Plane of Life (3.5e Sourcebook)/Introduction

The Plane of Positive Energy: I'm sure you've all heard of it, but how many have been there? Or sent a character there? This project is intended to flesh out the most maligned of inner planes, the plane of life. But first, forget what you already know about it. I will be putting here everything I am keeping, so ignore other sources.

The Basics

The basic traits of the plane are as follows (quoted directly from the SRD):

Positive Energy Plane:

• Subjective directional gravity.
• Major positive-dominant. Some regions of the plane have the minor positive-dominant trait instead, but these areas of safety are in constant motion.
• Enhanced magic. Spells and spell-like abilities that use positive energy, including cure spells, are maximized (as if the Maximize Spell metamagic feat had been used on them, but the spells don’t require higher-level slots). Spells and spell-like abilities that are already maximized are unaffected by this benefit. Class abilities that use positive energy, such as turning and destroying undead, gain a +10 bonus on the roll to determine Hit Dice affected. (Undead are almost impossible to find on this plane, however.)
• Impeded magic. Spells and spell-like abilities that use negative energy (including inflict spells) are impeded.

Subjective Directional Gravity: The strength of gravity on a plane with this trait is the same as on the Material Plane, but each individual chooses the direction of gravity’s pull. Such a plane has no gravity for unattended objects and non-sentient creatures. This sort of environment can be very disorienting to the newcomer, but is common on “weightless” planes.

Characters on a plane with subjective directional gravity can move normally along a solid surface by imagining “down” near their feet. If suspended in midair, a character “flies” by merely choosing a “down” direction and “falling” that way. Under such a procedure, an individual “falls” 150 feet in the first round and 300 feet in each succeeding round. Movement is straight-line only. In order to stop, one has to slow one’s movement by changing the designated “down” direction (again, moving 150 feet in the new direction in the first round and 300 feet per round thereafter).

It takes a DC 16 Wisdom check to set a new direction of gravity as a free action; this check can be made once per round. Any character who fails this Wisdom check in successive rounds receives a +6 bonus on subsequent checks until he or she succeeds.

Positive-Dominant: An abundance of life characterizes planes with this trait. The two kinds of positive-dominant traits are minor positive-dominant and major positive-dominant. A minor positive-dominant plane is a riotous explosion of life in all its forms. Colors are brighter, fires are hotter, noises are louder, and sensations are more intense as a result of the positive energy swirling through the plane. All individuals in a positive-dominant plane gain fast healing 2 as an extraordinary ability.

Major positive-dominant planes go even further. A creature on a major positive-dominant plane must make a DC 15 Fortitude save to avoid being blinded for 10 rounds by the brilliance of the surroundings. Simply being on the plane grants fast healing 5 as an extraordinary ability. In addition, those at full hit points gain 5 additional temporary hit points per round. These temporary hit points fade 1d20 rounds after the creature leaves the major positive-dominant plane. However, a creature must make a DC 20 Fortitude save each round that its temporary hit points exceed its normal hit point total. Failing the saving throw results in the creature exploding in a riot of energy, killing it.

The Changes

However, these basic traits leave out some important details. The fast healing is due to positive energy and so has the reverse effect on those harmed by positive energy (such as undead), dealing 2 or 5 damage per round. Constructs do not gain this fast healing at all.

In addition, the plane lacks air. The sheer amount of positive energy provides air pressure, but most creatures cannot breathe this energy.

The plane of positive energy is infinitely large, but not in all directions. One of the plane's dimensions (which I will define as up and down, despite gravity being relative) is only 3 miles in size. If you reach the top or bottom of this dimension, it wraps around to the other end.

As a minor change to the normal rules of subjective directional gravity, unattended objects retain the gravity they had when they were last attended.

Sidebar: Cure Wounds spells are too weak.

As I'm sure some of you know, the Cure Wounds spells are too weak to make much of an impact. While the Mender class does fix some of the problem by giving a source of healing that does make an impact, the Cure Wounds spells themselves need changed. To that end, I suggest you apply the following fix:

All spells in the Cure Wounds line heal, one round later, an additional number of hit points equal to the number of dice healed times the hit dice of the target. This bonus only applies when the spell is healing; when the spell deals damage (e.g. when targeting undead), use only the base dice.

The Cities

Lumière:

The "capital" of the plane of positive energy is a metropolis called Lumière (population 1.375 million people, 50% lucerna, 15% half-lucerna, 35% others). Lumière is a constantly growing city protected by greater positive planar anchors. Due to the unique gravity of the plane, buildings are built in whichever direction is most convenient rather than trying to match the nearby area. You will often find birds flying about, with letters in beak.

