Angel (Dungeons & Dragons)

Infobox D&D creature
name=Angel
alignment=
type=Outsider
subtype=
source=
first=
mythical=
based=
wizards_image_URL=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG12.jpg
OGL_stats_URL=http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/monstersA.html#angel

In the "Dungeons & Dragons" fantasy roleplaying game, angels are a type of celestial of any good alignment and hail from any of the Upper Planes. Angels are also known as aasimon.

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 "Dragon" #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 "Dragon" #35 (March 1980), including the angels of the ninth order, the archangels, the cherubim, the dominations, 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). [Gygax, E. Gary. "Featured Creatures." "Dragon" #63 (TSR, 1982)] The planetar and solar first appeared in "Dragon" #64 (August 1982). [Gygax, E. Gary. "Featured Creatures." "Dragon" #64 (TSR, 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); [Gygax, Gary. "Monster Manual II" (TSR, 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). [Varney, Allen, ed. "Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix" (TSR, 1994)]

The book "Warriors of Heaven" (1999) details and focuses on celestials heavily. [Perkins, Christopher. "Warriors of Heaven" (TSR, 1999)] 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 celestial entry and are no longer referred to as aasimon, including the astral deva, the planetar, and the solar. [Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. "Monster Manual" (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)]

"Savage Species" (2003) presented the astral deva celestial as both a race and a playable class. [Eckelberry, David, Rich Redman, and Jennifer Clarke Wilkes. "Savage Species" (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)]

The monadic deva and the movanic deva appeared under the deva entry in the "Fiend Folio" (2003) for this edition. [Cagle, Eric, Jesse Decker, James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Matt Sernett, Chris Thomasson, and James Wyatt. "Fiend Folio (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)]

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" (2003) expanded and detailed celestials further. [Wyatt, James, Darrin Drader, Christopher Perkins. "Book of Exalted Deeds" (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)]

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. [Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. "Monster Manual" (Wizards of the Coast, 2008)]

Description

Angels are all extraplanar outsiders and share a number of magical powers:

*They possess darkvision, the ability to see in the dark.
*They are immune to acid, cold and petrification.
*They are resistant to electricity, fire, and poison.
*They have a protective field that wards them against evil creatures and effects.
*They can speak with any creature that has a language.

Types of Angels

*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. [“ [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20001101a Stellar Deva Celestial] ” by Robert Holzmeier at "Wizards.com"]
*Deva, Stellar, Emprix - An Emprix looks like most starkin, though slightly more attractive (if possible) and radiating dignity and power. [“ [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20001101a Stellar Deva Celestial] ” by Robert Holzmeier at "Wizards.com"]
*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.

References

External links

Official sources:
* [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/angel.htm Information about angels] at "The Hypertext d20 SRD"
* “ [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20001101a Stellar Deva Celestial] ” by Robert Holzmeier at "Wizards.com"

Third-party sources:
*“ [http://www.3rdedition.org/reviews/viewer.asp?id=69 Anger of Angels Review] ” by Merric Blackman at "3rdedition.org"
* [http://home.flash.net/~brenfrow/d20/encycangels.htm "Encyclopedia of Angels" review] at " [http://home.flash.net/~brenfrow TSR Archive] "