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Titolo: QUARTA edizione 4th - Excerpts Angels

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gli Angeli come non li avete mai visti
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4ex/20080428a&pf=true
Excerpts: Angels
4th Edition Monster Manual
We've introduced devils; this time, we wanted to take a look at
angels. We asked R&D's Jennifer Clarke Wilkes how 4th Edition angels
are different from any ever seen before--in both appearance and
backstory.
Her response:
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When was the last time your party took on an angel? For most players,
the answer is probably “never”. Even the least of them, the astral
deva, is a very powerful opponent—and, of course, there’s that sticky
problem of their being good-with-a-capital-G creatures. D&D characters
are supposed to be heroes, and heroes don’t fight the good guys,
right?
Not only angels, but a variety of other good divine servants populated
the Great Wheel of earlier editions. An urge toward symmetry produced
an Outer Plane for every shade of alignment, and that meant planar
denizens of matching alignment. Thus, archons were lawful good,
guardinals were neutral good, and eladrins were chaotic good. (In
fact, until the 3.5 version of the Monster Manual, the word “angel”
did not appear in the game.)
Meanwhile, evil gods were served by . . . nobody. Sure, there were
demons and devils, but they had their own agendas and paid little
attention to what the gods were up to—whether good or evil. This left
the evil gods with assorted minions and cultists, unless they made
alliances with fiends. What would stand against adventurers who dared
Hextor or Vecna on his home turf? Evil creatures might live in
Pandemonium, but they had nothing to do with Erythnul. In a strange
way, this arrangement meant that a demon lord such as Orcus or an
archdevil such as Asmodeus could muster an army of servants and
actually present a greater challenge to high-level characters than
gods. Something was wrong with that picture.
Reconcepting some of the iconic monsters of the D&D game went hand in
glove with our intent to revamp the setting, in addition to the game
mechanics, so as to maximize playability and fun. One of the goals of
monster development for the new edition was to better distinguish
monster groups. All those shades of niceness didn’t do much to clearly
identify the various servants of good, nor did those creatures embody
specific principles in the way that different sorts of fiends often
did. We decided that every god needed to have servants, and making
angels those servants seemed the logical step. (Demons and devils
might still work with evil gods, but they do not serve them.)
Removing alignment restrictions from angels also meant that they could
embody new ideas. The word “angel” means “messenger”—why couldn’t one
bring a message of war, or pain, or vengeance, as well as those of
hope or protection? (And, of course, snuggles.) A god of generally
good alignment might still have need of an angel to bring death to
enemies; an evil god could require an envoy to inspire loyalty and
bravery. Now an angel can lead any deity’s armies, whether of lesser
angels, immortal creatures or powerful mortal champions, and can
project its divine will into other realms. The weaker angels are
heroic-tier monsters, suitable as temple guardians and mortal
commanders. The more powerful are effective challenges at the paragon
and epic tiers, standing by the side of their deities. (Along the way,
some things that were once angel-like changed their natures, most
notably the eladrin, who now are the lords of the Feywild.)
The change in angels’ nature paved the way to a change in appearance
as well. Angels became less humanoid in appearance, more like
impartial embodiments of immortal power. They are faceless, sometimes
metallic or stonelike in form, trailing into Astral essence. No halos
here—these are beings created for a purpose, rather than
anthropomorphic images of comfort and purity. They are uncaring and
relentless, and their new look reinforces that aspect.
--Jennifer Clarke Wilkes
ANGELS
Most deities have angel servants. Although their appearances can vary,
all angels are vaguely humanoid in form, with masculine or feminine
features and lower bodies that trail off into flowing energy.
Angels exist as expressions of the Astral Sea, sentient energy in
humanoid form. They most often serve the gods, so some believe that
the gods created them. In reality, angels are powerful astral beings
who appeared during the first moments of the creation of the Astral
Sea. Different types of angels have different callings; they are
literally manifestations of celestial vocations. Perhaps it was the
needs of the gods that caused the astral stuff to spew them forth, but
it was not a conscious act of creation. During the great war between
the gods and the primordials, angels offered themselves as warriors to
the gods that best encompassed their callings, and today they continue
to act as mercenary forces for anyone willing to meet their price—be
it wealth, or power, or a cause worthy of their attention.
Angels are more involved in the world and other planes than deities
and exarchs. They act both openly and secretly, often acting as
emissaries, generals, and even assassins.
Angel of Valor
Angels of valor, though courageous and fierce, are the weakest and the
most numerous of angels called to serve a given deity.
Angel of ValorLevel 8 SoldierMedium immortal humanoid (angel)XP
350Initiative +10 Senses Perception +6
Angelic Presence Attacks against the angel of valor take a –2 penalty
until the angel is bloodied.
HP 88; Bloodied 44
AC 24; Fortitude 22, Reflex 20, Will 19
Immune fear; Resist 10 fire, 10 radiant
Speed 6, fly 9 (hover)
Longsword (standard; at-will)  Weapon+13 vs. AC; 1d8 + 6 damage.Dagger
(standard; at-will)  Weapon+13 vs. AC; 1d4 + 6 damage.Blade Fury
(standard; at-will)  WeaponThe angel of valor makes a longsword attack
and a dagger attack. Lightning Strike (standard; encounter)
LightningClose burst 1; targets enemies; +11 vs. Fortitude; 1d8 + 4
lightning damage, and the target is dazed until the end of the angel
of valor’s next turn. Fiery Blades (minor, usable only while bloodied;
at-will)  FireUntil the start of the angel of valor’s next turn, the
angel of valor’s weapons deal fire damage and attack the target’s
Reflex defense instead of AC.Alignment Any Languages Supernal Skills
Intimidate +12 Str 23 (+10) Dex 18 (+8) Wis 14 (+6) Con 16 (+7) Int 11
(+4) Cha 16 (+7) Equipment chainmail, longsword, dagger
Angel of Vengeance
Angels of vengeance strike down those who wrong a deity. They also
punish disloyalty and failure among the devout.
Angel of VengeanceLevel 19 Elite BruteLarge immortal humanoid
(angel)XP 4800Initiative +13 Senses Perception +16
HP 446; Bloodied 223
AC 34; Fortitude 33, Reflex 29, Will 33; see also cloak of vengeance
Immune disease, fear; Resist 15 cold, 15 fire, 15 radiant; see also
coldfire pillar
Saving Throws +2
Speed 8, fly 12 (hover); see also sign of vengeance
Action Points 1
Longsword (standard; at-will)  Cold, Fire, WeaponReach 2; +25 vs. AC;
1d10 + 9 damage plus 1d8 fire damage plus 1d8 cold damage.Double
Attack (standard; at-will)  Cold, Fire, WeaponThe angel of vengeance
makes two longsword attacks.Sign of Vengeance (minor; encounter)
TeleportationRanged sight; the angel of vengeance places an invisible
sign upon the target. Until the end of the encounter, as a move
action, the angel can teleport adjacent to the target. Coldfire Pillar
(free, when first bloodied; encounter)  Cold, Fire, PolymorphThe angel
transforms into a 30-foot-high pillar of blue flame. Close burst 2;
+23 vs. Reflex; 1d8 + 9 cold damage plus 1d8 + 9 fire damage. The
angel of vengeance is immune to all damage until the start of its next
turn.Cloak of Vengeance (until bloodied)  Cold, FireAttacks against
the angel of vengeance take a –2 penalty until the angel is bloodied.
While cloak of vengeance is in effect, a creature that makes a
successful melee attack against the angel takes 1d8 fire damage and
1d8 cold damage.Alignment Any Languages Supernal Skills Insight +21,
Intimidate +22 Str 27 (+17) Dex 18 (+13) Wis 25 (+16) Con 23 (+15) Int
19 (+13) Cha 26 (+17) Equipment plate armor, 2 longswords
Angel of Vengeance Tactics
An angel of vengeance focuses on a single target. It evokes its sign
of vengeance at the start of battle, then teleports to the target and
spends an action point to use double attack against the foe. The angel
continues its relentless pursuit of the target, paying little heed to
events around it.
Angel of Vengeance Lore
A character knows the following information with a successful Religion
check.
DC 20: Deities send angels of vengeance to punish those who have
defied or angered them. A god might also send an angel of vengeance to
test one who is in danger of falling off the deity’s path, showing no
mercy for failure.
DC 25: Influential members of a clergy use a ritual to call forth
their deity’s wrath in the form of one of these angels.
Encounter Groups
Angels of vengeance appear alone or in pairs, sometimes aided by
angels of valor or angels of battle.
Level 19 Encounter (XP 13,600)
2 angels of vengeance (level 19 elite brute)
5 angel of valor legionnaires (level 21 minion)
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Be sure to return Wednesday for a look at multiclassing!
©1995-2008 Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
--
Fabio

