Editing Nightmare (section)

==Monstrous Diplomacy==
Right out of the gate, the Monster Manual emphasises the role of the nightmare as a steed for D&D's traditional bad guys. Demons, devils, night hags, spectres, vampires and liches are are all given as example of creatures who use nightmares as mounts.

New Denizens of Devildom in Dragon #75 details a number of new arch-devils. Bathym (a Duke of Hell) rides a nightmare into battle, while Alocer (another Duke) considers his nightmare as suitable for travel about his estates, as well as when going to war. The arch-devil Mammon rides a nightmare of largest size. He is still riding it in 1999's Guide to Hell.

When encountered in OP1: Tales of the Outer Planes, Asmodeus is riding a nightmare. Nine Hells Revisited in Dragon #91 notes that devils appoint intermediaries (dark nagas, hell cats, imps, and the like) to command nightmares on their behalf. The same article notes that nightmares (and other mounts), are difficult to transport on the River Styx. They must be blindfolded and made to lie down, and the charonadaemons will charge a triple fare for the required space.

Narzugon devils are probably the fiends most associated with the nightmare. First introduced in the 3rd Edition Manual of the Planes, they are consistently depicted astride the evil equines. They have mastered the art of mounted combat, and tend to be protective of their steeds, withdrawing from combat if their nightmares becomes seriously injured. In 4th Edition, narzugons are known as hell knights, and are servants of Asmodeus. The illustration in the Monster Manual 3 shows one riding a somewhat skeletal nightmare, a rarity for later edition artwork.

Other fiends have also been known to use nightmares as mounts, including mezzodaemons (Dragon #113) and succubi (Fiendish Codex I).

Another creature with a strong link to nightmares is the hag. The annis hag Vyedma uses a nightmare as a steed in I8: Ravager of Time as does Nuala, the resurrected sorceress who is one of the main protagonists of the adventure. Nuala also has a Leomund's secret chest which is guarded by a nightmare. If the recalling chest is used to return the secret chest by anyone other than Nuala, the nightmare appears and attacks. It retreats to the ethereal plane once seriously wounded.

The Monster Manual v.3.5 mentions that night hags ride nightmares, and they are depicted together in the The Ecology of Night Hags in Dragon #324.

One of the most powerful hags in D&D history was Malagarde, the Hag Countess, appointed by Asmodeus to rule over the hellish layer of Malbolge for a time. Fiendish Codex II notes that once Asmodeus's daughter Glasya took over control of Malbolge from the Hag Countess, she also tried to co-opt the hag's steed, a monstrous nightmare named Bloodcurdle. Although this steed initially pretended to accept its new mistress, it then threw Glasya into one of the Lakes of Bile. As a consequence, Bloodcurdle now faces a gruelling schedule of torments each day. He's still being tortured by Glasya in 4th Edition (Dungeon #197).

Death knights are also closely associated with nightmares. According to the original Fiend Folio, they can summon replacements every ten years.

Perhaps because of their astral travelling ability, Githyanki have been linked to nightmares since 1st Edition. OP1: Tales of the Outer Planes includes an astral encounter with a group of githyanki knights riding huge nightmares. The description of the stables here includes piles of molten rocks and troughs of boiling lava, but it isn't clear if these are needed to care for the nightmares, or a byproduct of their residency. A Guide to the Astral Plane notes that githyanki knights tend to ride nightmares into battle only when their combat abilities are important, because the knights are faster when unmounted.

Polyhedron #159 includes a d20 mini-game which allows players to take on the role of githyanki invading a human world. One of the feats available to these characters allows them to replace their fiendish servant with a nightmare steed.

In 4th Edition, even though nightmares can no longer travel to and from the Astral Plane, the connection to githyanki remains. They serve as steeds for high-level githyanki in several sources (Monster Manual, Dragon #377, The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea).

Arch-fiends, hags, death knights and githyanki seem to make the most use of nightmares as mounts, but throughout D&D history, a wide variety of other creatures have ridden them. The Battlesystem Fantasy Combat Supplement mentions that drow elves may ride nightmares, and the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide expands this to races of the Underdark in general, many of which employ nightmare steeds.

In the 3rd Edition Manual of the Planes, powerful members of the Unseelie Court ride nightmares during their Wild Hunts. Nightmares are also ridden by the banesworn, the servants of the Iron General of Chernoggar in The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea.

Other nightmare riding creatures include shades (C6: The Official RPGA Tournament Handbook), tieflings (Dungeon #116), wights (4th Edition Monster Manual), medusas (DDEX2-04: Mayhem in the Earthspur Mines), mummy lords (DDEX3-16: Assault of Maerimydra) and in 4th Edition particularly, powerful shadar-kai (Monster Manual 2). Enemies and Allies has Strabo, a half-dragon cleric of Erythnul, riding a nightmare. Riders are not limited to medium-sized creatures. The adventure Demonblade in Dungeon #97 has a nightmare ridden by a nine-foot tall troll.

Some creatures are fated to be mere caretakers of nightmares. The nightmares in Expedition to the Demonweb Pits are being looked after by babau demons, and appointing minor demons and devils to do this job isn't uncommon. In The Dancing Hut (Dragon #83), the three nightmares stabled in Baba Yaga's hut are watched over by four diakkas. More than 25 years later, in Dungeon #196, her nightmares are still being looked after by diakkas, although there are now only three of them.

Slasraths, ray-like flying creatures of Gehenna (described in Planes of Conflict) seem to be about the only creatures that view nightmares as food, but then slasraths will eat almost anything. Planes of Conflict also mentions that the mighty baernaloths sometimes have nightmares as companions.

The shadow unicorn, from Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness is said to be able to speak the language of nightmares, even though nightmares are not know to speak a language of their own. Finally, the blood fiend (from City of the Spider Queen) has the ability to become a nightmare as an alternative form.