D&D 3E/3.5 Creature Catalog 3.5 Overhaul Project

[BOZ]

Here is a monster that appeared in a very early issue of Dragon mag, and stat-wise appears to predate even 1E AD&D. diaglo would be proud.

This, of course, may make a greater challenge for us, as the distance between editions is great. For the most part, I will defer to this earlier conversion, except where we find cause to change things.


Death Angel

Medium-size Outsider
Hit Dice: 7d8+14 (45 hp)
Initiative: +5 (+1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 30 ft, fly 60 ft (good)
AC: 20 (+1 Dex, +9 natural)
Attacks: Scythe +11/+6 melee
Damage: Scythe 2d4+6 (crit x4) and 1d4 permanent Constitution drain
Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Constitution drain, final death, create death angel
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 20/+2, SR 20, telepathy, darkvision 60 ft, reanimation
Saves: Fort +7 Ref +6 Will +9
Abilities: Str 18 Dex 13 Con 15 Int 18 Wis 18 Cha 14
Skills: Bluff +12, Concentration +12, Escape Artist +8, Hide +8, Listen +14, Move Silently +11, Search +14, Sense Motive +14, Spot +14
Feats: Improved Initiative, Power Attack

Climate: Any land
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 08
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 8-10 HD (Medium-size); 11-21 HD (Large)

The death angel represents one of two facets when it appears before a creature; either to warn that creature of its impending doom or to take the life of the creature. A death angel is often employed by deities, powerful outsiders, and liches.

A death angel appears as a 6-foot tall humanoid in flowing crimson, scarlet, or black robes. Its head and face is covered in a golden helm. Two large golden wings protrude from its shoulders.

COMBAT
The angel of death battles its foes with its scythe. It concentrates its attacks on the one it was sent to kill (if indeed it was sent to kill a creature). It is not oblivious to its intended target's allies and does not act rash or stupidly in combat. If it must disperse with the target's allies before slaying its target, then so be it.

A slain death angel evaporates in a puff of acrid smoke.

Constitution Drain (Su): Any creature hit by the death angel's scythe suffers permanent Constitution drain. At Con 0, the creature dies.

Final Death (Su): Any humanoid slain by a death angel is usually dead and gone. Attempts to raise or restore a dead creature are met with failure unless the spell used is wish, miracle, or true resurrection, but there is a 50% chance that even such powerful magic fails.

Create Death Angel (Su): A humanoid creature slain by a death angel can be "raised" as a death angel under control of the death angel that killed it. This is similar to the create spawn ability of some undead creatures. A creature raised as a death angel possesses none of the abilities it had in life and remains enslaved until its master is slain.

Telepathy (Su): A death angel can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 feet that has a language.

Reanimation (Ex): A death angel that is slain will return to life in 1d3 days and continue its pursuit of the original target unless a remove curse (cast by a 15th-level caster), wish, or miracle is cast on the spot where the death angel was slain.

1977 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Originally found in Dragon #6 (John Sullivan)

 

[BOZ]

and here is the original, brief article:

Featured Creature

DEATH ANGEL
by John Sullivan

Alignment: Neutral.
Hit Dice: 7 eight sided.
Number Appearing: 1.
Movement: 12/20
Armor class: 4.
Treasure: nil.
Attacks: 1 attack with Death Scythe 1-12. Save vs. Death at a -3.

