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Tanar'ri

2020-09-12T22:36:11Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Lesser Tanar'ri */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
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*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
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*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
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*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
**'''[[Incubus]]''': The male version
*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
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*'''[[Artaaglith]]''': Ram-like demons that serve [[Orcus]]. Were introduced in the [[Ghostwalk]] book.
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
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File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
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*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
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*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
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===Generic Demons===
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During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Drake]]''': A failed attempt to create flying mounts for demon lords by breeding demons with dragons and wyverns. Their breath deals fire and unholy damage at the same time.
* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''': Dumb four armed demons that fight by grabbing enemies and tearing their guts open.
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''': Sneaky but weak demons. Looks very similar to the Abyssal Scavenger, probably because the scavenger recycled the design.
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A demonic hyena with a scorpion tail. In fifth edition this demon was combined with the [[Shoosuva]].
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File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
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* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''': Undead demons with psychic powers made of demon and devil flesh stitched together.
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''': Another four armed demon. They can spray blood from their body that heals other demons and is poisonous to other creatures.
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multiply. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon): Muscular demons with bright red skin. They become stronger when groups of them are close together, but they also have a tendency to attack their allies during combat.
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''': Small annoying demons that are always eating and can teleport.
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''': An undead demon skeleton that is also on fire.
* '''[[Jarrlak]]''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''': Spiky demons that mind control people into thinking their allies have betrayed them.
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''': Yet another four armed demon. At least these ones look a little different. They have pincers on all four arms instead of hands and four eyes and a single tentacle on the back of their head. They ambush enemies while they are in combat with other demons and teleport away with the enemy to separate them from their group.
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They can also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''': A large green slimy hulk that produces podspawn minions from the pimples on its body that it uses as living weapons.
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
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* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''': A demon that wears a rune covered shell on its back like a hermit crab. Their are multiple types of Runespiral demon but the most common ones shoot lightning.
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''': Tentacled blobs of darkness that sacrifice themselves to restrain enemies so stronger demons can kill them. When a rupture demon dies they also release an explosion of goo and tentacles that heals and boosts the power of another demon.
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
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* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]''': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
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* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Tanar'ri

2020-09-12T22:31:02Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Generic Demons */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
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*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
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*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
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*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
**'''[[Incubus]]''': The male version
*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
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File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
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*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
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*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
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===Generic Demons===
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During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Drake]]''': A failed attempt to create flying mounts for demon lords by breeding demons with dragons and wyverns. Their breath deals fire and unholy damage at the same time.
* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''': Dumb four armed demons that fight by grabbing enemies and tearing their guts open.
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''': Sneaky but weak demons. Looks very similar to the Abyssal Scavenger, probably because the scavenger recycled the design.
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A demonic hyena with a scorpion tail. In fifth edition this demon was combined with the [[Shoosuva]].
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File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
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* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''': Undead demons with psychic powers made of demon and devil flesh stitched together.
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''': Another four armed demon. They can spray blood from their body that heals other demons and is poisonous to other creatures.
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multiply. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon): Muscular demons with bright red skin. They become stronger when groups of them are close together, but they also have a tendency to attack their allies during combat.
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''': Small annoying demons that are always eating and can teleport.
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''': An undead demon skeleton that is also on fire.
* '''[[Jarrlak]]''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''': Spiky demons that mind control people into thinking their allies have betrayed them.
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''': Yet another four armed demon. At least these ones look a little different. They have pincers on all four arms instead of hands and four eyes and a single tentacle on the back of their head. They ambush enemies while they are in combat with other demons and teleport away with the enemy to separate them from their group.
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They can also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''': A large green slimy hulk that produces podspawn minions from the pimples on its body that it uses as living weapons.
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
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* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''': A demon that wears a rune covered shell on its back like a hermit crab. Their are multiple types of Runespiral demon but the most common ones shoot lightning.
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''': Tentacled blobs of darkness that sacrifice themselves to restrain enemies so stronger demons can kill them. When a rupture demon dies they also release an explosion of goo and tentacles that heals and boosts the power of another demon.
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
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* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]''': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
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* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Tanar'ri

2020-09-12T08:13:42Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Types of Tanar'ri */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
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*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
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*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
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*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
**'''[[Incubus]]''': The male version
*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
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File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
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*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
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*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
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===Generic Demons===
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During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''': Dumb four armed demons that fight by grabbing enemies and tearing their guts open.
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''': Sneaky but weak demons. Looks very similar to the Abyssal Scavenger, probably because the scavenger recycled the design.
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A demonic hyena with a scorpion tail. In fifth edition this demon was combined with the [[Shoosuva]].
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File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
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* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''': Undead demons with psychic powers made of demon and devil flesh stitched together.
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''': Another four armed demon. They can spray blood from their body that heals other demons and is poisonous to other creatures.
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multiply. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon): Muscular demons with bright red skin. They become stronger when groups of them are close together, but they also have a tendency to attack their allies during combat.
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''': Small annoying demons that are always eating and can teleport.
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''': An undead demon skeleton that is also on fire.
* '''[[Jarrlak]]''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''': Spiky demons that mind control people into thinking their allies have betrayed them.
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''': Yet another four armed demon. At least these ones look a little different. They have pincers on all four arms instead of hands and four eyes and a single tentacle on the back of their head. They ambush enemies while they are in combat with other demons and teleport away with the enemy to separate them from their group.
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They can also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''': A large green slimy hulk that produces podspawn minions from the pimples on its body that it uses as living weapons.
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
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* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''': A demon that wears a rune covered shell on its back like a hermit crab. Their are multiple types of Runespiral demon but the most common ones shoot lightning.
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''': Tentacled blobs of darkness that sacrifice themselves to restrain enemies so stronger demons can kill them. When a rupture demon dies they also release an explosion of goo and tentacles that heals and boosts the power of another demon.
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
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* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]''': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
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* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Tanar'ri

