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Vestige

2020-08-16T05:25:21Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was */

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the [[Binder]] class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a [[Warlock]] pact.

=List of Tome of Magic Vestiges=
This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

==Acererak the Devourer==
The Demi-[[Lich]] who created the [[Tomb of Horrors]]. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

==Agares, Truth Betrayed==
A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Amon, The Void Before The Altar==
A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of [[Amaunator]], Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

Amon's associated monster is the [[Horned Beast]], believed to be the corrupted forms of the golden rams that served him when he was still good and alive.

==Andras, The Gray Knight==
An Elf who served for centuries as first a [[paladin]] and then a [[blackguard]] before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue==
A chosen of the god of thieves, [[Olidammara]], who repented on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a [[Rogue]]. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Aym, Queen Avarice==
A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Balam, The Bitter Angel==
The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Buer, Grandmother Huntress==
A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. [[Roving Mauler| She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other.]] After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creature, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

The infamously weird monster called the [[Roving Mauler]] resembles her, but the reason for this is a mystery.

==Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever==
A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

==Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One==
A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking '''eyes''', but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

His associated monster is the [[Tooth Beast]], a monster that resembles a bear whose hair, nails, and eyes have been replaced with teeth.

==Dantalion, The Star Emperor==
A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

Dantalion has an entire [[Prestige Class]], the [[Scion of Dantalion]], dedicated to it.

==Eligor, Dragon Slayer==
A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that [[Tiamat]] demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering [[blackguard]] and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eurynome, Mother of the Material==
A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

==Focalor, Prince of Tears==
An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Geryon, The Deposed Lord==
The [[Archdevil]] who was once Lord of [[Baator#Stygia|Stygia]], whose loyalty to [[Asmodeus]] during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

==Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs==
A former hill giant sorceress who tricked [[Thrym]], god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her ought, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first [[minotaur]]s and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Halphax, The Angel in the Angle==
A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows.

==Haures, the Dreaming Duke==
A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Ipos, Prince of Fools==
The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Karsus, Hubris in the Blood==
Another Vestige based on an existing D&D character. [[Karsus]] was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of [[Mystryl]], the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

Occasionally, humans who are descended from Karsus will give birth to a [[Karsite]], a subspecies of human who always have one blue eye, one brown eye, and a streak of white hair. Karsites are cursed with an inability to cast spells, but have resistance to magic, spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them, and they can temporarily disable magic items with their melee attacks.

==Leraje, The Green Herald==
A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Malphas, The Turnfeather==
An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Malphas's accociated monster is the [[Murder of Crows]]. His influence causes birds to form into aggressive swarms and he may be the reason why a group of ravens is called an "unkindness."

==Marchosias, King of Killers==
An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Naberius, The Grinning Hound==
A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark==
An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

==Otiax, The Key to the Gate==
A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air.

==Paimon, The Dancer==
An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called [[Deadly Dancer]]s, which are [[aberration]]s resembling humanoids with with bony blades in place of arms and legs.

==Ronove, The Iron Maiden==
A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Savnok, The Instigator==
A former servant of [[Hextor]] and [[Heironeous]] who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Shax, Sea Sister==
The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Shax's associated monster is the [[Deathshead]], an undead created from the severed head of a drowned giant that walks around upside-down using its hair as tentacles.

==Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was==
The shadowy undead form that [[Orcus]] adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

Tenebrous has an entire [[Prestige Class]] dedicated to him, the [[Tenebrous Apostate]].

==Zagan, Duke of Disappointment==
A [[yuan-ti]] who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

=List of Outer Source Vestiges=
Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

==Abysm, The Schismed==
A psionic [[mythal]] that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Ahazu the Seizer==
The demon prince who once controlled the [[Wells of Darkness]] before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dungeon Magazine #148.

==Ansitif the Befouler==
An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Arete the First Elan==
The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==[[Ashardalon]], Pyre of the Unborn==
A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a [[Tanar'ri|balor]] into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, [[Grimdark|he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse.]] When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

==Astaroth-Diabolus==
The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen==
A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from [[Celestia]] for giving civilisation to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Cabiri the Watching Master==
A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Desharus the Sprawling Soul==
The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Kas the Bloody Handed==
The spirit of the treacherous former servant of [[Vecna]], the [[vampire]] who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==Primus, The One And The Prime==
The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by [[Orcus]]-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great [[Modron]] March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==The Triad==
Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Vanus, The Reviled One==

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in one of the Class Articles webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060407a

==Zceryll, The Star Spawn==
A powerful alienist who was dragged into the [[Far Realm]] and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template).

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your [[Forgotten Realms]] games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718

==Radiance House==
The third party publisher Radiance House made a few books with third party support for the system. Those books would later be ported to [[Pathfinder]] alongside a lot of new content and released under [[Open Gaming License|OGL]]. Since there's already a site with the full OGL contents, we'll just [http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/pact-magic/ just link to the full thing] instead of describing the many, many new spirits.

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Vestige

2020-08-16T05:20:21Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Dantalion, The Star Emperor */

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the [[Binder]] class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a [[Warlock]] pact.

=List of Tome of Magic Vestiges=
This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

==Acererak the Devourer==
The Demi-[[Lich]] who created the [[Tomb of Horrors]]. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

==Agares, Truth Betrayed==
A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Amon, The Void Before The Altar==
A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of [[Amaunator]], Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

Amon's associated monster is the [[Horned Beast]], believed to be the corrupted forms of the golden rams that served him when he was still good and alive.

==Andras, The Gray Knight==
An Elf who served for centuries as first a [[paladin]] and then a [[blackguard]] before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue==
A chosen of the god of thieves, [[Olidammara]], who repented on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a [[Rogue]]. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Aym, Queen Avarice==
A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Balam, The Bitter Angel==
The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Buer, Grandmother Huntress==
A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. [[Roving Mauler| She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other.]] After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creature, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

The infamously weird monster called the [[Roving Mauler]] resembles her, but the reason for this is a mystery.

==Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever==
A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

==Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One==
A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking '''eyes''', but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

His associated monster is the [[Tooth Beast]], a monster that resembles a bear whose hair, nails, and eyes have been replaced with teeth.

==Dantalion, The Star Emperor==
A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

Dantalion has an entire [[Prestige Class]], the [[Scion of Dantalion]], dedicated to it.

==Eligor, Dragon Slayer==
A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that [[Tiamat]] demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering [[blackguard]] and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eurynome, Mother of the Material==
A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

==Focalor, Prince of Tears==
An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Geryon, The Deposed Lord==
The [[Archdevil]] who was once Lord of [[Baator#Stygia|Stygia]], whose loyalty to [[Asmodeus]] during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

==Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs==
A former hill giant sorceress who tricked [[Thrym]], god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her ought, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first [[minotaur]]s and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Halphax, The Angel in the Angle==
A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows.

==Haures, the Dreaming Duke==
A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Ipos, Prince of Fools==
The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Karsus, Hubris in the Blood==
Another Vestige based on an existing D&D character. [[Karsus]] was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of [[Mystryl]], the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

Occasionally, humans who are descended from Karsus will give birth to a [[Karsite]], a subspecies of human who always have one blue eye, one brown eye, and a streak of white hair. Karsites are cursed with an inability to cast spells, but have resistance to magic, spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them, and they can temporarily disable magic items with their melee attacks.

==Leraje, The Green Herald==
A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Malphas, The Turnfeather==
An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Malphas's accociated monster is the [[Murder of Crows]]. His influence causes birds to form into aggressive swarms and he may be the reason why a group of ravens is called an "unkindness."

==Marchosias, King of Killers==
An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Naberius, The Grinning Hound==
A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark==
An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

==Otiax, The Key to the Gate==
A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air.

==Paimon, The Dancer==
An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called [[Deadly Dancer]]s, which are [[aberration]]s resembling humanoids with with bony blades in place of arms and legs.

==Ronove, The Iron Maiden==
A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Savnok, The Instigator==
A former servant of [[Hextor]] and [[Heironeous]] who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Shax, Sea Sister==
The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Shax's associated monster is the [[Deathshead]], an undead created from the severed head of a drowned giant that walks around upside-down using its hair as tentacles.

==Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was==
The shadowy undead form that [[Orcus]] adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

==Zagan, Duke of Disappointment==
A [[yuan-ti]] who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

=List of Outer Source Vestiges=
Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

==Abysm, The Schismed==
A psionic [[mythal]] that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Ahazu the Seizer==
The demon prince who once controlled the [[Wells of Darkness]] before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dungeon Magazine #148.

==Ansitif the Befouler==
An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Arete the First Elan==
The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==[[Ashardalon]], Pyre of the Unborn==
A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a [[Tanar'ri|balor]] into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, [[Grimdark|he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse.]] When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

==Astaroth-Diabolus==
The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen==
A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from [[Celestia]] for giving civilisation to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Cabiri the Watching Master==
A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Desharus the Sprawling Soul==
The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Kas the Bloody Handed==
The spirit of the treacherous former servant of [[Vecna]], the [[vampire]] who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==Primus, The One And The Prime==
The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by [[Orcus]]-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great [[Modron]] March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==The Triad==
Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Vanus, The Reviled One==

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in one of the Class Articles webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060407a

==Zceryll, The Star Spawn==
A powerful alienist who was dragged into the [[Far Realm]] and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template).

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your [[Forgotten Realms]] games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718

==Radiance House==
The third party publisher Radiance House made a few books with third party support for the system. Those books would later be ported to [[Pathfinder]] alongside a lot of new content and released under [[Open Gaming License|OGL]]. Since there's already a site with the full OGL contents, we'll just [http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/pact-magic/ just link to the full thing] instead of describing the many, many new spirits.

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Vestige

2020-08-16T04:51:19Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One */

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the [[Binder]] class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a [[Warlock]] pact.

=List of Tome of Magic Vestiges=
This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

==Acererak the Devourer==
The Demi-[[Lich]] who created the [[Tomb of Horrors]]. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

==Agares, Truth Betrayed==
A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Amon, The Void Before The Altar==
A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of [[Amaunator]], Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

Amon's associated monster is the [[Horned Beast]], believed to be the corrupted forms of the golden rams that served him when he was still good and alive.

==Andras, The Gray Knight==
An Elf who served for centuries as first a [[paladin]] and then a [[blackguard]] before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue==
A chosen of the god of thieves, [[Olidammara]], who repented on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a [[Rogue]]. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Aym, Queen Avarice==
A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Balam, The Bitter Angel==
The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Buer, Grandmother Huntress==
A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. [[Roving Mauler| She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other.]] After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creature, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

The infamously weird monster called the [[Roving Mauler]] resembles her, but the reason for this is a mystery.

==Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever==
A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

==Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One==
A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking '''eyes''', but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

His associated monster is the [[Tooth Beast]], a monster that resembles a bear whose hair, nails, and eyes have been replaced with teeth.

==Dantalion, The Star Emperor==
A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eligor, Dragon Slayer==
A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that [[Tiamat]] demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering [[blackguard]] and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eurynome, Mother of the Material==
A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

==Focalor, Prince of Tears==
An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Geryon, The Deposed Lord==
The [[Archdevil]] who was once Lord of [[Baator#Stygia|Stygia]], whose loyalty to [[Asmodeus]] during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

==Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs==
A former hill giant sorceress who tricked [[Thrym]], god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her ought, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first [[minotaur]]s and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Halphax, The Angel in the Angle==
A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows.

==Haures, the Dreaming Duke==
A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Ipos, Prince of Fools==
The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Karsus, Hubris in the Blood==
Another Vestige based on an existing D&D character. [[Karsus]] was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of [[Mystryl]], the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

Occasionally, humans who are descended from Karsus will give birth to a [[Karsite]], a subspecies of human who always have one blue eye, one brown eye, and a streak of white hair. Karsites are cursed with an inability to cast spells, but have resistance to magic, spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them, and they can temporarily disable magic items with their melee attacks.

==Leraje, The Green Herald==
A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Malphas, The Turnfeather==
An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Malphas's accociated monster is the [[Murder of Crows]]. His influence causes birds to form into aggressive swarms and he may be the reason why a group of ravens is called an "unkindness."

==Marchosias, King of Killers==
An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Naberius, The Grinning Hound==
A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark==
An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

==Otiax, The Key to the Gate==
A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air.

==Paimon, The Dancer==
An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called [[Deadly Dancer]]s, which are [[aberration]]s resembling humanoids with with bony blades in place of arms and legs.

==Ronove, The Iron Maiden==
A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Savnok, The Instigator==
A former servant of [[Hextor]] and [[Heironeous]] who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Shax, Sea Sister==
The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Shax's associated monster is the [[Deathshead]], an undead created from the severed head of a drowned giant that walks around upside-down using its hair as tentacles.

==Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was==
The shadowy undead form that [[Orcus]] adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

==Zagan, Duke of Disappointment==
A [[yuan-ti]] who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

=List of Outer Source Vestiges=
Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

==Abysm, The Schismed==
A psionic [[mythal]] that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Ahazu the Seizer==
The demon prince who once controlled the [[Wells of Darkness]] before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dungeon Magazine #148.

==Ansitif the Befouler==
An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Arete the First Elan==
The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==[[Ashardalon]], Pyre of the Unborn==
A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a [[Tanar'ri|balor]] into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, [[Grimdark|he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse.]] When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

==Astaroth-Diabolus==
The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen==
A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from [[Celestia]] for giving civilisation to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Cabiri the Watching Master==
A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Desharus the Sprawling Soul==
The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Kas the Bloody Handed==
The spirit of the treacherous former servant of [[Vecna]], the [[vampire]] who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==Primus, The One And The Prime==
The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by [[Orcus]]-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great [[Modron]] March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==The Triad==
Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Vanus, The Reviled One==

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in one of the Class Articles webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060407a

==Zceryll, The Star Spawn==
A powerful alienist who was dragged into the [[Far Realm]] and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template).

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your [[Forgotten Realms]] games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718

==Radiance House==
The third party publisher Radiance House made a few books with third party support for the system. Those books would later be ported to [[Pathfinder]] alongside a lot of new content and released under [[Open Gaming License|OGL]]. Since there's already a site with the full OGL contents, we'll just [http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/pact-magic/ just link to the full thing] instead of describing the many, many new spirits.

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Vestige

2020-08-16T04:39:56Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Malphas, The Turnfeather */

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the [[Binder]] class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a [[Warlock]] pact.

=List of Tome of Magic Vestiges=
This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

==Acererak the Devourer==
The Demi-[[Lich]] who created the [[Tomb of Horrors]]. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

==Agares, Truth Betrayed==
A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Amon, The Void Before The Altar==
A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of [[Amaunator]], Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

Amon's associated monster is the [[Horned Beast]], believed to be the corrupted forms of the golden rams that served him when he was still good and alive.

==Andras, The Gray Knight==
An Elf who served for centuries as first a [[paladin]] and then a [[blackguard]] before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue==
A chosen of the god of thieves, [[Olidammara]], who repented on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a [[Rogue]]. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Aym, Queen Avarice==
A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Balam, The Bitter Angel==
The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Buer, Grandmother Huntress==
A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. [[Roving Mauler| She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other.]] After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creature, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

The infamously weird monster called the [[Roving Mauler]] resembles her, but the reason for this is a mystery.

==Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever==
A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

==Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One==
A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking '''eyes''', but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

==Dantalion, The Star Emperor==
A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eligor, Dragon Slayer==
A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that [[Tiamat]] demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering [[blackguard]] and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eurynome, Mother of the Material==
A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

==Focalor, Prince of Tears==
An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Geryon, The Deposed Lord==
The [[Archdevil]] who was once Lord of [[Baator#Stygia|Stygia]], whose loyalty to [[Asmodeus]] during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

==Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs==
A former hill giant sorceress who tricked [[Thrym]], god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her ought, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first [[minotaur]]s and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Halphax, The Angel in the Angle==
A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows.

==Haures, the Dreaming Duke==
A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Ipos, Prince of Fools==
The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Karsus, Hubris in the Blood==
[[Karsus]] was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

Occasionally, humans who are descended from Karsus will give birth to a [[Karsite]], a subspecies of human who always have one blue eye, one brown eye, and a streak of white hair. Karsites are cursed with an inability to cast spells, but have resistance to magic, spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them, and they can temporarily disable magic items with their melee attacks.

==Leraje, The Green Herald==
A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Malphas, The Turnfeather==
An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Malphas's accociated monster is the [[Murder of Crows]]. His influence causes birds to form into aggressive swarms and he may be the reason why a group of ravens is called an "unkindness."

==Marchosias, King of Killers==
An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Naberius, The Grinning Hound==
A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark==
An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

==Otiax, The Key to the Gate==
A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air.

==Paimon, The Dancer==
An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called [[Deadly Dancer]]s, which are [[aberration]]s resembling humanoids with with bony blades in place of arms and legs.

==Ronove, The Iron Maiden==
A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Savnok, The Instigator==
A former servant of [[Hextor]] and [[Heironeous]] who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Shax, Sea Sister==
The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Shax's associated monster is the [[Deathshead]], an undead created from the severed head of a drowned giant that walks around upside-down using its hair as tentacles.

==Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was==
The shadowy undead form that [[Orcus]] adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

==Zagan, Duke of Disappointment==
A [[yuan-ti]] who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

=List of Outer Source Vestiges=
Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

==Abysm, The Schismed==
A psionic [[mythal]] that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Ahazu the Seizer==
The demon prince who once controlled the [[Wells of Darkness]] before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dungeon Magazine #148.

==Ansitif the Befouler==
An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Arete the First Elan==
The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==[[Ashardalon]], Pyre of the Unborn==
A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a [[Tanar'ri|balor]] into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, [[Grimdark|he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse.]] When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

==Astaroth-Diabolus==
The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen==
A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from [[Celestia]] for giving civilisation to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Cabiri the Watching Master==
A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Desharus the Sprawling Soul==
The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Kas the Bloody Handed==
The spirit of the treacherous former servant of [[Vecna]], the [[vampire]] who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==Primus, The One And The Prime==
The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by [[Orcus]]-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great [[Modron]] March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==The Triad==
Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Vanus, The Reviled One==

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in one of the Class Articles webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060407a

==Zceryll, The Star Spawn==
A powerful alienist who was dragged into the [[Far Realm]] and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template).

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your [[Forgotten Realms]] games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718

==Radiance House==
The third party publisher Radiance House made a few books with third party support for the system. Those books would later be ported to [[Pathfinder]] alongside a lot of new content and released under [[Open Gaming License|OGL]]. Since there's already a site with the full OGL contents, we'll just [http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/pact-magic/ just link to the full thing] instead of describing the many, many new spirits.

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Vestige

2020-08-16T04:26:39Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Buer, Grandmother Huntress */

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the [[Binder]] class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a [[Warlock]] pact.

=List of Tome of Magic Vestiges=
This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

==Acererak the Devourer==
The Demi-[[Lich]] who created the [[Tomb of Horrors]]. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

==Agares, Truth Betrayed==
A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Amon, The Void Before The Altar==
A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of [[Amaunator]], Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

Amon's associated monster is the [[Horned Beast]], believed to be the corrupted forms of the golden rams that served him when he was still good and alive.

==Andras, The Gray Knight==
An Elf who served for centuries as first a [[paladin]] and then a [[blackguard]] before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue==
A chosen of the god of thieves, [[Olidammara]], who repented on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a [[Rogue]]. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Aym, Queen Avarice==
A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Balam, The Bitter Angel==
The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Buer, Grandmother Huntress==
A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. [[Roving Mauler| She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other.]] After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creature, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

The infamously weird monster called the [[Roving Mauler]] resembles her, but the reason for this is a mystery.

==Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever==
A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

==Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One==
A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking '''eyes''', but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

==Dantalion, The Star Emperor==
A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eligor, Dragon Slayer==
A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that [[Tiamat]] demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering [[blackguard]] and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eurynome, Mother of the Material==
A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

==Focalor, Prince of Tears==
An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Geryon, The Deposed Lord==
The [[Archdevil]] who was once Lord of [[Baator#Stygia|Stygia]], whose loyalty to [[Asmodeus]] during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

==Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs==
A former hill giant sorceress who tricked [[Thrym]], god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her ought, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first [[minotaur]]s and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Halphax, The Angel in the Angle==
A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows.

==Haures, the Dreaming Duke==
A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Ipos, Prince of Fools==
The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Karsus, Hubris in the Blood==
[[Karsus]] was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

Occasionally, humans who are descended from Karsus will give birth to a [[Karsite]], a subspecies of human who always have one blue eye, one brown eye, and a streak of white hair. Karsites are cursed with an inability to cast spells, but have resistance to magic, spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them, and they can temporarily disable magic items with their melee attacks.

==Leraje, The Green Herald==
A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Malphas, The Turnfeather==
An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Marchosias, King of Killers==
An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Naberius, The Grinning Hound==
A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark==
An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

==Otiax, The Key to the Gate==
A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air.

==Paimon, The Dancer==
An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called [[Deadly Dancer]]s, which are [[aberration]]s resembling humanoids with with bony blades in place of arms and legs.

==Ronove, The Iron Maiden==
A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Savnok, The Instigator==
A former servant of [[Hextor]] and [[Heironeous]] who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Shax, Sea Sister==
The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Shax's associated monster is the [[Deathshead]], an undead created from the severed head of a drowned giant that walks around upside-down using its hair as tentacles.

==Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was==
The shadowy undead form that [[Orcus]] adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

==Zagan, Duke of Disappointment==
A [[yuan-ti]] who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

=List of Outer Source Vestiges=
Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

==Abysm, The Schismed==
A psionic [[mythal]] that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Ahazu the Seizer==
The demon prince who once controlled the [[Wells of Darkness]] before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dungeon Magazine #148.

==Ansitif the Befouler==
An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Arete the First Elan==
The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==[[Ashardalon]], Pyre of the Unborn==
A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a [[Tanar'ri|balor]] into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, [[Grimdark|he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse.]] When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

==Astaroth-Diabolus==
The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen==
A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from [[Celestia]] for giving civilisation to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Cabiri the Watching Master==
A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Desharus the Sprawling Soul==
The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Kas the Bloody Handed==
The spirit of the treacherous former servant of [[Vecna]], the [[vampire]] who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==Primus, The One And The Prime==
The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by [[Orcus]]-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great [[Modron]] March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==The Triad==
Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Vanus, The Reviled One==

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in one of the Class Articles webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060407a

==Zceryll, The Star Spawn==
A powerful alienist who was dragged into the [[Far Realm]] and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template).

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your [[Forgotten Realms]] games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718

==Radiance House==
The third party publisher Radiance House made a few books with third party support for the system. Those books would later be ported to [[Pathfinder]] alongside a lot of new content and released under [[Open Gaming License|OGL]]. Since there's already a site with the full OGL contents, we'll just [http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/pact-magic/ just link to the full thing] instead of describing the many, many new spirits.

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Vestige

2020-08-16T04:25:28Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Buer, Grandmother Huntress */

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the [[Binder]] class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a [[Warlock]] pact.

=List of Tome of Magic Vestiges=
This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

==Acererak the Devourer==
The Demi-[[Lich]] who created the [[Tomb of Horrors]]. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

==Agares, Truth Betrayed==
A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Amon, The Void Before The Altar==
A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of [[Amaunator]], Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

Amon's associated monster is the [[Horned Beast]], believed to be the corrupted forms of the golden rams that served him when he was still good and alive.

==Andras, The Gray Knight==
An Elf who served for centuries as first a [[paladin]] and then a [[blackguard]] before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue==
A chosen of the god of thieves, [[Olidammara]], who repented on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a [[Rogue]]. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Aym, Queen Avarice==
A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Balam, The Bitter Angel==
The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Buer, Grandmother Huntress==
A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. [[Roving Mauler| She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other.]] After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creature, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

The infamously weird monster called the [[Roving Mauler]] resembles her.

==Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever==
A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

==Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One==
A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking '''eyes''', but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

==Dantalion, The Star Emperor==
A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eligor, Dragon Slayer==
A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that [[Tiamat]] demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering [[blackguard]] and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eurynome, Mother of the Material==
A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

==Focalor, Prince of Tears==
An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Geryon, The Deposed Lord==
The [[Archdevil]] who was once Lord of [[Baator#Stygia|Stygia]], whose loyalty to [[Asmodeus]] during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

==Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs==
A former hill giant sorceress who tricked [[Thrym]], god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her ought, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first [[minotaur]]s and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Halphax, The Angel in the Angle==
A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows.

==Haures, the Dreaming Duke==
A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Ipos, Prince of Fools==
The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Karsus, Hubris in the Blood==
[[Karsus]] was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

Occasionally, humans who are descended from Karsus will give birth to a [[Karsite]], a subspecies of human who always have one blue eye, one brown eye, and a streak of white hair. Karsites are cursed with an inability to cast spells, but have resistance to magic, spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them, and they can temporarily disable magic items with their melee attacks.

==Leraje, The Green Herald==
A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Malphas, The Turnfeather==
An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Marchosias, King of Killers==
An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Naberius, The Grinning Hound==
A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark==
An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

==Otiax, The Key to the Gate==
A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air.

==Paimon, The Dancer==
An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called [[Deadly Dancer]]s, which are [[aberration]]s resembling humanoids with with bony blades in place of arms and legs.

==Ronove, The Iron Maiden==
A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Savnok, The Instigator==
A former servant of [[Hextor]] and [[Heironeous]] who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Shax, Sea Sister==
The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Shax's associated monster is the [[Deathshead]], an undead created from the severed head of a drowned giant that walks around upside-down using its hair as tentacles.

==Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was==
The shadowy undead form that [[Orcus]] adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

==Zagan, Duke of Disappointment==
A [[yuan-ti]] who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

=List of Outer Source Vestiges=
Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

==Abysm, The Schismed==
A psionic [[mythal]] that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Ahazu the Seizer==
The demon prince who once controlled the [[Wells of Darkness]] before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dungeon Magazine #148.

==Ansitif the Befouler==
An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Arete the First Elan==
The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==[[Ashardalon]], Pyre of the Unborn==
A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a [[Tanar'ri|balor]] into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, [[Grimdark|he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse.]] When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

==Astaroth-Diabolus==
The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen==
A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from [[Celestia]] for giving civilisation to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Cabiri the Watching Master==
A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Desharus the Sprawling Soul==
The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Kas the Bloody Handed==
The spirit of the treacherous former servant of [[Vecna]], the [[vampire]] who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==Primus, The One And The Prime==
The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by [[Orcus]]-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great [[Modron]] March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==The Triad==
Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Vanus, The Reviled One==

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in one of the Class Articles webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060407a

==Zceryll, The Star Spawn==
A powerful alienist who was dragged into the [[Far Realm]] and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template).

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your [[Forgotten Realms]] games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718

==Radiance House==
The third party publisher Radiance House made a few books with third party support for the system. Those books would later be ported to [[Pathfinder]] alongside a lot of new content and released under [[Open Gaming License|OGL]]. Since there's already a site with the full OGL contents, we'll just [http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/pact-magic/ just link to the full thing] instead of describing the many, many new spirits.

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Vestige

2020-08-16T04:23:46Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Karsus, Hubris in the Blood */

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the [[Binder]] class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a [[Warlock]] pact.

=List of Tome of Magic Vestiges=
This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

==Acererak the Devourer==
The Demi-[[Lich]] who created the [[Tomb of Horrors]]. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

==Agares, Truth Betrayed==
A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Amon, The Void Before The Altar==
A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of [[Amaunator]], Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

Amon's associated monster is the [[Horned Beast]], believed to be the corrupted forms of the golden rams that served him when he was still good and alive.

==Andras, The Gray Knight==
An Elf who served for centuries as first a [[paladin]] and then a [[blackguard]] before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue==
A chosen of the god of thieves, [[Olidammara]], who repented on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a [[Rogue]]. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Aym, Queen Avarice==
A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Balam, The Bitter Angel==
The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Buer, Grandmother Huntress==
A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. [[Roving Mauler| She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other.]] After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creature, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever==
A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

==Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One==
A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking '''eyes''', but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

==Dantalion, The Star Emperor==
A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eligor, Dragon Slayer==
A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that [[Tiamat]] demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering [[blackguard]] and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eurynome, Mother of the Material==
A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

==Focalor, Prince of Tears==
An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Geryon, The Deposed Lord==
The [[Archdevil]] who was once Lord of [[Baator#Stygia|Stygia]], whose loyalty to [[Asmodeus]] during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

==Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs==
A former hill giant sorceress who tricked [[Thrym]], god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her ought, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first [[minotaur]]s and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Halphax, The Angel in the Angle==
A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows.

==Haures, the Dreaming Duke==
A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Ipos, Prince of Fools==
The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Karsus, Hubris in the Blood==
[[Karsus]] was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

Occasionally, humans who are descended from Karsus will give birth to a [[Karsite]], a subspecies of human who always have one blue eye, one brown eye, and a streak of white hair. Karsites are cursed with an inability to cast spells, but have resistance to magic, spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them, and they can temporarily disable magic items with their melee attacks.

==Leraje, The Green Herald==
A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Malphas, The Turnfeather==
An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Marchosias, King of Killers==
An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Naberius, The Grinning Hound==
A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark==
An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

==Otiax, The Key to the Gate==
A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air.

==Paimon, The Dancer==
An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called [[Deadly Dancer]]s, which are [[aberration]]s resembling humanoids with with bony blades in place of arms and legs.

==Ronove, The Iron Maiden==
A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Savnok, The Instigator==
A former servant of [[Hextor]] and [[Heironeous]] who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Shax, Sea Sister==
The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Shax's associated monster is the [[Deathshead]], an undead created from the severed head of a drowned giant that walks around upside-down using its hair as tentacles.

==Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was==
The shadowy undead form that [[Orcus]] adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

==Zagan, Duke of Disappointment==
A [[yuan-ti]] who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

=List of Outer Source Vestiges=
Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

==Abysm, The Schismed==
A psionic [[mythal]] that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Ahazu the Seizer==
The demon prince who once controlled the [[Wells of Darkness]] before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dungeon Magazine #148.

==Ansitif the Befouler==
An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Arete the First Elan==
The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==[[Ashardalon]], Pyre of the Unborn==
A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a [[Tanar'ri|balor]] into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, [[Grimdark|he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse.]] When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

==Astaroth-Diabolus==
The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen==
A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from [[Celestia]] for giving civilisation to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Cabiri the Watching Master==
A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Desharus the Sprawling Soul==
The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Kas the Bloody Handed==
The spirit of the treacherous former servant of [[Vecna]], the [[vampire]] who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==Primus, The One And The Prime==
The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by [[Orcus]]-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great [[Modron]] March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==The Triad==
Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Vanus, The Reviled One==

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in one of the Class Articles webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060407a

==Zceryll, The Star Spawn==
A powerful alienist who was dragged into the [[Far Realm]] and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template).

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your [[Forgotten Realms]] games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718

==Radiance House==
The third party publisher Radiance House made a few books with third party support for the system. Those books would later be ported to [[Pathfinder]] alongside a lot of new content and released under [[Open Gaming License|OGL]]. Since there's already a site with the full OGL contents, we'll just [http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/pact-magic/ just link to the full thing] instead of describing the many, many new spirits.

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Vestige

2020-08-16T04:23:33Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Karsus, Hubris in the Blood */

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the [[Binder]] class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a [[Warlock]] pact.

=List of Tome of Magic Vestiges=
This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

==Acererak the Devourer==
The Demi-[[Lich]] who created the [[Tomb of Horrors]]. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

==Agares, Truth Betrayed==
A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Amon, The Void Before The Altar==
A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of [[Amaunator]], Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

Amon's associated monster is the [[Horned Beast]], believed to be the corrupted forms of the golden rams that served him when he was still good and alive.

==Andras, The Gray Knight==
An Elf who served for centuries as first a [[paladin]] and then a [[blackguard]] before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue==
A chosen of the god of thieves, [[Olidammara]], who repented on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a [[Rogue]]. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Aym, Queen Avarice==
A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Balam, The Bitter Angel==
The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Buer, Grandmother Huntress==
A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. [[Roving Mauler| She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other.]] After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creature, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever==
A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

==Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One==
A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking '''eyes''', but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

==Dantalion, The Star Emperor==
A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eligor, Dragon Slayer==
A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that [[Tiamat]] demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering [[blackguard]] and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eurynome, Mother of the Material==
A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

==Focalor, Prince of Tears==
An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Geryon, The Deposed Lord==
The [[Archdevil]] who was once Lord of [[Baator#Stygia|Stygia]], whose loyalty to [[Asmodeus]] during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

==Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs==
A former hill giant sorceress who tricked [[Thrym]], god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her ought, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first [[minotaur]]s and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Halphax, The Angel in the Angle==
A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows.

==Haures, the Dreaming Duke==
A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Ipos, Prince of Fools==
The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Karsus, Hubris in the Blood==
[[Karsus]] was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

Occationally, humans who are descended from Karsus will give birth to a [[Karsite]], a subspecies of human who always have one blue eye, one brown eye, and a streak of white hair. Karsites are cursed with an inability to cast spells, but have resistance to magic, spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them, and they can temporarily disable magic items with their melee attacks.

==Leraje, The Green Herald==
A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Malphas, The Turnfeather==
An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Marchosias, King of Killers==
An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Naberius, The Grinning Hound==
A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark==
An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

==Otiax, The Key to the Gate==
A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air.

==Paimon, The Dancer==
An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called [[Deadly Dancer]]s, which are [[aberration]]s resembling humanoids with with bony blades in place of arms and legs.

==Ronove, The Iron Maiden==
A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Savnok, The Instigator==
A former servant of [[Hextor]] and [[Heironeous]] who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Shax, Sea Sister==
The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Shax's associated monster is the [[Deathshead]], an undead created from the severed head of a drowned giant that walks around upside-down using its hair as tentacles.

==Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was==
The shadowy undead form that [[Orcus]] adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

==Zagan, Duke of Disappointment==
A [[yuan-ti]] who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

=List of Outer Source Vestiges=
Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

==Abysm, The Schismed==
A psionic [[mythal]] that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Ahazu the Seizer==
The demon prince who once controlled the [[Wells of Darkness]] before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dungeon Magazine #148.

==Ansitif the Befouler==
An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Arete the First Elan==
The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==[[Ashardalon]], Pyre of the Unborn==
A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a [[Tanar'ri|balor]] into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, [[Grimdark|he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse.]] When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

==Astaroth-Diabolus==
The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen==
A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from [[Celestia]] for giving civilisation to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Cabiri the Watching Master==
A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Desharus the Sprawling Soul==
The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Kas the Bloody Handed==
The spirit of the treacherous former servant of [[Vecna]], the [[vampire]] who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==Primus, The One And The Prime==
The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by [[Orcus]]-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great [[Modron]] March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==The Triad==
Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Vanus, The Reviled One==

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in one of the Class Articles webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060407a

==Zceryll, The Star Spawn==
A powerful alienist who was dragged into the [[Far Realm]] and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template).

