Planescape Races

The planes themselves have a great diversity, as one might expect. As a setting that encompasses all of reality, there’s a lot of potential creatures — ALL OF THEM. However, their proportions do vary significantly. Most of the standard elves, dwarves, halflings, and whatnot aren’t on the planes in great numbers, except in their various paradises and realms. They don’t typically go far from there.

The causes for this are many, but the real reason seems to be that some species just make good planewalkers — that is, travelers between the planes — and others don't. Some take to a life of reality-hopping, and others are fairly content living in their version of paradise. There’s plenty of dwarves in the realms of the dwarven gods, but they tend to stay there, content do be in the dwarven equivalent of heaven. There’s only a few groups of people that tend to wander the planes in any significant number: humans, planetouched, githzerai, bariaur, and, every once in a while, an outcaste modron. These races aren’t locked in place as the only planewalkers of the multiverse, either, they are simply the people that walk the wheel the most frequently these days. You’ll see the occasional dwarf or halfling or adventuresome blink dog or whatever, too, they just don’t make up much of a stable population.

All of the planewalking races cross realities for a reason. Humans are very adaptable, and so manage to carve out a survival niche for themselves almost anywhere – there are few hard limits to where human innovation and drive can take the species. Bariaur are natural wanderers, given to ranging far and wide in search of new and fascinating experiences and challenges. Githzerai are contemplative and independent, which gives them a natural drive toward examining the thoughts and philosophies of others (and often embracing them). Planetouched of various stripes are made from the planes, and their search for self-identity and a role in their lives can lead them to find unusual places to belong, or to construct a place to belong around themselves. Outcaste modrons, meanwhile, are intensely curious and observant, seeking to examine the worlds that they suddenly have the freedom to explore.

And this brings us full circle. Sigil, for all its diversity and supposed centrality, caters the most to these planewalking people, these wanderers and vagabonds. A door is a threshold, a place you pass through, and as the City of Doors, Sigil is a place that is made to pass through. It should be no wonder that these traveling races make the Cage their home.

Five Roles of the PS Races

  • Red Oni: Planetouched. The emotional, driven one who has the guts and spirit, but might be a little reckless.
  • Blue Oni: Githzerai. The calculating, logical one who has the skill and knowledge, but is a little removed and cold.
  • The Heart: Human. The one that brings them all together and tempers the extreme reactions.
  • Strong One: Bariaur. The team muscle who is physically very capable, but perhaps a little too simple.
  • Smart One: Modron Outcaste. The brilliant mind who is capable of amazing feats of calculation, but is often too in their own head.