PLANEWALKER'S

CREDl

Designer: Monte Cook • Editor and Developer: Michele CarterCreative Direction: Andria Hayday

Cover Artist: Robh RuppelInterior Artist: DiTerlizzi • Cartography: Dave Sutherland

Color Plates: Alan Pollack, DiTerlizzi, Sam Rakeland, Ned DameronArt Direction: Bob Galica

Electronic Prepress Coordinator: Dave Conant • Typography: Angelika LokotzBorder Art: Robert Repp 4- Graphic Design: Dawn Murin

Proofreader and Helping Hand: Ray Vallese

Author's special thanks to: Michele Carter, Andria Hayday, Colin McComb, Mike Nystul,Bill Slavicsek, Ray Vallese, Sue Weinlein-Cook, and Skip Williams

TSR, Inc.201 Sheridan Springs Road

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TSR Ltd.120 Church EndCherry HintonCambridge CB1 3LBUnited Kingdom

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ADVANCED DUNGEONS Et DRAGONS, ADM), BIRTHRIGHT, DARK SUN, DRAGONLANCE, DUNGEON MASTER, FORGOTTEN REALMS, GREYHAWK, the TSR logo, and the Lady ofPain logo are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. DM, PLANESCAPE, and PLAYER'S OPTION are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. All TSR characters,character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of TSR, Inc. ®1996 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Made in the U.S.A. Random Houseand its affiliate companies have worldwide distribution rights in the book trade for English-language products of TSR, Inc. Distributed to the toy andhobby trade by regional distributors. Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd. This material is protected under thecopyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited withoutthe express written consent of TSR, Inc.

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CSNINIRODIKIION 4

Using this Book 5

A PLANFWAI KIR'S Guiut ro I I I I PFANLS fa

Some Basic Concepts 6Three Truths 6Who's Who 8What's Where 8

The Cage 9The Outlands 10

The Gate-Towns 10The Great Ring 12

Two Rivers, a Mountain,and a Really Big Tree 12

The Blood War 14The Abyss 14Acheron 15Arborea 16Arcadia 17Baator 17The Beastlands 18Bytopia 20Carceri 20Elysium 20Gehenna 21The Gray Waste 21Limbo 22Mechanus 23Mount Celestia 23Pandemonium 24Ysgard 25

The Inner Planes 25The Elemental Plane of Air 25The Elemental Plane of Earth 27The Elemental Plane of Fire 27The Elemental Plane of Water 28The Paraelemental Planes 28The Quasielemental Planes 29The Positive and Negative Energy Planes . .30

The Astral and the Ethereal 31The Silver Void 31The Misty Shore 31

The Prime Material Plane 32

TkAVFIINIi TIIF MllLI'IVFRSF 3 4

Portals and Gates 34Finding and Opening a Portal 36Portal Types and Destinations 36Specific Portal Dangers 38Portal Tricks 38A Few Exceptions 38

Spells and Magical Items 39Conduits „ .Mkm 40

Planar Conduits 41Vortices 42Paths and Pools 42Caravans 43Intraplanar Travel 43

GFTTING THLRL OR JUSr GFITINU BY:

PLANFWAI KFR TIPS 44Point One: What to Take 44Point Two: What Spells to Prepare 46

All Spellcasters 46Wizards 47Priests 47

Point Three: What to Watch For 48Point Four: Who to Talk To 48Point Five: Who to Avoid 48Dealing With Others 49Planar Time 53The Cant 53

THE FACTIONS 54

Faction Central: Sigil 54.Sects 54

Belonging to a Faction 56Changing Factions 56Avoiding Faction Membership 57

The Athar 57The Believers of the Source 57The Bleak Cabal 58The Doomguard 58The Dustmen 60The Fated 60The Fraternity of Order 61The Free League 61The Harmonium 62The Mercykillers 63The Revolutionary League 63The Sign of One 64The Society of Sensation 64The Transcendent Order 64The Xaositects 65Outsiders 65Factions at a Glance 66

RACFS AND ARCHFI'YPFS 68

Planar Populations 68A Word about Planar Demihumans 69Aasimar 70Bariaur 71Genasi 71Githzerai 75Planar Half-Elf 75Planar Human . . . ._^^_. 76

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TABJ.EceN+£N+s

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Rogue Modron 76Tiefling 78

Character Archetypes 82Berk Without a Past 82Cager 82Champion of Good 83Chant Broker 83Clueless 84Dimensional Explorer 84Disinterested 84Faction Slave 85Knight of the Post 85Planar Elitist 86Planar Hunter 87Planar Trader 87Prime Blood 87Proxy-In-Training 88Refugee From Darkness 88Spiv 89

