Planetar

PLANETAR

FREQUENCY: Very rare <(planetars are served by moon dogs : VII)>
FREQUENCY: Common ([Dungeon Level X])
FREQUENCY: Rare ([Astral Plane])
FREQUENCY: Rare ([Ethereal Plane])

NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -7
MOVE: 15" / 48" // 24" (MC: B)
HIT DICE: 144 hp
% IN LAIR: 0
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +7 (strength bonus)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: [SB]
SPECIAL DEFENSES: [SB]
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 75%
INTELLIGENCE: Supra-genius; wisdom: 21
ALIGNMENT: Good
SIZE: L (8 1/2' tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: 288
Attack/Defense Modes: All / all
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: X | 60,000 + 35

A planetar is one of a powerful spirit group,
numbering not fewer than 100,
who serve the deities of good alignment.
One or more will typically serve as the right hand of a minor deity,
while numbers of planetars will attend a major deity.
These creatures inhabit the Upper Outer Planes of Good but actually travel at will to any plane except the lowest (the Hells, Gehenna, Hades, Tarterus, the Abyss).
If commanded by their deity,
they can,
in fact,
enter even the lowest planes of Evil.
Only a solar (q.v.) is more powerful in the cause of Good.

Planetars can be of any good alignment -- lawful, neutral, or chaotic.
Their specific alignment is determined by the master they serve.
Each planetar has 3 attacks per round,
typically with a bastard sword (usable only by planetars) =equal= to a +4 weapon with both defender (q.v.) and wounding qualities,
the latter effective only against creatures of Evil.
For purposes of attack determination,
consider each planetar to have a Dex of 21 and a 17th-level fighting ability.
All planetars have spell-like abilities =equal= to those of a Lama (C7) and an Initiate of the 5th Circle (D7),
+plus+ bonuses to each (Wis =equals= 21).
In +addition+,
they each have the following spell-like abilities which can be used 1 at a time,
1 per round,
at will:

animate object once per day blade barrier 3 times per day continual light up to 10" radius control weather once per day dispel evil 3 times per day

dispel illusion 7 times per day dispel magic 3 times per day earthquake once per day etherealness feeblemind once per day

limited wish once per day polymorph object fire storm once per day flame strike 3 times per day heal 3 times per day

holy word once per day improved invisibility up to 10-foot radius insect plague once per day limited wish once per day polymorph self

raise dead 3 times per day read magic remove curse remove fear resist cold (double effect)

resist fire (double effect) restoration once per day shape change once per day) speak with dead symbol (any) once per day

teleport with no error true seeing 3 times per day weather summoning once per day wind walk 7 times per day -

<revise: limited wish is listed twice, etc.>

Each planetar radiates a globe of protection from evil fro mindividual size to a full 40-foot-radius,
as desired.
The maintenance of the AREA is automatic.
A planetar can commune at need.
Each can always cure blindness, deafness, disease, or light wounds by touch.
They detect evil, lllusion, invisibility, lie, magic and traps.
Each always has know alignment functioning automatically.
A planetar can communicate by ESP or tongues as well as read any language.
Each always has infravision to 12" and ultravision of double normal range.
Once per day a planetar can gate in the indicated number (1-3, 1-4, or 1-6) of the appro. sort of deva (q.v.) whether astral, monadic, or movanic.
They can summon the following creatures once per day;
    LG :: 1-4 couatl,
    NG :: 1-2 baku,
    CG :: 1-2 androsphinx.

Planetars are affected by the attack forms indicated for devas (q.v.).
Only +4 or better weapons affect them.
They are never surprised.
They are immune to any life level loss,
whether from undead or magic.
They cannot be beguiled, charmed, confused, dominated, or feebleminded.
Their souls cannot be imprisoned or trapped.
They are immune to death spells.
They regenerate at a rate of 4 points per round.
Unless encountered on the Upper Outer Planes,
only the material body of these creatures can be harmed.
The planetar's spirit returns to its own plane to re-form and become corporeal again;
the process requires 4 decades.
Charisma effect is 21.

Psionic abilities are:

animal telepathy (14th level) aura alteration body control body equilibrium body weaponry (9th level)

mass domination (17th level) molecular agitation precognition reduction TK (17th level)

- - telepathic projection - -

A planetar resembles a tall and powerful humanoid.
In material form the skin is opaline,
the head hairless,
and the eyes glowing blue.
The wings are double and likewise opaline,

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray Mouser
What? Devas like angels? You mean the winged figure in the MM II that was an other-planar minion of the powers of weal were meant to resemble angels? That's crazy talk, I tell you!

Actually, I rather liked Devas, Solars and (IIRR) Planatars. It did seem, however, that the Solar could give a demon lord or duke of hell a run for his money. Which is fitting, given the angel/demon/devil parallels

I recall that the Devas were divided into three distinct groups, were Planatars and Solars, as well? Was this three-fold division inspired by the "Choirs of Angels" belief that was developed largely by Pseudo-Dyonisius' reflection on various passages in the New Testament?

Gray Mouser

Hi Mouser,

Devas were drawn mainly from mytholology.

Planetar and Solar were inspired by Theosophy.
There were no grades of either IIRR--too lazy to dig up MMII and check for sure.

The lot were surely meant to counter, and then some, the minions of the Lower Planes

Cheerio,
Gary

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mighty Veil
What exactly is Theosophy all about? I'm reading it on Wiki but that's not helping. I'm curious to know because when my grandmother died years ago. In her book collection I found a very old bible like book with the emblem of the Theosophical Society symbol on it. The symbol has the Nazi symbol in it, so I always wondered if there was some connection (not that grandma *ever* seemed like the type).

