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Baatezu

2020-08-13T03:59:06Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2:

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so there is no longer any distinction between Baatezu and non-Baatezu devils.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, are commanders of the armed forces of hell. They prefer to avoid direct battle if possible. They are quite tall and look something like white devilish ants, often carrying large spears. Striking with its spear will cause a powerful numbing effect on a target, making it an easy prey for either the Ice Devil itself or one of its servants. They can cast several spells as well, most of which are ice-based.
* '''Logokrons''', are devils that wield [[Truenamer]] magic, which would be a lot scarier if the Truenamer wasn't the worst class in the game. A Logokron is a four-armed devil that wears armor and wields two halberds at once, and has a long tongue with symbols tattooed on it which are painful to look at.
* '''Remmanons''' are devils who love to spread conflict and are masters of manipulation and seduction. A Remmanon looks like a floating naked hairless horned man with barbed and hooked wires and other peircings hanging off its body which small pieces of paper with the names of mortals it has made deals with attached to them. A Remmanon has a telepathic aura that causes enemies around it to become confused and attack each other while making itself and its allies stronger against enemies affected by it.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baatezu

2020-08-13T03:57:22Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2:

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so there is no longer any distinction between Baatezu and non-Baatezu devils.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, are commanders of the armed forces of hell. They prefer to avoid direct battle if possible. They are quite tall and look something like white devilish ants, often carrying large spears. Striking with its spear will cause a powerful numbing effect on a target, making it an easy prey for either the Ice Devil itself or one of its servants. They can cast several spells as well, most of which are ice-based.
* '''Logokrons''', are devils that wield [[Truenamer]] magic, which would be a lot scarier if the Truenamer wasn't the worst class in the game. A Logokron is a four-armed devil that wears armor and wields two halberds at once, and has a long tongue with symbols tattooed on it which are painful to look at.
* '''Remmanons''' are devils who love to spread conflict and are masters of manipulation and seduction. A Remmanon looks like a floating naked hairless horned man with barbed and hooked wires and other peircings hanging off its body which small pieces of paper with the names of mortals it has made deals with attached to them. A Remmanon has a telepathic aura that causes enemies around it to become confused and attack each other while making itself and its allies stronger against enemies affected by it.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{Pathfinder-Fiends}}
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Baatezu

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so there is no longer any distinction between Baatezu and non-Baatezu devils.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{Pathfinder-Fiends}}
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Baatezu

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so there is no longer any distinction between Baatezu and non-Baatezu devils.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{Pathfinder-Fiends}}
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Baatezu

2020-08-13T02:11:41Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* The Archdukes of Hell */

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so there is no longer any distinction between Baatezu and non-Baatezu devils.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Baatezu

2020-08-13T02:10:53Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* The Archdukes of Hell */

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so there is no longer any distinction between Baatezu and non-Baatezu devils.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Baatezu

2020-08-13T02:07:32Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* The Archdukes of Hell */

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so there is no longer any distinction between Baatezu and non-Baatezu devils.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. In some versions, Archedevils include both the Archdukes, and the lesser Dukes. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yugoloth

2020-08-13T01:57:42Z

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[[File:Zastava-yugo-311-1982-300300.jpg|thumb|right|The purest distillation of evil]]Also known as '''[[Daemon#Dungeons_.26_Dragons_and_Pathfinder|daemons]]''' (no, not [[Daemon#Warhammer|''those'' Daemons]]), '''Yugoloths''' are the [[Alignment#Neutral_Evil|neutral evil]] grid-fill for the [[devils]] and [[demons]] in post-1980 [[Dungeons & Dragons]].

The first published were the Mezzodaemon and Nycadaemon of [[Drow trilogy|D3]], just chillin' in [[Erelhei-Cinlu]] as fiends do; whence they went into the [[Fiend Folio]], and then got more buddies in the second Monster Manual. A decade later [[2e]] did to daemonkind what it did to the [[Baatezu]] and [[Tanar'ri]] (and [[Demodand]]), changing the name to some babble, because it SOUNDED too much like "demon" for [[Lorraine Williams]] to allow in an [[RPG]].

But in this (rare) case That Woman had a point. Their name was always redundant with "demon"; and as spelled out, it conflicts with the ancient Greek word for “spirit” or even "lesser god" - Socrates had a daemon with him, for instance. And the eeevil daemons never enjoyed anything like the popularity as the two major fiendish races on either side, nor were they as well known. Her name-change didn't help their case, though. We'll get to some reasons why not.

As the Neutral Evil outworlders daemons got allocated to the Gray Waste of [[Hades]]. Though ''[[Planescape]]'' shifted most of them to [[Gehenna]] because Hades really sucks.

Yugoloths embody the platonic idea of Evil itself. Not “evil”, mind you, but capital-e Evil. They lie, cheat, and betray for its own sake, and generally seek to cause as much suffering and hate as possible to everyone. Whereas the demons embody anarchy, and the devils embody tyranny, the yugoloth embody sociopathy. They're kind of dicks like that. They act as mercenaries (primarily in the [[Blood War]], but they'll work for anyone who can meet their price, even their polar opposites the [[guardinal|Guardinals]]), constantly switching sides between the factions involved in whatever conflict they were paid to fight in (this can happen multiple time in a single battle). In fact, as regards the blood war there're conspiracy theories that ''they'' are the original fiends and/or that they're the ones who started the Blood War and are playing it to their own end.

Humorously, the term "Yugoloth" is still being used in 5th edition even though "[[Baatezu]]" and "[[Tanar'ri]]" and other terms for evil outsiders invented for 2nd edition were dropped, probably because "demon" and "daemon" sound too much alike.

=Why The Yugoloths Are [[FAIL]]=
As to why the Yugoloths own the Great Wheel's Wooden Spoon, behind Law's and Chaos': A philosophical reason might be that "pure" evil without a desire to destroy or dominate doesn't actually seem likely to do much of anything with real consequences. A narrative-based reason might be that demons and devils are more easily contrasted with each other. A more realistic reason for their low profile is that they're just really boring, having failed to tap into the predominant [[Mythology#Abrahamic_Mythology (Judaism,_Christianity,_Islam)|Abrahamic mythos]] the way that tanar'ri demons and baatezu devils did. The Archdemons are some of the [[Baphomet|biggest]], [[Orcus|baddest]], and [[Lamashtu|most horrifying]] creatures in the entire setting, while the ruler of the Nine Hells is a [[Creed|strategic mastermind]] who pretends to be The God-Fiend of the Pit, Master of Slavery and Tyranny because that is ''less'' threatening than [[Asmodeus|what he really is]]. Not to mention a wide variety of lesser demons who are iconic, terrifying, and awesome. Despite the fact that in Gygax's ''Come Endless Darkness'' novel the oinoloth Infestix and the deity [[Nerull]] are the same being, [[Lorraine_Williams|the sociopathic bitch]] had already ousted [[Gygax|D&D founder Gary Gygax]] from [[TSR]] so Nerull-as-Infestix was never included in published game materials; yugoloths have fewer interesting leaders (about which very little is known), just a city that moves around or some shit. Forget these assholes and get back to headbutting pit fiends in [[Baator]]; D&D publishers dropped the ball by not publishing a neutral evil [https://d20npcs.fandom.com/wiki/Bale_Fiend ''bale fiend''] yugoloth, which would have fit perfectly in [[Planescape]]'s notion that yugoloths were the origin of the other [[Fiend|fiends]].
[[Image:Yugoloths.png|400px|thumb|right|Planescape's cattle call]]
Yugoloths' heyday was ''Planescape'', where they met an actual niche as the [[Blood War]]'s profiteers. But here they were battling hags for market-share. And then they lost even that in 3e and beyond.

With [[Planescape]] not getting an official 3.x release, and the Blood War thusly getting a lot less shilling, the yugoloths were mostly forgotten aside from the occasional update in a [[Monster Manual]]. In [[4e]] they lost their whole reason to exist with the almost non-existent Blood War and were instead made a subtype of Demon. The jackal-like Arcanoloths were even divorced entirely from the Daemon family tree and made an entirely new species of scheming, manipulative evil immortals called [[Raavasta]].

In [[5e]], Yugoloths were created by the Baatezu in order to combat the Tanar'ri. However, the Baatezu lost control of them, and now they're a mercenary fiend race giving their help wherever the most profit is to be made.

Pathfinder avoided the Yugoloth name for copyright reasons, with their [[Daemon_(Pathfinder)|daemons]] becoming an omnicidal race lead by (a version of) the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. But after the ''Legacy of Fire'' [[Adventure Path]] introduced [[Divs]]... why even bother?

Truly the yugoloth is well named, to sum up; putting a daemon in your campaign is like driving to prom in a 1982 Yugo.

=If You Gotta Use 'Em=
==As Player Characters (LOL)==
It should come as no surprise that the same edition of D&D that made [[neogi]], [[unbodied|flying ghost brains]], [[maug|extraplanar robots]], [[mind flayer]]s, and the [[ixitxachitl]] playable or pseudo-playable also took a shot at making Yugoloths playable. Specifically, the ''Canoloth'', of all variants, was given a level adjustment in the 2001 [[Manual of the Planes]], although between the adjustment and racial hit dice they're largely still unplayable.

==The Truest Fiends==
The Yugoloth maintain a number of strongholds on the Lower Planes. Their biggest one is the Crawling City making its way on the slopes of Gehenna. Here the General of Gehenna, the leader of the Yugoloth, holds his court and plots against the Multiverse itself. Also on Gehenna is the Tower Arcane, where the Arcanoloth record all the deals made with mortals and Outsiders alike. Hades houses Khin-Oin, a massive tower allegendly made from the spine of a deity the Yugoloth killed. Here many of the soldiers of the Yugoloth armies live and train. Finally there is the Tower of Incarnate Pain, which is still under construction in [[Carceri]]. Made from the screaming bodies of petitioners and the skin of a dead god, the Yugoloth intend to use the tower to link their two other towers and obtain considerable power that way. The native inhabitants of Carceri, the [[Demodand|Gehreleth]] do not agree with this and frequently attack the tower to tear it down. Without their attacks the Yugoloth would have been done centuries ago, but because of the actions of the Gehreleth they are far behind on schedule. While the fiends are very limited in number and the Yugoloth could easily crush them with a superior force, they do not do this because it would draw too much attention to their secret project.

==The Shapes of Evil==
===Yugoloth Creations===
*'''[[Canoloth]]s''' eyeless quadrupedal guard dog yugoloth with the tongue <s>you wish your boyfriend had</s> of a chameleon.
*'''[[Guardian Yugoloth]]s:''' Least, Lesser, Greater.
*'''[[Battleloth]]s:''' Arrow, Axe, Crossbow, Pick, Spiked Chain, Sword.

===Lesser Yugoloths===
*'''[[Mezzoloth]]''': Mid-ranking bug monsters. Most notable for dropping massed Cloudkill spells.
*'''[[Dergholoth]]''': Remarkably ridiculous four-armed insectoids in D&D; their heads don't turn, but their entire torso whirls about wildly. [[Pathfinder]]'s [[Daemon_(Pathfinder)#Derghodaemon|derghodaemons]] however look like nightmares of Ginsu blades that could vivisect you before you could even scream.
*'''[[Piscoloth]]''': If [[Cthulhu]] and a lobster had a lovechild, it would be a piscoloth.
*'''[[Hydroloth]]''': Flying frog monsters. Take dips into the Styx, which makes their minds both scrambled and unreadable. Trade-in information, ironically.
*'''[[Yagnoloth]]''': Goofy-looking lopsided freaks, yagnoloths bear much of the blame for why D&D aficionados typically regard tanar'ri and baatezu as cooler than yugoloths.
*'''[[Marraenoloth]]''': Boatmen of the Styx. Loyal to their boats and nothing else.

===Greater Yugoloths===

*'''[[Nycaloth]]''' : Classically horned and draconian winged fiends. Headsmen and executioners. They're large, brutish, and carry vorpal axes. In [[3e|3rd edition D&D]] nycaloths gained the distinction of having four arms.

*'''[[Arcanaloth]]''': Probably the most famous of the yugoloth species [at least among [[furry]] fans], arcanaloths look like anthropomorphic jackals and are known for managing the mercenary contracts that are the lifeblood of the yugolothic personal involvement in the [[Blood War]]. In essence, all contracts to hire yugoloths ultimately get approved by these guys. These guys are perhaps best known because they have two representative characters living in [[Sigil]]; A'kin the Friendly Fiend, a seemingly benevolent (not that anyone buys it) merchant, and [[Shemeshka]] the Marauder, aspiring to be the biggest wheeler-dealer in the Cage, who calls herself "King of the Crosstrade" and is famous as one of the first canonical non-cisgender NPCs -- she calls herself female, but her profile in the Sigil bigwig NPC splat "Uncaged: Faces of Sigil" depicts her with a ''male'' symbol, implying she's trans. Of course, according to ''Faces of Evil'', all yugoloths are hermaphrodites (<strike>not that the hypothetical sex of a fiend even matters, since fiends of all varieties "reproduce" by uplifting Maggots, which are the forms evil mortals take upon dying and arriving at any of the lower planes</strike>. Actually, yugoloths don't reproduce from maggots/larva. They procreate as mammals do, and when one dies, another mezzoloth is spat out, ensuring their numbers never decrease). By [[4e|4th edition D&D]] the publishers finally realized that [[Furry|jackal furries]] (only some of which even have horns) are just not daemonic enough, and so [[Retcon|retconned]] them to instead be the [[raavasta]] race (with distant yugoloth ancestry). If D&D publishers had actually put effort into making arcanadaemons, well, daemonic, they all would have had larger-than-merely-token horns, mange-exposed patches of diseased skin, and one or more additional monstrous/daemonic features (such as tentacles).

*'''[[Ultroloth]]''': Unlike the pit fiends and balors of the devils and demons, respectively, the leaders of the yugoloths are thinking, scheming mages-sneaks that disguise their strength behind melted, emaciated, and shifting forms rather than roar into battle wreathed in flame. Unfortunately, the fact that ultroloths have zero daemonic features and instead look like <s>weather balloons</s> sci-fi aliens is much of why Balor demons and pit fiend devils better fascinated [[God|dungeon masters]] and [[murderhobos|players]] alike, whose cultural mythos is primarily [[Mythology#Abrahamic Mythology (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)|Abrahamic]]. Now imagine an ultroloth but with large horns and tentacles; much more daemonic, eh?

===[[Altraloth]]s===
If they are willing to serve the [[Hag#Night_Hags|Night Hags]] for a specific purpose, a yugoloth can choose to undergo a ritual to become a powerful new being: an altraloth. In a long and painful ritual any yugoloth from mezzoloth to ultraloth can be turned into a new creature of superior power, but to do this they will have to enter a contract with the Night Hags and complete its terms before being freed. Most yugoloth chafe at this because they are not able to betray their new mistresses: hurting them will result in unspeakable pain for the altraloth, and if one of them were to die for any reason the altraloth perishes as well. As such, they are invested to the wellbeing of their masters and will do anything to protect them.

===[[Baernaloths]]===
Unverified ancient texts claim that baernaloths were the first [[Fiend|fiends]], and the origin of the other fiends. Those versions which TSR/WotC have published so far have sucked the papery scrotum of Hades himself. Homebrew versions exist online, though, worthy of these most primordial of fiends.

===[[Oinoloths]]===
The prefix ''oino''- means "one"; the word ''oinoloth'' is a title of the yugoloth ruler of [[Hades]], not a type of yugoloth, though the process of attaining the oinoloth title could conceivably involve a transformation.

...at least originally. now the being with the best claim to being "ruler of all yugoloth" is the General of Gehenna, assumed to be an ultraloth, and now oinoloths are just another type of yugoloth that specializes in disease.

==Yugoloth Lords==
Most active yugoloth lords are altraloths.

*'''[[Apomps]] the Three-Sided''' - baernaloth

*'''[[Anthraxus]] the Decayed''' - altraloth (and held oinoloth title)

*'''[[Bubonix]]''' - altraloth

*'''[[Charon]] (a.k.a. Cerlic)''' - altraloth

*'''[[Cholerix]]''' - altraloth

*'''[[The General of Gehenna]]''' - ultroloth (and probably an altraloth)

*'''[[Helekanalaith]]''' - arcanaloth

*'''[[Infestix]]''' - [[Gygax]]'s ''Come Endless Darkness'' novel posits that the first oinoloth Infestix and the deity [[Nerull]] were the same being.

*'''[[Mydianchlarus]]''' - ultroloth (and held oinoloth title)

*'''[[Taba]]''' - altraloth

*'''[[Typhus]]''' - altraloth

* '''[[Xengahra]]''' - altraloth

=See Also=
*[[Daemon (Pathfinder)]]
*[[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition races]]

{{D&D-Outsiders}}
[[Category:FAIL]]

Yugoloth

2020-08-13T01:56:37Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2:

{{NeedsImages}}
[[File:Zastava-yugo-311-1982-300300.jpg|thumb|right|The purest distillation of evil]]Also known as '''[[Daemon#Dungeons_.26_Dragons_and_Pathfinder|daemons]]''' (no, not [[Daemon#Warhammer|''those'' Daemons]]), '''Yugoloths''' are the [[Alignment#Neutral_Evil|neutral evil]] grid-fill for the [[devils]] and [[demons]] in post-1980 [[Dungeons & Dragons]].

The first published were the Mezzodaemon and Nycadaemon of [[Drow trilogy|D3]], just chillin' in [[Erelhei-Cinlu]] as fiends do; whence they went into the [[Fiend Folio]], and then got more buddies in the second Monster Manual. A decade later [[2e]] did to daemonkind what it did to the [[Baatezu]] and [[Tanar'ri]] (and [[Demodand]]), changing the name to some babble, because it SOUNDED too much like "demon" for [[Lorraine Williams]] to allow in an [[RPG]].

But in this (rare) case That Woman had a point. Their name was always redundant with "demon"; and as spelled out, it conflicts with the ancient Greek word for “spirit” or even "lesser god" - Socrates had a daemon with him, for instance. And the eeevil daemons never enjoyed anything like the popularity as the two major fiendish races on either side, nor were they as well known. Her name-change didn't help their case, though. We'll get to some reasons why not.

As the Neutral Evil outworlders daemons got allocated to the Gray Waste of [[Hades]]. Though ''[[Planescape]]'' shifted most of them to [[Gehenna]] because Hades really sucks.

Yugoloths embody the platonic idea of Evil itself. Not “evil”, mind you, but capital-e Evil. They lie, cheat, and betray for its own sake, and generally seek to cause as much suffering and hate as possible to everyone. Whereas the demons embody anarchy, and the devils embody tyranny, the yugoloth embody sociopathy. They're kind of dicks like that. They act as mercenaries (primarily in the [[Blood War]], but they'll work for anyone who can meet their price, even their polar opposites the [[guardinal|Guardinals]]), constantly switching sides between the factions involved in whatever conflict they were paid to fight in (this can happen multiple time in a single battle). In fact, as regards the blood war there're conspiracy theories that ''they'' are the original fiends and/or that they're the ones who started the Blood War and are playing it to their own end.

Humorously, the term "Yugoloth" is still being used in 5th edition even though "[[Baatezu]]" and "[[Tanar'ri]]" and other terms for evil outsiders invented for 2nd edition were dropped.

=Why The Yugoloths Are [[FAIL]]=
As to why the Yugoloths own the Great Wheel's Wooden Spoon, behind Law's and Chaos': A philosophical reason might be that "pure" evil without a desire to destroy or dominate doesn't actually seem likely to do much of anything with real consequences. A narrative-based reason might be that demons and devils are more easily contrasted with each other. A more realistic reason for their low profile is that they're just really boring, having failed to tap into the predominant [[Mythology#Abrahamic_Mythology (Judaism,_Christianity,_Islam)|Abrahamic mythos]] the way that tanar'ri demons and baatezu devils did. The Archdemons are some of the [[Baphomet|biggest]], [[Orcus|baddest]], and [[Lamashtu|most horrifying]] creatures in the entire setting, while the ruler of the Nine Hells is a [[Creed|strategic mastermind]] who pretends to be The God-Fiend of the Pit, Master of Slavery and Tyranny because that is ''less'' threatening than [[Asmodeus|what he really is]]. Not to mention a wide variety of lesser demons who are iconic, terrifying, and awesome. Despite the fact that in Gygax's ''Come Endless Darkness'' novel the oinoloth Infestix and the deity [[Nerull]] are the same being, [[Lorraine_Williams|the sociopathic bitch]] had already ousted [[Gygax|D&D founder Gary Gygax]] from [[TSR]] so Nerull-as-Infestix was never included in published game materials; yugoloths have fewer interesting leaders (about which very little is known), just a city that moves around or some shit. Forget these assholes and get back to headbutting pit fiends in [[Baator]]; D&D publishers dropped the ball by not publishing a neutral evil [https://d20npcs.fandom.com/wiki/Bale_Fiend ''bale fiend''] yugoloth, which would have fit perfectly in [[Planescape]]'s notion that yugoloths were the origin of the other [[Fiend|fiends]].
[[Image:Yugoloths.png|400px|thumb|right|Planescape's cattle call]]
Yugoloths' heyday was ''Planescape'', where they met an actual niche as the [[Blood War]]'s profiteers. But here they were battling hags for market-share. And then they lost even that in 3e and beyond.

With [[Planescape]] not getting an official 3.x release, and the Blood War thusly getting a lot less shilling, the yugoloths were mostly forgotten aside from the occasional update in a [[Monster Manual]]. In [[4e]] they lost their whole reason to exist with the almost non-existent Blood War and were instead made a subtype of Demon. The jackal-like Arcanoloths were even divorced entirely from the Daemon family tree and made an entirely new species of scheming, manipulative evil immortals called [[Raavasta]].

In [[5e]], Yugoloths were created by the Baatezu in order to combat the Tanar'ri. However, the Baatezu lost control of them, and now they're a mercenary fiend race giving their help wherever the most profit is to be made.

Pathfinder avoided the Yugoloth name for copyright reasons, with their [[Daemon_(Pathfinder)|daemons]] becoming an omnicidal race lead by (a version of) the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. But after the ''Legacy of Fire'' [[Adventure Path]] introduced [[Divs]]... why even bother?

Truly the yugoloth is well named, to sum up; putting a daemon in your campaign is like driving to prom in a 1982 Yugo.

=If You Gotta Use 'Em=
==As Player Characters (LOL)==
It should come as no surprise that the same edition of D&D that made [[neogi]], [[unbodied|flying ghost brains]], [[maug|extraplanar robots]], [[mind flayer]]s, and the [[ixitxachitl]] playable or pseudo-playable also took a shot at making Yugoloths playable. Specifically, the ''Canoloth'', of all variants, was given a level adjustment in the 2001 [[Manual of the Planes]], although between the adjustment and racial hit dice they're largely still unplayable.

