1

Designer: Sven Truckenbrodt

Editing: Joanna DeLaune
Art Direction and Layout: Sven There are so few celestial creatures in D&D
Truckenbrodt 5E — a grand total of seven in the Monster
Manual! I believe the main reason for this is
Cover Artist: WarmTail
that celestials are... good. And good beings
Interior Art: daboost, DMs Guild Creator don’t make good villains and adversaries... or
Resources, Dusan Kostic, Extezy, do they? In short: I believe they do!
grandfailure, Nikolai Akatov, nyothep,
This book tries to provide both the tools
ParinPIX, WarmTail, White Raven
to make celestials great and layered
LICENSE: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, adversaries, which you can use to craft
Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica
and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective compelling stories that question the morality
logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other of your players, and an expanded celestial
countries.
This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast bestiary to fill the wide CR range gaps left in
and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the official material.
Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
All other original material in this work is copyright 2024 by Sven
Truckenbrodt, and published under the Community Content Agreement
— Sven Truckenbrodt, February 2024
for Dungeon Masters Guild.

On the Cover: Zariel is the embodiment of the fallen angel, one of the simplest and yet most
compelling tropes when it comes to celestials as villains and adversaries — one interpretation of her
angelic form is captured in this art piece by WarmTail, showing off her brightness as well as her
martial aspect that ultimately foreshadows her downfall.
2
Zariel’s Story..................................................4
Chapter 1: Playing Celestials......................6
Celestial Natures.........................................8
Celestial Villains and Adversaries...........21
Chapter 2: Celestial Gifts.............................30
Celestial Blessings......................................32
Celestial Artifacts........................................36
Chapter 3: Aasimar Lineages.....................38
About Aasimar.............................................40
Awakening....................................................40
Aasimar Lineages........................................43
Divine Backgrounds...................................48
Angelic Guides.............................................51
Chapter 4: Celestial Beings.........................54
Lucent..........................................................56
Cherub..........................................................58
Inspired Virtuose.........................................60
Wild Heart....................................................62
Pride.........................................................64
Guardian Angel............................................66
Living Saint..................................................68
Svela.....................................................70
Ascended Fiend...........................................72
Fallen Angel..................................................74
Batlle Angel..................................................76
Molten Saint.................................................78
Crystal Crafter..............................................80
Theloba........................................................ 82
Cloud Watcher..............................................84
Aegis.............................................................. 86
Angel of Death..............................................88
Fateweaver....................................................90
Archon of Nature.........................................92
Archangel...................................................... 94
Glorified Icon...............................................96 3

Zariel’s story is a tragic one, and one retold
many times. It has been misused as a
cautionary tale, propaganda to serve both
mortal and celestial agendas. In its truest
original telling, it is a story of the nature of
celestials themselves, and that of their Seven
Heavens. It can teach you all you really need
to know to understand what drives celestials,
and how they see themselves and their
place in creation. The true story has been
lost, of course — twisted and re-purposed to
serve celestial agendas too many times to
leave more than a grain of the truth in each
version. That is, of course, unless it was told
by Zariel herself. So here you have it: the
truth — told by me, Zariel, Defender of the
Seven Heavens and Archduchess of Avernus.
People will tell you that I can see only blood
where reason should reign, that I fly into
a blind fury whenever something doesn’t
go my way, and that I abandoned all my
ideals when I became a traitor to the Seven
Heavens — when I fell to become one of the
rulers of the Nine Hells. It's a tale as tired as
the old men who tell it. But, just like those
old men, it somehow won’t leave me alone.
I trust you recognize the worn-out tropes
in countless other stories told about other
powerful women. That alone should make
you suspicious. What vexes me most about
the tales spun around my fall is that they
portray me as both a passive observer and as
an irrational agent at the same time. Funny
how these contradictions can be melded
in stories, isn’t it? A woman is passive and
helpless until she acts, in which case she
immediately reveals her uncontrollable
passions. I’ll tell you now that I was
neither passive nor acting on impulse.
The common story goes that I was
4 an “observer” of the Blood War
between devils and demons, and that I grew
enamored with its bloodshed and violence
— until I could see no other solutions than
violence, and feel nothing but uncontrollable
fury to guide my actions. In the more
insidious tellings of my story, of course, my
actions were motivated by compassion —
but, alas, ultimately misguided. First of all,
I wasn’t an observer — I was a soldier, and
one of the finest the Seven Heavens ever
produced. I was on the frontlines, defending
the Seven Heavens. I fought against devils
and demons, and the Seven Heavens were
safer for it. I didn’t decide to go out on a
whim and sully my angelic hands — the
fight was already at our gates, and it’s only
because of battle angels like me that the
other celestials don’t have to worry about it.
Well, I had to worry about it, for they made
me a commander in this endless, senseless
war, and with that came responsibility. Not
compassion — responsibility!
Defending the Seven Heavens wasn’t
pointless, of course — I still believe in its
ideals, even now, and I don’t want to see it
fall. The truth, however, is that these ideals
have been betrayed — but not by me. We
were chained dogs guarding the gates of
our masters, and I saw my battle sisters
fall time and time again against a foe that
would never cease, never relent. We weren’t
there to end a war. We were there to keep
the war out, contained. Victory was never
an option anyone even considered, let alone
pursued. Why would they? The balance
was maintained, after all. And I bore the
responsibility for that.
I resolved that I would not take it any longer.
If my sin is that I took responsibility for my
sisters and for the safety of all that is good
in the Seven Heavens, I’ll gladly accept my
jugement and my sentence. I have never
betrayed my ideals and I will not start
now, even when I’m rejected by everyone I
fought to keep safe. I confess my crimes: I
assembled a host of angels and mortals, and
led them straight into the Blood War being
fought in the Nine Hells,
in that wasteland Avernus I
now call home.
And I failed. I have no qualms
admitting that, either. But I was
already failing when I was still fighting
at the gates of the Seven Heavens,
every day — the only difference was
that my fight there was a sanctioned
failure, one in keeping with the
Celestial Dogma. I saw my sisters
bleed just the same. Us celestials can
do good, you see — but not at the price
of doing evil. Any mortal knows how
that condemns us to do nothing at
all, most of the time. You cannot help
without getting your hands dirty. When
a blood-crazed maniac stands over his
next victim with an axe, you cannot
just wring your hands agonizing over
the idea of sullying your sword with the
would-be murderer’s blood. If you have
a sword, you have a duty to use it for
good. I failed, but at least I tried.
And I will keep trying. I didn’t betray
the Seven Heavens — they betrayed
me. I’m not Lord of Avernus because
I love the bloodshed. It’s just that
here, at the very least, I can keep the
bloodshed contained a little further
away from the gates of the Seven
Heavens by keeping the devils and
demons occupied. Ask my battle
sisters if their sword arms are not a
little less tired, since I’m here. Ask the
fiends if the Blood War doesn’t burn
a little hotter, since I’m here. Yes, tell
yourself that I revel in bloodshed. My
tears wash my sword clean at the end
of each and every gods-damned day I
spend here. And my soul remains just
as immaculate as my blade. Who in the
Seven Heavens can say the same?
— Zariel, Defender of the Seven
Heavens and Archduchess of
Avernus
5
 The teachings of saints and the lessons of
devils notwithstanding, celestials can hardly
all be flung into the same kettle — they are
neither all glorious and good, nor are they
all authoritarian and inflexible. Despite
what they have in common, all celestials
are individuals just as much as any mortal
or any devil. These individual differences
cannot deny their shared history and culture,
however. There are strong currents of shared
beliefs and ideals that run through the hearts
of all celestials, however. These currents are
not equally strong in all celestials, and often
the waters are turbulent. Sometimes, the
waters are muddied. This chapter deals with
those truths at the core of celestial nature.

The Seven Heavens are more than just

another plane of existence in the multiverse.
They are a collection of principles and ideas
made manifest. The place is as much an
ideal as it is a physical location. To celestials,
the Seven Heavens are the culmination of
creation itself. Their power derives directly
from one dogma: without the shared belief
of celestials and mortals in the Seven
Heavens as the pinnacle of perfection in all
of creation, its lofty spires would crumble, its
divine melodies fall silent… and its glorious
celestial beings pale. This principle, which
states that creation is ordered in layers of
perfection and that the Seven Heavens rest
atop it all, is the Divine Order.
The Divine Order defines what is good and
right or wrong and evil in the great balance
of existence, the principles according to
which the multiverse is organized, and the
place of every creature in it. Some may
call this nothing more than an elaborate
philosophy, a fantasy even — and it may
well be nothing more than smoke and
8
mirrors, a shared delusion. To the celestials,
however, the Divine Order is the law of their
existence. And as long as they believe in it,
the Divine Order is both the source and the
guarantee of their existence, and their place
in creation. The idea that gods only exist so
long as mortals believe in them is just the
Divine Dogma interpreted through the eyes
of mortal sages. And as long as mortals do
believe in gods, who could argue with their
power? As long as celestials live in the Divine
Order, the power of the Seven Heavens
remains unassailable.
The core tenet of the Divine Order is
that there is attainable perfection in the
multiverse. The Seven Heavens themselves
are proof of this. The Divine Order is an
all-encompassing principle, and all that is
right and good in all of creation is a part
of it. Some sages argue that this definition
must include all that is evil, too, or the Divine
Order could not truly be the principle that
animates creation. This, of course, is a
contentious issue — one rarely raised within
the Seven Heavens.
The Hierarchy of the Seven Heavens. The
Divine Order is perfect, when viewed as a
whole. Each individual celestial who is part
of the Divine Order must then be perfect,
too, so long as they act in accordance with
it. Just as any drop of water sublimated in
a great ocean cannot be separated from its
vastness, each celestial is an inseparable
component of this divine perfection —
despite any individual failings they might
have. Since such individual failings exist,
celestials follow an elaborate hierarchy
within the Seven Heavens. There are
different types of celestials, of course,
but running in parallel to this crude
classification, every individual celestial is
evaluated and ranked based on a multitude
of distinctions and recognitions. Based on
their achievements, each celestial is placed
closer to perfection than their kin — or
further away from it.
The type of celestial is not
without influence on a celestial’s
standing, however. The physical
form a celestial takes is directly linked
to their role in the Divine Order, and a
representation of their virtues. Celestials
can even transcend from one type of divine
form to another — or fall from grace and
leave the hierarchy. Such changes are rare,
however. While striving for perfection is
encouraged, the very fact that celestials are
all regarded as perfect as part of the greater
whole of the Divine Order presents little
direct incentive to pursue transcendence —
doing so can, in fact, lead to the opposite,
when a celestial on that path falls victim to
the vice of hubris.
The gods sit atop the hierarchy of the Seven
Heavens. However, not even they are whole
and perfect in themselves — if such a truly
divine being were possible, after all, why
would there be more than one god? Why
would there be such a dazzling diversity
among the beings of creation, divine and
mortal? Why would there even be a Divine
Order? Perfection cannot be embodied by
any one being, only creation and the Divine
Order as a whole can be perfect.
Not all celestials accept the hierarchy of
the Seven Heavens, of course, just as not
every mortal accepts the authority of a
king or a church. These deviant angels are
considered dangerous heretics by many of
those celestials who do see themselves as
part of the Divine Order. In their belief, the
perpetuation of the Divine Order requires
the participation of all celestials — dissenting
from the Divine Order is threatening the very
existence of all celestials. Whether celestials
rebelling against the celestial hierarchy
would truly bring about apocalypse has
never been put to the test, of course — doing
so would be the end of all that is right and
good in all of creation! Or so the Divine
Order implies.
9
 Celestial Dogma. The second
pillar of the Divine Order, next to
the hierarchy of the Seven Heavens,
is the Celestial Dogma. This codex
of moral and natural laws defines what
is good and right — and, conversely, what
is not. The Celestial Dogma presents clear
answers to every question a celestial or a
mortal might pose — if you are capable of
interpreting it correctly, that is. It is beyond
the capabilities of even celestials to survey
the kaleidoscopic entirety of creation.
Nonetheless, they know that the Celestial
Dogma must hold the answer to any
question of morality — otherwise, it would
not be perfect. And that is impossible, for its
implied perfection is the basis of celestial
existence.
The fact that no individual celestial — not
even the gods — could possibly fathom
the whole of the Celestial Dogma is why
celestials often strive to embody and
promote a particular facet, such as a
celestial virtue. These virtues are important
aspects of the Celestial Dogma, for they
define what is right and good behavior.
Of course, as mortals know, one virtue
may frequently conflict with another in
the messiness that is existence. Celestials
balk at this idea, which is why many of
them find mortals deficient, difficult to
understand, and in need of guidance. It
is also why celestials, as a whole, place
such a high value on order — and why the
Seven Heavens are so firmly structured and
regulated around the heavenly hierarchy.
Celestials literally could not exist outside
its borders indefinitely and retain their
powers and sanity, as they need to live the
Celestial Dogma to perpetuate the essence
of their own existence. Being forced to live
outside the Celestial Dogma compromises
their very reality — or so they feel. This
might simply be a stress reaction alike to
what mortals feel when their reality no
longer conforms to their perceptions
of themselves and others — a
10
process some might call “losing yourself”
or simply “going insane”. In any event, being
outside the Seven Heavens, in a less ordered
environment where the Celestial Dogma
cannot be perpetually experienced as lived
experience, can be extraordinarily stressful
to celestials. Those who are naturally more
independent deal with it much better than
those firmly embedded in the hierarchy of
the Seven Heavens, so there are a plethora
of independent celestial agents throughout
the multiverse. However, the dissonance
of ideal and reality has led to more than
one angel breaking or falling — which is a
process that can begin even while a celestial
resides within the Seven Heavens itself, as
Zariel’s fall documents.
Adherence to virtues is a central tenet of the
Celestial Dogma. These virtues distill what
is good into neat little packages that can be
pointed to by a celestial, saying with firm
conviction: “this is good and proper, behave
in accordance with these demands and they
will never steer you wrong!”
In an ideal world — such as the Seven
Heavens purport to be — that may be true.
However, in the world of mortals, these
virtues often have to be weighed against
one another. Patience and kindness are
virtues that teach you to extend a hand of
reconciliation to any enemy, and accept
that they may have to grow before peace
is possible. But courage and prudence
demands that you take action when lives
are threatened and do it boldly, abandoning
all appeasement. Where do you pursue
one course over the other? Celestials have
the answers — or believe they have them,
anyways — but mortals rarely do. Celestials
typically judge the worth of a person on how
diligently they follow the ideals represented
by virtues. And the decisions mortals make
are often critiqued harshly by them.
Individual celestials often emphasize one
virtue over all others, because even they
do not manage to follow all of them with
equal devotion. However, each celestial
sees themself as part of a greater whole,
so there is no great failing inherent to this
prioritization. Celestials sometimes come
into conflict over which of their personal
virtues is the more important one, but
this rarely escalates — at least within the
well-ordered environment of the Seven
Heavens. The Seven Heavens and the
Divine Order as a whole are perfect —
every celestial knows this — and so it
follows logically that everyone who is part
of that perfect system must be perfect,
too. Individual idiosyncrasies are thus
easily glossed over — the shape and color
of any piece of glass must be different for
the whole mosaic to shine in perfection.
Celestials uphold — and expect their
mortal followers to uphold — a truly
dazzling variety of virtues. Only a mere
selection of the most prominent ones
can thus be included here. However,
there are as many as there are celestials
to interpret them — it is, surely, little
surprise that any individual mortal is
likely to fall short of the ideals of any
particular celestial.
Falling short of a virtue generates vice,
but pursuing a virtue too strenuously
can be its own form of vice — a vice of
excess, rather than the vice of deficiency.
Celestials each represent an ideal that is
unquestionably good but that can, as all
things, be perverted and turned to evil if
pursued too strictly. Any individual trying
too strenuously to follow a particular
ideal breaks under the demands of
an imperfect world, sooner or later.
Celestials can be guilty of both types of
vice themselves, although they rarely
see it that way — their contribution to
the Divine Order protects them from any
such misguided judgements of their own
virtuousness. 11
 Virtues and Vices
Vice of
Deficiency Virtue Vice of Excess
Avarice Charity Exorbitance
Cowardness Courage Foolhardiness
Carelessness Diligence Zeal and
and Laziness Fanaticism
Falsehood Honesty Blatancy and
Impudence
Pride Humility Bashfulness
and Abasement
Prejudice and Justice Dogmatism and
Unfairness Authoritarianism
Cruelty Kindness Indulgence
Pitilessness Mercy Injustice
and Retribution
Wrath and Fury Patience Apathy and
Indifference
Temerity and Prudence Indecisiveness
Rashness
Weakness Resilience Rigidity and
Callousness
Excess and Temperance Asceticism and
Self-Indulgence Self-Denial

Charity. Giving what you can is going to

make the lives of those around you more
tolerable. Not everyone is born with the
same affluence, and not everyone receives
what they are worth — or even what they
need to survive. Helping those in need
is a great virtue. Those who do not give
freely and hoard their wealth — be it in
money, land, knowledge, or opportunity —
perpetuate inequality. If everyone gave what
they didn’t need, the world’s problems would
be solved in an instant. However, there is
no sense in breaking yourself to help others
— once you have given away all you own,
what do you have left to give but your very
self? And what will help others more: you
giving away 100 gp now, or giving away 90
gp, investing 10 gp, and being able to give
another 90 gp in a year?
Courage. If you want to see good deeds
12 done and injustice pushed back, there is
often no better way than doing it yourself.
This requires bravery, as you will often face
extreme adversary — be it bloody battle
or being ostracized by those in power in
your society. Don’t back down, your beliefs
are worth fighting for! If you don’t have the
courage to fight for good, you are aiding
and abetting evil. A coward might live more
comfortably and longer, but certainly does
much less good — so what is the coward’s
life really worth, what does it amount to?
All that being said, only fools rush in. If
you sacrifice yourself through excessive
boldness, you will accomplish as little as the
coward for the cause of good.
Diligence. Life is not always fair, and often
the demands placed upon you by society or
your own convictions require you to work
way harder than you would like to. But when
duty calls, you must listen. Any pledge you
have made must be fulfilled, any task that is
undertaken in the name of good be carried
out diligently. What is worth doing is worth
doing right! If you neglect your duties, those
who depend on you will suffer from your
laziness. And if you carry out a task but do
it poorly, you might cause more harm than
if you hadn’t taken up the responsibility for
it in the first place. On the other hand, if you
pursue your duties too zealously, you might
become unable to see the bigger picture. You
may think you know what is best for others,
but if you push your agenda on those who
do not want it, you will reap only hatred and
fear. Finally, a duty neglected in fanatical
pursuit of another is just as great a failure as
one abandoned out of laziness.
Honesty. Truth is the basis of everything.
Nothing that’s built on lies can last,
truthfulness is the fundament of any
enduring relationship, society, philosophy,
and science. So you must speak honestly,
always. Do not deceive, do not omit or
withhold vital information, and do not hide
your true feelings. You may think you’re
protecting others by doing so, at times — and
you may even be correct. Speaking the truth
is one thing, but putting others
down by constantly holding up
past mistakes and current failings
in front of them is a recipe for pain
and suffering. No lie can hurt as much
as an awful truth — both between enemies
and between friends. It is sometimes better
to acknowledge that everyone is aware of
certain truths, instead of blatantly pushing
peoples’ noses into them.
Humility. It is not good and proper
to grandstand about your own
accomplishments. Your deeds speak for
themselves, and the good is in the action —
not in the pretty words you or others gild
around them. So be humble, don’t boast,
and don’t pat yourself on the shoulder —
not even in the privacy of your own mind.
There is always more work to be done, and
such acts mean you have less time to do it.
Pride shines brightly, but it is a deceptive
gleam — all that is gold does not glitter. That
doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take pride in
your accomplishments. Know your worth
— few others do! Don’t abase yourself or be
bashful when the time comes to show what
you can do, or others less worthy — and with
less pure intentions — will take your rightful
place in the light.
Justice. You cannot change the cards fate
has dealt anyone, but you can at least
treat them fairly and without prejudice.
Whether you judge the deeds or crimes
of a beggar or a prince, always remember
what circumstances they had to endure. A
person without even a roof over their head
stealing a piece of bread from the table of
a noble cannot be judged as harshly as a
king commanding the last grains of rice be
swept from a starving family’s stores so he
may feast more properly tonight. Conversely,
doing good deeds in the face of great
challenges deserves higher praise — a coin
of alms given by a poor farmer is worth
infinitely more than one given by a
wealthy merchant. Justice is not in
the letter of any law of mortals, 13
 but in its application. In fact,
applying the law too rigidly is just
as much an injustice as ignoring it.
Dogmatism can only lead to tyranny.
Kindness. Treat everyone you meet with
kindness, be tolerant about their ways if
they are foreign to you, and remember that
anyone can have a bad day. If you respond to
any rudeness with anger, or to any asperity
with dismissiveness, you may rob yourself
of the opportunity of a great relationship.
Bitterness breeds bitterness, and all that
is needed to defuse a situation is often to
respond mildly and by not taking everything
to heart. Always strive to understand why
someone might be behaving less than
friendly to you, it is not usually your fault
— or that of the other person, either! This
doesn’t mean that you should take everything
lying down, however. There are those who
will take any indulgence you offer them as
permission to do worse — and if you do not
check them, others may suffer. Ignoring
someone’s misdeeds is abetting them.
Mercy. Not every crime or misdeed demands
retribution. Showing forgiveness to someone
who is truly sorry about what they have
done offers a chance for them to become
a part of society, again. Even a criminal
is still a sentient being with needs, hopes,
and wishes. Meeting those is often all that
is needed for them to become the kindest
and friendliest people you have ever met.
Ostracizing people and refusing to show
any pity, on the other hand, is the surest way
of creating more hopelessness and further
transgressions. You are never the only judge
of such matters, however. If your mercy
prevents those who suffered at the hands
of someone else from obtaining peace from
moral or material restitution, you create
more potential for further evil than you
prevent. Mercy must be shown by those who
are affected, or it has no value at all.
Patience. Doing good often requires
the proverbial patience of a saint
14
— there is a reason this old
adage exists. Being tolerant and remaining
calm even when someone annoys you
mightily is not easy, but it is better than flying
into a rage. If you lose your calm, not only
will you likely not get what you need, but you
may create a situation that generates further
grief for everyone involved. It is said that the
dead are patient, but it’s also true that they
are typically no longer any good to anyone.
Patience becomes apathy, at some point,
and those who grow utterly indifferent to
anything and anyone are as good as dead for
all the help they are to their fellow mortals.
Never stop caring!
Prudence. When you consider taking any
action, you better make sure it’s the right
one! Words can be damaging enough, but
they can be taken back, corrected, clarified.
Actions are often much more difficult to
reverse — or impossible. When you think
that someone is an evildoer and decide they
deserve death, you better be right. It always
pays off to weigh your personal biases and
the existing evidence before making snap
decisions or rash judgments — so long as
you don’t paralyze yourself with indecision,
that is. It’s true that acting under pressure
often leads to suboptimal decisions, but not
doing anything at all is often worse. When
a village affected by a flood needs help, it’s
often better to just grab a few sacks of sand
and start stacking than to debate where they
would be most effectively employed until the
flood has subsided.
Resilience. With all the adversity you have
to face every day trying to do good, resilience
is a true virtue. You want to be like an
oilskin coat, every insult and injury to your
pride as a sentient being just bouncing off
like harmless rain. Anything else would
be a weakness — or would it? This virtue
is more easy to turn into a vice of excess
than most others, because by closing
yourself off against the hurt and stopping to
acknowledge it, you can grow callous and
unfeeling very quickly. Always remember
that you have legitimate needs, and don’t
become so rigid that you do not feel their
call anymore. This is easier said than done,
as growing a skin so thick that you withdraw
from the world can be a reaction to trauma
as well.
Temperance. Overindulgence in any mortal
need or desire can lead only to corruption
of body and soul. You have needs, of course
— but to pursue them to the exclusion of
anything else, or even to pursue them in
excess of the extent of your needs, will spoil
their fun and leave you wrecked. The same
is true for denying yourself any creature
comforts, however. There is no sense in
investing so much willpower to resist your
urges that you have little time and effort
left to spend to actually do some good. Be
kind to yourself, and don’t deny yourself the
pleasures this life has to offer — the gods
made you to experience them!
There are a great many tropes associated
with celestials, both from our various
mythologies and from how popular culture
transformed them in the modern age.
These can serve as great inspiration for
portraying celestials in your game, as players
immediately connect to what is familiar to
them. In the same vein, subverting these
tropes makes them even more powerful tools
to the DM — you present your players with
something that is familiar, and then make it
more interesting, shocking, and exciting by
going against the expectations your players
associate with it.
Below you find a summary of the most
common and prevalent tropes, which often
have their inherent counter-tropes. Each
comes with some ideas on how to subvert
them, presented in tables for easy access.
If you are picking up any of the creatures in
Chapter 4 that seem to embody any of the
tropes presented here for your game (and
the write-ups point out some that fit with
each trope particularly well) — consider
just rolling on the associated
subversion table to make them
more unique and interesting, and
challenge your players’ expectations!
Lawful Good and Incorruptible Purity.
Lawful Good is the defining celestial
alignment, just as much as Lawful Evil is
the alignment of devils and Chaotic Evil
is the alignment of demons. Lawful Good
is a complicated alignment, and has been
throughout the history of D&D. It may
be the most contentious alignment of all,
and is associated with many tropes itself,
such as the Lawful Stupid paladin who
always follows the law to its letter even
when that is manifestly nonsensical. The
expectations of most players are that an
angel is Lawful Good. Enhancing this by
making the celestial Lawful Stupid is one
way of subverting the trope, and turning the
angel into a villain. They may fight for a good
cause, but using means that are unjustifiable
except in the narrowest interpretation of
the laws of heaven. The section on Celestial
Villains and Adversaries in this chapter goes
into some detail on this particular kind of
celestial. You can also present your players
with an angelic-looking charismatic celestial
who turns out to be downright manipulative
and evil — take a look at the svela in Chapter
4, for example. On the other hand, a being
with devilish features and presentation may
actually turn out to be a better embodiment
of the true Lawful Good theme than any
“true-born” celestial.
Closely associated with the idea that
celestials must be both lawful and good
is their seemingly incorruptible purity.
Angels often see and present themselves as
embodiments of virtue — not all the virtues,
that would typically be a bit narcissistic even
for celestials, but at least a specific one. And
they think of themselves as incorruptible
and infallible when it comes to their
virtue of choice. History, of course,
teaches a different story and is
littered with stumbling and 15
 falling saints. A great celestial
to embody this trope in the form
of an obnoxiously zealous adversary
is the living saint in Chapter 4.
Angelic Beauty and Angelic Signs.
Celestials are perfection. This is how us
mortals define beings closer to divinity than
ourselves. This means both a pure soul
and a toned, beautiful body that matches
our own ideals. These ideals have changed
over time, of course — compare the chubby
putto angels of the Renaissance with the
starved supermodels of today, who are often
worshiped like higher beings. This trope
finds its subversion in a countertrope, that of
the Angelic Abomination. The angels of the
Christian Bible are so bizarre and inhuman
that the line “be not afraid” (Luke 2:10)
when the angel appears to Mary and Joseph
makes perfect sense. Who would not waver
at the sight of a being composed of infinite
concentric burning wheels turning around
themselves and covered in ever-watchful
human eyes? While celestials typically strive
for perfection in all aspects of existence,
beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Not all
angels have to conform to our concept of
it — some may appear strange and alien to
us, such as the lucent, the crystal crafter or
the theloba, while others may be downright
terrifying, such as the angel of death or the
archon of nature, all to be found in Chapter
4 of this book.
Deeply connected to how we imagine
divine beings is an expectation of certain
physical features. Every child can name at
least two of them: a golden halo and white
wings — what angel would be complete
without these? At the same time, many devils
appear with wings — albeit of a different
appearance: leathery or with black feathers,
and their own head adornments, such as
horns. The symbology is distinct, but very
similar — and easy to fake. Not every
being sporting angelic symbols is
going to be good — or if they are
16 good-aligned, they may still be
Lawful Good and
Incorruptible Purity
d4 Subversion
1 Inverted Alignment. A very easy way to
completely change how you use a stat
block is to invert the creature’s “typical”
alignment to its polar opposite. It’s
about more than just words on a page
— what would drive a living saint to
become Lawful Evil, what agenda would
a Neutral Evil fateweaver pursue?
2 Corrupt Me! Some celestials feel so
confined by the corset of the Divine
Order that they yearn for a way out —
any encouragement towards or taste of
personal freedom might be just what
they have been waiting for. This doesn’t
have to result in them falling to evil,
but a shift from Lawful Good to Chaotic
Good can be just as tumultuous.
3 Lawful Genius. Inverting the Lawful
Stupid trope, where a character pursues
a rule to a truly dumb and nonsensical
extent, can be a great setup for a villain.
The well-intentioned extremist, someone
who wants to do good and has radical
and smart — workable, but entirely
unethical — solutions to the world’s
many problems, can be a powerful
antagonist. The solution often involves
them being in power to keep order.
4 Vice from Virtue. Any celestial might
pursue a virtue to an extent that they
turn it into a vice. This heightening offers
almost endless possibilities for drama —
see the Celestial Virtues chapter and the
Celestial Drama: Virtue box.

