Planescape

[Niemz]

Here you can post about Planescape info.

[Decind]

I enjoy Planescape and wish it were still on a weekly basis with my group of buddies.

Timmy

[Niemz]

(I am not the author, but I really like this story.)

Ancient Baator

This is what Baator was like before the baatezu came.

Avernus: Avernus was a battlefield like Acheron's first layer is today, with the gods of the orcs and goblins fighting an eternal battle, the goblins and kobold gods fighting another. Amidst all of this, the yugoloths were active as mercenaries in the wars and in steering the Ancient Baatorians towards confrontations with the tanar'ri. The Ancients spent their time attempting to assimilate everyone they came across, but they could be prodded into great rages against the interfering inhabitants of the Abyss.

Dis: It is believed that the city of Dis predates the baatezu and Dispater, although it may have appeared hive-like then with a great deal of space between cubic mounds. Druaga dwelt there at the time of the Conquest in a city of his own. He resisted for a time with his Ancient minions before the ancestors of the baatezu agreed to a treaty, offering him legions of their own to replace the ones he would lose in the new order in exchange for his political connections and the aid of his godly powers.

Minauros: This layer was almost entirely controlled by the Kytons, who had conquered it an age before and filled it with cities of chains. When the ancestors of the baatezu conquered the region, the Kytons were able to convince them to preserve Jangling Hinter in exchange for eternal subservience. With Jangling Hinter thriving and in a state of virtual independence while Minauros' city continues to sink beneath the muck, it seems the Kytons may have the last laugh.

Phlegethos: Probably was much as it is today. Inanna was the first to welcome the invaders, and it is said that she took one of the generals of the Host as a lover, though it is thought that whoever it was must now be dead (given Inanna's history).

Stygia: This was the layer of Sekolah and Set, who controlled the layer like two contrasting halves. There was probably a yugoloth city on the edge of the Styx as well. Mysterious things lurked beneath the ice then and they may very well continue to dwell there today.

Malbolge: Malbolge was firmly under the control of the Ancients, and they were barely driven underground when the ancestors of the baatezu came knocking.

Maladomini: Maledomini was a realm of green, Edenic beauty. The Ancients on this layer were silvery creatures of evil splendor. All of this is now gone.

Cania: Cania was the zenith of the Ancient civilization, where the predecessors had built actual cities on the ice, bustling about in the beautiful cold (though it may have been balmy in comparison to its state today). This was the plane's greatest manifestation to date, and where it established its most terrible defenses. Bursts of chill energy as brutal as "hydrogen bombs" were launched against the invading armies freezing both the spined natives and the ancestors of the baatezu, who at the time still resembled the archons and devas from whom they were cast out. Eventually, as the desperate, dying plane destroyed the last of its own metropoli, it surrendered, and all the Hells were under baatezu control.

Nessus: This layer did not yet exist; it was built artificially by the first lord of the Fallen from pieces of other layers and planes, which explains the rifts and trenches that cross its patched-together surface. Pieces of Acheron, Gehenna, every other layer of Baator and even a chunk of Mount Celestia were bound together with braces of nearly indestructible metal, forged in the heat of the sacrifice of a million tieflings. With a new layer of ultimate fascist law, the baatezu cemented their forced and brutal rule over their new domain.

[Niemz]

