Seraph: Arch-Celestial Template

The Serge

First Post
This is the second of the five templates I'm doing for my version of the Arch-Celestials.

I'm probably going to add some ethics-specific powers to this template (and possibly the Kerubim template), but I'm not sure yet. At any rate, here's the preliminary. I'll try to get Prince Talisid out within a day or so (he'll be an advanced Sphinx who benefitted from both the Seraph and Kerubim templates).

:angel:

Creating a Seraph

"Seraph" is a template that can be added to any good Planetar, Solar or Couatl with at least 30 HD; the template may also be stacked on top of a creature already possessing the Kerubim template although the creatures new abilities replace those of the former template. On rare occasions (DM discretion), mortal beings with at least 30 class levels or hit dice, rewarded by gods of goodness or the Bastions of Righteousness for their praise, dedication, and almost obsessive pursuit of goodness, will be awarded this status. Most Sphinx and Lammasu that have ascended to this rank began as Kerubim and progressed forward. Although it's almost unheard of, there are persistent legends of Risen Fiends and Enlightened Modrons that, having abased themselves and cast aside the shadow of Evil, have been rewarded with this status. As such, any Good Outsider aside from those listed above with at least 40 HD can become a Seraph.

The Seraphim (the plural form of Seraph) are among the most powerful beings in Creation. As the direct servants of holy gods and the proxies of the Bastions of Righteousness, the Seraphim have stood so close to the thrones of the gods that they’ve taken on a degree of divinity surpassing that of many other creatures. Indeed, a few of the Seraphim, like Prince Talisid and Jazirian, the Lady of the Couatl, are so powerful that they are worshipped as gods. However, despite their tremendous power, Seraphim are almost as hesitant as the various members of the Bastions of Righteousness to interfere in the world of mortals, especially those that serve the Virtues of Celestia. Prince Talisid is perhaps the most involved of the various Seraphim, regularly patrolling Elysium and sponsoring occasional incursions into the activities of Fiends and the Depths Below. The Court of Stars, the Seraphim that serve the mighty Queen of Stars, Morwel, also sponsor acts against the forces of evil and even neutrality, often getting themselves involved in huge plots dealing with world spanning tyranny and oppression. However, the best known of the Seraphim is undoubtedly Jazirian. Jazirian is perhaps the most ancient of the known Seraphim, serving the cause of Heaven as an ambassador to the gods and mortals both. She is also the greatest of all Couatl, who are said to have been the original Seraphim. Indeed, many legends confuse Jazirian with the Supreme Virtue, believing that she has some sort of ancient relationship with the King of Hell. Although not quite that grand a figure, Jazirian is the most powerful of the Seraphim and the most mysterious.

Although Seraphim share many similarities, there is a startling array of differences along ethical lines. Many Chaotic good Seraphim exhibit different kinds of spell-like abilities and powers from those normally thought of as normal for this group of powerful beings. Neutral good Seraphim often have an array of illusionary and mystical powers, and a fair number of Lawful Seraphim have Psionic power (particularly Couatl Seraphim).

Slow to anger, and slower to engage in acts of violence, Seraphim are nevertheless the most powerful Celestials under the Bastion of Righteousness. Many serve the gods, but all bow to the might of the Bastion. However, all know that one day the Celestial Host will break and when it does the restraint these beings have exercised over the millennia will fall away and they will pour from the Skies Above to lay waste to Evil.

The base creature's type changes to Outsider, with (Good) subtypes. The Seraph uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here:

HD: A Seraph receives the maximum hit point per die.

Speed: The base speed is increased by 20 to all modes of movement. In the event that the base creature does not possess wings, it will can a pair of white wings and acquire the ability to fly 200'; all Seraphim have perfect maneuverability during flight and have a fly speed of at least 200'. In any event, all Seraphim have two pairs of wings.

AC: If the base creature or Kerubim already has natural armor, this remains the same and the creature gains a sacred bonus of +3 to their AC (which stacks with that possessed by the Kerubim template) and a deflection bonus to AC equal to its Charisma bonus. If the base creature does not have an inherent natural armor class, it gains natural armor of +13, a sacred bonus of +3, and a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma bonus.