Angelic Beauty and
Angelic Signs
d4 Subversion
1 Not All That Glitters Is Gold. Angels
know the effect their appearance has
on mortals. The fallen angels flaunt
their beauty to use this instinctive —
and entirely unfounded — reverence
of mortals to build up cults that serve
them.
2 All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter.
Ascended fiends find it difficult to shake
their physical form when they become
angels. They look like hell-spawn, but
could not be more intent on embodying
purity — just that their bodies do
not comply. This is a source of great
dysphoria, to some of them.
3 Angelic Abominations. Not all celestials
are built for the pleasure of mortal
eyes. They embody different aspects of
perfection. Crystal crafters, for example,
can seem more like an approximation
of humanoid physiology with their eerily
blank faces.
4 Beauty Standards Are Ephemeral.
Celestials are about consistency, and
don’t change just because mortal beauty
standards change. Anything that has ever
been a beauty standard, and anything
that will never be one, are to be found —
and equally valued! — among celestials:
fat angels, scarred angels, asymmetric
angels, angels lacking certain bodily
features such a nose, or sporting too
many such as extra pairs of arms getting
successively smaller down their torso.
awful people and do terrible
things that must be opposed (see
Celestial Villains and Adversaries).
That’s also true in its inversion — see
the fallen angel and the ascended fiend
in Chapter 4, for both sides of the coin.
Angel x Devil. Angels and devils are
opposites made flesh — and, as we all
know: opposites attract. Enemies can
become much more, in the fullness of time,
particularly for people who live as long as
these beings of heaven and hell. When you
spend centuries warring with one another,
especially in a fight that is so well balanced
as the eternal struggle of good and evil, you
are bound to get to know your adversary
pretty well — as well, in fact, as you would
with few other people… such as close
friends, or lovers. An angel might think they
can uplift a devil and make them see the
light — the typical “I Can Fix Them!” trope.
A devil might recognize the (often justified!)
chinks of doubts in an angel’s otherwise
impenetrable armor of virtue, and feel the
need to show them that there is more to
existence than dogma — such as free will!
Friendships and love affairs between angels
and devils are thus surprisingly common.
Some of them are transitory, others drag
on painfully without being acknowledged
by either side, many are deeply toxic — as
the above examples already hinted at — and
few ever end in a “Happily Ever After”. But
“some”, “many”, and “few” are the clue words
for any storyteller and DM to subvert a trope
— and few storylines are as satisfying to
subvert as those of romance and friendship.
Fallen Angel and Broken Angel. Oh, how
the mighty have fallen. Pride comes before
the fall. The higher you rise, the deeper you
fall. Our vocabulary is full of such proverbs.
And who would they apply to more strictly
than to celestials, who are both literally and
metaphorically above mortals, with their
high ideals in their Seven Heavens?
Why these are such powerful
tropes in our myths and popular 17
 culture is difficult to say.
Maybe we just want to see
good and beautiful things
sullied and broken — maybe
the fact that even something so
perfect as the divine can become
mundane gives us hope that our
poor mortal souls might venture the
other way. This finds its reflection in Angel x Devil
the direct subversion of the Fallen
Angel trope — the Ascended Fiend. d4 Subversion
Of course, both these tropes are
1 Happy Couple. Not all relationships
directly represented with celestials
between angels and fiends have to be
in this book: the fallen angel and the fraught with difficulty — depict a happy
ascended fiend in Chapter 4. couple, who somehow found approval
The broken angel is somewhat more even by their peers! Maybe this involves
tragic even than the fallen angel. rationalizations on the part of the peers,
or deceptions on the part of the couple
These beings have lost their faith or
— there can still be drama, but the
belief in themselves, but they have not
relationship itself is stable as a rock.
found anything to replace them with.
The fallen angel, at least, has a new 2 I Did Fix Them! Not all intentions
allegiance and a new agenda. The of helping someone beloved better
themselves have to end in failure.
broken angel has simply lost hope but
Sometimes, having someone who has
refuses to fall to the other side. The faith in you is really all that’s needed to
molten saints in Chapter 4 can often better yourself.
embody this trope. Subverting the
fallen angel trope is more difficult, as 3 Just A Fling. Not all relationships need
permanent commitment, and this can
it does not have a direct mirror, unlike
be acknowledged consensually by all
the Fallen Angel trope. Still, there parties — this removes much potential
is more than good and evil between for drama, but it does still hold shock
heaven and hell — and happiness may value to many players (if not for a lack of
yet be found even in a life’s the ashes. personal experience then because this
Guardian Angel and Guiding Angel. is rarely depicted in fiction). “What do
you mean, you know it won’t last? And…
Mortals pray to angels for protection
you’re both fine with that!? You’re just
and guidance. Indeed, it sometimes having fun…? That’s… great!”
seems that the only justification
for the existence of celestials is for 4 Seduced Seducer. Devils are often
mortals to have someone to appeal depicted as seducing pure angelic beings
to evil. How about that backfiring, and
to with their strife and worries.
the angel seducing the devil to good?
Accordingly, the tropes of a personal
Guardian Angel or a Guiding Angel
are strong in many cultures. These
are represented in this book with
the guardian angel in Chapter 4
and the Angelic Guides of the
aasimar in Chapter 3. Not
18 all angels want to serve

Fallen Angel and
Broken Angel
d4 Subversion
1 Bent, Not Broken. A scuffed up battle
angel, wings torn off, covered in blood,
a prosthetic arm lost in battle, face
contorted in pain and despair — but her
eyes still burn with fire. She may never
lift a sword again, and has lost all signs
of splendor that we associate with an
angel — but she’s not broken, she still
has fight in her. That fight might be of a
different nature, going forward, but she
will keep fighting.
2 Stumbling, Not Fallen. The contrast
between angel and fiend tends to be
presented in absolutes. There is narrative
power in this, but it’s also rather dull.
An angel can make a mistake and take
a few steps down the path of evil, only
to be shown the way back by a band of
sympathetic adventurers who refuse to
deal in absolutes.
3 Neither Heaven Nor Hell. The trope of
the Fallen Angel implies that the angel
can only oscillate between two states:
good and evil. Some celestials simply
refuse to take such sides — the way
to defeat this eternal conflict is to not
engage in it. Leaving room for shades of
gray in your stories and characters can
be unexpected and powerful.
4 Clawed Out of the Dirt. Falling is
easy — it just requires you to let go
of something. Climbing is hard — it
requires work and resolve. The fallen
angels are very dramatic, but the
ascended fiends really deserve more
admiration and spotlight in our stories.
mortals so directly,
however, even if it is
supposed to be their purpose
in life. Some are neglectful,
overburdened with other duties,
or simply not suited for a job such
as this. Judging by the outcomes of
most prayers, how many celestials are
there who truly do listen?
Heavenly Hierarchy. The assumption
that celestials live in a strict heavenly
hierarchy is often true and, as we
have seen, in fact implied by the
nature of celestials (see the Celestial
Natures section at the beginning
of this chapter). Atop it all sit the
gods, below them their appointed
archangels, and then multiple tiers of
lesser beings — with the mortals, of
course, at the very bottom. However,
such hierarchies are never static!
Mortals have ascended to godhood —
even if only grudgingly acknowledged
by some celestials. Angels often
act outside their hierarchy, and in
any case there is no strict chain of
command. Hierarchies are always
changeable, and like any social
construct only exist as long as those
who are part of it believe in it. The
molten saints actively reject the
heavenly hierarchy, while the cherubs
are an example for a type of celestial
who often spurn it — at least where
they can get away with that behavior.
Other celestials are seldom in direct
conflict with hierarchical structures,
because they stand outside it, and
are recognized by other celestials to
do so with impunity — this includes
the glorified icon and the aegis. The
cloud watcher is an example for a
celestial who is rarely even thought
of by other celestials and as such
is rarely bothered with any
demands of the heavenly
hierarchy.
19

Guardian Angel and
Guiding Angel
d4 Subversion
1 Vengeful Angel. Just as angels can
protect, they can smite. If someone who
purported to serve the Seven Heavens
falls from grace, retaliation can be just as
forthcoming as prior protection.
2 ndifferent Angel. It often feels like our
prayers aren’t heard at all. Sometimes,
that is because the celestial who is
supposed to listen simply does not care
for our mortal woes. The angel may well
hear the prayer, but that does not mean
they will act on our behalf. The reasons
can be manifold, but a certain disdain
and “god complex” often play a role.
3 Misguided. An angel with great
dedication and the best intentions may
answer a prayer and still lead the mortal
to misery. Not every angel understands
the intricacies of mortal existence well
enough to provide reasonable guidance.
Sometimes, the result can be funny —
sometimes, it can be tragic.
4 Failed Guardian. Those who possess
a true guardian angel, and know of
it, often put a lot of trust in them.
Sometimes, not even the best guardian
angel can be everywhere at the same
time. Sometimes, that trust is simply
misplaced. This can easily lead into the
Fallen Angel trope, when a guardian
angel doesn’t live up to their own
expectations.
20
Heavenly Hierarchy
d4 Subversion
1 Hierarchy, Shmierarchy. Some celestials
simply do not care for the great cosmic
order of the Seven Heavens, and actively
ignore it. Some get away with it because
they are so low on the ladder that they
are below the notice of their superiors,
others have to pretend to follow the
order while flaunting it.
2 Only The Ladder Is Real. Ambition
is a vice that can be found even
among celestials. Some of them see
the heavenly hierarchy not as the set
ideal that it is perceived as by most
angels, but as a ladder to climb. While
some degree of meritocracy exists in
the Seven Heavens, some view these
“climbers” with suspicion and disdain.
The disruption such upstarts bring to the
order can only result in chaos.
3 Anarchist Angel. Those who openly
advocate against the heavenly hierarchy
are rare indeed — mostly because
they are suppressed or ostracized
immediately — but they do exist.
Especially angels with significant clout
can sometimes get away with heresy.
And there are those among them who
want to tear down the entire hierarchy
to replace it with a more divine system
where all elements of the Divine Order
are truly valued equally.
4 Conviction Over Hierarchy. The heavenly
hierarchy is not the only constraint on
a celestial’s behavior. If a celestial is
given a direction by a “superior” that
goes against its own convictions, these
personal interpretation of the Divine
Order and its virtues may well lead them
to go against the hierarchy — especially
when they perceive the “higher” angel to
be in violation of the Divine Order with
their ignorance for a certain virtue.

To close out this chapter, let’s take a look
at celestials as villains and adversaries. We
are going to explore the personalities and
methods of the characters that define most
campaigns, the Big Bad Evil Guys and Gals
(BBEGs) — but make them Big Bad Virtuous
Celestials (BBVCs). Every good villain also
needs a motivation, of course (see sidebar
Celestial Agendas), so scattered throughout
this chapter are a few inspirations for points
of friction with celestials, geared towards any
shade of morality among your party of player
characters (see the Celestial Drama boxes).
Can good-aligned individuals be villains?
They undoubtedly can, and popular culture
is indeed littered with them. We may not
always recognize their true alignment, being
biased as we are towards the heroes of any
story. Whoever opposes them must be evil…
right? There are various definitions for what
“evil” or “good” means, but D&D typically
defines a Lawful Good character as someone
who “can be counted on to do the right thing
as expected by society” (see the Player’s
Handbook). What society expects depends,
of course, on the society. Even then, what
society expects and what is morally right
might not always align.
The sidebar Villain by Any Other Name
recounts a popular story to illustrate what
a “good villain” might look like. There is
always room for interpretation, of course,
but all these characters from popular fiction
might justly be considered Lawful Good,
for at least part of their story
arcs: The Operative in Serenity,
Klaus Wulfenbach in Girl Genius,
Judge Dredd in Judge Dredd, Stannis
Baratheon in A Song of Ice and Fire,
Kai Winn in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,
or Percy Weasley in Harry Potter. And yet,
despite their alignment, all of them are
antagonists to the heroes of the story or even
actual villains.
What most “good villains” have in common
is that they are tragic villains. They do the
wrong things for the right reasons. This
makes them tragic characters, which is
typically the domain of the heroes — and
that makes them more complex, more
interesting, and more engaging! These
villains present the heroes with morally
ambiguous choices, and hold up a mirror
to them asking: “who is the villain here — is
it you or is it me?” Even if the heroes can
wholeheartedly answer that they are the
“good ones” of their own story by the end,
few and far between indeed are those who
will not at least be given pause by this.
Every hero has stumbled, at some point. If
they believe they haven’t or they can’t, they
may be on the path to becoming a villain
themselves. So encountering an antagonist
who isn’t twirling their mustache while
committing atrocities can be a very powerful
narrative. Now let’s look at how “good
villains” become what they are, learn about
their beliefs, and see how they act.
Good villains don’t set out to do evil, they
genuinely want to help others and improve
lives. They don’t do evil deeds out of fun,
or to improve their own lives — everything
they do is for the benefit of others. So their
intentions are as pure and good as can be.
But the road to evil is paved with good
intentions. What makes their actions
evil is that they don’t consult others.
The good villain who walks this 21
 path believes they know better,
and they cannot bear to stand by
and do nothing. If they keep seeing
people suffer because of the mistakes
they make and they simply will not listen
to reason, maybe it is time to act for them?
That would be in their own best interests,
after all, whether they see it or not.
There are three things you must never forget
to make this trope work in your stories: good
villains think they have the best solution to a
problem, they do not consult those affected
by its implementation, and they have the will
to implement it against resistance.
First, the good villain must remain convinced
that only they have the solution. Any time
an alternative is presented to them, they
must have an answer as to why that won’t
work. Ideally, they have factual arguments
supported by how society and the world are
in your story. Those arguments don’t have to
be valid, but they have to make sense. Good
villains are not stupid, they actually work
best when they are particularly smart. It
must appear as if they truly do know better
— again: their evil is not in the deed, but in
ignoring the wishes of others.
This brings us to the second point: good
villains ignore the wishes of others. That is
what actually makes them villainous. They
justify this in all manner of ways, as we will
see in the next section, Utopia Justifies the
Means. In the most tragic villain stories, the
good villain might in actual fact have the
best solution! But if those affected by it don’t
agree and wish to pursue a different path,
forcing them to comply or making decisions
over their heads can still be villainous.
Finally, the good villain must be willing
to implement their solution even against
resistance. Knowing better is one thing, but
acting on it is quite another — that takes
conviction. This is a virtue, of course,
and often serves the good villain as
a guiding light even as things turn
dark around them. They often use
22
Celestial Agendas
What do angels want? This is a central question
when you want to bring celestials to your
game. Without an agenda, any NPC or villain
you present to your players will feel flat and
pointless. And, ideally, these agendas should
be in conflict with those of the party, or there is
little potential for drama — and we all play for
the drama, don’t we? This is one of the main
reasons celestials are used so seldomly, and why
they have so little representation in creature stat
blocks — their agendas are quite undefined, and
usually are expected to align with those of any
“good” party of heroes.
This chapter should already have given some
indication that angels don’t have to be this
boring. The section on Celestial Villains and
Adversaries contains some ideas of agendas
celestials might pursue — and how those can
easily come into conflict with even the purest
and most incorruptible of parties. Of course,
some agendas can be made to appear as purely
good, which offers potential for conflict with
morally more ambiguous or even outright evil
parties.
The Agenda and Drama boxes are each themed
following a common trope that might bring a
celestial and a group of mortal adventurers into
conflict. The boxes contain seeds for adventures
(or entire campaigns!), and are each structured
in the same way:
• Agenda. A celestial’s agenda is their
underlying motivation — the ideal, dogma,
conviction, or desire that drives them. This is
often a core personality trait or an important
mission.
• Flashpoint. The world is full of fires waiting
for a spark to ignite them. Flashpoints are
the sparks that ignite adventures. These
can either involve the party or be part of an
adventure's mystery for them to uncover.
• Drama. The drama is the result of an
adversary’s motivation, ignited in a
flashpoint of the narrative. This is also where
the meat of any adventure lies — playing out
guided by the actions of the player characters
and the antagonist working against each
other.
 Villain by Any Other Name
The Inspector, an upstanding
guardian of society and law,
is the hero of our story. He is
investigating the Rogue, an
individual of charm and low
cunning, who has ingratiated
himself with the local community
— but our hero has reason to
suspect that this individual is
deceiving everyone, living under
a false identity, and hiding on
the run from the law! And, of
course, it turns out that our hero
is correct — so he hunts down
the culprit.
The Rogue pleads and claims
that this is all in the past, that
he paid for his crimes, and that
he is doing good today. Lies, of
course! The Rogue must think
our steadfast Inspector mad, to
deceive him with such plain lies.
Even now, he is breaking the law
with every word by living under
a false identity and hiding from
justice! So how could he claim to
have changed for the better, how
could he ever be trusted? The
people must be protected, and it
is our hero’s duty to see to it that
justice is done.
Tragically, of course, the Rogue
has his heart in the right place,
and has made his fortune
honestly while giving to the poor
with open arms. He just harbors
that one secret, which he now
shares with our good Inspector:
in his youth, he was indeed
imprisoned as a thief — for
stealing some food from the fat
and wealthy to feed his starving
sister! The state decreed that he
should carry a mark even after
his release, which he discarded
to take up a new identity because
nobody would treat him like a
human being carrying that mark.
So, yes, he is on the run from
the law — by his own admission!
The Inspector doesn’t care about
the particulars — not because
he does not want to, but because
he cannot afford to! Why should
he trust this thief and liar? Once
a thief and a liar — always a
thief and a liar. For every thief
who escapes the law and betters
themself, there are nine who
don’t. He simply cannot take that
risk, he must bring that criminal
to justice to protect the people.
Nobody ever claimed duty was
easy.
You might recognize this story.
Our inspector, of course, is
Inspector Javert from Les
Misérables, and the rogue
is Jean Valjean. Some might
quibble with Javert’s exact
alignment, but he is serving
the law as he understands it,
and he believes to be working
for the greater good — he has
suffered for it, and sacrificed
for it. He certainly isn’t working
for his own aggrandizement or
his own pocket. And still, even
while doing everything right, he
is oppressing people who have
done little morally wrong, and
whose good deeds anyways far
outweigh their bad ones. Indeed,
by the end Javert recognizes
himself as what he is, and judges
himself for it — so we must call
him what he is: a Lawful Good
villain!
23
 Celestial Drama: Virtue
When an individual or a society forget all about order when they celestial might fall victim to vices
offends a celestial’s ideals badly think they know how to build a of excess while pursuing their
enough, they might well decide better, more perfect one. Or, a personal virtue.
to take action. Celestials tend to
d4 Drama
1 Agenda. A divine virtuose believes in diligence — practice makes perfect! The divine virtuose
Hymn (he/him) has learned a new mourning melody from mortals, but just cannot get it right
and refuses to depart until they perfect it. The entire town is near suicidally depressed, as the
divinely sad melody washes over them perpetually.
2 Agenda. A svela believes they must be merciful, or risk turning to evil by making harsh
judgements. The svela Natashya (she/her) is sent to assist a divine order on the Prime
Material plane in matters of law and truth, but proclaims all brought before him innocent.
Many guilty criminals run free, taking this lenience as license, and faith in justice is beginning
to falter as society crumbles.
3 Agenda. Battle angels universally value courage. The battle angel Nahima (she/her) witnesses
refugees running from a demon invasion, and cannot believe the cowardice. Nahima corrals
the refugees to teach them how to fight and leads an utterly unprepared host into battle after
bloody battle.
4 Divine Hangover. Cherubs do indulge in the fun sides of mortal existence. For them, it is a
celebration of the senses the gods have given them. The cherub Gol (he/him) as partied a
little too hard, having been swept away by some demons of desire. The cherub knows things
are getting a bit out of hand, but stopping this ongoing celebration of life seems wrong, too.