Great Bazaar Merchants


• Arborean Cheese, in different sizes and states (some like it hot; some like it rotten). Red-eyed halfling tiefling, CG.
• Beastlands boots, this stand is a bit bigger as the merchant is actually a shoemaker directly fulfilling people's demands. All shoes and boots are made from leather of beasts from the Beastlands. Merchant is a githzerai; CN.
• Crimlick's Great Arts, takes jobs to paint people. Cambion, CE.
• Locks'n'Keys, locksmith. Human, N.
• Planar Vine, only small amounts of bottles of each type. Bariaur, CG.
• Maybe Magic?, a Tyktyyn, humanoid creature with a fish-like head and scales all over the body, sells items with a magical aura that are not possible to identify; IF something's magic, the prices are fine, if not, it's a horrible waste of money. Tyktyyn, LE.
• Combs, try the innate magical unicorn-horn-comb! Mouseman, CN.
• Maps, treasure & geographical. Dwarf, NG.
• Long swords and short swords. Human, LN.
• Lamps & Lanterns. Khorred-tiefling, LG.
• Pens, Inks, Paper. Ogre Magus, N.
• Meat from Upper Planar animals. Alu-fiend, CG.
• Girdles, leather & rope-made. Half-elf, NE.
• Harps of Elysium. Air Genasi, NG.
• Flutes, a friend of the above. Air Genasi, LN.
• Mushrooms and Grasses, actually all of them are some kind of drugs. Tiefling, CE.
• Frozen Concepts, from the areas of True Cold in the Plane of Ice. A 9-feet-tall being covered completely in a metal armor and unwilling to tell of what race it is, CN.
• Ships & boats, of course, none directly available, but you can make contracts here; you have to pay 10% directly, and the rest only as soon as the ship gets to your address. Water troll, overlooking his stand from a large barrel in which he swims, N.
• Cures and potions. Weretiger shaman, NG.
• Sword Arms, an efreet, wearing a magical ring providing him with a comfortable atmosphere, arranges contracts for mercenaries, but he only takes the best fighters available; if asked the right questions, he also sells slaves, LE.
• Finest straw, an aaracokra sells straw for use as bed or to make up a nest, and assures it's the most comfortable straw one can get, CG.
• Fighter training, a firbolg trains anyone for one gold piece per half hour, and also accepts fighting contests to first blood for 10 gp per fight (he's in dire need of money), CG.
• "Get rid of it!" an Alaghi cares for all your problems with rats, bugs, undead, CN.
• "Hail to Ale!" a miniature brewery created by two gnome brothers, all the time busy making & selling their fine ale; NG and CG.
• Foreteller, an ancient looking hill giant asks the bones for what awaits you [15% chance that any given foretelling is true], CN.
• Oceanus water, 1sp per bottle, albino elf, LG.
• Simple spells [Useful PHB spells to 2nd level, like "Continual Light" and similar stuff], Bullywug mage, LN.
• Blank Parchments and books, Grimlock (has got an ioun stone with which he can communicate telepathically), N.
• Small gems and other nice-looking stones, Kobold, CN, currently talking with an Earth Elemental who wants to purchase all of his wares, but for a price the kobold considers too small.
• Monster Parts - eyes, internal organs, blood, etc. in various small containers to keep them fresh, high prices but good quality, yuan-ti, NE.
• Giant axes and shields, Frost giant with Cloud giant wife, CN and CG.
• Winter wolves (a dozen or so in various cages, though the merchant says he's got access to as many as the buyer wants), white-skinned human, CE.
• Warm fur and clothes, highly intelligent Yeti, N.
• Hot fire, fire mephit owning a ring granting him his breath weapon every turn, uses it for anyone who pays fine (and might be convinced to use it AGAINST someone if he thinks that's safe to do), LE.
• Aquatic clothes, Sahuagin (actually wearing one set of his own wares, so he gets along without problems in Sigil), LE.
• Ash from the Plane of Ash, Ash hag (night hag who was polymorphed by an enemy of her long ago), NE.
• Fruits from the Prime, circular stand with the three merchants on the inside, selling fruits of various types, some very sweet, some poisonous, some with worms, some very healthy, merchants look like elves, except that they're covered with thick scales (they call their race "elyaaran"), NG, NG and LN.
• Longbows and arrows, Centaur, N.
• "Granted wisdom", a small, ugly old man listens to people's stories and grants them his advice afterwards, he doesn't take any payment directly, but says "Pay what you think my advice was worth". Actually, the human is a polymorphed silver dragon (protected from "True seeing" and such) on the look for wise, good people who could help him on a quest. If some characters seem fitting, he might meet them later again, maybe in a different form. The dragon is LG.
• The Crew: A bunch of sailors who've lost their ship and their captain on their last trip looks out for a new opportunity to make some money. Races and alignments vary, but they're mainly chaotic-neutral.
• Iron fists (brass knuckles, iron gloves, and so on), half-elf barbarian, CE.
• "Get back your wisdom!" A lamia says that life on the planes has changed her, alignment and nature, and she's now able to give back wisdom that was sucked by other lamias. Unfortunately, though, she sucks intelligence from her customers instead, granting her one more point of intelligence for every 20 points she's sucked (she can only suck IN while bringing back wisdom from another lamia's victim, though). The lamia is NE.
• Spell components (the most common stuff, as well as some particularly Underdark-related), male drow mage, CE (he's actually looking for a drow who's gone rogue and escaped to Sigil).
• Crazy little things, a gnome just lets his creativity run wild, the gnome is CN.
• Investigations, an Illithid genius who's concentrated on solving crimes and similar problems, though he only takes over jobs fitting to his alignment, and he's LE.
• Beastlands poems (copies written & signed by the author), tiger woman, CG.
• Long life, a hooded being sells minor potions of longevity for very high prices if the right person asks the right questions, he might suggest a cheaper and far more effective way to eternal life, though, vampire, CE.
• Breads and rolls, halfling baker makes up the finest bread this side from his mother's home, NG.
• City guard, four humans in shining plate armor sell their service as guards for tours to any place in the city, LN.
• Mysteries and darks, tiefling (electric energy sparkles from her ash-gray hands) sells tomes and scrolls supposedly containing great secrets. As the books are all very, very expensive, not many people are interested in buying anything. As soon as someone buys a book or scroll, the stand simply vanishes and all except the buyer don't even remember the tiefling was ever there.
• Wooden boxes (up to coffin size) with fine locks, a hairy, ghoul-like looking being with slime dripping from its' mouth, N.
• Claws of the Abyss, a former human paladin who lost his status during his time in the Abyss now considers his business as a kind of "vengeance" for what he's lost (he might have a hot discussion with a succubus or so when the PCs arrive), LG.
• Cute critters, a large dwarf who tends to use rough words sells creatures who actually look like "hairballs", but who tend to act very cute; the dwarf explains he gets them from a backwater prime world, and seeks companions for his next trip; the dwarf is LN.
• Razorvine Death, aasimar alchemist thinks he's found something that lets razorvine cripple to death; the problem is to create one drop of the stuff, you need one pint of pit fiend blood, so he can only sell very few; NG.
• Blackness Balls, tiefling with four arms and dark red skin sells little glass spheres that contain a strange "blackness". It's hard to explain what it is, but the black isn't just black, it is well BLACK. The tiefling doesn't want (or maybe even can't) explain what it is. He's CN.
• Tiniest coins of the prime, coins from prime worlds, the largest coin the size and form of a teardrop; the actual value isn't that much, but the merchant sells it as "extravagance"; bariaur, CN.
• Cups and bottles, half-orc, CN.
• Dishes and spoons, goblin, CE [nasty "enemy" of above orc].
• Fine perfumes, Air genasi, LG.
• Elysium soybeans, human Elysium petitioner, NG.
• Hats & Helms, a pixie has much fun selling funny and strange hats and helms, CN.
• Hard bricks from Acheron, hobgoblin, LE.

