Hi,
While picturing a planar society of the planes, of places relatively civilised (such as gate towns of the Outlands), it's been increasingly difficult for me to fit all types of people in them - especially petitioners.
If I understand correctly: for an observer, there's really no difference between petitioners and planars. Subtle differences come out after conversation, when their devotion and fixation on the topic of becoming one with the plane is evident. It's stated also, that petitioners are commoners - blacksmiths, peasants, shopkeepers etc. (I mean those not bound to a realm of a particular power). They're also not really aware of the fact, that they are dead. However, they can't have children. So... this makes no sense to me. They might as well have no need to eat or drink.
I'm curious, how did you build your planar societies? They're after all - supposed to be the majority of population on the planes. However, perhaps this doesn't have to relate to "planar" places such as gate towns and neutral areas.
The more I try to design following official material, the more questions arise on the way.
They're perfectly aware they're dead, in most cases, although some may be in denial. Many of them remember fragments of their former lives, though usually not their former names or any great details (unless they're granted their memories by a patron power; Dispater is known to grant living memories to the souls he torments in order to increase their suffering).
Most petitioners will have a distinctive look determined by the god or plane. Pandemonic petitioners become hairless, clawed, and wind-resistant, able to grip the rocky surfaces of the plane. Abyssal petitioners become manes, and Baatorian petitioners become lemures. Beastlands petitioners are talking animals.
As outsiders, they don't have to eat or drink, though I like to imagine they "feed" on the power of their deity or the philosophy associated with their plane, so Outlands petitioners would gain sustenance by resolving extremes, and Elysian petitioners would
I've presented Outlandish petitioners as being strangely emotionless and distant, keeping to themselves, with weird glowing eyes. I try to play up the creepiness - they're dead, and no longer remotely human, although if they were human in life they're still humanlike in basic appearance. Their mortal passions are gone, and the passions of the plane itself have replaced them. They may certainly act as blacksmiths or day-laborers or whatever else, but they should be easy to distinguish from living characters with the same careers.
In official presentations, petitioners seem to very much represent a lower class in planar society, ubiquitous servitors who dedicate themselves to advancing the philosophy or power who they hope one day to merge with. In most cases (there are certainly exceptions) they have little individual personality or ego remaining, or they deliberately attempt to suppress it. They may be helpful or baneful, depending on their nature (Outlands petitioners are particularly unpredictable). In many cases they will be deferential to living visitors, hoping to prove by patient service their merit. In others they may be xenophobic and vicious, believing aliens have no place in their realm.