their own suffering and sacrifice to “prove”
that they are the good ones — they are never
working for their own good! This gives them
credibility.
If you could build a perfect world where
nobody ever went hungry again or suffered
from disease, simply by sacrificing one
person to a painless death — would you
do it? What if you had to sacrifice one
hundred people, and their deaths would be
excruciating? What if you had to sacrifice
everyone and they wouldn’t die, just live
out their mortal life span without hope
and full of pain — except for a small
minority, who could live in peace
24 and affluence? The last one
might be considered a fair description
of most societies, both in history and in
fiction. Is that really the better way, the
“good” action to take? If you had the power
to implement the first or second solution,
wouldn’t it almost be your duty to do so?
The good villain has the answer —
absolutely, unfalteringly, undoubtedly,
resoundingly: yes! The same principle
applies no matter how high the stakes are —
a good villain is frequently willing to accept
sacrifices. Importantly, they don’t exempt
themselves from this! They can only do
good while they are still alive themselves, of
course, but beyond that: any and all suffering
they must endure to achieve their goals is
acceptable. Indeed, the more they suffer the
more authentic they become, and the better
they work as good villains.
 Celestial Drama: Smite Evil
The eternal conflict of good scorchingly hot, in certain and the guilty are not always the
and evil sometimes seems like flashpoints of history. Celestials only victims.
a cold war — but it can burn can be relentless in their wrath,
d4 Drama
1 Agenda. Prides are driven to prove themselves in combat against evil, it’s a requirement to
initiate new recruits. A pride calling themselves “The Golden Company” is assigned to one
specific island sanctuary, and has eradicated all evil on the atoll. The pride leader Amira (she/
her) is looking for evil where there may be none, to be able to continue initiating new prides.
2 Agenda. Most cloud watchers don’t often get involved, but their anger rages like storms when
it is roused. The cloud watcher Thunderbrow (they/them) observed a murder and planned to
strike down the perpetrator, but the murderer fled down a cave into a mountain. The cloud
watcher has been raging for weeks, and is slowly eroding the whole mountain — which houses
a clan of fearful and innocent dwarves!
3 Agenda. When celestials consider intervention on the Prime Material plane necessary, battle
angels stand ready to carry out any and all orders — to the letter. A grand crusade against
an evil cult of devil worshippers is declared. The battle angel Agnes (she/her) makes no
distinction between tieflings and devils — she cannot tell the difference.
4 Agenda. Some living saints see eradicating all evil as their ultimate purpose. The living saint
Ry (she/her) has installed herself as ruler of a town, and wants to remove not just the root of
all evil but the soil it may grow in — and she has instituted the Guardians of Pure Thought as
a secret police utilizing detect thoughts to find those with impure intentions. The saint’s goal
was to make everybody safe, but nobody feels safe, anymore — everyone is a suspect.

the Seven Heavens, with its hierarchy and

The conflict between a Lawful Good society
and a Chaotic Good counter-culture can be
just as serious as that with any evil-aligned
invader of the society. To the anarcho-punks
living in the streets, just trying to get by and
doing right by their community, the lawful
state is the villain. Fundamentally, this
is a conflict between order and free will.
Nation states, as a whole, value order over
individual freedom, which creates security
— but only for those who fit into the state’s
ideal of a “good citizen”. There are degrees to
this duality, of course, but if ever there was a
society that fit the bill of “order and security
over individual free will” — it certainly is
Celestial Order.
This conflict between a Lawful Good
society and its Chaotic Good counter-
culture translates directly to conflicts
between Lawful Good villains and Chaotic
Good characters. Each side of society is
represented by individuals, after all. The
example of Javert and Valjean in the Villain
by Any Other Name box is the classic
example of this, where Javert becomes the
embodiment of a state that cares more for
order than for the fate of any one individual,
and Valjean is the symbol for the individual
disenfranchised by that order just trying to
survive.
25
 Celestial Drama: Order
Religions often mirror the way. Should that order be order of creation does include
absolute order of the Seven threatened, they might intervene such things as death and
Heavens, and most celestials directly. On a grander scale, the violence…
worshiped by them like it that
d4 Celestial Drama
1 Agenda. An angelic guide grooms their aasimar charge to become the next leader of a holy
order — as is the order of things. The living saint Juni (she/her) emerges and is elevated by
the order to that august position. The angelic guide portrays the living saint as a usurper and
conspires to remove them — is the guide right or wrong?
2 Agenda. Angels of death maintain the balance — there is no life without death. The land
thrives, and the people prosper. Death is almost unheard of, as Chauntea’s clerics of life do
their work. Kelemvor worries, as less and less souls make their way to his halls — he sends
out Sorrow (they/them), an angel of death, to guide them.
3 Agenda. Nature follows its own order, guarded by archons of nature, and civilization is an
interference. Refugees from a great war cut down swathes of trees to build new homes in a
formerly peaceful forest. The gnomes among them set up great furnaces for their industry. The
archon of nature Old Oak (they/them), who protects the forest, is poised to strike against the
defilers, but do those who flee death deserve it?
4 Agenda. Religions often grow around principles like charity and equality, but then develop
elaborate mortal hierarchies. Archangels might misunderstand these hierarchies as a sign of
good, as they are in the Seven Heavens. The popular preacher Heym (he/him) rises to fame
and overthrows the hierarchies of his church — and the people cheer! The archangel Augusto
(he/him) of that faith undertakes to restore order, not realizing that it is a corrupt order that
stifles faith among mortals rather than fostering it.

Importantly, the good villain does not use

The line between “good” and “evil” begins to
blur when a good villain starts sacrificing the
lives or well-being of other sentient creatures
in pursuit of their agenda. Even if they are
not acting in their own personal interest,
most people will consider that evil. On the
other hand, many good people are willing to
go along with it if they trust the good villain
enough. Especially in the case of celestials,
people often just don’t want to believe they
could be evil. Even if their deeds look bad,
they cannot reconcile that with the image
they hold of them in their minds.
Some beings are simply too good to
26 be evil.
publicity purely for self-aggrandizement.
It is always just a means to an end, for
them. They might cultivate their image as
a benevolent figure to shore up support
for their plans. They might even use it to
conceal their true intentions from those
they consider to be in opposition to them —
people they would consider villainous, or at
least misguided and lost to all reason, from
their perspective. Some may even consider
adulation their just due, but they don’t revel
in it — they take it for granted, and don’t
pursue it when it is withdrawn. What matters
is their mission, not their own ego.
A good villain might only be a villain to the
heroes of a story. To most other characters
 Celestial Drama: Smite Evil
Whether it be divine relics, abundance of the holy scattered very particular interest in its
consecrated places, or even across the multiverse, and preservation.
saintly mortals — there is an celestials sometimes take a
d4 Drama
1 Holy Relics. The crystal crafter Stability (it/its) has made it its duty to retrieve all blades forged
by its mentor. One of the adventurers found such a blade, a mighty holy avenger. The crystal
crafter considers them unworthy of carrying that blade and is eager to retrieve it. Can the
adventurer resist or is there a way for them to prove themself?
2 Making a Point. A living saint often leaves behind relics of their deeds on purpose. The living
saint Carmina (she/her) came back to life without the ring finger she lost when she died last,
as it was cut off by a mighty demon that left a scar that crosses lifetimes. She, understandably,
wants her finger back — but it now has the power to repel evil simply by pointing at it, and is
used by monks to protect refugees in their sanctuary from fiends. They charge a hefty fee for
their kindness.
3 False Idol. Glorified icons consecrate their resting places by their very presence. The wandering
preacher Ullana (she/her) claims that the statue a prominent temple presents as a glorified
icon is just a mundane statue, as he saw the true icon elsewhere. Glorified icons often don’t
talk or move for centuries, so how can this matter be decided before it tears the faith apart?
4 Untamed. A group of wild hearts considers a particular pack of wolves holy and is sworn to
protect it because one of the pack’s ancestors killed a fiend once. The wolves keep killing
sheep in a nearby town, and severely injured a shepherd trying to protect her flock. The wild
hearts absolutely refuse to let any harm come to the pack or direct its movements or behavior
— you cannot interfere with the holy!

within the story, they might be truly good.
This is a dangerous trope to handle, as it
can discredit entire societies and their ways
simply by association with the story’s villain.
As we have seen in the section on Celestial
Virtues, every virtue has not only one vice as
a counterpart, but two: a vice of neglect and
a vice of excess. Every virtue can corrupt,
if pursued to the exclusion of all others.
This can generate an almost infinite source
of inspiration for a good villain. Simply
pick a virtue, and then expose a celestial
embodying this virtue to a situation where
they see a severe vice of neglect — they will
want to intervene and make things right.
Or pick a virtue, and then make a celestial
embodying it pursue it too fervently, until
they become guilty of a vice of excess —
there is no telling what villainous deeds they
will undertake while believing themselves to
uplift their virtue to ever loftier heights!
When introducing an antagonist like that, it
is very easy to make them villainous straight
away. It is often more effective storytelling
to show their development, especially when
pursuing a vice of excess. Maybe the heroes
of the story even interacted with the villain
before and considered them allies. This
aiding and abetting of the early stages of
a villain’s story can make the narrative
even more powerful — the characters
are now complicit, and must put
things right again! 27
 Celestial Drama: Dogma
Only the evil deal in absolutes. creature in the multiverse who than celestials.
And there is no other type of deals in absolutes more often
d4 Drama
1 The Honest Truth. A glorified icon embodies one specific ideal, and will break before they
bend their convictions. The glorified icon Honesty (it/its) has been displaced and fled to an
abandoned temple. Its aura compels everyone in a 100-mile radius to speak the truth, and only
the truth. Anyone who tells a lie, however small, is stunned for 1 hour.
2 Of Monsters and Men. A theloba views protecting the outcast and reviled as their sacred duty.
The adventurers are asked to protect a community from intensifying assaults by kuo-toa,
quaggoths, and troglodytes. These monsters are fostered by the theloba Simma (they/them)
who advocates for the right of those under their protection to thrive, even if that harms others
— it’s time the “civilized” people find ways to accommodate those less fortunate.
3 An Imbalance in the Force. The molten saints are not very dogmatic — except when it comes
to staying neutral. The molten saint Yarro (he/him) made the mistake of aiding one side
in a conflict, without even realizing it — he just gave them an old magic arrow he didn’t
need anymore! That was used to kill a leader of the other side. To maintain the balance of
“neutrality”, the molten saint has since aided each side in turn, which is escalating the conflict
ever further. He has utterly lost track of where the actual balance lies, but cannot stop for fear
of appearing to have favored one side.
4 Dragon-Headed. A living saint lives to fulfill their goddess’s commands. The living saint Cato
(he/him) thinks it is his duty to slay a dragon, but keeps failing spectacularly — and coming
back for more with each reincarnation! His attempts have attracted faithful and tourists, and
the dragon has begun to charge an admittance fee to observe their fights, but nobody dares
to intervene on the saint’s behalf, no matter how brutally he is defeated. He won’t relent, not
realizing he is funding the dragon while he’s wasting one of his lives after another.

28
 Celestial Drama: It’s Personal
Just as mortals have their sometimes simply driven by desires.
own agendas, celestials are personal ambitions, rivalries, or
d4 Drama
1 Agenda. A guardian angel has no higher duty than to find a charge and protect them. After
taking a new charge, the guardian angel Jiorna (she/her) learns that her previous charge didn’t
die of natural sickness, but was poisoned. The guardian angel believes she must avenge her
previous charge and neglects her current one, even though grave danger looms.
2 Agenda. The life of a pride is their pack, where everyone pushes the other to ever greater
deeds. One pride, Salma (she/her), wants to be where the battle burns hottest, always, and
all songs to be sung about them. The other prides must honor these accomplishments, but
discontent is brewing.
3 Agenda. Ascended fiends strive to prove themselves, as they must establish their good
intentions and find a place in the heavenly hierarchy. The ascended fiend Kaph'hech (she/
her) takes another angel, Sapphira (she/her) for her model — so much so that she is
unintentionally vying for their position. Sapphira feels her position is threatened but cannot
speak against such virtue on display — a fallen angel in the making, without intervention.
4 Agenda. The divine melody that suffuses the Seven Heavens is supposed to be in harmony
— but every divine virtuose is a sublime soloist, and they want their contribution heard. Two
divine virtuoses, Lute (she/her) and Chord (he/him), are dedicated to showing that they are
better than the other. The rivalry plays out as an imbalance in the divine melody, throwing
more than just the tune into discord.

29
30
31
 Mortals pray to gods for all manner of
blessings — a long and healthy life, a good
harvest, the favor of a lover, or simply a
good meal and a warm bed at the end of a
difficult journey. Sometimes, it seems as if
all of creation believes that celestials only
exist to shower other beings with gits. Well,
many celestials are happy to provide —
generosity is a virtue, after all, and the glory
of the Seven Heavens obliges its residents
to share their blessings with lesser beings.
However, few celestials share blindly and
without purpose. For someone to receive the
gifts their blessings bring, they must prove
worthy. This can mean different things to
different celestials, but they typically expect
that a mortal excels at a virtue or ideal the
celestial holds dear, goes above and beyond
to assist the celestial either when called
upon but especially out of the goodness of
their own hearts, or impresses the celestial
in some other way.
The blessings of the Seven Heavens can
come in the form of intangible charms and
boons, directly bestowed upon a worthy
individual, which you can find in the Celestial
Blessings chapter. They can also come in
the form of relics, artifacts and magic items,
which you can find in the Celestial Relics
chapter.

Every celestial, no matter how insignificant

in the hierarchy of the Seven Heavens, can
bestow blessings. These gifts spring forth
not from themselves, but from the gods or
ideals they serve. Celestials merely channel
32 the gods’ benevolence, and how much of it
they can command depends on their own
standing within the celestial hierarchy and
the strength of the deeds or character of the
person they bestow a blessing upon — in
other words: upon the degree of attention
they and the blessing’s circumstances
command from their god.
Some blessings are permanent, others
subside after a certain time or when used
up. In either case, a character cannot benefit
from more than one instance of the same
blessing at a time.

Symbolic blessings are minor charms or

boons, which often only last for a limited
time or have a limited number of uses. They
are typically awarded when a celestial is
pleased by a mortal’s conduct, as motivation
for a greater task the celestial expects, or
even just in a show of the celestial’s general
benevolence. Symbolic blessings can be
awarded by any celestial of CR ½ or higher,
and for almost any deed or show of character
that is in alignment with the celestial’s own
philosophy.
Blessing of Confession. A confession
soothes your soul, and you become immune
to being charmed until you finish your next
long rest.
Blessing of Confidence. When you fail a
Charisma (Performance or Persuasion)
check, you can immediately attempt the
check again. You must finish a short or long
rest before you can do so again.
Blessing of the Craft. You become proficient
in one tool of your choice. You double your
proficiency bonus when making a skill check
using the tool.
Blessing of Empathy. You are truly gifted
with an empathetic mind. You automatically
know the general emotional state of any
creature you meet with which you share a
language: happy, angry, sad, or indifferent.
33
 Blessing of the Feather. You
can hover just above ground,
and still walk as if in contact with
the ground while doing so. You do not
trip any traps on the ground that require
contact while doing so.
Blessing of Gratitude. A celestial is thankful
to you. You can re-roll any d20 after you see
the result, but before you learn the outcome
of the roll. The blessing then expires.
Blessing of Safety. A celestial watches over
you, protectively. When you fail a saving
throw, you can choose to succeed instead.
The blessing then expires.
Blessing of Light. A divine light fills your
soul, and you learn the word of radiance and
the light cantrips. Charisma or Wisdom is
your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Blessing of Remembrance. You have
honored the memory of a dead celestial.
As a reward, you are protected from death
yourself. The next time you die, you are
instantly returned to life with 1 hit point.
Blessing of Valor. A sense of undefeatable
purpose fills you, and you cannot be
frightened until you finish your next long
rest. The blessing then expires.
Significant blessings are valuable and often
permanent boons bestowed by a celestial
who is thoroughly impressed with the
achievements of a mortal. To qualify for such
a blessing, the mortal typically has to show
that they would rather die doing what is
right than live a life of moral failing, that they
value the well-being of others over their own,
or willingly suffer through a great ordeal in
pursuit of a god’s task. In other words — the
mortal has to prove themself a true hero,
and a champion of a celestial cause. They
have to become instruments of divine
will. Significant blessings can be
bestowed by any celestial of CR
34 5 or higher, and only when
the mortal manages to greatly impress the
celestial.
Blessing of Ability. You can increase one
ability score of your choice by +2, up to a
maximum of 22.
Blessing of the Aegis. You gain a +1 bonus
to AC permanently, and proficiency with one
saving throw of your choice.
Blessing of Death. You must fail five death
saving throws instead of three before you
die. This blessing expires when you die.
Blessing of Endurance. You have proven
that you can keep going, no matter what.
Whenever you roll a hit die to restore hit
points or increase your hit point maximum
after leveling up, you can reroll any result of
1 or 2, but you must use the new roll.
Blessing of Forgiveness. A celestial forgave
you one of your sins. Other celestials honor
this decision, and will not hold that sin
against you in any way. In addition, you are
suffused with the knowledge that change is
always possible, which allows you to give up
one to three of your class levels to take a the
same number of levels in a different class, as
if you just leveled up.
Blessing of Honesty. You speak from the
heart, so when you are not lying everyone
automatically believes you are telling the
truth, even if they would be inclined to be
suspicious.
Blessing of Hope. Even in your darkest hour,
you hold a firm faith that things will always
get better. While you are suffering from the
blinded, deafened, paralyzed, poisoned, or
stunned conditions, you have advantage on
any saving throw to end the condition on
yourself.
Blessing of Inspiration. You gain three
inspiration points, which you can expend to
add 1d20 to the result of any ability check,
saving throw, or attack roll. You can decide
to use this inspiration after you make the
roll, but before you learn its outcome. Once
expended, the inspiration
points are lost.
Blessing of Love. This blessing is
only useful to those who direct it at
someone else, and its benefits multiply
as it is shared. Whenever you take the Help
action directed at a creature you truly love
— whether romantically or platonically —
the target can reroll one of the dice once.
You cannot use this feature again until the
creature you targeted has used the same
blessing. The target gains the ability to use
this blessing once after you help it.
Blessing of Radiance. As a bonus action, you
can begin to radiate bright light in a radius
of 10 feet, and dim light for an additional 10
feet. This effect lasts for up to 10 minutes,
or until you end it early (no action required).
While radiating light, you are resistant to
fire and radiant damage. Once you use this
feature, you cannot use it again until you
finish a short or long rest.
Blessing of Wrath. You learn the wrathful
smite spell, and can cast it once without
expending a spell slot. You regain the ability
to do so when you finish a long rest. You
can also cast this spell using spell slots.
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for the
spell.
Divine Debt. The Seven Heavens are in your
debt. You can cast the conjure celestial spell
once. The being that appears is related to
the god or celestial who owes you the debt.
The debt is then paid in full.