[Niemz]

Planescape Trivia

Who are the Dabus, what do they do, and what makes them unique?
Where are the mazes located?
What is Umbril?
What makes Cranium Rats dangerous?
Who are the two most influencial people in Sigil, besides the Lady of Pain?
What building is the Doomsguard headquarters?
What do Spell Keys and Power Keys do?
What are Astral Conduits and Elemental Vortices?
What is the difference between a Tiefling and an Assimar?
What are the Genassi?

[Decind]

Mazes are in Sigil, and cranium rats are dangerous in numbers. They gain int. and become nasty in groups...

[Niemz]

Mazes are not located in Sigil...

[Decind]

What? Linus the Dead was mazed in Sigil by the Lady of Pain.

[Razor Edge KSC]

The Mazes appear anywhere in Sigil at the Lady's whim, though they're pocket planes [within the Deep Ethereal?] that aren't actually a part of Sigil at all.
By the way, what did Linus the Dead do to anger the Lady? It must've been pretty bad for a Dustman to attract the Lady's attention. lemme guess, he got overambitious, and tried to take Skall's place...


Anyway, for some trivia:
The Dabus are the servants and caretakers of Sigil. They repair buildings and cut back the razorvine among other duties. They are unique because of the Rebus; the thought pictures that serve as their language. No one knows exactly what they are, where they live [though chant speculates its somewhere beneath the city], and where they came from.

Aside from the Lady herself, the two most influential people in Sigil are the Factol of the Sensates, Erin "Darkflame" Montgomery and the ambitious Factol Duke Rowan Darkwood [formerly a Prime] of The Fated.

The Genasi are the scions of Elemental spirits or Genies [Djinni, Efreeti, Dao and Marid]

Tieflings are the descendants of the Fiends and Aasimar are the descendants of creatures of the Upper Planes, like Aasimon.

[Niemz]

1. Who are the Dabus, what do they do, and what makes them unique?
Humanoid creatures who serve the Lady of Pain directly. They act as her eyes and ears, but most importantly, her hands, making sure that everything in Sigil works smoothly. The Lady directs the dabus to use and maintain the portals that she makes. Anyone who crosses the dabus is sure to get on the Lady's bad side. Their speech consists of floating words above their heads.

2. Where are the mazes located?
The Mazes are extradimensional labyrinths located in pocket planes where the Lady of Pain sends anyone who annoys her. They are nearly impossible to escape from.

3. What is Umbril?
Umbril is Sigil's Undercity located below the Lower and Hive Wards. It mainly consists of tunnels that stretch across the planes through permanent portals. Some think Umbril is made up of cast-off Mazes, while others think it was created by various creatures. Like Sigil above it, Umbril is a place where anything can be found (or not found as the case may be) with very little in the way of laws.

4. What makes Cranium Rats dangerous?
The more of them that get together, the smarter and more powerful the entire swarm becomes, gaining additional powers and spell abilities.