==The Truest Fiends==
The Yugoloth maintain a number of strongholds on the Lower Planes. Their biggest one is the Crawling City making its way on the slopes of Gehenna. Here the General of Gehenna, the leader of the Yugoloth, holds his court and plots against the Multiverse itself. Also on Gehenna is the Tower Arcane, where the Arcanoloth record all the deals made with mortals and Outsiders alike. Hades houses Khin-Oin, a massive tower allegendly made from the spine of a deity the Yugoloth killed. Here many of the soldiers of the Yugoloth armies live and train. Finally there is the Tower of Incarnate Pain, which is still under construction in [[Carceri]]. Made from the screaming bodies of petitioners and the skin of a dead god, the Yugoloth intend to use the tower to link their two other towers and obtain considerable power that way. The native inhabitants of Carceri, the [[Demodand|Gehreleth]] do not agree with this and frequently attack the tower to tear it down. Without their attacks the Yugoloth would have been done centuries ago, but because of the actions of the Gehreleth they are far behind on schedule. While the fiends are very limited in number and the Yugoloth could easily crush them with a superior force, they do not do this because it would draw too much attention to their secret project.

==The Shapes of Evil==
===Yugoloth Creations===
*'''[[Canoloth]]s''' eyeless quadrupedal guard dog yugoloth with the tongue <s>you wish your boyfriend had</s> of a chameleon.
*'''[[Guardian Yugoloth]]s:''' Least, Lesser, Greater.
*'''[[Battleloth]]s:''' Arrow, Axe, Crossbow, Pick, Spiked Chain, Sword.

===Lesser Yugoloths===
*'''[[Mezzoloth]]''': Mid-ranking bug monsters. Most notable for dropping massed Cloudkill spells.
*'''[[Dergholoth]]''': Remarkably ridiculous four-armed insectoids in D&D; their heads don't turn, but their entire torso whirls about wildly. [[Pathfinder]]'s [[Daemon_(Pathfinder)#Derghodaemon|derghodaemons]] however look like nightmares of Ginsu blades that could vivisect you before you could even scream.
*'''[[Piscoloth]]''': If [[Cthulhu]] and a lobster had a lovechild, it would be a piscoloth.
*'''[[Hydroloth]]''': Flying frog monsters. Take dips into the Styx, which makes their minds both scrambled and unreadable. Trade-in information, ironically.
*'''[[Yagnoloth]]''': Goofy-looking lopsided freaks, yagnoloths bear much of the blame for why D&D aficionados typically regard tanar'ri and baatezu as cooler than yugoloths.
*'''[[Marraenoloth]]''': Boatmen of the Styx. Loyal to their boats and nothing else.

===Greater Yugoloths===

*'''[[Nycaloth]]''' : Classically horned and draconian winged fiends. Headsmen and executioners. They're large, brutish, and carry vorpal axes. In [[3e|3rd edition D&D]] nycaloths gained the distinction of having four arms.

*'''[[Arcanaloth]]''': Probably the most famous of the yugoloth species [at least among [[furry]] fans], arcanaloths look like anthropomorphic jackals and are known for managing the mercenary contracts that are the lifeblood of the yugolothic personal involvement in the [[Blood War]]. In essence, all contracts to hire yugoloths ultimately get approved by these guys. These guys are perhaps best known because they have two representative characters living in [[Sigil]]; A'kin the Friendly Fiend, a seemingly benevolent (not that anyone buys it) merchant, and [[Shemeshka]] the Marauder, aspiring to be the biggest wheeler-dealer in the Cage, who calls herself "King of the Crosstrade" and is famous as one of the first canonical non-cisgender NPCs -- she calls herself female, but her profile in the Sigil bigwig NPC splat "Uncaged: Faces of Sigil" depicts her with a ''male'' symbol, implying she's trans. Of course, according to ''Faces of Evil'', all yugoloths are hermaphrodites (<strike>not that the hypothetical sex of a fiend even matters, since fiends of all varieties "reproduce" by uplifting Maggots, which are the forms evil mortals take upon dying and arriving at any of the lower planes</strike>. Actually, yugoloths don't reproduce from maggots/larva. They procreate as mammals do, and when one dies, another mezzoloth is spat out, ensuring their numbers never decrease). By [[4e|4th edition D&D]] the publishers finally realized that [[Furry|jackal furries]] (only some of which even have horns) are just not daemonic enough, and so [[Retcon|retconned]] them to instead be the [[raavasta]] race (with distant yugoloth ancestry). If D&D publishers had actually put effort into making arcanadaemons, well, daemonic, they all would have had larger-than-merely-token horns, mange-exposed patches of diseased skin, and one or more additional monstrous/daemonic features (such as tentacles).

*'''[[Ultroloth]]''': Unlike the pit fiends and balors of the devils and demons, respectively, the leaders of the yugoloths are thinking, scheming mages-sneaks that disguise their strength behind melted, emaciated, and shifting forms rather than roar into battle wreathed in flame. Unfortunately, the fact that ultroloths have zero daemonic features and instead look like <s>weather balloons</s> sci-fi aliens is much of why Balor demons and pit fiend devils better fascinated [[God|dungeon masters]] and [[murderhobos|players]] alike, whose cultural mythos is primarily [[Mythology#Abrahamic Mythology (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)|Abrahamic]]. Now imagine an ultroloth but with large horns and tentacles; much more daemonic, eh?

===[[Altraloth]]s===
If they are willing to serve the [[Hag#Night_Hags|Night Hags]] for a specific purpose, a yugoloth can choose to undergo a ritual to become a powerful new being: an altraloth. In a long and painful ritual any yugoloth from mezzoloth to ultraloth can be turned into a new creature of superior power, but to do this they will have to enter a contract with the Night Hags and complete its terms before being freed. Most yugoloth chafe at this because they are not able to betray their new mistresses: hurting them will result in unspeakable pain for the altraloth, and if one of them were to die for any reason the altraloth perishes as well. As such, they are invested to the wellbeing of their masters and will do anything to protect them.

===[[Baernaloths]]===
Unverified ancient texts claim that baernaloths were the first [[Fiend|fiends]], and the origin of the other fiends. Those versions which TSR/WotC have published so far have sucked the papery scrotum of Hades himself. Homebrew versions exist online, though, worthy of these most primordial of fiends.

===[[Oinoloths]]===
The prefix ''oino''- means "one"; the word ''oinoloth'' is a title of the yugoloth ruler of [[Hades]], not a type of yugoloth, though the process of attaining the oinoloth title could conceivably involve a transformation.

...at least originally. now the being with the best claim to being "ruler of all yugoloth" is the General of Gehenna, assumed to be an ultraloth, and now oinoloths are just another type of yugoloth that specializes in disease.

==Yugoloth Lords==
Most active yugoloth lords are altraloths.

*'''[[Apomps]] the Three-Sided''' - baernaloth

*'''[[Anthraxus]] the Decayed''' - altraloth (and held oinoloth title)

*'''[[Bubonix]]''' - altraloth

*'''[[Charon]] (a.k.a. Cerlic)''' - altraloth

*'''[[Cholerix]]''' - altraloth

*'''[[The General of Gehenna]]''' - ultroloth (and probably an altraloth)

*'''[[Helekanalaith]]''' - arcanaloth

*'''[[Infestix]]''' - [[Gygax]]'s ''Come Endless Darkness'' novel posits that the first oinoloth Infestix and the deity [[Nerull]] were the same being.

*'''[[Mydianchlarus]]''' - ultroloth (and held oinoloth title)

*'''[[Taba]]''' - altraloth

*'''[[Typhus]]''' - altraloth

* '''[[Xengahra]]''' - altraloth

=See Also=
*[[Daemon (Pathfinder)]]
*[[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition races]]

{{D&D-Outsiders}}
[[Category:FAIL]]

Yugoloth

2020-08-13T01:55:56Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2:

{{NeedsImages}}
[[File:Zastava-yugo-311-1982-300300.jpg|thumb|right|The purest distillation of evil]]Also known as '''[[Daemon#Dungeons_.26_Dragons_and_Pathfinder|daemons]]''' (no, not [[Daemon#Warhammer|''those'' Daemons]]), '''Yugoloths''' are the [[Alignment#Neutral_Evil|neutral evil]] grid-fill for the [[devils]] and [[demons]] in post-1980 [[Dungeons & Dragons]].

The first published were the Mezzodaemon and Nycadaemon of [[Drow trilogy|D3]], just chillin' in [[Erelhei-Cinlu]] as fiends do; whence they went into the [[Fiend Folio]], and then got more buddies in the second Monster Manual. A decade later [[2e]] did to daemonkind what it did to the [[Baatezu]] and [[Tanar'ri]] (and [[Demodand]]), changing the name to some babble, because it SOUNDED too much like "demon" for [[Lorraine Williams]] to allow in an [[RPG]].

But in this (rare) case That Woman had a point. Their name was always redundant with "demon"; and as spelled out, it conflicts with the ancient Greek word for “spirit” or even "lesser god" - Socrates had a daemon with him, for instance. And the eeevil daemons never enjoyed anything like the popularity as the two major fiendish races on either side, nor were they as well known. Her name-change didn't help their case, though. We'll get to some reasons why not.

As the Neutral Evil outworlders daemons got allocated to the Gray Waste of [[Hades]]. Though ''[[Planescape]]'' shifted most of them to [[Gehenna]] because Hades really sucks.

Yugoloths embody the platonic idea of Evil itself. Not “evil”, mind you, but capital-e Evil. They lie, cheat, and betray for its own sake, and generally seek to cause as much suffering and hate as possible to everyone. Whereas the demons embody anarchy, and the devils embody tyranny, the yugoloth embody sociopathy. They're kind of dicks like that. They act as mercenaries (primarily in the [[Blood War]], but they'll work for anyone who can meet their price, even their polar opposites the [[guardinal|Guardinals]]), constantly switching sides between the factions involved in whatever conflict they were paid to fight in (this can happen multiple time in a single battle). In fact, as regards the blood war there're conspiracy theories that ''they'' are the original fiends and/or that they're the ones who started the Blood War and are playing it to their own end.

Humorously, the term "Yugoloth" is still being used in 5th edition even though "Baatezu" and "Tanar'ri" and other terms for evil outsiders invented for 2nd edition were dropped.

=Why The Yugoloths Are [[FAIL]]=
As to why the Yugoloths own the Great Wheel's Wooden Spoon, behind Law's and Chaos': A philosophical reason might be that "pure" evil without a desire to destroy or dominate doesn't actually seem likely to do much of anything with real consequences. A narrative-based reason might be that demons and devils are more easily contrasted with each other. A more realistic reason for their low profile is that they're just really boring, having failed to tap into the predominant [[Mythology#Abrahamic_Mythology (Judaism,_Christianity,_Islam)|Abrahamic mythos]] the way that tanar'ri demons and baatezu devils did. The Archdemons are some of the [[Baphomet|biggest]], [[Orcus|baddest]], and [[Lamashtu|most horrifying]] creatures in the entire setting, while the ruler of the Nine Hells is a [[Creed|strategic mastermind]] who pretends to be The God-Fiend of the Pit, Master of Slavery and Tyranny because that is ''less'' threatening than [[Asmodeus|what he really is]]. Not to mention a wide variety of lesser demons who are iconic, terrifying, and awesome. Despite the fact that in Gygax's ''Come Endless Darkness'' novel the oinoloth Infestix and the deity [[Nerull]] are the same being, [[Lorraine_Williams|the sociopathic bitch]] had already ousted [[Gygax|D&D founder Gary Gygax]] from [[TSR]] so Nerull-as-Infestix was never included in published game materials; yugoloths have fewer interesting leaders (about which very little is known), just a city that moves around or some shit. Forget these assholes and get back to headbutting pit fiends in [[Baator]]; D&D publishers dropped the ball by not publishing a neutral evil [https://d20npcs.fandom.com/wiki/Bale_Fiend ''bale fiend''] yugoloth, which would have fit perfectly in [[Planescape]]'s notion that yugoloths were the origin of the other [[Fiend|fiends]].
[[Image:Yugoloths.png|400px|thumb|right|Planescape's cattle call]]
Yugoloths' heyday was ''Planescape'', where they met an actual niche as the [[Blood War]]'s profiteers. But here they were battling hags for market-share. And then they lost even that in 3e and beyond.

With [[Planescape]] not getting an official 3.x release, and the Blood War thusly getting a lot less shilling, the yugoloths were mostly forgotten aside from the occasional update in a [[Monster Manual]]. In [[4e]] they lost their whole reason to exist with the almost non-existent Blood War and were instead made a subtype of Demon. The jackal-like Arcanoloths were even divorced entirely from the Daemon family tree and made an entirely new species of scheming, manipulative evil immortals called [[Raavasta]].

In [[5e]], Yugoloths were created by the Baatezu in order to combat the Tanar'ri. However, the Baatezu lost control of them, and now they're a mercenary fiend race giving their help wherever the most profit is to be made.

Pathfinder avoided the Yugoloth name for copyright reasons, with their [[Daemon_(Pathfinder)|daemons]] becoming an omnicidal race lead by (a version of) the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. But after the ''Legacy of Fire'' [[Adventure Path]] introduced [[Divs]]... why even bother?

Truly the yugoloth is well named, to sum up; putting a daemon in your campaign is like driving to prom in a 1982 Yugo.

=If You Gotta Use 'Em=
==As Player Characters (LOL)==
It should come as no surprise that the same edition of D&D that made [[neogi]], [[unbodied|flying ghost brains]], [[maug|extraplanar robots]], [[mind flayer]]s, and the [[ixitxachitl]] playable or pseudo-playable also took a shot at making Yugoloths playable. Specifically, the ''Canoloth'', of all variants, was given a level adjustment in the 2001 [[Manual of the Planes]], although between the adjustment and racial hit dice they're largely still unplayable.

==The Truest Fiends==
The Yugoloth maintain a number of strongholds on the Lower Planes. Their biggest one is the Crawling City making its way on the slopes of Gehenna. Here the General of Gehenna, the leader of the Yugoloth, holds his court and plots against the Multiverse itself. Also on Gehenna is the Tower Arcane, where the Arcanoloth record all the deals made with mortals and Outsiders alike. Hades houses Khin-Oin, a massive tower allegendly made from the spine of a deity the Yugoloth killed. Here many of the soldiers of the Yugoloth armies live and train. Finally there is the Tower of Incarnate Pain, which is still under construction in [[Carceri]]. Made from the screaming bodies of petitioners and the skin of a dead god, the Yugoloth intend to use the tower to link their two other towers and obtain considerable power that way. The native inhabitants of Carceri, the [[Demodand|Gehreleth]] do not agree with this and frequently attack the tower to tear it down. Without their attacks the Yugoloth would have been done centuries ago, but because of the actions of the Gehreleth they are far behind on schedule. While the fiends are very limited in number and the Yugoloth could easily crush them with a superior force, they do not do this because it would draw too much attention to their secret project.

==The Shapes of Evil==
===Yugoloth Creations===
*'''[[Canoloth]]s''' eyeless quadrupedal guard dog yugoloth with the tongue <s>you wish your boyfriend had</s> of a chameleon.
*'''[[Guardian Yugoloth]]s:''' Least, Lesser, Greater.
*'''[[Battleloth]]s:''' Arrow, Axe, Crossbow, Pick, Spiked Chain, Sword.

===Lesser Yugoloths===
*'''[[Mezzoloth]]''': Mid-ranking bug monsters. Most notable for dropping massed Cloudkill spells.
*'''[[Dergholoth]]''': Remarkably ridiculous four-armed insectoids in D&D; their heads don't turn, but their entire torso whirls about wildly. [[Pathfinder]]'s [[Daemon_(Pathfinder)#Derghodaemon|derghodaemons]] however look like nightmares of Ginsu blades that could vivisect you before you could even scream.
*'''[[Piscoloth]]''': If [[Cthulhu]] and a lobster had a lovechild, it would be a piscoloth.
*'''[[Hydroloth]]''': Flying frog monsters. Take dips into the Styx, which makes their minds both scrambled and unreadable. Trade-in information, ironically.
*'''[[Yagnoloth]]''': Goofy-looking lopsided freaks, yagnoloths bear much of the blame for why D&D aficionados typically regard tanar'ri and baatezu as cooler than yugoloths.
*'''[[Marraenoloth]]''': Boatmen of the Styx. Loyal to their boats and nothing else.

===Greater Yugoloths===

*'''[[Nycaloth]]''' : Classically horned and draconian winged fiends. Headsmen and executioners. They're large, brutish, and carry vorpal axes. In [[3e|3rd edition D&D]] nycaloths gained the distinction of having four arms.

*'''[[Arcanaloth]]''': Probably the most famous of the yugoloth species [at least among [[furry]] fans], arcanaloths look like anthropomorphic jackals and are known for managing the mercenary contracts that are the lifeblood of the yugolothic personal involvement in the [[Blood War]]. In essence, all contracts to hire yugoloths ultimately get approved by these guys. These guys are perhaps best known because they have two representative characters living in [[Sigil]]; A'kin the Friendly Fiend, a seemingly benevolent (not that anyone buys it) merchant, and [[Shemeshka]] the Marauder, aspiring to be the biggest wheeler-dealer in the Cage, who calls herself "King of the Crosstrade" and is famous as one of the first canonical non-cisgender NPCs -- she calls herself female, but her profile in the Sigil bigwig NPC splat "Uncaged: Faces of Sigil" depicts her with a ''male'' symbol, implying she's trans. Of course, according to ''Faces of Evil'', all yugoloths are hermaphrodites (<strike>not that the hypothetical sex of a fiend even matters, since fiends of all varieties "reproduce" by uplifting Maggots, which are the forms evil mortals take upon dying and arriving at any of the lower planes</strike>. Actually, yugoloths don't reproduce from maggots/larva. They procreate as mammals do, and when one dies, another mezzoloth is spat out, ensuring their numbers never decrease). By [[4e|4th edition D&D]] the publishers finally realized that [[Furry|jackal furries]] (only some of which even have horns) are just not daemonic enough, and so [[Retcon|retconned]] them to instead be the [[raavasta]] race (with distant yugoloth ancestry). If D&D publishers had actually put effort into making arcanadaemons, well, daemonic, they all would have had larger-than-merely-token horns, mange-exposed patches of diseased skin, and one or more additional monstrous/daemonic features (such as tentacles).

*'''[[Ultroloth]]''': Unlike the pit fiends and balors of the devils and demons, respectively, the leaders of the yugoloths are thinking, scheming mages-sneaks that disguise their strength behind melted, emaciated, and shifting forms rather than roar into battle wreathed in flame. Unfortunately, the fact that ultroloths have zero daemonic features and instead look like <s>weather balloons</s> sci-fi aliens is much of why Balor demons and pit fiend devils better fascinated [[God|dungeon masters]] and [[murderhobos|players]] alike, whose cultural mythos is primarily [[Mythology#Abrahamic Mythology (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)|Abrahamic]]. Now imagine an ultroloth but with large horns and tentacles; much more daemonic, eh?

===[[Altraloth]]s===
If they are willing to serve the [[Hag#Night_Hags|Night Hags]] for a specific purpose, a yugoloth can choose to undergo a ritual to become a powerful new being: an altraloth. In a long and painful ritual any yugoloth from mezzoloth to ultraloth can be turned into a new creature of superior power, but to do this they will have to enter a contract with the Night Hags and complete its terms before being freed. Most yugoloth chafe at this because they are not able to betray their new mistresses: hurting them will result in unspeakable pain for the altraloth, and if one of them were to die for any reason the altraloth perishes as well. As such, they are invested to the wellbeing of their masters and will do anything to protect them.

===[[Baernaloths]]===
Unverified ancient texts claim that baernaloths were the first [[Fiend|fiends]], and the origin of the other fiends. Those versions which TSR/WotC have published so far have sucked the papery scrotum of Hades himself. Homebrew versions exist online, though, worthy of these most primordial of fiends.

===[[Oinoloths]]===
The prefix ''oino''- means "one"; the word ''oinoloth'' is a title of the yugoloth ruler of [[Hades]], not a type of yugoloth, though the process of attaining the oinoloth title could conceivably involve a transformation.

...at least originally. now the being with the best claim to being "ruler of all yugoloth" is the General of Gehenna, assumed to be an ultraloth, and now oinoloths are just another type of yugoloth that specializes in disease.

==Yugoloth Lords==
Most active yugoloth lords are altraloths.

*'''[[Apomps]] the Three-Sided''' - baernaloth

*'''[[Anthraxus]] the Decayed''' - altraloth (and held oinoloth title)

*'''[[Bubonix]]''' - altraloth

*'''[[Charon]] (a.k.a. Cerlic)''' - altraloth

*'''[[Cholerix]]''' - altraloth

*'''[[The General of Gehenna]]''' - ultroloth (and probably an altraloth)

*'''[[Helekanalaith]]''' - arcanaloth

*'''[[Infestix]]''' - [[Gygax]]'s ''Come Endless Darkness'' novel posits that the first oinoloth Infestix and the deity [[Nerull]] were the same being.

*'''[[Mydianchlarus]]''' - ultroloth (and held oinoloth title)

*'''[[Taba]]''' - altraloth

*'''[[Typhus]]''' - altraloth

* '''[[Xengahra]]''' - altraloth

=See Also=
*[[Daemon (Pathfinder)]]
*[[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition races]]

{{D&D-Outsiders}}
[[Category:FAIL]]

Baatezu

2020-08-13T01:52:15Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2:

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so there is no longer any distinction between Baatezu and non-Baatezu devils.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{Pathfinder-Fiends}}
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Baatezu

2020-08-13T01:42:08Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* The Archdukes of Hell */

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so now all devils are just "Devils".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baatezu

2020-08-13T01:36:12Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* The Hierarchy of Hell */

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so now all devils are just "Devils".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{Pathfinder-Fiends}}
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Baatezu

2020-08-13T01:35:16Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* The Hierarchy of Hell */

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so now all devils are just "Devils".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baatezu

2020-08-13T01:28:15Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* Other Promotions within the Hierarchy */

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so now all devils are just "Devils".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baatezu

2020-08-13T01:25:09Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* Other Promotions within the Hierarchy */

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so now all devils are just "Devils".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baatezu

2020-08-13T01:23:52Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* Other Promotions within the Hierarchy */

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so now all devils are just "Devils".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baatezu

2020-08-13T01:21:45Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* Inside the Hierarchy */

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so now all devils are just "Devils".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baatezu

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so now all devils are just "Devils".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''Remmanons''' are demons 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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baatezu

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so now all devils are just "Devils".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tanar'ri

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'''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 use 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 beomes 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]].
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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 can kill without much risk to them.
*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[Bar-lgura]]''': 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.
*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[Solemith]]''': 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.
*'''[[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.

===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
*'''[[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
*'''[[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.
*'''[[Kastigur]]''': Huge demons that act as the hunters and jailors of the abyss.

===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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
*'''[[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.