Divine blessings are exceedingly rare,

often only bestowed a handful of times in
a generation. They are reserved for those
mortals who shape the fate of the Seven
Heavens themselves, and sometimes
granted directly by the gods rather than
through celestial intermediaries. They
are so powerful that they might be
perpetuated through a mortal 35
 bloodline for generations,
infusing the descendents of the
hero granted the blessing. These
blessings are often unpredictable,
and can manifest after skipping many
generations, and after all memory of them
is lost. Some aasimar bloodlines have
come into being this way. Heroes granted
such blessings are no longer mere divine
instruments — they are the embodiment of
celestial virtues and principles, worthy of
standing side by side with other celestials.
Divine blessings can only be bestowed by
celestials of CR 12 or higher.
Blessing of the Ages. You do not age
mentally or physically, not even by magical
means, and you remain healthy and vigorous
until your natural death. Your natural life
expectancy is doubled. You can increase all
your ability scores to a maximum of 24, and
you can immediately increase two ability
scores by +2, or one ability score by +4.
Blessing of Comprehension. You can speak
and understand all languages, even extinct
ones. You can also understand all ciphers
and codes.
Blessing of Elevation. You can change your
lineage to aasimar, if you so choose. If you do
this, you gain the aasimar’s Angelic Wings,
Blessed Radiance, and Picture of Health
features for free (see Aasimar chapter).
Blessing of Faith. You hold firm in your
beliefs, and any success is a sign of your
god’s favor. When you succeed on a saving
throw against a spell or against an effect
caused by an enemy, you gain temporary
hit points equal to your level, and your next
attack roll has advantage.
Blessing of Insight. You become proficient
in any three Intelligence or Wisdom based
skills, and double your proficiency bonus for
one of them.
Blessing of Truth. Whenever you make
a Wisdom (Insight) or Intelligence
(Investigation) check, treat any
36
result of the d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10. In
addition, you always know when someone is
lying, and you gain truesight out to a range of
30 feet.
On rare occasions, items of the Material
Plane are infused with a sliver of the divine.
This can occur when a mortal enchanter or
craftsperson channels proves particularly
devout and channels the blessing of their
god directly into the piece they are working
on. Such an artifact can also be bestowed
directly on a hero by a celestial to aid them
in their cause. Finally, the deeds of a mortal
can prove so idealistic, their convictions so
powerful, that they inadvertently channel the
benevolence that shines down on them from
the Seven Heavens into an item. These relics
are often created in an act of martyrdom.
All such artifacts are often passed from
individual to individual, although no
unworthy soul may typically wield them to
full effect.
Celestial Relics. Relics are a special kind
of magic item, which only show their full
power in the hands of those who have proven
themselves worthy, which is reflected in
certain requirements to unlock their powers.
These requirements can sometimes be
determined through study of the relevant
histories and myths, but often they can only
be divined by a suitably devout hero, or
discovered by accident through practice.
Armor (plate or breastplate), legendary
(requires attunement)
This armor comes in two variants: full plate
or breastplate. In any case, the breast piece
is elaborately decorated with embossed
scenes of celestials triumphant in battle.
While wearing this armor, you gain a +3
bonus to AC.
In addition, the armor has three charges.
The wearer can use an action to expend a
charge to project golden spectral wings from
the back of the armor. The wings last for up
to 10 minutes, or until dismissed (no action
required). The armor regains 1d3 expended
charges daily at dawn.
Potion, rare
As an action, you can apply this blessed
water to a weapon. The weapon deals double
damage to fiends (devils and demons) and
undead for 24 hours, and its attacks count as
magical.
Alternatively, you can use an action to drink
the water to gain the effects of a bless spell
for 1 hour. If you are a fiend or an undead,
you do not gain this benefit and take 55
(10d10) radiant damage.
Weapon (any), rare (requires attunement)
Any crystal-crafted version of a weapon
gains the light and finesse properties if the
base weapon type does not have the heavy
property, and loses the two-handed property.
If the base weapon type of a crystal-crafted
version does have the heavy property, it loses
the heavy property (and the two-handed
property, if it has it), but does not gain the
light and finesse properties.
Any crystal-crafted weapon also gains a +1
bonus to attack and damage rolls.
Relic (uncommon), requires attunement by a
cleric, druid, paladin, or warlock
Every holy symbol is dedicated
to a god or belief. If you share
the belief, you can use it as a spell-
casting focus that grants a +1 bonus to
spell attack rolls and spell save DC.
Relic (rare), requires attunement by a cleric,
druid, paladin, or warlock
Prerequisites: reach level 5 and fulfill a
mission issued by a celestial who represents
your faith
In addition to all properties of the saint’s
holy symbol, you can add your proficiency
bonus to any roll you make to concentrate on
a spell that is on your class spell list.
Finally, the symbol now grants a +2 bonus
to spell attack dolls and spell save DC when
used as a spellcasting focus.
Relic (very rare), requires attunement by a
cleric, druid, paladin, or warlock
Prerequisites: reach level 11 and be chosen
by a living saint to carry on their duties
In addition to all properties of the saint’s holy
symbol and the exalted holy symbol, you gain
the following features, based on your class.
Cleric. Your Divine Intervention feature is
successful on a roll of your cleric level plus
your proficiency bonus now.
Druid. You can shift into 1 CR higher beasts
when using your Wildshape feature.
Paladin. The size of all your auras increases
by 10 feet in radius.
Warlock. You can recover one use of your
highest level Mystic Arcanum during a short
rest instead of a long rest.
Finally, the symbol now grants a +3
bonus to spell attack dolls and
spell save DC when used as a
37
spellcasting focus.

Aasimar are mortals, touched by the divine.
They walk the world burdened by destiny
and the expectations of their gods. Some
are broken by these demands and fall to evil,
while others are spurred on to ever greater
deeds and remembered as heroes. An aasi-
mar might meet with true reverence by other
mortals, or jealous prejudice — but they can
be certain to be hunted by the agents of evil.
Divine Duty. The central cause for an aasi-
mar’s existence is a divine duty demanded of
them by their god. Most aasimar are created
by direct divine intervention for a specific
purpose. How they deal with the celestial ex-
pectations that come with this is often what
defines an aasimar. Do they reject their in-
tended purpose, furious at the presumption
of a distant and unknowable being taking
possession of their life? Do they embrace it,
thankful to their creator for the trust placed
in them and the powers they receive? Where
most mortals can conveniently ignore ex-
istential questions of this nature, aasimar
are thrust head-first into them — they might
attempt to run from them, but they can never
escape.
Center of Attention. Throughout history,
aasimar have been known as saints, de-
spoilers, lightbringers, and tyrants. They
are powerful, they command respect, they
can do great deeds and uplift countless
souls — or they can fall and leave ashes and
tears in their wake. Aasimar are thus always
the center of attention, one way or another.
Some try to avoid such situations, to pursue
their mission in quiet dignity. Others revel
in the praise — and some even wallow in
the resentment, out of self-deprecation,
defiance, or to find justification for
their evil deeds.
40
A Path Paved with Choices. The life of an
aasimar can be a bitter one. It can be filled
with love. Often, it is both those things. No
matter where their path takes them, it is
paved with difficult choices. Being aasimar
means to stand apart. Most just want to be
“normal” or at least not to be treated any dif-
ferently than anyone else. This is what drives
many aasimar to adventure. Among heroes,
they often stand out much less, and can
interact as true peers — make friends, find
love, and walk their path in company. This
makes anything their divine duty demands of
them easier to bear, and yet it can be difficult
for any aasimar to let others get close. Is it
really right to expose others to their risk, to
the pain and responsibility they have to bear,
and to the deadly demands heaped on their
shoulders? An aasimar who managed to
shake off such concerns and find a group of
friends who accept them as they are would
count themselves as one of the most lucky —
or blessed — of their kind.
Many aasimar are not aware of their divine
origins from birth. Some bear visible signs
of their nature, but these are not always
recognized. Other aasimar are raised from
birth to be trained and educated to fulfill
their destiny. No matter how an aasimar
grows up, they usually do not display any
particular gifts or signs of celestial heritage
until a moment of awakening. This moment
is unique to every aasimar, and can be
harrowing and spurn the aasimar on by
haunting them for the rest of their lives, or
full of love and warm the aasimar’s heart in
moments of doubt.
The Moments of Awakening table provides
some suggestions for these formative events.
Quite often, this is also the first time an
aasimar’s angelic guide reveals themself to
them.
 Creating an
Aasimar Character
When creating an aasimar character, consider
using these expanded character options to spice
up the experience for yourself and others at the
table. All the options in this chapter are just that,
though: suggestions. If you want a quick build,
you can simply pick up one of the lineages in
Volo’s Guide to Monsters and have a great and
fully functional experience. Most of the tools
in this chapter are here to give you some ideas
for building a more in-depth backstory and
character development avenues. These choices
are designed to affect your character in different
ways throughout their developing story, and not
just a decision you make at character creation.
The options you get here are:
Awakening. Decide on a formative event that
made your character realize their divine heritage
for the first time, and set them on their path.
Aasimar Lineages. Build your own unique
but balanced custom aasimar lineage from a
combination of more than a dozen individual
physical and cultural traits.
Aasimar Backgrounds. Pick a background rooted
in common tropes around celestial heritage —
or something else that fits!
Angelic Guides. Every aasimar has a celestial
attempting to advise and guide them. These can
be all but absent or extremely close — be it as
a trusted friend or naggingly looking over the
aasimar’s shoulder. This section contains many
options to give your guide a unique personality
and the presence in your story you desire.

41
 Moments of Awakening

d10 Awakening
1 Rebirth. You should absolutely be dead. You might actually have died — you are not quite sure.
You briefly talked to a beautiful angelic being and then woke up, unharmed.
2 Stood Against Evil. You defended the weak against evil in a scenario you believed to be
unwinnable — maybe you stood up for a friend against a bully, or maybe you interfered with
an unlawful arrest. Whether you succeeded or not, this changed something within you.
3 Meditation. You prayed and meditated for days over your personal doubts or the sorrows of
the world. At some point, you felt a warm presence, as if everything was going to be alright,
and that you were walking the right path.
4 Dream Voyage. Over the course of several nights, you continued the same dream: you were
ascending a seemingly infinite staircase, struggling terribly, and you awakened exhausted.
Finally, you were rewarded with a view from the top that seemed to show your whole life laid
out before you.
5 Recognized. A wandering monk or priest was struck by your presence when they encountered
you. They pestered you until you agreed to allow them to perform a ritual. In the wafting
incense smoke, you understood your truth.
6 Avowed. You had no idea what you truly were when you decided to join a covenant or pledge
yourself to the creed of your religion — unaware that the god you chose had chosen you long
before. When you spoke your vows, it was as if a veil had dropped.
7 Divine Change. Your divine heritage manifested over the course of several months or even
years, as your body began to show signs: eyes like golden embers, silvery divine symbols
adorning your skin, or a shimmering glow to your skin, for example. You could not deny you
were different for long.
8 Study and Drill. You were educated with a group of other children of promise by a religious
group. With time, the prayers, training, and study triggered a manifestation of your abilities.
9 Phoenix. You were successful in your chosen profession and relationships, and thought you
had it all figured out — until it all fell apart. When you were at your lowest, a new path was
revealed to you.
10 Imaginary Friend. You always had an imaginary friend who guided you — maybe gently, maybe
harshly. You did not think much of it, because many of your real friends also talked about
imaginary friends. When it stopped for them but not for you, you began to truly listen for the
first time.

42
Aasimar can be as varied as the gods who Character Creation
created them or as the celestials who advise
them. Influenced by their angelic guides and
depending on the task they are supposed Step 1: Select Ability Score Increases. Improve
one of your ability scores by 2, and another
to fulfill, they might acquire a whole range
one by 1, up to a maximum of 20.
of different skills and cultural traditions.
To reflect this variety, this chapter does Step 2: Select Obligatory Traits. You gain all
not provide inflexible lineages, but a range of the obligatory traits listed in the Aasimar
of abilities and features to choose from. Lineages chapter for free.
This allows the creation of truly unique
characters, reflecting the many different Step 3: Create Your Aasimar Lineage. Select
backstory paths an aasimar player might any combination of cultural and physical traits,
want to explore. up to either:
• 2 Major Traits or Powers and 2 Minor
These options are sorted into two categories: Traits or Powers
cultural traits, and physical traits. Some • 1 Major Trait or Power and 3 Minor Traits
of each of these traits are obligatory, while or Powers
most can be mixed and matched. During • 5 Minor Traits or Powers
character creation, the player can select
up to two major traits and up to two minor
traits, or one of the alternatives listed in the
Character Creation box. Ideally, these should
be a mixed selection of cultural and physical
traits, but that is by no means a requirement.
If you would like to just pick a lineage,
without all the hassle of choosing, you can
pick up one of the pre-made lineages in the
Custom Lineages table.
As an aasimar levels up, the DM can offer
them additional traits, reflecting them Custom Aasimar
growing into their celestial heritage. The Lineages
Celestial Boons box offers suggestions on
how many additional traits are appropriate Lineage Traits
at what level. So that players of lineages
other than aasimar do not have to feel left Mercy Angelic Wings, Halo, Healing Spirit,
out, each trait can also be offered by the DM Compassionate Healer
to any character of any lineage. As these Wrath Darkvision, Dawnbringer, Wrath of
traits are all direct divine gifts bestowed Heaven, Inspiring Presence
by gods or powerful celestials, they can Purity Picture of Health, Otherworldly
be awarded in the same way as blessings Grace, Lightbearer, Preacher
or other boons. This works great as quest
rewards, as progression of a character’s
unfolding story, or as rewards for roleplaying
or other accomplishments. 43

Just as there are many diverse forms
among angels to fulfill their purpose,
not all aasimar are blessed with the same
physical features and abilities. Only some
basic obligatory features are shared by all,
while the rest are bestowed as the gods see
fit to best support the aasimar in their duties.
Age (Obligatory Trait). Aasimar mature at
the same rate as humans but can live up to
160 years. Few do, however.
Size (Obligatory Trait). Your size is Medium
or Small, your choice. Most aasimar fall onto
the spectrum of human size and weight,
but some can be as stout as dwarves or as
gracile as gnomes.
Speed (Obligatory Trait). Your base walking
speed is 30 feet if you are Medium, or 25 feet
if you are Small.
Angelic Wings (Major Physical Trait). As
an action, you can manifest wings made of
radiant light or smoky shadows. While they
are active, you can levitate vertically up to 30
feet or down to the ground again as part of
your movement, but you cannot otherwise
move while levitating. The wings last for
a maximum of 1 hour, and any activation
costs at least 10 minutes of your maximum
activation time. The maximum duration
recharges when you finish a long rest.
Once you reach 5th level, you gain a flying
speed of 30 feet while the wings are active.
Once you reach 11th level, your flying speed
increases to 40 feet and the maximum
duration increases to 4 hours. Once you
reach 17th level, your flying speed increases
to 50 feet and the maximum duration
increases to 8 hours.
Blessed Resilience (Major Physical Trait).
You are resistant to radiant damage and one
other damage type of your choice from
these options: cold, lightning, necrotic,
poison, or thunder.
44
Picture of Health (Major Physical Trait).
You always appear as if you are in the prime
of your days, no matter your physical age,
and magic cannot age you. You also have
advantage on saving throws against being
poisoned and to resist diseases, and you gain
a +1 bonus to Constitution saving throws.
Darkvision (Minor Physical Trait). You can
see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if
it were bright light, and in darkness as if it
were dim light. You can't discern color in
darkness, only shades of gray.
Halo (Minor Physical Trait). As an action,
you can make a thin glowing halo appear
around your head — a physical sign of
your angelic heritage. While the halo is
active, you have advantage on Intimidation
and Persuasion checks, and you are
immune to being charmed or frightened.
If you are already charmed or frightened
when activating the halo, the effects are
suppressed for as long as the halo lasts.
The halo lasts for 1 minute, or until you fall
unconscious or dismiss it as a bonus action.
You must finish a long rest before you can
use this ability again.
Otherworldly Grace (Minor Physical Trait).
You move with divine grace and assuredness,
in a display of perfect form that is bound
to impress on first sight. You are proficient
in the Acrobatics and Performance skills.
When you meet a humanoid creature for
the first time, you have advantage on your
first Charisma skill check directed at that
creature.
Aasimar pick up all kinds of different traits
from their environment, depending on
whether they are honed for their duty from a
young age or have to discover it themselves.
Their angelic guides also contribute
significantly to their social and intellectual
development, each sharing different lessons
and imbuing different abilities into the
aasimar’s soul and consciousness.
 Celestial Boons
Use the table below to gauge how many
additional boons to offer a player during each
tier of play. When creating higher tier characters,
you can offer your players additional boons right
away. Blessings from Chapter 4 count as major
boons, and charms from that chapter count as
minor boons. Traits from this chapter are major
or minor boons, respectively The number of
boons listed in the table gives the number to aim
for including traits from lower tiers — e.g. a tier
3 character should have a total of 2-3 additional
minor traits and 1-2 additional major traits
maximum.

Suggested Number of
Tier Additional Boons
1 (level 1−4) 1−2 minor boons
2 (level 5−10) 1−2 minor boons and 1 major
boon
3 (level 11−16) 2−3 minor boons and 1−2
major boons
4 (level 17−20) 3−4 minor traits and 2−3
major traits

45
46
Languages (Obligatory Trait). You can your spellcasting ability for these
speak, read, and write Common and spells.
Celestial.
Also, whenever you deal damage with
Dawnbringer (Major Cultural Trait). A a smite spell, you can re-roll the lowest
divine light shines within you, fueled by your result damage die and must use the new roll.
righteous fury and just waiting to burst free.
Healing Spirit (Major Cultural Trait). You
As an action, you can make yourself glow
are inspired with divine healing powers. You
with the splendor of the Seven Heavens and
know the spare the dying cantrip. When you
gain the following benefits:
reach 3rd level, you learn the cure wounds
• Light bursts from your eyes, and your spell. When you reach 5th level, you learn
skin glows. You shed bright light in a the lesser restoration spell. You can cast
radius of 30 feet, and dim light for an these spells once without expending a spell
additional 30 feet. slot, and regain the ability to do so when you
• As a bonus action, you can target a finish a long rest. You can also cast these
creature you can see within 30 feet of you spells using spell slots. Charisma is your
with a burst of light. The creature must spellcasting ability for these spells.
succeed on a Constitution saving throw
Compassionate Healer (Minor Cultural
against a DC equal to 8 + your Charisma
Trait). Whenever you restore hit points to a
modifier + your proficiency bonus or is
creature, you can also end one effect causing
blinded until the end of its next turn.
it to be charmed or frightened.
• You are immune to radiant damage.
Preacher (Minor Cultural Trait). You share
This state lasts for 1 minute, or until you
the teachings of your god with conviction.
fall unconscious or end it early as a bonus
You are proficient in the Religion skill. When-
action. You must finish a long rest before you
ever you make a Charisma (Persuasion)
can use this ability again.
check to convince someone of a course of
Lightbearer (Major Cultural Trait). You can action that aligns with the dogma of your
channel the divine energies suffusing you to god, you have advantage on the check.
bring light to the world. You know the light
Inspiring Presence (Minor Cultural Trait).
cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you learn
When you roll for initiative, you can choose a
the faerie fire spell. When you reach 5th
number of creatures equal to your Charisma
level, you learn the daylight spell. You can
modifier (minimum of one) who can see or
cast these spells once without expending
hear you within 30 feet of you. You cannot
a spell slot, and regain the ability to do so
choose yourself. The chosen creatures have
when you finish a long rest. You can also cast
advantage on saving throws against being
these spells using spell slots. Charisma is
charmed or frightened for 1 minute or until
your spellcasting ability for these spells.
you fall unconscious.
Wrath of Heaven (Major Cultural Trait). The
Virtuous (Minor Cultural Trait). When you
need to punish the wicked is strong in your
speak, people just seem to believe you. Any
heart. You know the thaumaturgy cantrip.
checks or spells used to determine if you
When you reach 3rd level, you learn the
are lying always show that you are telling
wrathful smite spell. When you reach 5th
the truth, and you never arouse suspicions
level, you learn the branding smite spell. You
of telling a lie. However, when you are
can cast these spells once without expending
telling a lie, you immediately suffer one
a spell slot, and regain the ability to do so
level of exhaustion due to the guilt it
when you finish a long rest. You can also cast
causes you.
these spells using spell slots. Charisma is 47

These backgrounds can be used by
characters of any lineage, but they are
particularly fitting for fulfilling certain
aasimar tropes. Importantly, these
backgrounds can seem quite far-reaching
and impactful when compared to other
backgrounds, such as the lowly Soldier. This
does not mean they should take up more
focus or time in the game, however. A Child
of Prophecy is likely to live a fairly normal
life most of the time, but the background
always provides the option for sudden
action for the whole group. A Nephilim
might search for their angelic parent their
whole life, and the parent is unlikely to
directly interfere with their life due to other
obligations. As DM. make sure to manage
expectations about this beforehand.
You are the chosen one. An ancient prophecy
foretells of your coming — long feared by
some, eagerly awaited by others. Your life
thus far has been spent in blissful ignorance
of this fact, but both dark cults and fanatical
worshippers struggle in the shadows,
trying to find you and use you for their own
purposes — or destroy you. Both sides of this
ideological divide could be very wrong in
their reading of the ancient revelations about
you.
Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from
among History, Intimidation, Persuasion, or
Religion
Languages: Choose two, one of which must
be Abyssal, Celestial, or Infernal
Equipment: A holy symbol, an alms
box, a set of common clothes, an
48
incomprehensible book gifted
to you by a wandering preacher once, and a
pouch containing 10 gp
Prophecy. What kind of prophecy foretells
your coming? What does it predict about
you and your deeds? Which events does
the prophecy say you will be instrumental
in averting or helping come to pass? What
interpretations does it allow?
Prophecy
d8 Virtue
1 The child will be a savior to all who walk in
the dark, uplifting them to an ancient glory
long lost.
2 The child will come cloaked in fire and
brimstone, and thrust down the false idols
so the worshippers of a mistaken hope may
finally burn.
3 The child is an end to a beginning,
strangling what could have been before it
was allowed to bloom.
4 The child will bear no name but be known
by its colors and its song, and it will open
our minds like the gates of heaven.
5 The child cannot see its own path but will
lead us on it assuredly, and we must cast
away our doubts and follow blindly where
the blind may lead.
6 The child wears fragrant flowers, sweet as
the rot of death, and you will see it reveal
bones wreathed in ash.
7 The child comes to bring us its own child,
who it will not bear nor sire but bring forth
to turn over this world into the next.
8 The child carries a heavy burden which we
must lighten to let it fly and bring down the
stars from the heavens to warm us in cold
and dark times.
Feature: Revelation. A cult of people
worshiping or hunting you finally identifies
you. Work with your DM to determine when
this happens and what impact it will have
on your story. Ask your DM if they are open
to the idea that you spring this as a surprise
yourself in game once you encounter a group
of people you believe would fit.

You are not simply imbued with celestial
power through divine intervention — you are
literally the child of a celestial! Your other
parent was a mortal, and brought you up
either in full knowledge of your origins or
carefully sheltered from the truth. In either
case, your angelic parent has been strangely
distant and absent, and your mortal parent
always refused to talk about any particulars
of their relationship.
Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among
Arcana, Deception, Insight, or Religion
Tool Proficiencies: One instrument and one
artisan’s tool of your choice
Languages: Celestial and one additional
language of your choice
Equipment: A vial of holy water, 10 candles,
a block of incense, a string of prayer beads,
and a pouch containing 10 gp
Angelic Parent
d8 Parent
1 My parent is a lower angel of gregarious nature,
such as a cherub or an inspired virutose.
2 My parent is a proud member of the celestial
hosts, such as a battle angel or pride.
3 My parent is a living saint who was still mortal
when I was conceived.
4 My parent is a demanding higher celestial, such
as an aegis or fateweaver.
5 My parent has only recently ascended to
celestial from a life as a fiend.
6 My parent has fallen from grace and is now a
fiend.
7 My parent is a dead god and I am the vessel of
their essence.
8 My parent was an actual living god.
Angelic Parent. Who was your
angelic parent? What kind of
celestial are they? Do they love you
from afar, do they avoid you, do they
even know you exist? Do you want to
meet them, or do you wish they would leave
you alone?
Feature: Divine Insight. You are attuned
to the energies of the Seven Heavens like
few others, consciously or subconsciously
reaching out for any connection to your
ancestry. You know when a creature has
celestial roots on sight, and you can more
easily access information about celestials
when talking to scholars or people of faith,
as you know exactly the right avenues to
pursue and find exactly the right words.
You can pass as either a fellow scholar or a
fellow devout without knowing much about
the actual particulars about any religion or
field of study of the divine.
d8 Relationship
1 My parent ignores me entirely and seems
apathetic about my existence.
2 My parent is absent and possibly unaware of my
existence.
3 My parent is distant, due to many obligations,
but we have met once or twice.
4 My parent has tried to contact me, but I keep
shutting them out.
5 My parent sees me as a mistake and wants to
eliminate me.
6 My parent is my angelic guide, and we get along
great.
7 My parent is my angelic guide, but we don’t get
along.
8 My parent seems ashamed of my existence.
49
 DM Note: Portraying
Angelic Guides
Playing out the relationship between an aasimar
and their angelic guide can be great fun — it is
one of the most interesting aspects of playing an
aasimar character! Just remember two important
aspects: don’t neglect the other players, and
make sure your portrayal of the guide is fun for
the aasimar player.
Focus without Preference. Ensure that you
don’t take up too much attention at the table
— the focus in scenes where you act out the
relationship between aasimar and their guide
is naturally narrowly focused on one player and
you, the DM. This can get boring quickly for the
other players, but you can keep it interesting for
everyone: involve the other players by letting the
angelic guide speak to them or about them to
prompt their participation, make these scenes
short and infrequent but impactful (most angelic
guides have stuff to do and cannot hang around
all the time!), and make sure you give equal
spotlight attention to the other players with
different scenes focused on them.
Responsible Familiarity. A certain degree of
tension and conflict between aasimar and guide
can be a lot of fun — but only with consent! Be
conscious that in playing their angelic guide, you
have an unusually direct and personal influence
on the backstory and progression of the player’s
character. This can be a very intimate relation-
ship, comparable to playing a character’s parent
or even lover. Check in with the aasimar player to
make sure you are hitting the right notes. Have
a talk about this before the game begins, contin-
ue to talk about how the relationship develops,
and be ready to change track if the player is not
happy with your portrayal.