Look up Sprirtism and Theosophy online, also try Madam Blavatsky (sp?). It was a popular belief back in the late 1800s and lasted into the early 1900s, a spritualist sort of belief. As a matter of fact it was very active in Wisconsin...and look up Wisconsin Death Trip sometime.

The swastika is a gammadon, IIRR, used in ancinet India and by the American indians as a good luck symbol.

Cheers,
Gary

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mighty Veil
Looking at Solar Symbols at Wiki.
The Canadian flag looks similar to the 8 pointed star.
Makes me wonder if that's what it's suppose to be.

8 pointed star
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_symbols

Maple leaf flag
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_leaf_flag

Howdy,

I don't believe that solar symbols are connected to the supposed Theophysical Solar spirit creatire.
a sort of thing similar to a Seraph, just as the Planatar is rougly equivalent to a Cherub.

Cheers,
Gary

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thulcondar
I find that particularly fascinating (and yet another indicator of just how far you were willing to go to find source material).
Although it also points out how far Mme. Blavatsky was willing to go for source material, inasmuch as the Deva is a Hindu figure.

I have been toying with the idea of putting together some sort of Angelic heirarchy to counter the Diabolic and Demonic heirarchies.
Since we have arch-devils, why not arch-angels? Major Devils and Seraphim.
Demon Princes and Saints...
The details are unimportant, but you get the idea...
And of course the "named" Infernal figures would have their own counterparts.

The only thing that has stumped me thusfar is in individualizing them sufficiently.
Perhaps I am a creature of the mythologies to which I am accustomed, but the angelic hosts always seemed so... homogenous.
Valkyries could work for one of the other alignments (NG, mayhap, although for those who know their true nature according to the Norse lore they are far from beneficient beings!), but I find myself at something of a stumbling block.
And for the non-good/evil minions... I would ache for something more rooted in mythology than Modrons.

Any thoughts as to a possible expansion of the demon/devil/daemon idea into the realms of Good, beyond the (to my mind, rather limited) Deva/Plantar/Solar?

As always, my thanks in advance.

The short answer is that as a Christian I have stayed away from Judeo-Christian theology.
Thus the use of Theophysical in Hindu spirit entities.

Cheers,
Gary

<didn't Gary convert to Christianity c. 1985?>

Quote:
Originally Posted by dcas
Are there rough D&D equivalents to each of the nine choirs of angels? or was that not a consideration?

That was not a consideration, the Devas, Planatars, and Solars were added to the roster of creatures to coulter-balance the various demone, devils, and fiends.

Cheerio,
Gary

Quote:
Originally Posted by jasin
Could you provide more details on this, please?

I had some ideas for a game that involved a world with a single solar as the spirit/ruler/personification of the Sun and a single planetar as the spirit/ruler/personification of Earth. The epic overarching plot would involve the planetar rising up against the solar: a bit of gnosticism, a bit of Ra vs. Apophis...

What got me thinking along these lines were mostly just the names for the creatures, "planetar" and "solar" which I never thought were chosen for any particular reason, but now that you mention being inspired by Theosophy, it seems I might have been going back to the roots without being aware of them.

I do not pretend to be an expert on Theosophy, so you must do your own research in regards information there.

You have the correct hierarchy for the Solar and Planatar, so I can not add anything there.

As for Egyptian deities at odds, the big dustup was between Ra and Osiris when Ra was taking Set's sind in regards who should rule earth, Horus son of Osiris or Set.
Osiris onfrmed Ra that he had "many savage faced messengers" to assert his claim, and Ra backed down.

Cheerio,
Gary

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mighty Veil
Wow. Reading page 3's Gary responses from his response of my Canadian Maple Leaf post to Gord.
I haven't been this surprise about AD&D's roots since Gary said he wasn't a LotR fan.
And not so much D&D is based on LotR.

I didn't realize D&D didn't base itself on Christian beliefs. Hindu, huh? Never would of guessed that. I still don't understand this Theosophy one. But Solars are the sun, and planetars are the planet. This new view of them makes them seem more like cosmic elementals than angels (reminds me of the show Andromeda). Very spiritual.

You know Gary. Had you used "Paradise Lost" as inspiration. I bet a neat D&D cosmology , different then the current one, there could have been. I just HATE what 2e's Planescape did to it. I was thinking of buying the new Demonweb Pit adventure till I learned it used 2e's cosmology.

As a Christian I stayed well away from basing any of the D&D game on scripture.

The Deva, Solarm and Planatar are benign and rather angelic in their purposes.

No Milton, but I did use a bit of Dante's Inferno is developing the denizens of the Nine Hells.

Cheerio,
Gary

animate object once per day	blade barrier 3 times per day	continual light up to 10" radius	control weather once per day	dispel evil 3 times per day
dispel illusion 7 times per day	dispel magic 3 times per day	earthquake once per day	etherealness	feeblemind once per day
limited wish once per day	polymorph object	fire storm once per day	flame strike 3 times per day	heal 3 times per day
holy word once per day	improved invisibility up to 10-foot radius	insect plague once per day	limited wish once per day	polymorph self
raise dead 3 times per day	read magic	remove curse	remove fear	resist cold (double effect)
resist fire (double effect)	restoration once per day	shape change once per day)	speak with dead	symbol (any) once per day
teleport with no error	true seeing 3 times per day	weather summoning once per day	wind walk 7 times per day	-

animal telepathy (14th level)	aura alteration	body control	body equilibrium	body weaponry (9th level)
mass domination (17th level)	molecular agitation	precognition	reduction	TK (17th level)
-	-	telepathic projection	-	-