A traveller's guide to Limbo

[Ebiris]

The Ever Changing Chaos of Limbo

It is where everything, and nothing, is possible.
It is where raw chaos seethes.
It is where elements come to die.

Limbo is a plane of pure chaos. Untended sections appear as a roiling soup of the four basic elements and all their combinations. Balls of fire, pockets of air, chunks of earth, and waves of water battle for ascendancy until they in turn are overcome by yet another chaotic surge. Elements of formerly tended Limbo are sometimes cast adrift into the vastness of the plane after being abandoned - ruined castles, vacant cities, clumps of forest, and so on. Sometimes these can last for centuries, battered but not broken by the chaotic elemental forces all around them.

Planar Traits

Subjective Gravity
The strength of gravity on Limbo is the same as on the Material Plane, but individuals choose which direction it pulls them in. Unattended objects have no particular gravity, but when worn, held, or carried, they share the same subjective gravity as the owner. Changing your subjective gravity is a move action that provokes no attacks of opportunity (although subsequent movement might) and requires no roll. Alternatively, it can be changed as a swift action with a successful DC 14 Wisdom check.

Highly Morphic
Limbo is continually changing, and keeping a particular area stable is difficult. A given area, unless magically stabilised, can react to specific spells, sentient thought, or force of will. Left alone, it will change continually at random.

Sporadic Element-Dominant
No one element constantly dominates Limbo. Each element (Earth, Fire, Air, Water) is dominant from time to time, so any given area is a chaotic, dangerous broil. The elemental dominance of any area can change without warning.

Strongly Chaos-Aligned
Non chaotic characters suffer a -2 on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma based checks. This trait does not apply within the walls of Githzerai monasteries, but does in cities. Note this only applies to checks - fixed bonuses such as a Wizard's spells per day and a Paladin's Divine Grace are still based on the normal ability score.

Wild Magic
Spells and spell-like abilities in Limbo function normally within permanent structures or on permanently stabilised landscapes. Any spell cast in an untended area of Limbo, or an area temporarily controlled, has a chance to go awry. The Caster must make a level check against a DC of 15 + spell level of attempted spell. If the check fails, they must roll on the following Wild Magic table. The Student of Chaos Ex ability applies to this roll.

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1-20: Spell rebounds on the caster with normal effects.
20-23: Spell functions normally, but a circular pit 15 feet wide opens under caster's feet. It is 10 feet deep per caster level.
24-27: Spell fails, but target(s) are pelted with small random objects, blinding them for one round and forcing them to make concentration checks (DC 15 plus spell level) to cast spells.
28-31: Spell affects a random target or area.
32-35: Spell functions normally, but no components are consumed, and the spell slot or prepared spell is not used up. An item does not lose charges, and a spell-like ability does not count against daily uses.
36-39: Spell does not function. Everyone within 30 feet of the caster is Healed as per the spell.
40-43: Spell does not function. Caster is surrounded by a Deeper Darkness and Silence effect in a 30 foot radius for 2d4 rounds.
44-47: Spell functions normally, but caster is stunned for one round.
48-51: Spell does not function. Shimmering colours swirl around the caster for 1d4 rounds. Treated as a Glitterdust effect with a save DC of 10 + the spell level.
52-59: Nothing happens.
60-71: Nothing happens, but the spell/charge/use is not consumed.
72-98: The spell functions normally.
99-100: The spell functions strongly. Treat as being cast with the Maximise spell feat, and saving throws are made at a -2 penalty.

Controlling Limbo

Controlling raw Limbo is an exercise of the mind. A DC 16 Wisdom check establishes control of an area surrounding the character dependent on his wisdom score, and can be made every round as a free action. Failing the check twice in a row entitles the character to a +6 circumstance bonus on subsequent checks.

If the check succeeds, the character has established control over his surroundings, and can reshape it as he desires, allowing a desired element or combination of elements to become dominant. Travellers from the Material Plane typically favour a chunk of earth surrounded by air.

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Wisdom Score   Area of Control    Stabilised Area
1-3                 None                -
4-7               1ft radius            -
8-11              5ft radius            -
12-15            10ft radius            -
16-19            15ft radius            -
20-23            20ft radius        5ft radius
24+             +5ft per 4 Wis    +5ft per 4 Wis

Once control is achieved, it will last as long as the controller is present within the radius, or until another creature succeeds in wresting control away. Controlled areas drift at 1d4x10 feet per round in a random direction. If more than one creature gains control of an area at the same time, control goes to the contender with the higher intelligence. If two controlled areas overlap, the overlap remains under the power of the controller with the higher intelligence. In case of a tie, compare charisma instead.