Spell-like Abilities or Psionics: The Seraph retains most of the special attacks of the base creature unless such attacks had the Evil descriptor. In this case, the special attack with the Evil descriptor is replaced with the Good version. Thus, if a Balor becomes a Seraph, it loses the spell-like ability unholy blight, replacing it with holy smite. Furthermore, the Seraph does not retain illusionary magic unless the base creature was Neutral good and under no circumstances does it retain the ability to call on wish; these spell-like abilities are removed and not replaced. The caster level for such abilities is always the Seraph's HD + 7. In the case of ascended mortals, use their total character level to determine their caster level for spell-like abilities (a 20th level Fighter, 10th level Thief would cast as these spells as a 30th level Sorcerer). All Seraphim gain the following spell-like abilities. At will: aid, blade barrier, castigate, consecrate, cure critical wounds, dispel evil, dispel magic, flamestrike, hallow, holy aura, holy smite, improved invisibility, incendiary cloud*, restoration, mirage arcana, polymorph self, remove curse, remove disease, remove fear, silence, true seeing, wall of fire*. 6/day: bolt of glory, break enchantment, clairaudience/clairvoyance, heal, limited wish, resurrection, righteous wrath of the faithful, symbol (any). 3/day: greater restoration, true resurrection, prismatic wall. 1/day: miracle, unbinding. If the base creature already had access to a listed spell, it does not gain the ability to cast the spell multiple times. For example, a Solar that becomes a Seraph would not be able to cast greater restoration 4/day. Although the above list is the norm for many Seraphim, it is by no means the limit. Quite a few Seraphim, particularly the Chaotic and some of the Neutral ones, have a different array of spell-like powers. In such cases, the total number of spell levels remains constant despite the different selection of spells.
*These fire-based spells do one-half fire damage and one-half holy damage.

Special Qualities: The Seraph retains all of the base creature's special qualities. In the event that the base creature has qualities that are alignment specific, like protection from good, the Seraph will gain the Good version. The Seraph also gains the following (if any of the benefits overlap with preexisting qualities, the Seraph gains the better of the two):
• Celestial Qualities: The Seraph acquires a Halo that replaces any existing Protective Aura (see below). The Kerubim acquires perpetual use of tongues, immunity to acid, cold, electricity, and petrification. The Kerubim gains fire resistance 50 and suffer half damage from sonic attacks (no damage on a successful save).
• The Seraph constantly detects evil as a 31st level Sorcerer.
• The Seraph constantly discerns lies as a 31st level Sorcerer.
• The Seraph constantly sees invisibility as a 31st level Sorcerer.
• Damage Reduction: The Seraph adds 20/+3 to its existing DR. If the base creature did not possess damage reduction, it gains 40/+5 DR.
• Holy Touch (Ex): The touch of a Seraph can enchant any weapon (only weapons tainted with evil, intelligent weapons, or artifacts are unaffected). All weapons acquire the fiery blast enhancement. Any slashing weapon in the hands of a Seraph functions as a +2 holy vorpal weapon. Any piercing weapon functions as a +5 holy weapon of the appropriate bane type. Any bludgeoning weapon functions as a +5 holy disrupting weapon. Once the Seraph sets the weapon down, it loses the enhancement. (Creatures with natural weapons gain the fiery-blast and any one of the appropriate above enhancements).
• Regeneration (Ex): The Seraph gains Regeneration equal to its Constitution modifier (if positive) unless struck by unholy weapons of at least +6 enhancement or by vile attacks. The Seraph retains any existing Fast Healing.
• Spell Resistance equals the Seraph's CR+12.
• Turn Undead (Ex): The Seraph can turn undead as a cleric with levels equal to half its HD.
• Divine Rank 0: Just a step below divinity, Seraph gain a degree of might unknown to mortals and common Celestials. The Seraph gains immunity to polymorphing, petrification, or any other attack that alters its form. The Seraph is not subject to energy drain, ability drain, or ability damage. A Seraph is immune to mind-affecting effects. A Seraph is immortal and cannot die from natural causes. A Seraph does not age, and does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe. The only way for a Seraph to die is through special circumstances.

Celestial Chorus (Su): Once per day, a Seraph can sing a Celestial Chorus. All mortal beings within 70 feet of the Seraph receive a Will save DC = 10 + half the Seraph's HD + the Seraph's Charisma modifier (if positive). Those that fail are subject to one of three effects determined by the Seraph. The Kerubim can opt to calm emotions, cause silence, or it can induce awe. When calming emotions, the Kerubim casts as a Sorcerer with levels equal to its hit dice. If it chooses to create silence, all beings in the radius are affected except for the Seraph. When inducing awe, all good beings within the radius that fail are stunned by the Seraph, finding themselves unable to take any offensive action against the Seraph, although they may defend themselves or attack other creatures. Neutral creatures are slowed, as they struggle not to gape at the Celestial in awe. Evil creatures behave as if affected by fear. In any event, the effects last for one round per the Seraph's HD+7.
A Seraph can also hone the powers of other Celestials. When a Seraph and at least two other Celestials are within 10 feet of each other, the Seraph can create a true chorus. All psionics, spell-like abilities, spells, and supernatural abilities with verbal components (like a roar) cast or performed by the Seraph or any of the attending Celestials receive a +1 sacred bonus to their DC and the damage (when applicable) is ½ sonic. For every two additional Celestials, the DC increases by 1. In the event that the other Celestials are Seraphim, the bonus is +2.

