Chaos Shaping in Limbo

Chaos Shaping in Limbo

Right now, I'm writing up the slaadi for my GURPS Monstrous Compendium, but to do it properly, one has to explore how the plane of Limbo works in D&D and how to adapt the mechanics to GURPS. This is not going to be simple. What you see is a combination of the mechanics from the Planes of Chaos 2e boxed set and Manual of the Planes 3e book.

I'll note that some effects are intentionally left vague because I don't feel like going into too much detail right now - I just have to get the basics covered to be able to progress.

There are two kinds of terrain in Limbo: uncontrolled raw areas and controlled areas. Raw areas make up most of the plane, while the controlled areas (also called tended areas) are tiny islands in comparison.

    Raw Limbo: Uncontrolled areas of limbo are dangerous, but most sentient creatures can exert a localized calming influence (see Controlled Limbo, below). But sometimes there's no control, such as when a visitor first enters Limbo or when a traveler is knocked unconscious. When no one's trying to control a given area of Limbo, it exhibits the qualities noted on the table below. For the purposes of this table, an area is everything within a 10-yard-radius sphere, though areas can drift and move around randomly. For a given area, roll on the table once every 2d minutes.

    1d, 1d        Effect

    1-3, 1         Air pocket

    1-3, 2        Earth pocket

    1-3, 3        Fire pocket

    1-3, 4        Water pocket

    1-3, 5        Dust pocket

    1-3, 6        Magma pocket

    2-6, 1        Mud pocket

    2-6, 2        Ice pocket

    2-6, 3        Smoke pocket

    2-6, 4-6     Primal soup

    Primal soup is a substance of unformed chaos with a consistency of a thick soup. It imposes a -1 penalty to Vision per 2 yards of distance, can be breathed only by those who are able to breathe water, and deals 1 point of corrosion damage per 10 seconds.

    

    Controlled Limbo: Controlling a raw area of Limbo is an exercise of the mind. A Concentrate maneuver and a successful IQ roll establishes control within part of a raw area of Limbo around the character. If the area is already being controlled by someone else, this requires winning a Quick Contest of IQ instead.

    If the IQ roll or contest succeeds, the creature has established control over part of the area and can reshape it as she desires, allowing a desired element or a mixture of elements to become dominant. A favorite among travelers from the Material Plane is a chunk of earth surrounded by a small atmosphere of air. Changes happen at a rate of 1 yard of radius per second from the character. For assessing possible tricks and combat penalties, treat this as if using Control 1 with Control in Combat (p. P 91).

    Look up your IQ-5 in the Size column of the Size and Speed/Range Table (p. B550). The corresponding Linear Measurement value will be the radius of the area your character can control around himself. In addition, if your IQ is 8 or lower, you can only create simple features, such as a flat meadow. If your IQ is between 9 and 13, you can create complex features, such as hills, trees, and streams. If your IQ is between 14 and 17, you can create artificial structures, such as simple buildings and streets. If your IQ is 18+, you can create complex buildings and native animals.

    Once control is achieved, it lasts as long as the controller concentrates, or until another creature succeeds in wresting control away. Controlled areas drift at Move 1 in a random direction.

    NEW ADVANTAGE

    Anarch - 10 points

    Anarchs have an innate ability to hold chaos matter without actively concentrating. Characters with this advantage can breathe raw Limbo and do not take damage from it regardless of its form. In addition, they can control Limbo as a free action instead of a Concentrate maneuver, and use Will or Chaos Shaping (see below) instead of IQ for the purpose of controlling Limbo. For the purpose of determining the area of control, they use their full Will or Chaos Shaping instead of IQ-5. They do not have to be conscious to maintain control of Limbo, but they cannot actively change anything within the area while unconscious.

    NEW SKILL

    Chaos Shaping - Will/Easy

    Defaults: None.

    Prerequisites: Anarch.

    This skill lets the character become better at controlling Limbo. Use it instead of Will for the purpose of controlling Limbo.