Introduction
Source: Planewalker's Handbook pg.4
"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, their wide-eyed view of the Great Ring, and (most especially) their purses full of jink. Six of them sat in a circle around him, waiting to hear more. One exaggerated look toward his empty mug and the tall one was quick to order him more bub.
"So, tell us more about the Abyss. We heard that's where all the nasties live," the black-haired woman said.
"Well," Delmirsis began, "you're right and then you're wrong. . . "
"Mostly wrong." The voice from the now-open doorway was deep and steady. "The real 'nasties' are right here in Sigil, peeling clueless sods like yourselves." The woman was tall and imposing, walking to the table with an assured stride.
She leaned down until her face was even with that of Delmirsis. Even the primes could see the contrast: Elis profile showed a few days' stubble and his breath stank of cheap bub and old cheese, while her face was sharp with confidence and determination.
"You're not wanted here, Tarsheva. I'm trying to tell a sodding story to these top-shelf young cutters."
"Here in the Cage, we call berks like Delmirsis 'cony-catchers'," Tarsheva said to the newly arrived adventurers. "Old Two-Fingers, as we call him, is trying to peel you. He hasn't been out of town or beyond in years. He probably hasn'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're treating fat, smelly bashers like yourself in Avernus."
Delmirsis knew Tarsheva Longreach's reputation. Lie grabbed his hat and shuffled to the door without a word or a look back.
The experienced planewalker settled into the old man's chair as she spoke. "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 he knows the chant, then he knows a planewalker’s what he wants to be. Planewalkers know the dark of things. They’ve seen the acid pits of the Abyss and the gold-leafed trees of Arborea. They wend their way in and out of faction intrigues. 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 experienced. 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 a training manual for bloods - all wrapped up into one source.
That's the way of the planes. Berk!
Using this Book
This book contains everything a player needs to participate in a Planescape campaign. Some material has been pulled from other sources, so that this book will be a complete player resource. Other material has been re-presented, clarified, and expanded into a new form with additional details not offered to players before. Most of it is completely new to players and Dungeon Masters (DMs) alike.
More specifically, this book is for players of planar characters. A number of secrets of the planes, Sigil, magic, planar travel, the factions, and more are revealed here. This book contains the sort of things a planar should know, but about which some green Clueless just in from the Prime shouldn't have the foggiest notion.
But players of prime characters can find plenty of useful things here, too. Even if the characters’re completely clueless, the players can still find information on what it means to come from the Prime and how their characters might act and react to planar situations.
'Course, as the prime learns about the planes, he’ll be able to use this book more fully.
Because of this, the DM has the final say as to what material in the Planewalker's Handbook is available to players in his campaign. That means that the DM’s going to have to read through this too. That’s not so bad, though, ’cause a lot of the material here is brand new. A DM’ll find new spells, magical items, adventure ideas, planar sites, and other such valuable material. A DM blood will also find the player information, role-playing suggestions, player tips and advice, the updated cant, and the belief guidelines useful as well.
No, this is the way of the planes . . .