[3.5e] Making a Homebrew Setting: Celestial-template Humanoids as Extraplanars?

[IraWolf]

So, I've always felt as though it would make some amount of sense for the Upper Planes (I'm speaking more or less in terms of the Great Wheel cosmology) to have some sort of "basic soldier" to fill the ranks against fiends and other denizens of the Lower Planes. Much as demons and devils have weak rank-and-file fiends such as lemures or dretches, it seems to me that there's a sore need for the ranks of Good-aligned outsiders to have a sort of "basic troop" in their ranks. After all, the weakest angels/archons/eladrins tend to be around CR 8 or so (with the sole exception of lantern archons), with seemingly very little below that. However, one thing in 3.5e that seems to be sorely underused in most cases is the Celestial template, which really only has a significance in relation to the Summon Monster spells. One way that I thought of to change this is have essentially native-born humanoid races as denizens of the Upper Planes. In this way, there would be an option for evil players to be able to go against large groups of Good Outsiders, much like a group of good players can take on fairly large bodies of dretches in a typical extraplanar encounter. Does this seem like a good idea, or no? I'd appreciate some feedback. :D

[Bad Wolf]

Couldn't you just refluff aasimar's? They seem appropriate.

[ShurikVch]

After all, the weakest angels/archons/eladrins tend to be around CR 8 or so (with the sole exception of lantern archons), with seemingly very little below that.Let's see:

CR 7
Lillend (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lillend.htm)

CR 6
Arcadian Avenger (Monster Manual V)
Justice Archon (Monster Manual IV)
Bralani Eladrin (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/bralani.htm)
Equinal Guardinal (Book of Exalted Deeds)
Stellar Deva Celestial, Starkin (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20001101a)

CR 5
Celestial, Sliver (Dragon #353)
Celestial, Lupinal (Monster Manual II)

CR 4
Hound Archon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/archon.htm#houndArchon)
Ramadeen (Miniatures Handbook)

CR 3
Bariaur (Book of Exalted Deeds)
Celestial, Cervidal (Monster Manual II)

CR 2
Coure Eladrin (Book of Exalted Deeds)
Musteval Guardinal (Book of Exalted Deeds)
Protectar (Miniatures Handbook)

[Clementx]

I 've used the celestial template for npc opposition to low level evil outsiders before, for the same reason as you have found. There aren't any concerns of note on the pc side, as long as everyone gets it,

[IraWolf]

Let's see:

CR 3
Bariaur (Book of Exalted Deeds)
Celestial, Cervidal (Monster Manual II)

CR 2
Coure Eladrin (Book of Exalted Deeds)
Musteval Guardinal (Book of Exalted Deeds)
Protectar (Miniatures Handbook)

CR 3 and 2 was mainly the window I was hoping to hit, and all of those are from splatbooks that I'm not using for my game (with the exception of MMII). In addition, those are all different types of Good Outsiders for the most part. Thanks for the advice though.

[Luccan]

I think that would work fine, particularly if you're using racial deities (so Moradin or an equivalent might have Celestial Dwarves in their realm and they draft out to fight in the planar war against evil and probably chaos). Even if you aren't using racial deities, I think choosing a few suitable humanoids for each of the Upper Planes could work really well.

Another consideration is that they wouldn't all have to be natives. Perhaps petitioners of a particular plane or deity could volunteer, similar to the racial deities idea but specifically regular mortal souls. They go through some mystic process that makes them Celestial-templated whatever-humanoid-they-were. Or it could even be an act of penance for some. Perhaps someone who tried to turn their soul's direction around in life but didn't get a chance can undergo the process. Then they serve X years and they get a better eternal reward.

[IraWolf]

I think that would work fine, particularly if you're using racial deities (so Moradin or an equivalent might have Celestial Dwarves in their realm and they draft out to fight in the planar war against evil and probably chaos). Even if you aren't using racial deities, I think choosing a few suitable humanoids for each of the Upper Planes could work really well.

Another consideration is that they wouldn't all have to be natives. Perhaps petitioners of a particular plane or deity could volunteer, similar to the racial deities idea but specifically regular mortal souls. They go through some mystic process that makes them Celestial-templated whatever-humanoid-they-were. Or it could even be an act of penance for some. Perhaps someone who tried to turn their soul's direction around in life but didn't get a chance can undergo the process. Then they serve X years and they get a better eternal reward.

In my cosmology, mortals tend to be quite devout, so petitioners of specific deities are common. These souls go to godly planes, which are actually separate from the aligned planes. For those who either weren't particularly religious, or who specifically venerated a philosophy or the like, they go to the Outer Planes. So for instance, elves would likely end up in Arborea or the Beastlands (and thus be aligned with eladrin), dwarves would be in Celestia or Arcadia (and thus be aligned with archons) and halflings, which in my game tend toward neutral-good, would be in Bytopia or Elysium, and would naturally be aligned with guardinials. While humans would be represented amongst them all.

To me at least, this seems like a natural interpretation of the Celestial template simply because it's FAR harder for the Upper Planes to recruit new soldiers against fiendish threats than it is for them. If petitioners can become willing footsoldiers in the war against evil outsiders (in addition to beings that may be native to those planes) then it makes a lot more sense as to how fiends can't simply invade the Upper Planes with sheer numbers, especially given how numerous balors, pit fiends, and ultroloths are in comparison to planetars and solars.

[Blue Jay]

CR 3 and 2 was mainly the window I was hoping to hit, and all of those are from splatbooks that I'm not using for my game (with the exception of MMII). In addition, those are all different types of Good Outsiders for the most part. Thanks for the advice though.

I really like the protectar for this. It has a dumb name, but it really is just a generic, low-level "angel" that would be perfect for the "regulars" of a Celestial army. If you're not using Miniatures Handbook, I still advocate using the protectar for this, or homebrewing something similar to it, because I think it's a really nice fit.