Guardinals are a type of celestial from the Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. These creatures are sent by higher powers striving for good to aid in battle against the forces of evil. Guardinals live on the Outer Plane of Elysium.
Guardinals are all extraplanar outsiders.
As such, guardinals share a number of magical powers:
- They possess Darkvision, the ability to see in the dark.
- They are immune to electricity energy and petrification effects.
- They are resistant to cold and sonic energy.
- They are resistant to poison.
- They can speak with any animal.
- They can 'lay on hands' to provide healing like a paladin.
Types of Guardinals
- Avoral - Winged guardinal with unmatched visual acuity.
- Cervidal - Satyrlike guardinals that form the bulk of any guardinal army.
- Equinal - Horselike guardinal; strong, boisterous, and generally good-natured champions of good.
- Leonal - Lion-headed guardinal with martial prowess.
- Lupinal - Half-human, half-wolf guardinals constantly on the prowl for evil intrusions.
- Musteval - Ferretlike guardinal that serve greater celestials as spies, and messengers to humanoid heroes.
- Ursinal - Bearlike guardinal; the scholars and philsophers, advisors to the leonals and record-keepers of Elysium.
Talisid and the Five Companions
The celestial paragons of the guardanals are collectively known as Talisid and the Five Companions. The members include:
- Bharrai, the Great Bear - The matriarch of the ursinals, resides on Eronia, the second layer of Elysium.
- Kharash, the Stalker - The paragon of lupinals.
- Manath, the Horned Duke - The duke of the cervidals.
- Sathia, the Sky Duchess - The voice of the avorals, and patron and muse for painters and sculptors.
- Talisid, the Celestial Lion - The most powerful of leonals. Spends most of his time on Amoria, the topmost layer of Elysium.
- Vhara, Duchess of the Fields - The duchess of the equinals, resides on Amoria.
Former Members:
- Duke Rhanok
From the Planescape setting, Talisid's five original Companions were as follows:
- Duke Lucan (lupinal)
- Duchess Callisto (ursinal)
- Duke Windheir (avoral)
- Lord Hwhyn (equinal)
- Lord Rhanok (cervidal)
References
- Bonny, Ed, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Skip Williams, and Steve Winter. Monster Manual II (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).
- Perkins, Christopher. Warriors of Heaven (TSR, 1999).
- Williams, Skip, Jonathan Tweet, and Monte Cook. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2000).
- Wyatt, James, Darrin Drader, Christopher Perkins. Book of Exalted Deeds (Wizards of the Coast, 2003).