Continuing thoughts on how to make the inhabitants of neighbouring planes feel distinct, following a prompting comment from the Lower Planes post. Setting up for a
new Planescape campaign I was putting some thought into how to make the inhabitants of the Lower Planes feel different one from the other. There is already a good distinctiveness between the terrains of the different levels of the different planes and while it is fine if the many celestials feel similar wherever you run into them the general inhabitants of the planes should have something to differentiate them.
For the upper planes the challenge is slightly different in that you are probably not here to just murder the locals so that means there is no adventure to be had, right? Well, probably not but you do need to work a little harder to set up adventures that make sense. Following on from our previous example, each of the upper planes should best typify some virtue though none of these will be exclusive to that plane.
The key point of upper planes is concern for and helping others - not the selfishness of the lower planes - and a high trust of each other. This may not extend to outsiders but amongst one another the denizens of the upper planes are living in a high-trust society. For outsiders there can be problems - Mount Celestia is unclimbable by those who do not abide by its strictures - but assuming that the locals spend most of their time interacting with each other, these aspects will govern their outlook and attitudes.
This means that whenever outsiders get roped in, it has to be some problem that either slipped under the radar of the locals, is something so weird that they cannot deal with or is something that the locals do not recognise as a problem. This last is especially high risk as this has a high risk of the adventuring interlopers slotting into the role of extraplanar reavers and drawing a robust response with every local turning against them.
Going plane by plane
Arcadia - a place of harmony and service of the greater good. Everyone is working in their assigned way for the greater good of all. The Needs of the Many are held as a cardinal virtue. The system is held as good because good people are working within the system. Ones role is strictly delineated and life is highly predictable and this is all held as good.
Mount Celestia - someone has to do it, that someone is us. The beacon of justice tempered by mercy, Celestians see their way as the best way, good and ordered, and if anyone else thinks differently they are wrong (mistaken in the case of other good entities, dangerous or maliciously wrong in the case of others). The team works, with the rules adjusted where the letter would violate the spirit. Most engaged with the rest of the outer planes, certainly in awareness, though the sheer scale of the task of bringing justice to the multiverse has led to a tendency for the perfect to become the enemy of the good and what actions happen not making all that much of a dent.
Bytopia - doing what you can so that all may have what they need, indulging in the pleasure of an honest days work for a just reward. Work in good cheer, help from the neighbours and everyone pitching in are the hallmarks of Bytopia. Can also manifest in a slightly Pleasantville style approach of everyone making assumptions that you will fall in with their plans. At its best, all for one and one for all, with people helping selflessly to overcome your problems. The proactive problem solving can come across as intrusive to outsiders.
Elysium - where rest has been earned and one need only have faith that all will be well. The denizens here lived a good life and have come to their reward in the hereafter. The attitude here is acknowledging your concern but seeing it as just another cycle. They fought their demons in their time, all this has been seen before. Can come across as complacent or patronising because your urgent concerns are tiny against eternity. The local celestial guardians, the Guardinals, are likely to firmly send you away if you disturb the locals earned peace too much. Everyone should care, but because this is a balance point it can stall into 'be at peace' without any impetus to act.
Beastlands - harmony with nature. The locals attitude is take only what you need, leave as light a trace as you can, be generous with what you have, welcome the stranger. The rules are the changing of the seasons, the cycles of life. The locals will be happy to host you, to welcome the respectful to their campfires but they will be hard to persuade that the frantic flailings of most civilizations are worth concern. The great cycle of nature will turn and all will return to the wilderness in good time.
Arborea - following your heart, where passions reign. The locals are ruled by passions greater than themselves, joys, sorrows, they wear their hearts on their sleeves and act upon it. Fast friends but also demanding. Words are not as important as people but balancing the needs and wants of many people absorbs a great deal of energy. At best this is spontaneous, joyful living, however everyone can be individually well intentioned but the result can be a mess that noone wanted, so getting anything done can involving going around in circles and a lot of cat herding.
Ysgard - freedom and courage are held highly. They welcome any to their hearth but respect must be earned to get beyond the feast-and-tales level. The telling of tales is held in high regard, but of the valour of heroes not the bloody grind of the uncaring battlefield. Fighting the good fight is the highest virtue; with a strong bias to action and seizing the day to live gloriously. Quickest to action, trusting in their prowess and courage to win the day, trying to plan with Ysgardians is like trying to restrain an avalanche.
Thinking up scenarios to showcase a planes aspects and the attitudes of the inhabitants we could suggest some of the following:
Arcadia - the plane of harmony, participating in the great good could have some kind of puzzle about figuring out how to get to where you need to go by learning timetables and patterns - a maze but in time - where the hazards are all delays. Something akin to around the world in 80 days?
Mount Celestia - the Bastion of Justice - here you will have to contend with navigating the heavy-handed locals who will want to know what you are up to, where you are going and why they should let you do anything on their plane. Expect to have to convince a number of powerful entities and frame all your actions in how they contribute to furthering Law and Good in the multiverse.
Bytopia - land of collective endeavour and freedom of opportunity - noone is an island, so expect the locals to help, even without you asking. The challenge becomes managing the locals all getting involved - if you are here to take something, you may need to trade or earn your right to take it after they help you get it.
Elysium - here the challenge is getting somewhere without getting mired in the many, many momentum sinks. Do not eat of the lotus, nor join the meditation circle, nor take the offers to lay down your cares. You have a mission! Like threading your way through a maze of traps but these traps are unending hospitality and the loss of all impetus.
Beastlands - here hunter becomes the hunted. Stalk a predator on their own terrain, or traverse the hunting grounds of something big to get where you need to go. An example I ran can
be found here.
Arborea - expect a quest in the Olympic tradition, something involving conquering difficult odds. You may be able to get help to come along with you but the great deeds will need to be yours. Expect the opposition to be those roused to passions and acting counter to you - for love, glory, the best of reasons. A quick calm chat would probably solve things but this will be moving far too fast already.
Ysgard - quests and raids, with honor at stake. You will need to prove your worthiness for passage or assistance and expect the locals to be very territorial. After all, any Ysgardian that falls in battle wakes again at the following dawn - death here holds no fear for them, so violence often wins out over patience.