2020-09-12T08:10:23Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Generic Demons */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
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*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
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*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
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*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
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*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
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File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
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*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
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*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
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===Generic Demons===
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During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''': Dumb four armed demons that fight by grabbing enemies and tearing their guts open.
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''': Sneaky but weak demons. Looks very similar to the Abyssal Scavenger, probably because the scavenger recycled the design.
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A demonic hyena with a scorpion tail. In fifth edition this demon was combined with the [[Shoosuva]].
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File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
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* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''': Undead demons with psychic powers made of demon and devil flesh stitched together.
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''': Another four armed demon. They can spray blood from their body that heals other demons and is poisonous to other creatures.
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multiply. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon): Muscular demons with bright red skin. They become stronger when groups of them are close together, but they also have a tendency to attack their allies during combat.
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''': Small annoying demons that are always eating and can teleport.
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''': An undead demon skeleton that is also on fire.
* '''[[Jarrlak]]''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''': Spiky demons that mind control people into thinking their allies have betrayed them.
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''': Yet another four armed demon. At least these ones look a little different. They have pincers on all four arms instead of hands and four eyes and a single tentacle on the back of their head. They ambush enemies while they are in combat with other demons and teleport away with the enemy to separate them from their group.
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They can also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''': A large green slimy hulk that produces podspawn minions from the pimples on its body that it uses as living weapons.
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
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* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''': A demon that wears a rune covered shell on its back like a hermit crab. Their are multiple types of Runespiral demon but the most common ones shoot lightning.
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''': Tentacled blobs of darkness that sacrifice themselves to restrain enemies so stronger demons can kill them. When a rupture demon dies they also release an explosion of goo and tentacles that heals and boosts the power of another demon.
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
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* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]''': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Tanar'ri

2020-09-12T08:07:42Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Generic Demons */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
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*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
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*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
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*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
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*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
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File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
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*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
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*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
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===Generic Demons===
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During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''': Dumb four armed demons that fight by grabbing enemies and tearing their guts open.
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''': Sneaky but weak demons. Looks very similar to the Abyssal Scavenger, probably because the scavenger recycled the design.
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A third edition demon that was combined with the Shoosuva in fifth edition.
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File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
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* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''': Undead demons with psychic powers made of demon and devil flesh stitched together.
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''': Another four armed demon. They can spray blood from their body that heals other demons and is poisonous to other creatures.
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multiply. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon): Muscular demons with bright red skin. They become stronger when groups of them are close together, but they also have a tendency to attack their allies during combat.
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''': Small annoying demons that are always eating and can teleport.
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''': An undead demon skeleton that is also on fire.
* '''[[Jarrlak]]''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''': Spiky demons that mind control people into thinking their allies have betrayed them.
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''': Yet another four armed demon. At least these ones look a little different. They have pincers on all four arms instead of hands and four eyes and a single tentacle on the back of their head. They ambush enemies while they are in combat with other demons and teleport away with the enemy to separate them from their group.
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They can also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''': A large green slimy hulk that produces podspawn minions from the pimples on its body that it uses as living weapons.
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
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* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''': A demon that wears a rune covered shell on its back like a hermit crab. Their are multiple types of Runespiral demon but the most common ones shoot lightning.
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''': Tentacled blobs of darkness that sacrifice themselves to restrain enemies so stronger demons can kill them. When a rupture demon dies they also release an explosion of goo and tentacles that heals and boosts the power of another demon.
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
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* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]''': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Tanar'ri

2020-09-12T08:02:22Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Generic Demons */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
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*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
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*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
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*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
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*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
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File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
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*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
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*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
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===Generic Demons===
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During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''': Dumb four armed demons that fight by grabbing enemies and tearing their guts open.
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''': Sneaky but weak demons. Looks very similar to the Abyssal Scavenger.
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A third edition demon that was combined with the Shoosuva in fifth edition.
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File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
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* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''': Undead demons with psychic powers made of demon and devil flesh stitched together.
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''': Another four armed demon. They can spray blood from their body that heals other demons and is poisonous to other creatures.
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multiply. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon):
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''': Small annoying demons that are always eating and can teleport.
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''': An undead demon skeleton that is also on fire.
* '''[[Jarrlak]]''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''': Spiky demons that mind control people into thinking their allies have betrayed them.
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''': Yet another four armed demon. At least these ones look a little different. They have pincers on all four arms instead of hands and four eyes and a single tentacle on the back of their head. They ambush enemies while they are in combat with other demons and teleport away with the enemy to separate them from their group.
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They can also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''': A large green slimy hulk that produces podspawn minions from the pimples on its body that it uses as living weapons.
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
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* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''': A demon that wears a rune covered shell on its back like a hermit crab. Their are multiple types of Runespiral demon but the most common ones shoot lightning.
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''': Tentacled blobs of darkness that sacrifice themselves to restrain enemies so stronger demons can kill them. When a rupture demon dies they also release an explosion of goo and tentacles that heals and boosts the power of another demon.
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
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* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]''': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Baatezu

2020-09-12T07:08:33Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Dungeons & Dragons 4E */

[[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 4th and 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, Ayperobos Kabalon
|-
| || 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, Kocrachon, Desert Devil
|-
| || 8 || Harvester Devil, Pain Devil, Hellcat || || Erinyes
|-
| || 9 || Amnizu
|-
| '''Greater Devils''' || 10 || Bone Devil, Orthon || Malebranche
|-
| || 11 || Barbed Devil
|-
| || 12 || Ice Devil || Xerfilstyx
|-
| || 13 || Logokron, Remmanon, Horned Devil, Ghargatula || || 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.

Note that some of the rankings in the list seen here may be incorrect and are only guesses because not all of the various devils have been officially placed in the hierarchy.

