Dungeons and Dragons Lore: Angel

[@justinbaskall8291]

Timestamps and Spoilers Below 0:08 Intro, Subscribe and Become a Member! 0:22 New Ecology Video for the Angels 0:43 Time and Cosmology 2:46 Primus holding everything together, Mechanus 4:10 Celestials, Planars, and Primes 6:09 Petitioners 7:12 Note on origins and the Archons 8:26 Philosophical Extremists 11:23 Warden, Hound, Sword, and Justice Archons 13:30 Trumpet and Throne Archons 15:09 The Seven Tomes Archons 15:54 True Angels 18:03 Agathion Angels 20:20 Light Angels 21:59 Astral, Monadic, and Movanic Devas 26:30 Deva's 5e Stats and how it should actually be, 32:09 Planatar 35:35 Celestial Paragons 37:21 Solars Love some of the snark in this video, but contextualizing this as to how far off the mark the idea of actually fighting one of these things should be for the average character. I have only ever gotten to use one of these in my games, and that catastrophy is still playing itself out, but does anyone have any fun stories about a time an angel showed up? He already included a link to the Hound Archon and the Marashi in the video itself, so ill give you something to pit them against. Orcus: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYnJop1-iN5sjJo Grazzt: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZPUaaSOqqeta7c Mephistopheles: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZiXe56cmdZ5r5Y

[@sambee8056]

Wx

[@maarek71]

"send a pillar of fire to the following coordinates" LOL That's the angel equivalent of calling in an air strike. :)

[@njnjco]

Player: I would like to attack the angel with my sword. DM: Ok.... You hit the angel and it doesn't even flinch. It turns towards you as if noticing you for the first time, snaps its fingers and you die. Player: WHAT?!?! DM: You see a blinding light at the end of a tunnel and then are yanked back into the world of the living and slammed back into your body. The angel shakes its head and flies away. Player: Umm..

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

Making Angels capable of taking damage from Radiant damage makes about as much sense as a Fire Elemental that can be hurt by Fire damage.

[@zacharyhawley1693]

Counterpoint. Holy power itself a potent source of power tapping into too much will obliterate a character

[@sanddry738]

Zachary Hawley isn’t that the entire danger of the positive energy plane? If so then some angels are immune to those effects I believe

[@johngleeman8347]

Or a devil taking damage from Hellfire. XD

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

sanddry My point exactly. These are beings of pure Positive Energy. One of them is literally just a cloud of light. Why would that hurt them?

[@johngleeman8347]

@@Im-Not-a-Dog 'Cuz 5th is very stingy with handing out immunity to anything but poison! ;p

[@Lyonide]

I'll never forget opening an iron flask with a solar inside I'd gotten from the deck of many things whilst surrounded by 300 vampire spawn. The Solar cleaned house then demanded I release it from its bonds, I complied, it was awesome.

[@Lyonide]

Well it would've had to obey me until the hour was up, but I'm guessing after that I would've been a greasy stain on the floor.

[@JanusHoW]

@@Lyonide Well, it depends on the character's alignment, and what said character asks the solar to do. If the solar gets to do things that don't violate its lawful good alignment, then it probably wouldn't mind. In fact, it clearly states in the Monster Manual that even chaotic good deities will use angels, which are lawful good, as servants. Why? Because they know that the angels will GET SHIT DONE, especially if it's for the sake of the cosmic order.

[@SpaceWaterfall1]

I'm now imagining a scene where an angel gets annoyed by player characters and the angel simply kills the most annoying one in one swoop. The others start to scream like: "Oh my god! You killed them!" and the angel in a very annoyed voice is like"*annoyed sigh* For the love of- They're just dead, alright?! It's not like their soul got annihilated or something. I'll resurrect them in like an hour or a day. So please, calm down and shut up! Or I'll send you to time out aswell! *turns away* God those mortals are annoying!" Great informative video! Learned alot I didn't know before about dnd angels and celestials in general.

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

I get the feeling that Angels are really only concerned with mortals at all because we have souls, which can become Archons, which become Angels. They don’t actually care for the mortal being, they just want to make sure that their immortal soul makes it to the upper planes to add to the Angelic ranks. Their opposition of evil stems from resource conservation. Angels are actually relatively self serving creatures from a certain view point.

[@sanddry738]

Yeah it seems to be a theme in D&D that even the “good” side of the multiverse doesn’t exactly mean good by mortal viewpoints. The only creature I can think of right now that is whole heartedly good would be the Kieran I think?

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

sanddry Yeah. Kirin are the goodest of good boys. They’re basically Unicorns that are Celestials instead of Fey. So think Unicorn, but way more powerful and somehow more benevolent.

[@thedarkmaster4747]

More deity serving but yes i agree. We are merely their crops.

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

I could see a god sending a Light to remind a Cleric or Paladin(or even just an individual of much faith) of their true path in times of temptation or when someone/thing is attempting corrupt them or deceive them into doing something evil or sacrilegious.

[@toastertech1181]

I can just image the angel swatting away the projectile "you wot m8? want to see what a real projectile looks like?"

[@TheMemorgan1]

Not sure how many times I've watched this, but it's not enough. Thanks for the great inspiration.

[@josephweymon8020]

💯😎

[@Iceblade269]

I like how the Devas will actually save mortals who get lost in the inner planes.

[@gabrieladerre2862]

It's funny that you mentioned the "feels" of the Hound Archon video. The thought of being in a beautiful plane of goodness and peace, while reuniting with my doggies, and a few of my cats, emotionally cleaned me out.

[@yuvi9845]

cleric summons an angle to deal with the corrupt king and his armies. angel explains to cleric that the affairs of mortals should be dealt with by mortals unless we want a catastrophe. angel tells the armies to go home (generals decide to call it a day at this point), angel tells the corrupt king he can either stop being corrupt, stop being a king or stop being alive. free choice ofc...

[@yuvi9845]

result: the kingdom does into a year a pious fever where the faithful destroy corruption wherever they think it is, the government, the economy and the army are all much weaker, at the year's end the orcs from the north invade with a great horde... cleric rallies the said crazy faithful and goes to war but do not summon angels this time around.

[@cazador7131]

Mind if I use that? I probably will regardless but just thought I'd ask.

[@yuvi9845]

@@cazador7131 ofc you can, makes me proud of that game...

[@purplehaze2358]

This video is so good that it’s changing my alignment.

[@sonichalo1527]

For Solars, I went crazy with the idea of only having 24 of them, I beefed up the base stats quite a bit and made 24 extra power sets based on 12 paladin oaths and 12 cleric domains. I did make them so they are not all lawful good to reflect this, but they are divided between the 6 good and neutral alignments. They all have unique appearances and personalities based on their templates. The solars are all full casters with spells from the paladin/cleric lists, and can also smite on top of their innate melee damage. As an ultimate screw you to bad guys I gave the solar an ability that lets them summon spectral versions of the other solar's swords and attack with all 24 once per week. Yes this is exactly like Armiger from FFXV

[@johngleeman8347]

Demon Princes dueling Solars is one of the crown jewels of high-level play. :3

[@Huggamugger1]

I think a reason why they made Devas relatively weak is because monsters in the outer planes have to scale somewhat with one another. If a Deva starts off nearly unstoppable and they are the weakest of angels then the entire hosts of the heavens could eliminate everything on the lower planes. No fuss, no muss.