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your [[Forgotten Realms]] games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718

==Radiance House==
The third party publisher Radiance House made a few books with third party support for the system. Those books would later be ported to [[Pathfinder]] alongside a lot of new content and released under [[Open Gaming License|OGL]]. Since there's already a site with the full OGL contents, we'll just [http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/pact-magic/ just link to the full thing] instead of describing the many, many new spirits.

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Vestige

2020-08-16T04:10:15Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Amon, The Void Before The Altar */

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the [[Binder]] class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a [[Warlock]] pact.

=List of Tome of Magic Vestiges=
This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

==Acererak the Devourer==
The Demi-[[Lich]] who created the [[Tomb of Horrors]]. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

==Agares, Truth Betrayed==
A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Amon, The Void Before The Altar==
A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of [[Amaunator]], Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

Amon's associated monster is the [[Horned Beast]], believed to be the corrupted forms of the golden rams that served him when he was still good and alive.

==Andras, The Gray Knight==
An Elf who served for centuries as first a [[paladin]] and then a [[blackguard]] before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue==
A chosen of the god of thieves, [[Olidammara]], who repented on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a [[Rogue]]. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Aym, Queen Avarice==
A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Balam, The Bitter Angel==
The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Buer, Grandmother Huntress==
A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. [[Roving Mauler| She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other.]] After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creature, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever==
A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

==Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One==
A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking '''eyes''', but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

==Dantalion, The Star Emperor==
A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eligor, Dragon Slayer==
A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that [[Tiamat]] demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering [[blackguard]] and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eurynome, Mother of the Material==
A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

==Focalor, Prince of Tears==
An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Geryon, The Deposed Lord==
The [[Archdevil]] who was once Lord of [[Baator#Stygia|Stygia]], whose loyalty to [[Asmodeus]] during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

==Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs==
A former hill giant sorceress who tricked [[Thrym]], god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her ought, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first [[minotaur]]s and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Halphax, The Angel in the Angle==
A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows.

==Haures, the Dreaming Duke==
A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Ipos, Prince of Fools==
The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Karsus, Hubris in the Blood==
[[Karsus]] was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

==Leraje, The Green Herald==
A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Malphas, The Turnfeather==
An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Marchosias, King of Killers==
An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Naberius, The Grinning Hound==
A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark==
An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

==Otiax, The Key to the Gate==
A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air.

==Paimon, The Dancer==
An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called [[Deadly Dancer]]s, which are [[aberration]]s resembling humanoids with with bony blades in place of arms and legs.

==Ronove, The Iron Maiden==
A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Savnok, The Instigator==
A former servant of [[Hextor]] and [[Heironeous]] who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Shax, Sea Sister==
The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Shax's associated monster is the [[Deathshead]], an undead created from the severed head of a drowned giant that walks around upside-down using its hair as tentacles.

==Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was==
The shadowy undead form that [[Orcus]] adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

==Zagan, Duke of Disappointment==
A [[yuan-ti]] who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

=List of Outer Source Vestiges=
Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

==Abysm, The Schismed==
A psionic [[mythal]] that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Ahazu the Seizer==
The demon prince who once controlled the [[Wells of Darkness]] before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dungeon Magazine #148.

==Ansitif the Befouler==
An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Arete the First Elan==
The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==[[Ashardalon]], Pyre of the Unborn==
A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a [[Tanar'ri|balor]] into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, [[Grimdark|he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse.]] When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

==Astaroth-Diabolus==
The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen==
A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from [[Celestia]] for giving civilisation to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Cabiri the Watching Master==
A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Desharus the Sprawling Soul==
The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Kas the Bloody Handed==
The spirit of the treacherous former servant of [[Vecna]], the [[vampire]] who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==Primus, The One And The Prime==
The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by [[Orcus]]-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great [[Modron]] March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==The Triad==
Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Vanus, The Reviled One==

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in one of the Class Articles webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060407a

==Zceryll, The Star Spawn==
A powerful alienist who was dragged into the [[Far Realm]] and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template).

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your [[Forgotten Realms]] games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Vestige

2020-08-16T04:06:14Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Shax, Sea Sister */

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the [[Binder]] class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a [[Warlock]] pact.

=List of Tome of Magic Vestiges=
This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

==Acererak the Devourer==
The Demi-[[Lich]] who created the [[Tomb of Horrors]]. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

==Agares, Truth Betrayed==
A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Amon, The Void Before The Altar==
A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of [[Amaunator]], Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

==Andras, The Gray Knight==
An Elf who served for centuries as first a [[paladin]] and then a [[blackguard]] before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue==
A chosen of the god of thieves, [[Olidammara]], who repented on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a [[Rogue]]. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Aym, Queen Avarice==
A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Balam, The Bitter Angel==
The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Buer, Grandmother Huntress==
A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. [[Roving Mauler| She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other.]] After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creature, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever==
A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

==Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One==
A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking '''eyes''', but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

==Dantalion, The Star Emperor==
A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eligor, Dragon Slayer==
A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that [[Tiamat]] demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering [[blackguard]] and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eurynome, Mother of the Material==
A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

==Focalor, Prince of Tears==
An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Geryon, The Deposed Lord==
The [[Archdevil]] who was once Lord of [[Baator#Stygia|Stygia]], whose loyalty to [[Asmodeus]] during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

==Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs==
A former hill giant sorceress who tricked [[Thrym]], god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her ought, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first [[minotaur]]s and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Halphax, The Angel in the Angle==
A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows.

==Haures, the Dreaming Duke==
A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Ipos, Prince of Fools==
The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Karsus, Hubris in the Blood==
[[Karsus]] was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

==Leraje, The Green Herald==
A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Malphas, The Turnfeather==
An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Marchosias, King of Killers==
An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Naberius, The Grinning Hound==
A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark==
An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

==Otiax, The Key to the Gate==
A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air.

==Paimon, The Dancer==
An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called [[Deadly Dancer]]s, which are [[aberration]]s resembling humanoids with with bony blades in place of arms and legs.

==Ronove, The Iron Maiden==
A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Savnok, The Instigator==
A former servant of [[Hextor]] and [[Heironeous]] who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Shax, Sea Sister==
The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Shax's associated monster is the [[Deathshead]], an undead created from the severed head of a drowned giant that walks around upside-down using its hair as tentacles.

==Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was==
The shadowy undead form that [[Orcus]] adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

==Zagan, Duke of Disappointment==
A [[yuan-ti]] who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

=List of Outer Source Vestiges=
Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

==Abysm, The Schismed==
A psionic [[mythal]] that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Ahazu the Seizer==
The demon prince who once controlled the [[Wells of Darkness]] before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dungeon Magazine #148.

==Ansitif the Befouler==
An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Arete the First Elan==
The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==[[Ashardalon]], Pyre of the Unborn==
A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a [[Tanar'ri|balor]] into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, [[Grimdark|he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse.]] When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

==Astaroth-Diabolus==
The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen==
A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from [[Celestia]] for giving civilisation to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Cabiri the Watching Master==
A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Desharus the Sprawling Soul==
The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Kas the Bloody Handed==
The spirit of the treacherous former servant of [[Vecna]], the [[vampire]] who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==Primus, The One And The Prime==
The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by [[Orcus]]-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great [[Modron]] March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==The Triad==
Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Vanus, The Reviled One==

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in one of the Class Articles webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060407a

==Zceryll, The Star Spawn==
A powerful alienist who was dragged into the [[Far Realm]] and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template).

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your [[Forgotten Realms]] games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Vestige

2020-08-16T03:58:33Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Paimon, The Dancer */

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the [[Binder]] class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a [[Warlock]] pact.

=List of Tome of Magic Vestiges=
This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

==Acererak the Devourer==
The Demi-[[Lich]] who created the [[Tomb of Horrors]]. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

==Agares, Truth Betrayed==
A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Amon, The Void Before The Altar==
A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of [[Amaunator]], Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

==Andras, The Gray Knight==
An Elf who served for centuries as first a [[paladin]] and then a [[blackguard]] before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue==
A chosen of the god of thieves, [[Olidammara]], who repented on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a [[Rogue]]. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Aym, Queen Avarice==
A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Balam, The Bitter Angel==
The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Buer, Grandmother Huntress==
A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. [[Roving Mauler| She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other.]] After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creature, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever==
A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

==Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One==
A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking '''eyes''', but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

==Dantalion, The Star Emperor==
A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eligor, Dragon Slayer==
A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that [[Tiamat]] demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering [[blackguard]] and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eurynome, Mother of the Material==
A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

==Focalor, Prince of Tears==
An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Geryon, The Deposed Lord==
The [[Archdevil]] who was once Lord of [[Baator#Stygia|Stygia]], whose loyalty to [[Asmodeus]] during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

==Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs==
A former hill giant sorceress who tricked [[Thrym]], god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her ought, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first [[minotaur]]s and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Halphax, The Angel in the Angle==
A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows.

==Haures, the Dreaming Duke==
A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Ipos, Prince of Fools==
The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Karsus, Hubris in the Blood==
[[Karsus]] was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

==Leraje, The Green Herald==
A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Malphas, The Turnfeather==
An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Marchosias, King of Killers==
An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Naberius, The Grinning Hound==
A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark==
An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

==Otiax, The Key to the Gate==
A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air.

==Paimon, The Dancer==
An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called [[Deadly Dancer]]s, which are [[aberration]]s resembling humanoids with with bony blades in place of arms and legs.

==Ronove, The Iron Maiden==
A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Savnok, The Instigator==
A former servant of [[Hextor]] and [[Heironeous]] who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Shax, Sea Sister==
The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was==
The shadowy undead form that [[Orcus]] adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

==Zagan, Duke of Disappointment==
A [[yuan-ti]] who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

=List of Outer Source Vestiges=
Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

==Abysm, The Schismed==
A psionic [[mythal]] that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Ahazu the Seizer==
The demon prince who once controlled the [[Wells of Darkness]] before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dungeon Magazine #148.

==Ansitif the Befouler==
An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Arete the First Elan==
The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==[[Ashardalon]], Pyre of the Unborn==
A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a [[Tanar'ri|balor]] into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, [[Grimdark|he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse.]] When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

==Astaroth-Diabolus==
The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen==
A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from [[Celestia]] for giving civilisation to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Cabiri the Watching Master==
A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Desharus the Sprawling Soul==
The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Kas the Bloody Handed==
The spirit of the treacherous former servant of [[Vecna]], the [[vampire]] who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==Primus, The One And The Prime==
The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by [[Orcus]]-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great [[Modron]] March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==The Triad==
Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Vanus, The Reviled One==

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in one of the Class Articles webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060407a

==Zceryll, The Star Spawn==
A powerful alienist who was dragged into the [[Far Realm]] and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template).

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your [[Forgotten Realms]] games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Vestige

2020-08-16T03:58:20Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Paimon, The Dancer */

Vestiges are weird super-ghost things from the later fluff of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] 3.5 edition. Specifically, these are the metaphysical entities that the [[Binder]] class calls up and allows to timeshare their body in exchange for various magical powers. Post 3.5, they show up mainly as a [[Warlock]] pact.

=List of Tome of Magic Vestiges=
This was the big array of vestiges that appeared in the 3e Tome of Magic. Tend to be either game mythology shout-outs, or references to the demons from the real-world "demonology textbook", the Ars Goetia.

==Acererak the Devourer==
The Demi-[[Lich]] who created the [[Tomb of Horrors]]. You need at least 5 levels in Binder to summon him, and he requires you place a gemstone the size of a human tooth or eye in his seal before he'll appear. He manifests as a yellowed skull with gems for eyes and teeth (including the summoning gem, which is left behind when he leaves), his sign is that one of your teeth turns into a gem (but it reverts to normal if you rip it out), and he influences you to seize power and influence when presented with a chance to do so. A Binder hosting Acererak has Detect Undead, Speak with Dead and Hide From Undead as at-will spell-like abilities, is immune to cold and electricity, gains a Paralyzing Touch, and is healed by negative energy.

==Agares, Truth Betrayed==
A former Earth Elemental general who was betrayed by his own emperor and lieutenants under false pretexts.You need at least 4 levels in Binder to summon him, and he demands that his seal be drawn upon earth or unworked stone; he won't appear otherwise. When he deigns to answer, a huge brown crocodile's head erupts from the seal, and then a hawk with eyes in its chest forces its way out of the croc's mouth, standing on its tongue and speaking to the Binder. Those bearing Agares' sign have a racking cough that causes them to spray dust and small stones from their mouth, making casting spells with verbal components impossible. His influence makes a Binder incapable of lying. He grants better ability to hurt land-based foes, increased defense against airborne foes, the ability to knock people prone by stamping on the ground, the ability to read, write and speak all languages, immunity to fear, and the ability to summon an earth elemental ally. Based upon the 2nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Amon, The Void Before The Altar==
A once-goodly god of light and law, ages of existence as a Vestige have reduced him to a wrath-fuelled spirit. Manifesting as a firebreathing fang-toothed ram-headed black wolf with a snake for a tail, Amon despises the vestiges Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje and so he won't show up if you've summoned any of them in the last 24 hours; the feeling is mutual and they will similarly refuse to show up if you've summoned him in the last day. He's one of the weakest vestiges, needing only 1 level in Binder to summon. Binders hosting Amon sport ram's horns, are surly, irritable and compelled to oppose the actions of deities of fire, sun or law, and have darkvision, firebreath and headbutt attacks. Based upon the 7th demon of the Ars Goetia. Heavily implied to be the vestige of [[Amaunator]], Netherese god of sun, law, and time, from the Forgotten Realms.

==Andras, The Gray Knight==
An Elf who served for centuries as first a [[paladin]] and then a [[blackguard]] before giving up on both sides in disgust. Only a 4th level or higher Binder is strong enough to call Andras, who manifests as a near-naked elf with an owl's head riding a giant wolf and carrying a greatsword. A Binder hosting Andras sprouts two small, vestigial owl's wings from their back, and if they succumb to his influence, they become so emotionally listless that they'll get bored and wander off from a fight if it lasts longer than 10 rounds. He grants his Binder proficiency with greatsword/lance/rapier/longsword, the ability to summon a heavy warhorse, added skill in riding, the ability to Smite Good and Evil, a free Improved Critical bonus, and the ability to force opponents to attack their allies. Based upon the 63rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Andromalius, The Repentant Rogue==
A chosen of the god of thieves, [[Olidammara]], who repented on his deathbed, hoping to play the ultimate trick and steal his own soul away from his god. It worked too well; his god approved, once he realised the joke, but he couldn't take Andromalius back without wrecking the joke. So he made him a vestige instead. Answering only Binders of 3rd level or higher, he requires you to sacrifice any two of twenty-four different items as part of summoning him; a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fish hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When he manifests, he appears as a human man whose arms split into twelve forearms at each elbow, juggling the Binder's sacrifices and whatever the other 22 trinkets they didn't provide. The Binder gains an extra digit on each appendage for Andromalius, who influences his host to make mischief but shun thieving. He makes it easier for his host to appraise items and to see through disguises, lets them cast Hideous Laughter as an at-will spell-like ability, locate items at will, and Sneak Attack like a [[Rogue]]. Based upon the 72nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Aym, Queen Avarice==
A corrupt dwarven queen who destroyed her own kingdom through her insatiable hunger for wealth; upon her death she cursed Moradin for failing to come to her aid, and he in turn cursed her for her greed. Appearing to even 1st level Binders, she manifests as a powerfully muscled female dwarf in the finery of an empress with two tentacles like giant worms for legs and two extra heads (a bull's and a lion's), wielding a star-shaped branding iron. She places a brand upon her host's left hand or forehead upon concluding a pact, and a Binder who succumbs to her influence is both stingy and greedy and compelled to offer money to any dwarf whose name he or she learns. She grants dwarf-like carrying abilities, proficiency with medium armor, resistance to fire, the ability to enwreath one's own body in flame and burn everything one touches, and an enhanced knack for breaking physical objects. Based upon the 23rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Balam, The Bitter Angel==
The despondent spirit of a slain angel who was set an impossible task - purportedly ending the practice of humanoid sacrifice - that failed and claimed her life. Appearing only to a 5th level or higher Binder, she requires 1 hitpoint worth of blood from the binder or a victim with 3+ Int to be placed upon her seal before she manifests. She appears in the form of a huge purple snake, with the upper halves of three horned humanoid heads fitting together in a triangle to make up her head. A Binder hosting Balam develops a hollow yet guttural voice and a vocal distrust of clerics, paladins and gods. She grants minor prophetic powers and a gaze attack that freezes victims. Based upon the 51st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Buer, Grandmother Huntress==
A mysterious huntress' spirit. She only appears to a binder who is 6th level or higher and who is willing to draw her seal outdoors. [[Roving Mauler| She manifests as five satyr legs fused together at the thighs to form a star-shape, with a face on either side of this central "body"; a kindly green hag's face on one side, and a lion on the other.]] After manifesting, she trundles around and around her seal, lion face outwards and speaking from her hag-face. This causes her to switch from gentle, friendly conversation to furious profanities at her body when this movement makes her unable to see her binder. Her mark is that she gives her binder the legs of a satyr, and those who succumb to her influence find themselves averse to harming natural creature, unable to deal coup de grace attacks, and prone to momentary memory lapses. To her binder, she bestows the gift of enhanced knowledge of survival and medicine, expert tracking skills, immunity to all natural poisons and diseases, rapid healing, and the ability to cure injury, poison and disease in others. Based upon the 10th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever==
A monstrous spider-creature that lurked in the Ethereal Plane, feeding on ghosts and spawning nightmares. Legend has it that it was destined to devour hope and destroy the multiverse, but it was slain by an alliance of four villains and three heroes, living and ghost alike, who sacrificed their lives to destroy it. It takes the form of a phase spider so massive that only part of it can be seen through its seal at any given time- its head is oddly tusked, with eight all too human eyes. Summoning Chupoclops requires its seal to either be drawn on grave dirt or have the remains of a sentient creature placed upon it. Binders with Chupoclops's sign grow large tusks from their jaws, and its influence pushes Binders to grow hopeless and despondent; additionally, they must voluntarily fail all saving rolls against fear effects or morale penalties. It grants its Binders a poisonous bite, the ability to linger in the Ethereal Plane, sensing the living and dead, and the power to inspire despair in others.

==Dhalver-Nar, The Tortured One==
A human who is believed to have pioneered the art of binding, most known for his obsession with teeth. Seriously, he manifests as a human man with gums instead of skin and teeth everywhere, even for fucking '''eyes''', but he has no teeth in his mouth and communicates only through moaning. His sign is that several teeth grow out of the Binder's scalp, and he influences his binder to rapidly shift between intense focus and distraction. He is bored by anything that requires prolonged focus, preventing his binder from taking any action requiring more than one round of concentration. He grants his binder natural armor, protection against madness, a moan that dazes anyone that hears it, and the ability to redirect half of the damage you take from any source to someone else.

==Dantalion, The Star Emperor==
A gestalt consciousness born from the ancestral spirits of a now-lost royal line. Based upon the 71st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eligor, Dragon Slayer==
A half-elf dragon slayer of such proficiency that [[Tiamat]] demanded his soul be given to her after his death, threatening to set her dragons on the mortal races and forcing the gods to surrender him. She then raised him as a dragon-revering [[blackguard]] and used him as her own mightiest champion; after he got killed again, nobody wanted to touch his soul and so he became a vestige. He appears as an armored knight with a banner and lance, riding upon a half-horse, half-dragon monster that changes colors between the five colors of chromatic dragons. His sign causes one of the Binder's hands to develop thick scales the same color as Eligor's steed when it was summoned, and his influence compels the Binder to befriend any outcasts he/she meets, especially half-elves and half-orcs. Furthermore, Eligor seeks revenge against the deities that abandoned him and so will force the Binder to attack human, elf, and dragon foes before all others when in combat. His power grants a touch attack emulating that of a chromatic dragon's breath weapon, improved strength and natural armor, heavy armor proficiency, and unmatched horseback riding skills. Based on the 15th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Eurynome, Mother of the Material==
A titan who created the physical world by separating the sky and sea before being slain by the gods for daring to steal into the world as yet unformed, with her body becoming the land and her blood giving rise to all animals.

==Focalor, Prince of Tears==
An outsider, either a demon or an angel, who actually died of sheer grief. Based upon the 41st demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Geryon, The Deposed Lord==
The [[Archdevil]] who was once Lord of [[Baator#Stygia|Stygia]], whose loyalty to [[Asmodeus]] during the Reckoning was repaid with the loss of first his title and then his existence. He can only be summoned by binders with 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) or Knowledge (The Planes), and manifests as three ogre mages with their backs to each other that are merged into one being with three arms, three legs, and one head with three faces. His sign is the appearance of two additional sets of eyes on the Binder's head with green lids and catlike irises, and his influence makes the binder trusting of his allies even when they clearly plan to betray him. Furthermore, he considers the use of any ability that can read thoughts or detect lies to be an act of rebelling against his influence and will penalize his binder accordingly. Geryon's power grants the binder his baleful gaze and perfect vision, as well as the ability to fly.

==Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs==
A former hill giant sorceress who tricked [[Thrym]], god of frost giants, into screwing her by using magic to appear beautiful. When Thrym sought her ought, and beheld both her true ugly form and the monstrous twin sons she had born him, he turned them into the first [[minotaur]]s and spread the creedo of distrusting all beauty to the frost giants. In her shame, Haagenti was unable to rest in any of the planes after her death. Based upon the 48th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Halphax, The Angel in the Angle==
A gnomish master engineer who created an inescapable prison-city at the behest of hobgoblin conquerors to try and save his wife's life, ultimately costing the lives of thousands of his fellows.

==Haures, the Dreaming Duke==
A rakshasa turned ghost who become so obsessed with dreams and illusions that he lost all ability to distinguish reality and unreality apart, fading entirely from existence. His sign is that his Binder's palms are where the backs of their hands should be (like that of a rakshasa), and his influence makes his binder talk out loud to himself and imaginary figures; additionally, he demands that if the Binder encounters and disbelieves an illusion not of his own making, he cannot voluntarily enter its area. In return, he protects the binder from mind reading, allows them to move like a ghost, and create illusions so convincing they can kill. He appears as a ghostly tiger that changes first into a middle-aged man, then a zombie, then a skeletal tiger in a crown and purple robe, then back into a ghostly tiger again. Based upon the 64th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Ipos, Prince of Fools==
The mystic scholar who codified the modern forms of binding, who was so obsessed with studying Vestiges that he became one himself. Based upon the 22nd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Karsus, Hubris in the Blood==
[[Karsus]] was a human spellcaster who attempted to steal the power of the god of arcane magic, only to be consumed from within by the uncontrollable powers he had stolen. Binders who wish to summon him must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft, and he will not answer a summons if his seal is in the area of an active spell. When he manifests, he takes the form of a bleeding red boulder akin to his petrified heart in the Forgotten Realms, and speaks in fountains of blood. His sign makes Binders bleed far more profusely from their injuries, though this is merely cosmetic and makes wounds look a lot worse than they are. Binders who fall under Karsus' influence find that they are overcome by his legendary arrogance, and are incapable of relating to others via Diplomacy checks and instead are required to either use lies or intimidation to get what they want. Binders who make a pact with Karsus become more naturally adept with magical items and auras; they can use magical items as if they were wizards and further increase the save DCs for every magic item that they use. They also can sense magic as if they were under a constant Detect Magic effect. Their strongest ability is probably the fact that they can Dispel Magic with a simple touch and can negate spells cast on creatures or items, or even temporarily suppress permanent effects.

==Leraje, The Green Herald==
A former herald of the god of elves, before her hubris led her to challenge her own god to a test of archery skills, in which she unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to prove her superiority to him. Based upon the 14th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Malphas, The Turnfeather==
An elven prince who betrayed his people, murdering his own family to try and steal the throne, only to die of heartbreak when the woman he had been doing it for revealed herself as a drow who had deceived him. Based upon the 39th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Marchosias, King of Killers==
An expert assassin who specialised in killing other professional killers. When he died and went to the Nine Hells, hundreds of other thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together in a great diabolic prison riot, in which they captured Marchosias and tore his soul to pieces. Based upon the 35th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Naberius, The Grinning Hound==
A mysterious canine-like vestige whose origin is shrouded in mystery. He manifests only for a binder with a minimum of 4 ranks in Bluff or any Knowledge or Profession skill. Though he appears as a three-headed hound with a hoarse voice devouring a black crane, he comes off as strangely amiable and eloquent. His sign makes his binder's voice gravelly and growling, and he influences the binder to seize any opportunity to speak presented to them and compels them to shout down or mock those who might take control of the discourse away from the binder. His binders become able to disguise themselves as anybody, quickly regain lost ability points, make skill checks with skills they don't have training in, and can talk their way out of any danger. Based upon the 24th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark==
An entity generally believed to be the first vestige, so impossibly old that nobody knows who or what it used to be. It can only be summoned if its seal is drawn in a brightly illuminated area, and it manifests as a breeze that rapidly intensifies into a chilling wind surrounding a black speck. The speck soon opens as the wind howls ever louder and then suddenly stops, heralding the invisible, unheard, but still palpable presence of Orthos itself. Its Binder feels as if they are being buffeted by a breeze only they can feel, even indoors, and under its influence the Binder becomes panicky and short of breath around darkened areas and loud noises. Orthos also demands that its binders carry an active light source at least as bright as a candle (which cannot be darkened for more than 1 round) at all times and not speak more loudly than a whisper. In exchange, Orthos grants its binder blindsight, the ability to fool the sight of others, and turn his/her breath into wind that can either carry a message far away or tear a victim's flesh from the bone.

==Otiax, The Key to the Gate==
A mysterious entity connected to the Far Realm that may or may not be Yog-sothoth, though since it cannot speak the truth of the matter is a mystery. It manifests as a locked golden gate that creaks open after something tries to force its way through, releasing a strange blue mist. Its binders are surrounded by wisps of blue fog even in heavy winds, and they are influenced to grow agitated around unopened doors and gates. Otiax also cannot tolerate secured locks, and so if its binder sees a key, they must use it to open its corresponding lock. Otiax allows its binders to open almost any lock or object, hide themselves in mist, or lash out at foes with a blast of air.

==Paimon, The Dancer==
An expert dancer, duelist and seducer who was captured by a jealous rival and had his limbs cut off and swordblades grafted to the stumps. Based upon the 9th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Paimon is worshiped by strange monsters called [[Deadly Dancers]], which are [[aberration]]s resembling humanoids with with bony blades in place of arms and legs.

==Ronove, The Iron Maiden==
A pioneer of the martial arts, Ronove had herself sealed inside an iron coffin to prove her skills, but spent so long that eventually her students forgot she even existed. Based upon the 27th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Savnok, The Instigator==
A former servant of [[Hextor]] and [[Heironeous]] who stole their mother's divine armor, initially for them, but after doing so he couldn't bear to give it up. Hextor slew Savnok by stealing his mother's bow and arrows and bleeding him to death with dozens of shots, after which the brothers hid Savnok's soul where no god could find it and returned the armor, bow and arrows to their rightful place, covering up the crime. (This happened before they became enemies.) Based upon the 43rd demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Shax, Sea Sister==
The former goddess-queen of the storm giants. Based upon the 44th demon of the Ars Goetia.

==Tenebrous, The Shadow That Was==
The shadowy undead form that [[Orcus]] adopted after being slain; even after Orcus was resurrected as a demon prince again, the remnant of divinity he possessed as Tenebrous remained intact and eventually reformed itself into a Vestige- a shadow of a shadow, so to speak. Its seal must be drawn at night or in an area with little to no daylight exposure to summon it. Tenebrous manifests as an inky, impossibly gaunt humanoid form whose voice is both near impossible to hear and laden with unmistakeable meaning. Its binders look as if they are standing in shadow regardless of how bright it is, and their own shadows never seem to extend more than a few feet away. Tenebrous' influence takes the form of a sense of detachment, loss, and abandonment, and it requires that its binder never be the first to act in combat. It grants its binder the power to see in any darkness, shroud places in shadow, turn/rebuke undead, and chill foes with a touch.

==Zagan, Duke of Disappointment==
A [[yuan-ti]] who was murdered whilst on the very precipice of ascending to divinity. Based upon the 61st demon of the Ars Goetia.

=List of Outer Source Vestiges=
Though Tome of Magic in general got little support after its lackluster release, the binder got the most of it. From online web-enhancements to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine, a bundle of new vestiges slipped into the world before the announcement of 4th edition.

==Abysm, The Schismed==
A psionic [[mythal]] that once protected a secret city of psions; when the psions all died in an unknown disaster, their souls were trapped in the Mythal by their own psicrystals, turning it into a half-insane hivemind of a Vestige. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Ahazu the Seizer==
The demon prince who once controlled the [[Wells of Darkness]] before he was entrapped in his own prison. Needless to say, this makes him very hard to bind unless you take the feat that lets you forfeit special requirements; in addition to needing you to be at least a 3rd level binder, you have to draw his seal on the surface of one of the Pools of Darkness, which lie at the bottoms of the Wells of Darkness on the 73rd layer of the Abyss. Ahazu manifests as a sphere of darkness that slowly reveals the form of a giant hybrid of bodak and shadow demon. Whilst hosting Ahazu, your skin becomes cold to the touch and your mouth fills with absolute darkness, which sometimes spills forth as a small cloud from your open lips. If you succumb to Ahazu's influence, you become avaricious in the extreme; as well as constantly stealing small valuables whenever you have the chance, you are compelled to imprison your enemies rather than kill them, and if one of your prisoners escapes, you suffer a blinding rage. For powers, you gain Ahazu's Abduction (render 1 creature unable to take any action for a round at will), Ahazu's Touch (cast Unholy Blight as a touch attack once per five rounds), Blindsight, and Void Mind (you can withdraw your mind to a mystical void, rendering you immune to mind- and soul-affecting powers, but if you die in this state, nothing can resurrect you). Appears in Dungeon Magazine #148.

==Ansitif the Befouler==
An ancient demon prince with an urge to defeat the gods and all their servants. Needless to say, as well as demanding great power from his binders (minimum level to summon him: 7), he requires you scribe his seal with the broken remnants of a holy symbol, one that must belong to a true deity. When conjured, the symbol you used erupts into flame, with cascading sparks scorching any relics, holy symbols or other signs of worship in the immediate vicinity, before sending up cloying smoke, with a disembodied mouth of sparks forming in the center of the cloud. Obviously, his Sign is that your skin and hair look scorched and his influence compels you to destroy or steal relics dedicated to true gods. For powers, he gives you the ability to cast Blasphemy 3/day, spell resistance against divine magic, immunity to fire, and the benefits of the Thrall to Demon feat. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Arete the First Elan==
The psion who created the Elan race. Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==[[Ashardalon]], Pyre of the Unborn==
A red dragon of such balls-out nastiness that he bound a [[Tanar'ri|balor]] into his body to replace his heart when he got it skewered - when that wasn't enough to keep him alive, [[Grimdark|he sought out the Bastion of Unborn Souls and began munching on the preborn souls of all life across the multiverse.]] When he got killed for this, he lingered as a vestige. Can be found in the splatbook Dragon Magic.

==Astaroth-Diabolus==
The vestige of a demon prince with a real hatred for devils, having infiltrated their ranks as Diabolus and risen to the rank of Treasurer of Hell before he was outed, slain and had his name stolen by Gargauth. Only appearing to 4th level binders who scribe his sigil on stone that has recently been burned and then doused with cold water, Astaroth appears as a handsome humanoid with a serpentine tongue and multiple pairs of wings - draconic and feathered - being consumed by hellfire. Those binding Astaroth smell of brimstone and have clouded eyes, whilst those who succumb to his influence become morose and fatalistic, but compelled to attack devils above all other foes. He grants the powers of Blackfire (all fire powers do half-fire and half-vile damage, plus can cast fireball 3/day), Divination as a spell-like ability, Serpentine Tongue (bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks that is even higher against evil outsiders) and Silvered Touch (any natural attack or attack with a metal weapon counts as silvered for piercing damage reduction). Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Astaroth the Unjustly Fallen==
A fallen angel who claims to have been cast down from [[Celestia]] for giving civilisation to mortals and was slain by the mortals he sought to rule over. Binders hosting Astaroth have yellowed skin and a persistent foul odor around them, and are influenced to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. They have bardic knowledge, a breath weapon in the form of vile-smelling gas, a competence bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Craft checks, a temporary item creation feat, and the ability to use the Suggestion spell every 5 rounds. Based on the 29th demon of the Ars Goetia.

Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Cabiri the Watching Master==
A many-eyed obyrith seer who has been imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness. Only answering the call of binders of 4th level or higher, Cabiri demands his seals be drawn in blood and outside, and will only respond if the summoning is done at night or during a solar abyss. When manifesting, a celestial body in the sky becomes a giant staring eye before the seal turns into a puddle of blood, which then becomes a ring of tiny eyes around a mouth. Those bound to Cabiri sport an extra eye in their forehead and those who succumb to his influence are compelled to watch; they can better resist figments but are more vulnerable to patterns, and can't close their eyes to ward off gaze attacks. When Cabiri is bound, the binder can cast Arcane Eye a will, has increased aptitude with scrying spells, gains (enhanced) darkvision and lowlight vision, and can cast Phantasmal Killer 3/day. Appears in Dragon Magazine #357.