==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.
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* '''Ayperobos''' an extremely small and weak devil that attacks in swarms. They swarm over enemies and burrow into their flesh to take control over them.
* '''Kabalons''' are a non-Baatezu Devil spawned from the flesh of the Hag Countess who once ruled over the layer of Malbolge when she was overthrown and became the layer. They are in constant pain and are always trying to reform themselves into the Hag Countess again. Groups of them can merge together to form a larger Kabalon which can also split apart into smaller ones.
* '''Merregons''' or '''Legion Devils''' are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. What they actually look like and what their abilities are though is completely different depending on what edition you are playing. In 3rd edition, 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.
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* '''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.
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* 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.
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* '''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.
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* '''Narzugons''' or '''Hell Knights''' are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called [[Nightmare]]s. 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.
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* '''[[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.
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* '''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.
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* '''[[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.
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* '''Kocrachons''' are insectoid devils who specialize in torture.
* '''Aratons''' or '''Desert Devils''' are a non-Baatezu devil. They look like an undead humanoid wielding scimitars and surounded by a constant whirlwind of sand that is constantly tearing at their regenerating flesh.
* '''Bezekiras''' or '''Hellcats''' are a non-Baatezu devil. They are large evil cats who are invisible while in light and can only been seen in the dark.
* '''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.
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* '''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.
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* 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.
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* '''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.
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* '''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.
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* '''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.
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** A '''Stony Devil''' is an upgraded form of a Hamatula. They gain more abilities and their bodies are now stone-like.
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* '''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.
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* '''Ghargatulas''' are huge devils resembling a dinosaur with a stinger tail and a massive mouth on their belly. They are unintelligent and have no magical abilities other than a weak chance of summoning a Cornugon. They are used as guardians, although some just wander around eating everything they encounter including other devils.
* '''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.
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* '''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.
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* '''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.
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* '''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]].
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* 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.
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* 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]].
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===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.
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* 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.
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* 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.
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* '''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.
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* 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.
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* A '''Brachina''' or '''Pleasure Devil''' is an improved form of the Erinyes or, depending on edition, a crossbreed of a Succubus and an Erinyes. Even more beautiful, seductive and powerful than either Succubi or Erinyes, 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.
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* '''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.
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===Outside the Hierarchy===
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* '''Stitched Devils''' are created by Night [[Hag]]s out of assorted pieces of dead devils stitched together. Normally this should be impossible since normally when a devil dies, they are absorbed back into Baator, but some greedy devils are willing to preserve the parts of other devils and sell them to Night Hags. Most devils consider the creation of a Stitched Devil to be an abomination. Despite the agonizing pain of their existence they do not hate the night hags that created them and are treated as pets.

==[[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.

{{NeedsImages}}
{{Dnd-stub}}
* '''Infernal Armor Animus''' Level 3 Minion Soldier, a suit of armor that has been animated by a tortured mortal soul. When the armor is destroyed, the soul is eaten by the closest nonminion devil to heal them.
* '''Imp''' level 3 lurker
* '''Spined Devil''' or Spinagon, level 6 skirmisher
* '''Vizier Devil''' Level 7 Controller (Leader) a devil that spreads the influence of hell by infiltrating governments by serving as advisors.
* '''Pain Devil''' Level 8 Soldier
* '''[[Succubus]]''' are devils in 4E not demons, level 9 controller. This also means that [[Cambion]]s are also devils.
* '''Chain Devil''' or Kyton, level 11 skirmisher
* '''Rage Devil''' Level 11 Brute, created by injecting devils with demon ichor and then binding them with magical hieroglyphs. These tusked brutes were made for fighting demons in the blood war. They carry mauls that cause enemies struck with them to lose their resistances.
* '''Pain Devil Captain''' Level 11 Controller (Leader)
* '''Gorechain Devil''' Level 12 Elite Brute, a bigger and uglier version of the chain devil. While chain devils act as jailers, gorechain devils are bounty hunters.
* '''Bearded Devil''' or Barbazu, level 13 soldier
* '''Wrath Devil''' Level 13 Controller, a purple skinned devil with long fingers that specializes in tempting mortals into giving into hatred.
* '''Erinyes''' Level 13 Soldier (Leader)
* '''Withering Devil''' Level 14 Controller, a devil that spreads weakness and apathy.
* '''Hell Knight''' or Narzugon Level 15 Soldier. In this edition, instead of being fallen paladins the first Narzugons were instead the corrupted followers of the god Asmodeus once served. They hate Asmodeus for betraying their god but are unable to resist his control over them. New Narzugons are made from the souls of mortal who were tricked into betraying their god.
* '''Misfortune Devil''' Level 15 Artillery, these devils specialize in convincing mortals to engage in risky behavior.
* '''[[Slime]] Devil''' Level 16 Lurker. A devil made of black slime. They are the interrogators of hell, formed from the souls of evil [[Inquisitor]]s. They can engulf victims and ask them questions and the victim takes damage if they don't answer truthfully.
* '''Shocktroop Devil''' Level 16 Soldier, large devils wielding swords and shields who act as living battering rams in combat.
* '''Warder Devil''' Level 16 Soldier
* '''Passion Devil''' Level 16 Controller. A less subtle version of a sucubus who convinces mortals to engage in passions. All passion devils look like [[Fierna]] but with one imperfection.
* '''Bone Devil''' or Osyluth, level 17 controller (leader)
* '''Indwelling Devil''' Level 18 Lurker. A devil resembling a humanoid [[Oriental Dragon]]. Their job is to hunt down and retrieve damned souls who escaped from hell.
* '''Swarm Devil''' Level 18 Skirmisher. Angels who fell as a result of being caught lying by their master end up as devil-shaped swarms of flies that are constantly starving.
* '''Barbed Devil''' or Hamatula, Level 18 Skirmisher
* '''Barbed Devil Enforcer''' Level 18 Soldier
* '''Ice Devil''' or Gelugon, level 20 soldier
* '''War Devil''' or Malebranche, level 22 brute (leader) has taken the place of the Horned Devil.
* '''Corruption Devil''' or Paeliryon Level 22 Controller (Leader)
* '''Storm Devil''' Level 23 Artillery
* '''Hellwasp Devil''' Level 23 Skirmisher or Level 19 Minion Skirmisher. They originally were demons before their queen was defeated by [[Glasya]] and they choose her as their new ruler.
* '''Assassin Devil''' Level 24 Lurker
* '''Pillager Devil''' Level 25 Soldier
* '''Pit Fiend''' level 26 elite soldier (leader)
* '''Brazen Devil''' Level 28 Soldier, Asmodeus's elite guards who are permanently sealed in brass armor.
* '''Sire of Corruption''' Level 29 Elite Controller (Leader), a more powerful variant of the corruption devil who makes deals with mortals to turn them into corrupted followers, which are monsters based on the sins of lust, gluttony wrath, greed, sloth, and cowardice.

