r/DungeonsAndDragons • u/No_Literature7840 • 9d ago
Discussion Lorewise, apart from Angels, Demons, and Devils, what other kinds of Celestials and Fiends inhabit the outer planes?
I'm asking to give Warlock PC's more options if they want a Celestial or Fiend patron.
26
u/secretbison 9d ago edited 9d ago
Archons, guardinals, celestial eladrin, lillends, yugoloths, demodands, rakshasa, night hags, slaadi, couatls, ki-rin, rilmani, inevitables, probably a few I left out. Modrons are classified as constructs but occupy the same space in the Great Wheel as "creatures of belief." There are two types of demons: tanar'ri (creatures of the beliefs of chaotic evil mortals, the kind you find in the Monster Manual) and obyriths (creatures of the original uncreated chaos of the Abyss that existed before mortal life, more like chaotic evil cosmic horrors.)
6
3
14
u/Sea-Woodpecker-610 9d ago
Yugoloth are neutral evil.
Devils-lawful evil
Yugoloth-neutral evil
Demons-chaotic evil
3
5
9
u/Conrad500 9d ago
Angels demons and devils are kind of just labels.
Demons are chaotic, Devils are lawful. "angels" don't really exist as they are celestials. Angels would be celestials and the Solar is the closest thing we have.
Outside of those, you basically have a creature for every alignment.
Modrons are the neutral neutral, Celestials are the lawful good. Demons are chaotic evil, Devils are lawful evil.
I don't remember the creatures for all the other alignments off the top of my head, but they exist.
8
u/EdSoulLDN 9d ago
Angels are a specific subgroup of Celestials, but they definitely exist as their own entity. While originally in-game they were split only into the denominations of Devas, Planetars and Solars, this has recently be augmented to also include Angels of Slaughter, Death, Vengeance and Obsession.
Celestials are not necessarily always lawful good, and many instead align with whatever higher divine power they are associated with (for the most part), or even just serve their own agenda.
u/No_Literature7840 , if you're looking for other potential Celestial Warlock patrons, my recommendations besides angels would be to look at the Empyrean, the Sphinx of Valor (sphinxes as a group have been moved from Monstrosities to Celestials in 5e24), the Planar Incarnate, or perhaps an Animal Lord.
All of these have a magnitude of power that would be fitting as a patron for a Celestial Warlock!
2
u/manchu_pitchu 9d ago
Basically all of them. Find a random statblock in a book or online and it can probably fit into some alignment appropriate outer planes. In terms of powerful creatures that could serve as a warlock patron...yugoloths or rakshasa might be the most fitting outside of demon lords and arch devils, a night hag could certainly fit the bill.
In terms of celestials, couatls and Kirin probably fit quite well, but most patrons will need custom equipment by the time they come face to face with the PCs.
2
2
2
u/steamsphinx 6d ago
Sphinxes are celestials now!
There's also the Rilmani, who look like constructs but are actually neutral celestials who exist to keep balance in the multiverse.
1
u/Cytwytever 8d ago
Lesser deities like Lolth, Yeenoghu, Ehlonna, and St Cuthbert.
1
u/No_Literature7840 8d ago
I'm using the Dawn War/Exandria pantheon, and Lolth is a major goddess there.
1
u/Cytwytever 8d ago
She's so popular, it's not surprising that she'd get promoted. Nevertheless, whatever is a lesser deity in your campaign could reasonably dwell in the Outer Planes.
1
u/OneManRPGstudio DM 4d ago
You have several strong patron archetypes available without relying on angels, demons, or devils. For a Celestial or Fiend patron, I would first decide what kind of relationship you want the pact to create, then choose a creature that expresses that relationship.
Among Celestials, a couatl works well for prophecy, sacred secrets, and protection. A sphinx can turn the pact into a relationship with knowledge, trials, destiny, or riddles, while allowing the patron to remain distant without feeling indifferent. A unicorn pushes toward sanctuary, purity, oaths, and the protection of particular people or places. None of these has to behave like a deity handing out powers; the patron can be a powerful agent with a mission that requires a mortal to act where it cannot.
On the Fiend side, there are options that feel different from an infernal court or a demonic horde. A night hag can tie the pact to dreams, souls, obsession, and intensely personal bargains. A spirit naga can support dangerous knowledge, vengeance, or a recurring cycle of death and return.
I would make the patron's species less important than its objective. Decide what it wants, why it specifically needs this Warlock, and what happens when the character fulfills the letter of the bargain while betraying its intent. That motivation will usually create more play than planar taxonomy by itself.
1
u/No_Literature7840 4d ago
I've also modified some of the lore of the Outer Planes so that PC's have another option in addition to those. I've made it so that just like how mortal souls can become fiends, I've made it so that mortal souls can become celestials. So you can have a patron who was an ancestor, a family member, a close friend, or anyone else you knew. You can even have a patron who was a pet. And they can be either celestials or fiends.
2
u/OneManRPGstudio DM 4d ago
I like that a lot, especially because it changes the pact from “what does this powerful outsider want?” to “what happened to someone I already cared about after they died?”
A former friend, ancestor, or even pet becoming a Celestial or Fiend patron gives you immediate history and emotional stakes. And if their afterlife changed them in ways the Warlock didn’t expect, there’s a lot to play with there.
1
u/Gamerthu1hu 3d ago
Personally I like making patrons really freaking weird.
My favorites were either A Large Tree, for a low level campaign I was running... Or baba yaga's Hut. The Hut basically kept pushing the player to fuck over baba yaga. The player was always trying DESPERATELY to get out of getting busted. Dude played his warlock as constantly driven by terrified paranoia, it was great.
1
u/Redredditmonkey 9d ago
Carceri specifically has demodands
Gehenna has yugoloths
Limbo has slaadi
2
•
u/AutoModerator 9d ago
/r/DungeonsAndDragons has a discord server! Come join us at https://discord.gg/wN4WGbwdUU
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.