[@joshuarichardson6529]

I fixed that problem by having a "realm of shadows" that Angels cannot traverse. The infernal planes that the Demons live in is below this, so the Angels, as powerful as they are, cannot take on the Demons on their homeland. Likewise, the Demons cannot stand the light of the celestial realms, so the two forces are at a stalemate, and can only fight their war on the mortal realms. That lets me make the Angels as powerful as I like, but keeps them from "winning" their eternal war with the demons. Also, they're vulnerable to fairy magic, so they can curb stomp undead armies, but can get taken down by a pixie with a charm spell.

[@Mare_Man]

That would be pretty in line with actual religious lore, though. Fiends might be able to tempt and subjugate mortals, but the forces in service to the gods can banish even the mightiest of them almost on a whim.

[@GrimgoreIronhide]

I think C.S. Lewis depicts the phenomenon of Angels being scary the best. In his Space Trilogy, Dr Ransom meets various orders of aliens and demons, and has a lot of close calls, but one of the closest he ever comes to death is when he meets an angel, and the angel decides that he's trespassing on holy ground. Thankfully an offhanded comment he makes prevents it from just killing him outright, and he realized that his life is in danger in time to start arguing his case. He initially protests being killed along very conventional lines, telling the angel that his trespass was a very minor offense, humans value their life highly, and he has good reason to be where he is. He makes an very eloquent very impassioned speech about the intrinsic value of human life, and the necessity of bending the letter of the law in the interests of preserving it. The Angel is not even remotely swayed by all this, and dismisses all of it more or less instantly, seeing all conventional arguments for why it shouldn't just strike him dead as completely irrelevant. It tells him that, as death is merely a change of status and one that he's going to make very soon anyway (The angels perspective on time being very distorted compared to ours, its sees the human lifespan as being an eyeblink) he's being completely irrational about fearing death in the way he does. When he tried to restate his case, thinking it doesn't understand his argument, the angel tells him that he has an irrational phobia of death, and if hes so upset by it nothing will alleviate his concerns faster than killing him and showing him there is nothing to be so worked up about. In a moment of insight Dr Ransom realizes that he's dealing with something that has a mindset that's completely alien to that of a mortal, and that any argument he would make to a fellow human is useless here. He changes tack completely and starts arguing from a purely pragmatic standpoint as to why his soul still might have some use for the meat puppet that its currently bound to, and that his body can do all kinds of useful things that as a ghost he would find very difficult. The angel is far more engaged by these arguments than his former one, but still not swayed, and so finally he argues to it that he is convinced God still has specific tasks that are intended for him that he needs his body to do. Its only then that the Angel relents and lets him go, but not before telling him that he was very nearly vaporized on the spot in the middle of his first speech, as it found his initial moral grandstanding on the inherent value of human life to be utter nonsense.

[@goldenbrigain7031]

Was he talking to an Angel or a robot?

[@GrimgoreIronhide]

@@goldenbrigain7031 It was an angel but it was one that had never encountered humans before. Its a long story.

[@kurayamaking6425]

@@GrimgoreIronhide what's the book??

[@GrimgoreIronhide]

@@kurayamaking6425 Oh, it's been a long time. That would be either Out of the Silent Planet or Perirlandrial.

[@GrimgoreIronhide]

@@AllWillBeRevealed957 im well aware of the meme, and as it happens so was CS Lewis. The end of Perrerlandria invokes this strongly.

[@mattnerdy7236]

Hey AJ, clearly a righteous video. ;) The Deva pic is my favorite and that mace he was holding, fabulous! Loved your opinions that you dropped in from time to time. 43:13 video AJ, I humbly bow to you Sir. I never knew there would be so much about D&D Angels. Only you AJ can deliver that mountain of information. Thanks AJ & have a superior day.

[@baronbeat2210]

I like the idea of angels having similar appearance, personally and powers to the god who created them, being less similar to their god the weaker and younger they are.

[@aaronsummers2292]

You never fail to impress. Looking forward to more celestials!

[@ciarhdap]

What beings serve evil Gods? Fiends are the inhabitants of the lower planes, and while certain demon princes and archdevils try to attain a certain kind of divinity, they're still very different to a proper evil God like the Dead Three of Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul. So what, if anything serves an evil or neutral god?

[@konradcurze394]

Cults.

[@TerrariaGolem]

I believe angels, as serving their God's evil... Means they're being lawful good.

[@DiSeaSedGamEr]

Most of these creatures would still be applicable, you'd just have to reflavor them, much like any other creature. It also would depend on what plane the god resides on; you could easily use creatures from that plane, or adjust angels with properties taken from those kinds of creatures

[@AJPickett]

That is a subject of much debate.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

The angels serve the gods. One way to see the alignment of angels is to see it as meaning they will always do as their god commands. They will not rebel. They are the managers of the interests of their god. They serve the cosmic order and morality, not the mortal one. What happens on the prime is not their business unless their god says otherwise. Also they may do things seen as evil by primes since they would have a different idea of what is right and wrong. Angels should be alien beings.

[@markusnavergard2387]

Angels in DnD Should take more designs from the angels of the abrahemic religion. those are insane looking monsters, like eyes all over. three heads, bodies of bulls with angel wings,human,lion and bull heads. siging heads on winged wheels, etc etc

[@thejamaicanempire3561]

Pick up Stronghold and Followers

[@AJPickett]

I believe Matt Colvilles 'Strongholds and Followers" Sourcebook has some of the more biblical types of Angels.

[@AJPickett]

@@thejamaicanempire3561 HA! Snap.

[@markusnavergard2387]

@@AJPickett cool. thanks

[@markusnavergard2387]

@@thejamaicanempire3561 thanks

[@sirwilliam4128]

Hey Aj, today is my birthday. I doubt that you knew this or this: I have always luved angels. So, it was very nice to eat breakfast and watch a video that explains the basics of angels in D&D. Thank you 😊

[@meorrrrw4020]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

[@sirwilliam4128]

Meorrrrw thank you 😊

[@AJPickett]

Awesome! Happy birthday mate!

[@sirwilliam4128]

AJ Pickett thank you 😊

[@LurkerDaBerzerker]

William Jackson Happy birthday mate, hope you have a good one! 🍻

[@mikegould6590]

I quite agree. Angels are seriously under powered. In fact, WoTC confused me with the release of Rage of Demons as Angels would CERTAINLY address a breach into the Abyss... yet none showed.

[@AJPickett]

There is a serious imbalance in the current state of the game lore, I mean, I know it makes more commercial sense to pack monster manuals with monsters, but Mordenkainens should have been packed with information of the Celestials, at the very least, in any discussion of the conflict of the Bloodwar.. again, it is very one-sided indeed. I would have left the entire section on elves out of the book and covered Celestials and Spelljammers instead.. because that would have dovetailed perfectly into the Ravnica franchise expansion... needless secrecy about future product releases is demonstrably damaging to the overall body of literature, but perhaps a necessary evil, considering the commercial success of the current edition. Glad I am not in charge.

