FREQUENCY: Very rare
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
([Dungeon Level X])
FREQUENCY: Very
rare ([Astral Plane])
FREQUENCY: Very
rare ([Ethereal Plane])
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -9 <1>
MOVE: 18" / 40" // 18" <no MC listed>
HIT DICE: 177 hp
% IN LAIR: 0
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 4
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type (+12 strength
bonus)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: [SB]
SPECIAL DEFENSES: [SB]
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 85%
INTELLIGENCE: Supra-genius; wisdom: 24
ALIGNMENT: Good
SIZE: L (10' tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: 354
Attack/Defense Modes:
All / all
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: X | 95,000 + 35
A solar is the most powerful of spirits,
usu. directly serving a greater
deity of good alignment and typically
as his or her marshal, steward, etc.
On rare occasions, a solar will be found
attending a lesser deity. There
are at least 24 solars. They can go to
any place but do so only in service to
their deities. As with devas
(q.v.) and planetars (q.v.), solars can be of
any <>
good alignment -- lawful, neutral,
or chaotic. They are totally faithful and
unswerving in their alignment and loyalty.
Each solar has 4 attacks per melee round.
Each has a huge composite bow (36" range)
and various arrows of slaying.
Each also has a sword =equal= to a 2-handed
weapon (usable only by solars) =equal= to +5 with qualities of dancing
(q.v.) and sharpness
(q.v).
The former function
operates sans severing. For purposes
of attack determination,
consider each solar to have a dexterity
of 24 and a 17th+ level as a fighter. <specialization?>
All solars have spell-like abilities equal
to those of a 12th level cleric,
druid, magic-user, and illusionist. In
+addition+, they each have the following
spell-like powers which can be used 1
at a time, 1 per round, at will:
| antipathy/sympathy (3/day) | polymorph (any object, 1/day) <> |
| animate object (3/day) | power word (1/day) |
| astral spell (1/day) | polymorph self (1/day) |
| confusion (3/day) | prismatic sphere (1/day) |
| control weather | read magic |
| creeping doom (1/day) | regenerate (1/day) |
| Drawmij's instant summons (double effect) | restoration (1/day) |
| earthquake (3/day) | ressurection (3/day) |
| finger of death (1/day) | shape change (3/day) |
| fire storm (1/day) | symbol (any, 3/day) |
| holy word (3/day) | teleport (no error) <> |
| imprisonment (1/day) | vanish (3/day) |
| improved invisibility | vision (1/day) |
| mass charm | wind walk (7/day) |
| permanency | wish (1/day) |
Each solar can CAST a globe of protection
from evil (150% normal effect for +3/-3) from individual size to a
full 70-foot radius,
the size being willed but the protection
otherwise maintained automatically.
This sphere also serves as protection
from normal missiles and a minor globe of invulnerability.
A solar can commune as needed.
Each can always cure (any sort)
by touch, detect (any sort, automatically), and dispel (any
sort) by gaze. <>
When laying hands upon a creature, a solar
can bestow perfect adaptation to any environment for up to as long
as a century.
Each solar automatically knows
alignment. <>
Each has communication ability via ESP
or tongues, as well as the ability to read and comprehend
any sort of language.
Solar infravision extends out to 24" and
ultravision to triple normal range.
Hearing and normal vision are double human
norm.
A solar of LG service can summon 1-2 ki-rin;
one of NG service 1-2 phoenix;
and one of CG service 1-2 greater titans.
<>
Such summons can be made once every hour.
Once per day a solar can gate in
a planetar or double the number of the appropriate sort of devas, the option
resting with the solar.
Solars are affected by the attack forms
listed for devas (q.v.) except that acid does not
harm them.
Only +5 or better weapons affect
them.
They are never surprised and always strike
first against opponents with less than 22 dexterity.
They are immune to life level loss from
undead or magic.
They cannot be beguiled, charmed, held,
confused, dominated, feebleminded, paralyzed, or petrified.
Their souls cannot be imprisoned or trapped.
They are immune to death spells and death
magic.
They regenerate at a rate of 7 HP per
round.
Unless on their own plane of service,
only the material form of a solar can be destroyed.
The solar's spirit returns instantly to
its own plane to re-form a corporeal body, but this requires a full 7 decades.
Solar psionic abilities are:
animal telepathy (4th level)
aura alteration
body equilibrium
body weaponry (12th level)
mass domination (24th level)
mind bar (24th level)
molecular rearrangement (16th level)
object reading
precognition
reduction (24th level)
telekinesis (24th level)
telepathic projection (24th level)
The skin of
a solar is the color of molten copper, hair color is bronze,
and eyes are glowing topaz. <> <revise image>
Its form is beautiful and muscular, and
the deep, resonant voice is commanding. The wings are double
and of a coppery-gold colour.
Positively negative
-
Dear Dragon:
Way back in issue #64 you featured new
official
creatures, one of them being the solar.
In the
Monster Manual II,
it shows the solar with an
armor class of 9, while in your magazine
it shows
it as -9. Which is correct? I?m assuming
it?s -9,
but you know what they say about assuming.
. . .
Andy Everett
Lutz, Fla.
(Dragon #98)
There are assumptions, and then there are safe
assumptions. For the record, the solar’s armor
class is -9. I hope that even someone who didn’t
have access to issue #64 would be able
to determine
that the book’s listing is in error, by the
nature of the solar itself (a very tough customer)
and by the fact that the planetar — slightly less
powerful than the solar — has an armor class
rating of -7.
— KM
(Dragon #98)
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