Radiant
Medium • Celestial • Lawful Good
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 45 (6d8 + 18)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +2 (12)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 6 (-2) | 10 (+0) | 8 (-1) |
Damage Immunities poison, radiant
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, exhaustion, frightened, petrified, poisoned, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands Celestial but can't speak
CR 3 (XP 700; PB +2)
Death Burst. The radiant explodes when it dies. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 13, each creature in a 5-foot emanation originating from the radiant. Failure: The target becomes blinded until the end of its next turn.
Divine Phalanx. The radiant gains a +2 bonus to its AC if at least two allied radiants are within 5 feet of it and the allied radiants aren’t incapacitated.
Illumination. The radiant sheds bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light in an additional 5 feet.
Immutable Form. The radiant can’t shape-shift.
Magic Resistance. The radiant has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Unusual Nature. The radiant doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The radiant makes two Radiant Blade attacks. It can replace one attack with an use of Shield Bash.
Radiant Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) radiant damage.
Shield Bash. Strength Saving Throw: DC 13, one creature within 5 feet that the radiant can see. Failure: 8 (2d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is knocked prone.
Radiant
Medium • Celestial • Lawful Good
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 26 (4d8 + 8)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +1 (11)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 12 (+1) | 14 (+2) | 6 (-2) | 10 (+0) | 8 (-1) |
Damage Immunities poison, radiant
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, exhaustion, frightened, petrified, poisoned, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands Celestial but can't speak
CR 1 (XP 200; PB +2)
Death Burst. The radiant explodes when it dies. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 12, each creature in a 5-foot emanation originating from the radiant. Failure: The target becomes blinded until the end of its next turn.
Divine Phalanx. The radiant gains a +2 bonus to its AC if at least two allied radiants are within 5 feet of it and the allied radiants aren’t incapacitated.
Illumination. The radiant sheds bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light in an additional 5 feet.
Immutable Form. The radiant can’t shape-shift.
Magic Resistance. The radiant has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Unusual Nature. The radiant doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The radiant makes two Radiant Blade attacks. It can replace one attack with an use of Shield Bash.
Radiant Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) radiant damage.
Shield Bash. Strength Saving Throw: DC 12, one creature within 5 feet that the radiant can see. Failure: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is knocked prone.
Radiant
Medium • Celestial • Lawful Good
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +2 (12)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 6 (-2) | 10 (+0) | 8 (-1) |
Damage Immunities poison, radiant
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, exhaustion, frightened, petrified, poisoned, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands Celestial but can't speak
CR 5 (XP 1,800; PB +3)
Death Burst. The radiant explodes when it dies. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 14, each creature in a 5-foot emanation originating from the radiant. Failure: The target becomes blinded until the end of its next turn.
Divine Phalanx. The radiant gains a +2 bonus to its AC if at least two allied radiants are within 5 feet of it and the allied radiants aren’t incapacitated.
Illumination. The radiant sheds bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light in an additional 5 feet.
Immutable Form. The radiant can’t shape-shift.
Magic Resistance. The radiant has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Unusual Nature. The radiant doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The radiant makes two Radiant Blade attacks. It can replace one attack with an use of Shield Bash.
Radiant Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d8 + 3) radiant damage.
Shield Bash. Strength Saving Throw: DC 14, one creature within 5 feet that the radiant can see. Failure: 10 (3d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is knocked prone.
QUICK REFERENCE
Habitat
- Found in holy sites, temples, or as summoned guardians of divine realms
- Commonly serve celestials like the Luminar as foot soldiers in cosmic battles
- Heavenly realms serving as guard, patrol, scout, messenger all kinds of similar easy tasks
Behavior
- Silent, unwavering guardians – cannot speak but follow divine commands
- Selfless and self-sacrificing even without being commanded to do so
- Proactively attacks creatures of darkness or pure evil
Information (Intelligence Check)
- DC 12 Religion: Identify them as mindless soldiers of the heavens
- DC 14 Investigation: Recall that their form is absolute and can’t be changed
- DC 16 Arcana: Realizes they are designed to serve as a frontline without worry that they die, as they are also designed to serve a purpose in their demise
Combat
- Always stays close together with other radiants to benefit from the Divine Phalanx trait
- Opens with a Shield Bash to provide advantage for it and its allies against the knocked prone foe
- Doesn’t retreat and fights relentlessly without breaking rank until death as its Death Burst trait has no negative effect on other radiants
Loot Ideas
- Glowing fragments can be used as spell components to empower radiant-based magic or thrown like grenades to blind
- Rarely salvageable intact enough armor pieces which can be forged into magical items (which could benefit, like the bless spell, or radiant resistance, or immunity to being blinded)
- Liquid radiance, an all-purpose ingredient for common ailments or low potions
USING MONSTER VARIANTS
Monster variants allow the GM to adjust encounters to better match the party’s strength, narrative needs, or world-building logic. A weaker variant may represent a juvenile, wounded, or lesser specimen, while a stronger variant can serve as a leader, champion, ancient creature, or apex predator.
Variants can be used to fine-tune difficulty without changing the core identity of the monster, making them ideal for scaling encounters, reinforcing hierarchy within a faction, or creating memorable boss-style enemies. You can even use the same stat block but different variants in the same encounter if you want.
Design Note. Each monster is primarily balanced around its normal version. Weaker and stronger variants are derived adjustments and may not always preserve every tactical nuance or “feel” of the original creature. GMs are encouraged to review variants carefully and adjust abilities or tactics as needed to best suit their table.