===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.

===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.
*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire like undead.

==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

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

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

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

The use of the term Baatezu has been dropped in 5th Edition, so now all devils are just "Devils".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Inside the Hierarchy===
* A '''Lemure''' is a small, pitiable creature standing at a mere 5' tall. Whenever a devil of any authority needs cannon fodder, they gather up some Maggots (the form that the petitioners of all [[Lower Planes]] take) and promote them into Lemures. Lemures are mindless and cannot speak, though they can understand telepathic commands. They are cruel and try to claw apart whatever they can as a way to get revenge on the multiverse. Promotions from Lemures are often made as a matter of convenience for a higher ranking fiend: they promote a batch of them into forms like Imps if they need spies or Bearded Devils if they need more shock troops for their armies.
* A '''Legion Devil''', or Merregon, are the weakest footsoldiers of hell who all look identical to each other. They are sharp-toothed red-skinned humanoids whose left arms are bloated, covered in metal, and end in a useless vestigial hand. They wear armor and carry a sword in their right hand. They have several abilities that make them more dangerous when they are in large groups. For example, legion devils in a group all share hit points with each other such that it is not possible to down just one of them, but when the group runs out of hit points they all drop dead at the same time. And if you target a single legion devil with a mind affecting spell, all of the legion devils around it also get a saving throw, and the spell fails if just one of the succeeds, but if none of them succeed it will affect all of them instead of just one.
* An '''Advespa''', are low class devils resembling giant black wasps with a woman's face. The more yellow strips on their body the higher their rank. They can quickly regenerate from damage except for acid and holy damage.
* A '''Spined Devil''', also known as the Spinagon is a small gargoyle-like creature covered in spines. They are sometimes used as spies by high-ranking devils, but because of their low intelligence their reports are not always dependable and tend to miss the finer nuances of what they had observed. They are cruel beings, but because of their low standing a single Spinagon is only a threat to Lemures and Nupperibos, on whom they vent their frustration and cruelty.
* '''Barbazu''' ([[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.
* '''Imps''' 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.
* '''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.
* '''Chain Devils''' resemble tall humanoids dressed in nothing but chain. They can swing these around in deadly fashion, tearing at their prey in horrible ways. They can take control of chains in their range and have them attack anyone at will, and while it is possible to break a Kyton's control of a chain they will not let anyone just do this whenever they want. Chain Devils can also 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 and are adept at metalworking. Chain Devils are sometimes charged with torture, something they relish. This has caused them to grow a rivalry with the Pain Devils.
* '''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.
* '''Pain Devils''' are masters of torture. Because they are hated by all other Baatezu and will be destroyed when not beholden to a lord they offer themselves to the service of powerful devils as torturers. They are very good at this, inflicting untold pain upon anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. They torture the soul shells entering Hell and whoever has failed their masters, making for a powerful motivation to not fail. The Excruciarchs carry great spiked chains which they can imbue with powerful agonizing energy or swing around to hit all standing close to them. They can also inflict wounds upon non-Baatezu by just standing nearby, gain more power from inflicting wounds and can study an enemy to negate any damage reduction it might have.
* The '''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.
* '''Bone Devils''' police the Nine Hells, observing the activities of other Baatezu and reporting on them. They are tall and strong and possess some magical ability. The Osyluth, as they are sometimes called, are freakishly thin and have large stingers with which they can inject targets with potent poisons. They will ruthlessly attack anyone who opposes them.
* '''Orthons''' are powerful soldiers in the front lines of the Blood War, specialized in killing demons. They use a combination of their bladed spears that are usable in both long and short range and magical crossbows that shoot powerful blasts of energy. Orthon are large, covered in metal plates bolted directly onto their bodies, possesses large tusks and has a pained look on its face. Orthons are skilled in fighting in formation, increasing their power and durability. They also possess the ability to stop all interdimensional movement in a 20' radius. When an Orhton is slain maggots burst from its body, who try to devour anything near the slain host before expiring themselves. Because of the nature of their armor Orthons are in constant pain, and [[World Eaters|only battle takes their mind off of this]]. They are very loyal though, and will not plot against their masters.
* '''Narzugons''' or Hell Kights are the cavalry of hell, who ride on flaming horses called Nightmares. They are humanoids wearing spiky armor. Narzugons hate everything including themselves but are surprisingly honorable and obedient, as they are formed from the souls of former paladins who fell into evil as a result of following the letter instead of the spirit of the law, and so are filled with [[RAGE]] from learning that their actions in life were wrong.
* '''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.
* '''Ice Devils''', also called Gelugons, 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.
* '''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.
* '''Assassin Devils''' are widely feared and distrusted. They are vaguely humanoid with featureless faces aside from their mouths, lined with sharp teeth. They can meld into shadows with ease and cast clouds of fog to hide themselves, striking when they feel the time is right. The original Assassin Devils were natives to Baator, melted down and reformed into the Dogai. The most experienced of the bunch often have levels in the [[assassin]] [[prestige class]].
* A '''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 Corruption Devil, also known as a Paeliryon or That Fucking Guy, has a lot of information about a vast number of beings and can use this information to manipulate or blackmail them in a way that is profitable for themselves. These devils are very vain, and will use their claws to disfigure their opponents in combat and belittle them as they do battle. Also, they look like obese drag queens with too many teeth.
* The '''Pit Fiends''' are the nobility of hell. They are immensely powerful, can use many kinds of magic, have teeth that transmit Devil Chills, poisoned claws, can strangle enemies to death with their bare hands and are pretty big. At this level the intrigues of hell are the most dangerous and cutthroat, with enemies on all sides trying to get the upper hand over any given devil. From this position Pit Fiends can be promoted to the rank of duke. From there one can be promoted to an unique devil with their own gender, powers and personalities, but this is seldom done because of the huge threat such a being poses to the Archdukes of hell. If this sounds familiar, good job. The highest ranking demon, called the Balor, is almost exactly the same thing - giant humanoid winged infernal monsters at the almost-top-except-uniques part of their hierarchy. The main difference, aside from the Law/Chaos thing, is that Pit Fiends are usually shown to be a bit more reptilian and don't get giant flaming whips. This makes them ''also'' almost the same thing as a [[Bloodthirster]].

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

==[[Archdevil|The Archdukes of Hell]]==
The various layers of hell are ruled by a group of unique devils of immense power; whether or not these Archdukes are the same thing as [[Archdevil]]s seems to vary depending on which sourcebook you have access to. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tanar'ri

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'''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 use the term Tanar'ri (as well as [[Obyrith]] and [[Loumara]]) in 5th edition, 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 beomes 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]].
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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 can kill without much risk to them.
*'''[[Gadacro]]''': A small sneaky demon that likes to blind enemies.
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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[Bar-lgura]]''': 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.
*'''[[Bulezau]]''': Rocking a traditional Satan-esque look, the Bulezau are powerful, elite soldiers who want nothing less than murder all their enemies within sight.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[Solemith]]''': 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.
*'''[[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.

===Greater Tanar'ri===
*'''[[Nabassu]]''': Gargoyle-shaped things serving as the heralds of the Abyss, seducing humanoids to the service of the Abyss.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[Cerebrilith]]''': A large hunchbacked demon with an oversized protruding spine which its brain visibly extends into. They have psionic abilities.
*'''[[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
*'''[[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.

===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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[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.
*'''[[Jarilith]]''': Demonic lions that like to hunt other demons.
*'''[[Kelvezu]]''': The infiltrators and assassins of the abyss. Aside from the pink skin and poisonous fingernails, they appear almost exactly like a short human.
*'''[[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.

===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.

===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.
*'''[[Blood Fiend]]''': A demon that became a vampire like undead.

==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}}

Obyrith

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The '''Obyrith''' are pre-primordial demons in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]''. They are all unfathomably [[Alignment|chaotic and evil]] extradimensional horrors that existed long before the [[tanar'ri]] came into being and very likely existed before the universe itself. They take heavy inspiration from the cosmic horrors found in [[Lovecraft]]'s [[Cthulhu Mythos]].

Obyrith first appeared in 2006's ''Fiendish Codex I'' sourcebook for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition|''D&D'' 3.5]], which dealt with the [[Abyss]] and all its horrific denizens. Here they were introduced as one of the three types of demons alongside the [[tanar'ri]] and [[loumara]]. Two types of obyrith were detailed, the [[ekolid]] and [[sibriex]], as well as the obyrith [[Demon Prince]]s [[Dagon]], [[Obox-ob]], [[Pale Night]], and [[Pazuzu]]. Over the next year a few more types of obyrith would be trickled out in supplemental online postings, magazines and ''[[Monster Manual]] V'', while Dagon himself would get a much more posh write-up in ''[[Dragon Magazine|Dragon]] #349''.

But it was [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition|4th Edition]] that really shoved obyrith more into the spotlight. Confirming their identity as having come from a universe before the current one, the Obyrith actually won the war of Order versus Chaos! The absolute mad<s>men</s>things! They devoured and twisted reality so badly that their own universe was finally unmade, collapsing into a singularity of pure spite and hatred for existence. But this Shard of Pure Evil™ somehow managed to pierce the veil into [[Greyhawk|a different universe]] that was just beginning to take form, and inside of it about a dozen Obyrith managed to survive making the leap.

'''And they were pissed!''' Here they were, just getting done finally destroying existence, and now there's another one being created! Luckily for them, their shard was found by one of the new neutral [[god]]s who was starting to tidy up the chaotic elemental afterbirth, [[Tharizdun]], and they were able to instantly and so thoroughly corrupt him that he created the [[Abyss]] at their behest. Now free to exact their hate on a new universe, they began to battle other primordial entities for control of the newly minted Abyss.

Meanwhile, all the other gods stopped doing whatever it was that they were doing and placed Tharizdun in the ''D&D'' equivalent of gay baby jail for all of eternity.

The Queen of Chaos would be the main leader of the forces of chaos as they attacked the forces of law and order; however, infighting would eventually lead to a fracturing between the obyrith and the tanar'ri they created to be their footsoldiers. Chaos gonna chaos. This opening allowed the [[Upper Planes]] to invade the Abyss and righteously buttfuck the obyrith to the brink of extinction.

Obyriths have slightly different traits than Tanar'ri. They are only resistant to electric damage instead of being immune, and they don't have the Tanar'ri ability to summon other demons, but instead, most Obyrith have an ability called Form of Madness that causes permanent insanity in anyone except other chaotic evil outsiders that encounters that Obyrith and fails their save. The mental effect of the insanity is different depending on the type of Obyrith, and Obyrith lords have a unique insanity effect. And being blind doesn't protect you from this. [[Pazuzu]] has lost this abilitiy due to evolving into a more Tanar'ri like demon and replaced it with an aura that lets him control evil flying creatures, and [[Pale Night]]'s form is so horrifying that it causes instant death on a failed save, but she is unable to reveal for longer than a few seconds because the universe itself forces her to hide it under a veil.

A few obyrith demons return in 5e, but the word is no longer used because all demons are now just categorized as "demons".

===Types of Obyrith===
* Draudnu: Strange round demons with three long spider-like legs at the top of their body. Their body tapers towards the bottom, ending in a red eye surrounded by three wicked clawed arms.
* Ekolid: Vile insectoid horrors, combining all the worst aspects of ants, scorpions, spiders and anything else you wouldn't want to get bitten or stung by. They typically exist in swarms, but on the 663rd layer of the Abyss they construct massive hives as complex as cities.
* Golothoma: Long and wormlike with a single red eye at their anterior end surrounded by three scything claw-like appendages. These claws can reach through dimensions to attack other creatures. They don't have a mouth, so they feed through their own shadow.
* Laghathti: Like a disgusting slimy, black octopus, laghathti lurk within the [[River Styx]] and steal memories from souls that pass by.
* Sibriex: These resemble enormous and grotesque floating humanoid heads that are shackled to the ground by hooks and chains. Said to have a knack for flesh-crafting, the creation of the tanar'ri is likely their doing.
* Uzollru: Similar to colossal aquatic centipedes, but with flippers instead of legs. Their head has a single red eye surrounded by feeder tentacles. They mostly serve Dagon in the 89th layer of the Abyss, Shadowsea.
* Verakia: XBAWKSHUEG [[dragon]]-esque obyriths which exist in the 88th layer of the Abyss, which is [[Demogorgon]]'s pad. They are mindless marauding abominations; anyone who would even look upon one is driven to homicidal fury.

===Obyrith Lords/Princes===
* [[Areex]], The Forgotten Prince (imprisoned)
* [[Asima]], The Unanticipated (dead)
* [[Bechard]], The Rotting Husk (alive but dying extremely slowly)
* [[Cabiri]], The Watching Master (imprisoned)
* [[Dagon]], Prince of the Depths
* [[Obox-ob]], Prince of Vermin
* [[Pale Night]], The Mother of Demons
* [[Pazuzu]], Prince of the Lower Aerial Kingdoms
* [[The Queen of Chaos]]
* [[Sertrous]], Prince of Heretics (dead but trying to come back)
* [[Ugudenk]], The Squirming King

The [[qlippoth]] of ''[[Pathfinder]]'' are basically a knock-off of these nasty bastards since obyrith, much like the tanar'ri, are not available for use under the [[Open Gaming License]].

{{D&D-Outsiders}}
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Monsters]]

The Queen of Chaos

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'''The Queen of Chaos''' is an [[Obyrith]] [[Demon Prince]] in [[Dungeons & Dragons]]. She has the upper torso of a corpulent, blue-skinned humanoid female, whereas her lower body is a mass of ten mauve tentacles. Hidden in the tentacles is a razor sharp parrot-like beak. The Queen has long drooping locks of green hair, and she wears a [[sahuagin]] skull as a crown. Her weapon of choice is a huge trident. If you're picturing something like Ursula from the Little Mermaid, then good.

As one of the oldest of the obyrith lords, the Queen of Chaos is said to have created [[Demogorgon]] as the first of all tanar'ri, then discarded him when he grew too unruly. The Queen was the lover of Miska the Wolf-Spider, and is the mistress of the spyder-fiends. She was once allied with [[Bwimb]].

The Queen of Chaos has many enemies, including [[Obox-ob]], whom she dethroned, and the Wind Dukes of Aaqa.

Her Realm is the Steaming Fen, an Abyssal layer consisting of a vast swamp and a turbulent ocean. The layer seethes with vermin and is the home of the spyder-fiends. With Miska's imprisonment, the spyder-fiends begrudgingly serve the Queen of Chaos.

The Queen of Chaos is an obyrith who rose to power in the Age Before Ages. While the obyrith plotted and warred amongst themslves, the Queen alone looked past the Abyss and discovered life in other planes of existence. Some of this life, namely the souls of the chaotic evil dead, seeped into the Abyss, which the obyrith shaped into the tanar'ri. The Queen of Chaos decided to launch a war to conquer the multiverse and rallied all of the obyrith lords to her cause. Those who refused she set an example of by either killing them or imprisoning them in the Wells of Darkness, including [[Sertrous]]. The only exception to this was Dagon, whose power she feared.

Eventually, the Queen took as her consort a tanar'ri demon lord called Miska the Wolf-Spider, and made him head general of her army. With Miska in command, she practically guaranteed the cooperation of the treacherous tanar'ri. She murdered the Prince of Demons, Obox-ob, and bestowed his title on Miska, which somehow later got transferred to Demogorgon.

The Queen of Chaos, with Miska in tow, was triumphant as the forces of Chaos swept the multiverse. Opposing them were the forces of Law, led by the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, the Vaati. Eventually, the Vaati fashioned the Rod of Law, and with it defeated Miska, banishing him to Pandemonium.

With Miska's defeat, the obyrith alliance fractured. To make matters worse, the tanar'ri revolted and the celestials of the Upper Planes took advantage of the situation and launched an invasion into the Abyss. The obyrith were reduced to near-extinction and the Queen of Chaos withdrew into the fourteenth layer of the Abyss, known as the Steaming Fen, where she remains to this day, seeking ways to free Miska and restart the war.

Weirdly, Fifth Edition D&D names her as a potential [[Elder Evils|Elder Evil]], which would make her one of the most accessible and obvious Elder Evils ever, since anybody who wants to talk to her can just go Plane Shift over to her and do so, whereas most of the Elder Evils are either sealed somewhere or are dead and need to be revived or are in places that take a lot more than a Plane Shift spell to reach like space. That said, she does make a pretty metal Fiend-Pact Warlock patroness.

{{D&D-DemonPrinces}}

Demon Prince

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:''This is the [[D&D]] and [[Pathfinder]] creature, not to be confused with [[Warhammer]]'s [[Daemon Prince]]s''

'''Demon Princes''' are a specific breed of lesser (though how "lesser" varies from edition to edition, with them being literally equivalent to lesser deities in 1e, which meant they were at least as powerful as most deities) tier evil [[God]] in the [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and [[Pathfinder]]. As their name suggests, they are [[Tanar'ri]] who have managed to claw their way to a position of particular power and influence amongst their kind. They may even be worshipped by some evil races as patron gods, though usually they are not "full-tier" gods, thusly allowing [[adventurers]] to bust into their homes and beat the shit out of them.

Emphasis on ''usually'': some Demon Princes have managed to secure a position of such power that they are full-fledged gods, so fighting with them isn't a really good idea. The most traditional example in D&D is [[Lolth]], who is not only the Demon Queen of Spiders, but also the patron god of the [[Drow]], a position that saw her promoted to a "corebook deity" in 4th edition. Likewise, in Pathfinder, the Demon Queen of Monsters, Mutation and Miscarriages, [[Lamashtu]], is a full-fledged god and stands as a counterpoint to [[Asmodeus]] the [[Archdevil]]-turned-God.

==Tanar'ri==
The vast majority of Demon Princes are Tanar'ri and attained their position early on in their existence. Others rose to power over the course of eons, usurping another to take their place.

===[[Baphomet]]===
Baphomet, the lord of the [[minotaur]]s, is a massive bull-headed brute. He revels in combat, but prefers to put his powerful-looking opponents into a magical maze and trample the smaller ones before crushing the big ones. His most common followers include minotaurs, bulezau and goristro demons, fiendish or half-fiendish minotaurs and Awakened animals such as dire animals or [[dinosaur]]s. His ultimate goal is nothing less than the destruction of all civilization, and the descent of all life into violent, bestial savagery.

Baphomet's cult is on the rise, often finding worship in rural areas by evil [[druid]]s and [[ranger]]s, preaching the gospel of a nature deity of vengeance that will deliver the common folk from the evil machinations of city-dwellers, eventually swaying them to his cause. From there, armies of fanatical Luddites, many bearing [[Beastmen|physical manifestations of his influence]], swarm out to raze towns and slaughter those who live in them.

Baphomet lives in the Endless Maze, the 600th layer of the [[Abyss]]. He shares this layer with the [[Obyrith]] Pale Night, with whom he has some kind of understanding: neither of them encroach on each other's territories and they will help each other when one of them is invaded by one of their foes.

===[[Demogorgon]]===
The current Prince of Demons, a title largely contested only by Orcus and, to a much lesser extent, Graz'zt. He has the shape of a two-headed baboon with tentacles instead of arms and a theropod's legs and tail. His left head is called Aameul and has a silver tongue that can charm any creature, while the right head, Hethradiah, can cause insanity. They seek to dominate or kill one another, just as their combined self seeks to slay or overpower all life. Demogorgon is a fearsome foe in battle, capable of rotting flesh from bones with but a caress of its tentacles and draining the energy of anyone slapped by its tail.

Demogorgon has few followers amongst the humanoid races, but he has many amongst the more monstrous people. [[Yuan-ti]], troglodytes, ixitxachitl and hosts of demons worship Demogorgon as their lord. These cults are depraved and engage in all manner of horrific rituals and sacrifices to their lord. Humanoids rarely worship him as cults, but individuals dedicated to the Prince of Demons tend to be just as dangerous, given that they are quite often high-ranking members of society, and his influence is thought to be the source of many monstrous versions of natural creatures, like ettins and merrow.

Demogorgon's layer of The Gaping Maw is the 88th of the Abyss. While it's a tropical realm with plenty of water it is not a hospitable plane, with many different kinds of demons roving the surface and the ocean looking for things to devour. Demogorgon runs the great city of Lemoriax that is one of the premier slave markets in the Great Wheel. He frequently stalks through his city to whip his followers into a frenzy. His layer is linked to the next layer, Dagon's home of Shadowsea. The two are allied, which effectively means they stay off of each other's backs.

He was also a ''motherfucker'' of a bonus boss in ''[[Baldur's Gate|Throne of Bhaal]]'', even if actually fighting him was definitely not the smart move there.

===[[Fraz-Urb'luu]]===
The Prince of Deception, Fraz-Urb'luu is a great pale plue winged monster with surprising magical ability. He is the patron of evil illusionists and tricksters, so powerful that he can easily summon demons and even other demon lords, though he prefers to not do the latter all that much because does not want to piss Demogorgon off any more than he already does.

Fraz-Urb'luu was one of [[Zagig]]'s prisoners below Castle [[Greyhawk]], trapped in a bas-relief for more than two centuries. When he was finally freed by a bunch of [[adventurers]], whom he repaid by wrecking their gear and casting them into the Abyss. [[Eldrad|What a dick.]] Back in the 176th layer of the Abyss, Hollow's Heart, he spent time rebuilding his realm and searching for his magic staff. If he succeeds, his first order of business would be to visit terrible vengeance upon the world of man.

Cults of Deception pose as cults of exciting but obscure deities and try to convert people to their cause... only to be sacrificed to the Prince of Deception. His followers include large numbers of other deceptive demons, including [[Succubus|succubi]], lilitu and a group of Chaotic Evil [[Rakshasa]] called the Hollow Rajas.

===[[Graz'zt]]===
The Dark Prince Graz'zt is something of an anomaly amongst the princes of the Abyss. While the others all possess some degree of cleverness, at the end of the day they will use brute force to get what they want. Not so much in Graz'zt's case. He is skilled in the ways of seduction, guile, politics and plotting in ways that go beyond the abilities of even the most intelligent princes of hell. [[4e]] suggested that this is because Graz'zt is an exiled [[Baatezu|devil]], but this is the only version that posed this option. While by far the weakest of the three in terms of raw hitting power, Graz'zt's genius and cunning ensure that he remains a strong rival to both Demogorgon and Orcus.

He resembles a tall, handsome humanoid with goat legs, horns, six fingered hands and yellow eyes that betray him for what he really is. Graz'zt has a massive libido and counts many female priests, [[succubus|succubi]], [[harpy|harpies]], [[marilith]]s, [[lamia]], [[monstergirls|you name it]] amongst his followers, with the odd male equivalent here and there for variety's sake. The closest of these are called the Chosen (with the suggestion he chooses them to join him in his bed). He also has more offspring than any other demon lord, with many of the closest members of his court, including his chief general and personal assassin, being his own children.