Most controllers can only mix two or three elements within a controlled zone, and none too subtly. Rare minds, called Anarchs, can build objects of amazing complexity, from complicated structures to simple vegetation. Anarch ability is extremely rare, even among Limbo's inhabitants. It's even less likely that visitors will have this ability.

Stabilised Limbo
Stabilised Limbo retains its traits even after the controller departs, but continues to drift randomly within Limbo, and if not protected it will eventually be overcome by the chaotic surges of elements around it. For example, a 5 foot radius ball of fire could be created by a creature of 20 Wisdom, but if subjected to repeated dunks in water it will shrink and finally dissipate.

Movement and Combat

In air or fire dominant areas of Limbo, a traveller can take advantage of the subjective gravity to travel up to a maximum speed of 300 feet per round (though naturally they would need some way to survive the heat and lack of air in the latter instance). Swimming through water dominant areas and burrowing through earth dominant areas are also possible, if a creature possesses those modes of movement.

Typically, travellers will attempt to gain control of an area, turning it into an air dominant, or an earth and air mix, then move to edge of said area and gain control of an adjacent area.

Limbo is infinite, yet the rules of distance and motion are as fluid as anything else there. While maps are useless, since even stable settlements will still drift through the plane, if a traveller knows where they want to go, they will always be able to reach it, the plane itself offering shortcuts to familiar destinations.

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Familiarity           Travel Time
Very familiar          2d6 hours
Studied Carefully      1d4x6 hours
Seen Casually          1d4x10 hours
Viewed Once            1d6x20 hours
Description only       1d10x60 hours

Limbo Combat
In a combat where all combatants use the same subjective gravity and stand on a solid surface, nothing differs from standard combat. However, those who know to take advantage of subjective gravity can use it to make amazing leaps, fly off if threatened, and run along walls and ceilings. An attacker who uses a ranged weapon imparts subjective gravity to his weapon.

If multiple characters are grappling and have differing subjective gravity, all participants must make a wisdom check as a free action - whomever wins imparts their subjective gravity to all others in the grapple.

Furthermore, if fighting in controlled Limbo, the controller can change the terrain of the battle to aid himself and hinder his enemies, for example by creating barriers of stone, or surrounding his foes with fire.

[Dracos]

I like where you're going with limbo, but I have to ask, is controlling limbo going to a major/common thing?  I don't think anyone in our party can make a DC 16 wisdom check with better than 1 in 4 odds (before the +6 circumstance bonus). All of us have at most a +1 there except amonet, who is lawful anyway and would incur a check penalty.

Anyhow, rat reminds me that's why we have Puk'lor as a guide so it might not be an issue, just a bit worrisome seeing that.

Dracos

[Carthrat]

And while we're at it, can you rewrite the Perinarch spell? I'm still not sure how capable it is or what it means w/regard to stabilized limbo.

[Corwin]

Does Puk'Lor have awesome words of wisdom regarding any items/spells we might want to have as we go to Limbo?

[Ebiris]

For simply traveling through raw Limbo, I'll just assume that you have control - between the six members of the group getting a free action every round to take control, I'll assume at least one of you is able to manage in order for the group to travel through the plane without much difficulty.

The checks to obtain control only come into play should you encounter hostiles in raw Limbo, where having control can confer a decisive advantage to one side or the other.

As for the Perinarch spell, it seems fine as it is - It automatically gives you control of Limbo up to 25 + 5ft/2 caster levels feet, and you win any contested checks by default. However, it does not give any control over stabilised Limbo.

Puk'lor suggests that anything that lets you do additional damage to Chaotic creatures would be helpful. He also notes that using subjective gravity to imitate flight is clumsy and also quite dangerous, so having a way to properly fly would be of use. Fire resistance and tunneling ability would also come in handy if you ever get jumped by someone with a better ability to control Limbo than you have.

Also, Cassandra points out a really cool spell called Resist Planar Alignment (p174 Spell Compendium) that removes the penalties for nonchaotic individuals and is on pretty much every spell list. She even gives Alveria a scroll of it for free.