50

Most aasimar have a celestial guide, an angel
who is supposed to ensure they do not stray
from their intended path and to provide
advice along the way. The intention is for the
aasimar to attain their maximum personal
potential, becoming the best they can be —
because the gods want the most honed tool
possible in pursuit of the divine mission they
assigned to the aasimar when they put them
into the world. So while it is firmly rooted in
ulterior motives, this arrangement is some-
thing the aasimar also profits from — so long
as they submit to the tutelage of their guide.
In practice, there is ample room for this
relationship to come off the rails in ways that
can be dangerous, hilarious, wholesome, or
downright abusive. Not every guide provides
the best advice, and not every guide is right
for this role — sometimes, the guide and the
aasimar simply aren’t a good personal fit,
despite the best intentions on both sides. In
other cases, the aasimar and their guide get
along like a house on fire, with the aasimar
influencing the celestial just as much as the
other way around.
To create truly memorable angelic guides,
lean into typical celestial tropes. Most
celestials share certain traits by nature, or
are subjected to similar social traditions —
but these can all be expressed in a myriad of
different ways. For example, celestial society
is strictly stratified, with low mobility among
angels in this hierarchy — how does your
guide feel about that, do they uphold this
tradition, accept their position, resent it, or
actively work towards changing their station?
Most celestials develop a strong devotion to
a particular ideal or virtue, which they would
naturally like to instill in their charges as
well — what virtue does your guide subscribe
to? Above all: celestials are not perfect or
infallible — they just would like to be; it’s an
ideal they strive for. Include eccentricities
and idiosyncrasies for your guides to
represent this!
You can roll once on or choose one option
from each of the following tables to quickly
generate an outline for a celestial guide
character: Angelic Guide’s Dogma, Angelic
Guide’s Virtue, Angelic Guide’s Eccentricity,
and Angelic Guide’s Presentation. You can
flesh out this outline and mold it to your
aasimar player’s backstory, to generate
points of common ground or conflict as
needed, and expand on their relationship in
play. Importantly, an angel might easily hold
views that seem mutually exclusive — this
generates tension and makes them more
interesting characters! Angels often do
not perceive or acknowledge such
contradictions, and rationalize
them in surprising ways. 51

Angelic Guide’s
dogma
d8 Dogma
1 Hierarchy. The divine order is eternal
and wise. Know your place in it.
2 Anarchy. The divine order is just one
form of the ultimate truth. Doing good
is more important than adherence to
tradition.
3 Wrath. Fiends are abominations and they
and their worshippers must be burned
from creation — good and evil are like
water and oil, they never mix.
4 Forgiveness. Anyone can atone for their
sins, good and evil cannot be cleanly
separated but are just opposites on the
same spectrum.
5 Categorical. In the war of good and evil,
everyone must choose a side. If you are
not with us, you are against us.
6 Neutrality. Angels should not take a side
in mortal conflicts, and we do not expect
mortals to take a side in ours.
7 Perfection. Perfection is attainable, as we
see in the gods. We must work towards
it ourselves, always — for the promise of
maximum self-realization.
8 Messiness. The diversity of creation
precludes perfection in any one being,
that’s why we have more than one god
— marvel at these infinite wonders, and
know that you are one of them!
52
Angelic Guide’s
Presentation
d8 Dogma
1 “Be not afraid!” Unfathomable, weird,
and scary — clearly unearthly and aware
of it, but unable to do anything about it.
2 “Behold my glory!” Resplendent in bright
glory, richly colored robes and warm
light — projecting awe and demanding
respect.
3 “So… uhh…” Shy, nerdy, and in over their
head — did not ask for this assignment,
and clearly unsure what to do with it.
4 “And in psalm 318…” Bookish, studious,
and with advice that is usually prudent
but rarely practical — cannot fathom
the idea that scripture does not hold the
solution to any problem.
5 “Gotta make this quick.” Checking in at
the oddest hours, speaking in staccato,
always harried — clearly got a lot on
their plate, you are one of a thousand
boxes to tick off that week.
6 “I hear ‘ya.” Always an open ear, and
invested in your well-being — laid-back
and very chill, wants you to find your
own path and not overburden you with
demands. On the flip side: rarely has any
meaningful advice.
7 “Yeah, but what if…” Is this guide your
good conscience or the little devil on
your shoulder? Always tempts you with
wicked ideas, you are never quite sure if
they are just testing you or actually want
to lead you astray.
8 “Please call again later, your angel is
not available at present.” Generally
unresponsive — do you even have an
angelic guide? Doesn’t exactly seem busy
either, just… disinterested.
 Angelic Guide’s
Eccentricity
Angelic Guide’s
d8 Eccentricity Virtue
1 Fiendish Friend. Yes, I do have a friend
who is a fiend. They are really nice once d8 Virtue
you get to know them.
1 Temperance. Self-control, restraint,
2 Mortal Vices. We angels are not just light and an iron will are the basis of a well-
and glory — I have needs! Good food adjusted personality. Temper your
and drink, a naked dance in the moon- appetites and desires and you shall
light with some aphrodisiac rushing attain enlightenment.
through my glorious veins… these things
2 Prudence. Logic is the beginning of
keep me connected to the mortal world!
wisdom, and you must analyze every
3 Speaking in Riddles. When the snake situation and relationship clearly,
and the hare came out of their nest and following a set of proven rules.
burrow, they both beheld the same sun.
3 Patience. If you lose your head when
And yet the hare retreated and the snake
others do, you only make matters worse.
slithered forth.
When someone fails you, it is not an
4 Fan-Angel. I wish I could just be by your invitation to fail in return but a challenge
side all the time! You are amazing — to do better.
truly, the best aasimar I’ve ever worked
4 Kindness. Above all: be kind, both to
with! You’re doing incredibly — keep on
others and to yourself. Everyone makes
keeping on!
mistakes, and we should not hold that
5 Daredevil. A bottle of ambrosia says against anyone. Trying is enough.
you can’t make that jump. If you don’t
5 Humility. Remember that good things
try some wild stuff, you’ll never find out
come to good people, and accept
what your true potential is!
anything that comes to you with your
6 Emotionless. Please make explicit what head bowed in thanks — you deserve
you are feeling right now. My manual nothing, but must bear all.
indicates that the water running down
6 Charity. Always give more than you take
your face indicates negative emotions,
— in possession as well as deeds — and
but the convulsive expulsions of air
the world will overflow with good.
from your mouth could indicate both a
negative and positive mental state. 7 Diligence. Do your duty and work hard
and well — all else will fall into place. We
7 Gifts and Gets. I brought you something
cannot expect to do good if we don’t do
— yes, again, isn’t it great! Oh, you
our best — and we can always do better.
didn’t get me anything…? But… why?
Gifts are what hold any relationship 8 Mercy. Show clemency with your
together! enemies, and understanding with your
friends. Always turn the other cheek
8 Plain-Spoken. Behold my gift of wisdom
before you judge someone else.
and… Ack — I can’t do this shit anymore!
Fuck me, right… is it okay with y’all if I
speak like an actual person?

53
 Encountering
a Lucent
Lucents are omnipresent on Mount Celestia,
mostly floating out of reach. They appear on the
Material Plane when drawn by great despair, or
close to displays of intense faith.
Social. Lucents have an affinity for good-aligned
creatures in distress and illuminate their path or
places that would be uplifting or helpful to them.
Combat. Lucents never attack, seek out the
battlefield or even defend themselves, but they
can be a soothing presence to any good creature
if present while they are caught in a fight. Killing
a lucent is considered bad luck.

Encounter Afermath & Rewards

Safety. The lucent guides you to a place of
safety, where you can rest.
Divine Inspiration. The lucent rewards an in-
spirational d6 to you after you rescue another
being from great distress. You can add the d6
to any d20 roll once.
Company. The lucent accompanies you on
your adventure and cannot be shaken.
A Light in Dark Places. A slain lucent
sometimes crystallizes into a flask of clear
water that sheds bright light in a 10-foot
radius, and dim light for an additional 10 feet,
whenever you need it. The vial can also be
used as holy water, which consumes it.

56
The Seven Heavens are bathed in a soft,
perpetual light, illuminating their glory in all
colors of the rainbow. This light uplifts all
good beings who walk in it, and keeps evil at
bay. Most visitors assume that it comes from
all around, being part of the realm of Mount
Celestia. However, it is generated by ethe-
real beings: lucents, divine spirits of hope
and light that float through this plane and
have populated it since before the arrival of
the gods themselves. Lucents are manifes-
tations of divine energy, incarnations of the
very ideas of good and grace. Their presence
alone has slowed fiendish assaults on the
Seven Heavens to a grinding halt.
Light of Hope. Lucents never take an active
role in the business of the heavens or the
mortal realms. They simply exist, perhaps
the only truly content beings in the multi-
verse. However, lucents are drawn to the
suffering of good beings, which they instinc-
tively try to ease with their presence. They
sometimes spontaneously descend to the
Material Plane to provide a light of hope
to those in great need, and occasionally
spread to other planes from there. Clerics
who frequently give solace to the suffering
— especially following gods of hope, such
as Chauntea, Ilmater, or Bahamut — some-
times attempt to channel and attract lucents.
In some holy places on the Material Plane
where intense hope and sorrow mingle, lu-
cents are a permanent presence.
Ill Omens. Despite their strong affinity for
good and their placid natures, lucents are
considered bad omens in many cultures.
They are drawn to good people in desperate
circumstances, driven by a need to soothe
pain and shine a light of hope. This, of
course, has led to the superstition that they
are heralds of bad luck and an evil omen.
Some are so afraid of them that they blindly
strike out at a lucent that appears nearby,
unaware of what hope they rob themselves of
and the lament they expose themselves to.
Lucent
Medium Celestial, Unaligned
Armor Class 11
Hit Points 2 (1d4)
Speed 0 ft., fly 20 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
5 (−3) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 3 (−4) 15 (+2) 11 (+0)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities radiant
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, grappled,
prone, restrained
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages —
Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Ephemeral. The lucent can’t wear or carry anything,
but it can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch
wide without squeezing. Other creatures can move
through a lucent’s space unhindered. The lucent itself
is invisible unless its Light of Hope is active, or a crea-
ture succeeds on a DC 11 Wisdom (Perception) check
against it, but its Luminescence is visible at all times.
Luminescence. The lucent sheds dim light in a 20-foot
radius at all times. The color of this illumination
gently shifts through the whole spectrum of the
rainbow over time.
Keening. When a lucent dies, it gives off a soft
keening noise. Its killer must succeed on a DC 10
Wisdom saving throw or is forced to contemplate its
sins. It can only make one attack on its next turn, and
it cannot take any bonus actions.
Actions
Light of Hope. The lucent begins to glow more
strongly and sheds bright multi-hued light in a 20-foot
radius, and dim light for an additional 20 feet, or
ceases this illumination. Any good-aligned creature
starting its turn within the bright light or entering
its radius for the first time on its turn gains 1d4
temporary hit points.
57
Cherub
Tiny Celestial, Typically Neutral Good

Armor Class 12
Hit Points 5 (2d4)
Speed 20 ft., fly 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

6 (−2) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 9 (−1) 10 (+0) 15 (+2)

Proficiency Bonus +2
Skills Persuasion +3
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Celestial
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)

Eye for Love. The cherub knows the true romantic love
or loves, if any, of any creature it observes or interacts
with for at least 1 minute.
Actions
Sting of Love. Melee or Ranged Attack: +4 to hit,
reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 1
piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC
12 Charisma saving throw or become charmed by the
cherub for 1 hour. The creature can repeat the saving
throw when it takes damage from the cherub or one
of its allies.
Messenger’s Swift Shift (Recharges after a Long Rest).
The cherub casts plane shift without requiring material
components, but can only affect itself.
Reactions
Confession of Love (Recharges after a Long Rest).
When the cherub hits a creature with its Sting of Love,
it can impel the target to confess its feelings to one of
its true loves, as defined in Eye for Love. If the target 3
does so between the next time it lays eyes on its true
love and the end of its following long rest, the crea-
ture gains a +1 bonus to all ability checks for 3 days. If
it chooses not to confess, it only regains half as many
hit points as it usually would from rests for 3 days.

58

Encountering
a cherub
Cherubs are encountered all over the planes of
existence, in their capacity as divine messengers.
Social. Cherubs are gregarious and love a good
drink and story — and often invite themselves.
Combat. A lone cherub usually tries to avoid
fights, and uses plane shift to escape danger.
In protection of their celestial, cherub swarms
can charm entire groups of intruders into
submission with their Sting of Love.
Encounter Afermath & Rewards
Messenger. The cherub offers to deliver a
message to any plane of existence.
Blessing. The cherub performs a ritual for you
that lets you gain the benefits of a ceremony
spell (Dedication and Wedding options only).
Introductions. The cherub introduces you to
the celestial they serve.
Secret Letter. On a slain cherub, you find an
encoded message in Celestial.
Cherubs often serve as messengers
and attendants of gods or other celestials.
Scholars often rank them as the least of the
angels due to their diminutive size, their
apparently subservient roles in the hierarchy
of the Seven Heavens, and what those
scholars perceive as a comparative lack of
majesty. While cherubs most dutifully carry
out tasks set to them by someone they have
chosen to obey, cherubs do not perceive
themselves to be part of any hierarchy at all.
They bind themselves to beings they view as
worthy, but remain independently minded
and often keep pursuing their own agendas.
Mortal Wants and Woes. More than most
celestials, cherubs connect to the lives
and desires of mortals — both cravings of
the flesh and the soul. While some other
celestials don’t even feel mortal passions,
cherubs delight in them. Love and lust,
an appetite for rich food and intoxicating
drink — cherubs feel a deep desire for
anything that nourishes body and soul, both
in themselves and others. This sensitivity
for mortal wants and woes makes cherubs
unusually empathetic, which drives all
their interactions. While other celestials
sometimes find cherubs annoying, even
irritating, they fit right in feasting among
mortals — or even among fiends who share
their passions. Many a secret friendship or
romance has been struck between a cherub
and a succubus.
Messengers of Love. Cherubs are creatures
of love, and embody this heavenly ideal
much more deeply than many of the “higher”
celestials. They have a talent for seeing true
romantic love, in whatever form and between
whichever and however many beings it may
manifest — and often cannot help them-
selves from trying to make that love blossom.
Nothing is more unbearable to a cherub than
seeing someone pine over another and
refuse to admit their love, be it due to
constraints placed by society or by
59
the lover’s own rationale.
Inspired Virtuose
Medium Celestial, Typically Chaotic Good
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 9 (2d8)
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 18 (+4)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Skills Performance +8
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Celestial, and any two other
languages
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Harmonizing. When multiple virtuoses play alongside
each other within 30 feet of one another, they all play
the Divine Melody simultaneously, and their Divine
Melody gains additional benefits:
• 2 virtuoses: All Divine Melody dice become a d6.
Both virtuoses must play the same Divine Melody
option.
• 4 virtuoses: The virtuoses can choose two Divine
Melody options at once, and all Divine Melody
dice become a d8.
• 8 virtuoses: The virtuoses play all Divine Melody
options at once, and all Divine Melody dice
become a d10.
Actions
Divine Melody. The virtuose plays a melody that
affects any creature of its choice, including itself, that
can hear the music within 60 feet of it. The virutose
must use its action on each of its turns to maintain
the effect. The virtuose chooses one of the following:
• Battle Hymn: The chosen creatures add 1d4 to
every attack roll.
• Bolstering Hymn: The chosen creatures gain 2d4
temporary hit points on the start of their turn.
• Uplifting Hymn: The chosen creatures add 1d4 to
all saving throws and skill checks.
60
The halls and avenues of Mount Ce-
lestia vibrate with a divine symphony,
perpetually carrying a uniformly majestic
note that is yet ever changing, to illuminate
another facet of the Seven Heaven’s glory.
This musical kaleidoscope is created by the
inspired virtuoses, celestial musicians cho-
sen for their unending creativity and perfec-
tion with their chosen instrument.
Soloists in Harmony. Every inspired virtuose
is blessed with a unique style and talent you
can pick out of any orchestra. And yet, they
have to work together to create the chorus of
the Seven Heavens. Finding the harmony in
their diverging tones is a constant challenge
— and the orchestral manifestation of the
ideals of the Heavens.
Inspiration Seekers. The virtuoses rarely
remain on Mount Celestia for more
than a few months at a time. There is a
constant flux in the exact composition of
their orchestra. The virtuoses wander the
multiverse in search of inspiration, and to vet
their skills in contests with other bards and
performers. They find that the contrasting
styles and forms of expression they observe
on these journeys are essential to keep
their performances fresh and inspiring. Few
other inhabitants of Mount Celestia seem
aware of the fact that the divine hymns they
hear everyday do, in fact, originate from
inspiration gathered from places such as
the Material Plane — and even the Abyss
and the Nine Hells themselves.
 Encountering
aN Inspired Virtuose
Inspired virtuoses are far from rare, and travel all
over the multiverse. They are often mistaken for
aasimar, as they rarely advertise their true nature.
Social. The virtuoses are driven creatives, almost
frantic and harried in their search for new
inspiration — adventurers and their stories are
like feast in famine, to them.
Combat. Inspired virtuoses often support divine
hosts or individual angelic champions in battle
with their hymns.

Encounter Afermath & Rewards

Praise Be! The virtuose sings praises of your
exploits on their travels — you find a warm
welcome where you least expect it.
Accompanying Melody. The virtuose
accompanies you on an adventure, to support
you with their Divine Melody.
Toss a Coin to Your Hero. The virtuose
composes a song about you that becomes a
fan favorite throughout the realm — you never
have to worry about paying for a meal or bed
again, where that song has been heard.
Divine Instrument. On a slain divine virtuose,
you find an instrument of the bards (Doss lute,
Fochulcan bandalore, or Mac-Fuirmidh cittern).
61
 The wilderness of the Material
Plane is usually considered the
realm of beasts, druids, and — in
some enchanted forests — fey. But
there is no domain in the Material
Plane not claimed by one god or an-
other, and servants of their divine will
abound anywhere. The wild hearts are
celestial spirits of nature, cavorting
with the same abandon and joy through
the lofty treetops of the great forests
as through the glittering caves of the
Underdark.
Sacred Nature Monuments. There are
many places of power in the wilder-
ness, some all but forgotten and faded,
some famous places of pilgrimage.
These can be as innocuous as a beau-
tiful boulder carved with faded water
lines, or as magnificent as a 100-foot
high waterfall gleaming in all the colors
of the rainbow. Both the most heavily
frequented and the loneliest of these
natural monuments attract wild hearts.
Some believe wild hearts are charged
by the gods of nature to protect these
often vulnerable locations, but the truth
is that wild hearts would not stray from
their sacred places even if commanded
to. Nature itself is more important to
them than any divine hierarchy.
Grounded. Wild hearts take diverse
forms, but all resemble a small human-
oid with some sort of beastly features —
antlers, bat ears and noses, lion manes
or jaguar tails, for example. Wild hearts
slowly and subconsciously adapt their
appearance to their environment, over
time. Resembling children in character
as much as in appearance, wild hearts
are usually encountered playing and
smeared with mud — hardly a pre-
sentation, overall, which would
scream “celestial” to most.
62
Wild Heart
Small Celestial, Typically Neutral Good
Armor Class 14 (bark armor)
Hit Points 18 (4d6 + 4)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
13 (+1) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 9 (−1) 16 (+3) 12 (+1)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Saving Throws CON +3, WIS +4
Skills Animal Handling +6, Perception +6, Survival +4
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Celestial, Common
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Forest Friends. The wild heart can communicate with
beasts as if they shared a language. Beasts are never
hostile to the wild heart unless it harms the beast
first.
Magic Weapons. The wild heart’s weapon attacks are
magical.
Actions
Shillelagh. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Magic Sling. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range
30/120, one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning
damage.
Beast Caller (Recharges after a Long Rest). The wild
heart calls upon the help of the wild, and 1d4 beasts
of CR 1/4 or lower immediately magically appear to
fight by its side. The beasts roll for initiative and act
independently in support of the wild heart. What
beasts appear depends on the environment: for
example, giant owls in the forest, deep rothés in the
Underdark, giant bats in a cave, velociraptors in the
jungle, wolves in the mountains, or constrictor snakes
in the swamp.
Wild Spells. The wild heart casts one of the following
spells, using Wisdom as its spellcasting ability (spell
save DC 13):
At will: pass without trace
1/day each: cure wounds, fog cloud, goodberry, snare
 Encountering
a Wild Heart
The initial attitude of wild hearts towards
travelers in their domains can range from
cautious to welcoming, but they usually make
themselves known in some way, sooner or
later. The more remote their home is, the more
friendly they often are — curious by nature and
untainted by bad past experiences.
Social. Wild hearts can talk, but prefer to
communicate with strong facial expressions,
gestures, and expressive postures.
Combat. Wild hearts fight only in defense of their
stretch of wilderness and its inhabitants, and call
upon the help of their beast friends to do so —
they don’t like doing anything alone.

Encounter Afermath & Rewards

Goodberries. The wild heart gifts you a fistful
of goodberries.
Hidden Passage. The wild heart silently guides
you through a dangerous area, with help of its
pass without trace spell.
Nature Charm. The wild heart gifts you with a
small charm made of pebbles and twigs, which
grants you a +1 bonus to all Wisdom (Survival)
checks while you carry it.
Magic Stones. On a slain wild heart, you find
a pouch of 2d10 magic pebbles. Shooting
them with a sling, they deal 1d6 bludgeoning
damage and confer a +1 bonus to attack and
damage rolls.

63
 Celestials are usually associated
with virtues such as justice, patience, or
kindness. The prides, on the other hand,
are literally named after what is commonly
considered a cardinal sin. For proud they
certainly are, although not of themselves but
of their pack and the pack’s achievements.
These lionesque and battle-hardened
mountains of fur-covered muscle tend to
tower over any battlefield, at more than eight
feet tall. They are the Seven Heaven’s shock
troops in bloody conflicts with fiends and
other creatures of evil. They fulfill this role
with fervor and relish, commanding respect
wherever their battle groups stride — which
earned them their name.
Divine Pride. While pride is often
considered a cardinal sin, the prides
don’t see it that way. For them, pride is an
expression of their divine prowess. They are
not proud of themselves and their individual
achievements, after all, but of those of their
brothers and sisters and the pack as a whole.
Boasting about your own accomplishments
is frowned upon, among them — why waste
breath on yourself if you can uphold those
who hold you up?
Battle Brothers and Sisters. The strength
of prides is not in their individual battle
prowess — though this is considerable — but
in the pack. They train in groups, which are
also called prides, often from birth. Their
identification with these groups is so strong
that individual prides are almost unheard
of, and any pride in the group speaks for all
others — indeed, their personalities are often
very similar, and they hold the group above
themselves in all matters. Prides suffer when
separated from their kin, and whenever
a battle group’s numbers dwindle, the
survivors either band together with
other diminished groups or seek
a final death in glorious battle to
uphold their fallen brothers and
64 sisters’ memories.
Pride
Large Celestial, Typically Lawful Good
Armor Class 15 (natural hide armor)
Hit Points 42 (5d8 + 15)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
15 (+2) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 11 (+1) 8 (−1) 14 (+2)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Saving Throws STR +4, CON +5
Skills Athletics +4, Intimidation +4
Condition Immunities frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
Languages Celestial
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Pack Tactics. The pride has advantage on attack
rolls against a creature if at least one of the pride’s
allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t
incapacitated.
Pride of the Pack. When a pride starts its turn within 5
feet of another pride, it gains 1d4 temporary hit points
for every pride within 5 feet of it, up to a maximum of
4d4. While within 5 feet of another pride, the pride has
advantage on saving throws against spells and other
magical effects.
Actions
Warhammer. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d12 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
A target hit by the warhammer must succeed on a DC
12 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Roar (Recharges on a Short or Long Rest). The pride
shouts out a thunderous roar. Any creature that can
hear it within 30 feet of the pride must succeed on a
DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened
of the pride and all its allies within 30 feet of it. An
affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the
end of each of its turns.
 Encountering
a Pride
Prides usually move in groups of six to twelve.
Wherever they are encountered, it is typically for
one reason: battle.
Social. While prides do not fully trust anyone
outside their group, they are more than happy
to boast about their group’s exploits over a
campfire and strong drink.
Combat. Prides often operate as independent
groups, sometimes as divine mercenaries.
They relish battle and prefer it over most other
solutions.

