There are still legends, of course. Tales of kindhearted, down-winged folk that descend from on high to impart kindness to mortals. Or fervent whispers of flaming avatars of justice. Or even the murmurs of ghosts, who say that angels are psychopomps, who sort each soul into its earned afterlife at death.
And surely, some angels do this. Just as some mortals bring kindness to their communities, or justice to their criminals, or peace to their dead.
But that is not the definition of an angel.
An angel is a refugee from a dead universe.
Prayers
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| I am now one of many D&D bloggers who has read and stolen from Kill Six Billion Demons. |
All angels come from somewhere, and their prayer is one of the few things they usually have left from that somewhere. They're perfectly capable of speaking the tongues of the universe they inhabit, but an angel's prayer is always said in their native tongue.
Language comprehension spells aren't always able to divine the literal meaning of an angel's prayer. Sometimes that prayer might contain concepts that are foreign to this universe, and most magic isn't strong enough to translate across universal lines. If you're DMing Loom angels and find yourself in this situation, feel free to pull a TAZ and do your best impression of glitch noises/TV static.
For those foolish enough to fight an angel, the angel will always take the time to say a short version of their prayer before they bring harm to anything. Mechanically, the angel will spend its first round taking no actions except praying. Nor will it move. It might, however, take reactions after its turn ends. That first turn is your best shot at killing it.
Additionally, an angel's prayer will, in combat, warp reality around it. Things will become more akin to the angel's home universe. Probability will contort, and threaten to snap under the metaphysical bulk of two universes colliding.
Angel of Order
And lo, behold the end result of our long work: fortune writhing on the end of a spear.
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| Clint Cearley |
An Angel of Order is a fairly common angel, usually found on Crest. They have done much to foster the aasimar culture on that moon, contributing their advanced knowledge to its mechanical infrastructure and its highly stratified society.
They come from a universe that was entropy-deficient. It could have held immortal, eternal, not subject to the death that comes for all material planes. But it was destroyed by the hands of mortals, and now they work to ensure this world lasts as long as it can.
Of course, you can also just fight them. Here's an explanation of how I do system-agnostic statblocks, but bear in mind I'm designing these for 5E. Unlike most other angels, they like to fight in teams. They will still all take their first turn off to pray.
Angel of Order
HD 6 Size Medium AC As chain Speed As human, fly as hawk
Strength 18 Charisma 22
Twinned Swords: Dodge 17, 1d8 + 1d8
Prayer Against Entropy - The Angel of Order will always forgo any other action on its first turn, and will instead pray. After its prayer is completed, all d20 rolls made during combat are instead rolled as 3d6. Critical hits and critical misses are no longer possible.
Spellcasting - Spell Save DC = 17
3/day: Lightning Helix
Lighting Helix
Standard action, Range 30 ft.
Target creature must make a Dexterity save or take 1d6 lightning damage. If it hits, an ally (or yourself) also within range recovers 1d6 health.
Angel of Scavengers
High above the rotten rows, cloth and metal, teeth and crows!
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| Lucy Lisett |
Most commonly revered by gnolls and kenku, the Angels of Scavengers are perhaps some of the oldest angels. There is no recorded knowledge of their original universe, only rumors of a world without a concept of ownership.
They have been to many universes, and it's said they grow a new eye for each apocalypse they've witnessed. That's unsubstantiated, but what's definitely true is that they collect trinkets from each universe they visit. You're more likely to encounter one as a weird vendor in the middle of a dungeon than as an outright enemy.
Angel of Scavengers
HD 10 Size Large AC As leather Speed As dwarf, fly as crow
Strength 16
Talons: Dodge 14, 1d6 + 1d6 + 1d6 + 1d6
Prayer of Mimicry - The Angel of Scavengers will always forgo any other action on its first turn, and will instead pray. After its prayer is completed, any creature may forgo making a d20 roll to instead use the natural roll of the last d20 rolled.
Angel of Exile
None shall suffer the same fate as our Progenitor. Let there be no more exiles.
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| Randy Vargas |
These draconic angels hail from a universe where Rimhr, the Archdragon, conquered all of space and time. They bore witness firsthand to his cruelty, and protested against him. For this, he cast them out of his domain.
Some say that universe still lives, somewhere out in the web of metaphysics. Regardless, it is certainly dead to these angels.
I would tell you more about them, but my players might read these and I don't want them getting spoiled.
Angel of Exile
HD 8 Size Huge AC As chain Speed As giant, fly as dragon
Strength 22
Greataxe Aflame: Dodge 20, slashing 1d12, fire 1d6
Prayer of Mercy - The Angel of Exile will always forgo any other action on its first turn, and will instead pray. After its prayer is completed, a natural 20 on a d20 roll no longer results in a critical hit. Instead, if your natural roll is equal to or greater than your target's current health, your roll is a critical hit.
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hey friends,
i don't really know who actually reads this blog, but i hope you're all well during these odd times we're in. if you're inclined to do so, let me know in the comments how you're all doing.
wash your hands, avoid close contact, and use this time to do all the tabletop stuff you never had the chance to before.