==Desharus the Sprawling Soul==
The pseudo-fey spirit of the very first city, Desha. Appears in the second Cityscape web enhancement, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a

==Kas the Bloody Handed==
The spirit of the treacherous former servant of [[Vecna]], the [[vampire]] who maimed the God of Secrets. Manifesting as his sword with Vecna's hand and eye on the tip, those binding Kas have extra eyes appear on their palms, which weep blood for 10 rounds after any of Kas' powers are used. His influence causes the binder to act warm and affectionate, but they will invariably betray someone during the first hour of binding him, and they are compelled to destroy Vecna's followers and the undead. They can inflict permanent blindness with a critical hit, ignore the usual immunity to critical hits ability of the undead, gain a bonus to Bluff checks, have a 25% chance to nullify critical hits made against them, ignore the damage reduction abilities of the undead, and gain proficiency with the bastard sword, longsword and shortsword. Only a 4th level or higher binder can summon Kas. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==Primus, The One And The Prime==
The ghost of the model of Primus that was slain by [[Orcus]]-as-Tenebrous during the storyline of The Great [[Modron]] March. Needless to say, Primus will never co-share a body with Tenebrous, and a Binder who has ever allowed Tenebrous to be hosted in their body must draw Primus' seal in an area of bright light. Manifesting as essentially a smaller version of the classic Primus form (albeit a crying one because of everything that happened to the Modrons after Tenebrous killed him), those binding Primus develop a scattering of metal plates on their limbs, representing geometric shapes formed of gold, silver or bronze - though they revert to strips of skin if somehow flayed off. Those under his influence become ruthlessly practical and compelled to obey all lawful authorities. He only grants three powers, but they're doozies; Divine Structure causes you to gain a cumulative bonus if you keep taking the same action for multiple rounds, Lawful Attacks cause your attacks to count as Lawful for piercing damage reduction, and Primus' Orders allow you to issue a Command that also renders you invisible and inaudible to the being you successfully take control of. You must be at least a level 3 binder to call forth Primus. Appears in Dragon Magazine #341.

==The Triad==
Three psionic gods from a now-lost civilization that were forced to combine themselves into a single being to save themselves after the Plane of Shadow started leaking into their world. They refuse to bind with anyone connected to the Plane of Shadow in any manner, whether it's by feat, class abilities, or something else. Their manifestation is a glowing purple jade statue that shifts between the forms of their constituent beings: the god of knowledge Gorn appears as a young man with spectacles reading a book, the goddess of justice Rujsha appears as a motherly woman with bandaged eyes, and the god of battle Mintar appears as a man in armor holding his sword in salute.

Their sign is that the Binder's facial features alter slightly every hour to match one member of the Triad, from a young man's inquisitive face to a woman's concerned features to a bearded masculine face and back again. They influence the binder by changing their mental aspect to match the face that is their current sign. As Gorn, the bearer is inquisitive and prone to using many big words. As Rujsha, the binder is caring and motherly but tends to speak to others as if they were children. As Mintar, the binder is honor-bound and somewhat combative. In any case, if the binder encounters someone influenced by shadow, the Triad will insist that the binder either face that being first when in combat or avoid that being (and any help it might seek to provide) outside of combat.

The powers they grant are similarly split across the three gods. Collectively, they grant 15 power points and allow the binder to act as a psion if they're not one already. Gorn grants the psionic power Call to Mind and bardic knowledge. Rujsha grants the psionic power Empathy, a diplomacy bonus, and the ability to smite evil three times per day. Mintar provides the psionic power Detect Hostile Intent, a bonus to Sense Motive checks, and proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons.

Appears in one of The Mind's Eye webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a

==Vanus, The Reviled One==

Vanus is a guy who was hated way more than he should have been. He grants you a fear aura, freedom of movement or gaseous form for an ally, extra damage against people with fewer hit dice than you, and good hearing.

Appears in one of the Class Articles webarticles from WotC's old website, which can be found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060407a

==Zceryll, The Star Spawn==
A powerful alienist who was dragged into the [[Far Realm]] and now seeks to return to the mortal world. She appears as a collection of mirrors that initially reflect a beautiful human woman who has something off about her appearance, which rapidly transforms into a tentacled monstrosity before the mirrors all shatter. Her sign is that the eyes of her Binders become circular mirrors and living things in their peripheral vision look like they're covered in eyes, tentacles, and other vestigal organs. She influences her Binders to be unwilling to admit weakness and to treat people weaker than them with scorn, especially young women and spontaneous spellcasters. Her Binders' bodies and minds become alien, giving them the pseudonatural template, immunity to madness, a ray that dazes its targets, telepathy, and the power summon monsters like the Summon Monster spell (and the summoned monsters also get the pseudonatural template).

The only new vestige added in a Class Chronicles article on adding Binders to your [[Forgotten Realms]] games, alongside some other vestiges that could replace Tome of Magic Vestiges. The article can be checked out here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Baatezu

2020-08-16T00:19:49Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Other Promotions within the Hierarchy */

{{NeedsImages}}
[[Image:Baatezu Army.jpg|300px|thumb|right|No, not that kind of [[PROMOTIONS|Promotion]], at least, [[Monstergirl|probably not.]]]]
The [[Alignment|lawful evil]] badguys from another dimension, in [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 2nd edition. Formerly known as devils in the earlier editions, living in what was once called ''The Nine Hells''. This change was because of one-time CEO of [[TSR]] [[Lorraine Williams]], due to the events of the [[Satanic Panic]]. The term ''Baatezu'' is a [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|trademark of Wizards Of The Coast]], so you won't find them mentioned in any Open License products like the d20 SRD nor [[Pathfinder]]. Their home is now called "[[Baator]]", but each of the nine levels still has the same names from Dante's Inferno.

Baatezu represent the lawful side of evil: the concept that cruelty and malice should be distributed in an orderly and efficient fashion. Backstabbers, vicious politicians and cruel warlords can opt to become petitioners in the "nine hells". They fight the [[Blood War]] against the [[Tanar'ri]] at behest of [[Asmodeus]], the ruler of Baator.

Baatezu are not born as mortals are. While only the most powerful of devils can breed at all, most opt not to do so because a child is a dangerous rival and a potent tool for their enemies. Instead new devils are made from the tortured souls of the damned, who are reprocessed after an [[Grimdark|extensive period of torture]] to strip them of their individuality. These soul shells are then reprocessed and turned into Lemures, starting their new existence as Baatezu. Lemures who please their dark lords enough - through a combination of gathering corrupted souls, guile, defeating their enemies and their master's enemies - may be promoted to a Spinagon, a grotesque, spiny gargoyle-esque monster. From stage to stage, devils begin looking more and more like their horrible masters, with the process being detailed more just below.

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so there is no longer any distinction between Baatezu and non-Baatezu devils (which included [[Imp]]s, [[Kyton]]s, and a few other less known devils).

==The Hierarchy of Hell==
Baatezu are Lawful to a fault. They are masters of forming contracts that give themselves as many loopholes to exploit as possible, while bringing those for the other party down to zero. If a devil turns out to be clever, powerful, deceitful, lucky and sycophantic enough they may be promoted in an agonising ritual that grows a miniature fetal version of the new form inside of the devil, eventually bursting out in a grotesque and agonizing display. If a subject however fails its master, is betrayed in some way or if the master needs the energy that is released when doing so, a baatezu can be demoted back into a lesser form - which is a great humilitation for a devil.

All the various forms are part of a ranked hierarchy: the higher up the more powerful a devil is. Devils can only be promoted and demoted by their direct superiors, so it is not possible for rival devils to demote all of their rivals' servants or promote themselves to increase in power. As mentioned before, there is only so much power around to promote devils, gathered from souls. If a "drought" of sorts were to befall an area, high-ranking devils would be more stringent with their promotions or even demote their followers to reallocate resources: the latter is a powerful motivator for all devils to keep corrupting souls.

{|border=0 align=right cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 style="margin: 1em; border: 2px solid black;"
|-
! Category || Rank || Form || Punishment || Fallen Angels || Abishai
|-
| '''Least Devils''' || 1 || Lemure
|-
| || 2 || Legion Devil, Advespa|| Nupperibo || || White Abishai
|-
| || 3 || Spined Devil || || || Black Abishai
|-
| '''Lesser Devils''' || 4 || Bearded Devil, Narzugon || || || Green Abishai
|-
| || 5 || Imp || || || Blue Abishai
|-
| || 6 || Steel Devil || Gulthir || || Red Abishai
|-
| || 7 || Chain Devil
|-
| || 8 || Harvester Devil, Pain Devil || || Erinyes
|-
| || 9 || Amnizu
|-
| '''Greater Devils''' || 10 || Bone Devil, Orthon || Malebranche
|-
| || 11 || Barbed Devil
|-
| || 12 || Ice Devil || Xerfilstyx
|-
| || 13 || Logokron, Remmanon, Horned Devil, || || Pleasure Devil
|-
| || 14 || Assassin Devil
|-
| || 15 || Paeliryon
|-
| || 16 || Pit Fiend
|-
| '''Archdevils''' || 17 || (unique forms)
|-
| || Archduke || (unique forms)
|-
| || King || [[Asmodeus]]
|}

A few of the forms in the hierarchy are not part of the regular advancement. The wretched Nupperibo is the result of a demotion of a higher-ranking devil (from 3.5 onwards at least, see below), though it still outranks the lowly Lemures. However, it is skipped in the regular progrssion and is a form used as punishment, as are the Malebranche and the Xerfilstyx.

The Erinyes are an unusual group. Instead of being created from soul shells they are either fallen angels turned into their current form or born from another Erinyes. The most powerful of the Erinyes can be promoted to the rank of Brachina, or Pleasure Devil. These creatures are alluring seductresses and are ruthless in their searches for advancing to the highest ranks of devilkind. But because the step between Erinyes and Brachina is so big, only the most accomplished of Erinyes can be promoted to this rank.

Finally there are the Abishai. They are beholden to [[Tiamat]], who lives on the first layer of Baator.

==The Devils' Many Forms==
As they progress through the ranks Baatezu change into new forms: stronger, cleverer, more magical and so on. While some details might differ a higher ranking Devil is always more dangerous than its last form in some way or shape. Baatezu is the name the devils use for themselves: to make it more confusing it is also a creature subtype. All Baatezu devils have the following abilities: immunity to fire, immunity to poison, cold resist 20, acid resist 20, can see in total darkness including magical darkness, telepathic communication 100ft.

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* '''Merregons''' or '''Legion Devils''' are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* '''Advespas''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spinagon''' or '''Spined Devil''' is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' or '''[[Neckbeard|Bearded Devils]]''' are often employed as shock troops for powerful fiends. Bearded Devils are aggressive and revel in fighting, where they swing their powerful glaives with skill. So much in fact that if they land a hit the wound will fester until attended to by either a skilled healer or a powerful healing spell is used, and even then the wound is difficult to treat. A Barbazu's beard can inflict a powerful disease upon a foe, infecting them with Devil Chills which saps away their strength. The disease has a short incubation period and lasts a lifetime when untreated, however short or long that may be. Bearded Devils can also burst into fits of frenzy, cutting through enemies in a way much like a raging [[Barbarian]] would.
* '''Narzugons''' or '''Hell Knights''' are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''[[Imp]]s''' are not actually Baatezu for some reason but are still part of the hierarchy of hell. They are small and weak so instead of fighting they prefer to try and tempt people into evil, laying claim to their souls if they manage to do so. Imps are cowardly and stay away from fights but they are willing to sting with their tails if the opportunity to do so arises.
** The 3rd edition [[Fiend Folio]] details three variant imps. '''Bloodbag Imps''' have blood that heals people that drink it, making them the medics of hell, and they can also cast a curse that worsens bleeding from wounds. '''Euphoric Imps''' are living drug dispensers with venom that causes hallucinations, which they like to use on themselves. '''Filth Imps''' are outcasts from hell due to their horrible smell and often find work on the material plane using their talent for languages and codes.
* '''Bueroza''' or '''Steel Devils''' are powerful warriors, fighting on the front lines of the wars of Hell: either in the Blood Wars or against the armies of fellow devils. These Bueroza take the shapes of humanoids in heavy steel armor, covered in cobwebs and dust. While they can strike with enough force to send an enemy reeling, their strength comes from them gaining bonuses from fighting in ranks with their fellow Bueroza, becoming swifter and more durable as they fight. Their most potent ability is their chanting: a horrible shrieking that debilitates enemy casters and makes it more difficult for them to cast spells, making them easy prey for the Steel Devils.
* '''[[Kyton]]s''' or '''Chain Devils''' are another member of the hierarchy that are considered to be devils but not Baatezu in 3rd edition. They resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain, which they can swing around in deadly fashion to tear at their prey in horrible ways. They are adept at metalworking and can magically control chains in their range, causing them to attack anyone at will. While it is possible to break a Kyton's control of an animated chain, they will not let go without a fight. Chain Devils can change their visage to resemble that of someone's loved ones or hated enemies, stunning a target. They can also regenerate parts of their bodies that were cut off. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''Falxugons''' or '''Harvester Devils''' are often found in the material planes where they offer mortals contracts of power, wealth and other such things in exchange for their souls. They lurk in sewers, at crossroads at midnight, in back rooms of corrupt businesses or serving as courtiers to nobility. Any who approach them can ask for an infernal pact: anything they want for the price of their undying soul. They are not powerful combatants; while they carry blades that will instill a curse upon anyone that forces them to strike a good creature. Instead they will try to escape when entering combat, trying to find someone else to tempt with their contracts. But they cannot be killed unless the devil ''starts'' the fight: for some strange reason the Falxugon are protected by [[Plot Armor|powerful magic]] that remains in place unless they strike someone first. They look like mostly humanoid beings but with horns, tails and hooves, and tend to go dressed in expensive clothing.
* '''Excruciarchs''' or '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''Styx Devils''' or '''Amnizus''' are the bureaucrats of hell. They record the soul shells that enter Baator, stand guard at the portals to and from the plane and record all who go through, often extorting them out of their valuables. Amnizu are particularly ambitious and try their best to improve their lot in life, working their way up the ranks through politics, intrigue and assassination. They are also tasked with hunting down fugitives, something they take much pleasure in. When facing an enemy that they cannot defeat on their own without any significant risk to them they will send their minions to deal with the target. When they can fight, an Amnizu prefers to take wing and strike targets with their [[Derp|intelligence-damaging]] touch.
* '''Osyluths''' or '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Hamatula''' or '''Barbed Devils''' serve as the guards and bodyguards of Hell. They are tall and covered in spikes, hitting all that come too close to them. Fighting a Hamatula in close range will always result in the devil using its many spikes to stab or even impale an enemy that comes too close to them. They possess some magical ability, being able to cast Hold Person so they can use their impale attacks at their leisure.
** A '''Stony Devil''' is an upgraded form of a Hamatula. They gain more abilities and their bodies are now stone-like.
* '''Gelugons''' or '''Ice Devils''', are commanders of the armed forces of hell. They prefer to avoid direct battle if possible. They are quite tall and look something like white devilish ants, often carrying large spears. Striking with its spear will cause a powerful numbing effect on a target, making it an easy prey for either the Ice Devil itself or one of its servants. They can cast several spells as well, most of which are ice-based.
* '''Logokrons''', are devils that wield [[Truenamer]] magic, which would be a lot scarier if the Truenamer wasn't the worst class in the game. A Logokron is a four-armed devil that wears armor and wields two halberds at once, and has a long tongue with symbols tattooed on it which are painful to look at.
* '''Remmanons''' are devils who love to spread conflict and are masters of manipulation and seduction. A Remmanon looks like a floating naked hairless horned man with barbed and hooked wires and other peircings hanging off its body which small pieces of paper with the names of mortals it has made deals with attached to them. A Remmanon has a telepathic aura that causes enemies around it to become confused and attack each other while making itself and its allies stronger against enemies affected by it.
* '''Cornugon''' or '''Malebranche''' (depending on the edition) or '''Horned Devils''' are powerful creatures, serving as the elite soldiers of Baator. It is a large scaled fiend with huge wings, often carrying spiked chains. They can use these weapons to deliver blows powerful enough to stun a target, and they can use their tails to cause dangerous persistent wounds. The Cornugon also possess magical abilities and can regenerate.
* '''Dogai''' or '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''Paeliryon''' or '''Corruption Devil''' is an information broker, trading knowledge for hefty sums of money, souls or other information. They are putrid creatures who dwell in comfort, opulence and excess, often bathing in disgusting pools and eating the finest of foods. They are some of the most powerful creatures in Baator, and not just because of its personal power. A Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

===Other Promotions within the Hierarchy===
* '''Nupperibo''' are bloated, ugly creatures used as base servitors in Hell. Used as a punishment for low-ranking devils, Nupperibo are slow, blind, deaf, and unthreatening compared to other devils and fight without any kind of finesse. Yet they are used for frontline warfare in the Blood War, as cannon fodder. As such they are rarely promoted back to their former form because of the high mortality rate. Nupperibo are possibly more useful to the rivals of their superiors than to their superiors themselves. By stealing one of these fiends from its master and changing it back the devil might have important information about its master, and might even help its new master get revenge on the old one.
**At least, that's what they are from 3.5 onwards. Prior to that, they weren't even Baatezu. See normally, a Maggot just stays a Maggot until some devil either needs a Lemure or gets hungnry. But sometimes, one of them would randomly evolve into a Nupperibo. The Baatezu would herd these things and demote them back into Maggots so as to immediately promote them into Lemures, since in those editions nupperibos were the Lemure-equivalent rank of entities called "True Baatorans," which were the inhabiants of Baator before Asmodeus came to power. The idea of these things returning scares the piss out of every last baatezu. Some sources said that the baatezu were so thorough that no nupperibo ever evolved further, but other sources said there were tales of a scant few being lucky enough to do so, taking on strange forms resembling ones imprisoned in the ice of [[Baator|Stygia]].
***Reconned again in 5th edition. Now they are simply formed from the souls of people who were too lazy in their mortal life to be worthy of promotion to a higher form.
* The '''Gulthir''' is another punishment only rank. A gulthir is a large size creature resembling a giant zombie that can swallow anything smaller than itself whole. The slime that fills its stomach allows it to control the minds of creatures it swallows, so it can spit them out as temporary minions until they make their save or their eyes are washed with holy water. And if the creature it swallows is another evil outsider, it can instantly digest them to strengthen itself temporarily, or it can instead slowly digest the victim to convert them into another Gulthir. These abilities make gulthirs very useful as enforces as other devils are terrified of being digested by or turned into a gulthir as punishment, and gulthirs hate their form and are desperate to get promoted again, making them very loyal to whatever master they serve.
* The form of the '''Malebranche''' or '''War Devil''' are used to punish fiends, yet allow them to keep fighting for their masters. They are deadly in combat and use their massive ranseurs to strike with great force. In some editions a Malebranche and a Horned Devil are the same thing.
* '''Xerfilstyx''' are some of the most pitiable creatures in Hell. Shaped like bloated slug-devils they live in the depths of the river Styx, stripping them of all their memories. The constant exposure to the Styx has driven them insane, with the creatures finding only some solace in the memories of the lost that gather at the bottom of the river. It is nearly impossible for a Xerfilstyx to be promoted back to a higher rank because of its insanity and it being bound to the Styx.
* Based on the Furies of Greek myth, the '''Erinyes''' originate from the angels that left heaven alongside Asmodeus when Baator was being established. Others joined their ranks in later eons, all of them fallen angels. While most of them are female in form there are a few males amongst their number, with no difference being made between them. The gorgeous Erinyes stand apart from their fellow devils, their corrupted angelic arrogance making them see the souls of the damned as being beneath them. In turn the other Baatezu see the Erinyes as stuck up pretenders and usurpers of the title of devil. Still they are respected for their strength, cruelty and intelligence. Unique to the Erinyes, their promoted forms and unique female devils they are capable of becoming pregnant. Their children will always be Erinyes, and are raised in secret and well-guarded compounds. Because of their arrogance Erinyes often forego promotion to higher forms, instead opting to stay in their current, less powerful form.
* A '''Brachina''' or '''Pleasure Devil''' is an improved form of the Erinyes. Even more beautiful, seductive and powerful than their previous forms, the Pleasure Devils do intend to advance to the rank of Pit Fiend. They are conniving and plotting as the other devils of their ranks, and will use their considerable skills to advance themselves. Brachina as they are sometimes called are sent to tempt those of particular virtue and goodness to the side of evil, using their wiles, bodies and spellcasting to get their way. Because of their unearthly beauty they are popular playthings amongst the highest ranking devils, discarded as quickly as selected. Because of this and the ambition of the Brachina they tend to spend a lot of time on the material plane so that they are in command, and not some other fiend.
* '''Abishai''' are the cruel servants of Tiamat. They are arrogant, even for draconic creatures; they consider themselves [[Bullshit|far above the rank of Tiamat's other servants]], including full-blooded dragons and the dragonspawn. They exist in several colors are very cruel, [[Skub|hate everyone not of their own kind]]. Souls that enter the Nine Hells under her control still become Lemures, but after that become Abishai, dragon-looking devils who tempt mortals to enter pacts with them, only to torture the mortal to the limit of their suffering. After the rank of Red Abishai they can continue to promote as normal, starting with becoming a Chain Devil, but almost all Abishai stop advancing at the rank of the Red Abishai.

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. In some versions, Archedevils include both the Archdukes, and the lesser Dukes and other unique devils. Each of them is a force to be reckoned with, commanding vast resources and armies of Baator. They all carry the blessing of Asmodeus in some way, which is very important: Asmodeus can withdraw his support at will and without explanation, as poor Moloch can attest. While the various lords have to deal with the machinations of their servants like all devils do, their greatest foes are their fellow lords, plotting and scheming against one another. In their high positions there are only two ways to gain a promotion: either by defeating one of their rivals and usurping their territories or overthrowing the Overlord of Hell himself, Asmodeus. Hence why Asmodeus never leaves the place that instantly kills anyone he doesn't want to be there, ignoring all defenses.

Devils who are powerful enough to gain a unique form but do not rule over a layer of hell are the Dukes or Duchesses ranked immediately below the Archdukes and a few other powerful devils who are the highest ranked servants of an Archduke.

== Dungeons & Dragons 4E ==
As with a lot of things, the Baatezu of [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition]] have in some ways changed dramatically and in other ways haven't changed at all. For starters, because this is now years after the [[Satanic Panic]] died down, the term "Baatezu" is no longer used; Devils are Devils, and the game even uses traditional AD&D names for the distinct races.

Their origins in this edition have changed, since 4e's cosmology no longer uses [[alignment]] as the end-all justification for anything's existence. 4e's devils are Fallen Angels - which is an entirely separate thing to being Evil Angels, as [[angel]]s in this edition are Unaligned and serve all deities equally, benevolent or malevolent. What this means is that devils are not merely "Angels who are Evil", it means that they are Angels who betrayed their patron deity and were cursed by it, corrupted into twisted reflections of what they once were.

The story is long and the threads differ depending on the source, but the ultimate tapestry remains the same; [[Asmodeus]] was once an [[Archangel]] serving under a benevolent deity, until he chose to betray his master. Maybe because of pride, maybe because of the manipulations of [[Pazuzu]], maybe because he meant well and saw his master failing in his efforts to contribute to the Dawn War. The end result was the same: Asmodeus descended into the newly created [[Abyss]] and achieved something that even the [[Demon Prince]]s had failed at - he found the Seed of Evil, the crystalized remains of the [[obyrith]]s' dead universe that had created the Abyss. Breaking off just a sliver of the Seed, also known as the Heart of the Abyss, he fashioned it into his Ruby Rod and used its power to become a god.

Incidentally, this is why the [[Blood War]] is fought in 4e; the demons are outraged that Asmodeus stole some of the Heart, whilst Asmodeus regrets not stealing even ''more'' and wants to get back down there to take some more. After all, if this tiny sliver made him so powerful, what would a larger hunk do?

Anyway, now brimming with power, Asmodeus manipulated most of his fellow angels into joining him as he murdered their former ruler. As the god died, though, he cursed them all, which had three effects. Firstly, it devastated the Dominion that Asmodeus had sought to claim, burning it into the blasted realm of [[Baator]]. Secondly, it wracked the Fallen Angels, corrupting them into hideously deformed mockeries of their former selves. Finally, it bound them all to Baator, rendering them prisoners in the wasteland that was they had sought to conquer.

This is why Asmodeus and his minions are so interested in claiming mortal souls. Beyond the fact they need souls to propagate themselves - unlike demons, who spontaneously arise from the stuff of the Abyss - it is through torturing the damned that they extract the magical energies they need to slowly wear away at the bindings that imprison them as a whole in Baator. Plus, getting summoned is, for many devils, their only chance of leaving Baator. As a result, devils compete with each other fiercely for who can accumulate the most souls for Hell, but all are united in accumulating souls and denying the gods their petitioners.

Who was the god they betrayed? Nobody knows anymore; Asmodeus has done his level best over the eons to erase all knowledge of that god, fearful that if somebody discovered his name, they could resurrect him, and he would be ''pissed'' with his former minions. He's only ever referred to as "He-Who-Was", and some suspect he might have been humanity's creator god. Like [[Zarus]], but not evil.

* '''Imp''' level 3 lurker
* '''Legion Devils''' compose Hell's armies, level 6-21 minions
* '''Spined Devil''' or Spinagon, level 6 skirmisher
* '''[[Succubus]]''' are devils in 4E not demons, level 9 controller
* '''Chain Devil''' or Kyton, level 11 skirmisher
* '''Bearded Devil''' or Barbazu, level 13 soldier
* '''Bone Devil''' or Osyluth, level 17 controller/leader
* '''Ice Devil''' or Gelugon, level 20 soldier
* '''War Devil''' or Malebranche, level 22 brute/leader
* '''Pit Fiend''' level 26 elite soldier/leader

== Dungeons & Dragons 5E ==
{|border=0 align=right cellspacing=0 cellpadding=1 style="margin: 1em; border: 2px solid black;"
|-
! Category || Rank || Form || Abishai
|-
| '''Least Devils''' || 1 || Lemure Nupperibo
|-
| '''Lesser Devils''' || 2 || Imp
|-
| || 3 || Spined Devil
|-
| || 4 || Bearded Devil Merregon
|-
| || 5 || Barbed Devil || White Abishai
|-
| || 6 || Chain Devil || Black Abishai
|-
| || 7 || Bone Devil
|-
| '''Greater Devils''' || 8 || Horned Devil Orthon
|-
| || 9 || Erinyes ||
|-
| || 10 || Ice Devil Narzugon || Green Abishai Blue Abishai
|-
| || 11 || Pit Fiend Amnizu || Red Abishai
|-
| '''Archdevils''' || 12 || Duke or Duchess
|-
| || 13 || Archduke or Archduchess
|}
In 5e the Hierarchy changed for the Devils.

==Pathfinder==
In Pathfinder the devils perform pretty much the same duty as in D&D. The difference is that they aren't called Baatezu or live in Baator, since those names are excluded by the [[Open Gaming License]]. Instead they're just devils who live in capital-H Hell. There are 20 different kinds of devils mentioned in the six Bestiaries that are released so far, ranging the whole garmut from CR1 to CR20. All the devils from the OGL like the Pit Fiend are included as well, though the Chain Devil has been [[Kyton| given its own subspecies]], because... well, bluntly, because ''someone'' over there is getting off on extreme body mod/BDSM stuff, have you ''seen'' [[Zon-Kuthon]]?

Bestiary 6 also lists the eight [[Archdevil]]s of Hell. They are Mythic level monsters with a CR in the 26-30 range. Aside from getting a whole slew of spell-like abilities, the use of the Miracle spell as befits their portfolio and +10 on Sense Motive checks, many of them also possess artifacts that are nigh impossible to destroy. I mean, the artifact of the weakest Archdevil can only be destroyed by exposing it to a truth spoken by an immortal which has only ever spoken lies, then cast into a magic portal with no entrance or destination. Many of the names of these Archdevils overlap with those of Baator with matching layers to rule, with a few calling back to earlier Lords of the Nine.

{{Pathfinder-Fiends}}
{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Baatezu

2020-08-16T00:11:30Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Inside the Hierarchy */

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[[Image:Baatezu Army.jpg|300px|thumb|right|No, not that kind of [[PROMOTIONS|Promotion]], at least, [[Monstergirl|probably not.]]]]
The [[Alignment|lawful evil]] badguys from another dimension, in [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 2nd edition. Formerly known as devils in the earlier editions, living in what was once called ''The Nine Hells''. This change was because of one-time CEO of [[TSR]] [[Lorraine Williams]], due to the events of the [[Satanic Panic]]. The term ''Baatezu'' is a [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|trademark of Wizards Of The Coast]], so you won't find them mentioned in any Open License products like the d20 SRD nor [[Pathfinder]]. Their home is now called "[[Baator]]", but each of the nine levels still has the same names from Dante's Inferno.

Baatezu represent the lawful side of evil: the concept that cruelty and malice should be distributed in an orderly and efficient fashion. Backstabbers, vicious politicians and cruel warlords can opt to become petitioners in the "nine hells". They fight the [[Blood War]] against the [[Tanar'ri]] at behest of [[Asmodeus]], the ruler of Baator.

Baatezu are not born as mortals are. While only the most powerful of devils can breed at all, most opt not to do so because a child is a dangerous rival and a potent tool for their enemies. Instead new devils are made from the tortured souls of the damned, who are reprocessed after an [[Grimdark|extensive period of torture]] to strip them of their individuality. These soul shells are then reprocessed and turned into Lemures, starting their new existence as Baatezu. Lemures who please their dark lords enough - through a combination of gathering corrupted souls, guile, defeating their enemies and their master's enemies - may be promoted to a Spinagon, a grotesque, spiny gargoyle-esque monster. From stage to stage, devils begin looking more and more like their horrible masters, with the process being detailed more just below.

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so there is no longer any distinction between Baatezu and non-Baatezu devils (which included [[Imp]]s, [[Kyton]]s, and a few other less known devils).

==The Hierarchy of Hell==
Baatezu are Lawful to a fault. They are masters of forming contracts that give themselves as many loopholes to exploit as possible, while bringing those for the other party down to zero. If a devil turns out to be clever, powerful, deceitful, lucky and sycophantic enough they may be promoted in an agonising ritual that grows a miniature fetal version of the new form inside of the devil, eventually bursting out in a grotesque and agonizing display. If a subject however fails its master, is betrayed in some way or if the master needs the energy that is released when doing so, a baatezu can be demoted back into a lesser form - which is a great humilitation for a devil.

All the various forms are part of a ranked hierarchy: the higher up the more powerful a devil is. Devils can only be promoted and demoted by their direct superiors, so it is not possible for rival devils to demote all of their rivals' servants or promote themselves to increase in power. As mentioned before, there is only so much power around to promote devils, gathered from souls. If a "drought" of sorts were to befall an area, high-ranking devils would be more stringent with their promotions or even demote their followers to reallocate resources: the latter is a powerful motivator for all devils to keep corrupting souls.

{|border=0 align=right cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 style="margin: 1em; border: 2px solid black;"
|-
! Category || Rank || Form || Punishment || Fallen Angels || Abishai
|-
| '''Least Devils''' || 1 || Lemure
|-
| || 2 || Legion Devil, Advespa|| Nupperibo || || White Abishai
|-
| || 3 || Spined Devil || || || Black Abishai
|-
| '''Lesser Devils''' || 4 || Bearded Devil, Narzugon || || || Green Abishai
|-
| || 5 || Imp || || || Blue Abishai
|-
| || 6 || Steel Devil || Gulthir || || Red Abishai
|-
| || 7 || Chain Devil
|-
| || 8 || Harvester Devil, Pain Devil || || Erinyes
|-
| || 9 || Amnizu
|-
| '''Greater Devils''' || 10 || Bone Devil, Orthon || Malebranche
|-
| || 11 || Barbed Devil
|-
| || 12 || Ice Devil || Xerfilstyx
|-
| || 13 || Logokron, Remmanon, Horned Devil, || || Pleasure Devil
|-
| || 14 || Assassin Devil
|-
| || 15 || Paeliryon
|-
| || 16 || Pit Fiend
|-
| '''Archdevils''' || 17 || (unique forms)
|-
| || Archduke || (unique forms)
|-
| || King || [[Asmodeus]]
|}

A few of the forms in the hierarchy are not part of the regular advancement. The wretched Nupperibo is the result of a demotion of a higher-ranking devil (from 3.5 onwards at least, see below), though it still outranks the lowly Lemures. However, it is skipped in the regular progrssion and is a form used as punishment, as are the Malebranche and the Xerfilstyx.

The Erinyes are an unusual group. Instead of being created from soul shells they are either fallen angels turned into their current form or born from another Erinyes. The most powerful of the Erinyes can be promoted to the rank of Brachina, or Pleasure Devil. These creatures are alluring seductresses and are ruthless in their searches for advancing to the highest ranks of devilkind. But because the step between Erinyes and Brachina is so big, only the most accomplished of Erinyes can be promoted to this rank.

Finally there are the Abishai. They are beholden to [[Tiamat]], who lives on the first layer of Baator.

==The Devils' Many Forms==
As they progress through the ranks Baatezu change into new forms: stronger, cleverer, more magical and so on. While some details might differ a higher ranking Devil is always more dangerous than its last form in some way or shape. Baatezu is the name the devils use for themselves: to make it more confusing it is also a creature subtype. All Baatezu devils have the following abilities: immunity to fire, immunity to poison, cold resist 20, acid resist 20, can see in total darkness including magical darkness, telepathic communication 100ft.

