Angel, ErelimThis athletic, winged humanoid has handsome features and wields a shining lance.Erelim CR 6Source Pathfinder #104: Wrath of Thrune pg. 84
XP 2,400
NG Medium outsider (angel, extraplanar, good)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, detect evil; Perception +13
Aura protective auraDefenseAC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+3 Dex, +5 natural); +4 deflection vs. evil
hp 68 (8d10+24)
Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +8; +4 vs. poison, +4 resistance vs. evil
DR 5/evil; Immune acid, cold, petrification; Resist electricity 10, fire 10; SR 17OffenseSpeed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (good)
Melee +1 lance +11/+6 (1d8+4/×3), or mwk greatsword +11/+6 (2d6+3/19–20)
Ranged mwk longbow +12/+7 (1d8/×3)
Special Attacks celestial charge, righteous challenge
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +6)
Constant—detect evil
At will—light, remove fear, stabilize, virtue
3/day—bless weapon, cure light wounds, remove curse
1/day—consecrateStatisticsStr 15, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 12
Base Atk +8; CMB +10; CMD 23
Feats Cavalry FormationAPG, Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge
Skills Fly +7, Handle Animal +12, Heal +11, Knowledge (planes) +7, Perception +13, Profession (soldier) +13, Ride +14, Sense Motive +11
Languages Celestial, Common, Infernal; truespeech
SQ inspiring presence, shining mountEcologyEnvironment any good-aligned plane
Organization solitary, formation (3–10), or host (5–12 formations)
Treasure double (+1 lance, mwk greatsword, mwk longbow, other treasure)Special AbilitiesCelestial Charge (Su) A mounted erelim is a force to be reckoned with. An erelim receives a +4 bonus on melee attack rolls on a charge while mounted (instead of the normal +2), and does not take any penalty to AC after making a charge attack while mounted. In addition, if an erelim confirms a critical hit on a mounted charge, the nearby area is washed in holy light. Each evil-aligned enemy in a 20-foot-radius burst takes 2d8 points of damage and is blinded for 1 round. A successful DC 15 Will saving throw reduces the damage by half and negates the blinded effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Inspiring Presence (Ex) When an erelim is mounted, all good-aligned allies within 60 feet that can see the erelim receive a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and weapon damage rolls against evil-aligned creatures.
Righteous Challenge (Ex) Three times per day, an erelim can challenge evil foes. As a swift action, the erelim chooses one target within sight to challenge. The erelim’s melee attacks deal 2d4 additional points of damage to the target (or 2d6 points of damage to evil outsiders). The erelim takes a –2 penalty to AC, except against attacks made by the target of the challenge. An erelim’s challenge and additional damage only apply to evil-aligned creatures; if an erelim attempts to challenge a creature that is not evil, that use of challenge is expended for the day with no effect. The challenge remains in effect until the target is dead or unconscious or until the combat ends.
Shining Mount (Su) As a standard action, an erelim can conjure forth a quasi-real mount made of pure light. This functions as per phantom steed (CL 8th), conjuring a mount with an Armor Class of 18, 15 hit points, a speed of 100 feet, and the ability to run or charge over sandy, muddy, or marshy terrain without penalty. The mount glows with a brightness equivalent to a daylight spell. Only the erelim who conjured it can ride the mount, and the erelim must be astride the mount to use celestial charge and inspiring presence. An erelim can dismiss the mount as a free action.DescriptionErelims serve as cavalry in celestial armies, charging into battle atop steeds of pure light and inspiring allies with valiant words and deeds. These angelic knights laugh in the face of overwhelming odds and love nothing more than to face destruction without fear, even going so far as to scorn armor. Honorable and respectful, erelims obediently follow the commands of celestial generals, but sometimes their fervor for righteous battle makes them frustratingly difficult to organize or call to retreat.