[@TraciPeteyforlife]

Mike Gould agreed. You would think some of them would show up. If the Abyss opened up and started eating everything. I would hope someone other than the Devils would come. An actual help not murder and eat souls for power.

[@sentryward8744]

the stats of these Angels make no sense the Solar is so powerful that an Arch Devil afraid to engage them in combat and their cr is 21 "less than an Ancient Red" while they suppose to be on pair with a intermediate deity

[@tonlito22]

I'm going to add to this a bit: An Angel beyond a certain level, let's say hypothetically above Hound Archon should never be fighting on the Prime Material Plane alone. When an Angel shows up in an area, the aura of good should be enough to sense, or possibly even feel or taste. The Call would go out around the area, and be answered by all sorts of people: young village champions and faith healers, vigilantes and heroic outlaws, retired adventurers, ancient Elven Wizards, Blink Dogs (truly the goodest of boys), Storm Giants (yes they should be mostly good aligned Wizards!), and even men who had been cogs in an evil machine wake up to justice. When an Angel is in town and means business, exiled princes return, prophets leave the desert, mercenary generals rebel in the face of immoral orders, and peasant girls become generals. And in battle these forces have degrees of cohesion that is unimaginable (Telepathy is underutilized by many DMs), and people preform well above their level. Halfling Archers fight to the last, defeating waves of orcs with close range archery, cavalry charges are defeated by trenches dug by Dwarven Unions, and war elephants are seen off as simple aphorisms appear in the minds of the peasants previously terrified "Strike the Elephant at its trunk while your brother strikes its eye." And throughout all of this there is a sense of calm surety as everyone knows that dying for this is dying for a good cause (which surely would be good for the souls of those involved). All of which is to say: Anybody playing in a high level evil campaign, do not piss off the gods enough for them to start sending angels, or at least, stay about 12 steps ahead.

[@AJPickett]

EXACTLY... I am no adventurer, but I understand Patriotism and the feeling of righteousness, and you are so right, that feeling would flood the whole region like a bat symbol for heroes.

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

Ton Lito Piercer and Roper would rise from the Underdark to answer the call.

[@Lurklen]

I'd like to add, all of this is probably true for Fiends as well. A powerful enough Demon/Devil would draw evil to it like poison from a wound, and all that scum and filth would pool around them until the area was sick with it. The murderers, the truly devious, the hateful abusers of their fellows, all the twisted souls who delight in the suffering of others, they would all be drawn to it probably without knowing why. Demons may or may not use this to their advantage, depending on how destructive/intelligent they are, but most Devils would. To borrow the phrasing: When a Fiend is in town and means business, good princes are overthrown, prophets speak lies to their followers in return for wealth, mercenary generals turn on their masters and sell them to their enemies before stealing their thrones, and peasant girls lead mobs to hang their neighbors in the streets and loot their houses. The strategies would be different, but the sense of one presence boosting or galvanizing others would be true for evil as well, and no powerful being of these natures would be alone. Where good powers fan the flames of hope, and inspire heroism, evil will gutter those flames and twist good people into monsters. They will die for it, not out of loyalty or the cause but out of hope that if they do enough they will be spared the evils to come, to destroy enough to sate the appetites of their masters, or the gnawing hunger that eats at their souls, perhaps hoping they can even destroy themselves, and maybe end their suffering. And I think if powerful enough the presence of these evil powers alone would be potent enough for this.

[@vedymin1]

Shit....that sounds practically evil actually, such a mind bending manipulation that makes everyone forget their free will/self preservation and die in waves like cannon fodder...naughty angels. :) Can anyone really be just and courageous by their own choice when being under an influence of such a being ?

[@eldarhighelfhealermiriella7653]

@@vedymin1 Yes if you are inside the Good alingment spectrum.

[@jaredjohnson8200]

1 million hit points 😂. Yeah that seems about right for a solar.

[@ItoOttelli]

4 Sword Archons flying in a formation. Call that a Sword ArcOn Line

[@Pragabond]

Boooooo

[@flibbernodgets7018]

I always thought angeks in the monster manual were really boring. I like your take on them, and it makes sense why they wouldnt just fight all the evil everywhere.

[@basementmadetapes]

Absolutely agree about the sheer terrific terror the assorted angelic hosts ought to be. These should be the nightmares when evil dreams, and all of this provides excellent lore for the basis of a celestial warlock.

[@quincykunz3481]

Follower: "Oh, great lord, I pray for this soul to be rid of it's malevolent curse. Our efforts to dispel it have failed. I pray thee, How can it be lifted?" An angel appears with an enourmous flaming axe and a prepared ressurection spell, and patiently says: "have you tried turning it off and back on again?"

[@WarMonger_the-One-and-Only]

1;1 "Hath thou attempted to deactivate and then reactivate thine patient?" "Lord Angel, what do you mean 'deactivate and reactivate'?" 1;2 With a graceful motion, the angel raises his axe. "I would hath thought that e'en the mortal servants of my Lord, thine God, would possess the wisdom to fathom these words of mine."

[@willgaines3914]

Well I know what I'm watching during my lunch break. Super hyped for more celestials!

[@dhingus6699]

Another great ecology video AJ. I love to hear about the lore, stats, and narrative; that is the DnD multiverse. You even made me LMFAO a couple times with golden moments like these. 41:17 I'm feeling, hot, hot, hot! 41:39 Baby glove slap, I don't take crap.

[@Dude_1864]

I agree with you AJ: if dark powers continually get upgraded, and I believe they have been, then these Celestial powers have been severely downgraded.

[@nullvoid4063]

"Demons run when a good man goes to war" Thanks a million AJ!!

[@jacobfreeman5444]

I prefer "fools rush in where angels fear to tread".xD

[@michaelscotts3949]

Really wish there were collections for art of the various Angel's and sub races of other main races. Like the Shards in this one or the lack of true art for the various halfling in his halfling video.

[@AJPickett]

Well, production values have gradually improved on the channel over time, thanks to viewer feedback, so, keep letting me know what's good and what's bad. :)

[@robertwilson2516]

I don't have any plans for Angels currently but when I do this will be the source I tap for idea.

[@joshuarichardson6529]

In my game, I made the Angels one of the three great powers in the universe. They keep "the light" (the power of the positive energy plane) from overwhelming the universe from overloading with energy and causing everything from spontaneously combusting. They're powerful against the Demons, but weak against the Fairies and their magic. This gives me a nice Rock-Paper-Scissors element to the cosmic powers. They're actually more powerful than most of the gods they serve, but lack ambition and are compulsively subservient. As True Immortals, they are reborn on the celestial planes should they "die" on the mortal planes, similarly to the Fairies and Demons.

[@tapiloa2860]

Diva just straight up calls an air strike in

[@BigusGeekus]

Nah. The Deva *is* the air strike. :P

[@nicocrestmere9688]

If Angel's are stewards to good aligned deities and demons can be stewards of evil deities what are the stewards of neutral dieties? For example: Shaundukal God of travel and portals. Or Gond: God of invention.

[@AJPickett]

Ah ha, looks like we have some more cosmic videos to do eh? Maruts, Inevitables, Modrons, Rilmani, oh my!

[@aliceofspades]

Thanks for another great video! And I agree, a party would have to be evil, crazy, or both to try to fight an angel. And even if they won, they'd now have the entire upper planes after them! Not worth it, my friends.