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* '''Merregons''' or '''Legion Devils''' are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* '''Advespas''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spinagon''' or '''Spined Devil''' is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' or '''[[Neckbeard|Bearded Devils]]''' are often employed as shock troops for powerful fiends. Bearded Devils are aggressive and revel in fighting, where they swing their powerful glaives with skill. So much in fact that if they land a hit the wound will fester until attended to by either a skilled healer or a powerful healing spell is used, and even then the wound is difficult to treat. A Barbazu's beard can inflict a powerful disease upon a foe, infecting them with Devil Chills which saps away their strength. The disease has a short incubation period and lasts a lifetime when untreated, however short or long that may be. Bearded Devils can also burst into fits of frenzy, cutting through enemies in a way much like a raging [[Barbarian]] would.
* '''Narzugons''' or '''Hell Knights''' are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''[[Imp]]s''' are not actually Baatezu for some reason but are still part of the hierarchy of hell. They are small and weak so instead of fighting they prefer to try and tempt people into evil, laying claim to their souls if they manage to do so. Imps are cowardly and stay away from fights but they are willing to sting with their tails if the opportunity to do so arises.
** The 3rd edition [[Fiend Folio]] details three variant imps. '''Bloodbag Imps''' have blood that heals people that drink it, making them the medics of hell, and they can also cast a curse that worsens bleeding from wounds. '''Euphoric Imps''' are living drug dispensers with venom that causes hallucinations, which they like to use on themselves. '''Filth Imps''' are outcasts from hell due to their horrible smell and often find work on the material plane using their talent for languages and codes.
* '''Bueroza''' or '''Steel Devils''' are powerful warriors, fighting on the front lines of the wars of Hell: either in the Blood Wars or against the armies of fellow devils. These Bueroza take the shapes of humanoids in heavy steel armor, covered in cobwebs and dust. While they can strike with enough force to send an enemy reeling, their strength comes from them gaining bonuses from fighting in ranks with their fellow Bueroza, becoming swifter and more durable as they fight. Their most potent ability is their chanting: a horrible shrieking that debilitates enemy casters and makes it more difficult for them to cast spells, making them easy prey for the Steel Devils.
* '''[[Kyton]]s''' or '''Chain Devils''' are another member of the hierarchy that are considered to be devils but not Baatezu in 3rd edition. They resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain, which they can swing around in deadly fashion to tear at their prey in horrible ways. They are adept at metalworking and can magically control chains in their range, causing them to attack anyone at will. While it is possible to break a Kyton's control of an animated chain, they will not let go without a fight. Chain Devils can change their visage to resemble that of someone's loved ones or hated enemies, stunning a target. They can also regenerate parts of their bodies that were cut off. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''Falxugons''' or '''Harvester Devils''' are often found in the material planes where they offer mortals contracts of power, wealth and other such things in exchange for their souls. They lurk in sewers, at crossroads at midnight, in back rooms of corrupt businesses or serving as courtiers to nobility. Any who approach them can ask for an infernal pact: anything they want for the price of their undying soul. They are not powerful combatants; while they carry blades that will instill a curse upon anyone that forces them to strike a good creature. Instead they will try to escape when entering combat, trying to find someone else to tempt with their contracts. But they cannot be killed unless the devil ''starts'' the fight: for some strange reason the Falxugon are protected by [[Plot Armor|powerful magic]] that remains in place unless they strike someone first. They look like mostly humanoid beings but with horns, tails and hooves, and tend to go dressed in expensive clothing.
* '''Excruciarchs''' or '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''Styx Devils''' or '''Amnizus''' are the bureaucrats of hell. They record the soul shells that enter Baator, stand guard at the portals to and from the plane and record all who go through, often extorting them out of their valuables. Amnizu are particularly ambitious and try their best to improve their lot in life, working their way up the ranks through politics, intrigue and assassination. They are also tasked with hunting down fugitives, something they take much pleasure in. When facing an enemy that they cannot defeat on their own without any significant risk to them they will send their minions to deal with the target. When they can fight, an Amnizu prefers to take wing and strike targets with their [[Derp|intelligence-damaging]] touch.
* '''Osyluths''' or '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Hamatula''' or '''Barbed Devils''' serve as the guards and bodyguards of Hell. They are tall and covered in spikes, hitting all that come too close to them. Fighting a Hamatula in close range will always result in the devil using its many spikes to stab or even impale an enemy that comes too close to them. They possess some magical ability, being able to cast Hold Person so they can use their impale attacks at their leisure.
** A '''Stony Devil''' is an upgraded form of a Hamatula. They gain more abilities and their bodies are now stone-like.
* '''Gelugons''' or '''Ice Devils''', are commanders of the armed forces of hell. They prefer to avoid direct battle if possible. They are quite tall and look something like white devilish ants, often carrying large spears. Striking with its spear will cause a powerful numbing effect on a target, making it an easy prey for either the Ice Devil itself or one of its servants. They can cast several spells as well, most of which are ice-based.
* '''Logokrons''', are devils that wield [[Truenamer]] magic, which would be a lot scarier if the Truenamer wasn't the worst class in the game. A Logokron is a four-armed devil that wears armor and wields two halberds at once, and has a long tongue with symbols tattooed on it which are painful to look at.
* '''Remmanons''' are devils who love to spread conflict and are masters of manipulation and seduction. A Remmanon looks like a floating naked hairless horned man with barbed and hooked wires and other peircings hanging off its body which small pieces of paper with the names of mortals it has made deals with attached to them. A Remmanon has a telepathic aura that causes enemies around it to become confused and attack each other while making itself and its allies stronger against enemies affected by it.
* '''Cornugon''' or '''Malebranche''' (depending on the edition) or '''Horned Devils''' are powerful creatures, serving as the elite soldiers of Baator. It is a large scaled fiend with huge wings, often carrying spiked chains. They can use these weapons to deliver blows powerful enough to stun a target, and they can use their tails to cause dangerous persistent wounds. The Cornugon also possess magical abilities and can regenerate.
* '''Dogai''' or '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''Paeliryon''' or '''Corruption Devil''' is an information broker, trading knowledge for hefty sums of money, souls or other information. They are putrid creatures who dwell in comfort, opulence and excess, often bathing in disgusting pools and eating the finest of foods. They are some of the most powerful creatures in Baator, and not just because of its personal power. A Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

===Other Promotions within the Hierarchy===
* '''Nupperibo''' are bloated, ugly creatures used as base servitors in Hell. Used as a punishment for low-ranking devils, Nupperibo are slow, blind, deaf, and unthreatening compared to other devils and fight without any kind of finesse. Yet they are used for frontline warfare in the Blood War, as cannon fodder. As such they are rarely promoted back to their former form because of the high mortality rate. Nupperibo are possibly more useful to the rivals of their superiors than to their superiors themselves. By stealing one of these fiends from its master and changing it back the devil might have important information about its master, and might even help its new master get revenge on the old one.
**At least, that's what they are from 3.5 onwards. Prior to that, they weren't even Baatezu. See normally, a Maggot just stays a Maggot until some devil either needs a Lemure or gets hungnry. But sometimes, one of them would randomly evolve into a Nupperibo. The Baatezu would herd these things and demote them back into Maggots so as to immediately promote them into Lemures, since in those editions nupperibos were the Lemure-equivalent rank of entities called "True Baatorans," which were the inhabiants of Baator before Asmodeus came to power. The idea of these things returning scares the piss out of every last baatezu. Some sources said that the baatezu were so thorough that no nupperibo ever evolved further, but other sources said there were tales of a scant few being lucky enough to do so, taking on strange forms resembling ones imprisoned in the ice of [[Baator|Stygia]].
***Reconned again in 5th edition. Now they are simply formed from the souls of people who were too lazy in their mortal life to be worthy of promotion to a higher form.
* The '''Gulthir''' is another punishment only rank. A gulthir is a large size creature resembling a giant zombie that can swallow anything smaller than itself whole. The slime that fills its stomach allows it to control the minds of creatures it swallows, so it can spit them out as temporary minions until they make their save or their eyes are washed with holy water. And if the creature it swallows is another evil outsider, it can instantly digest them to strengthen itself temporarily, or it can instead slowly digest the victim to convert them into another Gulthir. These abilities make gulthirs very useful as enforces as other devils are terrified of being digested by or turned into a gulthir as punishment, and gulthirs hate their form and are desperate to get promoted again, making them very loyal to whatever master they serve.
* The form of the '''Malebranche''' or '''War Devil''' are used to punish fiends, yet allow them to keep fighting for their masters. They are deadly in combat and use their massive ranseurs to strike with great force. In some editions a Malebranche and a Horned Devil are the same thing.
* '''Xerfilstyx''' are some of the most pitiable creatures in Hell. Shaped like bloated slug-devils they live in the depths of the river Styx, stripping them of all their memories. The constant exposure to the Styx has driven them insane, with the creatures finding only some solace in the memories of the lost that gather at the bottom of the river. It is nearly impossible for a Xerfilstyx to be promoted back to a higher rank because of its insanity and it being bound to the Styx.
* Based on the Furies of Greek myth, the '''Erinyes''' originate from the angels that left heaven alongside Asmodeus when Baator was being established. Others joined their ranks in later eons, all of them fallen angels. While most of them are female in form there are a few males amongst their number, with no difference being made between them. The gorgeous Erinyes stand apart from their fellow devils, their corrupted angelic arrogance making them see the souls of the damned as being beneath them. In turn the other Baatezu see the Erinyes as stuck up pretenders and usurpers of the title of devil. Still they are respected for their strength, cruelty and intelligence. Unique to the Erinyes, their promoted forms and unique female devils they are capable of becoming pregnant. Their children will always be Erinyes, and are raised in secret and well-guarded compounds. Because of their arrogance Erinyes often forego promotion to higher forms, instead opting to stay in their current, less powerful form.
* A '''Pleasure Devil''' is an improved form of the Erinyes. Even more beautiful, seductive and powerful than their previous forms, the Pleasure Devils do intend to advance to the rank of Pit Fiend. They are conniving and plotting as the other devils of their ranks, and will use their considerable skills to advance themselves. Brachina as they are sometimes called are sent to tempt those of particular virtue and goodness to the side of evil, using their wiles, bodies and spellcasting to get their way. Because of their unearthly beauty they are popular playthings amongst the highest ranking devils, discarded as quickly as selected. Because of this and the ambition of the Brachina they tend to spend a lot of time on the material plane so that they are in command, and not some other fiend.
* '''Abishai''' are the cruel servants of Tiamat. They are arrogant, even for draconic creatures; they consider themselves [[Bullshit|far above the rank of Tiamat's other servants]], including full-blooded dragons and the dragonspawn. They exist in several colors are very cruel, [[Skub|hate everyone not of their own kind]]. Souls that enter the Nine Hells under her control still become Lemures, but after that become Abishai, dragon-looking devils who tempt mortals to enter pacts with them, only to torture the mortal to the limit of their suffering. After the rank of Red Abishai they can continue to promote as normal, starting with becoming a Chain Devil, but almost all Abishai stop advancing at the rank of the Red Abishai.

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. In some versions, Archedevils include both the Archdukes, and the lesser Dukes and other unique devils. Each of them is a force to be reckoned with, commanding vast resources and armies of Baator. They all carry the blessing of Asmodeus in some way, which is very important: Asmodeus can withdraw his support at will and without explanation, as poor Moloch can attest. While the various lords have to deal with the machinations of their servants like all devils do, their greatest foes are their fellow lords, plotting and scheming against one another. In their high positions there are only two ways to gain a promotion: either by defeating one of their rivals and usurping their territories or overthrowing the Overlord of Hell himself, Asmodeus. Hence why Asmodeus never leaves the place that instantly kills anyone he doesn't want to be there, ignoring all defenses.

Devils who are powerful enough to gain a unique form but do not rule over a layer of hell are the Dukes or Duchesses ranked immediately below the Archdukes and a few other powerful devils who are the highest ranked servants of an Archduke.

== Dungeons & Dragons 4E ==
As with a lot of things, the Baatezu of [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition]] have in some ways changed dramatically and in other ways haven't changed at all. For starters, because this is now years after the [[Satanic Panic]] died down, the term "Baatezu" is no longer used; Devils are Devils, and the game even uses traditional AD&D names for the distinct races.

Their origins in this edition have changed, since 4e's cosmology no longer uses [[alignment]] as the end-all justification for anything's existence. 4e's devils are Fallen Angels - which is an entirely separate thing to being Evil Angels, as [[angel]]s in this edition are Unaligned and serve all deities equally, benevolent or malevolent. What this means is that devils are not merely "Angels who are Evil", it means that they are Angels who betrayed their patron deity and were cursed by it, corrupted into twisted reflections of what they once were.

The story is long and the threads differ depending on the source, but the ultimate tapestry remains the same; [[Asmodeus]] was once an [[Archangel]] serving under a benevolent deity, until he chose to betray his master. Maybe because of pride, maybe because of the manipulations of [[Pazuzu]], maybe because he meant well and saw his master failing in his efforts to contribute to the Dawn War. The end result was the same: Asmodeus descended into the newly created [[Abyss]] and achieved something that even the [[Demon Prince]]s had failed at - he found the Seed of Evil, the crystalized remains of the [[obyrith]]s' dead universe that had created the Abyss. Breaking off just a sliver of the Seed, also known as the Heart of the Abyss, he fashioned it into his Ruby Rod and used its power to become a god.

Incidentally, this is why the [[Blood War]] is fought in 4e; the demons are outraged that Asmodeus stole some of the Heart, whilst Asmodeus regrets not stealing even ''more'' and wants to get back down there to take some more. After all, if this tiny sliver made him so powerful, what would a larger hunk do?

Anyway, now brimming with power, Asmodeus manipulated most of his fellow angels into joining him as he murdered their former ruler. As the god died, though, he cursed them all, which had three effects. Firstly, it devastated the Dominion that Asmodeus had sought to claim, burning it into the blasted realm of [[Baator]]. Secondly, it wracked the Fallen Angels, corrupting them into hideously deformed mockeries of their former selves. Finally, it bound them all to Baator, rendering them prisoners in the wasteland that was they had sought to conquer.

This is why Asmodeus and his minions are so interested in claiming mortal souls. Beyond the fact they need souls to propagate themselves - unlike demons, who spontaneously arise from the stuff of the Abyss - it is through torturing the damned that they extract the magical energies they need to slowly wear away at the bindings that imprison them as a whole in Baator. Plus, getting summoned is, for many devils, their only chance of leaving Baator. As a result, devils compete with each other fiercely for who can accumulate the most souls for Hell, but all are united in accumulating souls and denying the gods their petitioners.

Who was the god they betrayed? Nobody knows anymore; Asmodeus has done his level best over the eons to erase all knowledge of that god, fearful that if somebody discovered his name, they could resurrect him, and he would be ''pissed'' with his former minions. He's only ever referred to as "He-Who-Was", and some suspect he might have been humanity's creator god. Like [[Zarus]], but not evil.

* '''Imp''' level 3 lurker
* '''Legion Devils''' compose Hell's armies, level 6-21 minions
* '''Spined Devil''' or Spinagon, level 6 skirmisher
* '''[[Succubus]]''' are devils in 4E not demons, level 9 controller
* '''Chain Devil''' or Kyton, level 11 skirmisher
* '''Bearded Devil''' or Barbazu, level 13 soldier
* '''Bone Devil''' or Osyluth, level 17 controller/leader
* '''Ice Devil''' or Gelugon, level 20 soldier
* '''War Devil''' or Malebranche, level 22 brute/leader
* '''Pit Fiend''' level 26 elite soldier/leader

== Dungeons & Dragons 5E ==
{|border=0 align=right cellspacing=0 cellpadding=1 style="margin: 1em; border: 2px solid black;"
|-
! Category || Rank || Form || Abishai
|-
| '''Least Devils''' || 1 || Lemure Nupperibo
|-
| '''Lesser Devils''' || 2 || Imp
|-
| || 3 || Spined Devil
|-
| || 4 || Bearded Devil Merregon
|-
| || 5 || Barbed Devil || White Abishai
|-
| || 6 || Chain Devil || Black Abishai
|-
| || 7 || Bone Devil
|-
| '''Greater Devils''' || 8 || Horned Devil Orthon
|-
| || 9 || Erinyes ||
|-
| || 10 || Ice Devil Narzugon || Green Abishai Blue Abishai
|-
| || 11 || Pit Fiend Amnizu || Red Abishai
|-
| '''Archdevils''' || 12 || Duke or Duchess
|-
| || 13 || Archduke or Archduchess
|}
In 5e the Hierarchy changed for the Devils.

==Pathfinder==
In Pathfinder the devils perform pretty much the same duty as in D&D. The difference is that they aren't called Baatezu or live in Baator, since those names are excluded by the [[Open Gaming License]]. Instead they're just devils who live in capital-H Hell. There are 20 different kinds of devils mentioned in the six Bestiaries that are released so far, ranging the whole garmut from CR1 to CR20. All the devils from the OGL like the Pit Fiend are included as well, though the Chain Devil has been [[Kyton| given its own subspecies]], because... well, bluntly, because ''someone'' over there is getting off on extreme body mod/BDSM stuff, have you ''seen'' [[Zon-Kuthon]]?

Bestiary 6 also lists the eight [[Archdevil]]s of Hell. They are Mythic level monsters with a CR in the 26-30 range. Aside from getting a whole slew of spell-like abilities, the use of the Miracle spell as befits their portfolio and +10 on Sense Motive checks, many of them also possess artifacts that are nigh impossible to destroy. I mean, the artifact of the weakest Archdevil can only be destroyed by exposing it to a truth spoken by an immortal which has only ever spoken lies, then cast into a magic portal with no entrance or destination. Many of the names of these Archdevils overlap with those of Baator with matching layers to rule, with a few calling back to earlier Lords of the Nine.

{{Pathfinder-Fiends}}
{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Baatezu

2020-08-16T00:10:44Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* The Hierarchy of Hell */

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[[Image:Baatezu Army.jpg|300px|thumb|right|No, not that kind of [[PROMOTIONS|Promotion]], at least, [[Monstergirl|probably not.]]]]
The [[Alignment|lawful evil]] badguys from another dimension, in [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 2nd edition. Formerly known as devils in the earlier editions, living in what was once called ''The Nine Hells''. This change was because of one-time CEO of [[TSR]] [[Lorraine Williams]], due to the events of the [[Satanic Panic]]. The term ''Baatezu'' is a [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|trademark of Wizards Of The Coast]], so you won't find them mentioned in any Open License products like the d20 SRD nor [[Pathfinder]]. Their home is now called "[[Baator]]", but each of the nine levels still has the same names from Dante's Inferno.

Baatezu represent the lawful side of evil: the concept that cruelty and malice should be distributed in an orderly and efficient fashion. Backstabbers, vicious politicians and cruel warlords can opt to become petitioners in the "nine hells". They fight the [[Blood War]] against the [[Tanar'ri]] at behest of [[Asmodeus]], the ruler of Baator.

Baatezu are not born as mortals are. While only the most powerful of devils can breed at all, most opt not to do so because a child is a dangerous rival and a potent tool for their enemies. Instead new devils are made from the tortured souls of the damned, who are reprocessed after an [[Grimdark|extensive period of torture]] to strip them of their individuality. These soul shells are then reprocessed and turned into Lemures, starting their new existence as Baatezu. Lemures who please their dark lords enough - through a combination of gathering corrupted souls, guile, defeating their enemies and their master's enemies - may be promoted to a Spinagon, a grotesque, spiny gargoyle-esque monster. From stage to stage, devils begin looking more and more like their horrible masters, with the process being detailed more just below.

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so there is no longer any distinction between Baatezu and non-Baatezu devils (which included [[Imp]]s, [[Kyton]]s, and a few other less known devils).

==The Hierarchy of Hell==
Baatezu are Lawful to a fault. They are masters of forming contracts that give themselves as many loopholes to exploit as possible, while bringing those for the other party down to zero. If a devil turns out to be clever, powerful, deceitful, lucky and sycophantic enough they may be promoted in an agonising ritual that grows a miniature fetal version of the new form inside of the devil, eventually bursting out in a grotesque and agonizing display. If a subject however fails its master, is betrayed in some way or if the master needs the energy that is released when doing so, a baatezu can be demoted back into a lesser form - which is a great humilitation for a devil.

All the various forms are part of a ranked hierarchy: the higher up the more powerful a devil is. Devils can only be promoted and demoted by their direct superiors, so it is not possible for rival devils to demote all of their rivals' servants or promote themselves to increase in power. As mentioned before, there is only so much power around to promote devils, gathered from souls. If a "drought" of sorts were to befall an area, high-ranking devils would be more stringent with their promotions or even demote their followers to reallocate resources: the latter is a powerful motivator for all devils to keep corrupting souls.

{|border=0 align=right cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 style="margin: 1em; border: 2px solid black;"
|-
! Category || Rank || Form || Punishment || Fallen Angels || Abishai
|-
| '''Least Devils''' || 1 || Lemure
|-
| || 2 || Legion Devil, Advespa|| Nupperibo || || White Abishai
|-
| || 3 || Spined Devil || || || Black Abishai
|-
| '''Lesser Devils''' || 4 || Bearded Devil, Narzugon || || || Green Abishai
|-
| || 5 || Imp || || || Blue Abishai
|-
| || 6 || Steel Devil || Gulthir || || Red Abishai
|-
| || 7 || Chain Devil
|-
| || 8 || Harvester Devil, Pain Devil || || Erinyes
|-
| || 9 || Amnizu
|-
| '''Greater Devils''' || 10 || Bone Devil, Orthon || Malebranche
|-
| || 11 || Barbed Devil
|-
| || 12 || Ice Devil || Xerfilstyx
|-
| || 13 || Logokron, Remmanon, Horned Devil, || || Pleasure Devil
|-
| || 14 || Assassin Devil
|-
| || 15 || Paeliryon
|-
| || 16 || Pit Fiend
|-
| '''Archdevils''' || 17 || (unique forms)
|-
| || Archduke || (unique forms)
|-
| || King || [[Asmodeus]]
|}

A few of the forms in the hierarchy are not part of the regular advancement. The wretched Nupperibo is the result of a demotion of a higher-ranking devil (from 3.5 onwards at least, see below), though it still outranks the lowly Lemures. However, it is skipped in the regular progrssion and is a form used as punishment, as are the Malebranche and the Xerfilstyx.

The Erinyes are an unusual group. Instead of being created from soul shells they are either fallen angels turned into their current form or born from another Erinyes. The most powerful of the Erinyes can be promoted to the rank of Brachina, or Pleasure Devil. These creatures are alluring seductresses and are ruthless in their searches for advancing to the highest ranks of devilkind. But because the step between Erinyes and Brachina is so big, only the most accomplished of Erinyes can be promoted to this rank.

Finally there are the Abishai. They are beholden to [[Tiamat]], who lives on the first layer of Baator.

==The Devils' Many Forms==
As they progress through the ranks Baatezu change into new forms: stronger, cleverer, more magical and so on. While some details might differ a higher ranking Devil is always more dangerous than its last form in some way or shape. Baatezu is the name the devils use for themselves: to make it more confusing it is also a creature subtype. All Baatezu devils have the following abilities: immunity to fire, immunity to poison, cold resist 20, acid resist 20, can see in total darkness including magical darkness, telepathic communication 100ft.

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* '''Merregons''' or '''Legion Devils''' are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* '''Advespas''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spinagon''' or '''Spined Devil''' is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' or '''[[Neckbeard|Bearded Devils]]''' are often employed as shock troops for powerful fiends. Bearded Devils are aggressive and revel in fighting, where they swing their powerful glaives with skill. So much in fact that if they land a hit the wound will fester until attended to by either a skilled healer or a powerful healing spell is used, and even then the wound is difficult to treat. A Barbazu's beard can inflict a powerful disease upon a foe, infecting them with Devil Chills which saps away their strength. The disease has a short incubation period and lasts a lifetime when untreated, however short or long that may be. Bearded Devils can also burst into fits of frenzy, cutting through enemies in a way much like a raging [[Barbarian]] would.
* '''[[Imp]]s''' are not actually Baatezu for some reason but are still part of the hierarchy of hell. They are small and weak so instead of fighting they prefer to try and tempt people into evil, laying claim to their souls if they manage to do so. Imps are cowardly and stay away from fights but they are willing to sting with their tails if the opportunity to do so arises.
** The 3rd edition [[Fiend Folio]] details three variant imps. '''Bloodbag Imps''' have blood that heals people that drink it, making them the medics of hell, and they can also cast a curse that worsens bleeding from wounds. '''Euphoric Imps''' are living drug dispensers with venom that causes hallucinations, which they like to use on themselves. '''Filth Imps''' are outcasts from hell due to their horrible smell and often find work on the material plane using their talent for languages and codes.
* '''Bueroza''' or '''Steel Devils''' are powerful warriors, fighting on the front lines of the wars of Hell: either in the Blood Wars or against the armies of fellow devils. These Bueroza take the shapes of humanoids in heavy steel armor, covered in cobwebs and dust. While they can strike with enough force to send an enemy reeling, their strength comes from them gaining bonuses from fighting in ranks with their fellow Bueroza, becoming swifter and more durable as they fight. Their most potent ability is their chanting: a horrible shrieking that debilitates enemy casters and makes it more difficult for them to cast spells, making them easy prey for the Steel Devils.
* '''[[Kyton]]s''' or '''Chain Devils''' are another member of the hierarchy that are considered to be devils but not Baatezu in 3rd edition. They resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain, which they can swing around in deadly fashion to tear at their prey in horrible ways. They are adept at metalworking and can magically control chains in their range, causing them to attack anyone at will. While it is possible to break a Kyton's control of an animated chain, they will not let go without a fight. Chain Devils can change their visage to resemble that of someone's loved ones or hated enemies, stunning a target. They can also regenerate parts of their bodies that were cut off. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''Falxugons''' or '''Harvester Devils''' are often found in the material planes where they offer mortals contracts of power, wealth and other such things in exchange for their souls. They lurk in sewers, at crossroads at midnight, in back rooms of corrupt businesses or serving as courtiers to nobility. Any who approach them can ask for an infernal pact: anything they want for the price of their undying soul. They are not powerful combatants; while they carry blades that will instill a curse upon anyone that forces them to strike a good creature. Instead they will try to escape when entering combat, trying to find someone else to tempt with their contracts. But they cannot be killed unless the devil ''starts'' the fight: for some strange reason the Falxugon are protected by [[Plot Armor|powerful magic]] that remains in place unless they strike someone first. They look like mostly humanoid beings but with horns, tails and hooves, and tend to go dressed in expensive clothing.
* '''Excruciarchs''' or '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''Styx Devils''' or '''Amnizus''' are the bureaucrats of hell. They record the soul shells that enter Baator, stand guard at the portals to and from the plane and record all who go through, often extorting them out of their valuables. Amnizu are particularly ambitious and try their best to improve their lot in life, working their way up the ranks through politics, intrigue and assassination. They are also tasked with hunting down fugitives, something they take much pleasure in. When facing an enemy that they cannot defeat on their own without any significant risk to them they will send their minions to deal with the target. When they can fight, an Amnizu prefers to take wing and strike targets with their [[Derp|intelligence-damaging]] touch.
* '''Osyluths''' or '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or '''Hell Knights''' are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''Hamatula''' or '''Barbed Devils''' serve as the guards and bodyguards of Hell. They are tall and covered in spikes, hitting all that come too close to them. Fighting a Hamatula in close range will always result in the devil using its many spikes to stab or even impale an enemy that comes too close to them. They possess some magical ability, being able to cast Hold Person so they can use their impale attacks at their leisure.
** A '''Stony Devil''' is an upgraded form of a Hamatula. They gain more abilities and their bodies are now stone-like.
* '''Gelugons''' or '''Ice Devils''', are commanders of the armed forces of hell. They prefer to avoid direct battle if possible. They are quite tall and look something like white devilish ants, often carrying large spears. Striking with its spear will cause a powerful numbing effect on a target, making it an easy prey for either the Ice Devil itself or one of its servants. They can cast several spells as well, most of which are ice-based.
* '''Logokrons''', are devils that wield [[Truenamer]] magic, which would be a lot scarier if the Truenamer wasn't the worst class in the game. A Logokron is a four-armed devil that wears armor and wields two halberds at once, and has a long tongue with symbols tattooed on it which are painful to look at.
* '''Remmanons''' are devils who love to spread conflict and are masters of manipulation and seduction. A Remmanon looks like a floating naked hairless horned man with barbed and hooked wires and other peircings hanging off its body which small pieces of paper with the names of mortals it has made deals with attached to them. A Remmanon has a telepathic aura that causes enemies around it to become confused and attack each other while making itself and its allies stronger against enemies affected by it.
* '''Cornugon''' or '''Malebranche''' (depending on the edition) or '''Horned Devils''' are powerful creatures, serving as the elite soldiers of Baator. It is a large scaled fiend with huge wings, often carrying spiked chains. They can use these weapons to deliver blows powerful enough to stun a target, and they can use their tails to cause dangerous persistent wounds. The Cornugon also possess magical abilities and can regenerate.
* '''Dogai''' or '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''Paeliryon''' or '''Corruption Devil''' is an information broker, trading knowledge for hefty sums of money, souls or other information. They are putrid creatures who dwell in comfort, opulence and excess, often bathing in disgusting pools and eating the finest of foods. They are some of the most powerful creatures in Baator, and not just because of its personal power. A Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

===Other Promotions within the Hierarchy===
* '''Nupperibo''' are bloated, ugly creatures used as base servitors in Hell. Used as a punishment for low-ranking devils, Nupperibo are slow, blind, deaf, and unthreatening compared to other devils and fight without any kind of finesse. Yet they are used for frontline warfare in the Blood War, as cannon fodder. As such they are rarely promoted back to their former form because of the high mortality rate. Nupperibo are possibly more useful to the rivals of their superiors than to their superiors themselves. By stealing one of these fiends from its master and changing it back the devil might have important information about its master, and might even help its new master get revenge on the old one.
**At least, that's what they are from 3.5 onwards. Prior to that, they weren't even Baatezu. See normally, a Maggot just stays a Maggot until some devil either needs a Lemure or gets hungnry. But sometimes, one of them would randomly evolve into a Nupperibo. The Baatezu would herd these things and demote them back into Maggots so as to immediately promote them into Lemures, since in those editions nupperibos were the Lemure-equivalent rank of entities called "True Baatorans," which were the inhabiants of Baator before Asmodeus came to power. The idea of these things returning scares the piss out of every last baatezu. Some sources said that the baatezu were so thorough that no nupperibo ever evolved further, but other sources said there were tales of a scant few being lucky enough to do so, taking on strange forms resembling ones imprisoned in the ice of [[Baator|Stygia]].
***Reconned again in 5th edition. Now they are simply formed from the souls of people who were too lazy in their mortal life to be worthy of promotion to a higher form.
* The '''Gulthir''' is another punishment only rank. A gulthir is a large size creature resembling a giant zombie that can swallow anything smaller than itself whole. The slime that fills its stomach allows it to control the minds of creatures it swallows, so it can spit them out as temporary minions until they make their save or their eyes are washed with holy water. And if the creature it swallows is another evil outsider, it can instantly digest them to strengthen itself temporarily, or it can instead slowly digest the victim to convert them into another Gulthir. These abilities make gulthirs very useful as enforces as other devils are terrified of being digested by or turned into a gulthir as punishment, and gulthirs hate their form and are desperate to get promoted again, making them very loyal to whatever master they serve.
* The form of the '''Malebranche''' or '''War Devil''' are used to punish fiends, yet allow them to keep fighting for their masters. They are deadly in combat and use their massive ranseurs to strike with great force. In some editions a Malebranche and a Horned Devil are the same thing.
* '''Xerfilstyx''' are some of the most pitiable creatures in Hell. Shaped like bloated slug-devils they live in the depths of the river Styx, stripping them of all their memories. The constant exposure to the Styx has driven them insane, with the creatures finding only some solace in the memories of the lost that gather at the bottom of the river. It is nearly impossible for a Xerfilstyx to be promoted back to a higher rank because of its insanity and it being bound to the Styx.
* Based on the Furies of Greek myth, the '''Erinyes''' originate from the angels that left heaven alongside Asmodeus when Baator was being established. Others joined their ranks in later eons, all of them fallen angels. While most of them are female in form there are a few males amongst their number, with no difference being made between them. The gorgeous Erinyes stand apart from their fellow devils, their corrupted angelic arrogance making them see the souls of the damned as being beneath them. In turn the other Baatezu see the Erinyes as stuck up pretenders and usurpers of the title of devil. Still they are respected for their strength, cruelty and intelligence. Unique to the Erinyes, their promoted forms and unique female devils they are capable of becoming pregnant. Their children will always be Erinyes, and are raised in secret and well-guarded compounds. Because of their arrogance Erinyes often forego promotion to higher forms, instead opting to stay in their current, less powerful form.
* A '''Pleasure Devil''' is an improved form of the Erinyes. Even more beautiful, seductive and powerful than their previous forms, the Pleasure Devils do intend to advance to the rank of Pit Fiend. They are conniving and plotting as the other devils of their ranks, and will use their considerable skills to advance themselves. Brachina as they are sometimes called are sent to tempt those of particular virtue and goodness to the side of evil, using their wiles, bodies and spellcasting to get their way. Because of their unearthly beauty they are popular playthings amongst the highest ranking devils, discarded as quickly as selected. Because of this and the ambition of the Brachina they tend to spend a lot of time on the material plane so that they are in command, and not some other fiend.
* '''Abishai''' are the cruel servants of Tiamat. They are arrogant, even for draconic creatures; they consider themselves [[Bullshit|far above the rank of Tiamat's other servants]], including full-blooded dragons and the dragonspawn. They exist in several colors are very cruel, [[Skub|hate everyone not of their own kind]]. Souls that enter the Nine Hells under her control still become Lemures, but after that become Abishai, dragon-looking devils who tempt mortals to enter pacts with them, only to torture the mortal to the limit of their suffering. After the rank of Red Abishai they can continue to promote as normal, starting with becoming a Chain Devil, but almost all Abishai stop advancing at the rank of the Red Abishai.

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. In some versions, Archedevils include both the Archdukes, and the lesser Dukes and other unique devils. Each of them is a force to be reckoned with, commanding vast resources and armies of Baator. They all carry the blessing of Asmodeus in some way, which is very important: Asmodeus can withdraw his support at will and without explanation, as poor Moloch can attest. While the various lords have to deal with the machinations of their servants like all devils do, their greatest foes are their fellow lords, plotting and scheming against one another. In their high positions there are only two ways to gain a promotion: either by defeating one of their rivals and usurping their territories or overthrowing the Overlord of Hell himself, Asmodeus. Hence why Asmodeus never leaves the place that instantly kills anyone he doesn't want to be there, ignoring all defenses.

Devils who are powerful enough to gain a unique form but do not rule over a layer of hell are the Dukes or Duchesses ranked immediately below the Archdukes and a few other powerful devils who are the highest ranked servants of an Archduke.

== Dungeons & Dragons 4E ==
As with a lot of things, the Baatezu of [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition]] have in some ways changed dramatically and in other ways haven't changed at all. For starters, because this is now years after the [[Satanic Panic]] died down, the term "Baatezu" is no longer used; Devils are Devils, and the game even uses traditional AD&D names for the distinct races.

Their origins in this edition have changed, since 4e's cosmology no longer uses [[alignment]] as the end-all justification for anything's existence. 4e's devils are Fallen Angels - which is an entirely separate thing to being Evil Angels, as [[angel]]s in this edition are Unaligned and serve all deities equally, benevolent or malevolent. What this means is that devils are not merely "Angels who are Evil", it means that they are Angels who betrayed their patron deity and were cursed by it, corrupted into twisted reflections of what they once were.

The story is long and the threads differ depending on the source, but the ultimate tapestry remains the same; [[Asmodeus]] was once an [[Archangel]] serving under a benevolent deity, until he chose to betray his master. Maybe because of pride, maybe because of the manipulations of [[Pazuzu]], maybe because he meant well and saw his master failing in his efforts to contribute to the Dawn War. The end result was the same: Asmodeus descended into the newly created [[Abyss]] and achieved something that even the [[Demon Prince]]s had failed at - he found the Seed of Evil, the crystalized remains of the [[obyrith]]s' dead universe that had created the Abyss. Breaking off just a sliver of the Seed, also known as the Heart of the Abyss, he fashioned it into his Ruby Rod and used its power to become a god.