While he is of great intelligence, he has met his match in a mortal, the witch-queen [[Iggwilv]]. She managed to trap him on the Material Plane to learn from the demon. The two of them eventually became lovers, culminating in the birth of a child. Said child turned out to be [[Iuz]], who became a major player in the world of [[Greyhawk]]. Graz'zt slowly figured out that Iggwilv did not want to let him go back to his home. So he waited and plotted, eventually breaking free in a battle that cost Iggwilv most of her resources. But she escaped and was lured into the Abyss by the Dark Prince. She in turn was used by Graz'zt to regain his lost powers and grow stronger before ''she'' escaped. The two of them are currently in a mutual love-hate relationship, each trying to exploit the other to increase their power even as, to the extent that either of them are capable of positive emotions, they genuinely enjoy one another's company.

Graz'zt's realm is the largest in all of the Abyss. Covering the 45th, 46th and 47th layers of the Abyss, Azzagrat's primary attraction is the city of Zelatar, which somehow exists on all three layers at the same time. Each layer hosts a different neighbourhood, and Graz'zt's citadel on the center layer. It is also one of the more popular destinations in the Abyss for travelers to visit, featuring markets full of rare goods and comparatively better-behaved demons, but those who think that that translates to "safe" are as foolish as those who think that Graz'zt's hedonism and hunger for pleasure over raw power makes him any less evil or dangerous than the likes of Orcus or Demogorgon, whom already have a large size advantage over him in a fight.

===[[Juiblex]]===
The Faceless Lord Juiblex lords over all oozes, slimes and jellies. This is not a paricularly difficult task given the mindless nature of these creatures and Juiblex' lack of tact regarding such issues. He resmbles a massive puddle of green slime filled with eyes swimming around in it and pseudopods drippingwith ooze. This apperance was later changed, and by that, literally photoshopped to a Shoggoth's colour scheme, because Pathfinder did it, so it must sell. His goals are simple: destroy everything that is not like him. He wants to kill and corrode everything in existence, destroying whatever it can touch with its oozing appendages, until all life, everywhere, is as formless and protean as he is. This makes him very unpopular with the other demon lords and all stay away from his layer as much as possible.

Juiblex has few cultists given that his charges are almost exclusively of low intelligence. When a deranged humanoid takes up the worship of the Faceless Lord it is quite possible that Juiblex doesn't really care about these worshippers, and even when an intelligent ooze such as Darkness Given Hunger, a Black Pudding possessed by a Hezrou, worships him, Juiblex cares little. The amusing fact that he doesn't give a shit means PCs who follow him are incredibly flexible (pun intended) because entry to his worship means the acidic dissolution of Any poor sap overseen by a number of slimes. His base nature, infact leaves most forms of organization to his cults, who if not insane or fanatic could easily build an interesting infrastructure to their lords benefit, if not moreso their own, I.E turn everyone into slimes and destroy everyone else, and have everlasting shapeshifting shoggoth sex, Praise Juiblex!

One Origin for the faceless lord had him as a deity that lost his face in retaliation from the other gods for sympathizing with Demons in the older times, being thrown into the abyss as a result, and becoming an ever-shifting protean mass as a result, his soul locked in a prison.

On that note, his PrC is great if Stacked with the OozeMaster PrC, polymorph into a Gibbering mouther and use size category increasing cheese to become a Shoggoth capable of multiple slime attacks, unlimited slime summonings and all sorts of fun, nevermind how this can extend to Ghaunadaur worship as Juiblex was once an Avatar for the nonsensical primordial deity of oozes and slimes.

Juiblex lives on the 222nd layer of the Abyss named Shedaklah. He contests for control of this plane with Zuggtmoy, the Queen of Fungi. While she had the upper hand for a while, since the events with [[Iuz]] getting his ass handed to him and the famous adventure in the Temple of Elemental Evil, Juiblex has gained a lot of territory, currently battling with the forces of the Queen of Fungi and slowly gaining ground.

===[[Kostchtchie]]===
Demon Prince of Frost, racial patron god of frost giants. Is additionally summable by chanting his name, which gets you a Hastur-tier death if you're not prepared for the consequences

===[[Lolth]]===
The Spider Queen is a former elven goddess, and is now the ruler of all [[drow]], spiders, poison, and other fluffy things.

===[[Malcanthet]]===
Malcanthet, the Queen of the Succubi is a being of unparalleled beauty and cruelty. Taking the shape of an alluring succubus she prefers to let others do the fighting for her, either summoned minions or enslaved attackers. Befitting her status of the Queen of the Succubi she really gets around: aside from her usual trysts, she has Pazuzu and Demogorgon as her most frequent lovers, having sired several powerful succubi with the former and and unspeakable abominations with the latter. She has had short affairs with most of the other demon lords at some point or another, but these were mainly flings for her private benefit. Yeenoghu is one of her enemies, the two of them still being embittered by the other foiling their plot to corrupt the same family of nobles, ending with the entire family being destroyed instead. Her relationship with Graz'zt is actually even worse: each claims that the other spurned their advances, and, deeply embittered, the two have been at war ever since. Her servants include, aside from succubi and lilitus, lamias, harpies, and fiendish nymphs.

Malcanthet lives on the 570th layer of the Abyss, a layer called Shendilavri. It is of unmatched beauty, surpassing even some of the heavens as a paradise. Here she lives in the city of Rivenheart, where all desires can be sated. Every imaginable perversion, debauchery and experience can be found here. Malcanthet's palace has no doors, and all are invited to enter and experience what lies within its forbidden halls. While thousands of people from all over the planes enter to find bliss within, few leave, and all ultimately realize that Shendilavri is a paradise only for Malcanthet herself.

===[[Miska the Wolf-Spider]]===
The right-hand man and lover of the Queen of Chaos, Miska the Wolf-Spider is one of the most dreaded demon lords in existence. Resembling a nightmarish [[Drider]] with a spiked and armored spider lower body, the upper body of a pale, handsome, four-armed human with long black hair and a pair of red-haired wolf heads sprouting from his shoulders. Once the foremost servant and lover of the Queen of Chaos, she appointed this Tanar'ri as the Prince of Demons, the first to bear that title. This, combined with Miska's skill as a general and a warrior and the victories he achieved massive numbers of demons flocked to his service. Eventually he was defeated at the Battle of Pesh, where one of the [[Wind Dukes of Aaqa]] pierced him with the [[Rod of Seven Parts]]. The Prince of Demons wailed in anguish as his blood covered the Rod, corrupted and shattered it. If it had not been for the Rod breaking Miska would have perished, and instead he went through a planar rift. Some of the Wind Dukes followed him, imprisoned Miska and the citadel he was in in a great cocoon of pure law and cast him into the depths of [[Pandemonium]], where he remains to this day.

In his prison Miska can do little harm, but only partially because of the prison itself. When he was injured by the Rod of Seven Parts his abilities were crippled, rendering him at only a shadow of his former self. On the other hand this made him next to indestructible: [[Perpetual|even if he were to be turned to ash he can simply rebuild himself.]] If he were to get his hands onto the fully restored Rod of Seven Parts he would be fully restored and become able to leave the cocoon of law to join his beloved Queen and continue on their bloody crusade. The plus side to this is that restoring Miska to his full powers will make him vulnerable again, and allows for him to be permanently destroyed.

Actually destroying him is a daunting task: his armored body is resistant to blunt weapons, and slashing and piercing weapons draw his acidic blood that is both dangerous to an attacker and their weapon. It is in fact so lethal that it might kill an attacking instantly and disintegrate a weapon coated in the Wolf-Spider's blood. Miska himself wields deadly weapons in is powerful arms: a scimitar that can disintegrate lawful opponents, one that strikes at blinding speeds and two magical morning stars, each of whom he wields with deadly precision.

Miska commands the respect or fear of the Spyder-Fiends, monstrous spiders with the heads of wolves and clawed humanoid arms in the more powerful cases. While some resent serving Miska, they do not dare anger him or his master, the Queen of Chaos.

===[[Orcus]]===
Looking and acting like the forbidden lovechild of [[Khorne]] and [[Nagash]], Orcus is the Prince of the Undead. Entry requirements to worship him involve contracting a Feat based STD from Necrophilia, and generally doing horrid things that probably earn their place in the Book of Vile Darkness. According to Gary Gygax, he is responsible for the creation of undead universally when he cast a dweomer that killed everyone on his native plane when he was alive, following this, he ended up in the Abyss and worked his way up the demonic ladder. Sources state he ended up in the Abyss for doing something horrible, but this isn't in the official post Gygax material

===[[Yeenoghu]]===
The King of the [[Gnoll]]s, Yeenoghu is a savage beast. Despite not being the most powerful of the demon lords, his savagery and that of his followers still makes him a powerful opponent. This became clear when he and his forces invaded the layer above his own, the White Kingdom. This layer was ruled by Doresain, the King of the Ghouls. When his armies were destroyed, Doresain swore fealty to Yeenoghu for the sake of self-preservation, forsaking his old master Orcus. Because of Orcus' recent plots his attention has been elsewhere, and it is as of yet unknown how he will reply to this treason.

Yeenoghu's greatest desire is to have the Material Plane inhabited by his chosen people, the gnolls. A world where his people are the dominant race, and all [[human]]s, [[elves]], [[dwarves]] and [[halfling]]s are either slaves or food. But he understands that gnolls alone are not numerous enough to achieve this goal, and as such he allows cults of other races to serve him. One of the most powerful of these cults, originating from the Maure family, was finally getting somewhere when Malcanthet ''also'' tried to corrupt them, resulting in a self-destructive downward spiral that wiped out all of the humans. They have resented each other ever since, with Yeenoghu sending frequent raids into Shendilavri to destroy it. These attacks have always been held at bay, but he hopes to one day destroy her and her realm. The King of the Gnolls also has a violent hatred for Baphomet, perhaps due to their similarity, against whom he frequently wages war to little result.

Yeenoghu's realm is called exactly that, Yeenoghu's Realm, perhaps reflecting its master's lack of imagination. Located on the 422th layer of the Abyss it is covered in a great savanna where packs of feral gnolls, other hyena-like creatures, and worse monsters make their home, preying on visitors, one another, and even the servants of Yeenoghu. The King of the Gnolls himself lives in a great palace drawn by thousands of slaves across the plane past various points of interest at a speed of about one year per round.

===[[Zuggtmoy]]===
Zuggtmoy, The Queen of Fungi is an ambitious but not very successful demon lord. Given her domain over fungi and mushrooms she has difficulty finding people to worship them. So she opts with having to disguise her influence, creating cover cults that her own followers kept in line so that they could stay in charge. The Temple of Elemental Evil was such an endeavor, and it worked pretty well for a while, only for everything to spectacularly backfire when the Circle of Eight destroyed the cult and imprisoned her. She managed to escape the Material Plane at the cost of a good deal of her essence, only to discover that her enemy Jubilex had conquered a good deal of her home layer in the meanwhile.

Aside from her rivalry with Jubilex, she has frequently been at odds with [[Lolth]] prior to her gaining significant power as a deity, putting her a class above the Queen of Fungi. On her home layer of Shedaklah she lives in a palace built from the largest fungi in the multiverse, rising more than four miles into the air. Here she conducts horrific experiments and plots to gain foothold on the Material Plane and to defeat the hated Jubilex.

==Obyrith==
While the Tanar'ri are created from the petitioners of the Abyss, they were not the first beings to live there. Those were the Obyrith, creatures of Chaos. When the first mortal souls entered the Abyss they did not know what to do with them and so began to experiment, slowly creating a servant race to fight for them against the forces of Law. There are small number of other known Obyrith demon besides those listed here but they get almost no attention.

===[[Dagon]]===
Demon Prince of the Sea, an antediluvian aquatic horror who serves as Demogorgon's most loyal advisor ia also, pretty much H.P lovecraft's Dagon, with his servants the Kuoa-Toa being the effective replacement for Deep Ones though without the crossbreeding, his mortal thralls sort of just mutilate themselves into fish creatures in his service. He likes spellcasters of all sorts and wants to flood the earth, is allied with Demogogron

===[[Pale Night]]===
If there is one creature that is the mother of all demons (literally), then it would probably be her. Some texts say she is the mother of specific demon princes. Others say she is the mother of tanar'ri race. When asked about this by reporters, Pale Night has refused to comment on the claims. Pale Night's appearance is so horrific that reality itself refuses to accept it and hides her with a shroud. Seeing what she ''actually'' looks like prompts a high Fort save. If you succeed, then congratulations, you're still alive because your mind didn't process what your eyes saw. She literally does nothing but harrass Eldarin children on her Layer of he Abyss like a Saturday morning cartoon villain, and is responsible for the "pseudonatural template" which is uselessly used by the Alienist Prestige class.

===[[Obox-ob]]===
The Prince of Vermin and the original holder of the title of Prince of Demons before he was killed by the Queen of Chaos, but he managed to revive himself.

===[[Pazuzu]]===
Demon Prince of Air, master of the skies of the Abyss, and a demon with a pretty chill attitude. In D&D, he's the "big shot", but in Pathfinder, he's been dethroned in importance by his ex-girlfriend Lamashtu. He's also Starfox Falco levels of furbait sexy, and can be summoned like Hastur, just say his name more than thrice and he'll appear for you to bargain off your alignment for power.

===[[The Queen of Chaos]]===
Even older than Pale Night. She once was the ruler of the Obyrith race. She created the Tanar'ri, but this backfired on her when her lover [[Miska the Wolf-Spider]] got imprisoned and the rest of the Tanar'ri rebelled.

===[[Sertrous]]===
Demon Prince of Heretics from the [[Elder Evils]] book. Was originally a demon prince of parasites who refused to serve the Queen of Chaos and as a result was personally killed by her, but his spirit escaped to material plane and possessed a snake and turned it into his new body. An angel named Avamerin was sent to kill Sertrous when he began sending armies of snakes to harass mortals, but just before Avamerin could kill Sertrous, he revealed the secret that clerics could gain their spells without needing to worship a god. Avamerin at first didn't understand what Sertrous had said and decapitated him, and brought back his head. Avamerin shared the words Sertrous had said, which resulted in the appearance of godless clerics. Avamerin got punished for this and betrayed his masters to serve Sertrous. Sertrous still remains a powerless snake skull but he is slowly returning to life as he gains more worshipers. He is worshiped mainly by [[Yuan-ti]] who claim that he is their true creator.

{{D&D-DemonPrinces}}
{{D&D-Outsiders}}

==Pathfinder==
===[[Abraxus]]===
Demon Prince of Magic, Forbidden Lore and Snakes, known as the Master of the Final Incantation due to his arsenal of deadly and unique magical spells and formulas including the "Final Incantation", which can unmake magic with a single word.

===[[Aldinach]]===
Demon Princess of Sand, Scorpions and Thirst, whose cult is predominant in the desert regions. Most notable for her descent from Lamashtu and her bitter rivalry with her half-sister Areshkagal. Title: She of the Six Venoms.

===[[Andirifkhu]]===
Demon Queen of Illusions, Traps and Knives, the Razor Princess is a secretive and cunning killer particularly favored by sadists, torturers, trap-makers, assassins, murderers and evil illusionists.

===[[Angazhan]]===
Demon Prince of Apes, Jungles and Brutal Tyranny, the Ravenous King is one of the lesser Demon Princes, mostly restricted to worship by his savage [[Chara-kur]] ape-men creations.

===[[Areshkagal]]===
Demon Princess of Greed, Magical & Mundane Portals, and Riddles, the Faceless Sphinx fights a constant war against her half-sister Aldinach due to She of the Six Venoms having usurped the Faceless' Sphinx's original abyssal kingdom.

===[[Cyth-V'sug]]===
Demon Prince of Disease, Fungus and Parasites; despite certain similarities in appearance and portfolio, should not be confused with [[Xhamen-Dor]], the [[Cthulhu Mythos|Great Old One]] of Decay, Parasites and Transformation.

===[[Deskari]]===
Demon Prince of Chasms, Infestations and Locusts; known as the son of Pazuzu via some giant, monstrous demonic insect, the Lord of The Locust Host may potentially be a cousin to either Aldinach or Areshkagal. Is most notable for having created and maintained the Worldwound on [[Golarion]].

===[[Flauros]]===
Demon Prince of Fire, Salamanders and Volcanoes, the Burning Maw fights to defend his rulership over salamanders from an elemental lord named Ymeri, the Mistress of Fire.

===[[Gogunta]]===
Demon Queen of Amphibians, Boggards and Swamps, the Song of the Swamp actually claims rulership over a tiny part of Dagon's realm; because she has yet to be destroyed for this, her cult and Dagon's cult are often friendly towards each other.

===[[Haagenti]]===
Demon Prince of Alchemy, Invention and Transformation, not to be confused with the the [[Vestige]] connected to Frost Giants, Hill Giants and Minotaurs in the lore of the [[Binder]]s.

===[[Jezelda]]===
Demon Queen of Desolation, the Moon and Werewolves; ironically, despite the usual connections drawn to such powers, the Mistress of the Hungry Moon has never claimed to be the origin of all werewolves.

===[[Kabriri]]===
Demon Prince of [[Ghoul]]s, Graves and Secrets Kept By The Dead, the demon prince known as Him Who Gnaws is generally believed to be the damned soul of the first cannibal (and a fratricidal one at that), and the reason why ghouls cannot paralyze elves (and can mutate into elf-like forms) is because he was supposedly an elf in life.

===[[Lamashtu]]===
A Pathfinder-only Demon Queen and goddess, mother of all "manbeast" races such as [[minotaur]]s, [[harpy|harpies]], [[gnolls]] and [[medusa]]s. In fact, two of her most powerful daughters have become Demon Princesses in their own right; Aldinach and Areshkagal.

===[[Mazmezz]]===
Demon Queen of Binding, [[Drider]]s and Vermin, the grotesquely insectile Creeping Queen has the soul of a /d/eviant, using her powers of illusion to assume seductive guises in order to acquire more trophy-spouses for her hideous harem.

===[[Mestama]]===
Demon Queen of Cruelty, Deception and [[Hag]]s, the infamously misandric Mother of Witches bitterly hates the demi-goddess [[Gyronna]] for having stolen the position of Queen of All Hags from her.

===[[Nocticula]]===
Demon Queen of Assassins, Darkness and Lust, Our Lady In Shadow was actually the very first [[succubus]] to exist in Golarion, seducing and murdering her way into power. Sister and sometimes lover of Socothbenoth.

===[[Nurgal]]===
Demon Prince of Deserts, the Sun and Senseless Warfare, the Shining Scourge should not be confused with [[Nurgle]], as he has no plague-related powers. Former lover of Areshkagal, he may also be Socothbenoth's half-brother, but he hates the Demon Prince of Perversion.

===[[Shax]]===
Demon Prince of Envy, Lies and Violent Murder, the Blood Marquis is of course the favored patron of serial killers, and competes with Andirifikhu for worship by torturers.

===[[Shivaska]]===
Demon Queen of Aberrations, Clocks and Prisons, the Chained Maiden has a disturbing interest in scaring kids and bondage.

===[[Sifkesh]]===
Demon Queen of Hopeless Despair, Heresy and Suicide, the Sacred Whore loves to tempt devout worshippers and priestly types into heresy, eating their souls when they commit suicide out of grief upon realizing their betrayal.

===[[Socothbenoth]]===
Demon Prince of Pride, Perversion and Taboos, the Silken Prince is Nocticula's brother and occasional lover, as well as the demonic patron of [[/d/]].

===[[Urxhel]]===
Demon Prince of Natural Disasters, Storms and Trolls, unlike most "racial patron" demon lords, the Trollfather actually ''despises'' his children and so is worshipped only in an effort to stop him destroying them all.

===[[Xoveron]]===
Demon Prince of Gargoyles, Gluttony and Ruins, the four-headed Horned Prince seeks the emptying of all cities to create a world in which he and his children can feed.

===[[Yhidothrus]]===
Demon Prince of Age, Time and Worms, worshipped by those driven to desperation out of their hatred of time's encroach, the Ravager Worm is a patron of many [[lich]]es.

===[[Zevgavizeb]]===
Demon Prince of Vast Caverns, Reptiles and Troglodytes, an immensely gluttonous and lazy squamous horror who rules an Abyssal realm set up as a mad hollow earth.

===[[Zura]]===
Demon Queen of Blood, Cannibalism and Vampires, this uniquely powerful and depraved succubus has a complicated relationship with [[Urgathoa]], with the Vampire Queen being as likely to make common cause with the Pallid Princess as to fight for worshippers.

{{Pathfinder-Fiends}}
{{Pathfinder-DemonPrinces}}

Obyrith

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{{NeedsImages}}
The '''Obyrith''' are pre-primordial demons in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]''. They are all unfathomably [[Alignment|chaotic and evil]] extradimensional horrors that existed long before the [[tanar'ri]] came into being and very likely existed before the universe itself. They take heavy inspiration from the cosmic horrors found in [[Lovecraft]]'s [[Cthulhu Mythos]].

Obyrith first appeared in 2006's ''Fiendish Codex I'' sourcebook for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition|''D&D'' 3.5]], which dealt with the [[Abyss]] and all its horrific denizens. Here they were introduced as one of the three types of demons alongside the [[tanar'ri]] and [[loumara]]. Two types of obyrith were detailed, the [[ekolid]] and [[sibriex]], as well as the obyrith [[Demon Prince]]s [[Dagon]], [[Obox-ob]], [[Pale Night]], and [[Pazuzu]]. Over the next year a few more types of obyrith would be trickled out in supplemental online postings, magazines and ''[[Monster Manual]] V'', while Dagon himself would get a much more posh write-up in ''[[Dragon Magazine|Dragon]] #349''.

But it was [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition|4th Edition]] that really shoved obyrith more into the spotlight. Confirming their identity as having come from a universe before the current one, the Obyrith actually won the war of Order versus Chaos! The absolute mad<s>men</s>things! They devoured and twisted reality so badly that their own universe was finally unmade, collapsing into a singularity of pure spite and hatred for existence. But this Shard of Pure Evil™ somehow managed to pierce the veil into [[Greyhawk|a different universe]] that was just beginning to take form, and inside of it about a dozen Obyrith managed to survive making the leap.

'''And they were pissed!''' Here they were, just getting done finally destroying existence, and now there's another one being created! Luckily for them, their shard was found by one of the new neutral [[god]]s who was starting to tidy up the chaotic elemental afterbirth, [[Tharizdun]], and they were able to instantly and so thoroughly corrupt him that he created the [[Abyss]] at their behest. Now free to exact their hate on a new universe, they began to battle other primordial entities for control of the newly minted Abyss.

Meanwhile, all the other gods stopped doing whatever it was that they were doing and placed Tharizdun in the ''D&D'' equivalent of gay baby jail for all of eternity.

