Today my brain latched onto the planes, as it is wont to do every so often, and the fact that I don't quite like them as they are in standard D&D. Right now I'd just like to talk about the outer planes. This is how I've changed them:
Limbo (chaotic neutral) is one endless piercing blue skyscape broken only by chunks of land that float weightlessly through it. Native Race: "Trueshifters", outsiders that have no true form and can shift freely from one form to another.
The Abyss (chaotic evil) is a plane of infinite layers of infinite description. The only description that characterizes all these layers is deadly and frigid.
Hades (neutral evil) is one endless plain of gray wasteland. Its gray sky periodically rains acid.
Baator (lawful evil) is a vast inverse mountain surrounded by an endless sea of molten flame. The slopes of Baator are covered with one vast city of iron and steel.
Mechanus (lawful neutral) is one endless piercing blue skyscape. Through it turns an endless count of giant cogs, each with towns and cities resting upon them. Native Race: Living Constructs (modrons...maybe.)
Celestia (lawful good) is a vast mountain surrounded by an endless sea of fresh water. The slopes of Celestia are covered with one vast city of marble and slate.
Elysium (neutral good) is one endless plain of green grass, blue sky and soft rains.
Arborea (chaotic good) is a plane of infinite layers of infinite description. The only description that characterizes all these layers is lively and beautiful.
The Outlands (neutral) is a mirror image of the Material, except grander in every respect. Native Race: Guardinals.
The other eight outer planes don't exist, as I find them repetitive. Anyway, what I would like help with is coming up with racial archetypes for the upper and lower planes, other than just angels/devils/demons. I do plan to use the angelic archetype for one of the upper planes and the devil/demon archetype for one of the lower planes, but I'd like to come up with archetypes for the other four if I can.
By "archetype" I mean a physical form that has some definitive quality or shape such as the mechanical modrons, the formless trueshifters and the anthropomorphic guardinals. I'm not necessarily limiting myself to the Outsider stats that the game designers have come up with, so any wierd idea that you have, go ahead and post it!