Incidentally, this is why the [[Blood War]] is fought in 4e; the demons are outraged that Asmodeus stole some of the Heart, whilst Asmodeus regrets not stealing even ''more'' and wants to get back down there to take some more. After all, if this tiny sliver made him so powerful, what would a larger hunk do?

Anyway, now brimming with power, Asmodeus manipulated most of his fellow angels into joining him as he murdered their former ruler. As the god died, though, he cursed them all, which had three effects. Firstly, it devastated the Dominion that Asmodeus had sought to claim, burning it into the blasted realm of [[Baator]]. Secondly, it wracked the Fallen Angels, corrupting them into hideously deformed mockeries of their former selves. Finally, it bound them all to Baator, rendering them prisoners in the wasteland that was they had sought to conquer.

This is why Asmodeus and his minions are so interested in claiming mortal souls. Beyond the fact they need souls to propagate themselves - unlike demons, who spontaneously arise from the stuff of the Abyss - it is through torturing the damned that they extract the magical energies they need to slowly wear away at the bindings that imprison them as a whole in Baator. Plus, getting summoned is, for many devils, their only chance of leaving Baator. As a result, devils compete with each other fiercely for who can accumulate the most souls for Hell, but all are united in accumulating souls and denying the gods their petitioners.

Who was the god they betrayed? Nobody knows anymore; Asmodeus has done his level best over the eons to erase all knowledge of that god, fearful that if somebody discovered his name, they could resurrect him, and he would be ''pissed'' with his former minions. He's only ever referred to as "He-Who-Was", and some suspect he might have been humanity's creator god. Like [[Zarus]], but not evil.

* '''Imp''' level 3 lurker
* '''Legion Devils''' compose Hell's armies, level 6-21 minions
* '''Spined Devil''' or Spinagon, level 6 skirmisher
* '''[[Succubus]]''' are devils in 4E not demons, level 9 controller
* '''Chain Devil''' or Kyton, level 11 skirmisher
* '''Bearded Devil''' or Barbazu, level 13 soldier
* '''Bone Devil''' or Osyluth, level 17 controller/leader
* '''Ice Devil''' or Gelugon, level 20 soldier
* '''War Devil''' or Malebranche, level 22 brute/leader
* '''Pit Fiend''' level 26 elite soldier/leader

== Dungeons & Dragons 5E ==
{|border=0 align=right cellspacing=0 cellpadding=1 style="margin: 1em; border: 2px solid black;"
|-
! Category || Rank || Form || Abishai
|-
| '''Least Devils''' || 1 || Lemure Nupperibo
|-
| '''Lesser Devils''' || 2 || Imp
|-
| || 3 || Spined Devil
|-
| || 4 || Bearded Devil Merregon
|-
| || 5 || Barbed Devil || White Abishai
|-
| || 6 || Chain Devil || Black Abishai
|-
| || 7 || Bone Devil
|-
| '''Greater Devils''' || 8 || Horned Devil Orthon
|-
| || 9 || Erinyes ||
|-
| || 10 || Ice Devil Narzugon || Green Abishai Blue Abishai
|-
| || 11 || Pit Fiend Amnizu || Red Abishai
|-
| '''Archdevils''' || 12 || Duke or Duchess
|-
| || 13 || Archduke or Archduchess
|}
In 5e the Hierarchy changed for the Devils.

==Pathfinder==
In Pathfinder the devils perform pretty much the same duty as in D&D. The difference is that they aren't called Baatezu or live in Baator, since those names are excluded by the [[Open Gaming License]]. Instead they're just devils who live in capital-H Hell. There are 20 different kinds of devils mentioned in the six Bestiaries that are released so far, ranging the whole garmut from CR1 to CR20. All the devils from the OGL like the Pit Fiend are included as well, though the Chain Devil has been [[Kyton| given its own subspecies]], because... well, bluntly, because ''someone'' over there is getting off on extreme body mod/BDSM stuff, have you ''seen'' [[Zon-Kuthon]]?

Bestiary 6 also lists the eight [[Archdevil]]s of Hell. They are Mythic level monsters with a CR in the 26-30 range. Aside from getting a whole slew of spell-like abilities, the use of the Miracle spell as befits their portfolio and +10 on Sense Motive checks, many of them also possess artifacts that are nigh impossible to destroy. I mean, the artifact of the weakest Archdevil can only be destroyed by exposing it to a truth spoken by an immortal which has only ever spoken lies, then cast into a magic portal with no entrance or destination. Many of the names of these Archdevils overlap with those of Baator with matching layers to rule, with a few calling back to earlier Lords of the Nine.

{{Pathfinder-Fiends}}
{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Approved Anime

2020-08-15T23:26:46Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Comedy */

This is a list of [[/tg/]] '''approved [[anime]]''', organized loosely into genres. For /tg/-approved manga, [[manga|go here]].

= Before you add anything...'''READ THIS''' =

''/tg/ likes its anime, but if we listed every single one that could be interpreted as being /tg/-related this article would be large enough to be its own wiki. So before you add in a new title, ask yourself these questions:''

* Is it a licensed material from a traditional game? (If yes, add it right now, no questions asked. And homebrews don't count- it has to be a real, established game.)

* Does it feature traditional gaming? (If it's an important part of the show, add it.)

* Is it fantasy or sci-fi? (We have a huge boner for that, but explain how it's relevant first.)

* Does it cater to our demographic? Fa/tg/uys tend to be males in their 20s. (Again, see if it fits the other criteria well enough.)

* Does /tg/ talk about it a lot, or does it have some historical relevance to /tg/? (Like the one directly above, it's not enough on its own, but it might get a pass if it fits more criteria.)

* Is this just /a/'s flavor of the month bleeding over into /tg/? (NO. Your addition will likely be reverted, so don't bother. As a general rule wait a few months after it shows up.)

Add important details (e.g. tv series or OVA, number of episodes or movies) in brackets. Furthermore, follow the formatting in general, we beg you. Also keep in mind that anime gets adapted from manga far more often then cartoons in the west get adapted from comics, so there is liable to be overlap with the "approved manga" page linked above.

=Genres=
== Action ==
*'''''[[Fist of the North Star]]''''': The singular manliest show ever made. Slap together Mad Max and a ruthless, hyper-violent Bruce Lee, and that should help explain how this show became the legend it is today. ['''READ THE MANGA'''][TV series: 152 episodes + 1 movie, OVA series: 3 episodes, Spin-Off series: 12 episodes + 4 OVAs]

:Related games: ''Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game'', playing a [[monk]] in [[D&D]], [[Dark Sun]]

*'''''[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]]''''': The singular manliest ''and'' most FABULOUS! show ever made. Unreasonably beautiful men with weirdly convoluted superpowers hunt vampires. Hop in the car, loser, we're going posing. ['''READ THE MANGA'''][OVA series: 13 episodes + 1 movie, TV series: 74 episodes and counting] Referenced in [[TTS]], so you know it's good.

:Related games: [[Mutants and Masterminds]], [[FATE]], low-level [[Exalted]], [[The Ballad of Edgardo]]

*'''''Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann''''': The singular [[Ork]]iest show ever made. Starts out with human rebels on looted mechs fighting bio-engineered beastmen, gets progressively more and more out of hand. Exceedingly, gloriously out of hand. Surprisingly well-written and philosophical below the pumped up appearance. Steve Blum also voices a queer guy, no joke. Notable for the fact that by the final episode the main characters achieve Enuff [[Dakka]] by shooting at EVERY POINT IN SPACE AND ACROSS TIME. [TV series: 27 episodes + 2 movies + 15 shorts + 1 sexy ass music-video]

:Related games: [[Mekton]], [[Toon]]

*'''''Hunter x Hunter''''': <s>Two shota boys fighting dudes.</s> In all seriousness, there are four major characters introduced in the series: Gon, the country raised kid who wants to find his awesome dad (shota #1); Killua, the young assassin raised in an assassin family who wants to befriend Gon just to escape his assassin duty (shota #2); Kurapika, the last of <s>her</s> his clan of [[psyker|special humans]], seeking vengeance against the super-strong psychopaths that killed them; and Leorio, who's the weakest of the group (in the anime, anyways) but wields THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP! ''HxH'' builds worlds like ''One Piece'', which is a huge commendation. It also created somewhat balanced and unique [[stat|power/class/level system]] called "nen", a downright rare accomplishment in a genre of [[meme|OVER 9000]] nonsense. [TV series: 62 episodes + 30 OVAs; Reboot: 148 episodes + 2 movies]

:Related games: [[FATE]], [[Exalted]], [[Quest thread|quests, quests, quests]]

*'''''Dragon Ball & Dragon Ball Z''''': Not initially thought to be /tg/ related, /tg/ is now getting shit done and writing an RPG in a similar fashion to how Adeptus Evangelion suddenly appeared. (There's also the cash-in RPG, if that counts.) They both share an entry since they're essentially just part 1 and 2 of the same story. Among THE most popular anime to ever exist, it goes from "Journey to the West" pastiche fantasy adventure to science fiction aliens and space gods. ['''READ THE MANGA'''] [Original TV series: 153 episodes + 3 movies, Z/GT/Super series: 397 episodes + 4 specials + 2 OVAs + 16 movies]

:Related games: [[Legends of the Wulin]], [[Exalted]], [[Dragon Ball PNP RPG|Dragon Ball Z: The Anime Adventure Game]]

*'''''Legend of the Galactic Heroes''''': Space Prussia fights Space France/America in one of the longest running debates on the relative merits of Dictatorship and Republicanism ever written. Aside from the 19th century army tactics IN SPACE, it is well regarded for the enormous amount of very well-written characters and an even-more-bloody disregard for the lives of said characters than GRRM. To sum it all up, grand and gruesome galactic battles rivaling 40K in scale, manly marines hacking others to bits, and Kaiser Reinhard (who's like a combination of Napoleon and Alexander the Great). Also quite possibly the single most screencapped anime on /tg/ for its wealth of brilliant monologues. The anime is actually an adaptation of a series of books from the early 1980's that are now available in english. Technology level is basically Traveller to a T. [OVA series: '''162''' episodes + 3 movies]
:Related games: [[Traveller]], [[GURPS|GURPS Space]], Full Thrust, [[Battlefleet Gothic]]

*'''''One Punch Man''''': The adventures of an in-universe [[Muscle Wizard]] superhero who can literally take down anything (ANY-FUCKING-THING) with a single, low-effort punch. Naturally, he's bored shitless and only seeks a worthy fight. An instant classic despite its anaemic twelve episodes thanks to its sense of humour, surprisingly smart character and genre writing, and utterly off-the-fucking-wall levels of batshit insane action -some of which gives even [[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure|JoJo]] and Gurren Lagann a run for their money. Also a great lesson in writing an OP character without sacrificing fun. [TV Series: 24 episodes + 9 OVAs and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atxYe-nOa9w| one fucking badass opening theme]].

:Related games: Playing an epic-level character in D&D (especially a monk), most superhero RPGs.

*'''''My Hero Academia''''': Take X-Men. Make almost everybody a mutant, but give most people [[Fail|mediocre]] or incredibly specific powers. Then make Xavier's school an actual school for learning how to use your powers. That's My Hero Academia, the anime that launched over 9000 low-PL Mutants and Masterminds games. While the general plot is a standard "audience surrogate claws his way to the top" affair, it's still achieved widespread acclaim on both /co/ and /tg/ for avoiding the traps that make most shonenshit and capeshit insufferable, putting a reasonable amount of thought into how large numbers of people with superpowers would affect society and focusing on relatively tame and limited powers applied creatively over cheesy super-kill-everything moves, which makes it a goldmine for anyone looking to run their own supers game. [[Warhammer High|One of the side characters also looks like a Daemonette, which has got to count for something.]] [TV series: 38 episodes and counting + 2 OVAs + 1 movie]
:Related games: [[Mutants and Masterminds]] or any other superhero game with a flexible powers system

*'''''Samurai Champloo''''': A show about two samurai with completely differing fighting styles being forced together along with a token female to fight for their personal goals. Combines crazy fight sequences with a very [[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader|80's]]-style feel, along with quite a few moments of both [[Noblebright|slapstick]] and [[Grimdark|gallows]] humor. [TV series: 26 episodes]

:Related games: [[L5R]], Derailed [[D&D]] quests, [[Matt Ward|allying]] [[Necrons]], [[Blood Angels]], and [[Tau]] in a game of Warhammer

*'''''Youjo Senki - Saga of Tanya the Evil''''' ''(My Little Nazi)'': Strike Witches if it was actually about war instead of lesbians. A high functioning sociopath salary-man is murdered by one of his disgruntled former employees and gets reincarnated into alt-fantasy 1910s Germany as the smuggest of [[Loli|lolis]]. Follows the general rhythms of the 21st-century-wargame-nerd-gets-transported-back-in-time genre, with the twist that God is actively fucking with Tanya to ruin all her carefully-planned attempts to escape the war and lead a cushy rear echelon life. While the premise may sound silly, the military action and writing are good enough to make it work. Tanya is more likable by miles than the stuffed-shirt protagonists of [[Isekai|similar shows]], despite a level of sociopathy that should make her the automatic villain. This makes her a wonderful inspiration for anyone who wants to play a Lawful Evil character with a personality beyond "rule the world with an iron fist." If you want frequent comedic misunderstandings, read the manga. If you want a bunch of elaborate explanations read the light novel. Also contains a fair amount of background for using modern concepts in WW1 for those GMs who have to live Darth and Droids/DM of the Rings on a weekly basis. [TV series: 12 episodes + 1 movie]

:Related games: [[Magical Burst]], [[GURPS]] Infinite Worlds, [[Only War]], Torg

*'''''Blood Blockade Battlefront''''': A portal to another dimension opens in the middle of New York, transforming it in a combination of the two worlds. The city is renamed Hellsalem's Lot and become inhabited by both humans and the so-called beyonders. The series follow the members of Lybra, a clandestine organization made of people with special abilities that protect the city, and prevent lunacy from affecting the rest of the world. Special mention to Lybra's leader, Klaus Von Reinherz, a guy with looks and the strength of an ogre, the demeanor of a true gentlemen, and attacks with [[awesome|giant crosses of destruction made with his own blood and created through manly punches]]. As an added /tg/ bonus, one episode revolves around a boardgame called Prosfair, which is basically what you would get if [[Tzeentch]] decided to write homebrew rules for [[Chess]]. [TV series: 12 episodes + 1 OVA]
**'''''Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond''''': Sequel continuing the story. [TV series: 12 episodes]

:Related games: [[Esoterrorists]], [[World of Darkness]], [[Chess]]

*'''FLCL''': Have you ever asked yourself what a [[Noblebright]] Evangelion might look like? Well, FLCL is the result of this. Many consider FLCL to be the "Anti-Evangelion" of sorts, alongside Gunbuster and Tengen Toppa Gurren Laggan, but this doesn't mean fans of Evangelion can't enjoy it. The term is used because while Evangelion mindrapes you into being horrified, FLCL mindrapes you into laughing out loud and feeling [[Dawww|fuzzy]] all over yourself. Long Story short, a small boy, Naota, meets an alien girl and giant robots [[what|start appearing out of his head]]. From there on, many unusual and surreal events happen in his town, leading to bizarre and hilarious antics with him, his family and friends, and a surprisingly great "Coming of Age" story that completes all of this. And the robot/mecha designs are cool as hell and can inspire some great Mecha designs (Even [[Ork Snipers|if they don’t make any sense]]) (TV series: 6 episodes. Has 2 sequel seasons, but [[skub|they are more divisive than the original]])

:Related games: [[Lancer]] (If it snorted even more coke before being created)

== Comedy ==
*'''''Haiyore! Nyaruko-san''''': 2009 flash animations, [http://www.crunchyroll.com/nyarko-san-another-crawling-chaos still on crunchyroll.] [Web series: 21 shorts.]
**'''''Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos''''': A 2012 anime, it's one of those wacky highschool comedy bits that Japan shits out every season, except starring [[H.P. Lovecraft|Nyarlathotep]]. Yes, seriously. Pop culture references, [[/d/]]eviance, [[Sanity|SAN]] loss (complete with official-format [[Call of Cthulhu]] character sheets), and gratuitous rape of canon ensue. [[Butthurt|"She's an eldritch abomination, not your waifu!"]] [TV series: 24 episodes + 3 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Call of Cthulhu]] (barely), [[Maid RPG]]

*'''''Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!''''' (''KonoSuba''): A 2016 parody of the [[isekai]] meme that hit flavor-of-the-month status after the anime adaptation hit Crunchyroll. The main character dies and gets reincarnated into a generic fantasy world *yawn*, but he ends up with an incredibly un-[[Powergamer|optimized]] party of dumbasses. Starting with "the weakest" generic Adventurer class which lets him copy abilities from other classes, he's joined by a brain-dead goddess whose powers in the mortal realm are limited to being a Archpriest, which is a very powerful class, but [[Derp|spends most of her skill points on party tricks,]] a Wizard who can only cast ''one'' spell per day because [[Munchkin|she absolutely refuses to learn anything other than the top-tier attack spell]], and a Crusader who's [[Magical realm|built as a pure meatshield because she's a hardcore masochist]] and is so clumsy she rarely hits anything with her sword. They're also sometimes joined by a [[wat|big-tittied lich]] who is actually competent and much higher level than the rest of the party but keeps getting nearly purged by the priest due to being undead. It resembles a group of new players stumbling though their first RPG campaign, run by an experienced GM who is laughing his ass off. Now getting a dub(it's here), so be prepared for mistranslated memes to be quoted ad nauseam. [TV series: 20 episodes + 2 OVAs + 1 film]

:Related games: [[World of Warcraft|MMORPGs]], [[Dungeon World]], [[Knights Of The Dinner Table]]

*'''''[[Life With Monstergirls|Everyday Life with Monster Girls]]''''': A 2015 anime that tickles the fancy of anyone who claims /tg/ can become /d/-lite-ful in the wee hours of a Saturday morning. [[Monstergirls]] everywhere, in glorious full-color animation. The manga this is based off of had a few brain cells and funny bones to rub together as well; expect to love or hate slaking your thirst for waifu herein. The manga is also a goldmine of reaction images. Be warned: this is an ecchi show, so the artist gets as close as he can to actual sex without the sex, thus stringing along the wallets of horny otaku without losing the support of high-profile publishers. [[Games Workshop|So you should be right at home.]] Also expect older /d/eviants to call you a faggot if you like this series, thanks to its comparative tameness and the number of lightweights who only discovered monstergirls when this series stripped out the [[/d/|"weird"]] and then get triggered by something like [[Mon Musu Quest!]] If you want to see actual boinking, the original author had some webcomics about monstergirls he made under the same name before the manga and anime; [[Weeaboo|weeaboos]] collectively call them '''Daily Life with Monster Girls''' to avoid confusion. [TV series: 12 episodes + 2 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Dungeons and Dragons]] PC race expansions, [[Mon Musu Quest!]] (barely), [[Maid RPG]], [[Quest thread|quests, quests, quests]]

== Fantasy ==
*'''''[[Record of Lodoss War]]''''': Particularly noteworthy because it actually started life series of role-playing game sessions (Basic edition D&D!) that were turned into novels and then an Anime, that alone gives it major points. Sometimes known as [[meme|''Record of Loads of War'']]. Plot wise it's a bit cliché, but it is still well regarded. [OVA series: 13 episodes + 27 TV episodes]
**The same setting has two less famous anime titles: '''''Legend of Crystania''''' and '''''Rune Soldier'''''

:Related Games: [[Dungeons & Dragons]] (Basic), Sword World (1st edition)

*'''''Fullmetal Alchemist''''': Forever among the ranks of the most popular anime EVER (and maybe the best, too, but you know, [[Skub]]), it has a young alchemist trying to recover both his missing limbs (his right arm and left leg) and his brother's ENTIRE BODY, which were lost following an alchemy accident where they attempt to [[Grimdark|revive their mother]]. The story eventually diverges from the manga to the point of characters having completely different roles in the story and which is polarizing when compared with the later series. Which one of the two adaptations is better is a [[Skub|massive controversy]]. Those who have read the manga first will despise this adaptation because it only superficially follows the manga (also because they kept making the story up as the anime progressed as the manga had not been fully released). But a lot of people who didn't read the manga first think that this is the better adaption for reasons such as liking the darker tone better. [TV series: 51 episodes + 2 movies + 4 OVAs]
**'''''Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood''''': Take Iron Kingdoms, take magic out, ignore a good part of the tech but add [[Avatar: The Last Airbender|element-bending]], daddy issues and the more awesome parts of the Imperial Guard, and you get Brotherhood. It's impressive that there hasn't been made a RPG to this setting yet, as it's almost perfect for a Dark Heresy-esque game. Includes copious amounts of blood without becoming gore, genocides and unholy powers taking your body in exchange for knowledge. Has better animation and the original manga's story in exchange for being less grimdark than the 2003 series and skipping some unimportant but still interesting filler. [TV series: 64 episodes + 4 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Dark Heresy|Dark Heresy]], [[Warmachine]], [[Eberron]]

*'''''(The) [[Slayers]]''''': AD&D 2nd edition: The Animation. Known for being a significantly more realistic take on what tabletop roleplay is like than the aforementioned ''Lodoss War'', despite not actually being so closely based off an actual campaign. ''Lodoss War'' has been described as being the campaign the DM planned, whereas ''Slayers'' has been described as the campaign the players ended up playing. The TV series and OVA series are separate continuities with some overlap in the form of cameos. [TV series: 104 episodes + 1 movie, OVA series: 6 + 4 movies]

:Related games: [[Dungeons & Dragons|Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]

*'''''Spice and Wolf''''': A show about [[Horo]], wolf-girl pagan goddess of the harvest (Often mistaken for [[Leman Russ]],) and also economics. Proof that not all medieval fantasy has to be sword-and-sorcery to be interesting.

:Related games: [[Settlers of Catan]], [[GURPS]] Fantasy Setting

*'''''Maoyuu Maou Yuusha''''': (''Geopolitical Economic Theories in My D&D?''): An anime in which the brave Hero (named Hero) enters the Demon Realm in an attempt to kill the evil Demon Lord (named Demon Lord). In retaliation the Demon Lord diplomances him into submission, explains how the economy works, then proceeds to dominate the southern human realm with basic human rights, intelligent farming methods and smart business strategies. Originated as a webnovel published on 2ch's text boards, and matriculated into the spiritual successor to ''Spice and Wolf''. [TV series: 25 episodes + 2 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Settlers of Catan]], [[GURPS]] Fantasy Setting, [[Ironclaw]], [[Road to Enlightenment]], Deus Vult: Wargaming in the Time of the Crusades, [[Reign]]

*'''''Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings''''': A retelling of the Sengoku Era of feudal Japan, spearheaded by OP historical figures with varying accuracy and their own special attributes like six-wielding lightning shooting katanas. It is also nearly as manly as Fist of the North Star and somehow includes a fucking cyborg titan, steam-punkesque machinery, and magic. Sengoku Basara itself is a series of video games that predate and proceed the story of the anime (not to be confused with Samurai Warriors due to the same setting, same characters, and similar gameplay). [TV series: 24 episodes + 2 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Exalted]], Civilization, LoL

*'''''[[Strike Witches]]''''': (''Little Girls in Panties''): WWII flying aces redrawn as [[loli]] airplane machines which zap aliens while flying around without pants. Not really beloved by /tg/, but someone thought something about the show would make [[Dive into the Sky|a good homebrew.]] [TV series: 24 episodes + 1 movie + 4 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Axis & Allies]], Axis and Allies Angels 20, Ace of Aces, a metric fuckton of quests

*'''''Escaflowne''''': What you get when you combine Dungeons and Dragons with Mecha anime. Or simply say that it's DragonMech: The Anime... kinda. [TV series: 26 episodes + 1 movie]

:Related games: [[Dragonmech]]

*'''''Night Wizard!''''' is a 2007 anime licensed from the [http://www.fear.co.jp/nw/ same-named Japanese TRPG] (that uses [http://www.fear.co.jp/srs/ FEAR's free Standard RPG System]). It's based on an actual campaign and the DVD even has the original sessions as an alternate audio track, which is awesome... for anyone who understands Japanese. [TV series: 13 episodes]

:Related games: [http://www.fear.co.jp/srs/ Standard RPG System] obviously

*'''''Chaos Dragon: Sekiryū Sen'eki''''' is a 2015 anime based on sessions of the Japanese TRPG ''[http://sai-zen-sen.jp/special/reddragon/ Red Dragon]''. The players and GM are veterans from other anime productions, [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=16889 more details at ANN.] [TV series: 12 episodes]

:Related games: [http://sai-zen-sen.jp/special/reddragon/ Red Dragon] obviously

*'''''Maria the Virgin Witch''''': What makes us add Maria to this list is not anything about its characters or its plot detailing a Witch in the 100 years war between England and France trying to stop the fighting, but it's accuracy. To be blunt, it's not just historically accurate for an anime, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tFOJFyTl1U but it's historically accurate period.] If you want to get a decent idea of the Hundred Years War weapons and techniques, Maria is far from worst media you could watch to see what this kind of fighting looked like. [TV series: 12 episodes]

:Related games: [[Warhammer Fantasy]], [[Dungeons & Dragons|Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]

*'''''Izetta the Last Witch''''': A witch gets thrown into a pandemonium of a world. The year is 1939 and the Empire of Germania has just invaded the small principality of Elystadt. Includes: Magic, World War 2, actual fucking trench warfare (and its failure to blitz tactics) and pretty much all things 1939 (also has moe lovechild of the SAS and a Vindicare temple). It's not quite ''Valkyria Chronicles'' and it's not quite ''Pumpkin Scissors'', but if you liked either one you'll probably like this too. It also has Imperial Guard-tier holding the line long enough for the MCs to take all the credit. The amount of detail may be enough to compensate for the admittedly weak story, [[-4 STR|dodgily written]] female characters, and the fact MC is a full blown [[Mary Sue]]. That said, she rides a fucking fuckhueg Anti-Tank Rifle (a derivation of the Boys and Type 97) as a broom and makes swords fly like any respectable rogue psyker. [TV series: 12 episodes]

:Related games: [[Warhammer 40k]], [[Warhammer]], [[Bolt Action]],[[Flames of War]], [[Axis & Allies]]

*'''''First Squad: The Moment of Truth''''': This is set in the eastern front during the Second World War where a group of "gifted" Soviet youth are trained to be a countermeasure to the Schutzstaffel trying to reanimate (through dark arts) an army of Teutonic Knights from a 12th century invasion of Russia (specifically, it's probably the Battle of Peipus (Battle of the Ice)). It has Soviet and Nazi Paranormal Tech, Panzers, and short but well made battle scenes, and what is probably a progenitor of the Ordo Malleus. What more is there to say? [Movie, Japanese Audio: 1:00:28 + Russian Audio with "interview" cutscenes: 1:12:53]

:Related games: [[Warhammer 40k]], [[Warhammer]], [[Bolt Action]], [[Flames of War]], [[Axis & Allies]]

*'''''[[Queen's Blade]]''''': An ecchi anime full of [[Hot Chicks]] ripping apart each other's clothes. There's a plot involving a tournament to become the ruler of the world and claim the titular Queen's Blade, but [[PROMOTIONS|you're not going to care about it.]] Based on an old-school gamebook series that became big in Japan by stealing their secret art of hoovering up NEETbux with gratuitous nudity. [TV Series: 24 episodes + 6 OVAs + 12 specials]
**'''''Queen's Blade: Rebellion''''': A sequel to the previous. After Claudia won the Queen's Blade, she abolished the tournament and became a ruthless tyrant. The series follows rebels trying to overthrow her. Grinds against the line between ecchi and hentai like it was a table corner. [TV Series: 12 episodes + 2 OVAs + 6 specials]

:Related games: [[Fighting Fantasy]]

*'''''Dororo''''' (1969) and '''''Dororo''''' (2019): A pair of adaptations of a manga by the legendary Osamu Tezuka. Hyakkimaru, a now young man whose feudal lord dad sold the various body parts of to 48 separate demons before he was born. With the help of some really advanced prosthetics, given to him by his adoptive father, he travels Sengoku era Japan to kill all the demons and reclaim his body. He's joined by Dororo, a reverse trap loli thief (better executed than it sounds). Thanks to the original manga being canceled mid-way with no ending, the two take the basic premise into ''wildly'' different directions (and there's some non-anime adaptations that diverge in ''even more'' directions) that are both worth a watch. [TV series: 26 episodes. 24 episodes.]

:Related games: [[L5R]] (or any [[Oriental Adventures]] setting), especially when taint is played up, [[Promethean: The Created]] (2019 version).

== Gaming ==
* For the same reasons that Western cinema has [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_about_chess too many movies about chess], anime has a number of titles dedicated to classic board games:
** Go: '''''Hikaru no Go'''''
** Mahjong: '''''Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai''''', '''''Furiten-kun''''', '''''Legendary Gambler Tetsuya''''', '''''Mahjong Hishō-den: Naki no Ryū''''', '''''Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku (The Legend of Koizumi)''''', '''''Saki''''', '''''Ten: Tenhoudouri No Kaidanji'''''.
** Shogi: '''''March Comes in Like a Lion''''', '''''The Ryuo's Work is Never Done!''''', '''''Shion no Ō'''''.
** Uta-garuta: '''''Chihayafuru'''''

*'''''Problem Children are Coming from Another World, aren't they?''''': Sakamaki Izayoi, Kudou Asuka and Kudou Yoh are invited and transported to a place called "Little Garden", a sprawling melting pot of races grouped into communities. The three children are given "Gifts" and participate in the high-stakes "Gift Games", that can win back the prestige and territory of their community. The setting has analogies to Planescape's Sigil in general. [TV series: 10 episodes + 1 OVA]

:Related games: [[Planescape|Planescape]], [[Dungeons & Dragons|Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]], [[Quest thread|quests]]

*'''''No Game No Life''''': Two basement shut-ins [[OP|who win every game they play]] are dropped into a world where everything is decided with games, even national borders. They have to save the humans from getting steamrolled by 15 other races, all of whom use magic to cheat since Humans can't sense magic being cast. Involves plenty of traditional-of-traditional games being played, with metagaming tricks and cheating. [TV series: 12 episodes]

:Related games: A lot of "normal" [[board games]], [[Monopoly#Metanopoly|Metanopoly]]

*'''''After-School Dice Club''''': A high-school club of mostly cute girls who play Eurogames, with each episode featuring an actual Eurogame.
:Related games: A ton of [[Eurogames]], including of course [[Settlers of Catan]]

*'''''Tonari no Seki-kun''''': A slice of life High School show following a girl and her classmate who spends all class playing miscellaneous strange games with himself. The English adaptation is subtitled, "Master of Killing Time" for some weird reason. The manga it is based on is a gold mine of reaction images. [TV series: 1 OVA + 21 episodes]

:Related Games: [[Board Games]], bored games

*'''''[[Log Horizon]]''''': Players of popular MMORPG awaken in the game world itself. While the [[Isekai|"trapped in an MMO"]] premise is by no means a new thing in anime (a recent and infamously bad example being ''Sword Art Online'') Log Horizon is unique in the way it explores how the people thrust into such a situation would adapt without skipping straight to the shitty cliches. Now with its own TRPG core book. [TV series: 50 episodes]

:Related games: Log Horizon TRPG, [[/v/|Everquest]], [[4e]]

*'''''Kantai Collection''''': Originally a browser waifu game, it's about WW2 naval warfare, where the ships are personified as [[loli]]s. Yes, seriously; it's in route of becoming something akin to [[Touhou]], given the amount of material out there getting mass-produced by the fans. When combined with ''[[Girls und Panzer]]'' and ''[[Strike Witches]]'', you got the moe armed force to end all moe armed forces, period. [TV series: 12 episodes + 1 movie]

:Related games: Battleship, Axis & Allies, [[Quest_thread|quests, quests, quests]].