The Queen of Chaos would be the main leader of the forces of chaos as they attacked the forces of law and order; however, infighting would eventually lead to a fracturing between the obyrith and the tanar'ri they created to be their footsoldiers. Chaos gonna chaos. This opening allowed the [[Upper Planes]] to invade the Abyss and righteously buttfuck the obyrith to the brink of extinction.

Obyriths have slightly different traits than Tanar'ri. They are only resistant to electric damage instead of being immune, and they don't have the Tanar'ri ability to summon other demons, but instead, most Obyrith have an ability called Form of Madness that causes permanent insanity in anyone except other chaotic evil outsiders that encounters that Obyrith and fails their save. The mental effect of the insanity is different depending on the type of Obyrith, and Obyrith lords have a unique insanity effect. And being blind doesn't protect you from this. [[Pazuzu]] has lost this abilitiy due to evolving into a more Tanar'ri like demon and replaced it with an aura that lets him control evil flying creatures, and [[Pale Night]]'s form is so horrifying that it causes instant death on a failed save, but she is unable to reveal for longer than a few seconds because the universe itself forces her to hide it under a veil.

===Types of Obyrith===
* Draudnu: Strange round demons with three long spider-like legs at the top of their body. Their body tapers towards the bottom, ending in a red eye surrounded by three wicked clawed arms.
* Ekolid: Vile insectoid horrors, combining all the worst aspects of ants, scorpions, spiders and anything else you wouldn't want to get bitten or stung by. They typically exist in swarms, but on the 663rd layer of the Abyss they construct massive hives as complex as cities.
* Golothoma: Long and wormlike with a single red eye at their anterior end surrounded by three scything claw-like appendages. These claws can reach through dimensions to attack other creatures. They don't have a mouth, so they feed through their own shadow.
* Laghathti: Like a disgusting slimy, black octopus, laghathti lurk within the [[River Styx]] and steal memories from souls that pass by.
* Sibriex: These resemble enormous and grotesque floating humanoid heads that are shackled to the ground by hooks and chains. Said to have a knack for flesh-crafting, the creation of the tanar'ri is likely their doing.
* Uzollru: Similar to colossal aquatic centipedes, but with flippers instead of legs. Their head has a single red eye surrounded by feeder tentacles. They mostly serve Dagon in the 89th layer of the Abyss, Shadowsea.
* Verakia: XBAWKSHUEG [[dragon]]-esque obyriths which exist in the 88th layer of the Abyss, which is [[Demogorgon]]'s pad. They are mindless marauding abominations; anyone who would even look upon one is driven to homicidal fury.

===Obyrith Lords/Princes===
* [[Areex]], The Forgotten Prince (imprisoned)
* [[Asima]], The Unanticipated (dead)
* [[Bechard]], The Rotting Husk (alive but dying extremely slowly)
* [[Cabiri]], The Watching Master (imprisoned)
* [[Dagon]], Prince of the Depths
* [[Obox-ob]], Prince of Vermin
* [[Pale Night]], The Mother of Demons
* [[Pazuzu]], Prince of the Lower Aerial Kingdoms
* [[The Queen of Chaos]]
* [[Sertrous]], Prince of Heretics (dead but trying to come back)
* [[Ugudenk]], The Squirming King

The [[qlippoth]] of ''[[Pathfinder]]'' are basically a knock-off of these nasty bastards since obyrith, much like the tanar'ri, are not available for use under the [[Open Gaming License]].

{{D&D-Outsiders}}
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Monsters]]

Demon Prince

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:''This is the [[D&D]] and [[Pathfinder]] creature, not to be confused with [[Warhammer]]'s [[Daemon Prince]]s''

'''Demon Princes''' are a specific breed of lesser (though how "lesser" varies from edition to edition, with them being literally equivalent to lesser deities in 1e, which meant they were at least as powerful as most deities) tier evil [[God]] in the [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and [[Pathfinder]]. As their name suggests, they are [[Tanar'ri]] who have managed to claw their way to a position of particular power and influence amongst their kind. They may even be worshipped by some evil races as patron gods, though usually they are not "full-tier" gods, thusly allowing [[adventurers]] to bust into their homes and beat the shit out of them.

Emphasis on ''usually'': some Demon Princes have managed to secure a position of such power that they are full-fledged gods, so fighting with them isn't a really good idea. The most traditional example in D&D is [[Lolth]], who is not only the Demon Queen of Spiders, but also the patron god of the [[Drow]], a position that saw her promoted to a "corebook deity" in 4th edition. Likewise, in Pathfinder, the Demon Queen of Monsters, Mutation and Miscarriages, [[Lamashtu]], is a full-fledged god and stands as a counterpoint to [[Asmodeus]] the [[Archdevil]]-turned-God.

==Tanar'ri==
The vast majority of Demon Princes are Tanar'ri and attained their position early on in their existence. Others rose to power over the course of eons, usurping another to take their place.

===[[Baphomet]]===
Baphomet, the lord of the [[minotaur]]s, is a massive bull-headed brute. He revels in combat, but prefers to put his powerful-looking opponents into a magical maze and trample the smaller ones before crushing the big ones. His most common followers include minotaurs, bulezau and goristro demons, fiendish or half-fiendish minotaurs and Awakened animals such as dire animals or [[dinosaur]]s. His ultimate goal is nothing less than the destruction of all civilization, and the descent of all life into violent, bestial savagery.

Baphomet's cult is on the rise, often finding worship in rural areas by evil [[druid]]s and [[ranger]]s, preaching the gospel of a nature deity of vengeance that will deliver the common folk from the evil machinations of city-dwellers, eventually swaying them to his cause. From there, armies of fanatical Luddites, many bearing [[Beastmen|physical manifestations of his influence]], swarm out to raze towns and slaughter those who live in them.

Baphomet lives in the Endless Maze, the 600th layer of the [[Abyss]]. He shares this layer with the [[Obyrith]] Pale Night, with whom he has some kind of understanding: neither of them encroach on each other's territories and they will help each other when one of them is invaded by one of their foes.

===[[Demogorgon]]===
The current Prince of Demons, a title largely contested only by Orcus and, to a much lesser extent, Graz'zt. He has the shape of a two-headed baboon with tentacles instead of arms and a theropod's legs and tail. His left head is called Aameul and has a silver tongue that can charm any creature, while the right head, Hethradiah, can cause insanity. They seek to dominate or kill one another, just as their combined self seeks to slay or overpower all life. Demogorgon is a fearsome foe in battle, capable of rotting flesh from bones with but a caress of its tentacles and draining the energy of anyone slapped by its tail.

Demogorgon has few followers amongst the humanoid races, but he has many amongst the more monstrous people. [[Yuan-ti]], troglodytes, ixitxachitl and hosts of demons worship Demogorgon as their lord. These cults are depraved and engage in all manner of horrific rituals and sacrifices to their lord. Humanoids rarely worship him as cults, but individuals dedicated to the Prince of Demons tend to be just as dangerous, given that they are quite often high-ranking members of society, and his influence is thought to be the source of many monstrous versions of natural creatures, like ettins and merrow.

Demogorgon's layer of The Gaping Maw is the 88th of the Abyss. While it's a tropical realm with plenty of water it is not a hospitable plane, with many different kinds of demons roving the surface and the ocean looking for things to devour. Demogorgon runs the great city of Lemoriax that is one of the premier slave markets in the Great Wheel. He frequently stalks through his city to whip his followers into a frenzy. His layer is linked to the next layer, Dagon's home of Shadowsea. The two are allied, which effectively means they stay off of each other's backs.

He was also a ''motherfucker'' of a bonus boss in ''[[Baldur's Gate|Throne of Bhaal]]'', even if actually fighting him was definitely not the smart move there.

===[[Fraz-Urb'luu]]===
The Prince of Deception, Fraz-Urb'luu is a great pale plue winged monster with surprising magical ability. He is the patron of evil illusionists and tricksters, so powerful that he can easily summon demons and even other demon lords, though he prefers to not do the latter all that much because does not want to piss Demogorgon off any more than he already does.

Fraz-Urb'luu was one of [[Zagig]]'s prisoners below Castle [[Greyhawk]], trapped in a bas-relief for more than two centuries. When he was finally freed by a bunch of [[adventurers]], whom he repaid by wrecking their gear and casting them into the Abyss. [[Eldrad|What a dick.]] Back in the 176th layer of the Abyss, Hollow's Heart, he spent time rebuilding his realm and searching for his magic staff. If he succeeds, his first order of business would be to visit terrible vengeance upon the world of man.

Cults of Deception pose as cults of exciting but obscure deities and try to convert people to their cause... only to be sacrificed to the Prince of Deception. His followers include large numbers of other deceptive demons, including [[Succubus|succubi]], lilitu and a group of Chaotic Evil [[Rakshasa]] called the Hollow Rajas.

===[[Graz'zt]]===
The Dark Prince Graz'zt is something of an anomaly amongst the princes of the Abyss. While the others all possess some degree of cleverness, at the end of the day they will use brute force to get what they want. Not so much in Graz'zt's case. He is skilled in the ways of seduction, guile, politics and plotting in ways that go beyond the abilities of even the most intelligent princes of hell. [[4e]] suggested that this is because Graz'zt is an exiled [[Baatezu|devil]], but this is the only version that posed this option. While by far the weakest of the three in terms of raw hitting power, Graz'zt's genius and cunning ensure that he remains a strong rival to both Demogorgon and Orcus.

He resembles a tall, handsome humanoid with goat legs, horns, six fingered hands and yellow eyes that betray him for what he really is. Graz'zt has a massive libido and counts many female priests, [[succubus|succubi]], [[harpy|harpies]], [[marilith]]s, [[lamia]], [[monstergirls|you name it]] amongst his followers, with the odd male equivalent here and there for variety's sake. The closest of these are called the Chosen (with the suggestion he chooses them to join him in his bed). He also has more offspring than any other demon lord, with many of the closest members of his court, including his chief general and personal assassin, being his own children.

While he is of great intelligence, he has met his match in a mortal, the witch-queen [[Iggwilv]]. She managed to trap him on the Material Plane to learn from the demon. The two of them eventually became lovers, culminating in the birth of a child. Said child turned out to be [[Iuz]], who became a major player in the world of [[Greyhawk]]. Graz'zt slowly figured out that Iggwilv did not want to let him go back to his home. So he waited and plotted, eventually breaking free in a battle that cost Iggwilv most of her resources. But she escaped and was lured into the Abyss by the Dark Prince. She in turn was used by Graz'zt to regain his lost powers and grow stronger before ''she'' escaped. The two of them are currently in a mutual love-hate relationship, each trying to exploit the other to increase their power even as, to the extent that either of them are capable of positive emotions, they genuinely enjoy one another's company.

Graz'zt's realm is the largest in all of the Abyss. Covering the 45th, 46th and 47th layers of the Abyss, Azzagrat's primary attraction is the city of Zelatar, which somehow exists on all three layers at the same time. Each layer hosts a different neighbourhood, and Graz'zt's citadel on the center layer. It is also one of the more popular destinations in the Abyss for travelers to visit, featuring markets full of rare goods and comparatively better-behaved demons, but those who think that that translates to "safe" are as foolish as those who think that Graz'zt's hedonism and hunger for pleasure over raw power makes him any less evil or dangerous than the likes of Orcus or Demogorgon, whom already have a large size advantage over him in a fight.

===[[Juiblex]]===
The Faceless Lord Juiblex lords over all oozes, slimes and jellies. This is not a paricularly difficult task given the mindless nature of these creatures and Juiblex' lack of tact regarding such issues. He resmbles a massive puddle of green slime filled with eyes swimming around in it and pseudopods drippingwith ooze. This apperance was later changed, and by that, literally photoshopped to a Shoggoth's colour scheme, because Pathfinder did it, so it must sell. His goals are simple: destroy everything that is not like him. He wants to kill and corrode everything in existence, destroying whatever it can touch with its oozing appendages, until all life, everywhere, is as formless and protean as he is. This makes him very unpopular with the other demon lords and all stay away from his layer as much as possible.

Juiblex has few cultists given that his charges are almost exclusively of low intelligence. When a deranged humanoid takes up the worship of the Faceless Lord it is quite possible that Juiblex doesn't really care about these worshippers, and even when an intelligent ooze such as Darkness Given Hunger, a Black Pudding possessed by a Hezrou, worships him, Juiblex cares little. The amusing fact that he doesn't give a shit means PCs who follow him are incredibly flexible (pun intended) because entry to his worship means the acidic dissolution of Any poor sap overseen by a number of slimes. His base nature, infact leaves most forms of organization to his cults, who if not insane or fanatic could easily build an interesting infrastructure to their lords benefit, if not moreso their own, I.E turn everyone into slimes and destroy everyone else, and have everlasting shapeshifting shoggoth sex, Praise Juiblex!

One Origin for the faceless lord had him as a deity that lost his face in retaliation from the other gods for sympathizing with Demons in the older times, being thrown into the abyss as a result, and becoming an ever-shifting protean mass as a result, his soul locked in a prison.

On that note, his PrC is great if Stacked with the OozeMaster PrC, polymorph into a Gibbering mouther and use size category increasing cheese to become a Shoggoth capable of multiple slime attacks, unlimited slime summonings and all sorts of fun, nevermind how this can extend to Ghaunadaur worship as Juiblex was once an Avatar for the nonsensical primordial deity of oozes and slimes.

Juiblex lives on the 222nd layer of the Abyss named Shedaklah. He contests for control of this plane with Zuggtmoy, the Queen of Fungi. While she had the upper hand for a while, since the events with [[Iuz]] getting his ass handed to him and the famous adventure in the Temple of Elemental Evil, Juiblex has gained a lot of territory, currently battling with the forces of the Queen of Fungi and slowly gaining ground.

===[[Kostchtchie]]===
Demon Prince of Frost, racial patron god of frost giants. Is additionally summable by chanting his name, which gets you a Hastur-tier death if you're not prepared for the consequences

===[[Lolth]]===
The Spider Queen is a former elven goddess, and is now the ruler of all [[drow]], spiders, poison, and other fluffy things.

===[[Malcanthet]]===
Malcanthet, the Queen of the Succubi is a being of unparalleled beauty and cruelty. Taking the shape of an alluring succubus she prefers to let others do the fighting for her, either summoned minions or enslaved attackers. Befitting her status of the Queen of the Succubi she really gets around: aside from her usual trysts, she has Pazuzu and Demogorgon as her most frequent lovers, having sired several powerful succubi with the former and and unspeakable abominations with the latter. She has had short affairs with most of the other demon lords at some point or another, but these were mainly flings for her private benefit. Yeenoghu is one of her enemies, the two of them still being embittered by the other foiling their plot to corrupt the same family of nobles, ending with the entire family being destroyed instead. Her relationship with Graz'zt is actually even worse: each claims that the other spurned their advances, and, deeply embittered, the two have been at war ever since. Her servants include, aside from succubi and lilitus, lamias, harpies, and fiendish nymphs.

Malcanthet lives on the 570th layer of the Abyss, a layer called Shendilavri. It is of unmatched beauty, surpassing even some of the heavens as a paradise. Here she lives in the city of Rivenheart, where all desires can be sated. Every imaginable perversion, debauchery and experience can be found here. Malcanthet's palace has no doors, and all are invited to enter and experience what lies within its forbidden halls. While thousands of people from all over the planes enter to find bliss within, few leave, and all ultimately realize that Shendilavri is a paradise only for Malcanthet herself.

===[[Miska the Wolf-Spider]]===
The right-hand man and lover of the Queen of Chaos, Miska the Wolf-Spider is one of the most dreaded demon lords in existence. Resembling a nightmarish [[Drider]] with a spiked and armored spider lower body, the upper body of a pale, handsome, four-armed human with long black hair and a pair of red-haired wolf heads sprouting from his shoulders. Once the foremost servant and lover of the Queen of Chaos, she appointed this Tanar'ri as the Prince of Demons, the first to bear that title. This, combined with Miska's skill as a general and a warrior and the victories he achieved massive numbers of demons flocked to his service. Eventually he was defeated at the Battle of Pesh, where one of the [[Wind Dukes of Aaqa]] pierced him with the [[Rod of Seven Parts]]. The Prince of Demons wailed in anguish as his blood covered the Rod, corrupted and shattered it. If it had not been for the Rod breaking Miska would have perished, and instead he went through a planar rift. Some of the Wind Dukes followed him, imprisoned Miska and the citadel he was in in a great cocoon of pure law and cast him into the depths of [[Pandemonium]], where he remains to this day.

In his prison Miska can do little harm, but only partially because of the prison itself. When he was injured by the Rod of Seven Parts his abilities were crippled, rendering him at only a shadow of his former self. On the other hand this made him next to indestructible: [[Perpetual|even if he were to be turned to ash he can simply rebuild himself.]] If he were to get his hands onto the fully restored Rod of Seven Parts he would be fully restored and become able to leave the cocoon of law to join his beloved Queen and continue on their bloody crusade. The plus side to this is that restoring Miska to his full powers will make him vulnerable again, and allows for him to be permanently destroyed.

Actually destroying him is a daunting task: his armored body is resistant to blunt weapons, and slashing and piercing weapons draw his acidic blood that is both dangerous to an attacker and their weapon. It is in fact so lethal that it might kill an attacking instantly and disintegrate a weapon coated in the Wolf-Spider's blood. Miska himself wields deadly weapons in is powerful arms: a scimitar that can disintegrate lawful opponents, one that strikes at blinding speeds and two magical morning stars, each of whom he wields with deadly precision.

Miska commands the respect or fear of the Spyder-Fiends, monstrous spiders with the heads of wolves and clawed humanoid arms in the more powerful cases. While some resent serving Miska, they do not dare anger him or his master, the Queen of Chaos.

===[[Orcus]]===
Looking and acting like the forbidden lovechild of [[Khorne]] and [[Nagash]], Orcus is the Prince of the Undead. Entry requirements to worship him involve contracting a Feat based STD from Necrophilia, and generally doing horrid things that probably earn their place in the Book of Vile Darkness. According to Gary Gygax, he is responsible for the creation of undead universally when he cast a dweomer that killed everyone on his native plane when he was alive, following this, he ended up in the Abyss and worked his way up the demonic ladder. Sources state he ended up in the Abyss for doing something horrible, but this isn't in the official post Gygax material

===[[Yeenoghu]]===
The King of the [[Gnoll]]s, Yeenoghu is a savage beast. Despite not being the most powerful of the demon lords, his savagery and that of his followers still makes him a powerful opponent. This became clear when he and his forces invaded the layer above his own, the White Kingdom. This layer was ruled by Doresain, the King of the Ghouls. When his armies were destroyed, Doresain swore fealty to Yeenoghu for the sake of self-preservation, forsaking his old master Orcus. Because of Orcus' recent plots his attention has been elsewhere, and it is as of yet unknown how he will reply to this treason.

Yeenoghu's greatest desire is to have the Material Plane inhabited by his chosen people, the gnolls. A world where his people are the dominant race, and all [[human]]s, [[elves]], [[dwarves]] and [[halfling]]s are either slaves or food. But he understands that gnolls alone are not numerous enough to achieve this goal, and as such he allows cults of other races to serve him. One of the most powerful of these cults, originating from the Maure family, was finally getting somewhere when Malcanthet ''also'' tried to corrupt them, resulting in a self-destructive downward spiral that wiped out all of the humans. They have resented each other ever since, with Yeenoghu sending frequent raids into Shendilavri to destroy it. These attacks have always been held at bay, but he hopes to one day destroy her and her realm. The King of the Gnolls also has a violent hatred for Baphomet, perhaps due to their similarity, against whom he frequently wages war to little result.

Yeenoghu's realm is called exactly that, Yeenoghu's Realm, perhaps reflecting its master's lack of imagination. Located on the 422th layer of the Abyss it is covered in a great savanna where packs of feral gnolls, other hyena-like creatures, and worse monsters make their home, preying on visitors, one another, and even the servants of Yeenoghu. The King of the Gnolls himself lives in a great palace drawn by thousands of slaves across the plane past various points of interest at a speed of about one year per round.

===[[Zuggtmoy]]===
Zuggtmoy, The Queen of Fungi is an ambitious but not very successful demon lord. Given her domain over fungi and mushrooms she has difficulty finding people to worship them. So she opts with having to disguise her influence, creating cover cults that her own followers kept in line so that they could stay in charge. The Temple of Elemental Evil was such an endeavor, and it worked pretty well for a while, only for everything to spectacularly backfire when the Circle of Eight destroyed the cult and imprisoned her. She managed to escape the Material Plane at the cost of a good deal of her essence, only to discover that her enemy Jubilex had conquered a good deal of her home layer in the meanwhile.

Aside from her rivalry with Jubilex, she has frequently been at odds with [[Lolth]] prior to her gaining significant power as a deity, putting her a class above the Queen of Fungi. On her home layer of Shedaklah she lives in a palace built from the largest fungi in the multiverse, rising more than four miles into the air. Here she conducts horrific experiments and plots to gain foothold on the Material Plane and to defeat the hated Jubilex.

==Obyrith==
While the Tanar'ri are created from the petitioners of the Abyss, they were not the first beings to live there. Those were the Obyrith, creatures of Chaos. When the first mortal souls entered the Abyss they did not know what to do with them and so began to experiment, slowly creating a servant race to fight for them against the forces of Law.

===[[Dagon]]===
Demon Prince of the Sea, an antediluvian aquatic horror who serves as Demogorgon's most loyal advisor ia also, pretty much H.P lovecraft's Dagon, with his servants the Kuoa-Toa being the effective replacement for Deep Ones though without the crossbreeding, his mortal thralls sort of just mutilate themselves into fish creatures in his service. He likes spellcasters of all sorts and wants to flood the earth, is allied with Demogogron

===[[Pale Night]]===
If there is one creature that is the mother of all demons (literally), then it would probably be her. Some texts say she is the mother of specific demon princes. Others say she is the mother of tanar'ri race. When asked about this by reporters, Pale Night has refused to comment on the claims. Pale Night's appearance is so horrific that reality itself refuses to accept it and hides her with a shroud. Seeing what she ''actually'' looks like prompts a high Fort save. If you succeed, then congratulations, you're still alive because your mind didn't process what your eyes saw. She literally does nothing but harrass Eldarin children on her Layer of he Abyss like a Saturday morning cartoon villain, and is responsible for the "pseudonatural template" which is uselessly used by the Alienist Prestige class.

===[[Obox-ob]]===
The Prince of Vermin and the original holder of the title of Prince of Demons before he was killed by the Queen of Chaos, but he managed to revive himself.

===[[Pazuzu]]===
Demon Prince of Air, master of the skies of the Abyss, and a demon with a pretty chill attitude. In D&D, he's the "big shot", but in Pathfinder, he's been dethroned in importance by his ex-girlfriend Lamashtu. He's also Starfox Falco levels of furbait sexy, and can be summoned like Hastur, just say his name more than thrice and he'll appear for you to bargain off your alignment for power.

