MarkB
Legend
Since it's not sustained flight, I'd probably characterise it as a prodigious leap if I wanted to get away from the angelic connotations.
But I'd also welcome some alternate features.
D&D (2024) All about Ardlings
But I'd also welcome some alternate features.
Twiggly the Gnome
Legend
And if it is flight, why does it have to be wings?
MarkB
Legend
Man, that's spooky. I was literally just watching a video about Journey to the West on Youtube, then clicked back here and this showed up.
Parmandur
Book-Friend
I'll point again to those hybrid guidelines: a Lion headed Halfling or Donkey headed Dwarf are perfectly normal options in this RAW, the animal people lovers aren't limited by anything.
This could usher in a new Golden Age in Tumblr
Levistus's_Leviathan
5e Freelancer
Was it the Overly Sarcastic Productions one?
MarkB
Legend
Yes indeed. I discovered their content a few weeks ago, and have been basically watching their videos at random ever since. The Journey to the West series was a highlight.
Levistus's_Leviathan
5e Freelancer
Their content is great, especially the animated book summaries/myths and the Trope Talks. A Sun Wukong-inspired Hadozee or Monkey-Headed Ardling Monk would be awesome.
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Corinnguard
Hero
Exactly. My issue with WoTC regarding the Ardlings is that they are IMO overlooking the Aasimar, who have been the Tiefling's counterpart since 2e Planescape. I have heard that 1D&D might keep them along with the Ardlings. But if you wanted a furry planetouched individual, you really don't need to look farther than the Guardinals as their planar ancestor.
Corinnguard
Hero
Speaking of Guardinals, I hope they are somewhat like their Agathion counterparts in Pathfinder 1st Edition:
Agathions are a race of beast-aspect outsiders native to the plane of Nirvana, a realm of pure good unconcerned with the dogma of law (represented by Heaven) or chaos (represented by Elysium). Though Nirvana is a place of rest where blessed souls seek enlightenment, agathions are aggressive and interventionist in the mortal world when it comes to dealing with evil. Created from the souls of good mortals who have managed to achieve the enlightenment they sought in life (or in some cases, after death), agathions embody the principles of a peaceable kingdom while marshaling their strength to defend that kingdom from any who would despoil it. Because they strike an ethical balance between the chaotic, feylike azatas and the lawful, rigid process of the archons, agathions are often liaisons between the celestial races, soothing hot tempers and working toward mutual goals of vanquishing evil and protecting good.
All agathions have an animal-like aspect. Some are more humanoid in appearance, while others spend their entire existence in a form nearly identical to that of a true animal. Each type of agathion serves a particular role in Nirvana, and their duties on other planes echo these responsibilities: leonals watch over Nirvana’s portals and have a guardian-like aspect in other worlds, draconals carry the wisdom of the ages and observe and guide exceptional mortals, vulpinals are bards and messengers and bear important news to celestial generals and mortal heroes, and so on. Agathions are proud of their feral aspects and don’t take kindly to the suggestion that they are cursed folk like lycanthropes or nothing more than magical talking beasts. Every agathion was once a mortal who aspired to goodness and was rewarded in the afterlife with a form suiting her talents and personality; suggesting that an agathion’s form is a kind of punishment is a terrible insult.
Agathions are a race of beast-aspect outsiders native to the plane of Nirvana, a realm of pure good unconcerned with the dogma of law (represented by Heaven) or chaos (represented by Elysium). Though Nirvana is a place of rest where blessed souls seek enlightenment, agathions are aggressive and interventionist in the mortal world when it comes to dealing with evil. Created from the souls of good mortals who have managed to achieve the enlightenment they sought in life (or in some cases, after death), agathions embody the principles of a peaceable kingdom while marshaling their strength to defend that kingdom from any who would despoil it. Because they strike an ethical balance between the chaotic, feylike azatas and the lawful, rigid process of the archons, agathions are often liaisons between the celestial races, soothing hot tempers and working toward mutual goals of vanquishing evil and protecting good.
All agathions have an animal-like aspect. Some are more humanoid in appearance, while others spend their entire existence in a form nearly identical to that of a true animal. Each type of agathion serves a particular role in Nirvana, and their duties on other planes echo these responsibilities: leonals watch over Nirvana’s portals and have a guardian-like aspect in other worlds, draconals carry the wisdom of the ages and observe and guide exceptional mortals, vulpinals are bards and messengers and bear important news to celestial generals and mortal heroes, and so on. Agathions are proud of their feral aspects and don’t take kindly to the suggestion that they are cursed folk like lycanthropes or nothing more than magical talking beasts. Every agathion was once a mortal who aspired to goodness and was rewarded in the afterlife with a form suiting her talents and personality; suggesting that an agathion’s form is a kind of punishment is a terrible insult.
MechaTarrasque
Hero
Paizo made agathions that way to differentiate them from guardinals. I don't see WotC encroaching on Paizo's turf for that (although there will be a Pathfinder Kingmaker Bestiary for 5e {Pathfinder Kingmaker Bestiary (Fifth Edition) (5e): Corff, Jeremy, Grady, Robert J, Hitchcock, Tim, Ibach, Jeff, Jaczko, Victoria, Kimmel, Matt, Lee, Jeff, Neale, Julian, Perrin, Chris, Phillips, Tom, Riggs, Alex: 9781640784369: Amazon.com: Books}, so potentially there could be agathions in 5e, just not from WotC [although Paizo seems to like angels more for NG]).
Just brainstorming here, but I think they liked the Magic the Gathering archons because they were more (lawfully) neutral (and thus PC's were more likely to fight them) and because you could fit most of the traditional archons into "cosmic knight riding a winged beast"--your dog-headed knight could ride a winged dire wolf and still transform into a dog (maybe even a winged dog); sorry lantern archons unless you are a tiny celestial riding a firefly. Thus, I suspect the guardinals will lean into the guarding thing, since this gives the PC's a reason to fight them. They could be the subtle guardians, instead of flashy ones like sphinxes and nagas. Is that elf whose face makes you think of a lion, just an elf or could he be a celestial watching over a well with a cursed magic ring at the bottom that the Powers of Goodness hope no mortal will ever think to look for? Potentially they could be more subtle patrons than a Ky-rin or a metallic dragon. But we won't know until they show up.
Just brainstorming here, but I think they liked the Magic the Gathering archons because they were more (lawfully) neutral (and thus PC's were more likely to fight them) and because you could fit most of the traditional archons into "cosmic knight riding a winged beast"--your dog-headed knight could ride a winged dire wolf and still transform into a dog (maybe even a winged dog); sorry lantern archons unless you are a tiny celestial riding a firefly. Thus, I suspect the guardinals will lean into the guarding thing, since this gives the PC's a reason to fight them. They could be the subtle guardians, instead of flashy ones like sphinxes and nagas. Is that elf whose face makes you think of a lion, just an elf or could he be a celestial watching over a well with a cursed magic ring at the bottom that the Powers of Goodness hope no mortal will ever think to look for? Potentially they could be more subtle patrons than a Ky-rin or a metallic dragon. But we won't know until they show up.
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