These rules and notes come from the amazing Planewalkers Handbook for 2nd edition AD&D. I’ve adapted the rules so that they are compatible with AD&D3e.

The descriptions of the planes presented herein differ from those given in the Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide… which is in keeping with “Primes” being clueless about anything beyond the doorstep of their Prime Material world. Comparing the two cosmological models, it’s relatively simple to see how both overlap, and to note their many similarities.

Here’s an option, common to many RPGs, such as Barbarians of Lemuria and Deadlands, that allows players a chance to alter fate through the expenditure of a fate point. The concept of fate (or luck) points has been around since the earliest days of roleplaying but has never found its way into the official Dungeons & Dragons game.

All player characters have 1 fate point at 1^st level; adding an additional fate point at 5^th level and every 5 levels thereafter (2 fate points at 5^th level, 3 at 10^th level and so on). These fate points replenish when your character levels up.

A single fate point can be replenished before leveling up by having your character do something inventive or heroic, or something that furthers the storyline and the group’s enjoyment of the game.  A player who wishes to alter another player’s die roll, or change a skill or combat result for that character, must have that player’s consent.   

A player character (PC) may use a fate point to:

1. Re-roll a d20 roll made by a PC or an allied NPC.
2. Add 3 to a d20 roll made by a PC or an allied NPC.
3. Restore an unconscious PC or an allied NPC to 1 hit point.
4. Turn a critical hit scored against a PC or allied NPC into a normal hit.
5. Change a normal hit against a PC or allied NPC into a miss with complications (i.e., sundered shield, damaged armor, character knocked prone, character disarmed) at the DM’s discretion.
6. Change a normal hit made by a PC or allied NPC into a critical hit.
7. Have a PC or allied NPC be left for dead when unconscious.
8. Change some minor detail about your surroundings (unlock a door, place a mundane object in a room), at the DM’s discretion.
9. Change a PC’s or allied NPC’s failed ability check into a success with complications, at the DM’s discretion.

This post updates planar classes from 2nd Edition AD&D to AD&D3e. Doing so wasn’t all that complicated, despite the fact that 2nd edition relied heavily on the use of kits to flesh out player characters, while 3rd edition simply allows players to do that by choosing their class and background skills.

The following file gives a brief overview of how each class is viewed by planar creatures and then gives planewalker archetypes (in place of planar kits) for each class. Planewalker archetypes are, basically, intended as default “backgrounds” for characters who are native to the Outer Planes, rather than one of the Prime Material worlds.

Prime Material characters, or primes as they are called by the denizens of the Outer Planes, come from a wide range of backgrounds, such as mercenaries, nobles, tradesmen, farmers, tribal hunters, and so on. To account for this, all primes begin play with a background skill (PHB 38) that reflects their pre-adventuring past.

Planescape characters, on the other hand, choose the planar archetype for their class. They still choose their class skills but do not choose a background skill. Instead, each archetype grants one or more skills.

As I’m slowly converting Planescape rules for use with AD&D3e, I’m trying not to add a ton of new skills, classes, and rules that make the game overly complex. At the same time, I’m trying to keep options in the game that make the setting feel uniquely quirky.

Here is my attempt to winnow down a bunch of Planescape-specific skills into 1 additional skill and a few options that are available to all characters. I think is a relatively simple solution but please let me know what you think. With that said, here are the expanded rules (and new skill):