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.

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