[@garvinanders2355]

Really enjoyed this one and as always, I would like to know more.

[@willgaines3914]

Yeah this may possibly be my new favorite video of yours, absolutely amazing job AJ. Definitely agree that the statblocks represented in the MM really reduce the power that these creatures are supposed to express in the lore of the game, and don't provide the interesting hierarchy and complexity that makes them fun to use. Looking forward to more videos on the forces of good to come! Any chance for a video on lantern archons or the progression of a good mortal soul more in detail? Absolutely loved the vignette you provided in "when good characters die" and would love any and all similar exploration of the afterlife. Thanks again AJ!

[@InternetSupervillain]

Dude. You should do a D&D videogame series, recap their lore and events. Start with Baldur's Gate 1 and work your way up to the Neverwinter games.

[@netherveilgames996]

I second this emotion

[@thedarkmaster4747]

I third this.

[@nikolaj192]

Always good stuff from AJ, thank you for providing all of these very well made lore videos.

[@seanwarren9357]

Always a pleasure, AJ. Thanks, and I'll see you in the realms!

[@JustForFun665]

I literally just watched your old angel video a few hrs ago haha

[@TerrariaGolem]

Fallen Deva in Curse of Strahd! Won't tell you who!

[@joefixxit]

In the campaign with my stoutheart halfling gunslinger , we came across a ritual site with an untold amount of undead around an alter, they grabbed one of my party members and placed her on it. It was strange the were all non-violent or threatening, just wanted us to go to the area with pointing and leading us.. with we said to hell with it and went... the alter started shaking and the symbols lit up.. then all of us had the overwhelming urge to kneel. ( I spend a hero point to overcome this) and with a brilliant flash a six winged angel appeared. He/she/it was not pleased , so with a booming voice it said to me " who are you to deny my presence " and my dumba$$ replied with " the most dangerous moral in 5 days travel". . . (Well I've been looking for someone who was taken in game 5 years prior in 3.5 that's where I picked up with this campaign) the angel with a scowl and says "how do you expect to save Neara if you die when your so close to finding her". .... I may have lost my temper.... I have an initiative of +12 and I rolled a 20.... ( my DM bewildered says I didn't see that coming) I beat the angel by 5... I used a hero point with a grit point . Called shot wing, trick shot violent, and sharpshooter feat. I shot off its wing ( and with the dm controlling what happens I use of a hero point , the holy relics on the altar because of ricochet. and with action surge and I believe my crossbow expert feat I attack with again, and hit it in its sword hand.... the angel the commences into blinding with a flash and for whatever reason I start hemorrhaging blood from my eyes ,ears, nose mouth and fall to the ground. I wake up and my companions ( which are wild elves) are all using healing magic to keep me stable .. they have to take turns burning spells and potions keeping me stable. Plus my pepper boxes are nearly welded solid. With handprints pressed into the metal. So I pissed off a god/ and its messenger, and I have to find a priest so I dont die. I'm not sure my DM going to just let the angel kill me and reset my actions lol.

[@6xXx_Jack_xXx9]

Your DM was merciful. So did you die?

[@AJPickett]

I do hope that DM is a good friend of yours.

[@joefixxit]

@@AJPickett he is pretty much like a big brother too me. So itll go 50/50 lol. He is probably one of the best dms I've ever had. The last campaign we had with this character in it before I converted them over to 5e, what may have actually had 5 combat encounters in the hole month-and-a-half we played, but it was so damn suspenseful but you didn't want to stop playing even when party members were literally nodding off in the middle of a session because we just pulled 15 hours and didn't even realize it LOL. I wish I could go on back and make different manuscripts on the different campaigns that we played in or that he is DM'd over.

[@brycethorne5482]

Thank you so much for the first three minutes! That’s a beautiful simple framework for the planes. Been trying to wrap my head around the cosmology and lore lately and that was eloquent. Back in the day if it wasn’t shiny magic or player stat driven my eyes glazed over, glance skimmed over, and brain skipped over it almost entirely

[@AJPickett]

Glad it was helpful!

[@daniell1483]

So, Celestial beings probably look at the Prime Material worlds the same way we look at low-level beginner zones in video games, right? Something I didn't get a good answer for in the video is the Celestial attitude towards mortals. Do they sympathize with mortals? Do they try to lend their wisdom to mortals, so long as it doesn't get in the way of their divine mission or the fate of the mortal? Or does it all depend on the Celestial in question? Thanks for the video.

[@AJPickett]

Depends on the celestial in question. As petitioners ascend the seven mounting heavens, they are tasked with quests and training, a lot of it is quite grueling and really tests the character of the petitioner. Eventually, new archons and angels fill their ranks from them, but also a lot of petitioners align very closely with Celestia, Elysium, Nirvana, Bytopia and such, there are also celestial ranks of the Eladrin which blur the line between Feywild, Arborian glades of Olympus and the Seven Heavens, so you can encounter angels of Summer and Winter courts. They have a complex array of attitudes towards mortals, particularly those celestials who were mortals at some time in the past.

[@Kensai2401]

More angel lore, PLEASE!!!

[@cb2291]

You really went all out with the artwork on this topic, they were spectacular picks🔥

[@animefan3794]

Liked and favorited before the lore began

[@zanthe_]

Me introducing an angel to my party: Angel: "FEAR NOT!" Me: "You are now under the effect of the command spell, and are immune to the frightened condition." Player: "No saving throw?" Me: "HA! A saving throw, good one."

[@zanthe_]

The 5e MM stats are the stats I would give an angel if they were somehow cut off from their god.

[@joshuakern2762]

5th ed is more like a commercial about D&D than the actual game.

[@zanthe_]

@@joshuakern2762 Well, I won't say that you're wrong.

[@Dread2012death]

13:22 there I see what I thought of Aurelia the war leader from magic the gathering as a highly combative almost to zealot of a angel. Nice.

[@lidlonez]

Omg this is amazing! Ty so much I had to watch it like 3 times but u have so much info ty again!

[@AJPickett]

Glad it was helpful!

[@freman007]

The only interaction between player characters and an angel would be, "Hi angel, how're you doing?" The angel says, "Fine, how're you doing?" The characters say, "Fine" and then they go their separate ways.

[@momsaid]

Why would that be the only possible interaction?

[@DoWhatNowQuestionmark]

Another amazing video! This was perfect for my character and the campaign I’m running! Even your videos I don’t know I will need are great! Keep it up my man 😉

[@jikhari7103]

I can’t wait for the next Angel installment. ❤️

[@1973Washu]

pillars of salt and great wailing and gnashing of teeth should be the after effect fucking around and finding out with an angel.

[@krispalermo8133]

You forgot about wrestling with one of them, such as being smote between the thighs and walking the rest of your life with a busted hip.

[@VeteranVandal]

I like the buffing of the celestials, and that First turn of rebuke the living. I think players need to understand that level 20 stuff has meaning.

[@AJPickett]

Yeah, getting rebuked should not be fun.

[@keykeeper8167]

To every time you asked “Would you like to know more?” YES! Well I need to get started home brewing some Archons. Might make up a few new ranks. This video was a divine intervention for my planescape campaign.

