Question regarding angels

[pawsplay]

Angels are created from the souls of good mortals who died, went to the good planes, then slowly transformed into angels right? I think the progression is something like lantern archon - hound archon - trumpet......

Something like that. But they can also procreate with mortals and other outsiders, so presumably with each other as well.

 

[Sejs]

I meant specifically astral devas, planetars and solars.

Again I say sure, why not?

 

[Fieari]

I prefer to consider angels as their own seperate race, possibly even a series of seperate races for each type. Like, "angel" is the phylum or some such (with Outsider being the kingdom). But to each their own.

 

[Sejs]

Angels are created from the souls of good mortals who died, went to the good planes, then slowly transformed into angels right? I think the progression is something like lantern archon - hound archon - trumpet......

Nothing wrong with the idea, but I can't think of seeing any sort of official progression like that anywhere for either side of the good/evil fence.

Pretty common cosmological schtick, though.

I believe the bog-standard is just that celestials are flat out created from whole cloth. One of those great mysteries, they just are, don't ask questions kinda deal.

 

[Taraxia]

Something like that. But they can also procreate with mortals and other outsiders, so presumably with each other as well.

That's archons. Angels -- the astral devas, planetars and solars -- are different; they're direct creations and servants of the deities. It's an established difference between archons and angels that archons are related to good mortals and angels aren't.

If you're talking about real mythology/theology rather than D&D, mainstream Judeo-Christian theology never considered angels to be the souls of the virtuous dead, even though that was an idea that cropped up here and there -- Swedenborg popularized the idea in modern times, for example, and it's an idea that's essential to the Gnostic heresy.

In the Bible, angels are themselves sexless and quite alien, even horrifying beings -- giant things made of eyes and wings all over, huge turning wheels, etc. When they take human form they generally take male form, though, and there is the controversial bit in Genesis that may be about angels interbreeding with human women (though it may simply refer to a line of God-worshipping human patriarchs interbreeding with pagan women). In the New Testament, though, Jesus uses the example of angels -- whom he and his audience both suppose to be sexless -- as an argument for why humans in Heaven will not possess genders and will no longer marry or have sex with each other.

 

[EP]

I don't see anything in their description that states they are male, and I'm pretty sure I've seen a picture of a male solar standing next to a female planetar, somewhere.

Dungeon #287 had a female planetar on the cover. So now it's official!

 

[MarkB]

According to the Monster Manual, Erinyes are thought to be fallen angels, and are often mistaken for the celestials they once were. Since they come in both male and female forms, that confusion could presumably only arise if there are both male and female angels.

 

[Drowbane]

I dont know, the MM makes it seem like angels are only male. Succubuses Succubi are an actual race though. Incubuses incubi......hmm......i wonder if they are an actual race or just the male variant of succubuses succubi (with all same mechanic abilities).

Its also fairly moot as the astral deva can change shape into any small or medium humanoid anyway. This would be more for RP/flavor.

Succubi and Erinyes are simply fallen angels... (IMC, at least).

One of my back up characters (on deck just in case my current character is destroyed) is an Incubus (succubus stats)

 

[Drowbane]

Nothing wrong with the idea, but I can't think of seeing any sort of official progression like that anywhere for either side of the good/evil fence.

Pretty common cosmological schtick, though.

I believe the bog-standard is just that celestials are flat out created from whole cloth. One of those great mysteries, they just are, don't ask questions kinda deal.

A book that came out towards the end of 2e had stats for PC celestials. It mentioned (IIRC) an angelic progression from Lantern to Solar archon, etc.

 

[Shellman]

I thought most or all angels/archons were considered androgenous. They could appear as male or female!