Angel (Dungeons & Dragons)
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
roleplaying game, angel
s are a type of celestial of any good
alignment and hail from any of the Upper Planes
. Angels are also known as aasimon. In earlier editions of D&D, angels were always good-aligned, although 4th edition redesigned angels so that they could be of any alignment.
#12 (February 1978), which detailed the unique beings Armaiti, Asha, Haurvatat & Ameretat, Khathra Vairya, Mithra, Sraosha, and Vohu Manah. More angels appeared in Dragon #17 (August 1978), including the angel of healing, the angel of wrath, the archangel of mercy, and the seraphim.
#35 (March 1980), including the angels of the ninth order, the archangels, the cherubim, the dominions, the powers, the principalities, the seraphim, the thrones, and the virtues.
A completely different group of angelic beings appeared in two issues of Dragon in its "Featured Creatures" column, although they were not referred to as angels at the time. The astral deva, the monadic deva, and the movanic deva first appeared in Dragon #63 (July 1982). The planetar and solar first appeared in Dragon #64 (August 1982). The agathion, the astral deva, the monadic deva, the movanic deva, the planetar, and the solar appear in the first edition Monster Manual II (1983); these creatures have no collective name and appear alphabetically throughout the book (with the three devas appearing together under "D").
The book Warriors of Heaven (1999) details and focuses on celestials heavily. This book presents the agathinon as a player character race.
entry and are no longer referred to as aasimon, including the astral deva, the planetar, and the solar.
Savage Species (2003) presented the astral deva celestial as both a race and a playable class.
The monadic deva and the movanic deva appeared under the deva entry in the Fiend Folio
(2003) for this edition.
The Book of Exalted Deeds
(2003) expanded and detailed celestials further.
The harmonious choir of the words celestial and the sliver celestial appear in Dragon #353 (March 2007).
game, angels are all extraplanar outsiders
and share a number of magical powers:
as soldiers, though they are not necessarily in the service of the gods anymore. Angels are ancient enemies of archon
s. Angels, who range from human-like to ogre
-like in size, are not so much physical beings as energy given form. Made both from the essence of the Astral Sea, angels are basically the energy of both given form. This form is vaguely humanoid, with varying degrees of similarity to mortals. Most angels have only the most basic masculine or feminine features, with lower bodies trails off into floating energy. Angels have a number of unique abilities granted to them by their nature. All angels are capable of at least limited flight, often being capable of much more, flying more speedily even than they walk. Many are also capable of magically warding themselves against attack, making it more difficult for enemy strikes to successfully hit them. Angels also wholly lack the capacity to fear, or at least to such an extent that fear magic is ineffective against them, and all are resistant to radiant damage. Angels are usually, though not always, good creatures. Similarly, many are in the service of the gods whom they fought for in the Dawn War though quite a few have taken up the life of a planewalking mercenary
, serving any whom they wish, be it for wealth, power, or a cause. It is unknown precisely how angels were first created. Some claim that the gods created the angels though, 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. Compared with gods and exarchs, angels are 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.
game, which include:
Third-party sources:
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
roleplaying game, angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s are a type of celestial of any good
Alignment (role-playing games)
In some role-playing games, alignment is a categorisation of the moral and ethical perspective of the player characters, non-player characters, monsters, and societies in the game....
alignment and hail from any of the Upper Planes
Outer Plane
In the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as godly planes, spiritual planes or divine planes. The Outer Planes are home to beings such as deities and otherworldly creatures such as...
. Angels are also known as aasimon. In earlier editions of D&D, angels were always good-aligned, although 4th edition redesigned angels so that they could be of any alignment.
Publication history
The beings eventually known as angels were introduced to the D&D game in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, although a few sets of angels appeared before them.Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)
The first set of creatures known as angels to appear in the Dungeons & Dragons game appeared in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#12 (February 1978), which detailed the unique beings Armaiti, Asha, Haurvatat & Ameretat, Khathra Vairya, Mithra, Sraosha, and Vohu Manah. More angels appeared in Dragon #17 (August 1978), including the angel of healing, the angel of wrath, the archangel of mercy, and the seraphim.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
A set of angels appeared in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#35 (March 1980), including the angels of the ninth order, the archangels, the cherubim, the dominions, the powers, the principalities, the seraphim, the thrones, and the virtues.
A completely different group of angelic beings appeared in two issues of Dragon in its "Featured Creatures" column, although they were not referred to as angels at the time. The astral deva, the monadic deva, and the movanic deva first appeared in Dragon #63 (July 1982). The planetar and solar first appeared in Dragon #64 (August 1982). The agathion, the astral deva, the monadic deva, the movanic deva, the planetar, and the solar appear in the first edition Monster Manual II (1983); these creatures have no collective name and appear alphabetically throughout the book (with the three devas appearing together under "D").
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
The creatures from the Monster Manual II appear in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Outer Planes Appendix (1991), where they are now known collectively as the aasimon. Aasimon appearing in this compendium include the agathinon (formerly the agathion), the astral deva, the monadic deva, the movanic deva, the light, the planetar, and the solar. The same set of aasimon appeared again in the first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994).The book Warriors of Heaven (1999) details and focuses on celestials heavily. This book presents the agathinon as a player character race.
