Important information: schlockmercenary.com/2011-05-28

what is the max altitude you expect them to fly at?

Also, they'll need to land to eat and rest. More birds get eaten on trees and ground

Related: worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/186/…, worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/89422/…. This is arguably a duplicate of one of these.

When I saw you have cat people, I'd assume they'd get angels the same way lynx, cougars, and other wild cats catch birds - by jumping. But 3.8k meters is really high compared to cat jumping of 5.5 meters so it might take too much hand-waviness - though I would ask "do they have to descend any when attacking?" or "do they have to go to ground to get food to eat?" <- last one is the main time I saw my cats catch birds at least

Also related but less duplicate worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/114774 and worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/94415

Also, I would dial back the flight ability (i.e. they can fly really high but not with heavy items or nearly anything....) unless you are going to dial up the natural abilities of your other animal based species equally (lizards, snakes, cats can be predators of birds while birds can be predators of lizards, fish, and snakes so there is already some natural balance expected) - otherwise you could end up with completely unbalanced situations

Is population relatively similar between the different humanoid creatures? Also, being able to hold territory requires boots on the ground. These angels could be excellent raiders, but they won't actually be conquering anything.

Also, "the best defense is a good offense". How will the angels be able to defend their seats of power when the others decide to exterminate them?

@Eries Why would angels want to enslave us?

@Eries, there's a logic leap in your question that may not hold. You equate the ability to move quickly with the ability and will to conquer. These are not the same things. If the angels can win battles from the air but are exceptionally weak on the ground, then they cannot conquer. To conquer requires occupation of land. Weak, light troops like this are not well adapted to taking and holding territory.

Are you sure you want to call these beings "angels"? Any religion or mythology which contains them, depicts them as vastly more powerful than just mere humans with the ability to fly. At the very least, they can make you mad just by looking at them, demolishing entire cities with just a thought, etc, etc..

@vsz never heard about that, I thought religion wise angels were just winged invisible people

Seems like a lot of answers from worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/123598/2386 would apply here.

@Eries : in pretty much every religion which features angels or similar beings, they are immortal or almost immortal, highly powerful divine beings. Their true form is incomprehensible to humans and might drive them mad, they only shape-shift into a humanoid form to communicate with humans. They are not just some random dudes with wings you want to mess with.

Answer: don't blink. (That's for a different kind of angel, I know, but the temptation was too great.)

@vsz You're right calling them angels is confusing. Strictly speaking, they're ornanthropes or bird people.

The name "angel" is from the Greek and means a messenger. They can come in many shapes and forms. They function as messengers from God in the Christian religious sense. Your creatures are ornanthropes or bird people. Please give them their own name. Calling them "angels" will only cause confusion.

Never heard the therm ornanthropes and google can't find anything so I'll go for bird people

@Eries It's just a coining from ornithos (bird) and anthropos (human), literally "bird human" in Greek.

"they can just fly over the enemies and drop ... flaming pots of oil". Hold a flame under a bird and see how it reacts.

@RonJohn true, but not an unsolvable problem. For example, two of them can hold a single pot so both of them are not directly over the fire (and they can carry a bigger pot)

It can be held overhead too...or ignited just a few seconds before dropping it. They might have feathers, but they don't have a chicken's brain.

@Eries "It can be held overhead". Shoulders don't work that way. (Lie face down on the floor and then hold a pot up off the floor, and you'll see.) "or ignited just a few seconds before dropping it." Lighting fire using medieval technology in the high wind is... problematic.

@Gianluca look at the picture -- specifically the wingspan -- and you'll see how far apart they'd have to be. Combine that with high winds at altitude blowing the pot around and you'll see how impractical it is.

incredibly strong points, and I noticed my shoulders are quite weak...

people beleaguered by attacks from above are going to develop fast roof-construction methods. Crawl towards the bad guys' city with your wooden tents/shacks and kick their ass

@Eries Can humans cast spells? You tagged magic so I'm asking