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2010-11-02, 05:15 PM (ISO 8601)
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2010-11-02, 05:18 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Doesn't mean it has to suck.
Or we could just keep the name and give it "Word of..." spells.Last edited by Eldan; 2010-11-02 at 05:19 PM.
Resident Vancian Apologist
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2010-11-02, 05:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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2010-11-02, 05:42 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Right. So I guess as project... manager? Task master, maybe? Whatever. I've got a rough sketch for a syllabus;
Mission Statement: The goal of the Gates of Heaven project is to provide extensive and detailed information on the Seven Heavens of Celestia and its residents. We strive to do so with quality and respect to material both old and new.
Contents:
The Seven Heavens
The History of Heaven
Heaven as it stands
- Lunia
- Mercuria
- Venya
- Solania
- Mertion
- Jovar
- Chronias
Within each will be detailed;
* Residents
* Geography
* Notable locations
* Information on the ruler
* What the plane represents
* Other notable features
Eldan has already set up an excellent template with his introduction to Lunia.
The Hebdomad
The History of the Hebdomad
The Hebdomad as it stands
- Barachiel
- Domiel
- Erathaol
- Pistis Sophia
- Raziel
- Sealitel
- Zaphkiel
Each member will be dealt with individually, detailing;
* Personal history
* Appearance
* Domains/Fortresses/Realms/What have you
* Servants
* Personality/Mind-set/Etc.
* Servants
* Rivals/Enemies
* Allies
* Maybe a plot hook at the end?
Sir Chivalry on Barchiel
The Powers
Organized by their masters
The High Castes
- Principalities
- Authorities
- Virtues
- Dominions
- Crowns
The Archon High Castes by Iamyourking
The Archons
- Archon society
- Life cycle
- History not correspondent with Heaven or the Hebdomad
- New archons/ Variant archons
- Relations with other outsiders
- Rebels, outcasts, and the fallen
- Asuras
- Influence and actions on the material plane
For DMs
- Celestia in your campaign
- New monsters (non-archon celestial residents)
- What celestia is and what it means
- Plot hooks
- NPCs
For Players
- Classes (New bases, PrCs, and variants)
- Feats
- Spells
- Equipment
- Races
The Blessed Soul/Celestial Warlock by blackjack 217
What do you guys think so far? Most of the stuff towards to bottom could probably be cut. I say we need to focus on Heaven, the Hebdomad, and the archons first and foremost.
For a general feel of what we're looking for, enjoy this fine, inspirational literature;
Gates of Hell
Orcus, Demon Prince of the UndeadLast edited by The Tygre; 2010-11-02 at 10:09 PM.
SpoilerMy Characters
According to this test, I am a LN Half-Orc Cleric, Lvl.2.
"And in the layer of the Deep Ones, we shall dwell amidst wonder and glory forever." - H.P. Lovecraft
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2010-11-02, 05:44 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jan 2007
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
I think there's plenty of player material already, so we should mostly focus on actually getting heaven some fluff.
I also asked the Planewalker people for help, there's a few gigantic infodumps there I'll have to work through this week.
Edit: I think I should just link it here. As usual, Rip dug up some great stuff:
http://www.planewalker.com/forum/lunia-more-informationLast edited by Eldan; 2010-11-02 at 05:47 PM.
Resident Vancian Apologist
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2010-11-02, 05:45 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Apr 2006
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
The Asuras probably don't warrant their own section, they can just get a mention in the section for revised Archons. Also, I didn't see my project in there; where does it fit in?
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2010-11-02, 06:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2008
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- Malsheem, Nessus
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
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2010-11-02, 06:50 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2007
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- The Serpent's Throne
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
SpoilerMy Characters
According to this test, I am a LN Half-Orc Cleric, Lvl.2.
"And in the layer of the Deep Ones, we shall dwell amidst wonder and glory forever." - H.P. Lovecraft
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2010-11-02, 06:55 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Apr 2006
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- Imperial Secret
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Ok, I got the false impression that the Powers section was for non-Hebdomad unique archons in a similar fashion to the Dukes of Hell; obviously my High Castes wouldn't fit in there or the general Archon section.
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2010-11-02, 07:24 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Sep 2010
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2010-11-02, 08:16 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2007
Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Here's the fluff.
Expanded Barachiel Fluff [The Gates of Heaven]Last edited by Sir_Chivalry; 2010-11-02 at 08:24 PM.
Feel free to PM me if you want something PEACHed. I may not be one of the greats, but I'll do it if you ask.
