Planescape What are your favorite creatures, concepts, planes, gate-towns, NPCs, etc. of the Planescape Setting?

[hausarian]

Hey, everyone. In my ongoing prep and writing for my upcoming DMsGuild adventure in Planescape I wanted to ask:

I played Planescape back in ADnD2e and have many of the boxed sets and books. I'll be including portals, travel to other planes, etc. What are your "can't leave outs" for the Planescape setting?

Also:

What creatures would you like to see in a Planescape adventure? What are your favorites? Any obscure ones that need a spotlight? This can be a combat encounter, social encounter/negotiation, or even just spotted on the streets of Sigil.

 

[Yora]

Oh boy! I mean, berk!

I've developed quite an interest in the chaotic planes between the alignments. The ones that seem to never really get much attention. Beastlands, Ysgard, Pandemonium, Carceri, and Gehenna. (Law is boring.)

I think 3 out of 4 times an outer plane appears in D&D, it's the Abyss. If it's not the Abyss, it's either Baator, Limbo, or Celestia. I've almost never seen anything being done with any of the other planes.

Similarly, I quite like the yugoloths. For exactly the same kind of reasons.

 

[hausarian]

Oh boy! I mean, berk!

I've developed quite an interest in the chaotic planes between the alignments. The ones that seem to never really get much attention. Beastlands, Ysgard, Pandemonium, Carceri, and Gehenna. (Law is boring.)

I think 3 out of 4 times an outer plane appears in D&D, it's the Abyss. If it's not the Abyss, it's either Baator, Limbo, or Celestia. I've almost never seen anything being done with any of the other planes.

Similarly, I quite like the yugoloths. For exactly the same kind of reasons.

Thanks, cutter! I've been eyeing using Ysgard or the Beastlands for a portion of it. I sent my high level PCs to Gehenna in one of my recent campaigns. Fun terrain and yugoloths to deal with. Yugoloths make great evil go-betweens with agendas.

 

[Incenjucar]

Elemental adventures.

Obviously.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Planar dragons, and planar dragonborns (I lied, these don't exit yet).

Ethergaunsts from 3rd Fiend Folio. These could be the perfect match, a true pain in the neck of the illithid, as if giths weren't enough archinemesis.

Planetouched, mainly the mechanatrix(Fiend Folio).

Paraelementals and quasielementals (ice, magma, clay, ash..).

Arcane spells to summon planar allies with healer aura (vivacious monster template or Elysian thrush).

Petitioners were the most broken monster template in 3rd Ed.

The plane of mirrors.. (what if you go there with a magic mirror to create an ally clon against your evil twin?)

A reimagined version of the infinite staircase adding elements from the mythology of the backrooms by fault of "glitchs within the reality", and the "astral plane" from the videogame "Control", or the Maze from Remmant II.

That market-demiplane created by the arcanes to be trade rival of Sigil.

Cranial Encyster (Dragon Magazine #330) are too iconic as bizarre to be forgotten creature from the Far Realm. Let's recover their memory.

* Some homebred ideas, for example a second "layer" of Sigil, an outer torus with enough space to farm. Here there are "remains" of zones of Sigil what were "rejected". Some zones are mazes where the lady of Pain send who offended her.

 

[aco175]

I could go for some ways to get a party to Sigil from someplace like FR. Maybe an encounter that opens up something or a traveling wagon with a cool NPC.

 

[TravDoc42]

For creatures, I'd love to see the Incantifers make an appearance!

Bacchae from Arborea are my long-shot pick, they are such a neat concept (basically a hedonistic horde of murderous drunken party-goers, that's also contagious)!

Same with the keepers, Men-in-Black inspired creatures that exist to seek mysterious secrets and keep said secrets hidden.

Finally, I hope the formians (ant-centaurs!) make it, Arcadia feels that much richer with their presence!

 

[hausarian]

Planar dragons, and planar dragonborns (I lied, these don't exit yet).

Ethergaunsts from 3rd Fiend Folio. These could be the perfect match, a true pain in the neck of the illithid, as if giths weren't enough archinemesis.

Planetouched, mainly the mechanatrix(Fiend Folio).

Paraelementals and quasielementals (ice, magma, clay, ash..).

Arcane spells to summon planar allies with healer aura (vivacious monster template or Elysian thrush).

Petitioners were the most broken monster template in 3rd Ed.

The plane of mirrors.. (what if you go there with a magic mirror to create an ally clon against your evil twin?)

A reimagined version of the infinite staircase adding elements from the mythology of the backrooms by fault of "glitchs within the reality", and the "astral plane" from the videogame "Control", or the Maze from Remmant II.

That market-demiplane created by the arcanes to be trade rival of Sigil.

Cranial Encyster (Dragon Magazine #330) are too iconic as bizarre to be forgotten creature from the Far Realm. Let's recover their memory.

* Some homebred ideas, for example a second "layer" of Sigil, an outer torus with enough space to farm. Here there are "remains" of zones of Sigil what were "rejected". Some zones are mazes where the lady of Pain send who offended her.

Getting into the dark of it there, basher. Great deep dive. Thanks for the robust answer.

 

[humble minion]

The inner planes, and the para- and quasi-elemental planes are where it's at. I find them much more interesting than the Outer planes. Take me to the elemental plane of radiance, or the plane of salt or steam, or somewhere similar I've never been before. From the outer planes, Pandemonium, Carceri, Acheron, the Beastlands. The Abyss and the Nine Hells just got a bit too locked into Main Character Disease for me, that point where game designers get so deep into the intrigues, intricacies, and lore of of enormously powerful big name NPCs in a setting who are so powerful that most PCs will never interact with them (see also: VtM Antediluvians, WH40K primarchs, etc), at the expense of more useable game material.

Re monsters: modrons, cranium rats (i had to cheat wildly to avoid an unexpected TPK courtesy of a swarm of cranium rats in a mundane minor encounter was back when i was running Savage Tide in 3,5ed, it was great). I'd say tieflings, but they've gone mainstream.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I miss spikers, but their species traits should need a rewritte, for example their spikes should be retractable (to can marry and sleeping together, you know, that type of things). Ghost elves should return, and the mephlings. These are perfect for the spirit of the setting! The glimmerfolk from Dragon Magazine should be also wellcome.

The buomman with their vow of silence are weir as background nPCs but a true challenge to be roleplayed. What if a DM allowed a buomman bard but this only can sing sacred mantras? Or the penalty for breaking the silence vow would be a level of exhaustion. Or illusory low-level magic to translate language of signs to sounds or illusory words. Or the player is using a second PC, a ghostwise halfling with the trait "silent speech" working like a translator. Or a wizard buomman using a parrot familiar for spells with verbal components.

And the skibidi werethrones. Their origin is a mystery, but they may be linked with the mimics. They seems chairs, thrones or even latrines! And over the seats there is a humanoid head singing "My Style Is Ri-dic-dic-diculous-ulous-ulous/Brr Stibidi Dop Dop Dop Dop Dop/Yes Yes Yes Yes Shtib Shtibidi Dip Dibidi". What? Aren't they in D&D!? has it to be dreamed by me!? Well, I would swear that that "tinto de verano"( = summer red wine) was alcohol-free!