Erelims appear as a variety of humanoid races from the Material Plane, though usually with dark, close-cropped hair. An erelim’s wings are smaller and more elegant than those of other angels. A typical erelim stands 6 feet tall and weighs 180 pounds.EcologyErelims arise from the souls of valiant mortals who fell honorably in battle, or who died defending the weak against insurmountable evils. Many paladins, cavaliers, and other crusaders find themselves among this legion after death, but even a humble peasant may find herself among the knights of Heaven so long as she stood up to evil while others backed down. The appearances of the angels may vary greatly from the mortal forms they once inhabited, and many erelims arise from the celestial planes spontaneously—from wisps of soulstuff collected from a dozen or more brave petitioners—rather than emerging from a single, courageous warrior. They may present a huge variety of racial features in one stunningly beautiful and athletic form.
Erelims who stand out thanks to cunning and resourcefulness in battle—for all erelims are blessed with bravery and prowess—are sometimes “promoted” to higher angelic choirs. If erelims can be said to covet anything, it is the title of deva.Habitat and SocietyErelims are best suited for combat on the open fields of battle in large-scale conflicts between the forces of good and evil. They depend heavily on their shining mounts— projections of their own radiant souls—as their wings are smaller and weaker than most of the angelic host. Most guard the borders of Heaven, or ride across the yawning planes of Elysium on constant patrol for protean intruders. They serve as the cavalry for celestial forays into the evil Outer Planes, but lack the cunning and restraint to act as covert agents. Despite their zeal, erelims are careful to avoid civilian injuries or destruction, and work to steer conflicts away from unaffiliated settlements.
Very rarely, erelims take mortal form on the Material Plane to act as knights or field marshals for armies they deem righteous. These erelims are fair but uncreative strategists, relying heavily on straightforward tactics and superior numbers to win the day. While erelims see any resulting casualties as a failure of their leadership, they tolerate the deaths so long as an important objective is won in the process. Erelims on the Material Plane attempt to disguise their celestial nature, only reverting to their true forms in times of desperation. Once danger has passed, such revealed erelims return to the Outer Planes.
The concept of relaxation is alien to erelims. Their free time is filled with endless drills, jousts, patrols, and short breaks to maintain their weapons or strategize with other angels. Such a warlike existence leaves them suited for little else. Even in times of peace, most erelims find it difficult to lay their duty aside and embrace simple pleasures; without some measure of routine, many become anxious and reactionary, seeking conflict even when engaged in the most mundane activities.
Erelims who serve together in a celestial formation share a camaraderie akin to that of many mortal armies. Members of an erelim formation learn to act in harmony, and grow as close as siblings, able to coordinate and work together without speaking a word. Multiple formations brought together into a single host often develop friendly rivalries, becoming especially competitive in battle, to the point of recklessness. Celestial commanders frown upon this divergence in the ranks, but can rarely discourage the boisterous angels for long.Calling an ErelimErelims can be called with planar ally, and the payment they require depends on the boldness of the request. These angels belittle any tasks that don’t test their mettle or call for incredible heroism, and demand to be presented with extravagant weapons or for large sums to be donated to an appropriate church. Conversely, they exuberantly agree to requests that put them in direct conflict with powerful evil beings, and often ask no more of the callers than to fight alongside them as equals. Erelims do not accept obviously suicidal tasks, but sometimes vastly underestimate the threat mortal dangers can pose.Creatures in "Angel" CategorySource Pathfinder RPG Bestiary pg. 10
Angels are a race of celestials, beings who live on the good-aligned outer planes.
Angels can be of any good alignment. Lawful angels hail from Heaven, neutral angels from Nirvana, and chaotic angels from Elysium, though the majority serve one good deity or another and call their patron's realm their home. Most mortals assume that angels never lie, cheat, or steal, are impeccably honorable in all their dealings, and are the most trustworthy and diplomatic of all the celestials; while this is generally true, there are exceptions, especially as some angels serve good-aligned trickster gods and other chaotic entities.