DEATH ANGELS are highly intelligent and speak all languages telepathically. They act either as Oracles, warning a being or party of death; or they represent Death itself, being under a mission to kill a particular person or creature.
When killed, DEATH ANGELS vanish entirely, leaving no remains whatsoever.
DEATH ANGELS have the abilities of teleportation, as well as flying with their golden wings. Their teleport has no chance of failure, but they can not teleport out of melee.
Everytime a DEATH ANGEL hits with its scythe, their opponent must save vs. Death with a -3 on their saving throw. Should the individual save, they lose one point of constitution, which can only be given back by a clerical ‘Restoration’ or a Healer ‘Energy’ spell.
DEATH ANGELS do not dispel per se, but they can be turned like Vampires by a Cleric, but will return the next day, (or night), for they must fulfill their mission of death.
Those successfully killed by DEATH ANGELS, become DEATH ANGELS after three days, unless a raise dead attempt is made. A normal Raise Dead will not work, only a Raise Dead Fully will, and even then, it will only raise the victim like a regular Raise Dead. Also, when rolling for % chance for raising, roll as if the victim’s constitution were 3. A Wish will work automatically to raise them. If a being is killed three times by a DEATH ANGEL, nothing, not even a wish will bring him back.
DEATH ANGELS are fingers of Fate, and thus utilized by very powerful entities, such as Gods, Demi-Gods, and some Liches and very few Evil High Priests of 20th level or higher. DEATH ANGELS are 95% resistant to all magic (including Clerical Magic), and they will only attack their intended victim, ignoring all others, and they will leave after killing them, either teleporting away, or flying away after they have fulfilled their mission of Death.
In as much as DEATH ANGELS will return again and again to kill their intended victim, the only way to permanently dispel DEATH ANGELS is to throw a remove curse upon them if they are slain battling their intended victim. This will allow them to go to eternal peace, which they only find by killing a victim, and having it replace them, for even if a body is burned, a victim of a DEATH ANGEL will always rise up three days later as a DEATH ANGEL, and therefore, there can be no more than one DEATH ANGEL serving any one master.

 

[Shade]

Sweet! I always digged this one.

DEATH ANGELS do not dispel per se, but they can be turned like Vampires by a Cleric, but will return the next day, (or night), for they must fulfill their mission of death.

First off...the all caps name...how late 70s/early 80s!

I think we should try to incorporate the turning bit, somehow.

 

[Shade]

Other thoughts:

Add Extraplanar subtype.

Speed: Add (6 squares).

Armor Class: Add touch 11, flat-footed 19.

SQ: Add darkvision 60 ft., damage reduction needs to change (I like 10/silver or 10/chaos or evil or good or lawful, rather than the obvious 10/magic).

Feats: Needs one more, how about Improved Critical (scythe)?

Environment: Any outer plane?

 

[BOZ]

I think we should try to incorporate the turning bit, somehow.

agreed. this has been done before, hasn’t it?

damage reduction needs to change (I like 10/silver or 10/chaos or evil or good or lawful, rather than the obvious 10/magic).

hmm. Not so sure I agree with the alignment component. 10/silver sounds like a good start, but maybe “10/magic and silver” would be better?

Feats: Needs one more, how about Improved Critical (scythe)?

that makes the most sense. Scythe +11/+6 melee (2d4+4/19-20/x4 plus Constitution drain) ?

Environment: Any outer plane?

I was thinking that.

“DEATH ANGELS are 95% resistant to all magic (including Clerical Magic)”

this translates to SR 30. since this is a special, odd case, perhaps we can keep it so high?

 

[Shade]

agreed. this has been done before, hasn’t it?

I believe it has.

hmm. Not so sure I agree with the alignment component. 10/silver sounds like a good start, but maybe “10/magic and silver” would be better?

10/magic and silver works for me.

that makes the most sense. Scythe +11/+6 melee (2d4+4/19-20/x4 plus Constitution drain) ?

I think that is correct.

“DEATH ANGELS are 95% resistant to all magic (including Clerical Magic)”

this translates to SR 30. since this is a special, odd case, perhaps we can keep it so high?

Yes!

 

[BOZ]

“DEATH ANGELS do not dispel per se, but they can be turned like Vampires by a Cleric, but will return the next day, (or night), for they must fulfill their mission of death.”

We can adapt from good ol’ apodalypse, for example:

Vulnerability to Turning (Ex): Any turning attempt targeting an death angel that would turn or rebuke an undead of the death angel’s Hit Dice causes the death angel to flee. A turned death angel will return after 24 hours.