* Legion Devils compose Hell's armies:
** '''Legion Devil Grunt''' Level 6 Minion
** '''Legion Devil Hellguard''' Level 11 Minion
** '''Legion Devil Veteran''' Level 16 Minion
** '''Legion Devil Legionnaire''' Level 21 Minion

* [[Cambion]]s:
** '''Cambion Hellsword''' Level 8 Brute
** '''Cambion Wrathborn''' Level 9 Skirmisher
** '''Chained Cambion''' Level 10 Controller
** '''Cambion Infernal Scion''' Level 12 Elite Soldier
** '''Cambion Hellfire Magus''' Level 18 Artillery

* Tar Devils are a type of devil associated with a villainous group of mercenaries called the Iron Circle. They resembling [[Tiefling]]s who are constantly dripping black fluid from their bodies.
** '''Tar Devil Harrier''' Level 3 Artillery
** '''Tar Devil Brawler''' Level 3 Brute
** '''Tar Devil Guard''' Level 4 Soldier

* Burning Devils are tormented souls with the color determined by what sin they committed in life.
** '''Burning Devil''' Level 4 Minion Skirmisher
** '''Whitefire Burning Devil''' Level 14 Minion Skirmisher
** '''Blackfire Burning Devil''' Level 24 Minion Skirmisher

And all of those are only the ones that are part of the hierarchy of hell. There are lots of other monsters who have the "Devil" keyword but are not quite devils, such as [[Duergar]], due to their association with devils.

== Dungeons & Dragons 5E ==
{{Dnd-stub}}
{|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}}

Tanar'ri

2020-09-12T07:04:30Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Generic Demons */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
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*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
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*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
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*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
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*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
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File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
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*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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File:Molydeus 2e.jpg
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===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
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*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
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===Generic Demons===
{{NeedsImages}}
During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''': Dumb four armed demons that fight by grabbing enemies and tearing their guts open.
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A third edition demon that was combined with the Shoosuva in fifth edition.
<gallery>
File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
</gallery>
* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''': Undead demons with psychic powers made of demon and devil flesh stitched together.
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''': Another four armed demon. They can spray blood from their body that heals other demons and is poisonous to other creatures.
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multiply. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon):
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''': Small annoying demons that are always eating and can teleport.
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''': An undead demon skeleton that is also on fire.
* '''[[Jarrlak]]''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''': Spiky demons that mind control people into thinking their allies have betrayed them.
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''': Yet another four armed demon. At least these ones look a little different. They have pincers on all four arms instead of hands and four eyes and a single tentacle on the back of their head. They ambush enemies while they are in combat with other demons and teleport away with the enemy to separate them from their group.
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They can also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''': A large green slimy hulk that produces podspawn minions from the pimples on its body that it uses as living weapons.
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
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* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''': A demon that wears a rune covered shell on its back like a hermit crab. Their are multiple types of Runespiral demon but the most common ones shoot lightning.
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''': Tentacled blobs of darkness that sacrifice themselves to restrain enemies so stronger demons can kill them. When a rupture demon dies they also release an explosion of goo and tentacles that heals and boosts the power of another demon.
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
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* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]''': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Tanar'ri

2020-09-12T06:55:36Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Generic Demons */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
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*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
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*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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File:Gadacro.jpg
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
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File:Alu-fiend.gif
File:Aliisza.jpg
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*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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File:Cambion 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
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File:Armanite 2e.gif
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
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File:Maurezhi 2e.png
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
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File:Yochlol 1e.png
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*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
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File:Barlgura 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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File:Solamith 1.jpg
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
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File:Uridezu 2e.png
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
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File:Chasme 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
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File:Lilitu.jpg
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
<gallery>
File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
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*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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</gallery>

===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
<gallery>
Shadow Demon 1e.png
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</gallery>
*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
<gallery>
File:Blood fiend.jpg
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===Generic Demons===
{{NeedsImages}}
During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''': Dumb four armed demons that fight by grabbing enemies and tearing their guts open.
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
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File:Maw 4e.jpg
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A third edition demon that was combined with the Shoosuva in fifth edition.
<gallery>
File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
</gallery>
* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''': Undead demons with psychic powers made of demon and devil flesh stitched together.
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''': Another four armed demon. They can spray blood from their body that heals other demons and is poisonous to other creatures.
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multiply. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon):
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''': Small annoying demons that are always eating and can teleport.
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''':
* '''[[Jarrlak]]''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''': Spiky demons that mind control people into thinking their allies have betrayed them.
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''': Yet another four armed demon. At least these ones look a little different. They have pincers on all four arms instead of hands and four eyes and a single tentacle on the back of their head. They ambush enemies while they are in combat with other demons and teleport away with the enemy to separate them from their group.
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They can also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''': A large green slimy hulk that produces podspawn minions from the pimples on its body that it uses as living weapons.
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
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File:Quasit 1e.jpg
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* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''': A demon that wears a rune covered shell on its back like a hermit crab. Their are multiple types of Runespiral demon but the most common ones shoot lightning.
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''': Tentacled blobs of darkness that sacrifice themselves to restrain enemies so stronger demons can kill them. When a rupture demon dies they also release an explosion of goo and tentacles that heals and boosts the power of another demon.
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
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File:Shoosuva 1e.png
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* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]''': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Tanar'ri

2020-09-12T06:40:05Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Generic Demons */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
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*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
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*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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File:Gadacro.jpg
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
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File:Alu-fiend.gif
File:Aliisza.jpg
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*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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File:Cambion 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
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File:Armanite 2e.gif
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
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File:Maurezhi 2e.png
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
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File:Yochlol 1e.png
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*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
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File:Barlgura 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
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File:Bulezau 2e.png
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
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File:Uridezu 2e.png
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
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File:Chasme 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
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File:Lilitu.jpg
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
<gallery>
File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
</gallery>
*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
<gallery>
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*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
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===Generic Demons===
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During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''': Dumb four armed demons that fight by grabbing enemies and tearing their guts open.
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A third edition demon that was combined with the Shoosuva in fifth edition.
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File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
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* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''': Undead demons with psychic powers made of demon and devil flesh stitched together.
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''': Another four armed demon. They can spray blood from their body that heals other demons and is poisonous to other creatures.
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multi. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon):
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''': Small annoying demons that are always eating and can teleport.
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''':
* '''[[Jarrlak]]''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''': Spiky demons that mind control people into thinking their allies have betrayed them.
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''': Yet another four armed demon. At least these ones look a little different. They have pincers on all four arms instead of hands and four eyes and a single tentacle on the back of their head. They ambush enemies while they are in combat with other demons and teleport away with the enemy to separate them from their group.
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They can also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''': A large green slimy hulk that produces podspawn minions from the pimples on its body that it uses as living weapons.
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
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* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''': A demon that wears a rune covered shell on its back like a hermit crab. Their are multiple types of Runespiral demon but the most common ones shoot lightning.
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''': Tentacled blobs of darkness that sacrifice themselves to restrain enemies so stronger demons can kill them. When a rupture demon dies they also release an explosion of goo and tentacles that heals and boosts the power of another demon.
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
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* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]''': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Tanar'ri

