Angel of Death

Chapter Eight 87

Prestige Classes

“And after that I looked,and,behold,the temple ofthe tabernacle ofthe testimony in heaven was opened:And the seven angels came out ofthe temple,having the seven plagues,clothed in pure and white linen,and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one ofthe four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full ofthe wrath ofGod,who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory ofGod,and from his power;and no man was able to enter into the temple,till the seven plagues ofthe seven angels were fulfilled.” —Revelation 15:5-8

All angels perform tasks.Some angels perform very important tasks and require a specialized group ofabilities to aid them.These elite angels are high-ranking members of angelic orders that are represented by prestige classes.

The prestige classes in this chapter—angel ofdeath,angel of destruction,angel offury,angel ofterror,and fire-speaker—were designed with angels in mind.Extremely pious mortals may advance in these classes ifthe DM feels it is appropriate.

Among the hosts ofHeaven,certain angels are selected for their martial ability and subtle emanations ofdanger.These angels are trained in the ways and means ofdeath and are charged with the slaying ofmortal creatures.Some are responsible for killing animals, some for humanoids,others for stranger creatures,but any creature deserving death at the hands ofa particular faith can expect a visit from the black-winged angels ofdeath.Normally their duties are to claim the souls ofthe venerable faithful (transporting them to their reward in Heaven) or punish those who have transgressed against their faith (condemning them to Hell),but the angels ofdeath have been used as celestial generals or even assassins in the past,wiping out enemy leaders or even enemy armies in the name oftheir god.

Given the requirements and their duties,angels with a martial bent such as barbarians,fighters,paladins,and rangers make the best angels ofdeath,though a few spellcasters take on this responsibility.The higher orders ofangel (such as cherubim,ophanim, and seraphim) make up most ofthe ranks ofangels ofdeath.

Angels ofdeath normally lack a hierarchal structure other than a religious allegiance.Those that serve more militaristic or regimented deities might belong to a hierarchy,but because they are usually dispatched singly,they are expected to function independently.A gathering ofseveral angels ofdeath on the Material Plane usually signals some cataclysmic purge.

Ex-Angels ofDeath: An angel ofdeath that becomes a free angel or changes deities loses all abilities ofthis prestige class,becoming an ex-angel ofdeath.An ex-angel ofdeath with a new patron regains her class abilities ifshe receives an atonement spell from a cleric ofher new faith whose level is the same as or greater than her own.This allows even a fallen angel ofdeath to perform her duties serving an evil deity or a great fiend.

Famous angels ofdeath include Adriel (“my help is god,” an angel ofthe moon and guardian ofthe south wind),Apollyon (“destroyer,” the angel ofthe bottomless pit,responsible for binding the first demons,now fallen),Azrael (“whom god helps,” who provided one ofthe handfuls ofearth used in creating Adam),Gabriel (“god is my strength,” smiter ofSodom and Gomorrah),Hemah (one oftwo angels sent to kill Moses for failing to observe the rite ofcircumcision), Kafziel (“speed ofgod,” governor ofthe death ofkings),Metatron (king ofangels,voice ofgod),and Michael (“who is as god,” chiefof the malakim,who personally cast the Adversary out ofHeaven).

Hit Die: d10

Requirements

To qualify to become an angel ofdeath,a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Race: Bound angel or fallen angel Base Attack Bonus: +8 Base Save Bonuses: Fortitude +8 Skills: Intimidate 5 ranks,Knowledge (religion) 5 ranks Feats: Astride the Ladder†,Hide From Mortal Eyes†,Power Attack,Weapon Focus (deity’s favored weapon or longsword)

Patron Deity: Any Special: Wings ofDeath: An angel ofdeath must have wings,whether naturally or through the Winged Flight† feat.A malakite’s immaterial wings meet this requirement,but wingless flying angels (lantern archons,ophanim) do not.

TABLE 8-1: ANGEL OF DEATH

Class Base Fortitude Reflex Will Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special

1 +1 +2 +0 +0 Black wings,poison use 2 +2 +3 +0 +0 Favored enemy +1 3 +3 +3 +1 +1 Envenomed weapon 4 +4 +4 +1 +1 Favored enemy +2 5 +5 +4 +1 +1 Claim the faithful,veil offaith

Class Skills

Class skills for the angel ofdeath are: Concentration (Con),Craft (Int),Intimidate (Cha),Knowledge (religion) (Int),Listen (Wis),Profession (Wis), Search (Int),Sense Motive (Wis),and Spot (Wis).For more information on these skills,see Chapter Four in the Player’s Handbook.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier

Class Features

All the following are class features ofthe angel ofdeath prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Angels ofdeath gain no proficiencies in weapons or armor ofany type.

Black Wings: At 1st level,an angel ofdeath’s wings turn jet black,signifying that she is charged with harvesting mortal souls. The angel gains a +4 bonus to Intimidate checks made against mortals aware ofthe significance ofher wing color (anyone with 2 or more ranks ofKnowledge [religion]).

Poison Use: Angels ofdeath understand the uses and dangers of poison.They never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a weapon.

Favored Enemy (Ex): At 2nd level,the angel ofdeath chooses a favored enemy in the manner ofa ranger,gaining a +2 bonus on Bluff,Listen,Sense Motive,Spot,and Survival checks when using these skills against creatures ofthis type.In addition,she gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures.The angel may select any type ofcreature except constructs,elementals,or outsiders.Regardless ofthe type ofcreature selected,the angel’s favored enemy bonus also counts against creatures with the same patron deity as the angel,as well as former members ofthe faith who have not yet chosen a new patron.The angel’s bonus to damage still applies to creatures not subject to critical hits.It stacks with any existing favored enemy bonus the angel has for that type ofcreature.At 4th level,the bonus increases to +4.

Envenomed Weapon (Su): Once per day the angel can cause her weapon to act like a dagger ofvenom, instantly poisoning a creature she has just hit for 1d10 points ofinitial and secondary Constitution damage (DC 10 + class level + angel’s Charisma modifier).

Claim the Faithful (Su): The greatest angels ofdeath are granted the ability to claim the soul ofa follower oftheir deity (normally at the end ofthe worshipper’s life by a single touch).This melee touch attack instantly and painlessly kills the follower,at which point the angel and the worshipper’s soul immediately are transported to the entrance to the plane ofthe soul’s destination (typically Heaven or Hell).Normally this ability is used to “call home” elders ofthe faith whose time has come to serve the faith on the next level ofexistence, but it has been used to end the lives ofparticularly corrupt individuals ofthe faith.The target may resist this ability with a Will save (DC 15 + angel’s Charisma modifier).This is a necromancy death effect. The angel may use this ability up to five times per day,virtually assuring the ability to claim any particular soul in the course ofher duty.

Veil ofFaith (Su): Upon reaching 5th level,an angel ofdeath can remain hidden from the faithful while performing her most terrible duties.While she is using the Hide From Mortal Eyes† feat,the veil of faith prevents worshippers ofthe angel’s patron from seeing her,even ifshe performs actions that would break her invisibility.In effect,she has improved invisibility, though it is only effective against those of her own faith.This ability allows her to bring death (whether benign or punitive) to the faithful and remain unobserved.