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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 4737645" data-attributes="member: 18280">OK.  I'll work up some fey this weekend.But, while you wait......Here's the flavour text for angels!Angels are the most powerful servants, guardians, and soldiers of the good Powers of the Upper Planes.  If religious texts are to be believed, in ancient times they were dispatched far more frequently to the material world than they are today.  Because of their superior natural invisibility, few who pass near to an angel are even aware of having done so.  The superior natural invisibility of angels renders them undetectable by any magical or mortal senses (including blindsight, scent, tremorsense, and spells that detect invisible creatures or objects) unless the angel chooses otherwise, although they can still be detected by a true seeing spell.  However, an angel cannot attack or use its abilities on a creature that cannot perceive it, except for its aura of good, which is constantly generated.  An angel can become invisible or visible as an action.An angel’s aura of good radiates 100 feet from the angel per hit die it possesses (2,000 feet for a fiery angel, 1,500 feet for a guardian angel, and 1,000 feet for a messenger angel).  Within this radius, any undead creature or evil outsider takes 1 point of damage to each of its ability scores per turn.  Fertility is increased in both plants and animals, and all diseases are cured if a creature spends a full hour within the aura.  Finally, living creatures heal at twice their normal rate if they rest within an angel’s aura of good.Fiery Angels are the soldiers of Heaven.  They can appear either as columns of flame or as humanoid figures with six fiery wings, and are able to change between these forms as an action.  They are the rarest of all angels, being almost never seen upon the material plane in modern times.  In ancient times, they were sent as a judgement by the good Powers.  They are terrible opponents that few mortal creatures can withstand.As a reaction, a fiery angel can show its terrible aspect to any creature that attacks it.  If the creature fails a DC 25 Willpower save, the creature cannot attack the angel, although the action is lost and any spell attempted is spent as though cast.  This is a mind-affecting ability.As an action, a fiery angel can sing the praises of the good Power it serves.  Any creature within 200 feet of the angel must make a DC 30 Willpower save or cower in abject terror, losing its next action and falling prone.  This ability is mind-affecting, but is not dependent upon hearing, as the sung praises are communicated both audibly and telepathically.Guardian angels appear as large, powerfully built humanoids with leonine heads and two pairs of wings.  They bear large swords wreathed in flame.  These weapons are actually part of the angel – if disarmed or even sundered, a guardian angel can restore its weapon as a reaction.  Guardian angels are placed to protect people, places, or objects for the Powers of good.  For example, two guardian angels might guard the location of the first worldly paradise, from which sentient beings were evicted after the primal sin.  Guardian angels might also stand watch over certain holy sites, hidden from mortal senses, but increasing the healing power of those places.Because they have stood watch in some cases for millennia, guardian angels may speak to mortals who are able to detect their presence.  They are eternally vigilant, and are incapable of being surprised, but their task is long.  From their long wakefulness and watching, these angels may know many things now forgotten by men.  They may speak of these things to virtuous mortals, so long as they don’t attempt to violate whatever it is the angels are guarding. Messenger angels can appear as ordinary mortals, or as winged humanoids of either gender and of extraordinary beauty.  They can be found upon the material plane both to deliver messages from the heavenly Powers and to test the goodwill of mortal beings.  These messenger angels may appear as weary travellers, poor shepherds, beggars, and other destitute types.  It is said that some men have entertained messenger angels without ever being aware of it.  Yet one can be certain that the reward or punishment they received for their treatment of the disguised angels was in accord with whatever laws of hospitality the good Powers mandate.Messenger angels have the power of true speech, so that their words may be understood by any creature as though they were spoken in its own native language.  They can also speak a counterword for any spell, effectively allowing them to counterspell as a reaction, at Caster Level 15.TacticsFiery angels were not created to be merciful.  With a +10 initiative bonus they are guaranteed two actions each round, using the first to sing praises and the second to strike any creature not affected by its singing.  It will use up to 15 of its reactions to prevent attacks by confronting would-be opponents with its terrible aspect.Guardian angels, on the other hand, are merciful to all but the most evil beings.  They give warning before attacking, and always attack in a straight-forward manner while voicing warnings throughout.  They do not pursue those who flee – unless their stewardship is violated, and pursuit can rectify the violation – and they do not coup de grace the fallen, unless they both return to press the attack and are powerful enough that the angels believe doing otherwise would endanger their charge.  So long as their charge is not threatened, guardian angels do not attack.Messenger angels avoid combat whenever possible, typically using their superior natural invisibility as their first action.  If need be, they use their touch attack against opponents, but even then make good use of their first opportunity to fly away.  They are likely to care for the fallen, if they live, making sure that they are in a safe place to recover.Campaign UsageBoth because of their nature and because of their power level, angels are not creatures that should appear frequently in most campaign settings.  Instead, the GM is encouraged to allow for a few out-of-the-way locations that might contain guardian angels, the (horrifying) possibility of a fiery angel being summoned by some ancient artefact, and/or the occasional messenger angel either testing the generosity of others or delivering a message.  This last is especially important if the PCs reach epic level and are communicating with the Powers of good.  Stories of encounters with messenger angels wandering in disguise should be more common than actual encounters.Few characters, if any, can defeat angels in combat.  For this reason, the GM is encouraged to make angels either the “treasure” of certain adventure locations (through their knowledge) or provide other means to bypass them.  For example, a guardian angel might be the last creature in the material world to know of a long-lost ritual.  Characters that desire to use the ritual must seek the angel at whatever remote place it guards.  Likewise, an angel might require a riddle be answered, or be seeking good-hearted mortals to warn about an impending (super)natural disaster.Imagine an adventure whose goal is to free a trapped fiery angel, or whose culmination is the ability to send a fiery angel against the forces of their enemies!  Such an occurrence need not sideline the players, and can take place within a very narrow narrative space, so that the PCs can confront their foe without her forces, begin to figure out how to defend the dragon’s hoard while they determine how to cart it off, etc.  Likewise, the GM could allow the players to play the roles of angels set loose on their PC’s enemies – a unique perspective that can make a welcome change to playing mortal heroes.While it is appropriate for messenger angels to appear to powerful ethical beings, seeking their help against the forces of evil, the GM is cautioned to keep such occurrences rare.  Characters with a religious bent, such as clerics and paladins, may have more of these visitations, and may have them earlier in their careers.  A few such visitations helps players see how their characters have grown in worldly influence.  They can also give flavour and meaning to campaign religions.  Too many, though, and the players will begin to feel like puppets being pulled by the GM’s strings.  While angels can be treated like (powerful) patrons, players have a reasonable desire to gain meaningful support and rewards in return for their service, and to have the ability to guide their own destinies for the most part.</blockquote>

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