5. Who are the two most influencial people in Sigil, besides the Lady of Pain?
Factol Duke Darkwood of the Fated and Factol Erin Montgomery of the Sensates.

6. What building is the Doomsguard headquarters?
The Armory (The Lady's Ward)

7. What do Spell Keys and Power Keys do?
Spell Keys can take several different forms, but all allow wizards to cast atleast some magic normally on the different planes, where magic can be altered due to the laws of each individual plane.

Power Keys are direct gifts from powers to their priests that allow the priest to cast spells with greater effectiveness on the planes. They can allow spells to be cast with greater skill and power or maximum effectiveness.


8. What are Astral Conduits and Elemental Vortices?
Astral Conduits are tunnels through the astral plane, connecting the top-most layers of the Prime with an outer plane. They don't require keys to use.

Elemental Vortices usually directly connect the Prime with an elemental plane. They don't require keys to activate.

9. What is the difference between a Tiefling and an Aasimar?
Both are plane-touched half-breeds. Tieflings come from the union of a human and a lower-planar creature. Aasimar come from the union of a human and a celestial or upper-planar being.

10. What are the Genassi?
The Genasi are planed-touched beings, the descendants of a union of a human and an elemental creature (often a djinni). There are 4 varieties: Water, Fire, Earth, and Air.

[Niemz]

The Tree of Suffering
Location: Baator (Avernus)

Description:
The Tree is a giant, pitch black, gnarled and knotted tree without any leaves. From a distance, it just looks like a strange dead tree, not really unfitting to the wasteland of Avernus. But as one comes nearer to the tree, the bodies of hanged people can be seen - on each and every branch there's a dangling corpse, rotting in the heat of the plane.

Stinking and loathsome, the tree and its' corpses don't even attract flies; but the real horror only becomes clear as one comes even closer: All of those rotting, foul bodies still struggle for air as the ancient, nearly breaking ropes tie up their necks. Their legs twitch and wince, their eyes (if they're not yet rotten) roll in anguish and despair, but their breath isn't even sufficient for a pitiful moaning. Of course, all of those poor souls are petitioners of Baator.

If someone tries to "rescue" one of them, he'll find out the ropes are impossible to cut through, and the attempt of putting the ropes from the branches only results in the character trying this getting some scratches from the sparse sharp thorns on the tree. There is a 20% chance such a scratch also infuses an infernal poison into the character's veins, against which only a saving throw vs. poison with a -6 penalty or a remove poison spell help. If the poison takes effect after 1d2 rounds, the character rots and withers in just another 2d4 rounds, until he looks as the petitioners on the tree. He's inability to make any action, though he still lives. Only the most powerful magic can restore him to his previous form again.

Note that, although it is not possible to help the petitioners, one CAN torture them (even more that is). Indeed, baatezu occasionally come here and tear the poor souls apart, just to watch the small pieces slowly move back to their place. Or they may behead the petitioners, watching foul blood and other horrible liquids spill out of both head and body, while the tormented petitioners show even more suffering, both at the head and the body (which obviously keep on living as if they did not need each other).

The Dark:
Once in a millenium, the Tree of Eternal Suffering produces a fruit - one pitch-black peach, seemingly as rotten and foul as the corpses on the tree's branches. Its' fluids can be used to make three doses of a deadly poison (every dose can kill any mortal without a saving throw, no matter if he's protected by magic or something else, and even paramortals immune to poison die if they fail a saving throw vs. poison).

The peach itself, if eaten, corrupts the soul of any mortal (who then becomes as Lawful Evil as a baatezu of "Lesser" level), while paramortals can resist its' power only if they finish a quest of greatest good within one month. Everyone corrupted by the fruit not only develops a soul of most vile darkness, but also becomes pitch black physically. His skin, his eyes and hair, even his internal organs and his blood turn ebon within seconds.

[Niemz]

A very good source for Planescape is AD&D Guide to Hell, TSR11431. It gives insight to the creation of the planes, and their future, it also has four new kits. After reading this book you will have a whole new outlook on Baator and the Lords of the Nine. Will they rule the multiverse afterall?

[DM=DisputeMediator]

I've got some Planescape materials, though most of my players can't even figure out how to get out of town, much less to other planes and dimensions... lol ;D

[spinagon]

If anyone's running or going to run a Planescape PBMB, PBEM, or other type, lemme know. I'm more than happy to take a part.

I'm also in the process of building Sigil for Neverwinter Nights. Got a ton left to do tho. Have, so far, the Market Ward all the way through to the Hive done (am working on the Hive right now)...which is roughly a little under half the city so far.

[Niemz]

That sounds really cool!

We currently have a PS PBMB in progress, Bird in a Cage, PM me and I'll give you the password if you want to check it out.