2020-09-12T05:57:09Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Generic Demons */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
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*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
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*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
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*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
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*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
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File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
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*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
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*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
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===Generic Demons===
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During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''': Dumb four armed demons that fight by grabbing enemies and tearing their guts open.
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A third edition demon that was combined with the Shoosuva in fifth edition.
<gallery>
File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
</gallery>
* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''': Undead demons with psychic powers made of demon and devil flesh stitched together.
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''': Another four armed demon. They can spray blood from their body that heals other demons and is poisonous to other creatures.
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multi. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon):
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''':
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''':
* '''[[Jarrlak]]''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''':
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''':
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They could also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''':
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
<gallery>
File:Quasit 1e.jpg
File:Quasit 2e.png
File:Quasit 3e.png
File:Quasit 4e.jpg
File:Quasit-5e.jpg
</gallery>
* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''':
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''':
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
<gallery>
File:Shoosuva 1e.png
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</gallery>
* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]''': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Tanar'ri

2020-09-11T23:47:58Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Generic Demons */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
<gallery>
File:Mane 1e.jpg
File:Mane 2e.gif
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</gallery>
*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
<gallery>
File:Dretch 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
<gallery>
File:Rutterkin 1e.png
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</gallery>
*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
<gallery>
File:Gadacro.jpg
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
<gallery>
File:Alu-fiend.gif
File:Aliisza.jpg
</gallery>
*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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File:Cambion 1e.jpg
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File:Cambion.jpg
</gallery>
*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
<gallery>
File:Armanite 2e.gif
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File:armanite 5e.png
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
<gallery>
File:Maurezhi 2e.png
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
<gallery>
File:Yochlol 1e.png
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</gallery>
*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
<gallery>
File:Barlgura 1e.jpg
File:Barlgura 2e.gif
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
<gallery>
File:Bulezau 2e.png
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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File:Jovoc.jpg
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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File:Solamith 1.jpg
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
<gallery>
File:Uridezu 2e.png
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
<gallery>
File:Nabassu 1e.png
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
<gallery>
File:Chasme 1e.jpg
File:Chasme 2e.gif
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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File:Babau 1e.png
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
<gallery>
File:Goristro 2e.gif
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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File:Arrow Demon.jpg
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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File:Cerebrilith.jpg
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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File:Adaru 3e.jpg
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
<gallery>
File:Lilitu.jpg
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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File:Vrock 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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File:Hezrou 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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File:Glabrezu 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
<gallery>
File:Nalfeshnee 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
<gallery>
File:Balor 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
<gallery>
File:Klurichir 3e.png
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
<gallery>
File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
</gallery>
*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
<gallery>
File:Jarilith.jpg
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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File:Kelvezu.jpg
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
<gallery>
File:Shadow Demon 1e.png
File:Shadowfiend MC Ravenloft.jpg
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*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
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File:Blood fiend.jpg
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===Generic Demons===
{{NeedsImages}}
During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
<gallery>
File:Maw 4e.jpg
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A third edition demon that was combined with the Shoosuva in fifth edition.
<gallery>
File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
</gallery>
* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''':
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multi. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon):
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''':
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''':
* '''[[Jarrlak]]''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''':
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''':
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They could also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''':
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
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* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''':
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''':
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
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* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]''': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Tanar'ri

2020-09-11T23:47:05Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Generic Demons */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
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*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
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*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
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*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
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*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
<gallery>
File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
</gallery>
*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
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*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
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===Generic Demons===
{{NeedsImages}}
During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A third edition demon that was combined with the Shoosuva in fifth edition.
<gallery>
File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
</gallery>
* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''':
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multi. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon):
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''':
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''':
* '''[[Jarrlak]]:''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''':
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''':
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They could also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''':
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
<gallery>
File:Quasit 1e.jpg
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* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''':
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''':
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
<gallery>
File:Shoosuva 1e.png
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* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]''': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

Tanar'ri

2020-09-11T23:46:46Z

2601:203:480:4C60:81FB:604F:3451:52A2: /* Generic Demons */

'''Tanar'ri''' are the [[Alignment|chaotic evil]] supernatural badguys, in [[2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons]]. After TSR got their new CEO [[Lorraine Williams]] and [[Gary Gygax]] left in disgust, Williams said "no more demons, or any of that junk". In [[3e]] they wisely decided to use "demon" again, but kept the term "tanar'ri" as a subtype of demon. Since TSR bothered to register "tanar'ri" [[Open_Gaming_License#Parts_of_D.26D_that_are_not_Open_Game_Content|as a trademark]], you will not find this demon subtype in [[Open Gaming License]] materials like the D20SRD.

They are the archetypical chaotic evil outsiders, seeking to destroy all order and plunge creation into mad, violent chaos in different ways. They are one of the two major factions in the ideological [[Blood War]], the other being their lawful evil counterparts, the [[baatezu]], or devils.

''Fiendish Codex II - Tyrants Of The Nine Hells'' states that Devils call all demons Tanar'ri for short, which is strange considering that in the same book it says that in the devils' language "only one correct way exists to construct any given statement in Infernal." and "Devils, except when in disguise, they find the urge to correct errors in spoken or written Infernal nearly impossible to resist." This may be a hint as to the origin of Lorraine Williams, since she also insisted on using the term "tanar'ri" instead of "demon."

In 5th edition, D&D seems to have completely dropped the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]), and now classifies all demons as just "demons".

==Types of Tanar'ri==
There are many types of Tanar'ri, one more terrible than the next. There is something of a degree of power that seperates the various demons, but this is not absolute. There are five categories that divide them however, and each group is more powerful than the ones below it.

