"Hey there berks, how're the planes treating you? A little rough perhaps? Well, rest assured that if a sod was in real danger, and was good and passionate, they could call on a Light!

"Lights're noncorporeal manifestations of the Upper Planes, and only about a thousand of 'em exist at any one time. * Lights are said to only be created by powers, but one particular Light spilled its brain-box for a little inside chant on the Blood War.

"Lights can be created by any of several things, but one factor is a constant -- there has to be some overflow of good energy (which makes it tough for a berk to find 'em in the Lower Planes). This energy is turned into a light by either a good power (which channels the energy into a light with a view on order/chaos corresponding to the power), the death of a valiant and passionately good blood (this one is a bit rare, and when the lights turn out to be up on a lot of dark, some power usually claims the light as their creation), or finally by the great need of a body in grave danger when an already existing light can't come to aid (and this the rarest of the lot)."**

"'Course, what most bashers care about is how to call a light. Well, a body can just hope the aasimon will come help 'im out, or he can perform a ceremony I'm sure is already detailed elsewhere.*** The body a light takes when it actually gets there is always suited to the individual problem. Here's an excerpt from an interview with Darol the Faithful, now a proxy of Apollo:

'As I sat among the black thorned branches of the infernal thicket, looking upon the fortress of the Abyssal Lord, I felt my god's hold upon my faith waver. I wondered whether this was truly what I should be doing -- after all, I had never volunteered to bring justice to the False Prophet, I had never asked for this task. Why not choose some new high-up that asked instead of demanding -- but then I saw a faint light begin to gather in this forsaken hell hole of darkness, and I was struck with awe. A cloud of warmth-emanating light began to surround me, and within it I saw all the faces of those I had saved throughout my life as a cleric of Apollo. The light touched my face, and ever since I've glowed with the strength of my god. I felt invigorated, and able to make that extra step into the infernal lord's abode.'

"You see, a light can take several forms, and this is just one of them. Many lights tend to immerse themselves within the body of whomever called them. This gives the caller all of the aasimon's special defenses and extends the aasimon's protection from evil onto the caller as well.**** Another form lights enjoy taking is that of an animal. Lights will posses the animal's mind while filling it with tranquility. The animal looks completely identical to an ordinary animal except for a slight golden mist the follows it around. Lights may also enter an object, such as a ring, while still delegating its protective powers onto the bearer as with the first form.

"A small tidbit of unusual chant (which means I'd like a large tidbit of unusual jink) -- sometimes when a light immerses itself in the body of a caller, it leaves behind some of its essence. The essence remaining will grant its holy vigor to the bearer, protecting and aiding him. ***** One major side effect causes the conception of children by the bearer or children already concieved within the bearer's body to become aasimar.******

Finally, something all berks should know -- a fallen light aasimon tends to will itself out of existence, but if they decide not to, they become something physically different. Their colors begin to fade, and eventually, they become silvery grey if now neutral or murky black if evil. The evil ones are definately creatures smart bloods stay away from.*******

* Monstrous Compendium description of Light

** No light should ever be created without the express purpose of the DM. No exceptions.

*** Monstrous Compendium, Planescape Appendix, p. 8

**** The light still uses its other powers at its own will, not the body its in.

***** The remaining essence will only remain behind for 1 hour per level/HD of the body. During this time the body gets +2 to all saving throws, -2 bonus to armor class, and +4 to attack rolls. In addition, all rolls in the game involving luck (gambling, guessing) or involving much chance (picking a lock, attempting to jump out of the way of a burning building) are made with a +25% or +5 bonus.

****** If the bearer is male, any woman he lies with has a 100% chance of conceiving. If the bearer is female, the same chance applies, but a pregant woman's unborn child is affected even though not conceived directly with the essence.

******* Only good fallen lights still have the powers listed in the MC appendix. Those powers altered for neutral and evil fallen lights are: attacks by good/neutral creatures; energy attacks; protection from evil; dispel evil; continual light; light; detect evil; cure serious wounds. Neutral light aasimon do not cause attackers to save vs. paralyzation, cause damage against good, evil, and neutral beings, do not have protection from evil or dispel evil, can cast fog cloud 7/day, wall of fog at will, can cast analyze balance at will, cure/cause serious wounds 3/day,. Evil aasimon cause good and neutral attacks to save vs. paralyzation, can damage only against good/neutral beings, protection from good, dispel good, continual darkness 7/day, darkness 15' radius at will, detect good, cause serious wounds.

© Brynn 1997