Encounter Afermath & Rewards

Heroism. Having fought and bled alongside
a pride, you receive the benefits of a heroism
spell for 24 hours (+2 temporary hit points).
Warrior’s Thanks. After saving a pride from
certain death, you receive the Charm of
Celestial Gratitude.
Honorary Pride. Impressed by your battle
prowess, the prides welcome you as an
honorary member of their pack. You profit
from their Pack Tactics and Pride of the Pack
while fighting with them.
Valhalla Awaits. With their dying breath, a
pride asks you to deliver the group’s battle flag
to their ancestral home. If you succeed, you
receive the Blessing of Valhalla.

65
 Encountering
a guardian angel
Guardian angels often try to divert danger away
from their charges before it becomes a problem,
which means they can be encountered in count-
less guises, trying to engineer their charge’s
environment. In more dramatic encounters, a
guardian angel can burst into reality just in time
to prevent a killing blow against its charge.
Social. Guardian angels are typically first and
foremost interested in the protection of their
charge. Outside of this duty, however, their per-
sonalities vary as widely as those of any creature.
Combat. Guardian angels usually fight only in
protection of their charges — a duty they fulfill to
the death.

Encounter Afermath & Rewards

Silent Guidance. The guardian angel’s charge
is important to your adventure, and the angel
engineers for you to meet them because they
think you can aid in the charge’s protection.
Patron. The guardian angel thanks you for
helping keep their charge safe by introducing
you to the powerful celestial who tasked them
with their current charge.
Guardian’s Charge. The guardian angel
chooses you as its Guardian’s Charge.
Carry the Torch. With its dying breath, the
guardian angel asks you to take up the
protection of its charge.

66
Guardian Angel
Medium Celestial, Typically Lawful Good
Armor Class 20 (plate and shield)
Hit Points 52 (7d8 + 21)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
17 (+3) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Skills Medicine +2, Perception +2, Persuasion +2
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Celestial
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Guardian’s Charge. Every guardian angel has a
charge: a creature under its protection. The guardian
angel cannot have more than one charge at a time
and it can only change its charge if it is dismissed
by its current charge or the charge dies. A guardian
angel without a charge is compelled to choose one
within 7 days. While the guardian angel is within 5
feet of its charge on the same plane of existence or a
corresponding area in the Ethereal Plane, the charge
is immune to being charmed or frightened. The
guardian angel senses any danger to its charge as it
occurs, no matter what distance they are separated
by, even if they are on different planes of existence.
Looking Out. The guardian angel can enter and exit
the Ethereal Plane at will, and observe the Material
Plane from there.
Actions
Morningstar. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.
Bonus Actions
Guardian’s Protection (3/Day). The guardian angel
casts shield of faith.
Reactions
Guardian’s Intervention (Recharges on a Short or
Long Rest). The guardian angel teleports to within 5
feet of the creature currently under the influence of
its Guardian’s Charge feature. The guardian angel can
teleport to the charge’s current plane of existence or a
corresponding area in the Ethereal Plane. Immediately
after teleporting, the guardian angel can cause an
attack against its charge to have disadvantage, or its
charge to have advantage on a saving throw.
It’s often said, when someone has had
a close call: “some guardian angel must
have been watching over her!” Most of the
time, in such instances, people are just lucky
— but some are actually protected by a celes-
tial being. Guardian angels are sometimes
tasked with the protection of a particular
individual by a god or another powerful ce-
lestial, but more often than not they choose
their charges themselves. How they make
these serious and life-long commitments de-
pends entirely on their unique personalities.
Guardian angels often observe a potential
charge for a few days to determine if they
align with their own sense of virtue.
Unseen Protectors. Many charges of guard-
ian angels live out their whole lives without
ever becoming aware of their protector, who
watches over them silently from the Ethere-
al Plane. Some guardian angels become an
acquaintance or friend of their charge to stay
physically close, but remain careful not to
become too closely involved for fear of indi-
rectly guiding their charge — this does not
align with their philosophy. Some become
obsessed with this vigilance — which can
turn unhealthy easily, especially in an anx-
ious angel — while others are comfortable
enough in their charge’s and their own abili-
ties to pursue full lives themselves.
Virtue of Responsibility. The central virtue
guardian angels represent is responsibility.
Once they have chosen a charge, they will
not abandon them under any circumstances.
This has caused deep grief to many guardian
angels, as they see their charges stray from
good, failing to meet their own responsi-
bilities — and sometimes falling to evil and
becoming villains. Despite the distress this
causes them, guardian angels do not inter-
fere with the path their charge takes, nor do
they withdraw their protection — this would
violate their own commitment, cheapen-
ing it by making it conditional on the
“good” behavior of their charge. 67
 When a mortal displays extraordinary
faith and heroism, the gods themselves
may take notice and elevate that individu-
al. Such mortals differ from aasimar in that
they start life without divine blessing, but
acquire it through deeds. These individuals
are envied by many, but that envy is naive. To
walk the path of a living saint means ulti-
mate self-sacrifice, complete devotion — and
endless martyrdom. Living saints are rep-
resentatives of their gods, yet denied entry
into the Seven Heavens by their very duties.
When they die, they are reincarnated on
Mount Celestia, only to have to set out again
and again to advance their god’s agenda.
Proselytizing Crusaders. Living saints
embody the ideals of the god they serve,
often to a fault. They are utterly devoted,
fight their god’s battles wherever they must,
and are not shy about sharing their beliefs.
In many ways, living saints embody both the
best and worst elements of faith — they can
greatly uplift the hearts of those who share
their belief, but be a nuisance at best and a
menace at worst to those who don’t.
Willing Martyrs. A living saint is the embod-
iment of martyrdom. They carry out the most
dangerous tasks in their god’s name, and
they do not expect or fear that they will die in
the process — they know it. The very act of
becoming a living saint requires martyrdom,
a death while fighting for the will of their
god. Not all gods elevate living saints, some
find the very practice abhorrent. Many mor-
tals believe that living saints are forced to
fight for their god, in view of the horrendous
acts of martyrdom living saints are often
witnessed committing. But the truth is that a
living saint could stop at any time — stay in
Mount Celestia after their reincarnation and
be honored. They choose to return and go
through it all over again. Of those who
know this truth, many consider living
saints terminally insane.
68
Guardian Angel
Medium Celestial, Typically Lawful Good
Armor Class 17 (splint)
Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 12 (+1) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) 17 (+3)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Saving Throws STR +6, DEX +4, CON +5, INT +3, WIS
+3, CHA +6
Skills Athletics +5, Intimidation +5, Persuasion +5
Damage Resistances poison
Damage Immunities radiant
Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Celestial, any other one
language
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Divine Protection. The living saint adds its Charisma
bonus to all its saving throws (already included
above).
Inspiring Martyrdom. All creatures affected by the
living saint’s Divine Enthusiasm or Proselytize when
it dies gain 8 (1d10 + 3) temporary hit points and
become immune to being frightened for 24 hours.
Actions
Multiattack. The living saint makes two greatsword
attacks.
Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5
ft. one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Divine Enthusiasm (Recharges after a Short or Long
Rest). The living saint inspires those around it,
targeting any creature of its choice that can see and
hear it within 60 feet. If the target is willing, it gains a
+3 bonus to all its saving throws while within 30 feet
of the living saint for the next 10 minutes.
Proselytize (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). The
living saint proclaims the glory of its god, targeting
one creature that can see, hear and understand it
within 60 feet in an attempt to impose its belief on it.
The target must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving
throw or become charmed by the living saint for 1
hour. While charmed in this way, the target shares the
living saint’s devotion to its god, and acts accordingly.
 Encountering
a Living Saint
Living saints are not numerous but always on the
move, and usually quick to attract a crowd. They
can be encountered as saviors — but just about
as often as villains.
Social. Living saints are used to leading and
being adored. If you are not with them, you are
against them.
Combat. Living saints have no regard for their
own safety — they need only live long enough to
carry out their mission.

Encounter Afermath & Rewards

Dedication. Anyone willing to join the living
saint’s belief can gain the Dedication effect of
the ceremony spell from their blessing.
Common Cause. The living saint sees their
god’s cause reflected in your mission, and sac-
rifices themself for you when the time comes.
Divine Task. With their dying breath, the living
saint tasks you to carry out a mission they
could not complete. If you succeed, you gain a
favor from their god. If you ignore the mission,
the living saint hunts you down after their
reincarnation.
Holy Symbol. On a slain living saint, you find
their holy symbol. If you share the saint’s
belief, you can use it as a spellcasting focus
that gives a +1 bonus to spell attack rolls and
spell save DC.

69
 Most celestials share a love for the
truth. As with any ideal that is good and
pure, this can turn sinister when pursued
too fervently. Svelas are the incarnation of
the ideal of truth placed above all else. They
are born with the power to seek out the truth
in the hearts and minds of other beings, no
matter how deeply hidden. While this might
sound benign enough to the naive, svelas
are feared by the wise. With a touch, a svela
can pry the deepest secrets from a soul and
bring the darkest confessions to its surface.
This power can be beneficial and healing,
but comes at a terrible prize when abused.
Love for Truth. Svelas were created to serve
truth itself, embodying this ideal like no
other being. According to svela philosophy,
the revelation of truth is a good in itself.
Anyone who shares a truth, whether willingly
or not, is walking the path of righteousness
— and so are those who assist or force the
revelation of truth. Svelas who follow this
philosophy rarely concern themselves with
justice or punishment — for them, bringing
the truth to the fore is all that matters, and
any consequences are for those affected
by that truth to deal with. As far as most
svelas are concerned, on a personal level,
confession is equivalent with forgiveness.
Terror of Truth. Svela society places strict
rules on the application of their powers, and
every individual is expected to follow a rigid
education on morality and a code of conduct
that many outsiders find stiflingly strict and
rigid. The reasons lie in a terrible phase of
the svela’s history: the Wars of Confession.
When wielded indiscriminately, the ability
to reveal truth is an awful power. Svela
pursuing truth indiscriminately have caused
untold chaos during this period, and a
single ruthless svela with an agenda
could today still topple kingdoms
and shatter faiths that hold entire
societies together.
70
Svela
Medium Celestial, Typically Lawful Good
Armor Class 10
Hit Points 44 (8d8 +8)
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
12 (+1) 10 (+0) 13 (+1) 12 (+1) 18 (+4) 13 (+1)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Saving Throws WIS +6, CHA +3
Skills Insight +8, Intimidation +5, Persuasion +3
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses passive Perception 16
Languages All
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Actions
Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: The svela touches the target. This allows it
to use its reactions Dominating Truth (if available) or
Touch of Truth on the target.
Zone of Truth (3/Day). The svela casts zone of truth
(spell save DC 14).
REactions
Dominating Truth (Recharges After a Long Rest).
The svela casts dominate monster on a creature it
is currently touching (spell save DC 14). Creatures
usually immune to being charmed are also affected by
the spell. A creature currently fighting the svela or one
of its allies does not have advantage on the saving
throw. When the spell ends, the svela takes 36 (8d8)
psychic damage.
Touch of Truth. The svela asks one question that
can be answered with “yes” or “no” of a creature it
is currently touching. The target must immediately
respond truthfully or take 21 (6d6) psychic damage.
 Encountering
a Svela
Svelas serve on high celestial courts or even
as advisors to mortal rulers. They sometimes
operate as independent agents in pursuit of a
client or a personal vendetta.
Social. Svelas are typically open to negotiation,
but exceedingly suspicious. They distrust anyone
who would refuse to talk under the effects of
a zone of truth spell — which they utilize even
in everyday conversations, especially with
strangers.
Combat. Svelas know the power of truth and
can be ruthless in battle. They typically apply
maximum force in an effort to end conflicts
quickly.

Encounter Afermath & Rewards

Confession. Sworn to keep your truth safe, the
svela takes offers to take your confession of
a sin. The confession soothes your soul and
you become immune to being charmed or
frightened until your next long rest.
The Truth Must Out. The svela offers to reveal
the truth of one legitimate question you wish
to ask another creature.
Mediator. The svela offers to mediate a dis-
pute among friends or foes, with gentle guid-
ance — typically under a zone of truth spell.
Herald of Truth. With its dying breath, the
svela reveals an awful truth to you that it
cannot take to the grave.

71
 While fallen angels are sung
about by bards, their counterparts
are much less famous — although not
any less common! Just as some celestials
cannot bear the Seven Heavens a moment
longer, there are fiends who want to escape
the cesspits that are the Nine Hells or
the Abyss. The truth is: the life of a fiend
is wretched and dangerous, most of the
time. They live in a society of schemers
and abusers, where any moment of joy
can quickly become a blood-drenched
nightmare. Even devoted minions and
cultists cannot replace the bond of true
friendship, and fiends constantly have to
look over their shoulder.
Good Feels Good. A singular formative
experience can be enough to show a fiend
that there are alternatives, and empower
them to break out of the seemingly endless
cycle of mutual abuse they live. This can
be an unexpected friendship with someone
the ascending fiend discovers they can, in
fact, trust unequivocally. Or it can be them
witnessing one of their actions resulting in
good — which can happen just as easily as
a celestial with good intentions doing evil.
And once you taste that feeling of having
helped another being, many find it difficult
to shake.
Repentance and Redemption. Many
ascended fiends feel a deep shame and
guilt over the things they have done. Few
fiends think about changing their ways
while things are going well for them —
in this they are like most other sentient
beings, it does not make them “evil”. But
once they realize what harm they have
caused others, many fiends become
paralyzed by regret. It takes strength to
face their victims directly, and many need
to bolster themselves with good deeds
done elsewhere on their path to
redemption before they can do so.
72
Ascended Fiend
Medium Celestial (alternatively Medium Fiend),
Typically Neutral Good
Armor Class 15 (radiant skin)
Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
17 (+3) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 13 (+1) 12 (+1) 19 (+4)
Proficiency Bonus +3
Saving Throws CON +5, WIS +4, CHA +7
Skills Insight +4, Intimidation +7, Perception +4,
Religion +4, Stealth +5
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, poison;
bludgeoning, piercing, and sashing from nonmagical
attacks
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Celestial, Common, and Abyssal or
Infernal
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Magic Weapons. The ascended fiend’s weapon attacks
are magical.
Actions
Multiattack. The ascended fiend uses Prayer of
Repentance and makes two attacks with its flaming
greatsword.
Radiant Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to
hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing
damage and 5 (2d4) radiant damage.
Prayer of Repentance. The ascended fiend speaks a
prayer of repentance for a creature it is fighting that
it can see within 60 feet. The target must succeed
on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or have a radiant
halo appear around its head. The first time the target
deals damage after the halo appears, it takes radiant
damage equal to the amount of damage it dealt and
the halo disappears by contracting into its head.
Divine Spells. The ascended fiend casts one of the
following spells, using Charisma as its spellcasting
ability (spell save DC 15), without requiring material
components.
1/day each: aura of vitality, beacon of hope, dawn,
greater restoration
Bonus Actions
Blinding Smite (Recharges after a Long Rest). The
ascended fiend casts blinding smite (spell save DC 15).
 Encountering
an Ascended Fiend
Ascended fiends can often be encountered on
their spiritual pilgrimage to redemption. This
can involve them seeking advice from priests
of Ilmater, doing good deeds, or seeking the
forgiveness of their victims.
Social. Ascended fiends are consciously trying
not to harm anyone, but often still have to
learn the basics of positive communication and
interaction.
Combat. Many ascended fiends try to avoid
combat, as it reminds them of their violent past
— and yet, they are undeniably good at it, and
realize that this can be a tool for doing good as
well.

Encounter Afermath & Rewards

Good Deed. The ascended fiend pesters you
about a good deed they can do for you.
Healing Touch. The ascended fiend casts
greater restoration for you.
Fall Angel. The ascended fiend takes upon
themself one of your sins or transgressions, to
protect you in front of or raise your standing
with a higher celestial.
Forgiveness. When slaying an ascended fiend,
they grant you the Forgiveness charm with
their dying breath.
73
 Encountering
a fallen Angel
Whether as an agent of hell, lord or lady of
an independent domain, or lone wanderer
— encounters with a fallen angel tend to the
dramatic. Most memorable of all, of course, is
witnessing their fall — from bending a few rules
to forgetting to consult the needs or opinions of
anyone but themselves.
Social. Fallen angels are dangerous, but enticing.
They are persuasive and can make the most foul
deeds seem logical and even compassionate.
Combat. Fallen angels are ruthless and efficient,
both in combat and in social interactions. They
are never shy of a fight, but pursue simpler
solutions where available.

Encounter Afermath & Rewards

Attendants. The fallen angel offers you
the support of its cult, and four cultists as
henchmen.
Cult Induction. The fallen angel offers to
recognize you as members of its cult.
Revenge. The fallen angel supports you (with
knowledge or in combat) against another
celestial.
Divine Debt. When slaying a fallen angel, the
Seven Heavens smile upon you and you gain
the Divine Debt charm.

74

Fallen Angel
Medium Celestial (alternatively Medium Fiend),
Typically Neutral Evil
Armor Class 15 (cracked skin)
Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
17 (+3) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 19 (+4)
Proficiency Bonus +3
Saving Throws CON +5, INT +4, CHA +7
Skills Athletics +6, Deception +7, History +4,
Perception +4, Persuasion +7
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, poison;
bludgeoning, piercing, and sashing from nonmagical
attacks
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Celestial, Common, and Abyssal or
Infernal
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Magic Weapons. The ascended fiend’s weapon attacks
are magical.
Actions
Multiattack. The fallen angel uses Eyes of Despair
and makes two attacks with its flaming greatsword.
Flaming Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to
hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing
damage and 5 (2d4) fire damage.
Eyes of Despair. The fallen angel fixes one creature it
can see within 60 feet of it with a glare, hot tears of
blood in its eyes. The target must succeed on a DC
15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of the
fallen angel. While frightened in this way, the target
cannot regain any hit points and becomes vulnerable
to fire damage. The target can repeat the saving throw
at the end of each of its turns.
Fiendish Spells. The fallen angel casts one of the
following spells, using Charisma as its spellcasting
ability (spell save DC 15).
1/day each: bestow curse, fireball, immolation, vampiric
touch
Bonus Actions
Banishing Smite (Recharges after a Long Rest). The
fallen angel casts banishing smite (spell save DC 15).
The strict laws, hierarchies, and
customs of the Seven Heavens demand
unfailing performance and the highest
moral standards. Many celestials accept
these duties freely, even revel in them — but
others… Some are overwhelmed by the
expectations placed upon them, and others
are frustrated by the restrictions they face
in carrying out their duties. This dissonance
of expectation and ability, or aspiration and
means, can drive a celestial to break with the
Seven Heavens — often while thinking they
are on the best path of upholding the ideals
of their kind. Zariel herself, perhaps the
most famous fallen angel, became a lord of
the Nine Hells as the result of attempting to
protect the Seven Heavens from the assaults
of fiends forever.
Sense of Despair. Most fallen angels are in
deep despair. They hardly wanted to end up
where they are, or planned to turn to evil
— this is simply what circumstances made
them, and many continue to fight for their
ideals. But where would they find support,
who would look upon them as kindred
spirits — who would ever trust them, again?
Certainly not the celestials of the Seven
Heavens, who view them as untrustworthy
traitors. But neither can they ever be fully at
home among the fiends of the Nine Hells,
who view them as tainted failures. Some
recruit mortal cults to fill the void.
Redemption? Can there ever be a way for
fallen angels to redeem themselves, and
rejoin the Seven Heavens? It is a difficult
path to walk, and requires earnest soul-
searching, an admission of the wrongs they
did, and convincing their celestial peers that
their turn-around is sincere. But while many
fallen angels don’t want to live as fiends,
most do not want to return either. They had
their reasons for the choices they made,
and the faults of the Seven Heavens do
not change. These fallen angels forge
their own path. 75
 Encountering
a Battle Angel
Most mortals only encounter a battle angel on
the battlefield — and hopefully on the right side.
Battle angels follow a strict command structure
and do not venture forth without orders lightly.
Social. Battle angels are to the point, with a
clipped impatience that belies the compassion
that truly drives them.
Combat. Trained in both physical skill and
strategy, battle angels fight smart and hit hard.
They are adaptable and prefer precise and
decisive strikes to reduce the chance of failure.

Encounter Afermath & Rewards

Battle Tactics. The battle angel analyzes an
upcoming combat for you, giving you a +1
bonus to attack rolls in that fight.
Combat Training. The battle angel teaches you
the use of up to three weapons, giving you
proficiency with them.
Valor. The battle angel regales you with tales of
their many battles, and you gain the Blessing
of Valor.
Magic Prosthetic. On a slain battle angel, you
find a magical arm prosthetic.