Tanar'ri can ascend to a new form if they believe they have what it takes to do so (mainly based on how deadly it is) and can prove this to those around them. While ascending step by step though the ranks is the most common way to do this, particularly powerful or intelligent Tanar'ri can skip one or more forms.

Note that some of the demons in this list have not been officially classified and so we are just guessing which group they belong to.

===Least Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Mane]]s''': The lowest of the Tanar'ri and barely worth the name, Manes are a source of food and cannon fodder, herded at the enemy to tire them before the main forces strike. This is what a mortal becomes if they end up in the Abyss when they die, or depending on edition, the first form they take upon being promoted from Maggots, which are the forms that all petitioners take in the [[Lower Planes]].
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*'''[[Dretch]]es''': Barely above the Manes, the Dretches are real Tanar'ri, albeit the lowest in rank. They suck up to the more powerful members of their race (pretty much all of them), and are treated as such in reply.
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*'''[[Rutterkin]]''': Vicious and despised by all other Tanar'ri, the Rutterkin are the preferred targets of higher-ranking demons for harassment, torture and murder. In return a Rutterkin will attack anything that they think they can kill without much risk to them.
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*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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For some weird reason [[Quasit]]s, which are the chaotic equivalent of the [[Imp]] are not classified as Tanar'ri. They are demons but not part of any of the demon races.

===Lesser Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Alu-fiend]]s''': The female child of a Succubus and a mortal, Alu-fiends can only be born into their rank. They are not physically powerful but they are powerful spellcasters and physically attractive, which makes them useful to the high-ups in the Abyss.
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*'''[[Cambion]]s''': The opposite of their Alu-fiend sisters, Cambions are the children of a Tanar'ri and a female mortal. A major Cambion is born when the father is a Lesser or Greater Tanar'ri, while a True Tanar'ri sires a Baron or Marquise Cambion, who are significanlty more powerful than their lesser kin.
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*'''[[Armanite]]s''': The [[centaur]]s and [[bariaur]]s of the Abyss. They band together as mercenary groups and hire themselves out to whoever pays the most.
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*'''[[Maurezhi]]''': These Tanar'ri have the strange ability to gain the memories and experiences of whoever they eat. They can only be created by Abyssal Lords for specific missions, but can grow to new forms as usual.
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*'''[[Succubus]]''': You know them, you love them.
*'''[[Yochlol]]''': The handmaidens of [[Lolth]], the Yochlol are shapeshifters who can freely change between their [[drow]] form, a spider form or that of [[slime|a great mass of yellow ooze with a single staring eye]]. They enjoy Lolth's protection from other demons and act like it, but they'll get brutally murdered if another demon thinks it can get away with it.
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*'''[[Barlgura]]''': Gorilla-like Tanar'ri trained in guerilla warfare, they are brutish, dumb, slow of mind and can casually rip your arm off. They get very annoyed when you call them "bar-igura", so please don't refer to them with sans-serif font.
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File:Barlgura 1e.jpg
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*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
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*'''[[Jovoc]]''': A small black humanoid with red three-fingered claws. Whenever one of them is damaged, non-Tanar'ri creatures within 30 feet also take damage, and they also heal from their injuries very quickly.
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*'''[[Solamith]]''': A large obese demon with a transparent stomach filled with the faces of the other demons and petitioners it has eaten. Their flesh is explosive, and they fight by tearing off pieces of their flesh and throwing them like bombs.
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*'''[[Uridezu]]''': Cowardly rat people with a paralyzing bite, command over rats, and the ability to teleport between planes, but not during combat. They enjoy serving under a master, but because other demons abuse them they often are found serving mortal masters on the material plane.
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===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
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*'''[[Chasme]]''': Huge fly-like things that seek out deserters of the [[Blood War]]. They mostly stay out of the affairs of others to carry out their duties.
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*'''[[Babau]]''': The recruiters for the [[Blood War]]. Or rather than recruiting they press-gang other demons to fight. If they don't meet their quotas however they have to fight themselves.
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*'''[[Goristroi]]''': 20' [[Minotaur|bullmen]] that serve as living siege engines to topple walls and crush enemies below their feet. Mentioned in the second Monster Manual which forgot to write them up, so they had to be written up in ''Dragon'' instead.
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*'''[[Palrethee]]''': Demons who attempted to become balors and failed become palrethees as punishiment. To further the humiliation, they often end up as subordinates to balors. They are emaciated humanoids with bony wings whose bodies are constantly on fire.
*'''[[Arrow Demon]]''': A grey skinned humanoid with four arms that can wield two longbows at the same time.
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*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
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*'''[[Adaru]]''': A millipede with a man's face that is able to charm other tanar'ri and constantly produces a cloud around itself that is poisonous to non-evil creatures and strengthens evil creatures
