D&D (2024) 5e Aasimar are in the Players Handbook − what should the flavor be?

[Yaarel]

In 3e Aasimar had 5 Cold, 5 Electricity (Lightening), and 5 Acid resistance.

I feel these damage types are too Elemental.
Fire = Radiant, Fire
Air = Lightning, Thunder
Water = Cold
Earth = Weapon (Piece, Slash, Bludgeon), Acid (salts, primordial chaos)

I feel these Elemental damages are great for the Neutral planes (Lawful, True, Chaotic).


For the Celestial Good planes, I prefer the more "spiritual" damage types:
Thought = Psychic
Light = Radiant
Creation = Force

(Both Fire and Positivity engage Radiant, physical and mystical, respectively.)

I think glowing eyes might be the only most universal physical trait.

Many creatures have glowing eyes. That is why I think the tell should be a glowing aura that forms within it words made out of light. These words would normally be in a fantasy language and decorative. So where there is an aura around the head, there might also be a ring of luminous words circling the head, somewhat like ion stones, suggesting a crown orbiting the head. But the words could show up anywhere within the aura around the body.

Do you think that they will have the Angellic Flight power the OG Ardling had in addition to Celestial Legacy?

Short answer, yes. All Aasimar fly.

Longer answer is. Flight is limited at low levels. They can fly with or without wings. So the presence of wings is mainly decorative, and can be spectral, anatomical, nothing, or whatever the player wants.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I feel these damage types are too Elemental.
Fire = Radiant, Fire
Air = Lightning, Thunder
Water = Cold
Earth = Weapon (Piece, Slash, Bludgeon), Acid (salts, primordial chaos)

I feel these Elemental damages are great for the Neutral planes (Lawful, True, Chaotic).


For the Celestial Good planes, I prefer the more "spiritual" damage types:
Thought = Psychic
Light = Radiant
Creation = Force

(Both Fire and Positivity engage Radiant, physical and mystical, respectively.)


Many creatures have glowing eyes. That is why I think the tell should be a glowing aura that forms within it words made out of light. These words would normally be in a fantasy language and decorative. So where there is an aura around the head, there might also be a ring of luminous words circling the head, somewhat like ion stones, suggesting a crown orbiting the head. But the words could show up anywhere within the aura around the body.



Short answer, yes. All Aasimar fly.

Longer answer is. Flight is limited at low levels. They can fly with or without wings. So the presence of wings is mainly decorative, and can be spectral, anatomical, nothing, or whatever the player wants.

The way Ardling's Angellic Flight works when activated you get a flying speed for 1 turn equal to your walking speed an amount of times per day equal to your profiency bonus.

 

[Mind of tempest]

In my head canon, all of the Neutral alignment planes are Elemental.

At a personal level, Lawful Neutral versus Chaotic Neutral, is group versus individuals.

But at an atomic level, Law versus Chaos, is "wave" versus "particles". The True Neutral is a kind of Dao optimizing between them, as a third way.

Thus the Neutral planes and their dynamic function as the aspect of Astral thought involved in the production of the physical forces, elements, and matter that the rest of the multiverse is made out of.

The creatures LN Modron, TN Rilmani, and CN Slaad, should be the creature type Primordial. The LN correlates the Elemental Law, while the CN the Elemental Chaos.

These Primordials are still Astral thought, but they are the thoughts that cause the Elemental forms to come into existence.



Like the 2024 Tiefling, the 2024 Aasimar might "casually migrate" from the Celestial planes.

While Aasimar in the Material Plane are mortal, the Aasimar in the Astral Plane including the Celestial planes are immortal.

What do the Aasimar cultures look like in each of the Celestial dominions? They are the "people", the prominent cultures of these planes.



The 2e Eladrin do go on missions.



We are talking Celestial cultures. Different kinds of Aasimar are members of diverse cultures across the Upper Planes.



Referring to "biology" is in the most abstract sense, since Celestials like the rest of the Astral are constructs made out of thought.

Different Aasimar cultures allow for different Aasimar jobs, excelling at different player classes.

I find the term lawful to human in scale at a cosmic level LN becomes S stasis the pure consistency of reality not good not bad pure mindless staus quo mad to keep reality functioning.

I'm a fan of the expectations and pressure theme.

D&D Angels are like Goodness Robots. They do Good (not good) and Right (not right) automatically without consideration or prompting. but Aasimar are people and we have to think and prioritize and choose.

And other people are kinda dumb and when they hear you're the kid of an angel or distant bloodline of angel, they just assume you're also a Goodness Robot and expect you to react accordingly. Not only do they just assume you're going to play the hero whenever they need, but they'll also think they'll take their crap with a goodly smile on their face.

Life as an aasimar means being constantly 'tested'vby people who assume you have no real thoughts and feelings. Whether they're innocently reaching out for general help or trying to take advantage of what they assume is a good nature without a sword made of lightning to back it up with. Not to mention the extremists and zealots who just assume you're on their righteous side and seek validation thought you.