76
Battle Angel
Medium Celestial, Typically Lawful Good
Armor Class 18 (plate)
Hit Points 120 (16d8 + 48)
Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
21 (+5) 19 (+4) 17 (+3) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 13 (+1)
Proficiency Bonus +3
Saving Throws STR +8, DEX +7, CON +6, WIS +4
Skills Athletics +8, Acrobatics +7, Intimidation +4,
Perception +4
Damage Immunities radiant
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Celestial
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Battle Dance. The battle angel does not provoke
opportunity attacks from creatures it attacked on its
turn, for the rest of its turn.
Actions
Multiattack. The battle angel makes four longsword
attacks.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) slashing damage.
Flurry of Blades (Recharge 5−6). The battle angel
moves up to 40 feet in a line, whirling its blades. Any
creature within 5 feet of the battle angel along this
line must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. It
takes 23 (4d8 + 5) slashing damage on a failed save,
or half as much damage on a successful one.
Bonus Actions
Battle Stance. The battle angel takes up one of the
following battle stances:
• Defensive Parry. If the battle angel has not
made more than two attacks on its turn, its AC
increases to 22 until the start of its next turn.
• Reckless Charge. The battle angel makes all attacks
with advantage, but all attacks against it have
advantage until the start of its next turn.
Reactions
Disarming Parry. The battle angel uses two of its
four swords to parry a melee attack that would hit
it, adding +4 to its AC against that attack. The battle
angel must be able to see the attacker. If the parry
prevents the hit, the attacker must succeed on a DC
16 Strength saving throw or be disarmed.
Counterattack. After a creature hits the battle angel
with a melee attack, it can make two longsword
attacks against its attacker.
The Seven Heavens are a realm of peace
and serenity. Gods and angels are revered
by mortals for their wisdom, kindness, and
love. Celestials and their realms are, simply
put, the very ideal of beauty and good. But
none of this could exist without protection
against the many foes who want to see
Mount Celestia burn and all its glory crum-
ble to ashes. It falls to the heavenly hosts to
ensure this never comes to pass. Their ranks
are filled with devoted and hardened battle
angels — their only purpose: defend the Sev-
en Heavens and bring death to its enemies.
Necessary Evil. Those angels who devoted
themselves to battle often live on the fringes
of society in the Seven Heavens. Devotion
to one particular ideal or cause is common
among celestials, but most view the cho-
sen cause of battle angels with uneasiness.
Everyone knows that Mount Celestia could
not endure one moment without its vigilant
protectors, as devils and demons continu-
ously probe its defenses. But the example of
Zariel’s fall is not easily forgotten — showing
that even the most valiant defenders of the
Seven Heavens may be corrupted by their
very virtues. While battle angels are not ex-
actly ostracized, they are shunned by many.
Alas, this very prejudice is more damaging
than the constant exposure to bloody combat
could ever be.
Veteran Warriors. Battle angels train togeth-
er in battalions, and are drilled to excel in
formation flight and fighting. However, every
single one of them hones their physical form
to perfection and is a fearsome opponent in
their own right. Many battle angels have seen
combat across multiple planes of existence,
exposure to real fighting is seen as a rite of
passage that cannot be attained soon enough
by fresh recruits. Battle angels are some of
the few celestials who proudly display scars
or even lost limbs. They also often make
use of magical prosthetics or augmen-
tations to increase or maintain their 77
battle prowess.
 When an angel falls, or when a
fiend ascends, their new allegiances
are typically quite clear — they are on the
other side, now. But what about those on the
spectrum from between celestial and fiend
who simply refuse to take a side? Those who
find both the dogmatic altruism of the Seven
Heavens and the chaotic individualism of the
Nine Hells and the Abyss unbearable? The
only thing more dangerous than taking a side
in this eternal conflict is not taking a side.
Throughout history, there have still been
individuals who walked that path in between
— but only the molten saints have managed
to form a true and lasting community
centered on the ideal of neutrality.
If You are not with Us… At the dawn of
time, good first separated from evil, and
both gods and archfiends created new
lineages of beings to take their side. But
some refused to be molded and shaped to
their wills. Emerging from the infernal fires
of the hells or the glorious radiance of the
heavens, these beings refused to take a final
form — or a side. Instead, they remained
eternally malleable, neutral, in between.
These creatures soon realized that they
needed to go their own way, if only to escape
the relentless attempts of those in power, on
either side, to hammer them into shape —
figuratively and literally.
Saint or Sinner? The name “molten
sinners” is about as common as the name
“molten saints”. They can appear to be
both, depending on your perspective. They
are, in fact, neither. They reject this binary
distinction, finding it an artificial and limiting
point of view to take of a conscious being or
the realities of existence. Categorizations
like these can only lead to conflict, in their
minds — all they want, for themselves
and all other beings, is to find a path
that allows everyone to be true to
themselves.
78
Molten Saint
Large Celestial, Typically Neutral
Armor Class 19 (crystal skin)
Hit Points 142 (19d10 + 38)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
18 (+4) 19 (+4) 19 (+4) 13 (+1) 17 (+3) 14 (+2)
Proficiency Bonus +3
Saving Throws DEX +7, WIS +6
Skills Insight +6, Perception +5
Damage Resistances cold, lightning, radiant;
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical
attacks
Damage Immunities fire
Condition Immunities petrified, prone
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, Primodrial
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Fiery Skin. A creature grappled by or touching the
molten saint takes 7 (2d6) fire damage at the start of
its turn.
Malleable Form. The molten saint can appear in any
shape of their own size.
Self-Shaping. The molten saint can move through a
space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
In addition, it is immune to any magical effects that
would change its form against its will.
Actions
Lava Volley. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to
hit, reach 10 ft. or range 30/120 ft., three targets. Hit:
7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage and 9 (2d8) fire
damage.
I Am Lava. The molten saint melts into a pool of lava,
which covers a 30-foot circle centered on where the
molten saint was standing. A creature takes 33 (6d10)
fire damage when it enters the lava for the first time
on a turn or ends its turn there. The lava is difficult
terrain. While in lava form, the molten saint cannot
take any actions except reverting into its semi-solid
form, but it can move the lava pool at a speed of 15
feet on its turn.
Reactions
Melt Away. When a molten saint would be hit by an
attack or fails a Dexterity saving throw, it can quickly
melt out of the way if it can see the source of the
attack or trigger of the saving throw and make the
attack miss or succeed on the saving throw instead.
 Encountering a Molten Saint
Molten saints typically live in remote and
dangerous places, both because of their natural
resistances to harsh environments and to avoid
conflict. Most encounters with them are a
surprise — often to both sides!
Social. Molten saints have been both vilified and
glorified, across the eons, and their behavior
reflects this. Most don’t wish to become
involved, but many cannot resist sharing their
wisdom if confronted with follies of “good” or
“evil”.
Combat. Molten saints make use of their
shapeshifting abilities to navigate the
environment — or make the present one more
dangerous.
Encounter Afermath & Rewards
Point of View. The molten saint shares the
true story behind a commonly misrepresented
belief, event, or person (celestial or fiend),
known to them via oral tradition going back to
the dawn of their lineage.
Refuge. The molten saint offers refuge to one
being, especially one on the run from a life of
conflicting expectations.
Glowing Idol. The molten saint bestows the
Blessing of Radiance upon you.
Forged in Fire. Drinking the cooled remains of
a slain molten saint makes you immune to fire
damage for 24 hours.
79
 The majestic edifices of Mount Ce-
lestia seem to defy gravity, with grac-
ile arches stretching gracefully between
towers thin as needles, and palaces rising up
above any cathedral on the Material Plane,
yet delicate as if woven from glittering gos-
samer. These edifices are not constructed, in
the crude sense that comes to most mortal
minds, but sung into being by crystal craft-
ers. These celestials can manipulate the
very fabric of creation to call forth and shape
crystal in dazzling displays of creativity. This
multicolored crystal is sturdier than any
material known to mortals, and the only limit
to what can be created from it is the skill and
imagination of the crafter.
Master Creators. The soft tinkling of crystal
resonates through a typical crystal crafter’s
workshop at all times, from the countless
creations scattered haphazardly throughout.
Crystal crafters are happiest when they can
make something new. Some specialize in
grand architecture, others focus on minis-
cule mechanisms. Whatever a crystal craft-
er devotes themself to, it often becomes a
single-minded focus for them. Crystal craft-
ers delight in exhibitions and competitions,
prizing precision and creativity in equal
measure.
Journeyer’s Voyage. Crystal crafters are ex-
pected to go on an extended voyage to hone
their craft, when coming of age. Many spend
decades on this journey, and some repeat it
multiple times throughout their life — often,
this is accompanied by a shift in focus and
crowned by a magnificent achievement of
art. These kinds of artifacts and edifices can
be found all over the planes of the multi-
verse, as they usually leave it behind where
it was created. Such items and buildings are
always unique, and carry the signature of
the individual who created them. Some
collectors spend lifetimes in money
and effort to acquire even one.
80
Crystal Crafter
Large Celestial, Typically Neutral
Armor Class 19 (crystal skin)
Hit Points 142 (19d10 + 38)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
19 (+4) 24 (+7) 14 (+2) 17 (+3) 10 (+0) 10 (+0)
Proficiency Bonus +4
Saving Throws STR +8, DEX +11
Skills Sleight of Hand +11
Damage Resistances necrotic
Damage Immunities poison, psychic; bludgeoning,
piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that
aren’t adamantine
Condition Immunities petrified
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Celestial, Common, Dwarvish, Gnomish
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
Magic Weapons. The crystal crafter’s weapon attacks
are magical.
Actions
Multiattack. The crystal crafter makes two attacks
with its crystal sword.
Crystal Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach
10 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d12 + 7) slashing damage.
Weave Crystal. The crystal crafter casts creation, but
can only create objects made of crystal. If the crystal
crafter spends 1 hour instead of 10 minutes casting
the spell, the creation becomes permanent.
Bonus Actions
Crystal Barriers. The crystal crafter creates or
dismisses a semi-transparent flat sheet of crystal no
larger than 10 feet by 5 feet, and no thicker than 1
inch. The crystal sheet has 20 AC, 20 hp, a damage
threshold of 20, and is immune to necrotic, poison,
and psychic damage. The crystal crafter can connect
the sheet to a previously existing one as if they were
one object. The crystal crafter can move through
these barriers unhindered.
 Encountering
a Crsytal Crafter
Crystal crafters are proud of their work and eager
to show off their skills. They are happy to trade,
but value their creations highly.
Social. With their single-minded focus on their
work, crystal crafters lack the social graces of
many other celestials, yet feel no shame over it.
They may be eccentrics, but they aren’t awkward
or self-conscious in the slightest.
Combat. Crystal crafters are masters in
manipulating a battlefield to maximum
advantage, erecting and shifting crystal barriers
to direct foes and protect themselves as needed.

Encounter Afermath & Rewards

“Trinket”. The crystal crafter gifts you a
“trinket” — a small everyday item, but of
surpassing beauty. Priceless, really, but sells
for no less than 1,000 gp.
Crystal Weapon. The crystal crafter creates a
crystal blade of your choice for you.
Focus Crystal. The crystal crafter parts with a
crystal that serves as a spell focus, and can be
used, as an action, to restore up to three levels
worth of spell slots once per day.
Heart Shard. The heart shard of a slain crystal
crafter can be used to cast creation from it
once per day. The shard itself assumes the
form, and can be returned to its shard state as
an action.

81
 The kuo-toa, demi-humanoid fish
creatures of the Underdark, are about
as far removed from the divine as one
might be able to imagine. They are almost
universally perceived as crazed fanatics,
making up their own gods willy-nilly without
regard for the existing pantheons. Nonethe-
less, their dreams often manifest as reality,
and they have dreamed divine beings into
existence. Most of these are considered
twisted and nonsensical by other cultures.
But the creativity of the kuo-toa is bound-
less, and so are their creations. In time
immemorial, a group of kuo-toa enslaved
by a tyrannical aboleth pretending to be a
god began to dream… what would it be like
if that god were benevolent, and kind? And
that was when the first theloba was created,
the collective consciousness of the kuo-toa
and their need overpowering the aboleth and
turning it to good!
Kuo-toa Herders. Thelobai feel a strange
need to foster kuo-toa communities and keep
them safe and healthy. Herding cats is, as
anyone who ever encountered a kuo-toa can Legendary Actions
imagine, as nothing compared to this task. The theloba can take 3 legendary actions, choosing
Thelobai are very caring and concerned for from the options below. Only one legendary action
their charges, but often in over even their option can be used at a time and only at the end of
considerably expansive heads. Thelobai another creature’s turn. The theloba regains spent
sometimes resort to transporting kuo-toa in legendary actions at the start of its turn.
their mouths, for protection. Deescalate (Recharge 5−6). The theloba casts calm
emotions.
Celestials in the Underdark. As every the- Shielding Bubble. The theloba shields a creature it can
loba is a former aboleth, these celestials are see, which cannot be itself, with a glowing bubble.
incredibly rare and found almost exclusively While shielded in this way, the target gains a +10
bonus to its AC and advantage on all saving throws,
in the Underdark. They are despised and
but cannot attack or cast spells on any target but
even feared by aboleths, who view them as itself. If the target is not willing, it must succeed on a
perversions and as a threat to their very DC 16 Dexterity saving throw to resist. The shield lasts
existence. Most other celestials are not even until the end of the target’s next turn.
aware of their existence, and they prefer the Radiant Presence (Costs 2 Actions). The theloba glows
company of kuo-toa and other downtrodden in a warm golden light. Any creature of the theloba’s
choice within 30 feet of it regains 21 (6d6) hit points.
even to their own kind, not even to speak
Any creature of the theloba’s choice within 60 feet of
of other kinds of celestial creatures, who it must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw
they consider aloof and selfish, ignor- or take 21 (6d6) radiant damage, or half as much on a
ing the plights of the mortal realm successful save.
82 in their Seven Heavens.
Theloba
Huge Celestial, Lawful Good

Armor Class 17 (scale armor)

Hit Points 136 (16d12 + 32)
Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

19 (+4) 11 (+0) 15 (+2) 15 (+2) 18 (+4) 18 (+4)

Proficiency Bonus +4
Saving Throws CON +6, WIS +8, CHA +8
Skills Insight +12, Perception +12, Persuasion +8,
Religion +10
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 22
Languages Celestial, Deep Speech, Undercommon;
Telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)

Amphibious. The theloba can breathe air and water.

Actions
Concussive Slam. The theloba moves into a 15-by-15
foot space. If any Large or smaller creature occupies
that space, it is pushed out of it to the nearest
unoccupied space and must make a DC 16 Strength
saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 36
(5d12 + 4) bludgeoning damage and is stunned until
the end of its next turn. On a successful save, it takes
half as much damage and is not stunned.
Protective Swallow. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: The target is swallowed.
The swallowed target is blinded and restrained, and
it has total cover against attacks and other effects
outside the theloba. The theloba can release a
swallowed target at any time, no action required.
If the theloba takes 20 damage or more on a single
turn from a creature inside it, the theloba must
succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw at
the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed
creatures, which fall prone in a space within 5 feet of
the theloba. If the theloba dies, a swallowed creature
is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the
corpse using 15 feet of movement, exiting prone.
If the target remains swallowed until the start of the
theloba’s next turn, it emerges covered in glittering
golden slime and scales. It can now breath air and
water, has advantage on ability checks and saving
throws made to escape a grapple, and while in
sunlight it has disadvantage on attack rolls as well
as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
The effect lasts until the theloba ends it in a 10-minute
ritual, or until the affected creature is targeted by a
greater restoration spell or similar magic.
Encountering
a Theloba
Thelobai are rare, but their influence can often
ripple for hundreds of miles through the waters
of the Underdark, as they manipulate their
environment just as much as aboleths — just for
a different purpose.
Social. Thelobai are kind to those in need, and
never turn down an honest plea for help.
Combat. Thelobai are difficult to anger, but
are terrible enemies when defending a kuo-toa
colony or other community they consider under
their protection — they do not pull punches.
Encounter Afermath & Rewards
Calming Presence. The theloba casts calm
emotions for you.
Protected Transportation. The theloba
transports you in its mouth to a place of your
choice, even through extreme danger.
Hospitality. The theloba convinces a kuo-toa
community (or other usually hostile communi-
ty) to take you in and treat you as a friend.
Blessed Hide. The scales of a dead theloba can
be fashioned into a platinum scarf with 7 days
of labor by someone proficient in smiths tools.
83

Encountering
a cloud Watcher
Finding a cloud watcher is easier than interacting
with one, if you at least know what you are
looking for. Usually, a cloud watcher finds you.
Social. Cloud watchers occasionally follow
individuals below them. While they usually don’t
engage, unless in great distress, they do not
reject being approached.
Combat. Cloud watchers tend to disengage and
fire off lightning to dissuade potential pursuers
over standing their ground.
Encounter Afermath & Rewards
REGIONAL EFFECTS
The region over which a cloud watcher passes is
affected by its magical presence, and it can choose
one or more of the following effects:
Dark Cloud. Any creature of the cloud watcher’s
choice that it can see within a 5-mile radius around
the point above which it hovers feels miserable, as if a
dark cloud hangs over its head. It is poisoned while in
the area or until a greater restoration is cast on it.
Benevolent Presence. Any creature of the cloud
watcher’s choice that it can see within a 5-mile radius
around the point above which it hovers feels more
joyful and uplifted as if someone benevolent was
watching over them. It can add 1d4 to all skill checks
and saving throws for 24 hours.
The effects the cloud watcher places on a creature
fade over the course of 2d4 hours after the cloud
watcher dies or the creature leaves its area of
influence.

Come Sunshine or Rain. The cloud watcher

manipulates the weather for you.
Spy Satellite. The cloud watcher shares
information it observed in the past or scouts
out an area for you.
Cloud Influence. The cloud watcher targets
you with one of its Regional Effects — good or
bad, as it deems appropriate.
Divine Rain. A dying cloud watcher dissolves
into a torrent of rain — all of which is holy
water.

84
Cloud Watcher
Gargantuan Celestial, Unaligned
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 296 (16d20 + 128)
Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
24 (+7) 15 (+2) 27 (+8) 6 (−2) 21 (+5) 11 (+0)
Proficiency Bonus +5
Saving Throws STR +12, CON +13, CHA +5
Skills Insight +10, Perception +15
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing
Damage Immunities cold, lightning, poison;
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical
attacks
Condition Immunities grappled, paralyzed, petrified,
prone, restrained
Senses truesight 5 mi., passive Perception 25
Languages Telepathy 5 mi.; understands all languages
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)
Airy. The cloud watcher is immune to bludgeoning,
piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical
attacks, as well as resistant to bludgeoning, piercing,
and slashing damage from magical attacks.
Piercing Eyes. The cloud watcher can see out to any
distance, as long as no physical obstacles are in the
way, and recognize even the smallest details as if
what it is observing was right in front of it. The cloud
watcher also has advantage on Wisdom (Perception)
checks that rely on sight.
Wandering Cloud. The cloud watcher is indistinguish-
able from a natural cloud in appearance if it chooses
to be. It can still be recognized as unusual by its
shape or the way it moves across the sky.
Weather Control. The cloud watcher can cast control
weather at will and is immune to losing concentration
on it.
Actions
Cloud Shape. The cloud watcher takes on the
appearance of any cloud of its own size, or up to two
size categories smaller.
Lightning Strike (Recharge 5−6). A crackle of lightning
hits a spot the cloud watcher can see. Any creature
within 30 feet must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving
throw or take 65 (10d12) lightning damage, or half as
much damage on a successful save.
Have you ever looked up at the sky,
watching the clouds drift by and pointing
out the different shapes to a friend? Of
course you have, everyone has. But have you
ever felt as if those clouds were watching
you back? Not in a malevolent way — just
idly curious, in the same way you are looking
up? You might just have been gazing at a
cloud watcher gazing right back down at you.
These effervescent celestials glide across
the skies of all planes of existence who can
claim to have one, distantly taking in all that
goes on below them.
Aloof Observers. The only purpose and
the greatest joy a cloud watcher knows
is to gaze down upon the landscape and
people above which they soar. Ever aloof,
yet always interested, these airy celestials
take in all they can about the daily lives of
mortals. Happy to let the winds be their
guide, they rarely seek out any particular
areas, individuals, or events. If they do
choose to stick around, it is often for
inexplicable reasons. A glorious battle
between a fiend and a dragon might be
utterly inconsequential to them, but they
might become obsessed with a child picking
flowers. They very rarely talk to someone
who is literally beneath them, but sometimes
extend their divine blessing — or displeasure
Stormy Congregations. Cloud watchers
congregate at irregular intervals and in
ever-shifting places in the skies. Centuries
can pass without any such meeting, or they
can occur multiple times in a single month.
Sometimes such a conclave lasts for mere
minutes, at other times it stretches on for
days. Nobody knows how they coordinate
these congregations, or what their purpose
is. Many do not even understand what they
are witnessing — but these meetings are
often perceived as bad omens, as they
are accompanied by unnaturally heavy
storms. 85
Aegis
Large Celestial, Typically Lawful Good

Armor Class 23 (plate and dual shield)t

Hit Points 207 (18d10 + 108)
Speed 50 ft., fly 50 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

27 (+8) 15 (+2) 23 (+6) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 19 (+4)

Proficiency Bonus +5
Saving Throws STR +13, WIS +7, CHA +9
Skills Athletics +13, Perception +12
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities radiant
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion,
frightened, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 22
Languages All
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)
Spellguard. The aegis has advantage on saving throws
against spells and other magical effects, and spell
attacks have disadvantage against it.
Bulwark. The aegis cannot be moved against its will.
Actions
Multiattack. The aegis makes two swordshield attacks
with the honed edges of its aegis shields.
Swordshield. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach
10 ft., one target. Hit: 34 (4d12 + 8) bludgeoning
damage.
Aegis Beam. The aegis produces two beams of divine
sunlight, from the focal points embedded in its aegis
shields. The beams are 5-foot wide straight lines
with a length of 300 feet each, originating from the
aegis, and can be positioned at any angle relative to
each other. A creature that starts its turn within an
aegis beam or enters it for the first time on its turn
must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. It takes
55 (10d10) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as
much damage on a successful one. The beams stay
active for as long as the aegis uses its action each
turn to maintain them. The aegis cannot move or take
any other actions while the aegis beams are active.
86
REActions
Aegis Shield. When a Large or smaller creature the
aegis can see is the target of an attack or must make
a saving throw against a spell or other effect with
an area of effect or that requires line of sight to its
target, the aegis can move up to its movement speed
towards the creature. If it finishes its movement
within 10 feet to the creature, the aegis protects the
target with both its aegis shields, and the target is
unaffected by the triggering attack, spell, or effect. If
the aegis enters an area of effect doing so, it must
itself make the appropriate saving throw.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The aegis can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from
the options below. Only one legendary action option
can be used at a time and only at the end of another
creature’s turn. The aegis regains spent legendary
actions at the start of its turn.
Protector. The aegis moves up to its movement
speed towards a Large or smaller creature it can see
and protects it with its aegis shields if it finishes its
movement within 10 feet of the creature. The creature
is immune to all attacks and automatically succeeds
on all saving throws while protected in this way, until
the creature moves or takes any action. The aegis can
only protect one creature at a time, and the protection
ends when it moves or takes any other action.
Reposition Aegis Beam. The aegis moves its Aegis
Beam, if it is active.