"One of us is tender,
One of us is not,
One of us takes vengeance,
All four tied in a knot"
My homebrew
(U)sually in any game situation the biggest control freak will gravitate towards the job of being the GM anyway.
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2010-11-02, 08:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Sep 2010
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2010-11-02, 09:50 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2007
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- The Serpent's Throne
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Quite right, and that was what I meant by the Powers. My impression was that High Archons were like the Dark Ministry in GoH; powerful individuals, but not quite unique. We could place the High Castes between the Principalities and the non-uniques, maybe?
Also, we might want to look into editing in an index post for threads and projects on the first page somewhere.SpoilerMy Characters
According to this test, I am a LN Half-Orc Cleric, Lvl.2.
"And in the layer of the Deep Ones, we shall dwell amidst wonder and glory forever." - H.P. Lovecraft
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2010-11-02, 09:55 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
The Principalities are the lowest of the High Castes; I had the hierarchy envisioned as Common Archons, High Castes (Principalities, Authorities, Virtues, Dominions, Crowns), Powers (In this case being the leaders of the High Castes and top lieutenants to the Hebdomad), the Hebdomad.
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2010-11-02, 10:08 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2007
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- The Serpent's Throne
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Okay, so the Hierarchy is;
The Hebdomad
The Powers
The High Castes (w/sub-divisions)
Nice, clean three sections to divvy up. We have the High Castes follow the Powers.SpoilerMy Characters
According to this test, I am a LN Half-Orc Cleric, Lvl.2.
"And in the layer of the Deep Ones, we shall dwell amidst wonder and glory forever." - H.P. Lovecraft
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2010-11-02, 10:12 PM (ISO 8601)
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2010-11-02, 11:05 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
They would be either be part of one of the Hebdomad's staff or with the common Archons. You should probably keep in mind that the "champions" given in the BoED are not actually very powerful and that many of those who have some glimmer of strength are Angels and therefore not part of the hierarchy at all.
Which reminds me, what is our stance on LG angels? My original plan put Solars, Planetars, and Throne Archons on roughly the same stratum of power, with eligibility to earn promotion to Principalities, and Astral Devas on par with Trumpet Archons.
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2010-11-03, 12:18 AM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2007
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
In the next week or so I'll try to get a post up postulation some of my overarching thoughts about Celestia and adding insight from my understanding of the Dicefreaks Cosmos' and Planescape's veiws take on Lawful Good.
In the meantime I'm open to answering questions, and minor (under 500 words) writing assignments of all stripes.
Though I am up to my eyeballs in personal and freelance design projects, I'd like to step into an advisory position for this project if that suits The Tygre. My most relevant Celestial credential is writing for A Light From On High.Whatsoever that be within us that feels, thinks, desires, and animates, is something celestial, divine, and, consequently, imperishable.
-The Gates of Heaven-
-A community design project-
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2010-11-03, 12:26 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
More than enough of a credential. I could always use an extra hand.
SpoilerMy Characters
According to this test, I am a LN Half-Orc Cleric, Lvl.2.
"And in the layer of the Deep Ones, we shall dwell amidst wonder and glory forever." - H.P. Lovecraft
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2010-11-03, 01:04 AM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2007
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- Salt Lake City, UT
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Where should I start? And is there a post somewhere with links to all the Gates of Heaven threads yet?
Whatsoever that be within us that feels, thinks, desires, and animates, is something celestial, divine, and, consequently, imperishable.
-The Gates of Heaven-
-A community design project-
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2010-11-03, 01:09 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
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2010-11-03, 03:54 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Okay, before we go on, I'd like some help deciding which Archons mainly belong where in the hierarchy and on which layer, so I can include them in the write-ups of the relevant planes.
Between Lunia and the Outside: Trumpets, since they are messengers, often go outside and are associated with Barachiel, the ruler of the first layer.
On Lunia: Lantern Archons: I'll connect the Lanterns to the stars of Lunia in my Lunia fluff.
Between Lunia and Mercuria: Here, we need some kind of first-line defender. Warden Archons, if nothing better comes up.
On Mercuria: Hound Archons. They are a good fit for Domiel.
Between Mercuria and Venya: ?
On Venya: Word Archons? Earathol is the clearest caster of the Hebdomad, so I guess throwing the caster archons here fits.
Between Venya and Solania: Owl Archons? Both Ascetic and Seer are connected to Wisdom, which Owls symbolize
On Solania: No Archon really says "Asceticism" to me.