 gli Angeli come non li avete mai visti
Gli angeli come servitori degli dei, anche di quelli malvagi, mi hanno
fatto venire in mente Oh, Mia Dea! e per la precisione World of
Elegance, l'angelo di Urd, che essendo meta' dea e meta' demone ha un
angelo bicolore (un po' come i Ringo, ma con in piu' i disegni
straordinari di Fujishima).
Narrativamente mi piace il concetto in se', sono un po' scettica quando
parlano di dare loro anche un valore di "mercenari". Personalmente vedo
gli angeli come servitori indissolubilmente legati all'obbedienza, tanto
che per scostarsene devono rompere completamente con la loro originaria
natura (diventando diavoli, o magari anche demoni - anche se questi
probabilmente sono piu' entita' primordiali).
Ma comunque questa caratterizzazione e' anche una questione di
ambientazione, o comunque verra' pesantemente influenzata dall'uso di
un'ambientazione.
Parvati V
-- "Cosa e' celvello? Pai non ha cosa del genele" - Pai, 3x3 occhi
UnaMoleDiDadi (TreEmme Torino): 
http://umdd.altervista.org/
http://parvatiquinta.blogspot.com/

un'ambientazione.
magari i mercenari DEVONO offrire i loro servigi al miglior offerente,
e cadono se si dedicano a una causa perchè al considerano giusta.
interessanti considerazioni, qui. :)
-- 
 Domon