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Nicolai Withander
Master of Realmslore
Denmark
1093 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Oct 2008 : 23:30:23
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What is the rank of celestial...
Are solars the strongest or are there some seraphin of arch-angels who are stronger? I would also like to know if there are any NPC celestials!!!
Thanks
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2008 : 23:51:10
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| As far as I know, solars are the strongest angel, or at least that's how it was pre-4E. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2008 : 23:52:26
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If you're still in 3.x, your best bet is The Book of Exalted Deeds. It gives the full rundown of the celestial hierarchy. Plus...it's got some NEAT heavenly-based abilities for all the different classes.
The monk pc in my last campaign was PARTICULARLY happy that I picked up that book. :D |
My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2008 : 03:32:36
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| Yes, there are celestial paragons that serve the same function for Angels/Guardinal/Eladrin that Archfiends do for the denizens of the lower planes. |
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe
Germany
657 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2008 : 04:19:57
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| The adaption of the Book of Exalted Deeds to the Forgotten Realms is found in the Player's Guide to Faerun. |
"What mattered our lives now? When our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring."
Elender Stormfall of Suzail
"Anyone can kill deities, cause plagues, or destroy organizations. It takes real skill to make them live on."
Varl
FR/D&D-Links • 2ed Downloads |
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BEAST
Master of Realmslore
USA
1714 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2008 : 15:30:48
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The Exalted book confirms that solar angels were the most powerful type of celestial as of 2003 (3.5E?), with a CR of 23. The MM 3.5E agrees; solars are actually listed as having the highest CR of all the "monsters" in that book, period.
Volo's Guide to All Things Magical says that Al Dimeneira, the angel who was able to dispatch Errtu in the history of the Crystal Shard, was a solar. Elminster apparently signed off on that, too. 
The MM also shows that a balor has a CR of 20, which could help to explain how that particular angel was able to whack that particular demon.
But for some reason the new A Reader's Guide to RAS's The Legend of Drizzt book says that Al Dimeneira was only a movanic deva. These are supposed to be relatively common, celestial foot soldiers. The 2003 Fiend Folio assigns them a CR of only 9.
Good <Wiki write-up on D&D angels/aasimon/celestials>, broken down by edition.
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"'You don't know my history,' he said dryly."
--Drizzt Do'Urden (The Pirate King, Part 1: Chapter 2)
<"Comprehensive Chronology of R.A. Salvatore Forgotten Realms Works"> |
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Ardashir
Senior Scribe
USA
544 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2008 : 16:10:09
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I'd say that solars are the highest 'type' of celestial, like how pit fiends and balors are the highest 'types' of their respective breeds of fiend... but there are probably unique celestials with more power who are still not gods (and don't want to be).
That's how I run it, anyway. |
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Nerfed2Hell
Senior Scribe
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - 16 Nov 2008 : 21:35:09
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quote:
Originally posted by BEAST
The MM also shows that a balor has a CR of 20, which could help to explain how that particular angel was able to whack that particular demon.
But for some reason the new A Reader's Guide to RAS's The Legend of Drizzt book says that Al Dimeneira was only a movanic deva. These are supposed to be relatively common, celestial foot soldiers. The 2003 Fiend Folio assigns them a CR of only 9.
Just remember, individuals of a given type can be advanced either by hit dice or class levels... so while a balor has a CR of 20, the particular balor in question may have been a higher challenge rating... likewise, if Al Dimeneira was only a movanic deva, it seems likely that there was extra hit dice and/or class leves involved to increase CR to match or beat the balor's.
...just my take on it. |
Some people are like a slinky... not good for much, but when you push them down the stairs, it makes you smile. |
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Angels