[@drgoo2825]

KeyKeeper 816 I have done some basic versions of all ten Archons, would you be interested in looking at them?

[@keykeeper8167]

Ben Anderson Of course. Are you on the MTG Discord?

[@drgoo2825]

KeyKeeper 816 I am not, is it a public link?

[@keykeeper8167]

Ben Anderson yes it is. It is also a great place to find other DMs and get advice. I can ask for an invite link if you want.

[@drgoo2825]

KeyKeeper 816 I’m in now, just @ me if you can find me

[@jaym6996]

Angels in D&D scare me more than demons, devils or yugoloths. Their single-minded nature is unnerving

[@AJPickett]

Also, radiant damage is the most powerful in the game

[@jacopoarmini7889]

I don't know why they didn't use the pre-existing orders of angels from judeo-christian lore. There are nine, well organized and described clans of spirits with a specific hierarchy, it's basically half the job done. I also would have made the angels just lawful, as the angels in D&D serve various gods, I would have liked that angels were simply heavenly mercenaries that serve this or that deity, either because they gain something from it or share the deities ideals, and thus could vary from lawful good, neutral or evil according to the god they serve. I think it would have given them much more flavour, as now you can meet a lawful evil dominion of Seth, or a lawful good principality of Pelor and so on.

[@kylepessell1350]

The reason for that is likely that ripping off a popular religion wholesale in a setting where the player characters interact with them directly could be pretty controversial. However, the D&D rules actively encourage DMs to do their own worldbuilding so if you want to make the celestial order based on heaven more power to you.

[@AJPickett]

You don't know? Weeeell allow me to direct you to the comments section of The Ecology of Gods video, where I just allow every comment by way of self-evident explanation...

[@jacopoarmini7889]

@@AJPickett I already hear the screams of religious nutjobs from the other universe where they did use the christian angelology for the D&D angels. I feel shame for even bringing it up, sorry.

[@TraciPeteyforlife]

Angels going off the rails, would be one hell of a campaign. It would be a hard task to get them to get back on the rails. Also I would completely try to get the autograph of one. At least the devas anyway. Hopefully they won't mind too much.

[@JanusHoW]

That's basically _Descent Into Avernus_ in a nutshell...at least, if you really try to redeem Zariel...

[@crazyscotsman9327]

Please do one with Angels more active in the world!

[@Dimizar]

I remember reading an mtg story that if a human kills a zendikari angel they get cursed.The curse makes them lose what makes them human kinda like losing their motivation and shit.

[@davidlewis8814]

Ha ha!! “*¥tch slap a city off the face of a planet!” Holy analogy!!

[@purplehaze2358]

Well, y’know how I said I was working on an indie table-top? Well, the approach to a morality system is far different. Out of the two, “good” is actually the more sinister of the two, worming it’s way into the hearts and minds of people, attempting to get them to fight the “evil”. And it very much has a “Things have to have a balance” approach, with forces of pure good being just as violent as the forces of evil, just for different reasons and in different ways.

[@GregtheGrey6969]

Sounds like chess

[@charlottewalnut3118]

Dr Bright of course an immortal psychopath is a nihilist

[@konradcurze394]

@@charlottewalnut3118 What Yushiro said. Plus a healthy dose of moral relativism.

[@purplehaze2358]

Konrad Curze Yup.

[@purplehaze2358]

Yushiro Shihoin What can I say? I’m a man of BRIGHT ideas.

[@themalcontent100]

when you said that they turn into weapons that might make for a good lawful good hex blade origin.

[@cesarfortson8245]

Hell, it's how I made a Neutral Good Hexblade character. Eventually, they became a paladin too. Good times.

[@almitrahopkins1873]

Try this on for size: Anything a demon can do, an angel can do. The demons and devils are weaker versions of them, remember? That angel can eat your souls every bit as easily as a demon if he thinks you might add strength to a demonic army.

[@AJPickett]

Devils are Corrupted Celestials, Demons are Corrupted Elementals.. easiest way to explain the difference I have found :)

[@almitrahopkins1873]

@@AJPickett That prevents you from giving the infernal abilities to the celestials too. The angels of an evil God are devils or demons that way, like opposite sides of the same coin. The evil that corrupted them didn't just create evil, it created good as well. With no evil, there is no imbalance. Neutral is the natural state of a universe with no evil. That's why nature priests (druids) can only express one axiomatic difference. CE was the worst bit of the corruption, but LG was the universe trying to balance it out. Good gods will typically limit what their agents can do, much like the evil gods do for their infernal agents. Neutral gods may send agents that you can't tell if they are angel, demon or devil.

[@AJPickett]

@@almitrahopkins1873 I can only report on the existing lore, as for that stuff... absolutely homebrew to your hearts desire!

[@almitrahopkins1873]

@@AJPickett WotC wiped out existing lore. Consider this as spitballing new lore. Imagine Mount Celestia being the anchor that keeps the Prime Material from being sucked into the abyss. Imagine the Nine Hells being anchored in place by the nine heavens of chaotic good. Each one depends on the other. The gods limit the power of the celestial and the infernal to maintain balance because if good or evil ever does win, the whole thing collapses. As you said in the video, angels should scare the hell out of PCs. Good Omens put this thought into my head, if you couldn't tell. The self-aware Death of the disc just added to it.

[@MegaRhettButler]

I'm curious to learn more about chaotic good/netural deities and their heavens. Like, where would my chaotic neutral Pathfinder character go when he dies and what would it be like? Is he stupid for not just picking a good deity? Do neutral good gods get angels or only lawful good? If you worship an evil god will you go to hell? If so why would any high INT character do that?

[@JanusHoW]

As stated in the Monster Manual, neutral good and even chaotic good deities get lawful good angels, because lawful good beings can be trusted to do their will in both letter AND spirit. For goodness, the spirit is generally more important than the letter.

[@christopherbravo1813]

I think your Chaotic Neutral character would go to the Chaos plane of Limbo, though I don't *quite* remember what it's like I imagine it's not nearly as rewarding as an eternity in Heaven. and as for worshipping evil gods, well, more than likely you'll end up in one of the evil lower planes that corresponds with the evil god in question. why would high intelligence people do this? who knows? evil rarely adheres to logic and reason.

[@Hakar17]

​@@christopherbravo1813Theoretically for the chance to become an Arch devil or demon lord. After all it's possible to move up in devil or demonic rank and although it would be incredibly difficult and take millniea. It's possible that you could go from lemure to the master of a layer of the Abyss for example

[@christopherbravo1813]

@@Hakar17 seems like a pretty long shot at best

[@Hakar17]

@@christopherbravo1813 Definitely a longshot but it's still possible

[@Tovish1988]

The problem I always had with celestials is they are so ultimately powerful, and so intolerant of evil, it just doesn't make sense they let the lower planes just go on as they are. A small incursion to destroy the stronghold of one demon prince per month on a rotating basis would take up a small fraction of their time. Even if Demogoron or Graz'zt is powerful enough to survive or escape deeper into the abyss it would keep the tanaari too off kilter to threaten anything. You always need to throw some hand waving in to stop that, such as Ao ordering the good gods not to do that for "balance reasons", fears that even brief forays into the abyss would corrupt them, or nerfing most of their power outside a good aligned plane or the prime. Whatever I impose, they end up being as useful as a +10 greatsword of annihilating that only works inside your own house every other Tuesday.