===[[The Queen of Chaos]]===
Even older than Pale Night. She once was the ruler of the Obyrith race. She created the Tanar'ri, but this backfired on her when her lover [[Miska the Wolf-Spider]] got imprisoned and the rest of the Tanar'ri rebelled.

===[[Sertrous]]===
Demon Prince of Heretics from the [[Elder Evils]] book. Was originally a demon prince of parasites who refused to serve the Queen of Chaos and as a result was personally killed by her, but his spirit escaped to material plane and possessed a snake and turned it into his new body. An angel named Avamerin was sent to kill Sertrous when he began sending armies of snakes to harass mortals, but just before Avamerin could kill Sertrous, he revealed the secret that clerics could gain their spells without needing to worship a god. Avamerin at first didn't understand what Sertrous had said and decapitated him, and brought back his head. Avamerin shared the words Sertrous had said, which resulted in the appearance of godless clerics. Avamerin got punished for this and betrayed his masters to serve Sertrous. Sertrous still remains a powerless snake skull but he is slowly returning to life as he gains more worshipers. He is worshiped mainly by [[Yuan-ti]] who claim that he is their true creator.

{{D&D-DemonPrinces}}
{{D&D-Outsiders}}

==Pathfinder==
===[[Abraxus]]===
Demon Prince of Magic, Forbidden Lore and Snakes, known as the Master of the Final Incantation due to his arsenal of deadly and unique magical spells and formulas including the "Final Incantation", which can unmake magic with a single word.

===[[Aldinach]]===
Demon Princess of Sand, Scorpions and Thirst, whose cult is predominant in the desert regions. Most notable for her descent from Lamashtu and her bitter rivalry with her half-sister Areshkagal. Title: She of the Six Venoms.

===[[Andirifkhu]]===
Demon Queen of Illusions, Traps and Knives, the Razor Princess is a secretive and cunning killer particularly favored by sadists, torturers, trap-makers, assassins, murderers and evil illusionists.

===[[Angazhan]]===
Demon Prince of Apes, Jungles and Brutal Tyranny, the Ravenous King is one of the lesser Demon Princes, mostly restricted to worship by his savage [[Chara-kur]] ape-men creations.

===[[Areshkagal]]===
Demon Princess of Greed, Magical & Mundane Portals, and Riddles, the Faceless Sphinx fights a constant war against her half-sister Aldinach due to She of the Six Venoms having usurped the Faceless' Sphinx's original abyssal kingdom.

===[[Cyth-V'sug]]===
Demon Prince of Disease, Fungus and Parasites; despite certain similarities in appearance and portfolio, should not be confused with [[Xhamen-Dor]], the [[Cthulhu Mythos|Great Old One]] of Decay, Parasites and Transformation.

===[[Deskari]]===
Demon Prince of Chasms, Infestations and Locusts; known as the son of Pazuzu via some giant, monstrous demonic insect, the Lord of The Locust Host may potentially be a cousin to either Aldinach or Areshkagal. Is most notable for having created and maintained the Worldwound on [[Golarion]].

===[[Flauros]]===
Demon Prince of Fire, Salamanders and Volcanoes, the Burning Maw fights to defend his rulership over salamanders from an elemental lord named Ymeri, the Mistress of Fire.

===[[Gogunta]]===
Demon Queen of Amphibians, Boggards and Swamps, the Song of the Swamp actually claims rulership over a tiny part of Dagon's realm; because she has yet to be destroyed for this, her cult and Dagon's cult are often friendly towards each other.

===[[Haagenti]]===
Demon Prince of Alchemy, Invention and Transformation, not to be confused with the the [[Vestige]] connected to Frost Giants, Hill Giants and Minotaurs in the lore of the [[Binder]]s.

===[[Jezelda]]===
Demon Queen of Desolation, the Moon and Werewolves; ironically, despite the usual connections drawn to such powers, the Mistress of the Hungry Moon has never claimed to be the origin of all werewolves.

===[[Kabriri]]===
Demon Prince of [[Ghoul]]s, Graves and Secrets Kept By The Dead, the demon prince known as Him Who Gnaws is generally believed to be the damned soul of the first cannibal (and a fratricidal one at that), and the reason why ghouls cannot paralyze elves (and can mutate into elf-like forms) is because he was supposedly an elf in life.

===[[Lamashtu]]===
A Pathfinder-only Demon Queen and goddess, mother of all "manbeast" races such as [[minotaur]]s, [[harpy|harpies]], [[gnolls]] and [[medusa]]s. In fact, two of her most powerful daughters have become Demon Princesses in their own right; Aldinach and Areshkagal.

===[[Mazmezz]]===
Demon Queen of Binding, [[Drider]]s and Vermin, the grotesquely insectile Creeping Queen has the soul of a /d/eviant, using her powers of illusion to assume seductive guises in order to acquire more trophy-spouses for her hideous harem.

===[[Mestama]]===
Demon Queen of Cruelty, Deception and [[Hag]]s, the infamously misandric Mother of Witches bitterly hates the demi-goddess [[Gyronna]] for having stolen the position of Queen of All Hags from her.

===[[Nocticula]]===
Demon Queen of Assassins, Darkness and Lust, Our Lady In Shadow was actually the very first [[succubus]] to exist in Golarion, seducing and murdering her way into power. Sister and sometimes lover of Socothbenoth.

===[[Nurgal]]===
Demon Prince of Deserts, the Sun and Senseless Warfare, the Shining Scourge should not be confused with [[Nurgle]], as he has no plague-related powers. Former lover of Areshkagal, he may also be Socothbenoth's half-brother, but he hates the Demon Prince of Perversion.

===[[Shax]]===
Demon Prince of Envy, Lies and Violent Murder, the Blood Marquis is of course the favored patron of serial killers, and competes with Andirifikhu for worship by torturers.

===[[Shivaska]]===
Demon Queen of Aberrations, Clocks and Prisons, the Chained Maiden has a disturbing interest in scaring kids and bondage.

===[[Sifkesh]]===
Demon Queen of Hopeless Despair, Heresy and Suicide, the Sacred Whore loves to tempt devout worshippers and priestly types into heresy, eating their souls when they commit suicide out of grief upon realizing their betrayal.

===[[Socothbenoth]]===
Demon Prince of Pride, Perversion and Taboos, the Silken Prince is Nocticula's brother and occasional lover, as well as the demonic patron of [[/d/]].

===[[Urxhel]]===
Demon Prince of Natural Disasters, Storms and Trolls, unlike most "racial patron" demon lords, the Trollfather actually ''despises'' his children and so is worshipped only in an effort to stop him destroying them all.

===[[Xoveron]]===
Demon Prince of Gargoyles, Gluttony and Ruins, the four-headed Horned Prince seeks the emptying of all cities to create a world in which he and his children can feed.

===[[Yhidothrus]]===
Demon Prince of Age, Time and Worms, worshipped by those driven to desperation out of their hatred of time's encroach, the Ravager Worm is a patron of many [[lich]]es.

===[[Zevgavizeb]]===
Demon Prince of Vast Caverns, Reptiles and Troglodytes, an immensely gluttonous and lazy squamous horror who rules an Abyssal realm set up as a mad hollow earth.

===[[Zura]]===
Demon Queen of Blood, Cannibalism and Vampires, this uniquely powerful and depraved succubus has a complicated relationship with [[Urgathoa]], with the Vampire Queen being as likely to make common cause with the Pallid Princess as to fight for worshippers.

{{Pathfinder-Fiends}}
{{Pathfinder-DemonPrinces}}

Obyrith

2020-08-12T21:52:39Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: That wasn't a retcon. They were already Obyriths before 4th edition.

{{NeedsImages}}
The '''Obyrith''' are pre-primordial demons in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]''. They are all unfathomably [[Alignment|chaotic and evil]] extradimensional horrors that existed long before the [[tanar'ri]] came into being and very likely existed before the universe itself. They take heavy inspiration from the cosmic horrors found in [[Lovecraft]]'s [[Cthulhu Mythos]].

Obyrith first appeared in 2006's ''Fiendish Codex I'' sourcebook for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition|''D&D'' 3.5]], which dealt with the [[Abyss]] and all its horrific denizens. Here they were introduced as one of the three types of demons alongside the [[tanar'ri]] and [[loumara]]. Two types of obyrith were detailed, the [[ekolid]] and [[sibriex]], as well as the obyrith [[Demon Prince]]s [[Dagon]], [[Obox-ob]], [[Pale Night]], and [[Pazuzu]]. Over the next year a few more types of obyrith would be trickled out in supplemental online postings, magazines and ''[[Monster Manual]] V'', while Dagon himself would get a much more posh write-up in ''[[Dragon Magazine|Dragon]] #349''.

But it was [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition|4th Edition]] that really shoved obyrith more into the spotlight. Confirming their identity as having come from a universe before the current one, the Obyrith actually won the war of Order versus Chaos! The absolute mad<s>men</s>things! They devoured and twisted reality so badly that their own universe was finally unmade, collapsing into a singularity of pure spite and hatred for existence. But this Shard of Pure Evil™ somehow managed to pierce the veil into [[Greyhawk|a different universe]] that was just beginning to take form, and inside of it about a dozen Obyrith managed to survive making the leap.

'''And they were pissed!''' Here they were, just getting done finally destroying existence, and now there's another one being created! Luckily for them, their shard was found by one of the new neutral [[god]]s who was starting to tidy up the chaotic elemental afterbirth, [[Tharizdun]], and they were able to instantly and so thoroughly corrupt him that he created the [[Abyss]] at their behest. Now free to exact their hate on a new universe, they began to battle other primordial entities for control of the newly minted Abyss.

Meanwhile, all the other gods stopped doing whatever it was that they were doing and placed Tharizdun in the ''D&D'' equivalent of gay baby jail for all of eternity.

The Queen of Chaos would be the main leader of the forces of chaos as they attacked the forces of law and order; however, infighting would eventually lead to a fracturing between the obyrith and the tanar'ri they created to be their footsoldiers. Chaos gonna chaos. This opening allowed the [[Upper Planes]] to invade the Abyss and righteously buttfuck the obyrith to the brink of extinction.

Obyriths have slightly different traits than Tanar'ri. They are only resistant to electric damage instead of being immune, and they don't have the Tanar'ri ability to summon other demons, but instead, most Obyrith have an ability called Form of Madness that causes permanent insanity in anyone except other chaotic evil outsiders that encounters that Obyrith and fails their save. The mental effect of the insanity is different depending on the type of Obyrith, and Obyrith lords have a unique insanity effect. And being blind doesn't protect you from this. [[Pazuzu]] has lost this abilitiy due to evolving into a more Tanar'ri like demon and replaced it with an aura that lets him control evil flying creatures, and [[Pale Night]]'s form is so horrifying that it causes instant death on a failed save, but she is unable to reveal for longer than a few seconds because the universe itself forces her to hide it under a veil.

===Types of Obyrith===
* Draudnu: Strange round demons with three long spider-like legs at the top of their body. Their body tapers towards the bottom, ending in a red eye surrounded by three wicked clawed arms.
* Ekolid: Vile insectoid horrors, combining all the worst aspects of ants, scorpions, spiders and anything else you wouldn't want to get bitten or stung by. They typically exist in swarms, but on the 663rd layer of the Abyss they construct massive hives as complex as cities.
* Golothoma: Long and wormlike with a single red eye at their anterior end surrounded by three scything claw-like appendages. These claws can reach through dimensions to attack other creatures. They don't have a mouth, so they feed through their own shadow.
* Laghathti: Like a disgusting slimy, black octopus, laghathti lurk within the [[River Styx]] and steal memories from souls that pass by.
* Sibriex: These resemble enormous and grotesque floating humanoid heads that are shackled to the ground by hooks and chains. Said to have a knack for flesh-crafting, the creation of the tanar'ri is likely their doing.
* Uzollru: Similar to colossal aquatic centipedes, but with flippers instead of legs. Their head has a single red eye surrounded by feeder tentacles. They mostly serve Dagon in the 89th layer of the Abyss, Shadowsea.
* Verakia: XBAWKSHUEG [[dragon]]-esque obyriths which exist in the 88th layer of the Abyss, which is [[Demogorgon]]'s pad. They are mindless marauding abominations; anyone who would even look upon one is driven to homicidal fury.

===Obyrith Lords/Princes===
* [[Areex]], The Forgotten Prince (imprisoned)
* [[Asima]], The Unanticipated (dead)
* [[Bechard]], The Rotting Husk (alive but dying extremely slowly)
* [[Cabiri]], The Watching Master (imprisoned)
* [[Dagon]], Prince of the Depths
* [[Obox-ob]], Prince of Vermin
* [[Pale Night]], The Mother of Demons
* [[Pazuzu]], Prince of the Lower Aerial Kingdoms
* [[Queen of Chaos]]
* [[Sertrous]], Prince of Heretics (dead but trying to come back)
* [[Ugudenk]], The Squirming King

The [[qlippoth]] of ''[[Pathfinder]]'' are basically a knock-off of these nasty bastards since obyrith, much like the tanar'ri, are not available for use under the [[Open Gaming License]].

{{D&D-Outsiders}}
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Monsters]]

Obyrith

2020-08-12T21:49:31Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2:

{{NeedsImages}}
The '''Obyrith''' are pre-primordial demons in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]''. They are all unfathomably [[Alignment|chaotic and evil]] extradimensional horrors that existed long before the [[tanar'ri]] came into being and very likely existed before the universe itself. They take heavy inspiration from the cosmic horrors found in [[Lovecraft]]'s [[Cthulhu Mythos]].

Obyrith first appeared in 2006's ''Fiendish Codex I'' sourcebook for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition|''D&D'' 3.5]], which dealt with the [[Abyss]] and all its horrific denizens. Here they were introduced as one of the three types of demons alongside the [[tanar'ri]] and [[loumara]]. Two types of obyrith were detailed, the [[ekolid]] and [[sibriex]], as well as the obyrith [[Demon Prince]]s [[Dagon]], [[Obox-ob]], [[Pale Night]], and [[Pazuzu]]. Over the next year a few more types of obyrith would be trickled out in supplemental online postings, magazines and ''[[Monster Manual]] V'', while Dagon himself would get a much more posh write-up in ''[[Dragon Magazine|Dragon]] #349''.

But it was [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition|4th Edition]] that really shoved obyrith more into the spotlight. Confirming their identity as having come from a universe before the current one, the Obyrith actually won the war of Order versus Chaos! The absolute mad<s>men</s>things! They devoured and twisted reality so badly that their own universe was finally unmade, collapsing into a singularity of pure spite and hatred for existence. But this Shard of Pure Evil™ somehow managed to pierce the veil into [[Greyhawk|a different universe]] that was just beginning to take form, and inside of it about a dozen Obyrith managed to survive making the leap.

'''And they were pissed!''' Here they were, just getting done finally destroying existence, and now there's another one being created! Luckily for them, their shard was found by one of the new neutral [[god]]s who was starting to tidy up the chaotic elemental afterbirth, [[Tharizdun]], and they were able to instantly and so thoroughly corrupt him that he created the [[Abyss]] at their behest. Now free to exact their hate on a new universe, they began to battle other primordial entities for control of the newly minted Abyss.

Meanwhile, all the other gods stopped doing whatever it was that they were doing and placed Tharizdun in the ''D&D'' equivalent of gay baby jail for all of eternity. These lore changes would also [[retcon]] several established Demon Princes to actually have been obyrith ''the whole time!'' Most notable are [[Pazuzu]] and [[The Queen of Chaos]].

The Queen of Chaos would be the main leader of the forces of chaos as they attacked the forces of law and order; however, infighting would eventually lead to a fracturing between the obyrith and the tanar'ri they created to be their footsoldiers. Chaos gonna chaos. This opening allowed the [[Upper Planes]] to invade the Abyss and righteously buttfuck the obyrith to the brink of extinction.

Obyriths have slightly different traits than Tanar'ri. They are only resistant to electric damage instead of being immune, and they don't have the Tanar'ri ability to summon other demons, but instead, most Obyrith have an ability called Form of Madness that causes permanent insanity in anyone except other chaotic evil outsiders that encounters that Obyrith and fails their save. The mental effect of the insanity is different depending on the type of Obyrith, and Obyrith lords have a unique insanity effect. And being blind doesn't protect you from this. [[Pazuzu]] has lost this abilitiy due to evolving into a more Tanar'ri like demon and replaced it with an aura that lets him control evil flying creatures, and [[Pale Night]]'s form is so horrifying that it causes instant death on a failed save, but she is unable to reveal for longer than a few seconds because the universe itself forces her to hide it under a veil.

===Types of Obyrith===
* Draudnu: Strange round demons with three long spider-like legs at the top of their body. Their body tapers towards the bottom, ending in a red eye surrounded by three wicked clawed arms.
* Ekolid: Vile insectoid horrors, combining all the worst aspects of ants, scorpions, spiders and anything else you wouldn't want to get bitten or stung by. They typically exist in swarms, but on the 663rd layer of the Abyss they construct massive hives as complex as cities.
* Golothoma: Long and wormlike with a single red eye at their anterior end surrounded by three scything claw-like appendages. These claws can reach through dimensions to attack other creatures. They don't have a mouth, so they feed through their own shadow.
* Laghathti: Like a disgusting slimy, black octopus, laghathti lurk within the [[River Styx]] and steal memories from souls that pass by.
* Sibriex: These resemble enormous and grotesque floating humanoid heads that are shackled to the ground by hooks and chains. Said to have a knack for flesh-crafting, the creation of the tanar'ri is likely their doing.
* Uzollru: Similar to colossal aquatic centipedes, but with flippers instead of legs. Their head has a single red eye surrounded by feeder tentacles. They mostly serve Dagon in the 89th layer of the Abyss, Shadowsea.
* Verakia: XBAWKSHUEG [[dragon]]-esque obyriths which exist in the 88th layer of the Abyss, which is [[Demogorgon]]'s pad. They are mindless marauding abominations; anyone who would even look upon one is driven to homicidal fury.

===Obyrith Lords/Princes===
* [[Areex]], The Forgotten Prince (imprisoned)
* [[Asima]], The Unanticipated (dead)
* [[Bechard]], The Rotting Husk (alive but dying extremely slowly)
* [[Cabiri]], The Watching Master (imprisoned)
* [[Dagon]], Prince of the Depths
* [[Obox-ob]], Prince of Vermin
* [[Pale Night]], The Mother of Demons
* [[Pazuzu]], Prince of the Lower Aerial Kingdoms
* [[Queen of Chaos]]
* [[Sertrous]], Prince of Heretics (dead but trying to come back)
* [[Ugudenk]], The Squirming King

The [[qlippoth]] of ''[[Pathfinder]]'' are basically a knock-off of these nasty bastards since obyrith, much like the tanar'ri, are not available for use under the [[Open Gaming License]].

{{D&D-Outsiders}}
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Monsters]]

Obyrith

2020-08-12T21:26:45Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2:

{{NeedsImages}}
The '''Obyrith''' are pre-primordial demons in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]''. They are all unfathomably [[Alignment|chaotic and evil]] extradimensional horrors that existed long before the [[tanar'ri]] came into being and very likely existed before the universe itself. They take heavy inspiration from the cosmic horrors found in [[Lovecraft]]'s [[Cthulhu Mythos]].

Obyrith first appeared in 2006's ''Fiendish Codex I'' sourcebook for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition|''D&D'' 3.5]], which dealt with the [[Abyss]] and all its horrific denizens. Here they were introduced as one of the three types of demons alongside the [[tanar'ri]] and [[loumara]]. Two types of obyrith were detailed, the [[ekolid]] and [[sibriex]], as well as the obyrith [[Demon Prince]]s [[Dagon]], [[Obox-ob]], [[Pale Night]], and [[Pazuzu]]. Over the next year a few more types of obyrith would be trickled out in supplemental online postings, magazines and ''[[Monster Manual]] V'', while Dagon himself would get a much more posh write-up in ''[[Dragon Magazine|Dragon]] #349''.

But it was [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition|4th Edition]] that really shoved obyrith more into the spotlight. Confirming their identity as having come from a universe before the current one, the Obyrith actually won the war of Order versus Chaos! The absolute mad<s>men</s>things! They devoured and twisted reality so badly that their own universe was finally unmade, collapsing into a singularity of pure spite and hatred for existence. But this Shard of Pure Evil™ somehow managed to pierce the veil into [[Greyhawk|a different universe]] that was just beginning to take form, and inside of it about a dozen Obyrith managed to survive making the leap.

'''And they were pissed!''' Here they were, just getting done finally destroying existence, and now there's another one being created! Luckily for them, their shard was found by one of the new neutral [[god]]s who was starting to tidy up the chaotic elemental afterbirth, [[Tharizdun]], and they were able to instantly and so thoroughly corrupt him that he created the [[Abyss]] at their behest. Now free to exact their hate on a new universe, they began to battle other primordial entities for control of the newly minted Abyss.

Meanwhile, all the other gods stopped doing whatever it was that they were doing and placed Tharizdun in the ''D&D'' equivalent of gay baby jail for all of eternity. These lore changes would also [[retcon]] several established Demon Princes to actually have been obyrith ''the whole time!'' Most notable are [[Pazuzu]] and [[The Queen of Chaos]].

The Queen of Chaos would be the main leader of the forces of chaos as they attacked the forces of law and order; however, infighting would eventually lead to a fracturing between the obyrith and the tanar'ri they created to be their footsoldiers. Chaos gonna chaos. This opening allowed the [[Upper Planes]] to invade the Abyss and righteously buttfuck the obyrith to the brink of extinction.

Obyriths have slightly different traits than Tanar'ri. They are only resistant to electric damage instead of being immune, and they don't have the Tanar'ri ability to summon other demons, but instead, most Obyrith have an ability called Form of Madness that causes permanent insanity in anyone except other chaotic evil outsiders that encounters that Obyrith and fails their save. The mental effect of the insanity is different depending on the type of Obyrith, and Obyrith lords have a unique insanity effect. And being blind doesn't protect you from this. [[Pazuzu]] has lost this abilitiy due to evolving into a more Tanar'ri like demon and replaced it with an aura that lets him control evil flying creatures, and [[Pale Night]]'s form is so horrifying that it causes instant death on a failed save, but she is unable to reveal for longer than a few seconds because the universe itself forces her to hide it under a veil.