The primary industries of Lumière are the searching for and retrieval of auracrystals and mote beads and healing. Healing is readily accessible to anyone (5% discount on any healing spells, scrolls, wands or potions).

Lumière possesses quite a large market. By no means is it the largest among the planes, but it is large and has merchants from most of the planes. While you get better rates on resources produced by the city (5% discount on auracrystal and mote beads), you can buy almost anything there (gold piece limit of 80k gp). Due to the unique architecture and constant growth of the city, those who wish to live within it can do so at a reasonable price (a 25ft^3, one room house costs about 950 gp, 1500 gp if you want to be near a market).

Lumière is run by one man, known as the capo of Lumière. He holds the position until he decides to give it up to another, and has total authority. This position is currently filled by Passade Claragradus III (lucerna fighter 19), who has held the position for 137 years. The Passade line has controlled the city for 598 years. Under his line's fair hand, the city has flourished. He currently has one daughter named Durata Claragradus (lucerna mender 10).

Bright:

Bright is the second most populated city on the plane of life (population 0.9 million people, 40% lucerna, 20% half-lucerna, 40% others). At a first glance, Bright just looks like a second Lumière (due to its haphazard layout), and it too is covered in planar anchors; beyond that, the two cities couldn't be more different.

The primary industries of Bright are mining and magic. As typical access to the portal to the Wall requires passing through Bright, the city has a fairly solid monopoly on mining. Bright is also the home of Katsee, a school of magic. The market in Bright is slightly smaller than the one in Lumière (gold piece limit of 70k gp), but has ready supplies of raw metal and scrolls (5% discount on each).

Bright is run by an elected council of 4 people. Each quarter of the city elects one person to the council and the council has total authority.

Fallanes:

Located in the Forest (see the Mist), Fallanes is a large city of elves (population 0.75 million people, 40% life elf, 20% lucerna, 30% other elves, 10% other races). As with the other major cities, the entire city is covered in planar anchors.

The primary industry of Fallanes is farming; Fallanes is the source of roughly 75% of all wood and food on the plane. Fallanes is also the only major source of vitawood. The market in Fallanes is small compared to other cities on the plane (gold piece limit of 50k gp), but it has lots of wood and food (5% discount on each) and lots of trade partners on the material plane (when selling goods, double the gold piece limit).

Fallanes also possesses a portal framed in white crystal; this portal is linked to another portal on the material plane (GM note: put this portal somewhere controled by elves).

The Gods

Vitadea

	Intermediate Deity
Symbol:	A silver caduceus
Home Plane:	The Plane of Positive Energy
Alignment:	Neutral Good
Portfolio:	Healing, Life, Light
Clergy Alignments:	Chaotic Good, Neutral Good, Lawful Good, True Neutral
Domains:	Healing, Good, Sun, Positive, Life
Favored Weapon:	Quarterstaff

The life mother, Vitadea (mender 20/cleric 20/life master 10), the goddess of life. She teaches that you should respect and protect all living creatures. Among her duties is to make sure the Font of Life continues to work properly and to turn generator points back on when they turn off. For this reason, she has an innate sense of which points are off at any point in time and can use the Activate Point ritual without needing the white sand. She is also responsible for making sure the stopper is in place, but her clerics usually handle that.

Kragan, the Gravewarder

	Demigod
Symbol:	A small coffin
Home Plane:	The Plane of Positive Energy; the Wall
Alignment:	True Neutral
Portfolio:	Protection of graveyards, destruction of undead
Clergy Alignments:	Neutral Good, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Neutral, Lawful Neutral, True Neutral
Domains:	Destruction, War, Strength, Protection, Positive
Favored Weapon:	Heavy Mace

Formerly a dwarf, Kragan (druid 20/fighter 10) is a god of death and life. He holds that the desecration of the dead is unforgivable. As a result, his clerics seek out and destroy undead and the necromacers who made them. His clerics also watch over graveyards in an attempt to prevent necromacers from finding material to work with.

Special Note: All clerics of Kragan spontaneously cast cure spells and turn/destroy undead, regardless of their alignment.

Rinsidia, the Forestwalker

	Demigod
Symbol:	A tree
Home Plane:	The Plane of Positive Energy; the Mist; the Forest
Alignment:	True Neutral
Portfolio:	Positive energy, nature, elves
Clergy Alignments:	Neutral Good, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Neutral, Lawful Neutral, True Neutral
Domains:	Plant, Animal, Sun, Healing, Positive
Favored Weapon:	Sling

Formerly an elf, Rinsidia (druid 20/ranger 10) is a god of positive energy and nature. She only grants spells to elves, shunning the other races.

Special Note: All clerics of Rinsidia spontaneously cast cure spells and turn/destroy undead, regardless of their alignment.