[@Scortch-lo3xy]

problem is if you try to pick off the fiends of the lower planes they would all unite under one banner in an attempt to destroy the upper planes in the interest of surviving. and as powerful as celestials are they are certainly not strong enough to fight all the forces of the lower planes combined, at least not all at once.

[@rickengle7208]

All the celestials combined couldnt hold a candle to Asmodeus.

[@Tovish1988]

@@rickengle7208 Maybe not, but he isn't gonna jump up and leave Nessus to defend a bunch of demon princes from angels rampaging around the abyss. He'd just yell for popcorn.

[@rickengle7208]

@@Tovish1988 him and the embodiment of lawful good ripped each other apart trying to make their domain the center of the universe when it was forming. No possible way he would set back during an invasion. There is a really good lore video I can link if you want and I can fight it.

[@Tovish1988]

@@rickengle7208 not if the hells were attacked, but someone else attacking the abyss means he gets a day off, maybe hires some yugoloths to bother the celestials if they start winning too hard and throwing off the whole equilibrium of the lower planes.

[@Purple.mind...Honored.one.]

step one: having a trumpet archon promoted to an angel, step two: that angel has a child with a human mother, step three: a number of generations pass & someone of renowned is born (AKA player character) mathematical result being: choose a God for any race, and you get a half human half sed race slightly angelic thing that you get to play with. example: you want to play as an assimar ork, one of your parent what's connected to a lineage born from a trumpet archon serving one of the orki's Pantheon.

[@digunder14]

i can see them rectifying their mistake of mechanically having the angels too weak with Veteran versions in future books, as i can see the ones in the 5e MM as the freshly promoted, ie they only got a measly millenia or so of exp

[@mosshivenetwork117]

Your profile picture is scary... I like it...

[@marvynkawano3090]

32:37 that’s a lot like Zariel before the fall (I know that she served Helm, I just think it’s a nice coincidence)

[@kaloyan9914]

Lathander*

[@marvynkawano3090]

@@kaloyan9914 thank you, I'll do a little research later

[@tatsusama3192]

Interesting. For some reason I always thought Aasimar were the light side version of Tieflings not just another angelic cast. Aasimar have celestial ancestry and Tieflings have demonic ancestry

[@willgaines3914]

Aasimar are! There's a great video on their specifics elsewhere on the channel as well which you may enjoy, here AJ was talking about Aasimon, emphasis on the "n" at the end there. Bit confusing yeah

[@tatsusama3192]

@@willgaines3914 ah! I didn't hear that difference. That makes much more sense now. Thank you

[@JMParsell]

Hi AJ. I always love your videos! I don't know if this is the right place to ask but can you please do a video on Dragonlance? I would love to know more about the dragon orbs, towers of sorcery, and certainly the Dragonlance (the cataclism would be awesome to). Anyways, thank you :)

[@foxnight5872]

If you get a chance I would really enjoy a video on spirit folk AKA Hengeyokai PC in OR adventures. I’m about to run a home brew with a humanoid cat person who is NOT Tabaxi but is Hengeyokai/ spirit folk. I find this humanoid much more fun. The Cat person is small and can turn into a domestic sized cat as well. I helped the player set up their character so there tail is a weapon, it is made of shadow and can be used telepathically and as the PC levels up the tail can change into other weapons such as throwing daggers or a whip. My favorite is the tail used as rope trick so the PC can hide. It’s patron is a Yokia( evil spirit) looking to rejoin the billion gods pantheon, after falling into shadowfell influencing the spirit folk to cause trouble for other gods worshippers. Since little info is available, we took some liberties. I named the cat folks kagenekos (shadow cats) they have race buffs based on cats and shadow. Their patron allows them to sense the weave so they can sense evil intentions and creatures, pass without a trace, a minor healing purr in domestic cat form, dex buff to climb, they have a small unarmed slash with claws, their tail is it’s own mind being made of shadow. The tail lvls up with PC starting simply as a sentient rope able to leap at others neck and strangle or grapple limbs, also used to spy and play tricks similar to a mage hand or unseen servant.. at lvl 3 it can be used as a weapon ( short sword, throwing knives, projectiles, small mace or whip) if improvised weapons is an ability gained the shadow tail can inhabit an item or weapon adding its buffs to weapon. Under the moon the kageneko have full vision and +2 to all saving throws. Obviously they always land on their feet. They can switch between humanoid and domestic form 5 times a day and can speak in both forms, domestic for is telepathy and humanoid can speak out loud. All kageyokia have a silver marking of their jet black fur. The silver symbols represent their place/ job to free their patron from the shadow to regain goddess status, their race is on the verge of extinction. When their patron fell into shadow, her children where instantly affected by the shadow and started becoming know as evil tricksters, their intentions where to inform the other races of the shadow creeping and consuming their goddess. The humans especially hated this and took it as a bad omen looking to banish the evil by hunting and killing all black cats. This only angered the shadow cat patron and she blessed her children’s tail with an evil curse. The tail is a yokia and upon killing the cat the yokia is released and seeks only vengeance, the murderer is taken to shadowfell to be eaten by the patron. Their patron was the goddess of the Hunt, curiosity and knowledge, now she patrons the Hunt, vengeance and dying races. Thank you!

[@shortcaveman1583]

When you talked about the beast boy Angels my first thought was a t-rex with wings and too Angel swords coming out of its two little arms.🤔😂

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

PIERCER & ROPER (Continued from Dwarves Pt.1) _Theme Music Starts_ _Piercer & Roper logo pops on screen_ Announcer: “Last time on Piercer & Roper!” _Flashback montage starts_ “With information on the apothecary being used as a front for dust sales in hand(err...tentacle), our Underdark detectives had another officer pick up the Derro Dust Dealer and set off for downtown Menzo. En route, the pair found themselves caught in a traffic jam and stuck for hours. During that time we learned that Roper truly detests traffic and that Piercer has had some recent dental work done. The upside of this delay however, was that Roper had time to figure out his plan for when they reach the apothecary....a stakeout!” _Scene starts with Roper’s car pulling off of an overcrowded freeway and onto a slightly less crowded off ramp, and gradually making its way to the street. Scene then changes to the inside of the car, to a shot of a very relieved looking Roper._ Roper: “ *FINALLY!!!!!* NOW WE HAVE TO FIND A PLACE TO STASH THE CAR!!! KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR A GOOD SPOT!!!” Piercer: _States expressionlessly at Roper then lifts a tentacle and points to the left_ _Camera pans over to where Piercer is pointing. A back alley with a few dumpsters conveniently placed roughly a car length apart._ Roper: _Pulls car into space between the dumpsters_ “THIS LOOKS LIKE A GOOD PLACE!!!! LETS WAIT UNTIL “NIGHT”, THEN WE’LL WALK FROM HERE!!!” _Roper steps out of the car and opens the trunk. He gets out a folded tarp made of an opalescent silvery material, unfolds it and drapes it over the car. He gets back in but the shot remains outside of the car, now covered by this strange tarp. Then we hear a slightly muffled but still rather loud “DAALFOHS!!!” from inside the car and it disappears._ _Several Hours Pass. It doesn’t get any darker but the streets clear of traffic and pedestrians and most shops have closed. Piercer and Roper are sitting in the front seats of the now invisible car._ Roper: “ALRIGHT PIERCER!!! STANDARD PROCEDURE ON THIS ONE!!! YOU READY!?!?!?” Piercer: _Stares blankly at Roper_ Roper: “ITS SHOWTIME!!! LETS GO!!!” _The two the exit the car and leave the alley heading in opposite directions to get into position for their stakeout. After a long while spent walking at a leisurely 10 feet per round movement speed, they finally reach their positions. Piercer embeds himself amongst the stalactites on the cavern ceiling above the front of the apothecary and Roper blends in with the stalagmites in the alley near the rear exit._ _Scene then fades to black._ Announcer: “Now in position, our boys in blue are ready to watch the apothecary for signs of illicit activity. What will the results of this stakeout be? Who will they see going in and out? How long has Roper been waiting to use that “It’s showtime” line? Find out next time on...” _Theme Music starts_ “Piercer & Roper!!!” _Credits Roll_