Now, of course, this means that you could in theory turn the death angel over and over again, day after day. of course, if a god is sending something after you which you can dismiss that easily, the god really needs to reassess that plan.

 

[Shade]

True to that!

We should also include +4 turn resistance within the entry, as it is turned "as a vampire", which now has +4 turn resistance.

We don't want to make it too easy to repel an angry god's hitman.

 

[BOZ]

good idea. you like that writeup for the vulernabtility?

Here is how the rest of its powers were converted; see how well this stacks up now:

DEATH ANGELS have the abilities of teleportation, as well as flying with their golden wings. Their teleport has no chance of failure, but they can not teleport out of melee.

This part was actually missed in the original conversion – and it seems pretty important to me!

Everytime a DEATH ANGEL hits with its scythe, their opponent must save vs. Death with a -3 on their saving throw. Should the individual save, they lose one point of constitution, which can only be given back by a clerical ‘Restoration’ or a Healer ‘Energy’ spell.

Constitution Drain (Su): Any creature hit by the death angel's scythe suffers permanent Constitution drain. At Con 0, the creature dies.

Those successfully killed by DEATH ANGELS, become DEATH ANGELS after three days, unless a raise dead attempt is made. A normal Raise Dead will not work, only a Raise Dead Fully will, and even then, it will only raise the victim like a regular Raise Dead. Also, when rolling for % chance for raising, roll as if the victim’s constitution were 3. A Wish will work automatically to raise them. If a being is killed three times by a DEATH ANGEL, nothing, not even a wish will bring him back.

In as much as DEATH ANGELS will return again and again to kill their intended victim, the only way to permanently dispel DEATH ANGELS is to throw a remove curse upon them if they are slain battling their intended victim. This will allow them to go to eternal peace, which they only find by killing a victim, and having it replace them, for even if a body is burned, a victim of a DEATH ANGEL will always rise up three days later as a DEATH ANGEL, and therefore, there can be no more than one DEATH ANGEL serving any one master.

Final Death (Su): Any humanoid slain by a death angel is usually dead and gone. Attempts to raise or restore a dead creature are met with failure unless the spell used is wish, miracle, or true resurrection, but there is a 50% chance that even such powerful magic fails.

Create Death Angel (Su): A humanoid creature slain by a death angel can be "raised" as a death angel under control of the death angel that killed it. This is similar to the create spawn ability of some undead creatures. A creature raised as a death angel possesses none of the abilities it had in life and remains enslaved until its master is slain.

Reanimation (Ex): A death angel that is slain will return to life in 1d3 days and continue its pursuit of the original target unless a remove curse (cast by a 15th-level caster), wish, or miracle is cast on the spot where the death angel was slain.

 

[Shade]

good idea. you like that writeup for the vulernabtility?

I do...excellent.

This part was actually missed in the original conversion – and it seems pretty important to me!

Yes it does. Would it suffice to give it the usual greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only) spell-like ability at will, and then state in its Combat text that it never uses this ability to flee from melee?

Constitution Drain (Su): Any creature hit by the death angel's scythe suffers permanent Constitution drain. At Con 0, the creature dies.

Works for me.

Final Death (Su): Any humanoid slain by a death angel is usually dead and gone. Attempts to raise or restore a dead creature are met with failure unless the spell used is wish, miracle, or true resurrection, but there is a 50% chance that even such powerful magic fails.

Nice.

Create Death Angel (Su): A humanoid creature slain by a death angel can be "raised" as a death angel under control of the death angel that killed it. This is similar to the create spawn ability of some undead creatures. A creature raised as a death angel possesses none of the abilities it had in life and remains enslaved until its master is slain.

Good show, ol' chap.

Reanimation (Ex): A death angel that is slain will return to life in 1d3 days and continue its pursuit of the original target unless a remove curse (cast by a 15th-level caster), wish, or miracle is cast on the spot where the death angel was slain.

I'd throw in break enchantment as well, but yeah, that ability looks good.