane, they immediately end, as if by the lesser restoration spell. If a condition could not be removed by lesser restoration, it is instead suspended for as long as you remain on the plane.
Necrotic Adaptation. You have resistance to necrotic damage while on the plane. If you already had resistance, you instead have immunity while you are on the plane. This trait has no effect on constructs or undead.
Overflowing Healing. Any healing spell restores the maximum number of hit points possible for that spell. This trait has no effect on constructs or undead.
Effects at the Start of Each Turn
Regenerative Light. You regain 7 (2d6) hit points. This effect does not apply to constructs or undead.
Undead Disintegration. Undead creatures take 7 (2d6) radiant damage.
Assimilating Foreigners. Make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. You make this saving throw with a +2 bonus if you are resistant to radiant damage, and with a +5 bonus if you are immune to radiant damage.
On a failure: You lose 1d4 Hit Dice, and the DC resets to 10. If you do not have enough Hit Dice remaining, your body and all nonmagical items you are wearing or carrying burst into radiant light, and you die, leaving no physical remains.
On a success: You gain temporary hit points equal to 10 times the number of Hit Dice you are currently missing, and the DC increases by 5.
Assimilating Foreigners has no effect on constructs, undead, or creatures native to the Positive Energy Plane.
Weightless Expanse
There is no gravity on the Positive Energy Plane.
All creatures are considered airborne at all times.
Any creature that does not have a flying speed can still move freely through the plane. Such a creature has a minimum movement speed of 30 feet while on the Positive Energy Plane.
Movement does not provoke falling, and creatures do not fall prone as a result of losing balance or being knocked prone.
Effects that rely on gravity (such as being pushed off a ledge or falling damage) have no effect unless they explicitly function in no gravity.
It is rather obvious that with this mechanic players must be well-organized: an initiative roll the moment they appear in the PEP, keeping turns and everything. With no air, they have chance to utter only one spell with a verbal component, or one sentence, using up the air they had in their lungs when they entered the PEP. PEPs radiance heals and restores, but also corrodes the undead quickly, and living slowly. I didn't particularly like the Exhaustion mechanics or loosing hit points for this one (why would you be exhausted here? you are in a 'refreshing' plane), so went with losing hit dice. It can be also adjusted, e.g. to losing just 1 hit die on a failed save to slow down the progression, or to losing 1d6 or more if you're an evil DM. Same with the DC progression, could be +2 or +3 instead of +5: up to your needs.
I don't like the airless mechanic. At least in previous editions I don't recall the Plane having that trait. Feels like it's just there to screw spellcasters. Assimilating Foreigners seems like a needlessly complicated mechanic. I'd instead stick with the old mechanic of the regeneration continuing above your maximum HP and if you exceed twice your normal max HP you have to start making increasingly-difficult saving throws or explode, with exploding being automatic if you hit triple your HP.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Thank you for your notes, 6thLyranGuard!
In every lore bit I read from previous editions the lack ot atmosphere is underlined - I'm not sure if that was included in the old mechanics though. The No Suffocation is actually against some bits of lore - you are supposed to suffocate on the PEP without proper preparation. But, I am a merciful DM, and other pieces of lore point out that while suffocating on the PEP you don't need to breath because of the restorative properties of PEP.
You would have to describe mechanically how the regeneration exceeding the maximum HP works in 5e - please, try it. I think no matter what you try, you would create something at least as complex as Assimilating Foreigners. You could:
To simplify Assimilating Foreigners, maybe the resetting DC is a bit much. If one prefers the linear progression of fear (instead of sinusoidal) and even shorter time spent on the PEP:
Assimilating Foreigners. Make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. The DC increases by 1 on each subsequent turn. You make this saving throw with a +2 bonus if you are resistant to radiant damage, and with a +5 bonus if you are immune to radiant damage.
Failure: You lose 1d4 Hit Dice. If you do not have enough Hit Dice remaining, your body and all nonmagical items you are wearing or carrying burst into radiant light, and you die, leaving no physical remains.
Success: You gain temporary hit points equal to 10 times the number of Hit Dice you are currently missing as a result of Assimilating Foreigners (minimum of 10).
Success (Alternative): You gain temporary hit points equal to 10 times the number of turns you spent in Positive Energy Plane since you entered it.
Assimilating Foreigners has no effect on constructs, undead, or creatures native to the Positive Energy Plane.