[@TerrariaGolem]

*Y E S*

[@williamsmith1741]

Thank you!

[@AJPickett]

No no, Thank you sir!

[@williamsmith1741]

@@AJPickett No, I insist, thank you! Question, Bodak Deva, thoughts? I think it's a no go, just doesn't work, even more unlikely than an undead fey. A deva infected with the bodak curse is like combining matter and anti-matter, the cosmic "frequencies" just completely cancel out, annihilating the deva's spirit entirely.

[@thedarkmaster4747]

William Smith Yes, no seriously yes. Orcus wants the entire multiverse to consist of undead automations slaved to his will. Life itself offends him with it's innate rebellion due the geas it embodies to survive. So yes, orcus would/will/has pretty much found away to bodak that beautiful deva, changing only it's face, for that slow motion turn around momment where he can say, through his flesh portal: "You're next mortal! Arghh!!!" Before combat begins(themed 50% wretching shambling undead horror/50% divine celestial perfected martial grace.). and you realise that you're litterally fighting for your soul. Not that other celestial forces would suffer the existence of such an abomination anywhere above the lower planes for long... This is a great idea, do it. It's a strong case of why "demons must remain only in hell."(because they can corrupt everything.) 😇🕊📨😱😵😱

[@LurkerDaBerzerker]

*Relevant and Supportive Comment* So AJ, do you think you could put the old videos that you are replacing into a separate playlist or some kind of archive? I still enjoy the older ones, and it can be good to compare the older stuff with your current style, to see how you have developed.

[@dragonballtalk8527]

Do u hear a lot of hsssssssss ssssss at the end of each sentence in this vid

[@LurkerDaBerzerker]

dragon ball talk Yeah, there is a background noise going on throughout the video, even before he starts talking. I am not using headphones though, but a speaker instead since my headphones died recently.

[@dragonballtalk8527]

@@RichardPhillips1066 I still enjoy the vid and content we need to.help make better vids by giving polite criticism sometimes I think I don't know

[@AJPickett]

There is an archived videos list, they are not getting deleted, may not be accessable for a while.

[@AJPickett]

Also, guys, I'm no technical whizz, but I do know some speakers can't handle high treble when on maximum volume setting. It makes a hissing sound.

[@laquishaadams1854]

I'm running an oinoloth campaign. The players are all paladins, and they're about to find out the person who contracted Anthraxus is a fallen Solar driven with the desire to wipe out existence and start over without the influence of the shard of ultimate evil. I think the standard block for solars will be good enough to threaten my players, and tons of movement to keep them from getting away. I am super excited for it. P.s. Thanks AJ for all of the lore, you provide at least 50% of my prep, And the Anthraxus bit was all thanks to your vids!

[@jacobfreeman5444]

So he was a solar of the mad god?

[@laquishaadams1854]

@@jacobfreeman5444 I guess he is. More like he's a Solar corrupted by the mad god.

[@mytzyxptlyx]

Ye outdid yourself on this one. Fucking Glorious. I especially like the inclusion of the Silver Surfer.

[@rodisrael4432]

I would like to ask when are you going to do a video on the Guardnials & Elysium really like to hear it because of so much little lore there is

[@AJPickett]

They get a mention in the next video I am uploading :)

[@leosciotti1389]

The fact the petitioners don't remember their life is just dumb, you are who you are because of your memories and experiences. If you don't remember who you are the it's useless to live\behave in any way in particular because that personality no longer exist. Let me put it this way; a lawful good god chooses to bring you in "heaven" after your death and then procedes to strip you of what made you worthy in his eyes in the first place??

[@leosciotti1389]

@William Miller well that's just stupid...and who the hell gets to decide if you're born good or evil? Ao? "This baby is going to be a fireman, and this one will be the new hitler" ffs...

[@themalcontent100]

@@leosciotti1389 I think its "Don't be a dick logic." Keep in mind that Lawful Good players are extremely strict and not very fun to pay because they are always has to be on. No rogues, no turning away from evil, no running out the door during bar fights.

[@someoneonyoutube8622]

@troy neenan I think it’s all about how you play the character, I’ve seen many lawful good characters that do not hinder or get in the way of the party because of their lawful allignment. They weigh in with their opinion on any matter being discussed but do not force others to follow, if others do not heed their warnings it then becomes “do what is best to protect the party”. they will turn away from evil they know they cannot hope to defeat but vow to get stronger and return, and for the evil that can be reasoned with will help try to show them the light but if they refuse and they wouldn’t totally outmatch the party that’s when they will try to stop them and will not turn away from injustice.

[@mercaius]

I don't know about angels being TPKs, but it really bothers me how few tricks celestials and fiends have up their sleeves. I remember the first time I used a gelugon against the party on a random roll, and when I went to check its sheet... "That's it? Wall of ice and multiattack? Isn't this an upper echelon fiend?"

[@capnkinkster2kinky4u52]

That is where artifacts , minions and devious plots come into play to add oomph to your bbeg

[@JohnBrown-no4od]

I think I am missing something here. I am no longer a D&D player. I left to play Pathfinder when 4th Edition came out so my current understanding of Angels (Good outsiders), Agathions (Neutral Good outsiders), Archons (Lawful Good outsiders), and Azatas (Chaotic Good outsiders) comes from there. In Pathfinder, Angels (Planetars, Solars, and Devas) are all good. The can be Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, or Neutral Good. They are different from Archons, Agathions, and Azatas. According to A.J.'s video, it sounds like Angels are just super Archons. Is this a 5th Edition D&D thing? If so, it's no wonder why I'm reacting so negatively to putting Archons and Angels in the same category - Lawful Good outsiders. If this is the case, what are Neutral Good and Chaotic Good outsiders called in D&D and do they have super forms for those similar to the super Archons (Angels)? Thanks.

[@--CHARLIE--]

Archons don't seem to exist in fifth edition. Nor do the other two you mentioned. Angel's aren't super archons, they are the Angel's from 3.5 except only lawful good ones. In fact all good aligned gods still use Angel's, even the chaotic ones. The justification for this in the lore is that Angel's have to be lawful, otherwise they might not respect their gods authority. Other celestial still do exist (coatls, ki-rin, pegasi, and unicorns.) AJ probably has videos on all those. I know for sure he did one on the ki-rin and one about both pegasi and also nightmares as those two are heavily linked. Hope this helps.

