Angel
| Angel | |
|---|---|
| |
| (Creature) | |
| Type | Outsider (angel, extraplanar, good) |
| CR | Varies |
| Environment | Upper Planes |
| Alignment | |
| Adjective | Angelic |
| Images of angels | |
Source: Bestiary, pg(s). 9 | |
Angels are a group of altruistic celestials native to all three Upper Planes: Nirvana, Heaven, and Elysium. They represent all the multiple interpretations of goodness, and can be anything from lawful to chaotic. They include such noble beings as planetars, solars, and astral devas, and the majority serve one of the benign deities of the Great Beyond.[1][2]
Appearance
Regardless of their original form, all angels are beautiful; they have no fixed form as all angels are consummate shapeshifters.[1]
Ecology
The eldest angels were one of the first creations of the primordial deities of good, making them one of the oldest races in the Great Beyond, and were trained as celestial guardians and servants from birth; most serve their creators to this day. Most angels in modern times come from ascended good mortal souls rather than direct divine creation; sometimes these souls even retain aspects of their mortal forms.[2]
Though most angels are impeccable bastions of goodness and honesty, those that serve trickster gods may lie and deceive to further a good cause.
Types of angel
The term "angel" is sometimes used as a catch-all term for any sort of good outsider, especially one like the azatas, archons, or agathions, but for the purpose of this article, the term will only refer to true angels,[3] such as the following types listed in order of ascending power and importance:[1]
- Cassisian: The least of the angels, these simple beings serve as messengers for other angels, or serve as moral guides to good mortals on Golarion.[4]
- Kuribu: These small, statue-like angels protect holy and sacred places.[5]
- Choral angel: Singers of unsurpassed talent, these angels serve as heralds of great events.[6]
- Erelim: These angels are the mounted cavalry of the celestial armies.[7]
- Iophanite: These messengers and divine servitors of the goddess Iomedae also serve her in battle.[8]
- Balisse angel: These angels help mortals make good moral decisions.[9]
- Movanic deva: The infantry of good gods, these devas are commonly found on the Positive, Negative, and Material Planes.[10]
- Monadic deva: These are the guardians of good on the Ethereal and Elemental planes.[11]
- Astral deva: The gods' messengers, who also help protect good planar travelers.[12]
- Planetar: These beings are the commanders of the celestial armies.[13]
- Solar: The solars are the most powerful of the angelic races, outranked by only a god's herald among the non-divine servants of good.[14]
Habitat
Most lawful angels come from Heaven, neutral angels from Nirvana, and chaotic angels from Elysium, however this pattern is not set in stone and individual angels can deviate from their home plane's alignment. Compared to other celestials, such as agathions and archons, which tend to stay on their home planes, angels are less tied to their home planes and have no trouble traveling wherever they feel they are needed. Many can be found watching over the River of Souls, or assaulting the forces of the Abyss whenever a portal to that fiendish realm opens. Angels frequently build holdings in other planes, often for the purpose of spreading goodness, notably the Ideal Threshold in the Ethereal Plane or the Movanic Postern in the Positive Energy Plane.[2][15]
Among the Upper Planes, Nirvana has the highest angel population, due to its neutrality in respect to law and chaos; Elysium has the lowest, as the deities there have little need for intermediaries and prefer to handle their own affairs.[16][17]
Society
Angels conform to a stringent hierarchy consisting of three choirs: the first consisting of the solars who command lesser angels; the second consisting of planetars; and the third composed of the movanic, monadic and astral devas. They frequently cooperate with fellow celestials and good-aligned deities to promote goodness across the Great Beyond.[2]
In Heaven, angels usually operate independently from archons. Due to their more flexible attitude toward order, they often help prevent the ossification that comes with overly rigid authority, and ensure that Heaven's society constantly improves.[18]
In Nirvana, angels prefer to spend their time contemplating, meditating, or conversing with other natives.[19]
References
For additional resources, see the Meta page.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jason Bulmahn. (2009). Bestiary (First Edition), p. 9. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-183-1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Amber Scott. (2013). Chronicle of the Righteous, p. 35. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-506-8
- ↑ Those having the angel subtype
- ↑ Wolfgang Baur et al. (2010). Bestiary 2 (First Edition), p. 26. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-268-5
- ↑ Paris Crenshaw, Mikko Kallio, Jason Keeley. (2016). "Bestiary". The Hellfire Compact, p. 82–83. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-818-2
- ↑ Amber Scott. (2013). Chronicle of the Righteous, p. 60. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-506-8
- ↑ Thurston Hillman, Jason Keeley, and Kalervo Oikarinen. (2016). Bestiary. Wrath of Thrune, p. 84–85. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-824-3
- ↑ Sean K Reynolds et al. (2014). Inner Sea Gods, p. 293. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-597-6
- ↑ Amber Scott. (2013). Chronicle of the Righteous, p. 59. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-506-8
- ↑ Wolfgang Baur et al. (2010). Bestiary 2 (First Edition), p. 28. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-268-5
- ↑ Wolfgang Baur et al. (2010). Bestiary 2 (First Edition), p. 27. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-268-5
- ↑ Jason Bulmahn. (2009). Bestiary (First Edition), p. 10. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-183-1
- ↑ Jason Bulmahn. (2009). Bestiary (First Edition), p. 11. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-183-1
- ↑ Jason Bulmahn. (2009). Bestiary (First Edition), p. 12. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-183-1
- ↑ Amber Stewart. (2009). The Great Beyond: A Guide to the Multiverse, p. 46. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-167-1
- ↑ James Jacobs et al. (2011). The Inner Sea World Guide, p. 245. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-269-2
- ↑ Robert Brookes et al. (2018). Planar Adventures, p. 167. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-64078-044-6
- ↑ Robert Brookes et al. (2018). Planar Adventures, p. 155. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-64078-044-6
- ↑ Robert Brookes et al. (2018). Planar Adventures, p. 161. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-64078-044-6
| |||||||