*'''''Overlord''''': A 2015-2018 adaptation of the novels written by Kugane Maruyama, after his tabletop group disbanded. It follows Momonga, a leader of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown, on the very last day of the [[/v/|MMORPG]] ''Yggdrasil'', just before it shuts down. Instead of getting kicked offline, he [[wat|turns into his level 100 character]], the eponymous undead "[[lich|overlord]]" and discovers he has entered ''another world''. Sigh, yes, it's yet another [[Isekai]] setting; but! there are a few twists: he's ended up in a new world that's not ''Yggdrasil'', in the middle of three countries at war, and has an entire castle full of guild [[NPC]]s that are suddenly alive ''Night at the Museaum''-style. Also, almost every spell name is ripped straight from D&D. [TV series: 39 episodes + shorts]

:Related games: High-level [[3.5e]]

*[[Girls und Panzer|'''''Girls und Panzer''''']]: As mentioned by the Kantai Collection entry above, this show rounds out the 'Holy Moe Armed Forces Trinity' by having schoolgirls actually fight each other in historic World War II tanks (tanks manufactured slightly after World War II, such as the British Centurion, are also featured, and the most recent add-on puts in FV tanks and a FUCKING MK V LANDSHIP) in a war game blown up to real proportions. The main story follows a ragtag Japanese high school 'tankery' team as they try to beat the more elite (and powerful) teams competing on the international level. Featuring towns built on oversized aircraft carriers, plenty of World War II references, and a diverse cast of characters, this show panders to anime fans and World of Tanks/War Thunder players alike (In fact, GuP and WoT are cross-promoting each other's materiel and GuP skins make up a massive proportion of War Thunder user skins, in fact I make them myself) [TV series: 7 OVAs, 12 episodes and 2 recap episodes]

:Related games: [[Flames of War]]

== Horror, Grimdark, & Mindfuckery ==

*'''''Neon Genesis Evangelion''''': A philosophical character drama and Lovecraftian Horror Mindrape that pretends to be a mecha anime for its first half. Either one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) anime ever produced, or an overrated piece of tripe that collapsed under the weight of its own pretentiousness and awful budgeting, depending on who you ask; there is no middle ground. Inspiration for [[Adeptus Evangelion]], obviously. [TV series: 26 episodes + 2 movies, Reboot: 3 movies and counting]

:Related games: [[Adeptus Evangelion]], [[JAEVA Project]], [[CthulhuTech]]

*'''''Psycho-Pass''''': Classic cyberpunk dystopia from Gen "The Butcher" Urobochi. Japan has once again isolated itself from the world after a poorly defined apocalypse and is now governed by the SYBLE System, which tracks everybody based on their "Crime Coefficient," [[Grimdark|imprisoning anybody who shows the potential for antisocial behavior.]] The series follows a squad of investigators and the "latent criminals" forced to work with them as they hunt down the people at the margins of the system with guts and giant fuck-off handguns that can disintegrate solid steel but are programmed to only kill bad people. An absolute goldmine for cyberpunk imagery somewhere in between the black-trenchcoat look of [[Cyberpunk 2020]] and the post-cyberpunk iPod future. [TV series: 22 episodes + 1 movie (named ''Mandatory Happiness'' of all things)]
**'''''Psycho-Pass 2''''': Sequel series without Urobochi. Takes away everything that made Psycho-Pass interesting and replaces it with guro. Avoid.
:Related games: [[Paranoia]], [[Shadowrun]]

*'''''Now and Then, Here and There''''': A young Japanese boy and American girl are transported through time and space to a dying world orbiting a dying star, and are forced to fight as a child soldier for evil men who rape and breed them, while the humans of the planet slowly fight themselves to extinction over water. Not for the faint of heart, or for anyone who thinks [[Warhammer 40k]] is as grimdark as humanly possible. This is true, hardcore grimdark. [TV series: 13 episodes]

:Related games: [[Dark Sun]] so very much, [[FATAL]], [[Gamma World]]

*'''''M.D. Geist''''': A psychotic super soldier is released on a post-apocalyptic abandoned colony to breach a former governmental compound and prevent the activation of an army of killer robots that are programed to exterminate all surviving humans on the planet. He blasts his way in, slaughtering the cybernetic defenders... then releases the army himself so he can fight forever, and if the rest of humanity is wiped out, who cares? [[Khorne]] approves! [1 OVA + 1 movie]

:Related games: [[Black Crusade]]

*'''''[[Hellsing]]''''': An action horror centering around the Hellsing organization: a secret agency who uses vampires to protect the British Crown from other supernatural forces. Alucard, a gun-toting vampire who is possibly one of the most powerful in all of fiction (basically he's fucking Dracula at full power and not stuck in a shitty old man body; at one point they give him an SR-71 to possess into his personal batplane), and his new big-titted, former cop, fledgling Seras are their main agents. Their enemies include rogue vampires, [[Ecclesiarchy|a homicidal <s>Scottish</s> Irish priest]] from the Catholic Church, and Millenium: a psychotic group of <s>neo-Nazis</s> Actual OG Nazis (1,000+ Waffen-SS volunteers to create the Letzte Bataillon) who want to take over Europe through [[wat|a battalion of artificially-created Nazi Vampires.]] Mostly known for its Biblical references and imagery and abnormal amounts of blood spewing out of anything and anyone like a bunch of Fruit Gushers (though nowhere near as [[Grimderp]] as Devilman or Violence Jack.) Divided into two continuities; the original, 13 episode, TV series (which overtook the manga and so went in an entirely different direction, and has lackluster animation, but also deeper characters, a more even theme, and a rocking soundtrack) and the "Ultimate" OVA series (totally faithful to the manga, but that also means it keeps ping-ponging between beautifully animated guro and cutesy-poo chibi "comedy" sections). [TV Series: 13 Episodes, OVA series: 10 Episodes]

:Related games: [[Dark Heresy]], maybe [[Achtung! Cthulhu]], [[Vampire: The Requiem]] + [[Hunter: The Vigil]] + [[Deviant: The Renegades]] (TV series only), some batshit insane fusion of [[Vampire: The Masquerade]] and [[Scion]] or [[Exalted]] (Ultimate)

*'''''[[Berserk]]''''': Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: The Anime. Guts, a brutal and unstoppable swordsman, walks the land of grimdark as he recounts his impossibly bad-assed past. Noted for being GUTS HUEG because GUTS is HUEG, meaning he has [[Rip and Tear|HUEG GUTS]]. [TV series: 25 episodes][READ THE MANGA]
**'''''Berserk: The Golden Age Arc Movie Trilogy''''': This focuses on the Manga's Golden Age Arc only the whole trilogy is currently on Netflix (added bonus its dubbed in ''english''). [3 movies]
**'''''Berserk (2016)''''': Building largely on the achievements of the aforementioned movie trilogy, the latest incarnation of Berserk finally explores a more monstrous and demon-infested setting set two years after the Golden Age Arc. While despised by many fans for its terrible CG animation and skipping major character moments, it's the only thing you're going to get for a long while. Made by the same people that gave you Teekyuu, the ''nine season'' shitpost. (also shows you one of the many ways of how to not introduce characters to a fanbase that would ''probably'' give their organs to the author to keep him alive.)

:Related games: [[Warhammer Fantasy]]

*'''''Ergo Proxy''''': What if [[Cthulhu]] was in Ghost in the Shell? Starts out like as a fairly political investigation story set in a distopian city, evolves into one hell of a journey in the post-apocalyptic world outside filled with acid trips. Like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with a story. [TV series: 23 episodes]

:Related games: [[Dark Heresy]], [[Shadowrun]], [[Dark Sun]], [[CthulhuTech]]

*'''''Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED):''''' Some nerd has the power to go back in time but only when a blue butterfly feels like it, and he uses this to solve murders and stop life threatening events. It's a lot like Butterfly Effect if it wasn't absolute pretentious crap. Also involves a lot of kids dying. [TV series: 12 episodes + 1 movie]

:Related games: one of the GUMSHOE games but with supernatural stuff toned down

*'''''Death Note''''': A random high schooler finds a book that lets him kill anyone whose name is written in it. What does he do with it? He tries to become a god by killing criminals. Only one dares oppose him: the mysterious detective L. An exciting game of "He knows that I know that he knows," ensues. Originator of [[Just as planned]] thanks to an especially shitty translation. [TV Series: 37 episodes + 2 movies + 2 live-action movies + [[wikipedia:Manga Murder|one real-life murder case]]]

:Related games: [[Esoterrorists]], [[Kult]], [[Hunter: The Reckoning]], [[Delta Green]]

*'''''Puella Magi Madoka Magica''''': A middle school girl gets approached by a magical girl mascot animal with an offer to join a secret war between the grotesque witches and the magical girls that fight to curb their destructive influence. Naturally, it's a trap. Also the music is great (while the composer has been known to use Kajiuran (a gibberish language she made that sounds nice), quite a few people have manged to translate and even make covers in other language for some of the music, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu98k5vVP-Y German] sounds especially good.)! [TV Series: 12 episodes + 2 compilation movies and one expansion movie][watch the first compilation movie or first 3 episodes. If you aren't hooked, drop it]

:Related Games: [[Liberi Gothica]], [[Magical Girls - The Game]], [[Magical Burst]], [[Princess: The Hopeful]], [[Quest:Magical Girl Noir Quest]]

*'''''Made in Abyss''''': What happens when you cross Studio Ghibli with the lovecraftian horror of ''Madoka Magica'', the brutality of ''Berserk'' and the psychological horror of ''Digimon Tamers''? You get Made in Abyss that's what! Made in Abyss is set in a pseudo-fantasy/adventure genre that is populated by ''a lot'' of [[Loli|moe lolis]] mining and excavating ancient relics of a past civilization found scattered in a giant, deep fucking hole in the middle of the island. Like Digimon Tamers and Madoka Magica, it starts off cute and whimsical with absolutely ''gorgeous'' background art that would make the Great Hayao Miyazaki proud. But partway through the plot, the series turns into a very dark turn, and we mean '''DARK'''. The way the anime (and manga) handled its mature themes, its art design, the musical score, a well paced story progression and conclusion as well as not treating its audience like they are a bunch of mindless, horny basement dwellers earned it critical acclaim to not only anime elitists, but normal plebs as well. Furthermore, the fantastic world building of Made in Abyss has made it popular for D&D conversions. That and the fact that it gave /tg/ a bucket load of [[Meme|memes]] thanks to a certain bunch of characters, the series also hosts the only [[furry]] you should not kill on sight... [TV Series: 13 episodes + upcoming second season]

:Related games: [[Dungeons and Dragons]]

*'''''[[Goblin Slayer]]''''': I'm Goblin Slayer, I hunt goblins. The epic tale of a hardcore autistic adventurer who refuses to fight anything other than goblins, even when the BBEG is about to take over the world. Notable for its "realistic" take on medieval adventuring: D&D-style darkvision monster spam is a plot point, weapon lengths are taken into account, what magic exists is highly limited and time-consuming, and the titular goblins are [[Tucker's Kobolds]] gone grimdark with the shit-covered prison shankings and whatnot. Also lots of rape. Started as a web story on 2ch that immediately took off and transformed into the modern inheritor to Berserk's grimdark crown. [TV Series: 12 episodes and counting]

:Related games: [[The Riddle of Steel]], [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]], [[FATAL]]

== Mecha ==
*'''''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion''''': When you take terrorism, high school, chess and a protagonist smoother than a dwarf (mine)shaft then throw in some mech suits you get Code Geass. The plot focuses on a masked [[Batman|vigilante]] called Zero <s>[[Alpharius|who may remind you of a certain someone]]</s> and their efforts to fight back against the Brittanian Empire but that's not all. The power of geass plays a major role (explaining it properly would be a spoiler but it's basically [[magic|magic]]/hypnosis). The mechs of the series are known as [[meme|Knightmares]] which serve as the main fighting force for Brittania and the rebels. If you want a show that has [[Heresy|qualities even the Emperor's Children would appreciate]] then watch it. [TV series: 25 episodes]
**'''''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2''''': Follows as a continuation of the first season. Just as [[Pretty Marines|fabulous]]. [TV series: 25 episodes]
**'''''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Resurrection''''': (A third season or maybe film, nobody really knows at this point) announced for <s>2017</s> 2018. Widely considered to be the producers [[Warhammer 40,000|milking the franchise]] but all the fanboys will no doubt end up [[Just as planned|watching it anyway]].

:Related games: [[Battletech]], playing with Imperial Knights in [[Warhammer 40,000]]

*'''''Eureka Seven''''': A boy who aspires to become a 'sky surfer' (think floating surfboards) links up with a cute girl who pilots a gigantic mech for the 'Gekkostate' organization. Said mechs ride upscaled versions of hover boards and battle government forces for control of a rare power source. To get a good idea what the mechs look like, picture Evangelions that can transform into vehicles and that carry fuckhueg surfboards. Noted for having references to vintage rock music. [TV series: 51 episodes + 1 movie in an alternate universe setting]
**'''''Eureka Seven AO''''': A sequel to the original that shits on basically the themes of the first series was about in [[Rage|the most aggravating manner possible]]. However, it has fans that didn't care for the first series and it got praised for having better mechs and monsters so if you're more into that take a stab at it. Like the first series it retains its vintage rock music references. [TV series: 25 episodes + 1 OVA]

:Related games: [[Traveller]], [[Battletech]]

*'''''Macross''''': One of the best mecha franchises of all time, this show revolves around fighter jets that transform into mecha. Started with ''Super Dimension Fortress Macross'', and spawned multiple series and movies afterwards. Kinda took a left turn into the idol-genre (especially after the 'Do You Remember Love?' OVA), but overall pretty decent. Involves hmanity fighting giant aliens with the help of transforming starfighters called Variable fighters. It should stand on it's own merits, rather than on my explanation of the plot. (4 TV series, 6 OVAs, 8 Full-length animated movies)
:Related games: [[Battletech]], [[Star Frontiers]]

*'''''Robotech''''': One of the most well-known anime series of all time, it basically revolves around humanity fighting against multiple alien invaders with transforming mecha. It helped influence the Transformers franchise and is a must-watch for mecha/sci-fi enthusiasts. Also the reason why many of the original [[BattleTech]] designs can never be remodeled again; [[FASA]] licensed the designs from Japan first but [[Games Workshop|Harmony Gold didn't want to share.]] Now mostly known for the lawsuits it spawned, which at one point briefly saw Harmony Gold facing off against Microsoft. Is an adaptation and combination of three Japanese anime: '''''The Super Dimension Fortress Macross''''', '''''Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross''''', and '''''Genesis Climber MOSPEADA''''', for which the term "Macekre" was coined, referring to producer Carl Macek. [TV series: 85 episodes + 4 movies + 2 OVAs]

:Related games: [[BattleTech]], or you know Palladium's Robotech game

*'''''The Big O''''': Batman meets mechs meets Japanese monster movies in a post-apocalyptic world where nobody remembers anything prior to forty years ago and advanced androids walk the streets of an otherwise 1920s-era city dominated by glass domes. One of the biggest contenders for "Most Confusing Ending" award, it is otherwise well-regarded by the anime community and it's lack of a third season to answer all the questions is much-lamented. That said, the director had originally been given two seasons to plot out his story, had it cut to one due to poor ratings, then had a second season greenlit thanks to its performance in the US, only to give us another season of questions. [TV series: 26 episodes]

:Related games: [[Mekton]], Dungeons & Dragons: [[Eberron]], [[Spirit of the Century]]

*'''''Armored Trooper VOTOMS''''': A Mecha pilot of few words and fewer expressions seeks revenge on those who framed him, uncovering an ancient conspiracy along a way. One of the grittier and "realest" entries of the real robot genre without going into the hard sci-fi. Inspired [[Heavy Gear]], which the Japanese described as "The Votoms mecha in the Dougram setting", the latter referring to '''Fang of the Sun Dougram''', VOTOMS creator's earlier real robot series. It also has its [https://rpggeek.com/rpg/4111/armored-trooper-votoms-role-playing-game own role playing system] running off the Fuzion rules. [TV series: 52 episodes + 10 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Heavy Gear]]

*'''''Fang of the Sun Dougram''''': A pack of Guerillas with Real-Robot 'mechs fight a war of independence on a shitty-ass planet. Fairly strong amounts of cynicism and grey morality and minimal wacky shit firmly separate it from Gundam and the like. Was one of the direct inspirations for Battletech, which cribbed all it's 'mech designs verbatim and much of the extremely mad-max-esque setting. [TV series: 75 episodes + 2 movies +1 OVA]

:Related games: [[BattleTech]], A Time of War

*'''''Mobile Suit Gundam''''': The mecha anime that not only helped popularize Real-Robots in the first place but also started one of the longest-running sci-fi franchises in Japan and in time would help influence the [[Tau]]. Set in the midst of a bloody "One Year War" between the Earth Federation and <s>Space Nazis</s> oppressed colonists called the Principality of Zeon, it follows the trials of a whiny teenager who quickly grows a spine, the titular Gundam and the crew of the White Base as they generally try to win the war in one piece, with some <s>psyker</s> Newtype hijinks along the way. Also known for its grey morality, gritty portrayal of war, intrigue, lots of mass-produced robots dying in droves and even more deaths. Basically, the Japanese equivalent of Star Wars if it deconstructed Star Trek. Had poor ratings at its initial airing in 1979, only really gaining popularity with successive reruns. Now there are at least [TV series: 43 episodes + 3 movies]

:Related games: [[BattleTech]], [[Warhammer 40000]], [[Mekton]], [[Battle Century G]]

*'''''Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans''''': One of the latest (<s>and most [[Awesome|awesome]]/[[FAIL|failed]] (terrible plot pacing, wonky villain motive)</s> ([[Skub|It's complicated]])) iterations of the Gundam franchise, IBO focusses on a group of young [[Imperial Guard|orphans-turned-soldiers]] and their struggle to protect a princess trying to bring peace to the land. There are only 72 Gundam suits ever produced in this post-apocalyptic setting, and a good bunch of them appear in the hands of both the antagonists and the protagonists. As expected of a Gundam show, the [[Rip and Tear|deaths are aplenty]] and there are a ton of intense mecha-on-mecha action scenes to enjoy. What differentiates this Gundam series from the others is how the protagonists suffer extraordinarily painful events throughout the show, [[Grimdark|despite the fact that they are children barely approaching their teen years]] (as expected, this has generated much debate on the topic of child soldiers and other more [[Serious Business|serious business]] brought up in the plot, such as slavery and neo-colonialism). The main crew will fight [[Freebooterz|pirates]], mercenaries, and a huge military organization along their journey, and the show also features a charismatic soldier [[Tzeentch|trying to manipulate people on both sides of the conflict]] to bring balance to <s>[[Star Wars|the Force]]</s> the aforementioned military organization. <s>[[What|Ignore the fact that he is technically engaged to a kid despite being a fully-grown adult.]]</s> Also, unlike…hell, most anime in general, there’s a semi-legit reason for the child soldiers here. The kids have special spinal implants that are basically 40k mind-impulse links, allowing them to control mobile suits and mobile workers with their minds, as extensions of their own bodies, and thus giving them much faster and more fluid control than any normal pilot. The catch is that only the still developing bodies of kids can safely accept the implants. Then we go into derp territory when these mind-impulse link child soldiers are [[wat|treated as disposable trash by their commanders, considered worthless beyond the fact that they have "whiskers."]] Oh, also, unlike any other Gundam series, this one is not only an on-Earth exclusive one, but (due to advances in armor rendering lasers almost completely impotent) the use of ranged weapons is much more sparse, with XBOX HUEG melee weapons as the main instrument of fighting. [TV series: 50 episodes]

:Related games: See above

*'''''Acrobunch''''': A family of six go on a treasure hunt while being chased by an underground kingdom of goblins that want revenge on humanity. This anime was created in 1982 by Knack Studios, the same people responsible for the 80s ''Tetsujin 28'' series (aka ''The New Adventures of Gigantor'' for you 90s kids) and ''God Mars'' with the same staff as the ''J9'' trilogy (consisting of ''Braiger'', ''Baxingar'', and ''Sasuraiger''). Before the late 2010s this remained under most people's radars and even [[/m/]] saw it as just "that one anime that premiered with ''Escaflowne'' and ''Betterman'' in ''Super Robot Wars Compact 3'' and wasn't ''Mechander Robo''". Since its fansubbing completion this hidden gem is notable for being one of the few series that consists of the titular super robot going against real robots. While it includes a lot of ancient alien tech, [[Tzeentch]] having a cameo eating virgin goblins in Ireland, and even [[What|God smiting both sides for disturbing Noah's Ark]], it has enough war gaming minutia: Mass produced units, subfactions, cannon fodder vehicles, combat tactics, and parallels to real life history and religion. In the last quarter we get a red shirt army that doesn't suck ass at their job (shocking!). Also neo Nazis are confirmed to be a rogue goblin group in this timeline, call Goblin Slayer and the Inglorious Bastards. The ending, despite being a happy one, is said to be on a level of bonkers even ''Evangelion'' was unable to reach. No spoilers, but we will say you can't skip any episodes because even the standalones come into play at the end. [TV series: 24 episodes]

:Related games: [[Battletech]]

== Things That Aren't Anime, But You Thought Were ==
*'''''[[Touhou]]''''': An arcade-style, shoot-em-up vidya series, featuring a 100% [[loli]] cast, barring one or two NPCs here or there. Its fandom is incredibly large and kooky, and so fanart of its characters get plastered all over 4chan, causing newfags to ask what anime they are from and incite much derision. It has however, received several official manga spinoffs. [Video-game series: 27 titles, as of '''''Hidden Star in Four Seasons''''']

:Related games: [[Video games|/v/ stuff, shmups,]] [[Exalted]], [[4e]] (that's a joke, a joke [[Touhou_Power_Cards|someone made terrifyingly real]].)

*'''''[[Wakfu]]''''': A French (and therefore absolutely based) cartoon about a kid named Yugo who discovers he is part of a long-lost race of people with the ability to create portals. A fun world with fun characters and a surprisingly deep BBEG that is not to be confused with [[Waifu|your waifu.]] [TV series: 52 episodes + 6 specials + 27 episode mini-series]

:* '''''Dofus: The Treasures of Kerubim''''': Is an episodic series about a retired adventurer who runs an item shop, set around 1000 years before the '''''Wakfu''''' timeline and 200 years before the game. [TV series: 52 episodes + 1 movie]

::(Both Dofus and Wakfu stem from flash-made MMOs of the same names, both games have multiple classes that decide players' abilities and base appearance so homebrews are very possible.)

:Related Games: [[Krosmaster]], which features the same characters and races. Wakfu had an [http://docs.google.com/document/d/14WGhmgmK_tW9LJEQfwFAbpMeja7csNb-zt__3H7SDzQ/ unofficial early beta RPG] and the company Ankama has [http://www.dofus.com/en/mmorpg/news/announcements/265763-would-you-be-interested-tabletop-rpg-set-dofus-world asked if anyone is interested] in an official RPG.

*'''''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''''': In a world where creatures are able to manipulate the elements through martial arts, a child capable of controlling air who froze himself in ice awakens to find that he is the last of his kind. This child is also the Avatar, a person with potential to manipulate all elements and multiply their power by communing with past lives. His adventure involves traveling with friends to master the elements in hopes of unlocking his powers and overthrowing the evil emperor of the Fire Nation that seeks to conquer the world. Is awesome and is famous for having some of the best written characters/character development in any medium. [http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/23320304/ we argued about it once. No we didn't.] [TV series: 61 episodes]

:* '''''Avatar: The Legend of Korra''''': The sequel to the above set sixty years in the future. The next Avatar (Korra, a delicious brown girl from the water-manipulating tribe) struggles to make peace between the normals and the element-fu-wielding upper class amid the setting's equivalent of the Roaring Twenties. There's also some stuff about [[Chaos|a god of darkness disrupting the spirit world.]] Incredibly skubtastic on /co/ due to various hamhanded attempts at character development. Is also nowhere near as good as the previous series. [TV series: 52 episodes]

:Related games: [[Exalted]], [[Legends of the Wulin]]. Also has a card-game that uses QuickStrike rules.

*'''''RWBY''''': [[Skub|Anime-esque CGI production]] made by the late Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth, pronounced "ruby". The world is filled with creatures known as Grimm that seek to destroy humanity, stemmed back by a pseudo-magical substance known as Dust and an order of protectors known as Huntsmen, which the four main female characters are training to be. Started off [[noblebright]] with themes of tolerance and improving society, then got more [[grimdark]] by the middle of the third season. [[Skub|Depending on who you ask, it's either an enjoyable (if flawed) series with good characters, an interesting setting and ideas, and cool weapons, or a dumpster fire of bootleg anime tropes smashed together with hackneyed writing.]] Pretty much everyone agrees that the fight choreography is amazing in the first two seasons (and most of the third, till Monty unexpectedly died), which lends itself to some popularity among fa/tg/uys. Currently someone is trying to make [[RWBY RPG|an RPG based on the setting]] and RT's game development group recently expressed interest in making tabletop games of the series, supposedly based off a tabletop game played in the series, because [[recursion|Meta things are fun.]] Also notable for being widely hated on both [[/co/]] and [[/a/]], unlike most of the things on this list, so tread carefully when discussing it. Also, someone wrote a surprisingly touching crossover with 40k. Lamenters on Remnant works better than you think.
:Related games: low-level [[Exalted]], [[Big Eyes, Small Mouth]]

== Things That Aren't Approved but Merit a Footnote ==

*'''''Aura Battler Dunbine''''': Tomino made this after Gundam. A trainwreck to some, a classic to others. Some guy and his motorcycle gets transported to a fantasy world Ash Williams style, only to discover it's full of fantasy giant robots with fantasy missiles and fantasy laser beams. Imagine guys in armor with swords piloting bug-like mecha against castles defended by spearmen and rock throwing catapults; it's like they deliberately set out to be more [[Gamma World]] than Gamma World. If it came out today it'd be a steaming pile of [[skub]] but the same is true for most things from the 80's. Halfway through the series the whole mess gets transported from fantasy world to Cold War Earth and the Cold War goes hot. Everybody dies and the final battle mimics ''Acrobunch''. A three part OVA called ''Tales of Neo Byston Wells'' was released years later and took a more traditional fantasy approach, ditching the guns and other contemporary elements. [TV series: 49 episodes + 3 OVAs]

:Related games: Army of Darkness RPG, [[Gamma World]]

*'''''Sword Art Online''''': Though not the first [[Isekai|portal fantasy]] that dealt with the whole "being trapped in a video game" shtick, SAO is definitely the one the made it incredibly popular in recent years. Starting off with an incredibly ridiculous premise to begin with, that being that not just one person or even a small group of people are stuck in the video game world but several thousand are because the creator is some freak wanting to test the resolve of humanity. As such, he set it up the VR helmets (which render users immobile while playing) used to enter SAO to microwave their user's brains if they attempt to remove them while logged in or die in the game. How this design feature managed to slip past health and safety regulations is not explained. The main character of the show is Kirito, a [[Mary Sue|Beta Tester]] who uses his incredible fighting prowess and knowledge of the game from being a "beater" (that's a portmanteau of "beta tester" and "cheater") to soar in both levels and varying amounts of prestige/infamy. May or may not have been responsible for several peoples deaths in the game world. Quickly acquires a waifu and harem, which expands as seasons go on all the more to [[Skub|mixed reactions]]. The first season is generally accepted to be alright, if by the numbers, though the second season onward is where many argue the show starts to take a [[Skub|nose-dive in quality]]. If you MUST watch it, do yourself a favor and stick to the parody Abridged series instead.
:Related games: It's own line of board, card games and video games, [[BESM]], OVA RPG, Gratuitous Anime Gimmick, a whole slew of poorly written fan-made RPGs

*[[/m/#For_the_war_gamin.27_crowd|/m/'s list of recommendations for war gamers]]

[[Category:Weeaboo]][[Category:Approved Media]]

Approved Anime

2020-08-15T23:13:47Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Fantasy */

This is a list of [[/tg/]] '''approved [[anime]]''', organized loosely into genres. For /tg/-approved manga, [[manga|go here]].

= Before you add anything...'''READ THIS''' =

''/tg/ likes its anime, but if we listed every single one that could be interpreted as being /tg/-related this article would be large enough to be its own wiki. So before you add in a new title, ask yourself these questions:''

* Is it a licensed material from a traditional game? (If yes, add it right now, no questions asked. And homebrews don't count- it has to be a real, established game.)

* Does it feature traditional gaming? (If it's an important part of the show, add it.)

* Is it fantasy or sci-fi? (We have a huge boner for that, but explain how it's relevant first.)

* Does it cater to our demographic? Fa/tg/uys tend to be males in their 20s. (Again, see if it fits the other criteria well enough.)

* Does /tg/ talk about it a lot, or does it have some historical relevance to /tg/? (Like the one directly above, it's not enough on its own, but it might get a pass if it fits more criteria.)

* Is this just /a/'s flavor of the month bleeding over into /tg/? (NO. Your addition will likely be reverted, so don't bother. As a general rule wait a few months after it shows up.)

Add important details (e.g. tv series or OVA, number of episodes or movies) in brackets. Furthermore, follow the formatting in general, we beg you. Also keep in mind that anime gets adapted from manga far more often then cartoons in the west get adapted from comics, so there is liable to be overlap with the "approved manga" page linked above.

=Genres=
== Action ==
*'''''[[Fist of the North Star]]''''': The singular manliest show ever made. Slap together Mad Max and a ruthless, hyper-violent Bruce Lee, and that should help explain how this show became the legend it is today. ['''READ THE MANGA'''][TV series: 152 episodes + 1 movie, OVA series: 3 episodes, Spin-Off series: 12 episodes + 4 OVAs]

:Related games: ''Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game'', playing a [[monk]] in [[D&D]], [[Dark Sun]]

*'''''[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]]''''': The singular manliest ''and'' most FABULOUS! show ever made. Unreasonably beautiful men with weirdly convoluted superpowers hunt vampires. Hop in the car, loser, we're going posing. ['''READ THE MANGA'''][OVA series: 13 episodes + 1 movie, TV series: 74 episodes and counting] Referenced in [[TTS]], so you know it's good.

:Related games: [[Mutants and Masterminds]], [[FATE]], low-level [[Exalted]], [[The Ballad of Edgardo]]

*'''''Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann''''': The singular [[Ork]]iest show ever made. Starts out with human rebels on looted mechs fighting bio-engineered beastmen, gets progressively more and more out of hand. Exceedingly, gloriously out of hand. Surprisingly well-written and philosophical below the pumped up appearance. Steve Blum also voices a queer guy, no joke. Notable for the fact that by the final episode the main characters achieve Enuff [[Dakka]] by shooting at EVERY POINT IN SPACE AND ACROSS TIME. [TV series: 27 episodes + 2 movies + 15 shorts + 1 sexy ass music-video]

:Related games: [[Mekton]], [[Toon]]

*'''''Hunter x Hunter''''': <s>Two shota boys fighting dudes.</s> In all seriousness, there are four major characters introduced in the series: Gon, the country raised kid who wants to find his awesome dad (shota #1); Killua, the young assassin raised in an assassin family who wants to befriend Gon just to escape his assassin duty (shota #2); Kurapika, the last of <s>her</s> his clan of [[psyker|special humans]], seeking vengeance against the super-strong psychopaths that killed them; and Leorio, who's the weakest of the group (in the anime, anyways) but wields THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP! ''HxH'' builds worlds like ''One Piece'', which is a huge commendation. It also created somewhat balanced and unique [[stat|power/class/level system]] called "nen", a downright rare accomplishment in a genre of [[meme|OVER 9000]] nonsense. [TV series: 62 episodes + 30 OVAs; Reboot: 148 episodes + 2 movies]

:Related games: [[FATE]], [[Exalted]], [[Quest thread|quests, quests, quests]]

*'''''Dragon Ball & Dragon Ball Z''''': Not initially thought to be /tg/ related, /tg/ is now getting shit done and writing an RPG in a similar fashion to how Adeptus Evangelion suddenly appeared. (There's also the cash-in RPG, if that counts.) They both share an entry since they're essentially just part 1 and 2 of the same story. Among THE most popular anime to ever exist, it goes from "Journey to the West" pastiche fantasy adventure to science fiction aliens and space gods. ['''READ THE MANGA'''] [Original TV series: 153 episodes + 3 movies, Z/GT/Super series: 397 episodes + 4 specials + 2 OVAs + 16 movies]

:Related games: [[Legends of the Wulin]], [[Exalted]], [[Dragon Ball PNP RPG|Dragon Ball Z: The Anime Adventure Game]]

*'''''Legend of the Galactic Heroes''''': Space Prussia fights Space France/America in one of the longest running debates on the relative merits of Dictatorship and Republicanism ever written. Aside from the 19th century army tactics IN SPACE, it is well regarded for the enormous amount of very well-written characters and an even-more-bloody disregard for the lives of said characters than GRRM. To sum it all up, grand and gruesome galactic battles rivaling 40K in scale, manly marines hacking others to bits, and Kaiser Reinhard (who's like a combination of Napoleon and Alexander the Great). Also quite possibly the single most screencapped anime on /tg/ for its wealth of brilliant monologues. The anime is actually an adaptation of a series of books from the early 1980's that are now available in english. Technology level is basically Traveller to a T. [OVA series: '''162''' episodes + 3 movies]
:Related games: [[Traveller]], [[GURPS|GURPS Space]], Full Thrust, [[Battlefleet Gothic]]

*'''''One Punch Man''''': The adventures of an in-universe [[Muscle Wizard]] superhero who can literally take down anything (ANY-FUCKING-THING) with a single, low-effort punch. Naturally, he's bored shitless and only seeks a worthy fight. An instant classic despite its anaemic twelve episodes thanks to its sense of humour, surprisingly smart character and genre writing, and utterly off-the-fucking-wall levels of batshit insane action -some of which gives even [[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure|JoJo]] and Gurren Lagann a run for their money. Also a great lesson in writing an OP character without sacrificing fun. [TV Series: 24 episodes + 9 OVAs and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atxYe-nOa9w| one fucking badass opening theme]].

:Related games: Playing an epic-level character in D&D (especially a monk), most superhero RPGs.

