What is a Planetar in Pathfinder 2e?
Planetars know pathways to travel between many planes of existence, and they use these frequently to deliver messages, warnings, and ultimatums to those whose actions have attracted angelic concern. If a situation can be resolved with swift on-the-spot justice, a planetar takes that route in hopes of staving off an escalation of violence.
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The role of a Planetar
The beings of righteous fury known as planetars are known to be the least patient of angels. They exist to destroy evil that cannot be redeemed, and they often leave prolonged dialogue to other angels. Of course, they don’t ignore the importance of diplomacy, but they know that others among the angelic hosts are better suited to that task, while they focus on the larger picture. In angelic armies, they serve as commanders or generals. They stand at least 9 feet tall and weigh over 500 pounds.
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Blade of Justice
The planetar’s Blade of Justice uses two actions. The planetar makes a greatsword strike against a target it detects as evil. If the target is evil, the strike deals three extra weapon damage dice and deals 1d6 persistent good damage to the target. They can convert all the physical damage from the attack into good damage. And this is why evil beings fear.
Aura of Righteousness
The Planetar’s Aura of Righteousness effects anything within 20 feet of it. Allies in this aura gain a +2 status bonus to AC against evil creatures and a +2 status bonus to damage rolls against evil creatures. The area in the aura is difficult terrain for evil creatures.
Change Shape
The Planetar’s Change Shape ability takes only one action. They can take on the appearance of any small or medium humanoid. This doesn’t change their Speed or Strikes. Remember to use this if the players have been noticed by this creature in a different form. This could also happen if the Planetar is on a different mission and is in disguise and notices the players. They could be confronted if committing wrongdoing or be tasked if one or more of the players serve the deity the planetar serves.
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Planetar Adventure Ideas
There are only so many different ways to encounter a planetar in general because of what they represent. If one were to kill this creature then the deity it represented and all of the celestial host that follow that deity would probably be dispatched to kill the party.
Therefore, you are limited to “fetch” quests, intervention with a favor being owed or being tasked directly by the deity that one of the players worships and them being tasked by that deity to fulfill a task.
Cultists
The players encounter a group of cultists who are attempting to summon a demon lord and must seek out a planetar to aid them in stopping the cultists before it’s too late. The planetar will request a favor in order to help the player stop the cultists that will need to be paid after the immediate problem is solved.
Hired
The players are hired by a powerful noble to retrieve a powerful magical artifact that is being guarded by a planetar. The planetar demands that the players prove their worthiness by performing a heroic deed, and only then will it allow them to take the artifact.
The Necromancer
The players discover that a powerful necromancer is using a hidden laboratory to create a horde of undead. A planetar appears, demanding that the players destroy the laboratory and put an end to the necromancer’s evil experiments.
I would put the laboratory in room 2 and make the secret doors hard to find. I would also heavily trap them. I would put a false laboratory in room 20 to give the players a false sense of finality.
If they only destroy the lab in room 20 the planetar will visit the party 2d4 days later demanding to know why they didn’t defeat the necromancer (put him in room 8) and the laboratory, because the threat hasn’t been dealt with.
You can make this more real by putting an acolyte necromancer in room 14 for the players to fight with the laboratory door left open when they encounter him or her.
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About the Author:
Dwight Scull has been playing tabletop role-playing games (starting with Dungeons and Dragons 3.5) back in 2001. He started being a dungeon master around 2005.
He loves to play many different types of TTRPGs, including Pathfinder, GURPS, Shadowrun, Vampire: The Masquerade, Mage: The Ascension (and other White Wolf Games), Nights Black Agents, and others.
Fan of mysteries, light horror, co-op board games, true crime, sci-fi, and fantasy.