[@netherveilgames996]

You missed the best edition of D&D for combat... :(

[@bigmonkey1254]

I wonder why we didn't get archons in 5e Monster Manual or Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. It's not like it's any more complicated than explaining what a manes or lemure is.

[@Derinma]

This is the *GOOD* shit

[@luckyte3905]

Pls publish books with your updated stat blocks for all the things u cover, on GM guild. I know that I'd pay for those books.

[@eatme5470]

When I checked if anything was new on AJ's page and I saw this I said yayyyyy\yyyyy

[@HermaeusM]

They are celestial police lol “Morninglord, I have a code-666, gonna need some backup and a coronal mass ejection at my location”

[@dragonturtle7645]

0.) Thanks for the shout out, though it is not just bladlings, gith an modrons that are planars. Creatures that would normally be Prims (Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, etc.) will become planer if they spend a few generations on other planes. You probably already know this but this is as much for anyone reading this as a "just in case". 1.) How do you go from Power to Overgood? Do you have to be lawful good and clime Mount Celestia? 2.) So there are only ever seven Tome Arcons? Is there one per each layer (like one Throne Archon per city)? Are they the Mount Celestia Celestial Paragons or something different? 3.) So angels are like lawful good Space Marines? 4.) Are there Archons independent of any specific deity? 5.) Dose that mean that only lawful good (or at least good) deitys can have angels? 6.) Is the ability to raise dead a innate power or something that they must request from their deity? Dose it work like the Raise Dead, Resurrection, True Resurrection? 7.) How powerful a form can the Agathenion (or the others) take, and are humans the only humanoid form they take (like how Asamar can only be half human)? 8.) Should we just assume that they are all 20th level Clerics, at least the spell casting and class features? 9.) Are there any 5e homwbrews you would suggest for the various angel types, or just use the current stats with the adjustments you mentioned in the video? 10.) Are freelance Devas more independent, or just more versatile? 11.) Do all angels of one type look the same (for instance, are there female looking ones, or ethnic features that do not conflict with the description given? 12.) Is it even possible to beat an angel, or if it is close to dyeing (like if it is against a level 20 party or a few dozen opponents) it could just get beamed up, healed up, and come back with friends? 13.) Dose that mean that Planetars should be about the same power level as pit fiends? 14.) Is becoming an angel a step down (power wise) for a high ranking Archon (like a tome archon, which are probably like the dukes/dutcheses of The Nine Hells, becoming a Agathenion)? 15.) Is that the maximum (or at least the number the gods wish to maintain) or just the number of them that usually exist at a time? 16.) Is there a limited amount of Solars in the multiverse, or at least per deity? 17.) Do Dietys use Solar as their right hand angels, giving them things the deity and its avatars don't have time to deal with? 18.) How have the forces of the infinite upper planes, if they are that powerful, not just go down and kill all of the fiends and evil dietys? Do the evil deitys have something equivalent to angels that they can elevate their fiends (the ones make from their mortal followers and serve them) to?

[@AJPickett]

0.) No problemo. 1.) At the apex of Celestia there is a gateway beyond the Multiverse. 2.) They serve Torm, Tyr and Ilmater. 3.) Some are. 4.) Yep, loads of them! 5.) I don't definitively know the answer to that yet. 6.) It is an innate power, it functions as Raise Dead, but the Solars can Resurrect the Dead. 7.) Well, they can manifest as a Vorpal sword, for instance. 8.) I would, but how you handle it in the game is up to you. 9.) Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica has got some interesting Angel variants, Kobold Press has some great listings as well. 10.) Both. 11.) They are all individuals... picture the opposite of Ancient Vampires. 12.) Anything is possible. 13.) Yes. 14.) They don't make decisions based on our stat blocks. 15.) I don't know. 16.) The Monster Manual says "It is said there are only 24", that could just be a rumor. 17.) Yes. 18.) I know this might sound weird, but they have only determined that Law is better than Chaos.. they don't yet know if the Multiverse works better if goodness or evil prevails. Also, Devils are contractually just doing what Celestia agreed they should be doing.

[@6xXx_Jack_xXx9]

@@AJPickett An angel could also be a sorcerer with the sorcerous origin of divine soul. After all they are magical beings by nature.

[@voodoodummie]

with how powerful the angels seem to supposed to have been (or have been in past editions) one must ask the question "Then whence cometh evil?" Seem to be it would be a summer-trip to round up all fiends.

[@mach6794]

It’s D&D trite but super-necessary troupe of self-neutralizing forces. The devils are necessary so celestials don’t really fight them, but demons are theoretically and literally infinite, so no matter how powerful the angel, their work is really never done.

[@dm_ex_machina3395]

One answer: the shard of evil. Free Will is a byproduct of the Obyrith. If we were to take it away that would be evil. But keeping it introduces Chaos which allows evil which allows corruption which means we can never get rid of demons unless we want to get rid of free will.

[@ChaoticTabris]

I know this is an old video but is the use of an image of Tristian from Pathfinder: Kingmaker at 5:30 when talking about primes intentional? - SPOILERS ABOUT TRISTIAN - I'm asking that because he is actually a Movanic Deva trapped in a human body, which is weirdly appropriate for this video.

[@AJPickett]

Not in the least, I really know next to nothing about pathfinder stuff.

[@Shotta0202]

I have a question, Which is more powerful between a Tome Archon and a Solar?

[@AJPickett]

Solar

[@Shotta0202]

@@AJPickett Thank you for replying I really enjoy your videos

[@DracosDiabolis]

a Planetar working for Chamiee (God of Vengeance) collects the souls of mortals killed unjustly and their souls scream out for justice and revenge. … This Planetar resurrects that soul for it to seek its justice out (think something like "the Crow" mythos) but some that are truly devote become that plantars heralds and can give them some of its angelic powers for brief moments of time. (something akin to Ghost Riders)

[@jacobfreeman5444]

So it creates revenants?

[@DracosDiabolis]

@@jacobfreeman5444 could. or something a bit more powerful I donno. it was the thoughts running threw my brain. as a npc friend/for kinda thing working behind the scenes kinda plot hook maybe for the PCs.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

@@DracosDiabolis You don't have to be absolutely faithful to the stat block of a revenant. Keep the concept but beef it up to make it fit the role you need. Give it the gear and abilities to make it fit what you desire. Don't forget even a baseline revenant should be a terrifying thing to encounter. This isn't just a stronger zombie. It is a soul hellbent on vengeance animated by unearthly powers for that purpose. It doesn't have to be evil or dark powers. One could even say that if it was a good power that they may wish to beef them up if what is being chased down is bad enough.

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

Dracos Diabolis A Celestial Revenant. 👏👏👏 Yes. This is the HomeBrew material inspiration we need. Good work.

[@DracosDiabolis]

@@Im-Not-a-Dog thanks. I was thinking like a PC makes the deal with the angel, and based on the level of the PC. using that as a rough CR rating the Angel lends some of his abilities to the PC. use once and recharges after a sore or long rest depending on ability used.