*'''''My Hero Academia''''': Take X-Men. Make almost everybody a mutant, but give most people [[Fail|mediocre]] or incredibly specific powers. Then make Xavier's school an actual school for learning how to use your powers. That's My Hero Academia, the anime that launched over 9000 low-PL Mutants and Masterminds games. While the general plot is a standard "audience surrogate claws his way to the top" affair, it's still achieved widespread acclaim on both /co/ and /tg/ for avoiding the traps that make most shonenshit and capeshit insufferable, putting a reasonable amount of thought into how large numbers of people with superpowers would affect society and focusing on relatively tame and limited powers applied creatively over cheesy super-kill-everything moves, which makes it a goldmine for anyone looking to run their own supers game. [[Warhammer High|One of the side characters also looks like a Daemonette, which has got to count for something.]] [TV series: 38 episodes and counting + 2 OVAs + 1 movie]
:Related games: [[Mutants and Masterminds]] or any other superhero game with a flexible powers system

*'''''Samurai Champloo''''': A show about two samurai with completely differing fighting styles being forced together along with a token female to fight for their personal goals. Combines crazy fight sequences with a very [[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader|80's]]-style feel, along with quite a few moments of both [[Noblebright|slapstick]] and [[Grimdark|gallows]] humor. [TV series: 26 episodes]

:Related games: [[L5R]], Derailed [[D&D]] quests, [[Matt Ward|allying]] [[Necrons]], [[Blood Angels]], and [[Tau]] in a game of Warhammer

*'''''Youjo Senki - Saga of Tanya the Evil''''' ''(My Little Nazi)'': Strike Witches if it was actually about war instead of lesbians. A high functioning sociopath salary-man is murdered by one of his disgruntled former employees and gets reincarnated into alt-fantasy 1910s Germany as the smuggest of [[Loli|lolis]]. Follows the general rhythms of the 21st-century-wargame-nerd-gets-transported-back-in-time genre, with the twist that God is actively fucking with Tanya to ruin all her carefully-planned attempts to escape the war and lead a cushy rear echelon life. While the premise may sound silly, the military action and writing are good enough to make it work. Tanya is more likable by miles than the stuffed-shirt protagonists of [[Isekai|similar shows]], despite a level of sociopathy that should make her the automatic villain. This makes her a wonderful inspiration for anyone who wants to play a Lawful Evil character with a personality beyond "rule the world with an iron fist." If you want frequent comedic misunderstandings, read the manga. If you want a bunch of elaborate explanations read the light novel. Also contains a fair amount of background for using modern concepts in WW1 for those GMs who have to live Darth and Droids/DM of the Rings on a weekly basis. [TV series: 12 episodes + 1 movie]

:Related games: [[Magical Burst]], [[GURPS]] Infinite Worlds, [[Only War]], Torg

*'''''Blood Blockade Battlefront''''': A portal to another dimension opens in the middle of New York, transforming it in a combination of the two worlds. The city is renamed Hellsalem's Lot and become inhabited by both humans and the so-called beyonders. The series follow the members of Lybra, a clandestine organization made of people with special abilities that protect the city, and prevent lunacy from affecting the rest of the world. Special mention to Lybra's leader, Klaus Von Reinherz, a guy with looks and the strength of an ogre, the demeanor of a true gentlemen, and attacks with [[awesome|giant crosses of destruction made with his own blood and created through manly punches]]. As an added /tg/ bonus, one episode revolves around a boardgame called Prosfair, which is basically what you would get if [[Tzeentch]] decided to write homebrew rules for [[Chess]]. [TV series: 12 episodes + 1 OVA]
**'''''Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond''''': Sequel continuing the story. [TV series: 12 episodes]

:Related games: [[Esoterrorists]], [[World of Darkness]], [[Chess]]

*'''FLCL''': Have you ever asked yourself what a [[Noblebright]] Evangelion might look like? Well, FLCL is the result of this. Many consider FLCL to be the "Anti-Evangelion" of sorts, alongside Gunbuster and Tengen Toppa Gurren Laggan, but this doesn't mean fans of Evangelion can't enjoy it. The term is used because while Evangelion mindrapes you into being horrified, FLCL mindrapes you into laughing out loud and feeling [[Dawww|fuzzy]] all over yourself. Long Story short, a small boy, Naota, meets an alien girl and giant robots [[what|start appearing out of his head]]. From there on, many unusual and surreal events happen in his town, leading to bizarre and hilarious antics with him, his family and friends, and a surprisingly great "Coming of Age" story that completes all of this. And the robot/mecha designs are cool as hell and can inspire some great Mecha designs (Even [[Ork Snipers|if they don’t make any sense]]) (TV series: 6 episodes. Has 2 sequel seasons, but [[skub|they are more divisive than the original]])

:Related games: [[Lancer]] (If it snorted even more coke before being created)

== Comedy ==
*'''''Haiyore! Nyaruko-san''''': 2009 flash animations, [http://www.crunchyroll.com/nyarko-san-another-crawling-chaos still on crunchyroll.] [Web series: 21 shorts.]
**'''''Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos''''': A 2012 anime, it's one of those wacky highschool comedy bits that Japan shits out every season, except starring [[H.P. Lovecraft|Nyarlathotep]]. Yes, seriously. Pop culture references, [[/d/]]eviance, [[Sanity|SAN]] loss (complete with official-format [[Call of Cthulhu]] character sheets), and gratuitous rape of canon ensue. [[Butthurt|"She's an eldritch abomination, not your waifu!"]] [TV series: 24 episodes + 3 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Call of Cthulhu]] (barely), [[Maid RPG]]

*'''''Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!''''' (''KonoSuba''): A 2016 parody of the [[isekai]] meme that hit flavor-of-the-month status after the anime adaptation hit Crunchyroll. The main character dies and gets reincarnated into a generic fantasy world *yawn*, but he ends up with an incredibly un-[[Powergamer|optimized]] party of dumbasses. Starting with "the weakest" generic Adventurer class, he's joined by a brain-dead Priest who [[Derp|spent most of her skill points on party tricks,]] a Wizard who can only cast ''one'' spell per day because [[Munchkin|she absolutely refuses to learn anything other than the top-tier attack spell]], and a Fighter who's [[Magical realm|built as a pure meatshield because she's a hardcore masochist.]] They're also joined by a [[wat|big-tittied lich]] who is actually competent but keeps getting nearly purged by the priest due to being undead. It resembles a group of new players stumbling though their first RPG campaign, run by an experienced GM who is laughing his ass off. Now getting a dub(it's here), so be prepared for mistranslated memes to be quoted ad nauseam. [TV series: 20 episodes + 2 OVAs + 1 film]

:Related games: [[World of Warcraft|MMORPGs]], [[Dungeon World]], [[Knights Of The Dinner Table]]

*'''''[[Life With Monstergirls|Everyday Life with Monster Girls]]''''': A 2015 anime that tickles the fancy of anyone who claims /tg/ can become /d/-lite-ful in the wee hours of a Saturday morning. [[Monstergirls]] everywhere, in glorious full-color animation. The manga this is based off of had a few brain cells and funny bones to rub together as well; expect to love or hate slaking your thirst for waifu herein. The manga is also a goldmine of reaction images. Be warned: this is an ecchi show, so the artist gets as close as he can to actual sex without the sex, thus stringing along the wallets of horny otaku without losing the support of high-profile publishers. [[Games Workshop|So you should be right at home.]] Also expect older /d/eviants to call you a faggot if you like this series, thanks to its comparative tameness and the number of lightweights who only discovered monstergirls when this series stripped out the [[/d/|"weird"]] and then get triggered by something like [[Mon Musu Quest!]] If you want to see actual boinking, the original author had some webcomics about monstergirls he made under the same name before the manga and anime; [[Weeaboo|weeaboos]] collectively call them '''Daily Life with Monster Girls''' to avoid confusion. [TV series: 12 episodes + 2 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Dungeons and Dragons]] PC race expansions, [[Mon Musu Quest!]] (barely), [[Maid RPG]], [[Quest thread|quests, quests, quests]]

== Fantasy ==
*'''''[[Record of Lodoss War]]''''': Particularly noteworthy because it actually started life series of role-playing game sessions (Basic edition D&D!) that were turned into novels and then an Anime, that alone gives it major points. Sometimes known as [[meme|''Record of Loads of War'']]. Plot wise it's a bit cliché, but it is still well regarded. [OVA series: 13 episodes + 27 TV episodes]
**The same setting has two less famous anime titles: '''''Legend of Crystania''''' and '''''Rune Soldier'''''

:Related Games: [[Dungeons & Dragons]] (Basic), Sword World (1st edition)

*'''''Fullmetal Alchemist''''': Forever among the ranks of the most popular anime EVER (and maybe the best, too, but you know, [[Skub]]), it has a young alchemist trying to recover both his missing limbs (his right arm and left leg) and his brother's ENTIRE BODY, which were lost following an alchemy accident where they attempt to [[Grimdark|revive their mother]]. The story eventually diverges from the manga to the point of characters having completely different roles in the story and which is polarizing when compared with the later series. Which one of the two adaptations is better is a [[Skub|massive controversy]]. Those who have read the manga first will despise this adaptation because it only superficially follows the manga (also because they kept making the story up as the anime progressed as the manga had not been fully released). But a lot of people who didn't read the manga first think that this is the better adaption for reasons such as liking the darker tone better. [TV series: 51 episodes + 2 movies + 4 OVAs]
**'''''Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood''''': Take Iron Kingdoms, take magic out, ignore a good part of the tech but add [[Avatar: The Last Airbender|element-bending]], daddy issues and the more awesome parts of the Imperial Guard, and you get Brotherhood. It's impressive that there hasn't been made a RPG to this setting yet, as it's almost perfect for a Dark Heresy-esque game. Includes copious amounts of blood without becoming gore, genocides and unholy powers taking your body in exchange for knowledge. Has better animation and the original manga's story in exchange for being less grimdark than the 2003 series and skipping some unimportant but still interesting filler. [TV series: 64 episodes + 4 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Dark Heresy|Dark Heresy]], [[Warmachine]], [[Eberron]]

*'''''(The) [[Slayers]]''''': AD&D 2nd edition: The Animation. Known for being a significantly more realistic take on what tabletop roleplay is like than the aforementioned ''Lodoss War'', despite not actually being so closely based off an actual campaign. ''Lodoss War'' has been described as being the campaign the DM planned, whereas ''Slayers'' has been described as the campaign the players ended up playing. The TV series and OVA series are separate continuities with some overlap in the form of cameos. [TV series: 104 episodes + 1 movie, OVA series: 6 + 4 movies]

:Related games: [[Dungeons & Dragons|Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]

*'''''Spice and Wolf''''': A show about [[Horo]], wolf-girl pagan goddess of the harvest (Often mistaken for [[Leman Russ]],) and also economics. Proof that not all medieval fantasy has to be sword-and-sorcery to be interesting.

:Related games: [[Settlers of Catan]], [[GURPS]] Fantasy Setting

*'''''Maoyuu Maou Yuusha''''': (''Geopolitical Economic Theories in My D&D?''): An anime in which the brave Hero (named Hero) enters the Demon Realm in an attempt to kill the evil Demon Lord (named Demon Lord). In retaliation the Demon Lord diplomances him into submission, explains how the economy works, then proceeds to dominate the southern human realm with basic human rights, intelligent farming methods and smart business strategies. Originated as a webnovel published on 2ch's text boards, and matriculated into the spiritual successor to ''Spice and Wolf''. [TV series: 25 episodes + 2 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Settlers of Catan]], [[GURPS]] Fantasy Setting, [[Ironclaw]], [[Road to Enlightenment]], Deus Vult: Wargaming in the Time of the Crusades, [[Reign]]

*'''''Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings''''': A retelling of the Sengoku Era of feudal Japan, spearheaded by OP historical figures with varying accuracy and their own special attributes like six-wielding lightning shooting katanas. It is also nearly as manly as Fist of the North Star and somehow includes a fucking cyborg titan, steam-punkesque machinery, and magic. Sengoku Basara itself is a series of video games that predate and proceed the story of the anime (not to be confused with Samurai Warriors due to the same setting, same characters, and similar gameplay). [TV series: 24 episodes + 2 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Exalted]], Civilization, LoL

*'''''[[Strike Witches]]''''': (''Little Girls in Panties''): WWII flying aces redrawn as [[loli]] airplane machines which zap aliens while flying around without pants. Not really beloved by /tg/, but someone thought something about the show would make [[Dive into the Sky|a good homebrew.]] [TV series: 24 episodes + 1 movie + 4 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Axis & Allies]], Axis and Allies Angels 20, Ace of Aces, a metric fuckton of quests

*'''''Escaflowne''''': What you get when you combine Dungeons and Dragons with Mecha anime. Or simply say that it's DragonMech: The Anime... kinda. [TV series: 26 episodes + 1 movie]

:Related games: [[Dragonmech]]

*'''''Night Wizard!''''' is a 2007 anime licensed from the [http://www.fear.co.jp/nw/ same-named Japanese TRPG] (that uses [http://www.fear.co.jp/srs/ FEAR's free Standard RPG System]). It's based on an actual campaign and the DVD even has the original sessions as an alternate audio track, which is awesome... for anyone who understands Japanese. [TV series: 13 episodes]

:Related games: [http://www.fear.co.jp/srs/ Standard RPG System] obviously

*'''''Chaos Dragon: Sekiryū Sen'eki''''' is a 2015 anime based on sessions of the Japanese TRPG ''[http://sai-zen-sen.jp/special/reddragon/ Red Dragon]''. The players and GM are veterans from other anime productions, [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=16889 more details at ANN.] [TV series: 12 episodes]

:Related games: [http://sai-zen-sen.jp/special/reddragon/ Red Dragon] obviously

*'''''Maria the Virgin Witch''''': What makes us add Maria to this list is not anything about its characters or its plot detailing a Witch in the 100 years war between England and France trying to stop the fighting, but it's accuracy. To be blunt, it's not just historically accurate for an anime, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tFOJFyTl1U but it's historically accurate period.] If you want to get a decent idea of the Hundred Years War weapons and techniques, Maria is far from worst media you could watch to see what this kind of fighting looked like. [TV series: 12 episodes]

:Related games: [[Warhammer Fantasy]], [[Dungeons & Dragons|Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]

*'''''Izetta the Last Witch''''': A witch gets thrown into a pandemonium of a world. The year is 1939 and the Empire of Germania has just invaded the small principality of Elystadt. Includes: Magic, World War 2, actual fucking trench warfare (and its failure to blitz tactics) and pretty much all things 1939 (also has moe lovechild of the SAS and a Vindicare temple). It's not quite ''Valkyria Chronicles'' and it's not quite ''Pumpkin Scissors'', but if you liked either one you'll probably like this too. It also has Imperial Guard-tier holding the line long enough for the MCs to take all the credit. The amount of detail may be enough to compensate for the admittedly weak story, [[-4 STR|dodgily written]] female characters, and the fact MC is a full blown [[Mary Sue]]. That said, she rides a fucking fuckhueg Anti-Tank Rifle (a derivation of the Boys and Type 97) as a broom and makes swords fly like any respectable rogue psyker. [TV series: 12 episodes]

:Related games: [[Warhammer 40k]], [[Warhammer]], [[Bolt Action]],[[Flames of War]], [[Axis & Allies]]

*'''''First Squad: The Moment of Truth''''': This is set in the eastern front during the Second World War where a group of "gifted" Soviet youth are trained to be a countermeasure to the Schutzstaffel trying to reanimate (through dark arts) an army of Teutonic Knights from a 12th century invasion of Russia (specifically, it's probably the Battle of Peipus (Battle of the Ice)). It has Soviet and Nazi Paranormal Tech, Panzers, and short but well made battle scenes, and what is probably a progenitor of the Ordo Malleus. What more is there to say? [Movie, Japanese Audio: 1:00:28 + Russian Audio with "interview" cutscenes: 1:12:53]

:Related games: [[Warhammer 40k]], [[Warhammer]], [[Bolt Action]], [[Flames of War]], [[Axis & Allies]]

*'''''[[Queen's Blade]]''''': An ecchi anime full of [[Hot Chicks]] ripping apart each other's clothes. There's a plot involving a tournament to become the ruler of the world and claim the titular Queen's Blade, but [[PROMOTIONS|you're not going to care about it.]] Based on an old-school gamebook series that became big in Japan by stealing their secret art of hoovering up NEETbux with gratuitous nudity. [TV Series: 24 episodes + 6 OVAs + 12 specials]
**'''''Queen's Blade: Rebellion''''': A sequel to the previous. After Claudia won the Queen's Blade, she abolished the tournament and became a ruthless tyrant. The series follows rebels trying to overthrow her. Grinds against the line between ecchi and hentai like it was a table corner. [TV Series: 12 episodes + 2 OVAs + 6 specials]

:Related games: [[Fighting Fantasy]]

*'''''Dororo''''' (1969) and '''''Dororo''''' (2019): A pair of adaptations of a manga by the legendary Osamu Tezuka. Hyakkimaru, a now young man whose feudal lord dad sold the various body parts of to 48 separate demons before he was born. With the help of some really advanced prosthetics, given to him by his adoptive father, he travels Sengoku era Japan to kill all the demons and reclaim his body. He's joined by Dororo, a reverse trap loli thief (better executed than it sounds). Thanks to the original manga being canceled mid-way with no ending, the two take the basic premise into ''wildly'' different directions (and there's some non-anime adaptations that diverge in ''even more'' directions) that are both worth a watch. [TV series: 26 episodes. 24 episodes.]

:Related games: [[L5R]] (or any [[Oriental Adventures]] setting), especially when taint is played up, [[Promethean: The Created]] (2019 version).

== Gaming ==
* For the same reasons that Western cinema has [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_about_chess too many movies about chess], anime has a number of titles dedicated to classic board games:
** Go: '''''Hikaru no Go'''''
** Mahjong: '''''Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai''''', '''''Furiten-kun''''', '''''Legendary Gambler Tetsuya''''', '''''Mahjong Hishō-den: Naki no Ryū''''', '''''Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku (The Legend of Koizumi)''''', '''''Saki''''', '''''Ten: Tenhoudouri No Kaidanji'''''.
** Shogi: '''''March Comes in Like a Lion''''', '''''The Ryuo's Work is Never Done!''''', '''''Shion no Ō'''''.
** Uta-garuta: '''''Chihayafuru'''''

*'''''Problem Children are Coming from Another World, aren't they?''''': Sakamaki Izayoi, Kudou Asuka and Kudou Yoh are invited and transported to a place called "Little Garden", a sprawling melting pot of races grouped into communities. The three children are given "Gifts" and participate in the high-stakes "Gift Games", that can win back the prestige and territory of their community. The setting has analogies to Planescape's Sigil in general. [TV series: 10 episodes + 1 OVA]

:Related games: [[Planescape|Planescape]], [[Dungeons & Dragons|Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]], [[Quest thread|quests]]

*'''''No Game No Life''''': Two basement shut-ins [[OP|who win every game they play]] are dropped into a world where everything is decided with games, even national borders. They have to save the humans from getting steamrolled by 15 other races, all of whom use magic to cheat since Humans can't sense magic being cast. Involves plenty of traditional-of-traditional games being played, with metagaming tricks and cheating. [TV series: 12 episodes]

:Related games: A lot of "normal" [[board games]], [[Monopoly#Metanopoly|Metanopoly]]

*'''''After-School Dice Club''''': A high-school club of mostly cute girls who play Eurogames, with each episode featuring an actual Eurogame.
:Related games: A ton of [[Eurogames]], including of course [[Settlers of Catan]]

*'''''Tonari no Seki-kun''''': A slice of life High School show following a girl and her classmate who spends all class playing miscellaneous strange games with himself. The English adaptation is subtitled, "Master of Killing Time" for some weird reason. The manga it is based on is a gold mine of reaction images. [TV series: 1 OVA + 21 episodes]

:Related Games: [[Board Games]], bored games

*'''''[[Log Horizon]]''''': Players of popular MMORPG awaken in the game world itself. While the [[Isekai|"trapped in an MMO"]] premise is by no means a new thing in anime (a recent and infamously bad example being ''Sword Art Online'') Log Horizon is unique in the way it explores how the people thrust into such a situation would adapt without skipping straight to the shitty cliches. Now with its own TRPG core book. [TV series: 50 episodes]

:Related games: Log Horizon TRPG, [[/v/|Everquest]], [[4e]]

*'''''Kantai Collection''''': Originally a browser waifu game, it's about WW2 naval warfare, where the ships are personified as [[loli]]s. Yes, seriously; it's in route of becoming something akin to [[Touhou]], given the amount of material out there getting mass-produced by the fans. When combined with ''[[Girls und Panzer]]'' and ''[[Strike Witches]]'', you got the moe armed force to end all moe armed forces, period. [TV series: 12 episodes + 1 movie]

:Related games: Battleship, Axis & Allies, [[Quest_thread|quests, quests, quests]].

*'''''Overlord''''': A 2015-2018 adaptation of the novels written by Kugane Maruyama, after his tabletop group disbanded. It follows Momonga, a leader of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown, on the very last day of the [[/v/|MMORPG]] ''Yggdrasil'', just before it shuts down. Instead of getting kicked offline, he [[wat|turns into his level 100 character]], the eponymous undead "[[lich|overlord]]" and discovers he has entered ''another world''. Sigh, yes, it's yet another [[Isekai]] setting; but! there are a few twists: he's ended up in a new world that's not ''Yggdrasil'', in the middle of three countries at war, and has an entire castle full of guild [[NPC]]s that are suddenly alive ''Night at the Museaum''-style. Also, almost every spell name is ripped straight from D&D. [TV series: 39 episodes + shorts]

:Related games: High-level [[3.5e]]

*[[Girls und Panzer|'''''Girls und Panzer''''']]: As mentioned by the Kantai Collection entry above, this show rounds out the 'Holy Moe Armed Forces Trinity' by having schoolgirls actually fight each other in historic World War II tanks (tanks manufactured slightly after World War II, such as the British Centurion, are also featured, and the most recent add-on puts in FV tanks and a FUCKING MK V LANDSHIP) in a war game blown up to real proportions. The main story follows a ragtag Japanese high school 'tankery' team as they try to beat the more elite (and powerful) teams competing on the international level. Featuring towns built on oversized aircraft carriers, plenty of World War II references, and a diverse cast of characters, this show panders to anime fans and World of Tanks/War Thunder players alike (In fact, GuP and WoT are cross-promoting each other's materiel and GuP skins make up a massive proportion of War Thunder user skins, in fact I make them myself) [TV series: 7 OVAs, 12 episodes and 2 recap episodes]

:Related games: [[Flames of War]]

== Horror, Grimdark, & Mindfuckery ==

*'''''Neon Genesis Evangelion''''': A philosophical character drama and Lovecraftian Horror Mindrape that pretends to be a mecha anime for its first half. Either one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) anime ever produced, or an overrated piece of tripe that collapsed under the weight of its own pretentiousness and awful budgeting, depending on who you ask; there is no middle ground. Inspiration for [[Adeptus Evangelion]], obviously. [TV series: 26 episodes + 2 movies, Reboot: 3 movies and counting]

:Related games: [[Adeptus Evangelion]], [[JAEVA Project]], [[CthulhuTech]]

*'''''Psycho-Pass''''': Classic cyberpunk dystopia from Gen "The Butcher" Urobochi. Japan has once again isolated itself from the world after a poorly defined apocalypse and is now governed by the SYBLE System, which tracks everybody based on their "Crime Coefficient," [[Grimdark|imprisoning anybody who shows the potential for antisocial behavior.]] The series follows a squad of investigators and the "latent criminals" forced to work with them as they hunt down the people at the margins of the system with guts and giant fuck-off handguns that can disintegrate solid steel but are programmed to only kill bad people. An absolute goldmine for cyberpunk imagery somewhere in between the black-trenchcoat look of [[Cyberpunk 2020]] and the post-cyberpunk iPod future. [TV series: 22 episodes + 1 movie (named ''Mandatory Happiness'' of all things)]
**'''''Psycho-Pass 2''''': Sequel series without Urobochi. Takes away everything that made Psycho-Pass interesting and replaces it with guro. Avoid.
:Related games: [[Paranoia]], [[Shadowrun]]

*'''''Now and Then, Here and There''''': A young Japanese boy and American girl are transported through time and space to a dying world orbiting a dying star, and are forced to fight as a child soldier for evil men who rape and breed them, while the humans of the planet slowly fight themselves to extinction over water. Not for the faint of heart, or for anyone who thinks [[Warhammer 40k]] is as grimdark as humanly possible. This is true, hardcore grimdark. [TV series: 13 episodes]

:Related games: [[Dark Sun]] so very much, [[FATAL]], [[Gamma World]]

*'''''M.D. Geist''''': A psychotic super soldier is released on a post-apocalyptic abandoned colony to breach a former governmental compound and prevent the activation of an army of killer robots that are programed to exterminate all surviving humans on the planet. He blasts his way in, slaughtering the cybernetic defenders... then releases the army himself so he can fight forever, and if the rest of humanity is wiped out, who cares? [[Khorne]] approves! [1 OVA + 1 movie]

:Related games: [[Black Crusade]]

*'''''[[Hellsing]]''''': An action horror centering around the Hellsing organization: a secret agency who uses vampires to protect the British Crown from other supernatural forces. Alucard, a gun-toting vampire who is possibly one of the most powerful in all of fiction (basically he's fucking Dracula at full power and not stuck in a shitty old man body; at one point they give him an SR-71 to possess into his personal batplane), and his new big-titted, former cop, fledgling Seras are their main agents. Their enemies include rogue vampires, [[Ecclesiarchy|a homicidal <s>Scottish</s> Irish priest]] from the Catholic Church, and Millenium: a psychotic group of <s>neo-Nazis</s> Actual OG Nazis (1,000+ Waffen-SS volunteers to create the Letzte Bataillon) who want to take over Europe through [[wat|a battalion of artificially-created Nazi Vampires.]] Mostly known for its Biblical references and imagery and abnormal amounts of blood spewing out of anything and anyone like a bunch of Fruit Gushers (though nowhere near as [[Grimderp]] as Devilman or Violence Jack.) Divided into two continuities; the original, 13 episode, TV series (which overtook the manga and so went in an entirely different direction, and has lackluster animation, but also deeper characters, a more even theme, and a rocking soundtrack) and the "Ultimate" OVA series (totally faithful to the manga, but that also means it keeps ping-ponging between beautifully animated guro and cutesy-poo chibi "comedy" sections). [TV Series: 13 Episodes, OVA series: 10 Episodes]

:Related games: [[Dark Heresy]], maybe [[Achtung! Cthulhu]], [[Vampire: The Requiem]] + [[Hunter: The Vigil]] + [[Deviant: The Renegades]] (TV series only), some batshit insane fusion of [[Vampire: The Masquerade]] and [[Scion]] or [[Exalted]] (Ultimate)

*'''''[[Berserk]]''''': Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: The Anime. Guts, a brutal and unstoppable swordsman, walks the land of grimdark as he recounts his impossibly bad-assed past. Noted for being GUTS HUEG because GUTS is HUEG, meaning he has [[Rip and Tear|HUEG GUTS]]. [TV series: 25 episodes][READ THE MANGA]
**'''''Berserk: The Golden Age Arc Movie Trilogy''''': This focuses on the Manga's Golden Age Arc only the whole trilogy is currently on Netflix (added bonus its dubbed in ''english''). [3 movies]
**'''''Berserk (2016)''''': Building largely on the achievements of the aforementioned movie trilogy, the latest incarnation of Berserk finally explores a more monstrous and demon-infested setting set two years after the Golden Age Arc. While despised by many fans for its terrible CG animation and skipping major character moments, it's the only thing you're going to get for a long while. Made by the same people that gave you Teekyuu, the ''nine season'' shitpost. (also shows you one of the many ways of how to not introduce characters to a fanbase that would ''probably'' give their organs to the author to keep him alive.)

:Related games: [[Warhammer Fantasy]]

*'''''Ergo Proxy''''': What if [[Cthulhu]] was in Ghost in the Shell? Starts out like as a fairly political investigation story set in a distopian city, evolves into one hell of a journey in the post-apocalyptic world outside filled with acid trips. Like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with a story. [TV series: 23 episodes]

:Related games: [[Dark Heresy]], [[Shadowrun]], [[Dark Sun]], [[CthulhuTech]]

*'''''Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED):''''' Some nerd has the power to go back in time but only when a blue butterfly feels like it, and he uses this to solve murders and stop life threatening events. It's a lot like Butterfly Effect if it wasn't absolute pretentious crap. Also involves a lot of kids dying. [TV series: 12 episodes + 1 movie]

:Related games: one of the GUMSHOE games but with supernatural stuff toned down

*'''''Death Note''''': A random high schooler finds a book that lets him kill anyone whose name is written in it. What does he do with it? He tries to become a god by killing criminals. Only one dares oppose him: the mysterious detective L. An exciting game of "He knows that I know that he knows," ensues. Originator of [[Just as planned]] thanks to an especially shitty translation. [TV Series: 37 episodes + 2 movies + 2 live-action movies + [[wikipedia:Manga Murder|one real-life murder case]]]

:Related games: [[Esoterrorists]], [[Kult]], [[Hunter: The Reckoning]], [[Delta Green]]

*'''''Puella Magi Madoka Magica''''': A middle school girl gets approached by a magical girl mascot animal with an offer to join a secret war between the grotesque witches and the magical girls that fight to curb their destructive influence. Naturally, it's a trap. Also the music is great (while the composer has been known to use Kajiuran (a gibberish language she made that sounds nice), quite a few people have manged to translate and even make covers in other language for some of the music, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu98k5vVP-Y German] sounds especially good.)! [TV Series: 12 episodes + 2 compilation movies and one expansion movie][watch the first compilation movie or first 3 episodes. If you aren't hooked, drop it]

:Related Games: [[Liberi Gothica]], [[Magical Girls - The Game]], [[Magical Burst]], [[Princess: The Hopeful]], [[Quest:Magical Girl Noir Quest]]

*'''''Made in Abyss''''': What happens when you cross Studio Ghibli with the lovecraftian horror of ''Madoka Magica'', the brutality of ''Berserk'' and the psychological horror of ''Digimon Tamers''? You get Made in Abyss that's what! Made in Abyss is set in a pseudo-fantasy/adventure genre that is populated by ''a lot'' of [[Loli|moe lolis]] mining and excavating ancient relics of a past civilization found scattered in a giant, deep fucking hole in the middle of the island. Like Digimon Tamers and Madoka Magica, it starts off cute and whimsical with absolutely ''gorgeous'' background art that would make the Great Hayao Miyazaki proud. But partway through the plot, the series turns into a very dark turn, and we mean '''DARK'''. The way the anime (and manga) handled its mature themes, its art design, the musical score, a well paced story progression and conclusion as well as not treating its audience like they are a bunch of mindless, horny basement dwellers earned it critical acclaim to not only anime elitists, but normal plebs as well. Furthermore, the fantastic world building of Made in Abyss has made it popular for D&D conversions. That and the fact that it gave /tg/ a bucket load of [[Meme|memes]] thanks to a certain bunch of characters, the series also hosts the only [[furry]] you should not kill on sight... [TV Series: 13 episodes + upcoming second season]

:Related games: [[Dungeons and Dragons]]

*'''''[[Goblin Slayer]]''''': I'm Goblin Slayer, I hunt goblins. The epic tale of a hardcore autistic adventurer who refuses to fight anything other than goblins, even when the BBEG is about to take over the world. Notable for its "realistic" take on medieval adventuring: D&D-style darkvision monster spam is a plot point, weapon lengths are taken into account, what magic exists is highly limited and time-consuming, and the titular goblins are [[Tucker's Kobolds]] gone grimdark with the shit-covered prison shankings and whatnot. Also lots of rape. Started as a web story on 2ch that immediately took off and transformed into the modern inheritor to Berserk's grimdark crown. [TV Series: 12 episodes and counting]

:Related games: [[The Riddle of Steel]], [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]], [[FATAL]]

== Mecha ==
*'''''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion''''': When you take terrorism, high school, chess and a protagonist smoother than a dwarf (mine)shaft then throw in some mech suits you get Code Geass. The plot focuses on a masked [[Batman|vigilante]] called Zero <s>[[Alpharius|who may remind you of a certain someone]]</s> and their efforts to fight back against the Brittanian Empire but that's not all. The power of geass plays a major role (explaining it properly would be a spoiler but it's basically [[magic|magic]]/hypnosis). The mechs of the series are known as [[meme|Knightmares]] which serve as the main fighting force for Brittania and the rebels. If you want a show that has [[Heresy|qualities even the Emperor's Children would appreciate]] then watch it. [TV series: 25 episodes]
**'''''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2''''': Follows as a continuation of the first season. Just as [[Pretty Marines|fabulous]]. [TV series: 25 episodes]
**'''''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Resurrection''''': (A third season or maybe film, nobody really knows at this point) announced for <s>2017</s> 2018. Widely considered to be the producers [[Warhammer 40,000|milking the franchise]] but all the fanboys will no doubt end up [[Just as planned|watching it anyway]].

