The Mushroom Kingdom: A peaceful land, idyllic, green and lush, where civilization is quiet and prosperous. But beneath its surface, danger lurks: a maze of pipes, caves, underground rivers, forgotten structures, and ancient, mystical evils. Beyond its borders, too, are threats more mundane and numerous, from warlords bent on princess-kidnapping to aliens looking for planets to conquer.
The Mushroom Kingdom has always had two brothers, warriors strong and humble, to save it time and time again; rumor has it, they come from a far-away world. But the threats these heroes face, to keep their favored kingdom peaceful, are not always so easily defeated: sometimes, they require the help of the very people they strive to protect.
And when that call goes out, when even the mighty Mario Bros. cannot do it all, who ventures forth from their peaceful lives, to enter the catacombs and plumbing below the surface, to travel far from home, to seek treasure, fame, honor, respect and safety for their loved ones?
You do. Start!
Things added onto the Spelunk engine, even before character creation. However, everything beyond this point, much like Spelunk itself, is not set in stone: you are encouraged to make stuff up, to modify existing items and rules, and to have fun first, and ask questions later.
In Plumb, the entire party shares a single score of Flower Points, which allow the use of any attack that uses Flower Points; most skills and powerful weapons require some FP to be consumed. The party begins with 10 FP, which any character may tap into at any time to fuel his or her own attacks. FP can be easily restored by many healing items and culinary delicacies, and the score can be increased (and completely refilled!) by finding and using Flower Tabs.
...Does not exist. Characters can only break things through attacks with the Strike Synergy trait.
...Replaces the Break Skill. This skill shows how well a character can lift objects, including other characters: If someone, friend or foe, is Stunned, they may be lifted if your Lift score equals or exceeds their Resist score. Enemies or foes under the Weight ailment may not be lifted. Once lifted, you may throw your new friend Lift spaces away, for their Resist in damage; this is a Ground-Bound attack, as gravity will arc your throw. Many solid objects can also be lifted, and there are treasures that allow you to lift even more than this, though...
From: Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World
Power-Ups can be stored for later use whenever acquired; this is especially useful for Destroyable Power-Ups, which will disappear if in use when the character is attacked. It takes a turn to switch between Power-Ups, and the Power-Up switched out returns to your inventory. Unlike the games, there is no limit to the amount of Power-Ups you can carry, unless the GM says otherwise.
In SPELUNK, only one status may be active at a time - however, there are only negative statuses, so one way or the other it's a wash. In Plumb, however, there are also positive statuses - and as such, negative statuses would hurt doubly if they canceled out positive statuses. Therefor, a character may only have one positive and one negative status at a time - and while the player does not get to pick which negative status is in effect, he does get to choose which positive status is in effect. (Positive Statuses being the "Stat-Ups".)
This is the real meat of Plumb. Here, you'll find information on making characters with techniques and equipment that fit the flavor of the Mushroom Kingdom. Remember that these rules 'stack' on top of those of Spelunk!
Useful packages for creating a character born and bred in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Powerful items, made for destroying bad guys. Although a character may have any number of Power-Ups, they may only have one equipped at a time!
Items that will assist any character traversing the Mushroom Kingdom's dangers.
Additional techniques that characters may either begin with, learn in their travels, or gain from badges (treasure). Techniques and magic spells do not have to be switched out like Power-Ups do, though if the tech of spell is bestowed by a Badge, then the badge must be equipped for the action to be available to the character.
Additional skills, to provide Plumb characters with more versatility both in and out of combat.
Here, you'll find information on making your Plumb game really feel like a quest through the Mushroom Kingdom, from enemies you can use and the numbers behind those enemies, to information about the Mushroom Kingdom itself, and even further additions to Plumb's rules. There is also an ever-growing selection of sprites to enhance your gameplay experience!
Information on the world of the Mushroom Kingdom, as interpreted through Spelunk. This section is the one with the greatest room to grow!
Additional rules made to fill in gaps that the original SPELUNK rules leave behind. Generally just number-y bits; if you want to just dive in and play, you don't need to read this section, but if you want to devise your own stuff for the Mushroom Kingdom, it might be worth a look.
Still needing some fleshing out, but this contains a sample of Mario enemies for your usage.
Work very much in progress. Contains information on using a Paper Mario-esque EXP and Badge system.
Things that might help you with your Plumb game; or at the least, are helping me when I run Plumb.
This archive is a selection of sprites (largely from The New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario All-Stars), designed and sized for use in Gametable. Use them for creating your own Plumb adventure! (Last Updated 17 July 2008)
These links are good for providing inspiration or information about the Mushroom Kingdom beyond what's found in here.
"Super Koopa", the episode where Koopa has infinite power-ups in the Real World.