Existing Proficiencies (PWH)

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For the most part, the proficiencies found in the Player's Handbook and other AD&D products can be used normally in a PLANESCAPE campaign. However, some proficiencies, particularly those dealing with the environment, present a few problems. These proficiencies include agriculture, animal lore, animal handling, animal training, astrology, direction sense, herbalism, navigation, seamanship, survival, and weather sense. The DM may rule that in certain of the unique and alien environments found on the planes, these skills are partially or completely useless. Astrology, for example, is usable only on planes with stars and celestial events with which the character is familiar. Some proficiencies are always completely useless on certain planes—like agriculture on Mechanus.
DMs should feel free to modify the use of these proficiencies with a -1 to -10 penalty as they see fit, depending upon the setting and situation. Alternatively (or additionally), the DM may let players develop proficiencies in planar versions of these skills, such as Ysgardian agriculture, Gehennan animal handling, and so on. In this case, it should be assumed that planar characters' proficiencies are appropriate to their plane of origin.
Not every plane should have completely different environmental basics, however. Normal animals on the Beastlands, animals on the Prime Material, and animals on Arborea are not necessarily fundamentally different, for example. Similarly, not all proficiencies need be specifically tailored to a single plane; one such example of a modified general "planar proficiency" is provided below.
* Planar Direction Sense