Between Solania and Mertion: ?
Mertion: Swords or Justice Archons, see below
Between Mertion and Jovar: Sword Archons, if Justice Archons go one level down.
Jovar: Warden Archons are a good fit for Sealtiel, but they also make good first line defenders on Lunia.
Between Jovar and Chronias: Throne Archons? They are the highest caste, so they could easily get the highest level.
All canonical archons I know are assigned. We need at least four more types.
Wikipedia mentions a "Justice Archon" and a "Hammer Archon", both of which I don't know. The Justice Archon might be a very good fit for Raziel.Resident Vancian Apologist
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2010-11-03, 04:33 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2007
Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Yup- Justice Archons are relatively low-powered, winged, humanoid, and a little overzealous. They favour the paladin class.
Hammer Archons are associated with dwarves and stone.
In Psionic Power there is also a psionic archon- might with a little refluffing fit the ascetic?Marut-2 Avatar by Serpentine
New Marut Avatar by Linkele
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2010-11-03, 04:41 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
A Psionic archon is an interesting idea, at least. It fits asceticism well, and yet I'm not aware of any other psionic outsider. It clashes a little with the theme normally given to them, and yet seems a good idea.
I'm writing up a little more Lunia fluff at the moment.Resident Vancian Apologist
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2010-11-03, 04:43 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2007
Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
It may have been designed to be the LG counterpart to the Cerebrilith demon in Expanded Psionics Handbook.
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New Marut Avatar by Linkele
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2010-11-03, 07:39 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2010
Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Hi,
Since almost everyone reading this doesn't know me, a brief introduction. I'm one of the 'old bloods' from Dicefreaks (pretty sure that was how we were referred to early in this thread).
Not that it should matter at all, but I'm not here to try and stop this project. :) Nor am I here to try to direct it. In my more active years, I was one of the three main authors of the Gates of Hell, and I was the project director of A Light from on High while it was active. Unfortunately, as I've gotten older and family has come along, I've simply lost the time and inclination to do the same level of work I once did.
I've dropped in to let you know that I'm happy to act as a consultant (to some extent) if that is wanted. If it isn't, that's fine too. I certainly don't believe you need my help to do a great job.
So let me know, one way or the other.Last edited by Selah; 2010-11-03 at 07:47 AM.
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2010-11-03, 08:06 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Nice to hear that!
Well, you most likely have more experience with these projects than most of us do, so any advice would be very welcome. I must say, though, that I never really looked into A Light from on High, so maybe I should do that for inspiration...Resident Vancian Apologist
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2010-11-03, 11:11 AM (ISO 8601)
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2010-11-03, 05:18 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Well, ALfoH was never close to being finished. And, from what I've read so far here, I doubt that the cosmological changes being considered would be used in this.
As an example: archons, eladrin and angels were all combined into a single race of angels, and angels were split into seven choirs. While this affected more than just the Celestia you are considering, I figured it was a good example of the large changes the project considered.
Oh, and the Virtues of Heaven were designated in DF cosmology as the rulers of Celestia. They were beings of similar power to the Lords of the Nine, with overall lordship going to an avatar of the Supreme Virtue. As in Hell, that avatar was not understood to be an avatar, nor was the Supreme Virtue actually known of by most.
There's a little bit of stuff posted at DF relating to the ALfoH project that might be worth mining for information.
The fall of Eblis (talks about Metatron in the story below)
The old kerubim template (Duke of Hell equivalent)
The old seraphim template (arch-devil equivalent)
Unity of Light (article regarding the creation of solars and the lesser choirs of angels - also discusses the sefirot, who would be an equivalent of the malefircarim creatures used in Gates of Hell - i.e.ancient Baatorians equivalent)
Merkabah cherubim (NG equivalent of ancient baatorian; could be adapted or used as inspiration)
Q&A: Who Rules the Heavens? (has names and portfolios that DF would have used for the rulers of Celestia, plus others)
Some kerubim names and titles as potential inspiration
The Celestial Compact (the opposite of the Blood War)
Also, look up each of the layer names in this index.
Let me know what questions you have, if any.
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2010-11-03, 05:25 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: The Gates of Heaven: Giving Celestia the Dicefreaks Treatment
Ah, yes. That seems like the kind of change I wouldn't agree to.
Or rather, I would fight anyone tooth and nail who would claim that my beloved Eladrin belong to the same kind of creature as those stick-up-the-behind Archons.Resident Vancian Apologist