Angel (astral)

Angels, not to be confused with the celestials of the same name, were vaguely humanoid entities of the Astral Sea who served the many deities as servants.
==Description==
Angels, who ranged from human-like to ogre-like in size, were not so much physical beings as energy given form. Made from the essence of the Astral Sea, angels were basically the physical forms of the mixture of those energies. This form was vaguely humanoid, with varying degrees of similarity to mortals. Most angels had only the most basic masculine or feminine features, with lower bodies that trailed off into floating energy. Angels all exhibited wings of some form, which they used to fly.
==Combat==
Angels had a number of unique abilities granted to them by their nature. All angels were capable of at least limited flight, often being capable of much more, flying more speedily than even they could walk. Many were also capable of magically warding themselves against attack, making it more difficult for enemy strikes to successfully hit them. Angels wholly lacked the capacity to fear, or at least to such an extent that fear magic was ineffective against them, and all were resistant to radiant damage.
==Society==
Angels were usually, though not always, good creatures. Similarly, many were in the service of the gods for whom they fought in the Dawn War, though quite a few took up the life of a planewalking mercenary, serving any being they wished, be it for wealth, power, or a cause.
==History==
In the Dawn War, angels served deities as soldiers, though they are not necessarily in the service of the gods anymore. Angels were ancient enemies of elemental archons.
It is unknown precisely how angels were first created. Some claim that the gods created the angels, although, if they did this, it was not intentional and angels are themselves nearly as old as the first gods, having originated in the very first moments of the Astral Sea's existence. However, whether or not the gods created the angels, the latter soon served the former's purpose, offering themselves as soldiers during the Dawn War. As a result, most today still serve gods, though not all do.
Compared with gods and exarchs, angels were far more interested in the affairs of the Prime Material Plane and other planes, acting both openly and secretly as agents in the mortal world.
==Types of Angels==
;Angel of authority
;Angel of battle
:Valiant angels who served in the Dawn War as battle commanders.
;Angel of exploration
;Angel of light
:Misty rainbows of light that served high-level worshipers of good deities and provided good beings with aid on quests.
;Angel of protection
:Guardian angels who protected important individuals or places.
;Angel of retrieval
;Angel of supremacy
;Angel of torment
:Astral angels who could be a rare instrument of divine wrath for the most dire of offenses, or a scourge upon the world.
;Angel of valor
:Among the weakest and most numerous angels, angels of valor most commonly served gods as warriors.
;Angel of vengeance
:Agents of divine wrath, angels of vengeance served deities in order to punish those who transgressed the will of the divine.
;Deva
:Angels who had taken mortal form for any number of reasons and who were reincarnated upon death into a new body.
==Appendix==
===Appearances===
; Video Games : Neverwinter
; Organized Play & Licensed Adventures : Black Heart
===Gallery===
4e angel.jpg|The immortal, angel of protection.
Angels 4e.jpg|A group of angels, from left to right: an angel of protection, an angel of battle, and an angel of vengeance.
Angel of torment crop - Craig J Spearing.png|An angel of torment.
===References===
Category:Creatures found in the Astral Plane