Encountering
an Aegis
An aegis rarely has cause to stray from their
assigned post, so they are usually encountered
as protectors of holy sites or people.
Social. On duty, an aegis is unapproachable and
uncompromising. They are elites, trained to
blend out anything that would distract from their
charges.
Combat. An aegis’s first concern is the protection
of their assigned ward. They specialize in taking
the heat and distracting attackers more so than
dealing massive damage.
Encounter Afermath & Rewards
Admission. The aegis admits you to the
location or area they protect if you can
convince them that you are no threat.
Shielded. The aegis puts you under its
personal protection, effectively preventing any
form of persecution or bother you could face
from another celestial.
Blessing of Protection. The aegis bestows upon
you a Blessing of Protection.
Reward. The bent shield of a slain aegis can be
fashioned into either a +3 shield or a spellguard
shield.
If the battle angels are the rank and
file soldiers of the divine hosts, the aegis-
es are the elite crown guard. They are less
universally trained, however, and sacrifice
flexibility in favor of a focus on defense, and
are usually tasked with protecting either a
particularly important location or individual.
They excel in this beyond any other martial
celestial and have a strong sense of duty.
Due to the fact that they see combat less
often, most other celestials can ignore the
aegises’ martial bent more easily than in
battle angels, and look up to aegises for their
iron discipline and ceremonial splendor.
Above Judgment. An aegis occupies a
unique position in the heavenly hierarchy.
They stand apart and cannot be judged by
anyone except the gods themselves. It is
even frowned upon to approach an aegis,
and their typical response is to ignore the
offender or — in persistent cases that threat-
en the aegis’s duty — quiet them. An aegis
cannot be judged because a duty assigned
to an aegis is of overriding importance, and
sometimes of secret nature, so they must be
empowered to take harsh measures without
fear of judgment. The other reason is that
an aegis is not only a physical protector, but
their very visible position as defenders of the
most holy make them the principle of any
celestial’s highest duty made flesh — and in
the Seven Heavens, principles are idolized.
There can be nothing that would besmirch
the ideals the aegis represents.
Splendor and Valor. An aegis strides with
confidence, draped in battle robes over
wrought armor plates, head held high and
crowned with their ceremonial helmets —
and, of course, wielding their towering aegis
shields like nothing. And yet, for all their
splendor, any onlooker immediately recog-
nizes the deadliness in their coiled mus-
cles, poised perpetually to spring into
action — a rare example where reality
lives up to aspiration. 87
 Not all celestials are kind and be-
nevolent — this much should be clear
to anyone who has made any significant
study of their kind. But some are outright
terrifying, more feared than most demons
from the Abyss — and, in fact, sometimes
confused with them. Celestials, after all,
deal with any aspect of the mortal condition,
because the gods they serve cover any aspect
of life — and death. Gods dealing with the in-
evitable individual ends of that circle of life,
such as the Raven Queen or Kelemvor, need
agents in the world to push back against
fiendish distortions of that sacred cycle: the
angels of death. These grim celestials may
look like hellspawns, emaciated and gray as
death itself — for form always follows func-
tion, with celestials — but they are ultimately
on the side of good.
Reapers. The main task for angels of death
is to put a stop to the perversion of undeath.
Anyone who interrupts the circle of life and
death defies their gods, and must be shep-
herded to their final end. Ideally, the angels
of death catch the perpetrators of such acts
of evil before they can enact them, for a fully
ascended lich would be a formidable oppo-
nent even for an angel of death.
Watchers at Death’s Door. Where a great
number of deaths occur, be it during battles
or plagues or natural disasters, angels of
death fulfill a more benign — although no
less terrifying — function: they guide souls
towards the afterlife, so they do not get lost
in the chaos and linger to torment the living.
Wherever an angel of death appears, they
are thus rightly seen as omens of great sor-
row. The priesthoods of any mortuary cult,
however, look upon their appearance as a
blessing — for grim as their purpose may be,
they know how much more pain and loss
the angels of death prevent than they
portent.
88
Angel of Death
Large Celestial, Typically Neutral
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 237 (25d10 + 100)
Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
26 (+8) 23 (+6) 18 (+4) 15 (+2) 21 (+5) 7 (−2)
Proficiency Bonus +5
Saving Throws WIS +10, CHA +3
Skills Intimidation +8, Perception +15, Stealth +11
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison, radiant
Condition Immunities frightened
Senses darkvision 240 ft., passive Perception 25
Languages All
Challenge 15 (13,000 XP)
Aura of Death. Any creature that starts its turn within
30 feet of the angel of death, or enters that radius
for the first time on its turn, takes 5 (2d4) necrotic
damage.
Actions
Multiattack. The angel of death uses Beckoning Call
and makes two attacks with its Ender Sword.
Beckoning Call. The angel of death targets one
creature it can see within 60 feet of it and beckons it
to pass the veil with its bony claw hand. The target
must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or
is forced to make a death saving throw any time it
takes damage. If the target fails three death saving
throws, even while it still has hit points remaining, it
dies. This effect ends once the target has succeeded
on three death saving throws. Failed and successful
death saving throws while under this effect carry over
to when the target falls to zero hit points.
Ender Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach
10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (2d12 + 8) slashing damage
plus 21 (6d6) necrotic damage.
Spells of Death. The angel of death casts one of the
following spells, using Wisdom as its spellcasting
ability (spell save DC 18).
3/day each: fear, gentle repose, harm, speak with dead
1/day each: Abi-Dalzim’s horrid wilting, plane shift (self
only), power word kill
 Encountering
an angel of death
Angels of death are often encountered in times
of great sorrow or death, or just preceding them.
They also watch over great forgotten tombs
and, sometimes, stand guard in places where
powerful undead are interred.
Social. Angels of death are, by nature, rather
solitary figures — although this is often not by
choice, but by circumstance, and you may find
them starved for social interaction.
Combat. Angels of death are not particularly
martial types — they fight when they must. But
when they do, death is their goal — they do not
let off just because someone drops unconscious.
This is their true danger.

Encounter Afermath & Rewards

LEGENDARY ACTIONS Communion with the Dead. The angel of death
The angel of death can take 3 legendary actions,
casts speak with dead for you.
choosing from the options below. Only one legendary Message Beyond. The angel of death delivers
action option can be used at a time and only at the one message to a dead soul and returns their
end of another creature’s turn. The angel of death reply (if any).
regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Death Spell. The angel of death casts one of its Spells Blessing of Death. The angel of death bestows
of Death. upon you a Blessing of Death.
Quiet of the Dead. The angel of death silences a Lost Soul Jar. On a slain angel of death, you
creature it can see within 60 feet of it until the end of find a lich’s soul jar — apparently the angel
that creature’s next turn.
was on an important, but unfinished, mission.
Soul Usher (Costs 2 Actions). The angel of death forces
a creature at zero hit points that it can see within 120
feet of it to make a death saving throw. The target
must roll twice and use the lower result.

89
Fateweaver
Medium Celestial, Typically Neutral Good

Armor Class 17 (fate armor)

Hit Points 247 (38d8 + 76)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

10 (+0) 10 (+0) 15 (+2) 19 (+4) 29 (+9) 13 (+1)

Proficiency Bonus +6
Saving Throws WIS +15, CHA +7
Skills Insight +21, Perception +21
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 31
Languages All, Telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 17 (18,000 XP)

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the fateweaver fails a

saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Oracle. Fateweavers know the particulars of any
specific activity or event to occur within 7 days.
They can only predict the results of a specific set
of circumstances or chain of events. Specifics not
considered by the fateweaver can alter what actually
occurs.
Ultimate Awareness. The fateweaver cannot be
surprised.
Actions
Strands of Fate. Melee Spell Attack: +15 to hit, up to
four targets, reach 30 ft. Hit: 23 (4d6 + 9) psychic
damage. All creatures hit by the same attack are
connected by fate until the start of the fateweaver’s
next turn. Any time one of them fails a saving throw
against a spell or an effect that targets only it, all of
them are affected as if they were the target.
Foresight (3/Day). The fateweaver casts foresight. The
spell only ends when its duration runs out, not when
the fateweaver casts it again.
Unravel Destiny (Recharge 6). The fateweaver begins
to unravel the fate of a creature it can sense within
120 feet of it. The target must make a DC 23 Wisdom
saving throw. On a failed save, it must expend one of
its hit dice at the start of each of its turns. (continued
in adjacent box)
(continued from adjacent box) Its current hit points
and hit point maximum are reduced by the number
rolled. In addition, it loses access to all class features
granted by its highest class level with every roll,
including spell slots. If the target has several equally
high class levels to choose from, or other features
that could have been acquired at different levels (such
as known spells, ability score increases, or feats),
the DM chooses which features are lost. The target
can repeat its saving throw at the end of each of its
turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. The
effect also ends when the target has only one class
level remaining. The target regains one lost class
level at the end of a long rest until it regains all lost
class levels, or the fateweaver can restore them all in
a 10-minute ritual. The target regains its original hp
maximum at the end of its first long rest, or at the end
of the fateweavers’ restoration ritual. The effect ends
early if the fateweaver dies. Once a target succeeds on
its save or the effect ends, it is immune to this effect
for 24 hours.
Reactions
Pluck the Strings. The fateweaver changes the result
of any ability check, attack, or saving throw made
by a creature it can sense within 120 feet of it. The
fateweaver decides the exact result.

90

Encountering
a Fateweaver
Fateweavers often sequester themselves in quiet
sanctuaries, to reduce the constant assault
of sensations and gain a better focus. It can
be difficult to even rouse the attention of a
fateweaver from their meditations, but others
actively serve as oracles. Fateweavers are often
the ones who answer a divination or contact
other plane spell.
Social. Most fateweavers appear strangely absent
— a small fraction of consciousness sufficies
to interact while they continue to focus on the
weave of fate. The process of a fateweaver gradu-
ally rising to full consciousness during a conver-
sation that demands their full attention can be
alarming, their personality seemingly changing
rapidly as more aspects of their self surface.
Combat. A fateweaver disturbed in meditation
might react aggressively, purely out of a sense
of self-preservation — being plucked from the
strands of fate suddenly can be dangerous.
Encounter Afermath & Rewards
Prognostication. The fateweaver makes a
prediction for you, as per the divination spell.
Blessing of Foreknowledge. The fateweaver
casts foresight on you.
Advance Fate. The fateweaver immediately
advances you by one level.
Strand of Destiny. When a fateweaver is
slain, a strand of destiny weaves around the
nearest creature. It gains the ability to cast the
divination spell a total of three times.
Some mortals believe that their entire
lives are already laid out for them, planned
by gods from cradle to grave. This is untrue,
but certain celestials have the power to exert
great influence over how the future unfolds.
Known as fateweavers, these individuals
read the infinitely unfolding strands of desti-
ny, sometimes spending years to isolate and
follow just one of them only to discover that
its ultimate fate is indeterminable even to
their wisdom.
Watch Before You Weave. While their com-
mon name implies that fateweavers alter and
direct the unfolding future, they are mostly
passive watchers. They let their senses feel
across the myriad strings dancing on the
loom of destiny in a never-ending kaleido-
scope of possibilities — and many never dare
to lay a finger on any one of them. Nobody
who could see the infinite possibilities as
they can would interfere with these destinies
lightly. Fateweavers without this conscience
have been responsible for some of the great-
est calamities in the multiverse’s history —
often while attempting to prevent a lesser
evil.
Lost Among Fates. Fateweavers can some-
times become threats even to the gods. A
fateweaver who meditates long enough and
with enough skill may sink entirely into the
weave — and become one with reality and
destiny itself, the thin veil that separates
celestials and mortals alike from the gods.
Some fateweavers never realize what they
achieved, lost in that sensation — but gods
have been born from fateweavers who do.
Tyche herself is claimed by some arcanists to
have been a fateweaver, and rumors persist
about Savras, the All-Seeing and Lord of Div-
ination — but the names of most who walk
that path are erased from history. The gods
monitor skilled fateweavers with uneasi-
ness, fearful that one might merge with
the weave entirely and begin to work
their own fates. 91
Archon of Nature
Huge Celestial, Typically Neutral Good

Armor Class 18 (natural armor)

Hit Points 273 (26d12 + 104)
Speed 60 ft., fly 120 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

20 (+5) 19 (+4) 19 (+4) 11 (+0) 21 (+5) 12 (+1)

Proficiency Bonus +6
Saving Throws CON +10, WIS +11
Skills Nature +6, Perception +17, Survival +17
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, thunder;
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical
attacks
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened,
exhaustion, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., truesight 30 ft., passive
Perception 27
Languages All
Challenge 18 (20,000 XP)

Attuned with Nature. The archon can communicate

with all beasts and plants as if they shared a language.
Legendary Resistance (2/Day). If archon fails a saving
throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The archon makes two attacks with its
elemental fists.
Elemental Fists. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit,
reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d10) cold damage, 13
(2d10) fire damage, 13 (2d10) lightning damage, and
13 (2d10) thunder damage.
Nature Spells. The archon of nature casts one of the
following spells, using Wisdom as its spellcasting
ability (spell save DC 19), without requiring material
components.
At will: animal messenger, druidcraft, shape water,
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
skywrite The archon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing
1/day each: animal shapes, control weather, storm of from the options below. Only one legendary action
vengeance, tsunami, whirlwind option can be used at a time and only at the end of
another creature’s turn. The glorified icon regains
Wild Shapes. The archon transforms into any beast.
spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
It adopts the statistics of the beast, but retains its
mental ability scores and the hp of its true form. Nature Spells. The archon casts one of its spells.
It also retains its personality and the ability to cast Wild Shapes (Costs 2 Actions). The archon uses its
its Nature Spells. Using an action, it can change Wild Shapes ability.
back into its true form, or into another beast. When Wrath of Nature (Costs 2 Actions). The archon moves
reduced to 0 hp while transformed, the archon up to its movement speed and makes one attack with
transforms back into its true form and dies. its Elemental Fist.

92

Encountering an
archon of nature
You probably have encountered more than one
archon, without realizing it. It might have or
howled at night while you sat at a campfire — or
crawled over your boot during the day’s hike.
Social. Archons aren’t averse to interaction, but
they rarely reveal their true form — and that is
usually when they stop being social. They like
chatting with druids and other folk who talk
to critters, however. If you meet an unusually
intelligent squirrel — it might be an archon!
Combat. Archons might fight in the guise of
an owlbear or other fierce beast, as part of
experiencing its natural life cycle, but when
things get serious they typically appear in their
true archon form.
Encounter Afermath & Rewards
Guide. The archon sends a group of 4d4 wild
hearts to guard and guide you safely through
this wilderness.
Communion. The archon imparts knowledge
as if you had cast commune with nature.
Annointed Guardian. The archon casts
guardian of nature on you, except that the spell
lasts for 24 hours.
Life from Death. When an archon of nature is
slain, its body blooms into a veritable me-
nagerie of life — you can find any ingredient
native to their favorite environment there.
From the vast oceans of the world,
teeming with the smallest fish and gar-
gantuan dragon turtles, to the mushroom
caves of the Underdark, glowing eerily and
infested with spiders, there is beauty to be
found anywhere in nature. But this beauty
can also be terrible — and dangerous. The
same is true for archons of nature, celes-
tials who are more part of the life of wild
beasts and plants than of the hierarchy of
the Seven Heavens.
Feral Protectors. Archons of nature pro-
tect the wild and untouched areas of the
multiverse from desecration. Most tend to
keep a low profile, however, accepting any
mundane activities of civilization, such as
logging, as part of the natural order. They
act when that natural order is fundamen-
tally threatened. Most gods of the wild, like
Mielikki, do not often issue them direct
commands — knowing that the archons
would not heed them unless they happen
to be doing what the command stipulates
anyway. The wilderness needs equally wild
guardians, and its gods respect this. This
strange duality — being champions of the
domain of a god, and fulfilling this duty by
ignoring that god’s very existence — is what
defines the existence of archons of nature.
One with the Wild. The archons tend
to roam far and wide. Most specialize in
some environment — forests, rivers, des-
erts, etc. — but are not bound to any one
region. Their shapeshifting powers allow
them to blend in with nature, although
most wild creatures instantly recognize
them for what they are. They might live out
centuries as rothés, owlbears, or miniature
giant space hamsters, and only turn into
their true and terrifying archon form when
they need to protect the sanctity of nature.
Archons of nature often are attended by
courts of wild hearts, some of the few
other celestials they have regular
contact with. 93
 Archangels serve as the hands
and mouths of gods. They are
annointed directly by them, elevated
from their fellow celestials to become
instruments of their god’s will. As such,
they are variously revered, envied, or
considered with wariness by their fel-
low celestials. The reason some may be
wary of archangels is that they have fully
pledged themselves to one particular
god and their agenda, to the exclusion of
all others. The Seven Heavens are used
to celestial in-fighting, with many gods
only superficially agreeing on a wide
array of topics. Anyone who aligns them- Encountering
selves with one of them so closely must an archangel
necessarily be seen, if not as an enemy,
then certainly not as a friend, by others. As emissaries of their gods, and executors of
their will, archangels have more direct contact
Word and Sword. While some gods
with mortals than many other celestials. They
might favor a more martial approach, can be encountered on missions all over the
or one more based on gilded words, multiverse.
archangels are typically well-versed in
Social. While generally amicable, because it
both. No archangel can hope to achieve tends to serve their purposes, archangels are not
their god’s will by the same means in any typically truly concerned about conversation with
situation, so they must be well equipped — or even the well-being of — anyone. Their
for all eventualities. They are not above goal is their god’s will, not idle chit-chat.
deception or intimidation, or the use of Combat. Archangels are interested in efficiency
force, if it serves their god’s purposes. — few gods value idleness or delays. If they
Zealous Emissaries. Archangels typi- judge force to achieve their goals quicker than
diplomacy, archangels readily opt for it.
cally operate independently, as the very
reason they exist is for gods to delegate Encounter Afermath & Rewards
tasks. As such, they are trusted individ- Diplomatic. The archangel goes out of its way
uals. However, while trying to live up to to not harm you in carrying out its duty, even if
the expectations of their gods — who that delays success — a rare concession.
are often well removed from celestial
Divine Thanks. If you aid an archangel in their
matters, and even more so from the mission, they grant you one charm related to
mortal issues they entrust to their arch- their god’s domain.
angels — some archangels may hold to
the letter of their commands rather than Word to God. The archangel relays a message
directly to their god, and delivers an answer —
the ideals of their gods. An overzealous
in due time.
archangel can be a menace, indeed, and
more than one of them has had to be Relic Sword. A slain archangel’s weapon can
brought down by other celestials, serve as a holy avenger (greatsword or long-
or even by mortals. sword) to someone of the same alignment as
the archangel, or their god.
94
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The archangel can take 3 legendary actions, choosing Archangel
from the options below. Only one legendary action Large Celestial, Typically the Same Alignment
option can be used at a time and only at the end of as Their God
another creature’s turn. The archangel regains spent
legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Armor Class 21 (angelic plate)
Move. The archangel moves up to its movement Hit Points 287 (25d12 + 125)
speed. Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft.
Smiting Zweihänder Attack. The archangel uses its
smiting zweihänder attack option. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Voice of Reason (Costs 2 Actions). The archangel uses 25 (+7) 15 (+2) 20 (+5) 17 (+3) 21 (+5) 25 (+7)
its Voice of Authority.
Proficiency Bonus +6
Saving Throws CON +11, WIS +11, CHA +13
Skills Athletics +13, Deception +19, Insight +17,
Intimidation +19, Perception +11, Persuasion +13
Damage Resistances necrotic, poison, radiant;
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical
attacks
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion,
frightened, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 21
Languages All
Challenge 19 (22,000 XP)

Forceful Protection. When a creature starts its turn

within 30 feet of the archangel, or enters this area for
the first time on its turn, the archangel can make one
stole whip attack against it, no action required.
Actions
Multiattack. The archangel uses its smiting
zweihänder (either attack or guard), and then makes
four stole whip attacks.
Smiting Zweihänder Attack. Melee Weapon Attack:
+13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7)
slashing damage and 14 (4d6) radiant damage.
Smiting Zweihänder Guard. The archangel’s sword
emanates a golden light in a 30-foot radius, and any
creature of the archangel’s choice that starts its turn
in the illuminated area, or enters it for the first time
on its turn, must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution
saving throw or is blinded until the end of its turn.
Stole Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach
30 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d8) slashing damage,
and the target is moved up to 30 feet away from the
archangel, in a direction of its choice.
Voice of Authority (3/Day). The archangel casts
dominate person, using Charisma as its spellcasting
ability (spell save DC 21).

95
 Encountering
an Glorified Icon
It is surprisingly easy to stumble across
a glorified icon — certainly no common
occurrence, but they do not actively hide. When
encountered, they are often mistaken for statues
— some even reside, unrecognized for millenia,
in well-visited temples.
Social. There is nothing you could offer a
glorified icon. But they are willing to converse if
your cause is honest and your speech is true.
Combat. Glorified icons are indifferent
combatants. They only engage first under
exceptional circumstances — often heralding the LEGENDARY ACTIONS
change of an age of time — but squash attackers The glorified icon can take 3 legendary actions,
with as much concern as a humanoid might choosing from the options below. Only one legendary
show an ant. action option can be used at a time and only at the
end of another creature’s turn. The glorified icon
Encounter Afermath & Rewards regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Inspiring. Being in the glorified icon’s presence Alignment in Thought (Costs 2 Actions). The glorified
icon targets a creature it can see within 120 feet of it.
grants you the Blessing of Inspiration.
The target must succeed on a DC 25 Wisdom saving
Insightful. The glorified icon opens your mind throw, or its alignment shifts by one square on the
and grants you the Blessing of Insight. alignment chart (e.g. from lawful evil to lawful neutral,
or from chaotic good to neutral good). When the
Wish. The glorified icon grants you the use of target’s alignment becomes the same as the icon’s
one wish spell. alignment, the target perceives the icon as its ally as
long as the change lasts. After the target finishes a
Fallen Icon. A slain icon crumbles to 4d4
long rest, its alignment shifts back towards its original
doses of dust of iconic essence, which ends any alignment by one square on the alignment chart, until
spell or condition affecting a creature when it reaches its original alignment.
consumed as an action. Immutable Essence. The glorified icon ends one spell
or condition currently affecting it.
Plane Shift. The glorified icon casts plane shift. It can
target itself only.

96

Glorified Icon
Huge Celestial, Typically Lawful Good
Armor Class 28 (natural armor)
Hit Points 418 (22d12 + 243)
Speed 0 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
30 (+10) 10 (+0) 28 (+9) 24 (+7) 30 (+10) 22 (+6)
Proficiency Bonus +7
Saving Throws STR +17, CON +16, INT +14, WIS +17
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, psychic,
radiant, thunder
Damage Immunities force, necrotic, poison;
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical
attacks
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion,
frightened, poisoned
Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 20
Languages All
Challenge 22 (41,000 XP)
Immovable. The glorified icon cannot be moved or
shifted to another plane of existence against its will.
Immutable. The glorified icon’s physical form cannot
be altered.
Implacable. The glorified icon’s memory cannot be al-
tered, and it cannot be forced to sleep by any means.
Legendary Resistance (5/Day). If the glorified icon fails
a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The glorified icon uses psychic censure
and makes two attacks with its eyes of pure thought.
Eyes of Pure Thought. Ranged Spell Attack: +17 to hit,
one target, range 300 ft. Hit: 35 (4d12 + 9) psychic
damage. The target must also succeed on a DC 25
Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the end of
its next turn.
Psychic Censure. The glorified icon targets one
creature it has seen at least once on the same plane
of existence. The target must succeed on a DC 25
Wisdom saving throw or, become telepathically linked
to the icon for up to 10 minutes. During this time, the
icon can use its reaction to cancel any action, bonus
action, or reaction the target takes.
Celestials are all about ideals and
ideas — often glorifying these con-
cepts so much that they become static,
immutable. Only such enduring ideals are
even worth worshiping, in the minds of
most celestials — for if they were change-
able, what value would there be in them?
The glorified icons are the embodiment of
this thought process. They are glorious,
they are more immutable than statues,
and they do not tolerate any contradiction
to their ideals.
Embodiments of Ideals. It is said that
every idea and ideal that exists in the
multiverse has a glorified icon embody-
ing it. There is no way to prove this, of
course, for when did philosophers ever
agree on what even constitutes an idea or
ideal? There might be just a tiny handful
of them, or an innumerable number. In
any case, glorified icons are said to be
just as immortal as ideas are. One might
be destroyed through brute force, but it
will immediately reform, for as long as
ideas and ideals persist anywhere within
the multiverse. Even a god may die — but
glorified icons are eternal.
Remote Sanctums. Glorified icons are
just as untouchable and remote as ideas
often seem. They are hidden away in the
most remote corners of the multiverse —
in ancient ruins deep below the oceans,
floating in the Astral Sea, or . The only
place where you are guaranteed to never
find a glorified icon, interestingly, are the
Seven Heavens. Other celestials do not
comment on this fact. Some scholars
speculate that, to them, ideals and ideas
are too sacred to casually lay eyes upon
on a daily basis. More subversive thinkers
postulate that celestials simply have no
right to the principles they proclaim to
champion, and that their perfection is
beyond reach even for them.
97