===Types of Obyrith===
* Draudnu: Strange round demons with three long spider-like legs at the top of their body. Their body tapers towards the bottom, ending in a red eye surrounded by three wicked clawed arms.
* Ekolid: Vile insectoid horrors, combining all the worst aspects of ants, scorpions, spiders and anything else you wouldn't want to get bitten or stung by. They typically exist in swarms, but on the 663rd layer of the Abyss they construct massive hives as complex as cities.
* Golothoma: Long and wormlike with a single red eye at their anterior end surrounded by three scything claw-like appendages. These claws can reach through dimensions to attack other creatures. They don't have a mouth, so they feed through their own shadow.
* Laghathti: Like a disgusting slimy, black octopus, laghathti lurk within the [[River Styx]] and steal memories from souls that pass by.
* Sibriex: These resemble enormous and grotesque floating humanoid heads that are shackled to the ground by hooks and chains. Said to have a knack for flesh-crafting, the creation of the tanar'ri is likely their doing.
* Uzollru: Similar to colossal aquatic centipedes, but with flippers instead of legs. Their head has a single red eye surrounded by feeder tentacles. They mostly serve Dagon in the 89th layer of the Abyss, Shadowsea.
* Verakia: XBAWKSHUEG [[dragon]]-esque obyriths which exist in the 88th layer of the Abyss, which is [[Demogorgon]]'s pad. They are mindless marauding abominations; anyone who would even look upon one is driven to homicidal fury.

The [[qlippoth]] of ''[[Pathfinder]]'' are basically a knock-off of these nasty bastards since obyrith, much like the tanar'ri, are not available for use under the [[Open Gaming License]].

{{D&D-Outsiders}}
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Monsters]]

Demodand

2020-08-12T21:04:26Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2:

{{NeedsImages}}
'''Demodands''' are an obscure race of fiend that originated in the [[Dungeons & Dragons]] second Monster Manual as a grid-fill, for [[Carceri|Tarterus]]. Every lower plane needed its signature fiend, and that's what Tarterus got.

There are three sorts: farastu whose skin is tarry, kelubar who are slimy, and shator called "shaggy" but really very wrinkled.

In the Reign of Lorraine, "demodand" sounded too much like "demon" so 2e renamed them to Gehreleths. 2e made them the rulers/prisoners of their plane, now [[Carceri]]. But you wouldn't know it. Planescape detailed Carceri in "Planes of Conflict"; this had so much awesome - Vaath, the Anarchists, the Titans, gautiere - that nobody even noticed the 'leths.

2e had some lore about there only being 333 of each gehreleth sort at one time, that Apomps the Three-Sided created them all and gave them obsidian triangles. This made it so that nobody could cook up a fourth gehreleth, unlike devils and demons. Apomps needn't have bothered since nobody gives a shit about these demonish also-rans.

As their obscurity meant they were not protected, [[Pathfinder]] promptly stole them and used them for their own setting, reworking them as the bitter creations of the ambitious titans; failures to be what their creators wanted, the devout demodands seek to manipulate and force mortals into abandoning the gods to worship the titans instead.

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

Obyrith

2020-08-12T20:58:24Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2:

{{NeedsImages}}
The '''Obyrith''' are pre-primordial demons in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]''. They are all unfathomably [[Alignment|chaotic and evil]] extradimensional horrors that existed long before the [[tanar'ri]] came into being and very likely existed before the universe itself. They take heavy inspiration from the cosmic horrors found in [[Lovecraft]]'s [[Cthulhu Mythos]].

Obyrith first appeared in 2006's ''Fiendish Codex I'' sourcebook for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition|''D&D'' 3.5]], which dealt with the [[Abyss]] and all its horrific denizens. Here they were introduced as one of the three types of demons alongside the [[tanar'ri]] and [[loumara]]. Two types of obyrith were detailed, the [[ekolid]] and [[sibriex]], as well as [[Dagon|Dagon, Prince of the Darkened Depths]] who was a fully fledged obyrith [[Demon Prince]]. Over the next year a few more types of obyrith would be trickled out in supplemental online postings, magazines and ''[[Monster Manual]] V'', while Dagon himself would get a much more posh write-up in ''[[Dragon Magazine|Dragon]] #349''.

But it was [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition|4th Edition]] that really shoved obyrith more into the spotlight. Confirming their identity as having come from a universe before the current one, the Obyrith actually won the war of Order versus Chaos! The absolute mad<s>men</s>things! They devoured and twisted reality so badly that their own universe was finally unmade, collapsing into a singularity of pure spite and hatred for existence. But this Shard of Pure Evil™ somehow managed to pierce the veil into [[Greyhawk|a different universe]] that was just beginning to take form, and inside of it about a dozen Obyrith managed to survive making the leap.

'''And they were pissed!''' Here they were, just getting done finally destroying existence, and now there's another one being created! Luckily for them, their shard was found by one of the new neutral [[god]]s who was starting to tidy up the chaotic elemental afterbirth, [[Tharizdun]], and they were able to instantly and so thoroughly corrupt him that he created the [[Abyss]] at their behest. Now free to exact their hate on a new universe, they began to battle other primordial entities for control of the newly minted Abyss.

Meanwhile, all the other gods stopped doing whatever it was that they were doing and placed Tharizdun in the ''D&D'' equivalent of gay baby jail for all of eternity. These lore changes would also [[retcon]] several established Demon Princes to actually have been obyrith ''the whole time!'' Most notable are [[Pazuzu]] and [[The Queen of Chaos]].

The Queen of Chaos would be the main leader of the forces of chaos as they attacked the forces of law and order; however, infighting would eventually lead to a fracturing between the obyrith and the tanar'ri they created to be their footsoldiers. Chaos gonna chaos. This opening allowed the [[Upper Planes]] to invade the Abyss and righteously buttfuck the obyrith to the brink of extinction.

Obyriths have slightly different traits than Tanar'ri. They are only resistant to electric damage instead of being immune, and they don't have the Tanar'ri ability to summon other demons, but instead, most Obyrith have an ability called Form of Madness that causes permanent insanity in anyone except other chaotic evil outsiders that encounters that Obyrith and fails their save. The mental effect of the insanity is different depending on the type of Obyrith, and Obyrith lords have a unique insanity effect. And being blind doesn't protect you from this. [[Pazuzu]] has lost this abilitiy due to evolving into a more Tanar'ri like demon and replaced it with an aura that lets him control evil flying creatures, and [[Pale Night]]'s form is so horrifying that it causes instant death on a failed save, but she is unable to reveal for longer than a few seconds because the universe itself forces her to hide it under a veil.

===Types of Obyrith===
* Draudnu: Strange round demons with three long spider-like legs at the top of their body. Their body tapers towards the bottom, ending in a red eye surrounded by three wicked clawed arms.
* Ekolid: Vile insectoid horrors, combining all the worst aspects of ants, scorpions, spiders and anything else you wouldn't want to get bitten or stung by. They typically exist in swarms, but on the 663rd layer of the Abyss they construct massive hives as complex as cities.
* Golothoma: Long and wormlike with a single red eye at their anterior end surrounded by three scything claw-like appendages. These claws can reach through dimensions to attack other creatures. They don't have a mouth, so they feed through their own shadow.
* Laghathti: Like a disgusting slimy, black octopus, laghathti lurk within the [[River Styx]] and steal memories from souls that pass by.
* Sibriex: These resemble enormous and grotesque floating humanoid heads that are shackled to the ground by hooks and chains. Said to have a knack for flesh-crafting, the creation of the tanar'ri is likely their doing.
* Uzollru: Similar to colossal aquatic centipedes, but with flippers instead of legs. Their head has a single red eye surrounded by feeder tentacles. They mostly serve Dagon in the 89th layer of the Abyss, Shadowsea.
* Verakia: XBAWKSHUEG [[dragon]]-esque obyriths which exist in the 88th layer of the Abyss, which is [[Demogorgon]]'s pad. They are mindless marauding abominations; anyone who would even look upon one is driven to homicidal fury.

The [[qlippoth]] of ''[[Pathfinder]]'' are basically a knock-off of these nasty bastards since obyrith, much like the tanar'ri, are not available for use under the [[Open Gaming License]].

{{D&D-Outsiders}}
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Monsters]]

Fiend Folio

2020-08-12T20:41:55Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* Monsters */

{{WTF}}
The '''Fiend Folio''' was a 1981 [[Monster Manual]]-like book for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st edition. It served to gather up the various monsters that had been submitted to TSR works but not made the MM itself as of its 1978 edition - for instance, [[kuo-toa]], [[svirfneblin]] and of course the official full writeup of [[drow]]. Most came out of [[White Dwarf]]'s [[Fiend Factory]] as of then. Many of the latter monsters are laughable crap, like the [[Xvart]] which sounds like Fart, so have fallen into obscurity or - like the [[Flumph]] - notoriety.

But a few gems do appear amongst the dross: usually cited here, Charles Stross' badass [[Githyanki]] and [[Githzerai]]. We could also shout-out to the Dark Ones, the Creepers and Stalkers. Who knows why later publishers didn't publish stuff featuring those guys, they were fucking sweet.

A 3rd-party company called Necromancer Games vaguely affiliated with [[White Wolf]] released a spiritual successor to the Fiend Folio in "The Tome of Horrors", which adapted many, if not all, of these monsters to [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]]. WotC for 3e did its own Fiend Folio, figuring that was a decent brand for niche monsters - so Caryatid Columns and those Dark Ones were here. Others were brought back for [[Pathfinder]]. With the release of [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]], many of these monsters are starting to be revived and return to the spotlight. The [[Lava Children]], Flumph, and [[Berbalang]] all entered the canon here, among others. 5th edition also has a new series of PDF supplements called [[Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio]] which updates even more obscure monsters from the original Fiend Folio to 5th edition.

==1st Edition==
* [[Aarakocra]]
* [[Achaierai]] a giant evil bird with a spherical body with no neck and tiny wings and four long metallic legs it attacks with. They can release poison smoke when badly injured. This should give you a good idea of the kinds of monsters that are to follow.
* [[Adherer]], a weird creature that looks like a mummy but sweats glue.
* [[Alaex]], a personification of a god's anger that resembles a duplicate of the person it has been sent to punish.
* [[Algoid]], a humanoid that actually is a colony of intelligent algae. They can use mind blast and can control trees like a [[treant]]. They are immune to psionic attacks, edged weapons of less than +2 quality, fire, and electricity, but take damage from some spells that affect water.
* [[Al-mi'raj]], a killer rabbit with a unicorn's horn.
* [[Apparition]], an undead that cannot cause physical harm, so it tries to scare people to death.
* [[Assassin Bug]], giant flies that attack humans in male/female pairs. The male paralyzes the victim so that the female can lay their eggs in their wounds.
* [[Astral Searcher]], a spirit formed from violent thoughts that attacks people psychically to destroy their mind to it can posses their body.
* [[Babbler]], a mutated form of lizard man.
* Giant bat, just a giant bat.
* [[Berbalang]] an ugly bat winged humanoid that spends most of its time with its body dormant while its spirit hunts on the astral plane. During the full moon it instead hunts on the physical plane by sending out a physical projection of itself.
* [[Blindheim]], a frog-like creature with brightly shining eyes.
* [[Blood Hawk]], a bird of prey that likes human flesh.
* Giant [[Bloodworm]], just a giant blood sucking worm.
* [[Bonesnapper]] a dinosaur that like to collect human bones.
* [[Booka]], a small and ugly but helpful creature that lives in peoples' attics.
* [[Bullywug]] frog people
* [[Bunyip]], a seal like creature with strong jaws.
* [[Carbuncle]], a strange creature with a jewel on its head that follows travelers around and tries to get them killed for its amusement.
* [[Caryadit Column]], a stone pillar shaped like a woman holding a sword that can come to life.
* [[Caterwaul]], a chaotic evil feline predator with blue fur. They have a powerful screech for a breath weapon.
* [[Cifal]], a tightly packed swarm of insects that forms a humanoid shape.
* [[Clubnek]], a giant mutant ostrich.
* [[Coffer Corpse]], an undead creature that can only be damaged with magical weapons. If you hit it with non-magical weapons with will pretend to be damaged and fall down, only to get up again and scare you
* [[Crabfolk|Crabman]], humanoids with hard shells and crab claws instead of hands.
* [[Crypt Thing]], an undead guardian that teleports intruders to random places, or paralyzes them and turns them invisible, but claims that it disintegrated them.
* [[Dakon]], Lawful neutral talking apes.
* [[Dark Creeper]] small humanoid that love to steal magic item. They have the abilities of a 4th level thief and creating magical darkness and detecting magic items.
* [[Dark Stalker]] taller and stronger leaders of dark creepers that can create walls of fog and explode when they die.
* [[Death Dog]] a two headed dog with a bite that spreads a deadly rotting disease.
* [[Death Knight]], a powerful undead created from a fallen paladin transformed into a lich.
* [[Demon]]
** [[Lolth]], the demon queen of spiders.
* [[Denzelian]], a peaceful creature resembling a large sheet of rock that slowly eats through rock, creating tunnels. May have been stolen from [[Star Trek]].
* [[Devil]]
** Styx devil, a humanoid devil with a oversized head and black wings. Their attacks have a chance of inflicting the imprisonment spell on their target.
* [[Devil Dog]], a chaotic evil hound that uses its white fur to blend into snow.
* [[Dire Corby]], a flightless humanoid bird that lives underground.
* [[Disenchanter]], a tapir like creature that sucks the magic out of magic items
* [[Doombat]], an evil giant bat with a barbed tail and a shriek that prevents consentration.
* [[Oriental Dragon]]
** Li lung
** Lung wang
** Pan lung
** Shen lung
** T'ien lung
** Yu lung
* [[Dragonfish]] a well camouflaged fish with poisonous spines on its back. Don't step on them. They probably could have just used the stonefish which is a completely real animal that is pretty much the same thing.
* [[Dune Stalker]], an evil humanoid that attacks with powerful vibrations.
* [[Archomental|Elemental princes of evil]]
** [[Cryonax]]
** [[Imix]]
** [[Ogrémoch]]
** [[Olhydra]]
** [[Yan-C-Bin]]
* [[Drow]] [[Elf]]
* [[Enveloper]], a shapeshifting mass of flesh that can copy the abilities of people it eats.
* [[Ettercap]], a humanoid with the ability to generate spider silk, which it uses to make weapons and traps.
* [[Eye Killer]], a monster with the lower body of a snake and the upper body of a bat. Once per day, it can absorb light from light sources and fire it from its eyes as a death ray.
* [[Eye of Fear and Flame]]
* [[Firedrake]], a [[Dragonet]] with flaming hot blood.
* [[Firenewt]]
* [[Fire Snake]], a snake that is only found in fires.
* [[Firetoad]], a toad that hates water and breathes fireballs.
* [[Flail Snail]]
* [[Flind]], a relative of the [[gnoll]] that often leads gnoll packs.
* [[Flumph]]
* [[Forlarren]]
* [[Frost Man]], a humanoid that radiates cold and can lift its eyepatch to fire a cone of cold. They can have class levels.
* [[Galltrit]], a small winged gremlin that lives in dirty places and feeds on blood. If avoided being detected when feeding on victims with its anesthetic saliva.
* [[Gambado]], a very strange monster with a skull for a face that can coil up its body to launch itself like a spring. [[Gotcha Monster|It ambushes prey by pretending to be a skull sitting on a pile of rocks with its body hidden in a pit behind the pile.]]
* [[Garbug]], a flying lobster with tentacles that cause paralysis.
** Black Garbug, attacks with a sharp proboscis.
** Violet Garbug, attacks with powerful claws.
* [[Giant]]
** [[Fog Giant]]
** [[Mountain Giant]]
* [[Giant Strider]], a flightless featherless bird that can shoot fireballs from its head. Fire heals them but they are vulnerable to cold. Firenewts use them as mounts.
* [[Gibberling]]
* [[Githyanki]]
* [[Githzerai]]
* [[Goldbug]], [[Gotcha Monster|a beetle with a deadly poison bite that looks like a coin.]]
* [[Gorbel]]
* [[Gorilla Bear]], a gorilla with the arms and teeth of a bear.
* [[Grell]]
* [[Grimlock]]
* [[Gryph]], ''another'' evil four legged bird monster. Not as giant and silly looking as the achaierai. Females gryphs lay their eggs in people's bodies xenomorph style.
* Guardian [[Daemon]], a daemon that has been summoned and bound to guard a treasure.
* Guardian [[Familiar]], a cat that guards a treasure. It must be killed 9 times to destroy it, and it gets stronger the more times it has been killed.
* [[Hellcat]], a cat from hell that serves lawful evil beings. It is only visible in darkness.
* [[Hoar Fox]], a fox with ice breath. They are resistant to ice and vulnerable to fire, but you will want to avoid using fire because their pelts are very valuable if undamaged.
* [[Hook Horror]]
* Giant Hornet, just a giant hornet.
* [[Hound of Ill Omen]], when a character does something to seriously offend their deity, this hound may appear and put a curse on them that prevents them from healing and quadruples all damage they take until they take a certain number of wounds. There is no saving throw for this curse, the ''remove curse'' spell is only partially effective and only has any effect if applied immediately, and the hound is impossible to harm in any way. This probably was put into the book to give DMs a way to more easily kill off misbehaving player characters without having to resort to falling rocks or sending monsters that risk a TPK.
* [[Huecuva]]
* [[Ice Lizard]], a small winged lizard with magical abilities, including the power to turn into a white dragon twice per day.
* [[Imorph]], a weird tentacled slug thing that slowly transforms into a copy of whatever it fights. Its liver can be used to make a potion of ''polymorph self''.
* [[Iron Cobra]], a powerful construct in the form of a metal snake that obeys its owner's commands.
* [[Jaculi]], a snake with sharp bones on the sides of its head and the ability to camouflaged itself like a chameleon. They can only attack by leaping at enemies from above.
* [[Jermlaine]]
* [[Kamadan]], a relative of the [[displacer beast]] that looks like a leopard with several venomous snakes growing from its shoulders and fires a cone of sleep as a breath weapon.
* [[Kelpie]], a shapeshifting seaweed monster that transforms into either a woman or a horse and charms men into drowning themselves so it can feast on them. Women are immune to its charm.
* [[Kenku]]
* [[Khargra]], a very strange looking fish like creature from the elemental plane of earth that eats metal and can swim through stone.
* [[Killmoulis]]
* [[Kuo-toa]]
* [[Lamia]] Noble
* [[Lava Children]] a hybrid of earth and fire elementals. They are size of a man but look like children. They can be warriors, magic users, or clerics. They are immune to earth and fire magic. Metal objects cannot touch them and simply pass through them.
* [[Lizardfolk|Lizard king]]
* [[Magnesium Spirit]], a fast moving flame that needs to possess a human in order to cast the spell to let it go home. They attempt to merge with a human, draining their energy and strength in the process. The human must be at least 9th level to survive the merging process due to the energy drain. If it succeeds the body it possesses will vanish with it. Victims that don't survive can't be resurrected without a powerful such as ''wish''. They can only be damaged by silver and magic weapons, and can only be damaged by holy water while it is trying to merge with a human.
* [[Mantari]], a flying ray with a stinger tail that does more damage the less constitution the victim has, and does quadruple damage if it hits the same target again the next round.
* [[Meazel]], an ugly humanoid that likes to sneak up on prey from behind and strangle them with a cord.
* [[Meenlock]], a hideously ugly evil bug creature that lives in underground shafts. If the entrance to their lair is opened but the party isn't able to get down the tunnel to attack them, a group of meenlocks will start following the party and will start telepathically harassing one of them to slowly weaken them. They will always choose a paladin as the target if there is one in the party, and if there isn't will select humans over other beings. When the party is sleeping, they will attack and teleport away with the chosen target back to their lair to be transformed into another meenlock.
* [[Mephit]]
** Fire Mephit
** Lava Mephit
** Smoke Mephit
** Steam Mephit
* [[Daemon|Mezzodaemon]]
* [[Mite]], a small humanoid related to the jermlaine. They set traps for lone adventurers in order to rob them.
* [[Necrophidius]], a construct made from a human skull and the spine of a giant snake used as either an assassin or a guardian. They can hypnotize victims by dancing and their bite causes paralysis.
* [[Needleman]], an intelligent plant that looks like a zombie with the ability to shoot needles out of its body. They hate elves for some reason.
* [[Nilbog]]
* [[Nonafel]], a panther like monster that uses its tail as a flail and has the ability to split itself into up to nine weaker creatures.
* [[Norker]]
* [[Daemon|Nycadaemon]]
* [[Ogrillon]], a hybrid of an [[orc]] and an [[ogre]].
* [[Osquip]], a rodent the size of a small dog with powerful teeth and extra legs.
* [[Penanggalan|Pĕnanggalan]]
* [[Pernicon]], a small grasshopper-like insect that lives in deserts and attacks in swarms. They suck out the body fluids of victims using the pincers on their tail. Their antennae can be used for dowsing for water.
* [[Phantom Stalker]], a relative of the invisible stalker from the elemental plane of fire. They can polymorph but normally appear as a large humanoid with fiery eyes. If the summoner is killed, it vanishes to the ethereal plane and tracks down the killer and reappears a few hours later to kill them. They cannot use this ability at will.
* [[Poltergeist]], an invisible undead that attacks by throwing things.
* [[Protein Polymorph]], an intelligent colony of cellular organisms that can [[Gotcha Monster|disguise itself as both living and non living things]]. It attacks by enveloping and crushing enemies or by using weapons if it is disguised as a creature that can use them. It can also disguise itself as multiple objects or creatures at the same time as long as they remain connected together.
* [[Quaggoth]]
* [[Quipper]], basically a piranha, but it lives in cold water.
* [[Qullan]], a race of insane humanoids who paint their bodies in bright colors and wield extremely sharp broad swords, although the swords aren't magical and lose their sharpness quickly when used. They also radiate and aura of confusion and instantly die if they fail a save against being charmed or controlled.
* [[Retriever]], a construct created by [[Demogorgon]] resembling a giant spider. They have four eye rays, include one that transmutes victims into a random substance.
* [[Revenant]]
* [[Rothé]], similar to an ox but smaller and lives underground.
* [[Sandman]], a man made of sand who puts people to sleep.
* [[Scarecrow]], an animated scarecrow. Touching it or meeting its gaze causes victims to be charmed.
* [[Screaming Devilkin]], an [[imp]]-like creature that constantly produces a painfully loud scream while in combat. They are lawful evil, but are not true devils, as they are native to the material plane.
* Shadow [[Demon]]
* [[Sheet Ghoul]]. A sheet phantom that has successfully killed a humanoid. They cannot paralyzed victims like a true ghoul, but can spray acid out of their nose.
* [[Sheet Phantom]], a [[wraith]] resembling a bed sheet with a face that attacks by dropping on people and suffocating them. If they succeed, the sheet phantom merges with the corpse and becomes a sheet ghoul. Seriously, how old was the person who designed who designed the sheet phantom and sheet ghoul? 5 maybe?
* [[Shocker]], a humanoid that seems to be made of electricity. They can only attack once before they turn to dust.
* [[Skeleton Warrior]]
* [[Skulk]]
* [[Slaad]]
** Blue Slaad
** Death Slaad
** Green Slaad
** Grey Slaad
** Red Slaad
** [[Ssendam]] - Lord of the Insane
** [[Ygorl]] - Lord of Entropy
* [[Snyad]], another forgettable small ugly humanoid related to the [[jermlaine]]. Don't confused with the [[Synad]]
* Son of [[Kyuss]], a disease carrying, regenerating, worm infested undead. People killed by one of its worms rise as another son of Kyuss.
* [[Slime|Stunjelly]]
* [[Sussurus]], a strange monster that looks like a headless gorilla with an exoskeleton full of holes. It constantly sucks air through its body, producing a song that causes undead creatures that hear it to go into a sleep-like state.
* [[Svirfneblin]]
* [[Slime|Symbiotic Jelly]]
* [[Tabaxi]]
* [[Tentamort]] a spherical creature with short suckered tentacles on one side of its body it uses to move around and two much longer tentacles on the other side it uses to attack. One of the long tentacles constricts enemies, and the other has a stinger which first paralyzes prey and then injects them with digestive saliva and then sucks out their organs.
* [[Terithran]], a humanoid from the ethereal plane. Casting powerful magic other than cleric or druid magic on the material plane close to its layer on the ethereal plane makes it angry, and it will try to kidnap and punish the magic user responsible.
* [[Thoqqua]], a burning hot worm monster that tunnels through rock, like a smaller, fiery version of the [[Purple Worm]].
* [[Thork]], a bird resembling a stork, but its feathers are made out of copper, making it valuable. It defends itself by squirting boiling hot water.
* [[Throat Leach]], a small leach that sucks that sucks blood from the person who accidentally swallows it while drinking from the water it lives in, choking them to death if it isn't removed.
* [[Tiger Fly]], a giant wasp with a human face. Males have upper arms that end in sickle like blades and a poisonous sting, and females have a paralyzing sting. They are yet another monster that lays eggs in victims xenomorph style. The trope is definitely getting overused.
* [[Tirapheg]], an extremely weird monster with three heads, three eyes that are all on the same head with the third on the back of the head, three arms with the third growing from the chest, three fingers that are all on the middle arm, with the other two arms ending in blades, three legs, three toes all on the same legs, its mouth located on its chest under the middle arm, and three small tentacles between the middle arm and the mouth. Aside from the blades, the only body part it has two of are its ears, also on the middle head. It can make two illusionary copies of itself, but the illusions can do real damage if not recognized as illusions.
* [[Trilloch]], an invisible energy creature that feeds on the dying. They cannot directly harm anything, but they can make unintelligent creatures more aggressive and attacks become more accurate and damaging in their presence. The trilloch is impossible to harm, but can be driven away by ''dispel magic''.
* [[Troll]]
** Giant Troll
** Giant Two-Headed Troll
** Ice Troll
** Spirit Troll
* [[Tween]], an Ethereal creature that bonds to a host and appears as a shadowy copy of that host. It grants the host increased luck, but at the cost of giving bad luck to everyone around them. Possibly the monster with the stupidest name in the book.
* [[Umpleby]]
* [[Urchin]], sea urchins that can fire their spines as missiles and roll around on land. Inside of their bodies is a gemstone whose value depends on the type of urchin.
** Black Urchin, the weakest and most common type.
** Green Urchin, stronger and well camouflaged in water
** Red Urchin, third strongest with venom that causes sleep
** Silver Urchin, the strongest type with venom that causes a catatonic trance that can last for days.
** Yellow Urchin, the second strongest type with venom that causes paralysis and is also well camouflaged in water.
* [[Vision]], an ethereal shadow creature that wants to be destroyed so it can return to its home plane so it attacks other creatures to get them to fight back. It cannot directly cause physical harm, but anybody who sees a vision has a chance of being affected by the illusion that they have suddenly aged ten years. When a vision is destroyed, the illusionary aging becomes real if the victim fails their save. They can be damaged by ''bless'' and ''dispel illusion''.
* [[Vodyanoi]], a relative of the [[Umber Hulk]] that looks like a fish man instead of a bug. They lack the confusing gaze of an umber hulk, but can summon electric eels.
* [[Volt]], a floating ball of hair with bulging eyes, short horns, and a long tail. It bites people's necks to drain their blood and its tail shocks what it hits with electricity. Is this pokemon?
* [[Vortex]], a small sphere that generates a miniature tornado around itself.
* [[Whipweed]], a plant like tentacle monster with two long tentacles it attacks with and eight small legs it uses to move around. Does this sound familiar?
* [[Witherstench]], a hairless skunk like creature that produces a horrible smell constantly.
* [[Witherweed]], a plant with venom that drains dexterity and can cause seizures. It is weak against fire, but when it burns it produces smoke that can instantly kill people that inhale it.
* [[Xill]], a four armed monster reproduces by implanting eggs in humanoids xenomorph style. Seriously, we don't need anymore of these. They ambush their victim from the ethereal plane and attempt to either subdue or paralyze them with their venomous claws and grapple them and carry them back to the ethereal plane. They can be warded off with a ''protection from evil'' spell and it is extremely vulnerable while it is switching from the material plane to the ethereal and grappling a victim.
* [[Xvart]]
* [[Yellow Musk Creeper]], a plant that sprays victims with mind controlling dust from its flowers which lures them into the plant so it can drain their intelligence. If the victim dies from the intelligence drain, a new flower is added to the plant, but if the victim survives they become a yellow musk zombie.
* [[Yellow Musk Zombie]], a humanoid that has a yellow musk creeper seed implanted in their brain which allows the plant to control them. They can be restored back to normal using magic, but only if the plant that turned them is killed first. If not cured they will eventually die and grow into a new creeper.