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*'''[[Lilitu]]''': A promoted form of a Succubus that infiltrates and corrupts churches by pretending to be [[cleric]]s. They lose their wings but gain four tentacles with poison stingers. They have several of the abilities as a cleric. They are vulnerable to divine magic, but good spells and good magic items treat them as if they were good. By hugging a humanoid, they can place a magical tattoo on them for 24 hours that charges them with chaotic energy and allows the lilitu to communicate with and observe them.
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*'''[[Kastighur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.
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===True Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Vrock]]''': Humanoid vultures that serve as elite soldiers in the [[Blood War]]. Not sure why they are listed as true tanar'ri, as they are actually weaker than several of the demons in both the lesser and greater classes.
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*'''[[Hezrou]]''': Frog-shaped Tanar'ri possess a cool, sharp intellect that allows them to perform their duties in the [[Blood War]] with precision and dedication.
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*'''[[Glabrezu]]''': The primary summoning material, they are skilled at tempting their summoners and giving them plenty of gifts of power, only to withdraw said power at the worst possible moment to get them killed and pulled into the Abyss.
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*'''[[Alkilith]]''': The Type III.5 Demon, if you will. Oozes that can corrupt anything and anyone with a mere touch. They don't fight in the Blood War, mainly for practical reasons on account of them being oozes. If they stretch themselves around a doorway or window, they can create a portal to the Abyss.
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*'''[[Nalfeshnee]]''': The pig-ape judges of the Abyss. All petitioners that enter the Abyss pass by a Nalfeshnee who judges them based on their lives and appoints them a new form. At least sometimes: other times they hand out forms at random. They also determine who gets to be in charge of the armies and who gets to be promoted, demoted or removed from (as in: destroyed) its ranks.
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*'''[[Marilith]]''': [[Lamia|Attractive women with the lower body of a snake]] and six arms, they are the tacticians of the Abyss. They have keen minds, anticipate what the forces of Law are going to do and act upon it, much to the rage of the Baatezu who cannot understand the plots of the Marilith.
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*'''[[Balor]]''': The dreaded kings of the Abyss, Balors are the most powerful of the Tanar'ri aside from [[Demon Prince]]s and the rarely seen Klurichirs and Myrmyxicuses, serving as lords, generals and leaders, inspiring and threatening others into fighting for the cause. A mix of passion and reason, they are as intelligent and sharp as they are evil and chaotic. These are ''exactly'' the same as the [[Bloodthirster]] of Warhammer, right down to the flaming whips and being literally made evil and chaos (or [[Chaos]]) with the sole difference being that they use swords instead of axes. They like to eat doggies and beat up Pit Fiends in their spare time.
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*'''[[Klurichir]]''': The most powerful type of Tanar'ri besides [[Demon Prince]]s. All other tanar'ri including balors are terrified of them. They have skin the color of a frostbitten corpse, four arms, black spines covering their neck and back, red wings, a face like a cross between a orc and a mule, and a giant second mouth with a huge pair of extremely sharp mandibles on their abdomen. They are the elite generals of the most powerful [[Demon Prince]]s and they usually only appear when their master wants to be absolutely sure that an important mission will be completed.
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*'''[[Myrmyxicus]]''': Another Tanar'ri that beats the Balor in power. They rule over the oceans of the Abyss. It looks like an giant eel with a reptile skull for a face, six goat horns, four arms, six tentacles around its waist, and a lamprey-mouth on the end of its tail.
<gallery>
File:Myrmyxicus Wastrilith Skulvyn.jpg|A myrmyxicus with a wastrilith and a skulvyn.
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*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
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*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
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*'''[[Sorrowsworn]]''': Demons that appear in places where many people have suffered loss. They have an aura that causes feelings of loss in those around them. They read the minds of their enemies and use that to determine the best way to torment them by reminding them of things that cause them to feel more loss. A sorrowsworn demon is a large but skinny grey-skinned humanoid with black wings and a constantly frowning face. 4th Edition retconned their fluff, making them natives of the [[Shadowfell]] and not demons.
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===Guardian Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Molydeus]]''': The only Tanar'ri within this rank, a Molydeus stands outside of the ranks of the other Tanar'ri, making sure that their kind stays true to the ideals of the Blood War. While they report to the Balors, a Molydeus will not hesitate to turn on their leader if they are not showing sufficient zeal. So in essence they are axe-wielding, dog-faced [[Commissar]]s with a snake growing out of the back of their heads.
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===Ex Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Shadow Fiend]]''': The [[Fiend Folio]] Shadow Demon was summarily taken off the Tanar'ri list because "shadow tanar'ri" just sounded too gay. It slunk back by way of Ravenloft, MC Appendix; then Planescape of course. It was still Chaotic Evil, and still hung out at the Abyss.
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*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire-like undead.
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===Generic Demons===
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During second edition, demons were renamed Tanar'ri. When third edition was released, it was retconned so only some demons are considered Tanar'ri, with the rest being [[Loumara]] or [[Obyrith]] plus a few random demons that don't fit into any of the three. Additionally, during fourth and fifth edition several new demons were added and were never categorized. This list does not include monsters that were only demons in 4th edition, such as the various types of [[Yugoloth]]s. We will list these demons here because we don't have anywhere else to put them. This list is probably incomplete.