The original and most powerful angels predate the mortal races. They were among the first creations of the gods of good, and those that survive to this day are among the more powerful non-divine beings in the multiverse. While new angels are still periodically created by the gods, most modern angels were once good mortals, their souls transforming into something greater upon reaching their destination in the planes. Often an angel's true form is reminiscent of its mortal self, only taller, brighter, and more powerful. The relationship between good mortal soul and angel is common knowledge, and many mortal religions assume that all members of the faith in good standing become angels of some type in the afterlife. Others confuse the issue by conflating famous mortals (such as saints and martyrs) with preexisting angels that have similar names, or suggesting that angels take human form to perform great deeds as mortals, returning to the heavens when their duties are over.
All angels are blessed with extraordinary beauty, though their actual appearances vary widely. Their natural shapechanging ability means they may appear to mortals as male or female, depending on their personal preference or the will of their deity. As they are spiritual creatures given a physical form rather than creatures of flesh born of other creatures, their gender is mutable; some angels always use a male form, some strictly a female one, and others use either or both, or prefer an androgynous or sexless shape.
Technically, the word “angel” refers to several types of humanoid angels—solars, planetars, and devas (of which the astral deva is the most common; other types exist as well)—though many mortals use the term loosely and apply it to any celestial, whether an angel, one of the guardian archons, fey-like azatas, beast-like agathions, or any other creature of the good planes. The angels do not take affront at this, as they have more important things to deal with than mortal nomenclature.
Angels speak Celestial, Draconic, and Infernal, though they can communicate with almost any creature because of their truespeech ability. All angels possess a number of similar traits. Most angels also have additional powers beyond these traits, depending on the role their deity assigns them. For example, an angelic guardian of volcanoes might have the fire subtype, or the protector of a sunken city might be aquatic, amphibious, and able to use her wings to swim. Fallen Angels Many religions include stories of angels rebelling against a creator or becoming corrupt and evil. Sadly, this is indeed possible, though thankfully rare, and only the proudest or weakest-willed angels succumb to this fate. Fallen angels are exiles of the good realms, hunted by their former brethren and easy targets for fiends as well. The fallen lose some of the grace and light of their untainted kin, though many are said to still be tragically beautiful. Rarer still are those fallen angels strong and clever enough to join the legions of Hell, and who are often transformed into some type of devil, or those who become demons of the Abyss and carve out a niche in that horrible realm or come to serve a greater demon. Angelic Choirs Whereas there are evil and cruel counterparts for all the other good races, the legions of fiends do not possess a clear analogue for the race of angels. Many scholars have debated the reasons for this strange lack of symmetry among the good and evil outsiders, and while most have come to believe that this is simply an example of good's inherent willingness to rise above specific alignments for everyone's benefit, the exact reason may never be known.
Since angels can be of any good alignment, they represent the needs and desires of all three major good outsider races. While some angels devote their energies to all three, most have a particular favorite among the races in keeping with that angel's particular alignment. While their true forms never vary between alignments, angels will often use their change shape ability to appear more like an archon, agathion, or azata as the situation and the angel's personality demands.
Angels are further subdivided into their own specific hierarchy known as the Triad of Choirs. The bulk of the angel race consists of the devas—these are the most common angels, and numerous different specialties exist, with the astral deva presented here merely the best known. Devas of the third choir have two wings. The second choir consists solely of the four-winged planetars, while the rulers of the angelic race are the six-winged solars. These are the mightiest of all angels, and the most powerful of them can directly oppose even the will of a demigod if the situation calls for it. Angel Subtype Angels are a race of celestials, or good outsiders, native to the good-aligned outer planes. An angel possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry). - Darkvision 60 feet and low-light vision.
- Immunity to acid, cold, and petrification.
- Resistance to electricity 10 and fire 10.
- +4 racial bonus on saves against poison.
- Protective Aura (Su) Against attacks made or effects created by evil creatures, this ability provides a +4 deflection bonus to AC and a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws to anyone within 20 feet of the angel. Otherwise, it functions as a magic circle against evil effect and a lesser globe of invulnerability, both with a radius of 20 feet (caster level equals angel's HD). The defensive benefits from the circle are not included in an angel's statistics block.
- Truespeech (Su) All angels can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a tongues spell (caster level equal to angel's Hit Dice). This ability is always active.
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