Angels, also known as the aasimon, were celestial immortals of varying humanoid form that hailed from any of the celestial planes or the Astral Sea. In the Dawn War, angels served deities as soldiers, though they are not necessarily in the service of the gods anymore. Angels were ancient enemies of elemental archons[5] as well as all manner of fiends.[4]
Description
Angels, who ranged from human-like to ogre-like in size, were not so much physical beings as energy given form. Made both from the essence of the Astral Sea[5] and that of the celestial planes[4], angels were basically the physical forms of the mixture of those energies. This form was vaguely humanoid, with varying degrees of similarity to mortals. Most angels had only the most basic masculine or feminine features, with lower bodies that trailed off into floating energy.[5] Others, however, appeared much more human, possessing comely looks and what appeared to be wholly physical bodies, though this was an illusion.[4] Angels all exhibited wings of some form, which they used to fly.[2][4]
Combat
Angels had a number of unique abilities granted to them by their nature. All angels were capable of at least limited flight, often being capable of much more, flying more speedily than even they could walk. Many were also capable of magically warding themselves against attack, making it more difficult for enemy strikes to successfully hit them. Angels wholly lacked the capacity to fear, or at least to such an extent that fear magic was ineffective against them, and all were resistant to radiant damage.[2]
Although not all angels were capable of seeing through the darkness unhindered, many were. Several were also immune to the effects of acid, cold, petrification, or somewhat resistant to electricity, fire, or poison. Angels were generally capable of speaking the language of any creature they came across, even if they did not know it inherently.[4]
Society
Angels were usually, though not always, good creatures. Similarly, many were in the service of the gods for whom they fought in the Dawn War, though quite a few took up the life of a planewalking mercenary, serving any being they wished, be it for wealth, power, or a cause.[5]
Personality
Although not all angels were good, all exhibited qualities that might be considered good. For instance, all angels were honest beings, who found lying or cheating abhorrent. Likewise, it was against the nature of angels to steal from others and angels were typically honorable and trustworthy in all their dealings.[4]
History
It is unknown precisely how angels were first created. Some claim that the gods created the angels, although, if they did this, it was not intentional and angels are themselves nearly as old as the first gods, having originated in the very first moments of the Astral Sea’s existence. However, whether or not the gods created the angels, the latter soon served the former’s purpose, offering themselves as soldiers during the Dawn War. As a result, most today still serve gods, though not all do.[5]
Compared with gods and exarchs, angels were far more interested in the affairs of the Prime Material Plane and other planes, acting both openly and secretly as agents in the mortal world.[5]
Types of angels
There were a wide variety of angels throughout the planes, each of which had their own qualities and cultural distinctions. Many angelic types represented a particular ideal or quality.
- Agathion
- Warrior angels sometimes sent on missions to the Material Plane.
- Angel of authority[3]
- Angel of battle
- Valiant angels who served in the Dawn War as battle commanders.[5]
- Angel of light[6]
- Misty rainbows of light that served high-level worshipers of good deities and provided good beings with aid on quests.
- Angel of protection
- Guardian angels who protected important individuals or places.[7]
- Angel of retrieval[3]
- Angel of supremacy[8]
- Angel of valor
- Among the weakest and most numerous angels, angels of valor most commonly served gods as warriors.[9]
- Angel of vengeance
- Agents of divine wrath, angels of vengeance served deities in order to punish those who transgressed the will of the divine.[10]
- Astral deva
- Celestial agents that undertook good causes.[4]
- Deva
- Angels who had taken mortal form for any number of reasons and who were reincarnated upon death into a new body.
- Deva (angel)
- Monadic deva
- Movanic deva
- Planetar
- Mighty generals of celestial armies that also helped powerful mortals on missions of good, particularly those that involved battles with fiends.[4]
- Solar
- The greatest of the angels, usually close attendants to a deity or champions of some cosmically beneficent task.[4]
Appendix
Gallery
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 15–18. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 14. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rob Heinsoo, Stephen Schubert (May 19, 2009). Monster Manual 2 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 8. ISBN 0786995101.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 10–12. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 14. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- ↑ Rob Heinsoo, Stephen Schubert (May 19, 2009). Monster Manual 2 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 9. ISBN 0786995101.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 15. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- ↑ Rob Heinsoo, Stephen Schubert (May 19, 2009). Monster Manual 2 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10. ISBN 0786995101.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 16. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 17. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.