:Related games: [[Battletech]], playing with Imperial Knights in [[Warhammer 40,000]]

*'''''Eureka Seven''''': A boy who aspires to become a 'sky surfer' (think floating surfboards) links up with a cute girl who pilots a gigantic mech for the 'Gekkostate' organization. Said mechs ride upscaled versions of hover boards and battle government forces for control of a rare power source. To get a good idea what the mechs look like, picture Evangelions that can transform into vehicles and that carry fuckhueg surfboards. Noted for having references to vintage rock music. [TV series: 51 episodes + 1 movie in an alternate universe setting]
**'''''Eureka Seven AO''''': A sequel to the original that shits on basically the themes of the first series was about in [[Rage|the most aggravating manner possible]]. However, it has fans that didn't care for the first series and it got praised for having better mechs and monsters so if you're more into that take a stab at it. Like the first series it retains its vintage rock music references. [TV series: 25 episodes + 1 OVA]

:Related games: [[Traveller]], [[Battletech]]

*'''''Macross''''': One of the best mecha franchises of all time, this show revolves around fighter jets that transform into mecha. Started with ''Super Dimension Fortress Macross'', and spawned multiple series and movies afterwards. Kinda took a left turn into the idol-genre (especially after the 'Do You Remember Love?' OVA), but overall pretty decent. Involves hmanity fighting giant aliens with the help of transforming starfighters called Variable fighters. It should stand on it's own merits, rather than on my explanation of the plot. (4 TV series, 6 OVAs, 8 Full-length animated movies)
:Related games: [[Battletech]], [[Star Frontiers]]

*'''''Robotech''''': One of the most well-known anime series of all time, it basically revolves around humanity fighting against multiple alien invaders with transforming mecha. It helped influence the Transformers franchise and is a must-watch for mecha/sci-fi enthusiasts. Also the reason why many of the original [[BattleTech]] designs can never be remodeled again; [[FASA]] licensed the designs from Japan first but [[Games Workshop|Harmony Gold didn't want to share.]] Now mostly known for the lawsuits it spawned, which at one point briefly saw Harmony Gold facing off against Microsoft. Is an adaptation and combination of three Japanese anime: '''''The Super Dimension Fortress Macross''''', '''''Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross''''', and '''''Genesis Climber MOSPEADA''''', for which the term "Macekre" was coined, referring to producer Carl Macek. [TV series: 85 episodes + 4 movies + 2 OVAs]

:Related games: [[BattleTech]], or you know Palladium's Robotech game

*'''''The Big O''''': Batman meets mechs meets Japanese monster movies in a post-apocalyptic world where nobody remembers anything prior to forty years ago and advanced androids walk the streets of an otherwise 1920s-era city dominated by glass domes. One of the biggest contenders for "Most Confusing Ending" award, it is otherwise well-regarded by the anime community and it's lack of a third season to answer all the questions is much-lamented. That said, the director had originally been given two seasons to plot out his story, had it cut to one due to poor ratings, then had a second season greenlit thanks to its performance in the US, only to give us another season of questions. [TV series: 26 episodes]

:Related games: [[Mekton]], Dungeons & Dragons: [[Eberron]], [[Spirit of the Century]]

*'''''Armored Trooper VOTOMS''''': A Mecha pilot of few words and fewer expressions seeks revenge on those who framed him, uncovering an ancient conspiracy along a way. One of the grittier and "realest" entries of the real robot genre without going into the hard sci-fi. Inspired [[Heavy Gear]], which the Japanese described as "The Votoms mecha in the Dougram setting", the latter referring to '''Fang of the Sun Dougram''', VOTOMS creator's earlier real robot series. It also has its [https://rpggeek.com/rpg/4111/armored-trooper-votoms-role-playing-game own role playing system] running off the Fuzion rules. [TV series: 52 episodes + 10 OVAs]

:Related games: [[Heavy Gear]]

*'''''Fang of the Sun Dougram''''': A pack of Guerillas with Real-Robot 'mechs fight a war of independence on a shitty-ass planet. Fairly strong amounts of cynicism and grey morality and minimal wacky shit firmly separate it from Gundam and the like. Was one of the direct inspirations for Battletech, which cribbed all it's 'mech designs verbatim and much of the extremely mad-max-esque setting. [TV series: 75 episodes + 2 movies +1 OVA]

:Related games: [[BattleTech]], A Time of War

*'''''Mobile Suit Gundam''''': The mecha anime that not only helped popularize Real-Robots in the first place but also started one of the longest-running sci-fi franchises in Japan and in time would help influence the [[Tau]]. Set in the midst of a bloody "One Year War" between the Earth Federation and <s>Space Nazis</s> oppressed colonists called the Principality of Zeon, it follows the trials of a whiny teenager who quickly grows a spine, the titular Gundam and the crew of the White Base as they generally try to win the war in one piece, with some <s>psyker</s> Newtype hijinks along the way. Also known for its grey morality, gritty portrayal of war, intrigue, lots of mass-produced robots dying in droves and even more deaths. Basically, the Japanese equivalent of Star Wars if it deconstructed Star Trek. Had poor ratings at its initial airing in 1979, only really gaining popularity with successive reruns. Now there are at least [TV series: 43 episodes + 3 movies]

:Related games: [[BattleTech]], [[Warhammer 40000]], [[Mekton]], [[Battle Century G]]

*'''''Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans''''': One of the latest (<s>and most [[Awesome|awesome]]/[[FAIL|failed]] (terrible plot pacing, wonky villain motive)</s> ([[Skub|It's complicated]])) iterations of the Gundam franchise, IBO focusses on a group of young [[Imperial Guard|orphans-turned-soldiers]] and their struggle to protect a princess trying to bring peace to the land. There are only 72 Gundam suits ever produced in this post-apocalyptic setting, and a good bunch of them appear in the hands of both the antagonists and the protagonists. As expected of a Gundam show, the [[Rip and Tear|deaths are aplenty]] and there are a ton of intense mecha-on-mecha action scenes to enjoy. What differentiates this Gundam series from the others is how the protagonists suffer extraordinarily painful events throughout the show, [[Grimdark|despite the fact that they are children barely approaching their teen years]] (as expected, this has generated much debate on the topic of child soldiers and other more [[Serious Business|serious business]] brought up in the plot, such as slavery and neo-colonialism). The main crew will fight [[Freebooterz|pirates]], mercenaries, and a huge military organization along their journey, and the show also features a charismatic soldier [[Tzeentch|trying to manipulate people on both sides of the conflict]] to bring balance to <s>[[Star Wars|the Force]]</s> the aforementioned military organization. <s>[[What|Ignore the fact that he is technically engaged to a kid despite being a fully-grown adult.]]</s> Also, unlike…hell, most anime in general, there’s a semi-legit reason for the child soldiers here. The kids have special spinal implants that are basically 40k mind-impulse links, allowing them to control mobile suits and mobile workers with their minds, as extensions of their own bodies, and thus giving them much faster and more fluid control than any normal pilot. The catch is that only the still developing bodies of kids can safely accept the implants. Then we go into derp territory when these mind-impulse link child soldiers are [[wat|treated as disposable trash by their commanders, considered worthless beyond the fact that they have "whiskers."]] Oh, also, unlike any other Gundam series, this one is not only an on-Earth exclusive one, but (due to advances in armor rendering lasers almost completely impotent) the use of ranged weapons is much more sparse, with XBOX HUEG melee weapons as the main instrument of fighting. [TV series: 50 episodes]

:Related games: See above

*'''''Acrobunch''''': A family of six go on a treasure hunt while being chased by an underground kingdom of goblins that want revenge on humanity. This anime was created in 1982 by Knack Studios, the same people responsible for the 80s ''Tetsujin 28'' series (aka ''The New Adventures of Gigantor'' for you 90s kids) and ''God Mars'' with the same staff as the ''J9'' trilogy (consisting of ''Braiger'', ''Baxingar'', and ''Sasuraiger''). Before the late 2010s this remained under most people's radars and even [[/m/]] saw it as just "that one anime that premiered with ''Escaflowne'' and ''Betterman'' in ''Super Robot Wars Compact 3'' and wasn't ''Mechander Robo''". Since its fansubbing completion this hidden gem is notable for being one of the few series that consists of the titular super robot going against real robots. While it includes a lot of ancient alien tech, [[Tzeentch]] having a cameo eating virgin goblins in Ireland, and even [[What|God smiting both sides for disturbing Noah's Ark]], it has enough war gaming minutia: Mass produced units, subfactions, cannon fodder vehicles, combat tactics, and parallels to real life history and religion. In the last quarter we get a red shirt army that doesn't suck ass at their job (shocking!). Also neo Nazis are confirmed to be a rogue goblin group in this timeline, call Goblin Slayer and the Inglorious Bastards. The ending, despite being a happy one, is said to be on a level of bonkers even ''Evangelion'' was unable to reach. No spoilers, but we will say you can't skip any episodes because even the standalones come into play at the end. [TV series: 24 episodes]

:Related games: [[Battletech]]

== Things That Aren't Anime, But You Thought Were ==
*'''''[[Touhou]]''''': An arcade-style, shoot-em-up vidya series, featuring a 100% [[loli]] cast, barring one or two NPCs here or there. Its fandom is incredibly large and kooky, and so fanart of its characters get plastered all over 4chan, causing newfags to ask what anime they are from and incite much derision. It has however, received several official manga spinoffs. [Video-game series: 27 titles, as of '''''Hidden Star in Four Seasons''''']

:Related games: [[Video games|/v/ stuff, shmups,]] [[Exalted]], [[4e]] (that's a joke, a joke [[Touhou_Power_Cards|someone made terrifyingly real]].)

*'''''[[Wakfu]]''''': A French (and therefore absolutely based) cartoon about a kid named Yugo who discovers he is part of a long-lost race of people with the ability to create portals. A fun world with fun characters and a surprisingly deep BBEG that is not to be confused with [[Waifu|your waifu.]] [TV series: 52 episodes + 6 specials + 27 episode mini-series]

:* '''''Dofus: The Treasures of Kerubim''''': Is an episodic series about a retired adventurer who runs an item shop, set around 1000 years before the '''''Wakfu''''' timeline and 200 years before the game. [TV series: 52 episodes + 1 movie]

::(Both Dofus and Wakfu stem from flash-made MMOs of the same names, both games have multiple classes that decide players' abilities and base appearance so homebrews are very possible.)

:Related Games: [[Krosmaster]], which features the same characters and races. Wakfu had an [http://docs.google.com/document/d/14WGhmgmK_tW9LJEQfwFAbpMeja7csNb-zt__3H7SDzQ/ unofficial early beta RPG] and the company Ankama has [http://www.dofus.com/en/mmorpg/news/announcements/265763-would-you-be-interested-tabletop-rpg-set-dofus-world asked if anyone is interested] in an official RPG.

*'''''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''''': In a world where creatures are able to manipulate the elements through martial arts, a child capable of controlling air who froze himself in ice awakens to find that he is the last of his kind. This child is also the Avatar, a person with potential to manipulate all elements and multiply their power by communing with past lives. His adventure involves traveling with friends to master the elements in hopes of unlocking his powers and overthrowing the evil emperor of the Fire Nation that seeks to conquer the world. Is awesome and is famous for having some of the best written characters/character development in any medium. [http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/23320304/ we argued about it once. No we didn't.] [TV series: 61 episodes]

:* '''''Avatar: The Legend of Korra''''': The sequel to the above set sixty years in the future. The next Avatar (Korra, a delicious brown girl from the water-manipulating tribe) struggles to make peace between the normals and the element-fu-wielding upper class amid the setting's equivalent of the Roaring Twenties. There's also some stuff about [[Chaos|a god of darkness disrupting the spirit world.]] Incredibly skubtastic on /co/ due to various hamhanded attempts at character development. Is also nowhere near as good as the previous series. [TV series: 52 episodes]

:Related games: [[Exalted]], [[Legends of the Wulin]]. Also has a card-game that uses QuickStrike rules.

*'''''RWBY''''': [[Skub|Anime-esque CGI production]] made by the late Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth, pronounced "ruby". The world is filled with creatures known as Grimm that seek to destroy humanity, stemmed back by a pseudo-magical substance known as Dust and an order of protectors known as Huntsmen, which the four main female characters are training to be. Started off [[noblebright]] with themes of tolerance and improving society, then got more [[grimdark]] by the middle of the third season. [[Skub|Depending on who you ask, it's either an enjoyable (if flawed) series with good characters, an interesting setting and ideas, and cool weapons, or a dumpster fire of bootleg anime tropes smashed together with hackneyed writing.]] Pretty much everyone agrees that the fight choreography is amazing in the first two seasons (and most of the third, till Monty unexpectedly died), which lends itself to some popularity among fa/tg/uys. Currently someone is trying to make [[RWBY RPG|an RPG based on the setting]] and RT's game development group recently expressed interest in making tabletop games of the series, supposedly based off a tabletop game played in the series, because [[recursion|Meta things are fun.]] Also notable for being widely hated on both [[/co/]] and [[/a/]], unlike most of the things on this list, so tread carefully when discussing it. Also, someone wrote a surprisingly touching crossover with 40k. Lamenters on Remnant works better than you think.
:Related games: low-level [[Exalted]], [[Big Eyes, Small Mouth]]

== Things That Aren't Approved but Merit a Footnote ==

*'''''Aura Battler Dunbine''''': Tomino made this after Gundam. A trainwreck to some, a classic to others. Some guy and his motorcycle gets transported to a fantasy world Ash Williams style, only to discover it's full of fantasy giant robots with fantasy missiles and fantasy laser beams. Imagine guys in armor with swords piloting bug-like mecha against castles defended by spearmen and rock throwing catapults; it's like they deliberately set out to be more [[Gamma World]] than Gamma World. If it came out today it'd be a steaming pile of [[skub]] but the same is true for most things from the 80's. Halfway through the series the whole mess gets transported from fantasy world to Cold War Earth and the Cold War goes hot. Everybody dies and the final battle mimics ''Acrobunch''. A three part OVA called ''Tales of Neo Byston Wells'' was released years later and took a more traditional fantasy approach, ditching the guns and other contemporary elements. [TV series: 49 episodes + 3 OVAs]

:Related games: Army of Darkness RPG, [[Gamma World]]

*'''''Sword Art Online''''': Though not the first [[Isekai|portal fantasy]] that dealt with the whole "being trapped in a video game" shtick, SAO is definitely the one the made it incredibly popular in recent years. Starting off with an incredibly ridiculous premise to begin with, that being that not just one person or even a small group of people are stuck in the video game world but several thousand are because the creator is some freak wanting to test the resolve of humanity. As such, he set it up the VR helmets (which render users immobile while playing) used to enter SAO to microwave their user's brains if they attempt to remove them while logged in or die in the game. How this design feature managed to slip past health and safety regulations is not explained. The main character of the show is Kirito, a [[Mary Sue|Beta Tester]] who uses his incredible fighting prowess and knowledge of the game from being a "beater" (that's a portmanteau of "beta tester" and "cheater") to soar in both levels and varying amounts of prestige/infamy. May or may not have been responsible for several peoples deaths in the game world. Quickly acquires a waifu and harem, which expands as seasons go on all the more to [[Skub|mixed reactions]]. The first season is generally accepted to be alright, if by the numbers, though the second season onward is where many argue the show starts to take a [[Skub|nose-dive in quality]]. If you MUST watch it, do yourself a favor and stick to the parody Abridged series instead.
:Related games: It's own line of board, card games and video games, [[BESM]], OVA RPG, Gratuitous Anime Gimmick, a whole slew of poorly written fan-made RPGs

*[[/m/#For_the_war_gamin.27_crowd|/m/'s list of recommendations for war gamers]]

[[Category:Weeaboo]][[Category:Approved Media]]

SCP Foundation

2020-08-15T23:04:49Z

2601:203:480:4C60:492F:DA9B:556E:B48: /* Famous SCPs */

{{delete|the page is completely irrelevant.}}

[[Image:SCP_Foundation_emblem.png|300px|thumb|right|Secure. Contain. Protect.]]
The SCP Foundation''' is a writing site '''focusing on scientific descriptions of terrifying, confusing, or just plain weird monsters, events, [[Warp|locations]], etc. Expect plenty of REDACTED all across the website. The community prioritizes quality writing over pretty much everything else, and as such it is THE place to go if you like top-tier horror fiction writing. The fucking huge critical community within will RIP'N'TEAR bad articles to pieces. (On the flip side, if you want to read some hilariously bad writing, go to the lowest-rated articles page. You will know the true meaning of [[Derp|stupid]].) The SCP Foundation mainly consists of extremely horrific [[grimdark|GRIMDARK]], but also has its light-hearted moments, and at points, absurd and ironic humor.

While the descriptions on the SCP Foundation website and the hinted-at setting loosely binding the different articles together are not directly related to any specific traditional games; the whole thing is a goldmine of ideas for your horror games from [[Delta Green]] to [[World of Darkness]] to [[Call of Cthulhu]] and everything in between; or even if you simply want to throw something weird at your players to deal with for a change.

==Origins==
The SCP Foundation started when some anon on /x/ wrote a clinically-toned article about a homicidal concrete statue that only moves when you don't look at it, spawning the idea of a worldwide conspiracy to suppress similar "anomalies". In this universe, Creepypasta Events like: "If you visit the ninth floor of a certain apartment at midnight, a spirit will assrape you and split your head open" are very much real, and the Foundation finds them and isolates them for the good of the world at large. Said fictional organization would send agents to survey the existence of supernatural phenomena, contain them (if possible) for analysis, and protect the public from the consequences by any means necessary, said means including (and sometimes surpassing) teleportation to alternate universes.

It eventually shaped into a fictional wiki where thousands of these "SCP"s (items, phenomena, or persons) are contained, by ludicrous force if necessary. Extensive descriptions and containment procedures are the most favored parts of the writings, as well as [[Grimdark|UTTERLY FUCKING TERRIBLE REALIZATIONS]] that your world is a clusterfuck of horror which out-edges 40K on several levels. For example: SCP-682 is a completely invincible reptilian creature that is extremely hostile to humanity, and can barely be kept at bay via complete immersion in hyper-corrosive acid. There are also writings about the personnel within the Foundation, logs of fictional excursions to capture SCPs, and experiment logs to comb through; as well as weapons and personnel that surpass the "legitimate" human authorities' power by magnitudes: [[Mage: The Ascension|extrasolar bases across the universe]] are the only a fraction of it. We're talking about bases in alternate dimensions for inventory and endless resources dug from a plain of white rock.

And that's just the very tip of the iceberg. One SCP is a genetic phenomena that makes the dreaming person's dreams real. That's right. Everything in reality, from World Wars to history of empires *and* new SCP's (there is a rumor that this phenomena was the start of everything) is rewritten in one night's sleep. The Foundation's obvious response is to capture, detain, drug them into complete and total amnesia, use them as disposable anomaly-destroyers, and quietly kill them afterwards. Obviously this genetic trait is so dangerous and disruptive that the organization will ''authorize the [[Exterminatus|'''total genocide''']] of'' "every population that may exhibit the phenomena above average." Another is Nikolai Tesla's Reverse Entropy Tesla Gun that will DESTROY EXISTENCE in a few centuries, with NO WAY OF STOPPING IT. There's also a rock eating fish that eats California's seabed, slowly worsening the San Andreas Faultline, and the foundation failed to kill them off.

And the worst part? There are thousands more yet to be contained or even discovered.

==Classification==
Every SCP has a classification. It's basically a handy way of labeling them as to whether they have the power to totally assfuck you or not. Some of them may even have circumstantial benefits for you interacting with them, goodies like healing or granting you (usually abominable) powers. These classes are:

===Primary Class===
The initial labels given to any anomaly by the Foundation.

*Safe: There is a good understanding about the object/entity, or it's easy to contain. Can still be dangerous if someone isn't careful with it. Think of it like a loaded gun: it's "safe" if you know what you're doing. Generally speaking, if you stick it in a box, it'll be fine.

*Euclid: The object/entity is unpredictable and the Foundation has very little understanding of it. Euclid doesn't necessarily mean 'Mortally Dangerous' but a great deal of them are. Euclid entities might also be sentient, in part or whole, so they are generally locked behind many doors and very thick walls.

*Keter: The good shit. Almost all are an extremely dangerous tier entity/object. At the very least they're <s>contained</s> heavily guarded, protected by specially trained MTF's (Mobile Task Forces). These things, if they ever manage to breach containment, will inevitably destroy the world in one of innumerable horrible ways. Fortunately the Foundation has ways of mitigating these risks.

===Secondary Class===
Replacement labels for things re-classified from the Primary Class. Given to SCP's that the staff of the Foundation have a comprehensive understanding of. True safety.

*Neutralized: SCP entities/objects that are dead, destroyed, disabled, or otherwise no longer a threat. Often-times these were former Keter-class SCP's that the Foundation managed to dispose of. Their only remains are what can be gleaned from the heavily-edited documentation and records that the Foundation keeps. No one really wants to keep a doomsday device around, right?

*Explained: SCP entities/objects that are no longer considered to be abnormal, which may be due to the Foundation mistaking something for an anomaly before closer examination, or due to advances in science allowing it to be understood, or due to an anomaly becoming so widespread that it has become the new normal.

*Irrelevant: Like the former Apollyon, it means simply. "Fuck it." It's gonna happen one way or another.

===Esoteric Classes===
The following Object Classes fall outside of the purview of standard classification.

*Thaumiel: Anomalous material or entities that can be used by the Foundation to [[Ordo Xenos|contain or counteract the effects of other highly dangerous anomalies.]] Sometimes the best thing to do is fight fire with fire. Since its introduction, it's become an unofficial primary class, and is the fourth most-used containment class on the site.

*Apollyon: First used by SCP-2317 (iteration 6, Destroyer of Worlds which cannot be stopped and will destroy the world in the next 30 years) Apollyon is often derisively referred to as "Super-Keter." This class is only used for anomalies that present an apocalyptic threat that the Foundation has no way of stopping, slowing down, or undoing. For example: in one alternate timeline the sun became an Apollyon SCP when something caused the sun to start turning any living thing exposed to sunlight into blob monsters. This included trees, keters, ANYTHING. The author community mostly considers use of Apollyon to be in poor taste; this has been lampshaded in some Tales, like the Antimemetics Division tale [http://www.scp-wiki.net/the-wild-light Wild Light]: "Current thinking...is that Apollyon classification is a confession of defeat. It's bad for morale. It cultivates defeatist attitudes. [Keter is] the top of the hierarchy".

*Archon: One of the more popular esoteric classes, Archon denotes items that would do more damage contained than uncontained.

*Hiemal: Also growing in popularity, Hiemal-class objects are anomalous systems composed of separate anomalous parts, usually with one containing the other. One example was an anomaly that caused carnivores to stop hunting and survive entirely by eating themselves and regenerating, but when the Foundation contained it, a new anomaly was unleased that caused plant life and herbivores to start growing out of control and become extremely aggressive, because the Foundation didn't listen to the warnings given by the humans infected by the first anomaly.

*Cernnunos: A newer class, Cernnunos-class SCPs are entities that could be contained ''or neutralized,'' by already known means, but the cost of those means have been deemed too high, and the Foundation is actively looking for other means of containment. One example is a portal that could be closed, by the sacrifice of "every human heart that has not yet known silence."

==Famous SCPs==
*SCP-049: A humanoid resembling a medieval plague-doctor whose outfit is actually part of his body. He is obsessed with curing a supposed "pestilence" he perceives in some humans, but his cure turns the victim into a rampaging zombie. [[Skub|It's unclear whether this pestilence is a real thing that only he can see, or if he is simply suffering from schizophrenia.]]
*SCP-055: An unknown object that erases any memories about itself. The Foundation doesn't even remember when or how they obtained it, or even who wrote the object's containment procedures and why they work, but it is possible to remember what the object isn't, and so the Foundation is figuring it out by elimination. This spawned a long-running series about the "[http://www.scp-wiki.net/antimemetics-division-hub Antimemetics Division]", which deals with SCPs which make you forget about them or are literally impossible to think certain thoughts about. Like a building, SCP-2602, which used to be a library, which has the effect of making all its properties seem totally normal for a building which used to be a library. Including the advanced book-sorting machines (which were damaged by being stored in a former library) and the restraints which libraries used to restrain patrons with large overdue book fines (likewise), and the hazardous waste pit and thaumically-active shrines, both normal things for a former library to have, probably to aid study groups who met in the library.
*SCP-087: A seemingly endless stairwell with a voice crying out for help that never gets closer no matter how far down you go. If you go down it too long a floating face will suddenly appear and scare you to death.
*SCP-093: A disc that turns mirrors into portals to an alternate version of earth where humanity was taken over and then wiped out by a being claiming to be God, who granted the world advanced technology and also his tears, which could be used to cure people of sinful behavior but eventually turned users into faceless monsters called The Unclean that grow larger by absorbing other people.
*SCP-096: A humanoid with abnormally long arms and a very large mouth. Normally it is docile, but if anyone sees its face, it goes berserk and hunts down those who have seen it until they are all dead. How exactly it kills its victims is censored so it must be something horrible. And once you have seen it's face there is nothing that can stop it. Even getting its organs blasted out by a tank round won't slow it down. And you don't even have to see its face directly. Even looking too closely at a photo containing just a few pixels of its face will set it off.
*SCP-106: A old man who can walk through walls, corrodes everything he touches, and can teleport victims to [[Commoragh|a pocket dimension where he tortures them.]]
*SCP-173: The Statue (AKA the Original) - A killer statue that can move extremely fast when not being watched and causes a mixture of blood and feces to mysteriously appear on the floor of the room it is kept in. This means people regularly have to enter the room it is stored in to clean it and have to be extremely careful not to blink so it doesn't kill them. Started the whole thing, and yes, Whofags, it came before the Weeping Angels. Was inspired by a creepy photo of a sculpture by a Japanese artist.
*SCP-213-7: The last surviving member of seven young women who were kidnapped and impregnated by a satanic cult. If she ever gives birth it will cause the apocalypse. The only way to stop her from giving birth is to regularly submit her to something called Procedure 110-Montauk. It isn't revealed what Procedure 110-Montauk specifically is, but it is something absolutely horrifying, probably some form of disgusting sexual torture. And the Foundation regularly erases her memory to make sure she doesn't get used to it because the trauma of the procedure is required for it to work. The horror doesn't come from the threat to the world she represents, but how far the Foundation is willing to go to keep the world safe. If you had to torture an innocent person to keep other people safe, would you be able to do it?
*SCP-294: A coffee machine that can dispense anything you request from it as long it can exist in liquid form, as well as several things that normally can't.
*SCP-354: [[Lizardmen|A bloody red lake that spawns many terrifying monster 24/7]]. It spawn many varity of monster that can only be seen in movies and fictions like killer robots, lizard people, elemental monsters and a frigging krakens. The foundation put up a good fight but decided to [[exterminatus|abandoned the fuck out and nuke the site]] because they can't [[Lizardmen|kept up the pace]] and fighting [[Skaven|endless]] [[Warriors of Chaos|wave]] [[Chaos Daemons|of monsters]] [[Nagash|to a stalemate]]. The pool also sentient and will psychically attack you if you try to drain the pool.
*SCP-447: A spongy ball that constantly exudes a green slime, this substance is extremely useful and is good at improving the quality of whatever it's applied to (gasoline becomes more efficient, smoke grenades last longer, food becomes more delicious). The only catch is that it does ''something'' to dead bodies that is apparently extremely dangerous, and the Foundation is so afraid of this effect that even proposing to apply the goo to a dead body is enough to get you demoted to D-class!
*SCP-529 (aka Josie): A half-cat [[Felinid|(not that kind)]], the entirety of her body behind her ribcage is seemingly non-existent. Despite this, she still behaves as though her body is whole. Given that she is [[Cat|a cat]], she is allowed to freely roam the lower levels of the facility. However, SCP-529 is not to be given any cheese; if she doesn't get enough cheese, [[Dawww|she gets upset]].
*SCP-682: The Hard-to-Kill Lizard - A FUCKHUEG lizard that hates all organic life (except SCP-053, an immortal child who drives humans violently insane, for some reason) and cannot be killed. There is a LONG list of attempts, none of them successful. It will either become immune to what you tried to use to kill it with, or will copy the effects and turn them on you. The Foundation has even tried killing or controlling it using dozens of other SCPs, which normally is forbidden, and none of them have worked, and many have backfired.
*SCP-895: An empty coffin which causes any camera recording taken too close to it to be filled with horrifying images that can drive you insane.
*SCP-914: The Clockworks - A massive clockwork machine that has 5 settings: Rough, Coarse, 1:1, Fine, and Very Fine. Put something in the box, choose your setting, and pray the result isn't too radioactive. The two lowest settings take objects apart. The middle setting transforms the input into something similar, like maybe turning an apple into an orange. The second highest setting turns the input into a better version of itself. The last setting is similar to the previous one but is extremely unpredictable. The output will usually have a similar function the input but taken to an extreme, and often be anomalous.
*SCP-999: A harmless [[Slime]] that eats candy and sweats [[Noblebright|antidepressants]] and [[Dawww|loves to tickle people]]. [[What|Oh, and in one story he's the messianic son]] of SCP 231-7 and [[Big Bad Evil Guy|the Scarlet King.]]
*SCP-1471: A living malware app that, once installed, causes a skull-faced wolf-thing (the picture of it that used to be on the page was stolen from a [[Furry]]) to begin stalking you inside your phone until you can see it in real-life. Fortunately, the creature itself is harmless. Unfortunately, this all means that furries in real-real-life are totally obsessed with the character and you can't mention it without risking Rule 34.
*SCP-2521: A weird tentacle monster that can walk though walls, can only be safely described with pictograms, and loves information about itself, so it steals any document written about it and kidnaps anybody who talks about'''AAAAAAAAHHHHHH! ITS GOT ME!'''
*SCP-2845: A Deer with a human face that can transmute any substance, turn humans into weird Hexagon things, is thought to be one of the few SCPs that are actual no-holds-barred gods, and can only be contained by weird rituals involving castrating Class-Ds and eating babies.
*SCP-3008: An infinitely large IKEA store in another dimension staffed by monsters who attack anybody in the store at night that people can get trapped in by walking into a specific, otherwise-ordinary IKEA store. The people trapped inside the super IKEA are said to came from other dimensions even and they are forced to play [[Dwarf Fortress]] (or [[Minecraft]] for the current gen reader) where they craft weapons and fortress using IKEA product to defend against monster's attack at night.
===SCPs with minimal tabletop relevance===
*SCP-1230: A book containing only the text, "A hero is born". Opening the book causes the reader to have a dream where they have [[Fun|entertaining]] adventures in a fantasy world, essentially placing them in a very immersive [[Quest]], the next time they go to sleep. The entity who serves as the QM appears in the dreams on occasion, taking the form of an old cloaked man. This one's pretty harmless, but at least one researcher committed suicide after having spent over 2 centuries (by his point of view) in a single dream, after which the QM was inconsolable for a time.
*SCP-3973: An [[Ultramarines]] miniature that is sentient and has the ability to control which side dice in its vicinity land on.
*SCP-1974-EX: A d20 dice that gives players hallucination. Sadly judging by the -EX ending, meaning it isn't much of a exciting SCP meaning it is probably a fake or dud. Turns out the dice is covered in some kind of hallucination chemical. Never the less the article itself contain many references to /tg/ memes and related games, which is why it is listed here.

==Other Factions==
The SCP Foundation is not the only organization that protects the world from the supernatural or uses the supernatural for their own goals. Here is a partial list of notable rivals, allies, and enemies of the Foundation.
* Chaos Insurgency: Originally this faction was part of the Foundation, a covert deniable ops team simply named the "Insurgency." Operating under the fictitious pretense of being a group of rogue agents who assassinated and kidnapped on behalf of said organization, without their actions leading back to the foundation. They answered directly to the O5 Council, with little oversight from any other part of the Foundation. That changed when they really did go rogue, releasing various euclid and keter-class SCPs. What their goal is still remains a mystery, as is the reason for their defection. It's suggested that rather than contain SCPs, they want to proactively control and weaponize them. Whatever the case, they're a threat to everything the Foundation works for.
* Global Occult Coalition: The GOC is an organization funded by the United Nations whose mission is to protect humanity from anomalous threats. Unlike the SCP Foundation, they are far more willing to use anomalies to fight against anomalies, [[Exterminatus|but mainly focus on destroying any anomalies that they consider a threat instead of containing and studying them.]] The Foundation and the GOC have at times allied with each other, although their methodologies are diametrically opposite. Many of the other factions strongly dislike the GOC and see them as needlessly heavy-handed.
* Horizon Initiative: A religious organization formed from the three Abrahamic faiths and several other religions that work together to protect the world from the supernatural. They are particularly hostile to cults like the Church of the Broken God and the Fifthist Church.
* Serpent's Hand: The Serpent's Hand is a loose confederation of humans and other beings that fights for the rights of intelligent anomalies and the pursuit of knowledge. Their base of operations is a magical library between universes. They especially hate the GOC and call them "bookburners", they refer to the Foundation as the "Jailers". Occasional allies of the Foundation, though the Foundation usually comes to regret it later.
* Church of the Broken God: Basically the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] mixed with Gnosticism and a little bit of Greek and Chinese mythology. The CotBG is a religion of machine worshipers that wants to find and reassemble the lost fragments of their god. Although they aren't evil per se, if they were to succeed in their goals it probably would cause the apocalypse; or at the very least turn everything into living clockwork metal, and according to some sources, fixing the god of machines would actually cause the god of flesh to be released which is the opposite of what they want. They are mainly broken into three distinct denominations: the Broken Church (the oldest branch), the Cogworth Orthodox (obsessed with standardization and clockwork body modification, and prefer [[Industrial Revolution]] level technology) and the Church of Maxwellism (unlike the other two branches, they embrace the use of electronics and believe that the broken god is a digital being they can connect to through the internet).
* Sarkic Cults: Sarkicism or Nälkä (Finnish for hunger), as its followers call it, is the antithesis of the CotBG. The religion is mostly based on Gnosticism (but in an opposite way than the CotBG) with some elements of Hinduism and Alchemy. They revere [[Nurgle|disease]] and mutation and seek to achieve godhood by consuming the gods and perfecting themselves through horrifying [[Fleshcrafting]] sorcery. If you've ever seen the movie "The Thing", that'll give you the right idea. Most Sarkites are horrifically depraved monsters who should be killed with fire. The CotBG and Sarkites have a very long ongoing historical conflict. Sarkic cults are divided into Proto-Sarkic Cults, which mostly consist of isolated and technophobic communities and primarily worship the founder of the religion who achieved godhood, and Neo-Sarkic Cults, which are hidden in modern society as secret societies and organized crime organizations and worship the god of flesh.
* The Fifth Church: Well... they worship stars and have an obsession with the number 5. It seems to be based partially on Scientology and New Age and other new religious movements and parody religions, but little is actually known about their beliefs, and what is known is mostly incomprehensible. Most of the other factions consider them to be a joke, although they once nearly destroyed reality by selling a book that gave readers reality warping powers at the cost of causing insanity. It has been theorized that the whole religion is actually an interplanetary scam started by aliens. In the Antimemetics Division canon, the reality is much worse than that.
* Doctor Wondertainment: Seem to be a company that produces supernatural toys for children, which usually are dangerous if they are not used properly. They often send their products to the Foundation as gifts. For some reason they also created a line of anomalous humanoids called the Little Misters that they challenge the Foundation to collect.
* Are We Cool Yet?: A organization of artists/terrorists with a twisted sense of humor that produces dangerous pieces of anomalous artwork for laughs or for making political statements. Things like paintings that drive people that look at them insane.
* Gamers Against Weed (GAW): Anomalous Internet Memes & the like. Love taking the piss out of the other GoIs; split off from AWCY? at least partly because the former were too high off their own paint fumes. Usually used as comic relief.
* Marshal, Carter, and Dark Ltd.: An occult business that collects anomalies to sell to anyone for the right price.
* Manna Charitable Foundation: An organization that tries to exploit anomalies for humanitarian purposes, often with disastrous results. The road to hell...
* Herman Fuller's Circus of the Disquieting: A circus that travels between dimensions to put on their shows and recruit more freaks. The Circus tends to be a refuge for the truly strange. Herman was overthrown and it's now lead by a pair of lesbian clown monsters.
* Shark Punching Center: Began as a joke for mocking people who misspelled SCP as SPC. The SPC is a completely insane version of the Foundation from another universe that is dedicated entirely to protecting the world from selachian (shark) entities by punching them. They do a pretty good job.
* SAPPHIRE: An organization of militant atheists who seek to destroy all religions by anomalous means even while being in total denial of the existence of the anomalous. All the other factions think they are insane.
* ☽☽☽: In an alternate timeline, the earth was saved from destruction by being teleported into an afterlife known as Corbenic and became a third moon. From there, the people of that earth work to try to save other versions of earth from going down the same path that lead to their destruction.

And those are just some of the major ones that appear on the English version of the SCP website. Writers on other language versions of the website have come up with tons more.

== Drama ==
When you get a group of people to do something together, drama is inevitable. The SCP community has a number of big-names calling the shots, and what they say goes. They set the tone for what's allowed and what's not, and if you piss off the wrong person for a trivial thing or hurt someone's massive over-inflated ego, you can expect your stay on the website to be short. They are no stranger to massive internal strife either; fights between the big boys resulted in a lot of content being discarded at one point. It kind of mirrors [[TVTropes]]: the front end has a lot of nice reading but the community side is a dumpster fire of misery, egos and dicks. We do not prefer to give examples, but utterly retarded articles written by a newcomer cute girl may stay a lot while longer than they should (and any criticism thereof will result in a ban until someone with clout does something).

Early forms of alleged [[SJW]]ism have also started to surface, with articles spotting unusual genders without them being played for horror, or commented upon at all for that matter. Given a lot of SCPs are frequently not of this Earth/dimension/etc., there's at least SOME reasoning for it.

Furthermore, as the community around the SCP Wiki has evolved over time, the tone of the works has shifted. In the first few years of the wiki, there was more of an inclusion of levity and humor, especially in regards to test logs and the antics of senior staffers. Over time the wiki has included less and less of this, as the community broadened and namefags or otherwise notable contributors left, taking their influences and in-universe characters with them. Circa 2018, the wiki is redoubling its efforts to be purely clinical horror, with fewer jokes (for better or worse).

(That being said, there's still room for somewhat "silly" SCPs, you just have to make them the product of an appropriate silly person or group, and make sure to (A) write it up clinically and (B) have something interesting besides the joke. See, for reference, the products of the group "Gamers Against Weed", or the products of "dado".)

==See also==

* [[Delta Green]] - The closest thing to a SCP tabletop RPG out there.

[[Category:Not related]]