AngelAliens in the "Angel" FamilySource Alien Archive pg. 12Barachius CR 7 XP 3,200
NG Large outsider (angel, extraplanar, good)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect alignment, low-light vision; Perception +14
Aura protective aura (20 ft.)DefenseHP 95
EAC 21; KAC 22
Fort +8; Ref +6; Will +10; +4 vs. poison
Immunities acid, cold, petrification; Resistances electricity 10, fire 10; SR 18
OffenseSpeed 50 ft., fly 100 ft. (Su, average)
Melee holy sintered longsword +16 (2d8+12 S)
Ranged holy corona laser rifle +14 (2d6+7 F; critical burn 1d6)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Offensive Abilities firewall
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th; melee +16)
1/day—arcing surge (DC 18), interplanetary teleport (self only)
3/day—inject nanobots (DC 17), microbot assaultStatisticsSTR +5; DEX +4; CON +4; INT +1; WIS +2; CHA +2
Skills Computers +19, Culture +19, Engineering +19, Mysticism +14, Sense Motive +14
Languages Celestial, Draconic, Infernal; truespeech
Other Abilities upgrade
Gear holy corona laser rifle with 2 high-capacity batteries (40 charges each), holy sintered longswordEcologyEnvironment any good-aligned planes
Organization solitary or pairSpecial AbilitiesFirewall (Su) A barachius can summon a wall of digitally empowered divine fury within 30 feet as a standard action. This wall takes the shape of a line 10 feet high and 20 feet long; though it doesn’t need to emanate from the angel, the angel must be able to see every square the wall passes through. The wall lasts until the beginning of the angel’s next turn. An evil creature caught within or that enters one of the wall’s squares takes 2d6 damage (Will DC 17 half). An evil creature with the technological subtype takes twice this amount of damage.
Protective Aura (Su) Any creature within 20 feet of a barachius (including the angel itself) gains a +2 divine bonus to its AC against attacks made by evil creatures and a +4 divine bonus to saving throws against effects created by evil creatures.
Upgrade (Su) As a standard action, a barachius can touch a willing ally who is wielding a technological weapon or wearing technological armor. That creature receives a +1 divine bonus to attack rolls or to its AC (target’s choice). This bonus last for 3 rounds and cannot be dispelled.DescriptionWhile tools and technology are often considered neutral in their own right, able to be used for good or ill purposes depending on the natures of their wielders, some good-aligned deities have long preached caution regarding those technologies that can allow single individuals to cause great havoc. The ascension of the artificially intelligent god Triune, who now holds technology and artificial life as its domains, has not eased such fears. Despite Triune’s claim of neutrality, the ubiquity of technology throughout the Pact Worlds and beyond has spurred many divine powers to keep careful watch over both the ways in which current technology is employed as well as rapid technological progress that could threaten all life.
As angels have always been the messengers and enactors of the gods’ will, a particular order of angelic beings, known as barachiuses, oversees technological advances and ensures these creations don’t fall into the wrong hands or become twisted to serve evil gods and their minions. Outfitted with divinely blessed armor, weapons, and abilities, barachius angels are tasked with monitoring the planes both to protect mortal existence from technology gone awry and to quash technologically advanced cultures that present an explicit threat to all good creatures and causes. While all angels might be expected to protect the innocent from harm, barachiuses specialize in defending against subtle technological threats that might go unnoticed by the rank-and-file troops of the celestial legions. When a rapidly developing AI suddenly veers into true evil, when a new invention threatens to destroy countless innocents, when Hell’s hacker devils feed insidious viruses into mortal mainframes—these are when barachiuses truly shine.
A barachius is an imposing figure, standing in what appears to be sleek, glowing armor and wielding a sword that pulses with the light of the stars or a glowing laser rifle. Its wings appear to be made of pure electricity, though a closer look reveals patterns within the feathery arcs that mimic digital arrays and computer wiring. Its face is often hidden behind an elaborate helm, and its voice—when it deigns to speak—is clipped and rapid-fire.
Yet a barachius’s true strength resides not within its presence or arms but in its near-prescient ability to understand the nature of any technological object or being that it encounters. Exactly how and why the angels deem some technology not just dangerous but immoral is a great mystery, as it’s not based solely on sheer destructive capacity. For instance, barachiuses have been known to hunt down and destroy individual robots with extreme determination while leaving similar models—and silos of nuclear missiles—entirely untouched.
A barachius might serve its purpose in a wide variety of ways. It could secretly patrol a settlement that is already rife with technology, constantly on the search for malicious computer code, machines run amok, or creatures bent on using technology for nefarious ends. Alternatively, one could be found searching for scientists and laboratories where cutting-edge research is being conducted. Even researchers with the best of intentions may come under the scrutiny of a barachius that deems the ongoing work or latest invention too threatening to the society’s ongoing moral health. Barachiuses also keep watch over some planets and species that lack advanced technology to ensure that they’re not enslaved or annihilated by races with greater resources—though again, why they perform this action for some races and not others is a mystery deeply vexing to scholars and mystics. Many believe their choices are based on an ability to see lines of probability stretching into the future and the angels’ need to make minor course corrections now and then to avoid catastrophe. Rarely, a barachius might take a more redemptive approach. Rather than destroying evil-aligned devices and technological life-forms, it might seek to turn a target to the path of good. Barachiuses minister to androids and robots in particular, hoping that merciful actions might inspire the artificial creatures to similar acts.What looks like a magnificent helmet on a barachius is actually an extension of its being, and thus it can never be taken from it by force. On occasion, however, a barachius particularly impressed by a mortal might offer that champion a magical copy of its own helm that’s imbued with a sliver of its essence and grants the wearer some of its own power.Extra ContentThe following extra content was found for this creature:
- Angel (Creature Subtype) Graft Template
- Angel (Summoning) Graft Template
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