* '''[[Abyssal Eviscerator]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Maw]]''': A demon consisting of a giant vertical mouth with three eyes and several short clawed arms. In 5th edition it is said that their mouth leads directly to the belly of [[Yeenoghu]].
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* '''[[Abyssal Scavenger]]''': A quadrupedal demon with a vertical mouth. These demons are individually very weak, but they are extremely dangerous to summon because they can multiply extremely fast if there are no other demons keeping their numbers in check, and they can form portals to the abyss when a large number of them are gathered in one place.
* '''[[Abyssal Skulker]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Ravager]]''': A third edition demon that was combined with the Shoosuva in fifth edition.
<gallery>
File:Ravager maw skulker.jpg|An abyssal ravager, maw, and skulker.
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* '''[[Abyssal Rotfiend]]''':
* '''[[Abyssal Wretch]]''': A victim killed by a Rutterkin or a Sybriex in 5th edition may rise as an abyssal wretch.
* '''[[Abyssal Wurm]]''': Two-headed half-centipede half-dragons born from [[Tiamat]] screwing a demon lord called Kothok. They are used for guarding portals in and out of the abyss.
* '''[[Ash-Wrought Soulburner]]''' Fiery demons that once were [[Efreet]]i. They suck the heat out of living creatures.
* '''[[Bebilith]]''': Giant spiders that hunt other demons.
* '''[[Blood Demon]]''': Not to be confused with the blood fiend. These mysterious demons are [[Slime|oozes]] made of blood that randomly appear in the abyss in swarms before vanishing again. One theory is that they are the remains of an [[Obyrith]] lord killed by [[Tharizdun]] that are are trying to reform.
* '''[[Bloodseep Demon]]''':
* '''[[Bonegouge Assassin]]''': Shadowy skeletons with big claws. These demons are believed to have been created by [[Orcus]] by transforming mortal assassins.
* '''[[Clockwork Horror]]''': Demonic constructs, usually resembling spiders. And they can multi. They killed the demon lord that created them and swarmed across the abyss before the demon lord [[Haagenti]] managed to get control over them. They likely would have wiped out all organic life if he hadn't.
* '''[[Consumptive Parasite]]''': Small demons that attack in massive swarms. They were once [[Slaad]] tadpoles corrupted by the abyss.
* '''[[Deathdrinker]]''': Extremely arrogant demons with an aura that harms the living and heals undead.
* '''[[Demon Spawn]]''': The taint of the abyss sometimes causes mortals to give birth to demons. Evil spellcasters and [[Hag]]s can also create them on purpose with dark magic. They resemble their humanoid parents but with scary deformities.
* '''[[Dust Demon]]''' Dust demons are formed from tribes of [[Djinn]]i who were transformed by the abyss into insane masses of living wind and debris. A single dust demon is actually made up of many smaller dust wisps which are each the corrupted soul of a Djinn. Theoretically it might be possible to transform a Dust Demon back into the Djinni it used to be by capturing a single wisp from it and healing it of its madness, then allowing it to return to the dust demon.
* '''[[Evanissu]]''' (City Corruptor): These demon appear in corrupt cities and work to make them even worse them though a campaign of murder and terror, leading a gang of criminals and other urban monsters.
* '''[[Evistro]]''' (Carnage Demon):
* '''[[Ferrolith]]''': A [[Succubus]] that fell into a pool of molten iron. They gained iron-hard skin but lost their beauty.
* '''[[Fire Demon]]''' Skeletal demons who are constantly on fire. Comes in lesser and standard forms.
* '''[[Guardian Demon]]''': These tentacled monstrosities get their name from the fact that they are easy magically bind into service as a guardians. They come in two varieties, the weaker Abominations, and the powerful Soul Drinkers.
* '''[[Ghour]]''': Another [[Minotaur]]-like demon engineered by [[Baphomet]]. Weaker than goristros but still powerful.
* '''[[Gnaw Demon]]''':
* '''[[Haures]]''': Undead demons with the upper body of a minotaur and the lower body of a giant spider, created by [[Orcus]] from the bodies of fallen Goristros.
* '''[[Immolith]]''':
* '''[[Jarrlak]]:''': Icy horrors who kidnap people and encase them in ice while keeping them alive so they slowly die over decades in an icy torment.
* '''[[Mahataa]]:''': Blind but very powerful demons made of mud.
* '''[[Mavawhan]]:''': Icy demons whose claws contain a venom that turns victims into ice.
* '''[[Nashrou]]''': Alien-looking demons with four legs and six arms, but no head, just a cluster of eyes where their twisted limbs all connect. They are surprisingly weak and can be instantly killed by hitting them in the right place.
* '''[[Needle Demon]]''':
* '''[[Neldrazu]]''':
* '''[[Kazrith]]''': A powerful eel-like aquatic demon. They could also rapidly travel underground using acid to melt through the ground.
* '''[[Pod Demon]]''':
* '''[[Quarrak]]''': These small demons are actually very powerful for their size. All quarraks have a twin they are constantly fighting with when they are not fighting together against other creatures. If one dies the other will die a few days later.
* '''[[Quasit]]''': The chaotic version of an [[Imp]].
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File:Quasit 1e.jpg
File:Quasit 2e.png
File:Quasit 3e.png
File:Quasit 4e.jpg
File:Quasit-5e.jpg
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* '''[[Rageborn]]''': Ape-like demons who serve [[Kostchtchie]]
* '''[[Retriever]]''': Technically not a demon, but actually a powerful construct resembling a giant spider created by demons.
* '''[[Ruin Demon]]''': Demon-shaped swarms of flies with human faces that consume all other organic creatures except for plants.
* '''[[Runespiral Demon]]''':
* '''[[Rupture Demon]]''':
* '''[[Shoosuva]]''': An obscure undead hyena monster that only appeared in magazines until it got to a appear in a book for the first time in 5th edition. Now instead of an undead, it is a demon hyena that serves [[Yeenoghu]], given only to [[gnoll]]s who have earned his favor. Looks like a giant hyena with a scorpion's tail.
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File:Shoosuva 1e.png
File:Shoosuva 3e.png
File:Shoosuva 5e.jpg
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* '''[[Scion of Zuggtmoy]]''': Fungus-infested skeletal demons made made demons and mortals transformed by being buried alive in [[Zuggtmoy]]'s Gardens of Rot, or by being infected with the spores of another Scion.
* '''[[Seszrath]]''': An undead demon formed from many corpses fused together. It is a huge hulking creature with octopuses for hands, the feet of an elephant, a huge lamprey mouth on its belly, and a small head.
* '''[[Shaadee]]''': An undead demon formed from the soul of a mortal spellcaster who swore themselves to a demon lord in life and their master forced them to continue serving in death.
* '''[[Skulvin]]''': A lesser aquatic demon with an aura that slows down other creatures around it, resembling a lizard with webbed feet and four tails.
* '''[[Spawn of Juiblex]]''': These [[Slime|ooze]] demons are formed from pieces of [[Juiblex]] and so they resemble smaller copies of him.
* '''[[Tomb Demon]]''': A serpentine demon with a pair of bony arms. The first Tomb demons spawned from the battlefield where [[Orcus]] and his army battled and defeated the demon lord Sylbarax and his army who used to be servants of the snake god [[Zehir]].
* '''[[Voracalith]]''': The most gluttonous of all demon. They resemble humanoids with four long tentacles with stingers on the ends growing from their back.
* '''[[Whisper Demon]]''': Ghostly demons who try to drive mortals into comiting suicide. They could turn those who died around them into [[Allip]]s under their control.
* '''[[Writhing Crag]]'': Evil tentacled boulders that were once some elemental earth creatures such as [[Xorn]]s.
* '''[[Wastrilith]]''': Another eel-like aquatic demon.
* '''[[Zovvut]]''': Muscular demons with massive claws, feathered wings, and three eyes. Probably created by [[Orcus]]. It can heal itself by draining life from those who look into its eyes. Victims who are killed this way rise as [[wight]]s. In 4th edition, Zovvuts were redesigned to be prettier and they were retconned into being fallen angels of [[Tharizdun]].
* '''[[Zythar]]''': Powerful demons resembling a humanoid flame wearing armor.

==Demon Lords==
The first amongst the demons, the lords of the Tanar'ri (more commonly known as Demon Lords) are some of the most powerful, dangerous, cunning and deadly beings in existence. They attained their position by strength of arms and cleverness (mostly the former) to rule over their servants. Those who wish to challenge their lords are quickly struck down as an example and to keep the other minions in line.

{{D&D-Outsiders}}

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