Some would have massive trust issues from this while others might succumb to the pressure, becoming zealous and overbearing on their own as they try to 'perfect' themselves into being like a 'real' angel while others might become rebellious and out to prove everyone wrong. Worst off would be the ones who just let themselves be used, folding faster than Superman on laundry day to every request and beseechment, getting led by the nose into all manner of mishap, danger and villainy in ignorance.

we lack a cool iconic thing that tells people what an aasimar is within two seconds of looking at it not just funny coloured humans something that sells people on them, we need a horns and tail equivalent.

You're not wrong about any of this, but I feel like you're leaning too heavily on angels specifically for the lore. Aasimar just have a bit of "celestial" in their backgrounds, right? It doesn't have to be an angel specifically. Maybe find another celestial creature that interests you more and is less tropey, and use that as the basis for your "awsimar" traits? (If it's a non-humanoid, you could always say they shapeshift.)

what other celestials are still doing well? The NG are just furries who do not even look heavenly in the sense of divine and CG are now a type of elf and always seemed to me badly built for chaotic good(why would they have a queen?)
angles are effectively the default celestial.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I find the term lawful to human in scale at a cosmic level LN becomes S stasis the pure consistency of reality not good not bad pure mindless staus quo mad to keep reality functioning.

we lack a cool iconic thing that tells people what an aasimar is within two seconds of looking at it not just funny coloured humans something that sells people on them, we need a horns and tail equivalent.

what other celestials are still doing well? The NG are just furries who do not even look heavenly in the sense of divine and CG are now a type of elf and always seemed to me badly built for chaotic good(why would they have a queen?)
angles are effectively the default celestial.

Why does everyone hate furries? Its not my jam, but I don't judge.

There are other Celestial races then just Angels and Alignment Paragons.

You have Pegasi, Unicorns, Kirin, Empyreans, Couatls, Bariuar, RilmanI, Dabus, Kindori, Hollyphants, Living Portent, Mercane, Planar Incarnate, Reigar, Star Lancer, Starlight Apparition, Sunfly, Veiled Presence. Not updated to this edition yet are Lillend, Asuras, etc...

 

[Mind of tempest]

Why does everyone hate furries? Its not my jam, but I don't judge.

There are other Celestial races then just Angels and Alignment Paragons.

You have Pegasi, Unicorns, Kirin, Empyreans, Couatls, Bariuar, RilmanI, Dabus, Kindori, Hollyphants, Living Portent, Mercane, Planar Incarnate, Reigar, Star Lancer, Starlight Apparition, Sunfly, Veiled Presence. Not updated to this edition yet are Lillend, Asuras, etc...

I do not hate furries I hate badly implemented celestial furries they feel like they should be the CG option based on organisation alone and really need to be done better both visually and in implementation which I can give suggestions for
most of those are either just planer mortals and thus do not make plane touch or ask deeply uncomfortable questions as is the case for pegasi and unicorns.
rilmani are TN and do not make Aasimar.

 

[jmartkdr2]

we lack a cool iconic thing that tells people what an aasimar is within two seconds of looking at it not just funny coloured humans something that sells people on them, we need a horns and tail equivalent.

Since it need to read a "angelic" to people who've never opened a DnD book before, I suggest wings and a halo.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

Anyone think they might redesign Aasimar to absorb the Ardling concept and be mirrors of the new Tiefling?

• LG Archon-blood Aasimars from the Seven Heavens of Celestia and adjacent realms
• NG Guardinal-blood Aasimars from Elysium and adjacent realms
• CG Ghaele/Bralani-blood Aasimars from Arborea and adjacent realms
• Any Good Angel-blood Aasimars from any Upper Plane

 

[Mind of tempest]

Since it need to read a "angelic" to people who've never opened a DnD book before, I suggest wings and a halo.

what does a halo that is part of them look like then?

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

Anyone think they might redesign Aasimar to absorb the Ardling concept and be mirrors of the new Tiefling?

• LG Archon-blood Aasimars from the Seven Heavens of Celestia and adjacent realms
• NG Guardinal-blood Aasimars from Elysium and adjacent realms
• CG Ghaele/Bralani-blood Aasimars from Arborea and adjacent realms
• Any Good Angel-blood Aasimars from any Upper Plane

More or less what I'm hoping for - repurpose the first-draft ardling's Heavenly/Idyllic/Exalted lineages as new options for the aasimar alongside the existing Protector/Scourge/Fallen "angelic" lineage options.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

More or less what I'm hoping for - repurpose the first-draft ardling's Heavenly/Idyllic/Exalted lineages as new options for the aasimar alongside the existing Protector/Scourge/Fallen "angelic" lineage options.

If they move away from the Protector/Scourge/Fallen in the Core book, that does indeed just open up more options, as the older versions will still be valid as well. It doesn't replace them. We already have different versions of Dragonborn, for instance.