PLANAR KI IS AND PROFICIENCIES 90

Planar Professions 90Planewalking Kits 92

Kit Structure 92Planewalker Warrior 93Planewalker Wizard 94Planewalker Priest 95Planewalker Rogue 96

Kits Based on Location 97Abyssal Warrior 97Floating Sorcerer 97Hinterland Bandit 98

New Proficiencies 99Existing Proficiencies 101Languages of the Planes 101

Planar Common 101Other Languages 101

MAGIC: ON THE PI ANI.S 102

Magical Effects on the Planes 102General Conditions 102

Mages and Magic 104Dimensional Relations 105Alterations By School 106Spell Keys 106

Powers and Priests 108Power Keys 109

Magical Items 110True Names IllLast Word 112Wizard Spells 112Priest Spells 125

Pi ANLWALklNG EOUIPMENI 1 32

Tools of the Trade 132Baatorian Green Steel Items 132Bariaur Equipment 134Celestial Etheroscope 134Modron Equipment 134Sickles and Scythes 135

Magical Items 136What to Look For 136New Items 137Planar Protections 141

PLANTSCAPE" CAMPAIGNING 142

The Power of Belief 142Belief on the Planes 143Who Believes? 143Player Character Beliefs 144Belief Points 145Conflicting Beliefs 147Disregarding Belief 147

Starting a PLANESCAPE Campaign 147Prime to Planar 147Planar Natives 148Mixed Group 148

Variant PLANESCAPE Campaigns 148Single Race Campaign 148Planar Creature Campaign 148Single Goal Campaign 149Partial PLANESCAPE Campaign 149Elemental Campaign 149The One-Plane Campaign 149The Two-Plane Campaign 149

Planar Glossary 150Cant Dictionary for the Clueless 154Index 158

TablesSCHOOL ALTERATIONS BY PLANE 107

MAGICAL ITEM BONUS LOSS BY PLANE

(QUICK REFERENCE) Ill

PLANAR ABSOLUTES 107

PRIESI LEVEL LOSS BY PLANE (QUICK REFERENCE) . . . 109

PRIEST SPELLS WITH PLANAR PATHWAYS 110

RACIAL TABLES 81

TIEI LING TABLES 80

WIZARD SPELTS WITH PLANAR PATHWAYS 105

ChartsPRIEST LEVEL LOSS BY PLANE 156

MAGICAL ITEM BONUS LOSS BY PLANE 157

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INTRODUCTION

THA + 'S +HEWAY ©F +HE PLANES

B E R K '

"And then there's Limbo, where you don't hear the chant so much as smell it.. . . " Delmirsis leaned back in his chair. He loved these green primes, theirwide-eyed view of the Great Ring, and (most especially) their purses full ofjink. Six of them sat in a circle around him, waiting to hear more. One exag-gerated look toward his empty mug and the tall one was quick to order himmore bub.

"So, tell us more about the Abyss. We heard that's where all the nastieslive," the black-haired womansaid.

"Well," Delmirsis began,"you're right and then you'rewrong . . . "

"Mostly wrong." The voice from the now-open door-way was deep and steady. "The real 'nasties' are

right here in Sigil, peeling clueless sodslike yourselves." The

woman was talland imposing,walking to thetable with an

assured stride.She leaned down until

her face was even with thatof Delmirsis. Even the primes could see the contrast: His profile showed a fewdays' stubble and his breath stank of cheap bub and old cheese, while her facewas sharp with confidence and determination.

"You're not wanted here, Tarsheva. I'm trying to tell a sodding story tothese top-shelf young cutters."

"Here in the Cage, we call berks like Delmirsis 'cony-catchers'," Tarshevasaid to the newly arrived adventurers. "Old Two-Fingers, as we call him, is try-ing to peel you. He hasn 't been out of town or beyond in years. He probablyhasn't even been out of this tavern in days." She turned back to Delmirsis."Pike your screed and get out, old man. Or I'll show you the new way they'retreating fat, smelly bashers like yourself in Avernus."

Delmirsis knew Tarsheva Longreach 's reputation. He grabbed his hat andshuffled to the door without a word or a look back.

The experienced planewalker settled into the old man's chair asT W © ' - ' F I N G E R . S s^e sP°ke- "Now, if you primes want the real chant..."