Halo (Ex): The presence of an undisguised Seraph is a marvel to behold. The embodiment of goodness that surpasses all but the greatest gods, a Seraph's presence and righteousness is marked by its Halo. Although most Halos are circular rings of pure light that hover over the Seraph's head, some encompass the Seraph's entire body, while others have different shapes. In any case, the Halo protects the Seraph, granting it a magic circle against evil, a magic circle against the appropriate ethical alignment (Neutral good Seraph must chose once), and a globe of invulnerability. Unlike the protective auras of lesser Celestials, this version can never be dispelled.
Furthermore, the Halo allows the Seraph to surround itself with bright, holy light once a day. The Seraph may select one of three different elements while within the Halo. First, the Halo may act as a double strength dispel evil with the following adjustments: the deflection bonus is adjusted to an unnamed +4 bonus to AC against attacks by evil creatures; next, the Seraph may use the dismissal attempt twice before the Halo's light extinguishes; finally, dispelling attempts function in a manner similar to that of greater dispel. Second, the Seraph can choose to cause all attacks against its person to suffer a -3 penalty to hit and to damage. The third and final option adversely affects evil beings attacking the Seraph the first time in melee combat each day; the evil being receives a Will save DC = 10 + half the Seraph's HD + the Seraph's Constitution modifier; if it fails the save, the evil being suffers from pure holy backlash damage equal to the amount of damage the evil being caused or would have caused. In any event, the Seraph may switch between these three effects as a free action during its turn each round during the duration of Halo. The special powers of the Halo last for 1 round per the Seraph's Charisma modifier and cannot be dispelled.

Holy Beacon (Su): Like its lesser Celestial counterparts, the Seraph is unable to automatically summon or call other beings. However, a Seraph may issue a Holy Beacon as a free action once a day. The Beacon extends one mile per the Seraph's Charisma modifier (if positive). All goodly beings within the radius immediately sense that a servant of goodness is in need of assistance and will reach the Seraph with all speed. Beings within the radius instantly know the precise location of the Seraph, its current status (health, etc.), foes in the area, and the nature/goal of the Beacon. Typical recipients of the Beacon are other Celestials, powerful good magical beasts, Storm Giants, Dragons, and powerful mortals, especially clerics and paladins. If used in the Planes, there is a 2% chance per the Seraph's Charisma modifier (if positive) that the god or cosmic entity allied to the Seraph will hear the call regardless of the Seraph's location. Seraph issue this Beacon as a last resort, knowing that if they are faced with a foe great enough to challenge them that it’s likely that such a foe could kill or horribly injure those it calls to for aid.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows (these bonuses stack with those of the Kerubim template): Str +2, Dex +6, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +6, Cha +6

Feats: The Seraph typically retains any existing feats of the base creature, although at times the Seraph can "swap" a feat for another so long as the Seraph meets the prerequisite for the new feat.

Class Levels: The Seraph acquires class levels. A Seraph will have at least 15 levels in at least one class suited to its particular pursuit of goodness. This acquisition assumes that the Seraph attained powers and experience through battle against evil and for the cause of righteousness beyond that of the typical Celestial. While level advancement does not provide size increase adjustments, the Seraph gains feats, skills, increased attack bonuses, and the like as if he were an epic NPC. See the Epic Level Handbook, in addition to the Dungeons and Dragons core rulebooks, for level acquisition guidelines.

Glory from on High (Su): Most Seraph will exhibit special abilities or qualities different from their peers. For example, while most Seraphim are completely immune to all kinds of electricity, magical or mundane, a Seraph that stands beside the throne of a good god of fire may be immune to fire as well. Each Seraph gains one special ability or one special quality for every 20 total HD and Levels possessed. A Seraph raised from Kerubim stock receives additional special abilities or special qualities based upon the added HD of the new Celestial type.

Challenge Rating: +7 + class level

Treasure: double standard base creature's.

Alignment: Always good

Advancement: By class progression
 
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