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
These beings appear in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000) under the celestialCelestial (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, celestials are a class of creatures and monsters known as outsiders who are of wholly good alignment....
entry and are no longer referred to as aasimon, including the astral deva, the planetar, and the solar.
Savage Species (2003) presented the astral deva celestial as both a race and a playable class.
The monadic deva and the movanic deva appeared under the deva entry in the Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio is the title shared by three products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
(2003) for this edition.
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
Angels appear in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003) in their own entry and called angels for the first time, including the astral deva, the planetar, and the solar.The Book of Exalted Deeds
Book of Exalted Deeds
The Book of Exalted Deeds is an optional sourcebook for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, providing supplementary game material for campaigns involving characters of good alignment...
(2003) expanded and detailed celestials further.
The harmonious choir of the words celestial and the sliver celestial appear in Dragon #353 (March 2007).
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
Angels appear in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), including the angel of battle, the angel of protection, the angel of valor, and the angel of vengeance. Angels also appear in Monster Manual 2 (2009).Description
In the Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
game, angels are all extraplanar outsiders
Outsider (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, an outsider is a type of creature, or "creature type". Outsiders are at least partially composed of the essence of a plane other than the Prime Material Plane....
and share a number of magical powers:
- They possess darkvision, the ability to see in the dark.
- They are immune to acidAcidAn acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
, cold and petrificationPetrifaction in mythology and fictionPetrifaction, as definied as turning people to stone, is also a common theme in folklore and mythology, as well as in some works of modern fiction.-Historical:...
. - They are resistant to electricityElectricityElectricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
, fire, and poisonPoisonIn the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
. - They have a protective field that wards them against evil creatures and effects.
- They can speak with any creature that has a languageLanguageLanguage may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
.
4th edition
In 4th edition, angels hail from the Astral Sea. In the Dawn War, angels served deitiesDeity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
as soldiers, though they are not necessarily in the service of the gods anymore. Angels are ancient enemies of archon
Archon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, archons are a type of creature from the Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. In 1st and 2nd edition, they are powerful lawful good creatures from the upper planes, and in 3rd edition they are celestials. These creatures are sent by higher powers...
s. Angels, who range from human-like to ogre
Ogre (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, ogres are a lesser race of giants, rather being simply large brutes with clubs. An aquatic subrace of ogres is known as "merrow." D&D ogres are also closely related to the race of ogre magi, a smarter race with blue skin and great magical abilities...
-like in size, are not so much physical beings as energy given form. Made both from the essence of the Astral Sea, angels are basically the energy of both given form. This form is vaguely humanoid, with varying degrees of similarity to mortals. Most angels have only the most basic masculine or feminine features, with lower bodies trails off into floating energy. Angels have a number of unique abilities granted to them by their nature. All angels are capable of at least limited flight, often being capable of much more, flying more speedily even than they walk. Many are also capable of magically warding themselves against attack, making it more difficult for enemy strikes to successfully hit them. Angels also wholly lack the capacity to fear, or at least to such an extent that fear magic is ineffective against them, and all are resistant to radiant damage. Angels are usually, though not always, good creatures. Similarly, many are in the service of the gods whom they fought for in the Dawn War though quite a few have taken up the life of a planewalking mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
, serving any whom they wish, be it for wealth, power, or a cause. It is unknown precisely how angels were first created. Some claim that the gods created the angels though, 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. Compared with gods and exarchs, angels are far more interested in the affairs of the Prime Material Plane
Prime Material Plane
The Prime Material Plane is the central plane of existence in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
and other planes, acting both openly and secretly as agents in the mortal world.
Types of Angels
Many different kinds of angels have been created for the Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
game, which include:
- Agathinon - Warrior angels sometimes sent on missions to the Material Plane.
- Deva, Astral - Patrons of planar travelers and powerful creatures undertaking good causes.
- Deva, Monadic - Stoic watchers of the Ethereal Plane and the Elemental Planes.
- Deva, Movanic - Celestial infantry serving the Positive Energy Plane, the Negative Energy Plane, and the Material Plane.
- Deva, Stellar, Starkin - Luminescent humanlike celestials that can shift to a bright, twinkling point of light like a star in the night sky.
- Deva, Stellar, Emprix - An Emprix looks like most starkin, though slightly more attractive (if possible) and radiating dignity and power.
- Light - Misty rainbows of light that serve high-level worshipers of good deities and provide good beings aid on quests.
- Planetar - Mighty generals of celestial armies that also help powerful mortals on missions of good, particularly those that involve battles with fiends.
- Solar - The greatest of the angels, usually close attendants to a deity or champions of some cosmically beneficent task.
External links
Official sources:- Information about angels at The Hypertext d20D20 SystemThe d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
SRD - “Stellar Deva Celestial” by Robert Holzmeier at WizardsWizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
.com
Third-party sources:
- “Anger of Angels Review” by Merric Blackman at 3rdedition.org
- Encyclopedia of Angels review at TSR Archive