Elves of the Planes

    In an ancient times (before Planescape yet after the Manual of the Planes, to be more precise) I ran a number of odd races and variants therof in my campaign. Some of these races called kip to the outer planes. Of course, as time passed, I got a little more conservative and began to stick to more traditional AD&D races.
    Next, Planescape came along. This great new campaign setting provided a variety of new races for player consumption--as well as good old humans and half-elves. Presumably, whatever other planar races existed at the time where fairly scarce on the outer planes--scarce enough to not be offered as planar PCs.
    Then Dragon #235 came out offering variants of the Skills & Powers descriptions for planar versions of the "standard" races of the core rules and Skills & Powers. This opened a whole new can of worms. Presumably these "planar races" were settlers on the outer planes similar to humans that settled on the plane. But something about that simple assumption fell short of the Planescape norm of vivid, detailed descriptions and background.
    So accordingly, I ressurected the planar races of the my old "Realms of Chaos" and "Aphrodomis" campaigns. I think their style and flavor fit well with Planescape. Be warned, if you've come here thinking that you'll find the planar versions of your typical happy-go-lucky elf, think again.
 

Platinum Elves:

Sand Elves:

Game Attributes: Sand and Platinum Elves

Attributes:
    Sand elves' exposure to the element has bred out the low constitution typical of the elvish races. But it has bred a dour outlook and less intuitive, more cynical way of viewing the universe. Accordingly, sand elves get the typical +1 dexterity, but suffer a -1 to either wisdom or charisma (player's choice.)
    Platinums elves come from a fairly narrow gentic background, and haven't had the "advantage" of a harsh living environment as have their cousins, the sand elves. Accordingly, they have an additional -1 to the standard elven -1 con, giving them a total -2 penalty to constitution. However, they are long-lived and disciplined, and have an impressive personal presence. They gain a +1 to either intelligence or charisma (player's choice.)

Special Abilities:
    Both sand elves and platinum elves have the standard allotment of character points per S&P and Dragon #235 to buy racial abilities. However, there are some alterations in the available special abilities:

• Sand elves can buy any ability listed for elves in either the Skills & Powers tome and Dragon #235. Sand elves' and platinum elves' sword bonus extends to any one-handed sword.
• Platinum elves can buy any ability from either of the above sources except Invoke Wild Surge out of the Dragon.
• Sand elves and platinum elves have access to the following additonal S&P special abilities:

Platinum Elves:
    Standard Abilities: Presence (10), Resistance (10), Reason Bonus (10), Infravision 60'(10), Sword Bonus (5).
    Appearance Bonus (10): The elf's presence grants +1 to the charisma / appearance subablity.
    Detect Lie (5): The elf can detect lie once per day.
    Law Warrior (10): The elf can cast one priest spell per day from the spheres of Law, Combat, or War. The spell must be castable by a priest of the same level as the elf.
    Leadership Bonus (10): The elf's exceptional presence grants a +1 bonus to the charisma / leadership subability.
    Presence (5/10): For 5 points, the elf can use command once per day. For 10 points, the elf can use this ability an additional time per day per 4 full levels, and starting at 5th level can use suggestion one time per day per 5 levels.
Sand Elves:
    Standard Abilities: Natural Psionic (10), Limbo Power (5), Wild Resistance (5), Sword Bonus (5), Infravision (10), Stealth (10).
    Chaos Shaper (5): The elf receives the chaos shaping proficiency. The character can automatically shape land on limbo can can shape twice the indicated amount of land.
    Limbo Power (5): The elf can move at a rate of 96 on limbo and suffers no ill effects of the primal matter on limbo.
    Mind Guard (5): The elf recieves +1 on saves vs. mind affecting spells and psionic attacks.
    Natural Psionic (5/10): The elf has natural psionic ability. For 5 points, the elf may be a psionicist regardless of alignment (i.e., can be chaotic with no penalties.) For ten points, the elf  recieves this benefit (if a psionicist), plus automatically rolls a wild talent.
    Presence (5): The elf can use command once per day.
    Wild Resistance (5): The character possesses 30% magic resistance to wild magic spells, the effects of wild magic, and priest spells of the chaos sphere.
    Willpower Bonus (10): The elf recieves as wisdom / willpower sub-ability of +1. Elves may not take this ability if they opted to take the sand elf -1 wisdom penalty.
Sand or Platinum Elves:
    Magic Resistance (15): The elf recieves a magic resistance of 5% plus 5% per point of intelligence or wisdom over 14. This ability may not be combined with wild resistance or the standard elven resistance to sleep or charm.
    Lower Resistance (10): An elf who possesses magic resistance (above) may voluntarily lower their own resistance by 1/2 to use a lower resistance on an opponent, once per day. The elf must have a valid target with magic resistance to use this ability; the elf's magic resistance returns to normal when the lower resistance ends.
 

Classes:

    Planar elves have the same classes, class combinations, and level limits as prime elves, except for one specific exception: Psionicists. Psionics are practiced by platinum elves frequently because their new home plane, Arcadia, is less conducive to the use of magic. While there are still many platinum elves that do practice magic, the most accomplished ones tend to settle in places where magic is less restricted--such as Mount Celestia, the Outlands (in or near Fortitude, the gate-town to Arcadia,) Sigil, or even the Prime.
    Platinum and sand elves can be psionicists with the same level limits as priests (i.e., 12th level). Platinum elves may subsitute psionicist for mage in any standard elven class combination; sand elves can subsitute psionicist for priest in any standard elven class combination.
    If you do not use psionicists in your campaign, I recommend allowing sand and platinum elves to be mentalists (a mage specialty described in the Spells & Magic book) in lieu of any other wizard class.
    The platinum elf attitude is consistent with that of paladinhood. The DM might allow platinum elf paladins, but such is quite rare.

Kits:

    There are a few kits the are especially appropriate for sand and platinum elves; others are not. Most notably, many kits in the Complete Book of Elves that are not listed here aren't really to appropriate for their divergant attitudes. The remaining kits are merely recommendations. Note that some of these kits weren't designed with the Skills & Powers in mind. If you as a DM feel a kit is especially powerful in comparison to S&P kits, you may want to apply a character point surcharge for that kit (many DMs have a problem with bladesingers, for example.)
Platinum Elves:
• PWH: Planewalker Mage, Planewalker Priest, Planewalker Warrior.
• CBE: Herbalist, Archer, Windrider, Bladesinger, War Wizard, Collector
• CFH: Cavalier, Myrmidon, Samurai (do not assume an oriental society, though the platinum elf attitude is close to the oriental honor principle.)
• CPH: Noble Priest.
• CTH: Investigator (almost to the exclusion of any other thief type.)
Sand Elves:
• PWH: Planewalker Rouge, Planewalker Warrior, Abyssal Warrior
• CBE: Archer, Wilderness Runner (changed to Desert), Bladesinger, War Wizard, Huntsman (also changed to desert environment), Infiltrator.
• CFH: Beserker, Gladiator
• CPH: Fighting-Monk (I recommend using the Spells & Magic to make a specialty priest like the Monk class vice using the kit in the CPH.)