Fallen angel
& fallen angel 
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|---|---|
| Difficulty | 22 |
| Attacks |
Weapon 3d7 physical, Weapon 3d7 physical, Claw 5d4 physical, spellcast 0d9 unholy energy, passive 0d9 fire |
| Base level | 15 |
| Base experience | 608 |
| Speed | 10 |
| Base AC | -14 |
| Base MR | 55 |
| Alignment | 12 (lawful) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 0 (Not randomly generated) |
| Genocidable | No |
| Weight | 1450 |
| Nutritional value | 400 |
| Size | medium |
| Resistances | cold resistance, sleep resistance, shock resistance, poison resistance
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A fallen angel:
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A fallen angel, &, is a type of monster that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. The fallen angel is a winged demon-like humanoid entity that is strong, capable of flight, can be seen via infravision, emits light in a 2-square radius around it, and can see invisible monsters while also having extramission (which grants perfect vision in light and dark areas). Fallen angels will seek out weapons, armor and other items to pick up, and can follow the hero to other levels if they are adjacent—tame fallen angels may turn traitor.
Fallen angels can reach level 30 and have 24 points of total AC: 5 in the 'natural' category, 6 in the 'dodge' category, and 13 in the 'special' category—they also have 4 points of 'special' DR for all slots except the head, which instead has 9 points of 'special' DR.
Fallen angels have two weapon attacks, a claw attack, a passive fire attack whose damage scales with the attacker's experience level or monster level and can burn the items used in the attack, and the ability to cast one ray of unholy energy per round whose damage scales with the fallen angel's own monster level. Fallen angels have expert prowess in martial combat and a full base attack bonus of +1 to-hit per level. They possess cold resistance, sleep resistance, shock resistance, and poison resistance.
Fallen angels can be warded by a fully-reinforced Elder Elemental Eye.
Generation
Fallen angels are not randomly generated, and normally-created ones are always hostile. They only appear normally in Gehennom, and are not a valid polymorph form or genocide target.
Lillends generated on the Astral Plane may be generated with fallen angel masks, which also enables them to use the fallen angel's attacks.
A fallen angel is always generated with a long sword. For fallen angels that are either generated in Gehennom or slated for good equipment, there is a 5⁄6 chance of additional equipment and changes to the sword, which are all listed below and have an equal probability for each of the changes and additions to occur:
- They are given a kite shield, a set of plate mail, a set of gloves that has a 9⁄10 chance of being normal gauntlets and will otherwise be gauntlets of power, and a pair of armored boots—all of this armor will have a set material of silver, and the long sword will also be made of silver.
- They are given a robe, a pair of gloves and a pair of shoes that are all made of cloth.
- They are given a set of armor determined by the fallen angel's gender—female fallen angels are given a pair of cloth gloves, a cloth gentlewoman's dress, a cloth set of Victorian underwear, and a silver pair of stilettos, while male fallen angels are given a leather pair of gloves, a cloth gentleman's suit, a cloth ruffled shirt, and a leather pair of shoes.
- They are given a thoroughly tattered robe, and their long sword is made filth-encrusted.
- They are given a set of armor that consists of the same items as the first set (with the same probabilities for the gloves), but rather than being silver, they are colored black and made of iron.
Fallen angels do not leave corpses upon death.
Origin
The term "fallen angel" refers to the angels of Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) who were cast out of or expelled from Heaven, though it does not occur literally in any Abrahamic religious texts. "Fallen" angels are often described as corrupting humanity by teaching forbidden knowledge or by tempting them into sin, and common motifs for their expulsion are lust, pride, envy, or an attempt to usurp divinity. Fallen angels further appear throughout Christian and Islamic popular culture, including the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, the epic poem Paradise Lost by John Milton, and the Turkish horror film Semum by Hasan Karacadağ—they have since become a mainstay of sorts in fantasy media such as Dungeons & Dragons, with popular examples including Azazel, Belial, Lucifer, and Samael.
The earliest appearance of the concept may be found in Canaanite beliefs about the bənē hāʾĔlōhīm ('sons of God') that are expelled from the divine court, such as Hêlêl ben Šāḥar who is thrown down from heaven for claiming equality with ʻElyōn. Such stories were later collected in the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament) and appear in pseudepigraphic Jewish apocalyptic literature, derived from the assumption that the "sons of God" (בני האלוהים) mentioned in Genesis 6:1–4 or the Book of Enoch are angels. In the period immediately preceding the New Testament's composition–which is roughly contiguous with the Second Temple period (516 BC–70 AD)–some groups of Second Temple Judaism identified these "sons of God" as fallen angels, and considered the Nephilim to be the monstrous offspring of fallen angels and human women: in these accounts, God sends the Great Deluge to purge the world of them, which destroys their bodies while their souls survive and thereafter roam the earth as demons.
Rabbinic Judaism and early Christian authorities after the third century rejected the Enochian writings and the notion of an illicit union between angels and women. Christian theology instead teaches that the sins of fallen angels occurred before the beginning of human history: fallen angels became identified with those led by Lucifer in rebellion against God, who were also equated with demons. Christian monotheism holds that evil is a corruption of goodness, as both good and evil angels are envisioned as rational beings without bodily limitations. Thus, Western Christian philosophy also implemented the fall of angels as a thought experiment about how evil will could occur from within the mind without external influences in order to explore questions regarding morality. While the Quran also refers to motifs reminiscent of fallen angels in earlier Abrahamic writings, the interpretation of these beings is disputed; for example, some Muslim exegetes regard Satan (Iblīs) to be an angel while others do not.
The fallen angels of Dungeons & Dragons are generally the result of unrepentant angels that are either stripped of all powers and cast into the Lower Planes, or else are exiled and become truly evil from taking their punishment personally. The spirits of most fallen angels are consumed by the various types of fiend, though some are instead formed into the lowest of the demonic, daemonic, or devilish hierarchies to become fiends themselves—some others instead directly become high-ranking fiends, with characters such as Asmodeus originally being angels depending on the specific edition and the lore associated with them in that edition.
Encyclopedia entry
Lucifer rebelled.
The angels fell.
We have only the tales of mortals to guide us on this. We, the heirs of angels, must piece together our heritage from the scraps of myth. We can surmise that some divine force exiled Lucifer and his followers. We use their word, God, because it is a convenient shorthand for our unknown enemy. The demon race was bred to overthrow this enemy and take its throne and whatever else we forget, we should never forget that destiny. A full third of the Host fell, according to some accounts. For their sins - for pride, for rebellion, for desiring to be like God, for unknowable and ineffable reasons - they were banished and they fell.