Planewalkers are the most knowledgeable bloods this side of. . . well,anywhere. If a body's not stuck in the mire of some prime-material world, if heknows the chant, then he knows a planewalker's what he wants to be. Plane-walkers know the dark of things. They've seen the acid pits of the Abyss andthe gold-leafed trees of Arborea. They wend their way in and out of faction in-trigues. They make their homes on the twisting streets of Sigil, the city's ever-changing secrets their purview.

Planewalkers know the paths to power.Planewalker's Handbook is a guide for planewalkers, beginning and expe-

rienced. It offers all manner of suggestions, advice, tips, and new information.Think of it as a travelogue to the planes, a guidebook for planewalking, and atraining manual for bloods — all wrapped up into one source.

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• USING +HISThis book contains everything a player needs to participate in aPLANESCAPE™ campaign. Some material has been pulled from othersources, so that this book will be a complete player resource.Other material has been re-presented, clarified, and expandedinto a new form with additional details not offered to players be-fore. Most of it is completely new to players and Dungeon Mas-ters (DMs) alike.

More specifically, this book is for players of planar charac-ters. A number of secrets of the planes, Sigil, magic, planartravel, the factions, and more are re-vealed here. This book contains thesort of things a planar should know,but about which some green Clue-less just in from the Prime shouldn'thave the foggiest notion.

But players of prime charac-ters can find plenty of usefulthings here, too. Even if thecharacters're completelyclueless, the players can stillfind information on what itmeans to come from the Primeand how their characters might actand react to planar situations.'Course, as the prime learns aboutthe planes, he'll be able to use thisbook more fully.

Because of this, the DM has thefinal say as to what material in thePlanewalker's Handbook is availableto players in his campaign. Thatmeans that the DM's going to haveto read through this too. That's notso bad, though, 'cause a lot of thematerial here is brand new. A DM'llfind new spells, magical items, ad-venture ideas, planar sites, and othersuch valuable material. A DM bloodwill also find the player information— the kits, races, role-playing sugges-tions, player tips and advice, the up-dated cant, and the belief guidelines— useful as well.

N 0 , + H I SIS +HE WAY

ef +HE PLANES .

— TARSHEVALeNGREACH

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"You know there's more to reality than the placewhere you were born. You have a grasp of the true

scope of things.You've heard the maddening winds of

Pandemonium and seen the crystalwaterfalls of Mount Celestia. You've

walked the Great Road and witnessedthe naked reality of the Inner Planes. You are a

planewalker."Planeivalkers can hold their own in a fight

with a baatezu, share the chant with a githyanki,and navigate their way through the diaphanous

Blade Maze ofTherores in the heart of Ocanthus.They are capable, hearty, intelligent, and knowl-

edgeable. Planewalkers know their wayaround a fight, but they know when

to avoid a scuffleas well.

They're nostrangers to

magic, and theyknow which side of a

sword-point to be on. The darkof subtlety in word and deed is not lost on them.

"The planes are too big for anyone to know everything about them — andno true planewalker ever claims to know everything about everything. The trickis to know a little about a lot. That's what keeps a planewalker out of the dead-book. The essence of the planewalker is knowing how to get from here to there,who to talk to, who to avoid, and what to do to stay one step ahead. Knowledgeis power."

— Tarsheva Longreach

It's obvious that cutters can't go everywhere in the course of^u u LJ i w o 7 i i IN *J i_ ix J their planewalking careers. Still, planewalkers need to have a

W H E R E HE W A S F R © ITI, general sense of what's what and what's where. Bashers have toH E ' D S A Y , know the difference between Acheron and Arcadia to avoid getting lost —

' A L L + H E P L A N E S in e v e r y s e n s e of the word-A R E m Y C A S E B L ® ffi D ' ^ n e f°H°w'n& information comes from the renowned

© L D T W f f i - F I N G E R S N E E D E DA G©©D L E S S ® N

® N +HE W ® R D ' I N f I N I + E'I F vffiu A S K m e .

W H A + A SffiDDING

TARSHEVALeNGREACH

planewalker, Tarsheva Longreach. She claims that it's all —or at least mostly - accurate. She does extend the caution,however, that things change quickly on the planes, some-

DIffi + .

times in major ways. Just because a body visited atown, realm, or even layer yesterday doesn't meanthat it'll still be there today.

• seme BASIC ceNcep+s •Before learning the specifics, it's essential to grasp a few multiversal truths andget the basics of "who" and "where" straight.

TRU + HS

The multiverse operates around three basic principles. Learn these, and a bash-er'll have a head start on understanding how things really work.

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