==2nd Edition==
2rd Edition's version of the Fiend Folio was the 14th volume of the [[Monstrous Compendium]] series. A lot of monsters from the previous Fiend Folio returned with expanded and revised fluff. The artwork in this book is also a lot better so a lot of (but certainly not all of) the dumb looking monsters are less so. For some reason, the artwork of several of the monsters are not consistent with their descriptions, such as the volt, which is described the same way as in the previous edition, but the picture looks completely different.
* [[Slime|Aballin]]
* [[Achaierai]], still stupid looking.
* [[Adherer]]
* [[Algoid]], definitely looks a lot cooler now.
* Purple Algoid, a new variant that lives in arctic areas. Instead of controlling trees they can talk to crustaceans.
* [[Al-mi'raj]], now has the ability to teleport short distances.
* [[Apparition]]
* [[Caterwaul]]
* [[Crabfolk|Crabman]]
* [[Coffer Corpse]], the artwork is a huge improvement.
* [[Dark Creeper]]
* [[Dark Stalker]], for some reason he appears to be dressed as a superhero.
* [[Darter]], a blood drinking lizard that can fire it fangs as darts that cause paralysis.
* [[Denzelian]]
* [[Gem Dragon]]
** Amethyst dragon
** Crystal dragon
** Emerald dragon
** Sapphire dragon
** Topaz dragon
* [[Dune Stalker]], now has a more reptilian appearance.
* [[Fire Falcon]], a bird that can fire explosive spheres from its wings.
* [[Faux Fairy]], a fairy creature that lives to cause confusion through lies and tricks. They can copy the appearance of any kind of [[fairy]] creature. They completely immune to all spells. Whenever they are hit by a spell, they absorb the spell and store it. When they no longer have room to store spells, casting a spell at them will cause them to release one of the previously stored spells at the caster to make room. At night they merge with a piece of dead wood. Burning the piece of wood will cause the spells they have stored to release, and cutting it up will cause only some of the stored spells to release and make the faux fairy split in into two faux fairies.
* [[Firedrake]]
* [[Flawder]], intelligent neutral good sea snails.
* [[Fyrefly]], a insect that reproduces in fires. A adult fyrefly normally is harmless but when it is ready to reproduce, it will fly into a fire and rapidly divide into a swarm of up to 64 extremely aggressing flaming insects. Luckily the swarm only lasts for ten rounds of combat before the flies go dormant and change into adults.
* [[Gambado]]
* [[Garbug]], the two different types are now the male and female of the same species. Oddly, it is the blood drinking black garbug that is that male, while in real life, blood drinking insects like mosquitos usually are females. Females, but not males, can be trained as guard animals.
** Black garbug
** Violet garbug
* [[Fog Giant]]
* [[Gibberling]], now with a more canine appearance.
* [[Gorbel]]
* [[Grimlock]]
* [[Hellcat]]
* [[Ice Lizard]]
* [[Iron Cobra]]
* [[Khargra]]
* [[Mantari]], its stinger tail works differently now. It now has a venom that causes temporary strength and dexterity loss.
* Great Mantari, a larger variant.
* [[Mephit]]
** Fire Mephit
** Ice Mephit
** Lava Mephit
** Mist Mephit
** Smoke Mephit
** Steam Mephit
* [[Penanggalan]]
* [[Pernicon]]
* [[Phantom Stalker]]
* [[Quaggoth]]
* [[Retriever]]
* [[Ruve]], an intelligent dog with psionic powers. Although they are lawful good, they are extremely arrogant and obnoxious.
* [[Scathe]], an ugly white reptilian humanoids\ related to the [[harrier]], that lives in icy regions. They have poisonous beaks and are immune to cold.
* Scathe Larva, identical to harrier larva.
* [[Sheet Ghoul]], it now sprays acid from the mouth instead of the nose. Probably an attempt to make it less silly.
* [[Sheet Phantom]], no longer has a face. Probably an improvement.
* [[Shocker]], completely redesigned. It now looks like a suit of armor crackling with electricity and it no longer crumbles into dust after its first attack. Now confirmed to be an elemental from the Plane of Lightning.
* [[Spanner]], [[Gotcha Monster|an intelligent living stone bridge]] that can talk and likes to gossip. It will drop you if you make it mad or try to cross it without permission. This should be fun for the DM to roleplay.
* [[Stwinger]], a tiny humanoid with short wings whose favorite activity is swinging around using peoples hair or beards until they fall unconscious from the pain of their hair or beards being pulled on. They produce a pheremone that charms victims into letting them do this and even if they fail the stwinger is difficult to attack because of how cute it is.
* [[Sussurus]], now redesigned into a plant monster related to the [[shambling mound]] made of bamboo. The song they produce now affects both the living and the undead.
* [[Slime|Symbiotic Jelly]]
* [[Terithran]], now it attacks spellcasters because it likes to eat them, rather than wanting to punish them for disturbing the ethereal plane.
* [[Thunder Children]], black humanoids that come out during thunderstorms to feed on people's fear. Their bites inflict electric damage and they can cast several spells, sense fear, and turn into a gaseous form. They like to scare people do death by sneakily doing things to increase the victims fear of the storm. The plane of [[Ravenloft]] is a paradise for them.
* Ice [[Troll]]
* [[Tween]], it now looks like a short ugly humanoid while on the ethereal plane and it can fight with weapons but only against other things on the ethereal plane.
* [[Umpleby]]
* [[Urdunnir]], a relative of the [[dwarf]] that has the ability to pass through stone and can innately cast ''stone shape'' and ''shape metal''. They can kill people by dragging them into stone using their special ability and then leaving them behind.
* [[Volt]]
* [[Xill]]
* [[Xvart]]
* [[Zygraat]], yet another bird monster with extra legs. This one is actually part spider. It can make webs and has a venomous bite.

==3rd Editon==
===Monsters===
Fewer monsters from the two previous folios return. It has way fewer stupid monsters. A lot of the monsters here probably deserved to go in the monster manuals or other books instead and many of the monsters from the previous folios that didn't appear in this book did appear in other books. The Achaierai actually made it into the first [[Monster Manual]] and the artist managed to make it less dumb looking. Especially considering how later 3.x edition Monster Manuals declined in quality, this book probably could've been released as just another Monster Manual. It also contains stats for several obscure extinct animals that existed in real life.
* [[Abrian]], an intelligent bird from the [[Abyss]] that looks like an ostrich with small arms instead of wings.
* Abyssal [[ghoul]], an ghoul from the abyss. Possibly a creation of [[Doresain]]?
* [[Ahuizotl]], a monster from Aztec mythology. It is part dog, part monkey and has a hand on the end of its tail. It lives in water and attacks people to eat their eyes, teeth, and fingernails.
* [[Aoa]], a floating blob of silver liquid. Possibly is the neutral counterpart of the zag-ya and zeg-yi. They reflect energy instead of producing it and are attracted to magic. They are very dangerous to spellcasters and magic items as their touch dispels magic.
** Droplet
** Sphere
* [[Slime|Aquatic Ooze]]
** Bloodbloater
** Flotsam ooze
** Reekmurk
* [[Bacchae]], humanoid outsiders that spend all of their time constantly drinking and partying. People who get drawn into the party risk becoming a Bacchae as well.
* [[Bhut]], a hideous incorporeal undead with a poison bite and is able to possess corpses. Except when possessing a body, they have a weakness against anything made of earth or stone.
* [[Blackstone Gigant]], a stone construct that looks like a gargantuan woman with eight arms or a [[Marilith]]. Their touch can turn people to stone, and they can temporarily animate their victims into living statues.
* [[Blood Hawk]]
* [[Bloodthorn]], an extraplanar plant that drinks blood and lures victims with its sweet smelling berries.
* [[Bonespear]], a giant insect from [[Acheron]] resembling a giant grasshopper with venomous barbed horns. It can fire its horns like harpoons and reel them back in.
* [[Canomorph]], a fiendish hound that has learned to assume humanoid form.
** Haraknin, [[hell hound]] canomorph,
** Shadurakul, [[shadow mastiff]] canomorph
** Vultivor, [[vorr]] canomorph,
* [[Caryatid Column]]
* [[Century Worm]], a gargantuan worm that tries to swallow everything it encounters whole. Its stomach is filled with baby worms that burrow into those it swallows. They get their name from the fact that it takes 100 years for a baby worm to grow to full size after implanting itself in a body.
* [[Chronotyryn]], a bird with arms and adamantine feathers. They are powerful sorcerers and can stop time. They also have two brains, which lets them do twice as much per round of combat, somehow.
* [[Chwidencha]], a giant spider completely covered in legs, created from a [[Drow]] who seriously angered [[Lolth]].
* [[Crawling Head]], the undead head of a [[Giant]] that crawls around with its intestines and has numerous smaller heads from people it bit off the heads of embedded in it. They can cast a lot of necromancy spells, but are weak to water.
* [[Crypt Thing]]
* [[Dark Ones]]
** [[Dark Creeper]]
** [[Dark Stalker]]
* [[Darkweaver]], an [[Aberration]] from the [[Plane of Shadow]] resembling a spider but with tentacles instead of legs. They have several shadow related powers, including the ability to generate a web of shadow around itself
* [[Death Dog]]
* [[Demodand]]
** Farastu
** Kelubar
** Shator
* [[Demon]]
** Alkilith
** Blood Fiend, a vampire demon that can turn other evil outsiders into more of itself.
** Klurichir, a demon even worse than a balor.
** Maurezhi, a ghoul like demon that can absorb the traits of what it eats. [[Derp|Wait, didn't this book already have a ghoul demon monster in it?]]
** Myrmyxicuses, the most powerful of all aquatic demons.
** Skulvyn, a lesser aquatic demon.
** Wastrilith, a medium aquatic demon.
* [[Deva]]
** Monadic Deva
** Movanic Deva
* [[Devil]]
** Paeliryon
** Xerfilstyxe
* [[Dire Rhinoceros]]
* [[Disenchanter]]
* [[Slime|Ethereal Ooze]]
* [[Ethergaunt]], aberrations from the ethereal plane resembling emaciated humanoids with their heads protruding from their chest, which they keep covered with a mask. The sight of their unmasked face causes psychological damage. They seek to purge themselves of all emotions and exterminated all creatures that may possibly threaten them. They have two unique weapons. The etherblade is a glaive that can fire shots of force damage, and the doubtbomb is a sphere that releases wisdom damaging gas when broken.
** Black Ethergaunt
** Red Ethergaunt
** White Etherguant
* [[Fensir]] extraplanar giants resembling trolls from [[Ysgard]]. Sunlight causes them to turn to stone.
* Rakka, a transformation that females rakkas may undergo after they have given birth. They grow larger, lose their intelligent and spellcasting, become extremely gluttonous and they usually die in one year. If they are killed they can put a dying curse on their killer that acts as a ''geas'' or ''quest'' spell.
* [[Feytouched]], the child of a half-fey and a humanoid or a giant.
* [[Fhorge]], a monstrous boar that lives in the [[Outlands]].
* [[Flame Snake]], intelligent fiery snakes that are often used as guards, varying in size from small to huge.
** Minor Flame Snake
** Lesser Flame Snake
** Greater Flame Snake
* [[Formian]]
** Armadon
** Observer
** Winged Warrior
* [[Fossergrim]], a fey similar to a dryad except it is male and is bound to a waterfall instead of a tree.
* [[Gathra]], a half bull half boar creature from [[Baator|Avernus]].
* [[Giant]]
** Bog Giant
** Shadow Giant
* [[Golem]]
** Blood Golem of [[Hextor]],
** Brain Golem, created by an [[illithid]] elder brain out of a part of itself.
** Demonflesh Golem, the components for making one include fiendish grafts found later in this book.
** Hellfire Golem
* Half-[[Fey]] Template, a hybrid of a Fey and another creature. The example given is a half-fey centaur.
* Half-[[Illithid]] Template, what happens when a non-humanoid creature is put through ceremorphosis. The example giving is a half-illithid lizardfolk.
* Half-[[Troll]] Template, somebody, willing or not, mated with a troll and had a baby. The example given is a half-troll [[Baatezu|barbazu]].
* Half-[[Scrag]] Template, a variant of the half-troll template.
* [[Huecuva]] Template, now a template instead of a monster. The example giving is a 5th level human cleric huecuva.
* [[Hullathoin]], a massive undead reptilian creature that can control other undead as is always surrounded by a swarm of bloodfiend locusts (see below under swarm).
* [[Imp]]
** Bloodbag Imp, the medics of hell. Drinking a bloodbag imp's blood heals injuries. They can also cast a curse that makes injuries bleed badly.
** Euphoric Imp, living drug dispensers. Their stinger tail delivers a hallucination causing venom, which they themselves are not immune to.
** Filth Imp, a disease carrying imp that can release foul smelling gas. They are hated by other devils, so they are often found on the material plane working for thieves guilds. They can speak several languages and have a talent for codes and cyphers, so often work as translators and forgers.
* [[Indricothere]], a huge mammal resembling an elephant and a giraffe that is often used as mounts by giants. In real life, this is a family of extinct animals.
* [[Inevitable]]
** Quarut
** Varakhut
* [[Iron Cobra]]
* [[Ironmaw]], a man eating oak tree.
* [[Jackal Lord]], evil [[Furry|humanoid jackals]] who are clerics of evil gods. They can turn humanoids into regular jackals with their gaze.
* [[Jackalwere]], another evil canine that can assume a [[Furry]] or humanoid form. They can put victims to sleep with their gaze.
* [[Kaorti]], humanoids that have been warped by the [[Far Realm]]. The material plane is harmful to them if they are unprotected from it. They are slowly trying to take over the material plane and make it more like the far realm. They secret resin which they use to create homes and armor that protect them from the material plane, as well as weapons call ribbon daggers that are very sharp, but also flexible. They can only reproduce by turning humanoids into more kaorti. Subjecting non-humanoids to this process creates kaoti thralls, which are the creature with a modified version of the fiendish template from the [[Monster Manual]] or with the pseudonatural template from [[Tome and Blood]].
* [[Keeper]], strange humanoids whose joints can bend in any direction and have no eyes, which they hide by always wearing goggles. They are completely obsessed with gathering knowledge and secrets, but never share anything they learn with other creatures. They can transform their hands into weapons, spit poison, switch places with other nearby keepers, and share a hivemind with nearby keepers. They melt into puddles of poison if they are killed, and automatically die if they are captured or immobilized for too long.
* [[Kelp Angler]], a carnivorous plant resembling a jellyfish made of kelp.
* [[Kelpie]], now it is a fey creature whose natural form is a horse, but can make itself look human.
* [[Khaasta]], Lizard people that work as mercenaries on the outer planes.
* [[Kuldurath]], a beast from the [[Outlands]] resembling a rhino but with longer legs and with sharp teeth and tusks and no horn and can also produce and electric aura. They are used as mounts by Ferrumach Rilmani.
* [[Living Holocaust]], No, not [[Nazi|that kind of holocaust]], an evil half fire half air elemental resembling a fire tornado.
* [[Lucent Worm]], another gargantuan worm monster. This one is a magical beast instead of a vermin. Its body is transparent and they are very stealthy.
* [[Maelephant]], fiendish humanoid elephants engineered by baatezu and used as guardians. They can breath a gas that causes amnesia.
* [[Maug]], intelligent stone constructs from [[Acheron]] that live for war.
* [[Maulgoth]], an aberration resembling a huge rhinoceros with four tentacles and only a mouth were its head should be. They are partially made of rock and have several druid like abilities and can move through stone as though it were water and their tentacles can send things to the ethereal plane.
* [[Megatherium]], a giant land sloth. An extinct animal in real life.
* [[Mongrelfolk]]
* [[Necrophidius]]
* [[Nerra]], humanoids from the [[Plane of Mirrors]]. They can travel through reflective surfaces and spells bounce off of them, but they are vulnerable to sonic attacks. They wield exotic weapons that appear to be made of glass but are very strong.
** Kalareem, nerra warriors. Unlike other types they do not have the ''change self'' ability.
** Sillit, nerra leaders.
** Varoot, nerra spies.
* [[Octopus Tree]], aquatic carnivorous plants with great magical abilities. They can be found rooted near shore, or floating on the surface of the ocean. Their magical abilities mainly involve controlling plants and wood.
* [[Ocularon]], an aberration resembling a floating jellyfish that steals people's eyeballs and uses them as weapons.
* [[Ophidian]], snake people that [[Yuan-ti]] often use as slaves. Their bite turns people into more of them.
* [[Oread]], another fey creature linked to a natural feature. A stony skinned woman that defends mountains from being mined.
* [[Phiuhl]], a strange aberration found on [[Gehenna]] made of poison gas. They might be the spirits of dead elementals.
* [[Planetouched]]
** Maeluth, part dwarf, part devil.
** Mechanatrix, descended from humanoids who bred with the clockwork creatures of [[Mechanus]], somehow.
** Shyft, descended from humanoids who bred with creatures of the Ethereal Plane.
** Wispling, part halfing, part demon.
* [[Quth-Maren]], an undead created by the clerics of [[Kiaransalee]] out of a person whose skin they removed. They have acidic blood they can spit, and they can command other undead creatures.
* [[Rilmani]]
** Aurumach
** Cuprilach
** Ferrumach
* [[Rukanyr]], a powerful aberration made by the Kaorti. They look like giant scorpions wearing armor but with multiple pincers near the back their body instead of their front, three lamprey like mouths on stalks where the pincers should be, a single large eye, and a spiky club instead of a stinger. They have a deafening roar that can inflict sonic damage.
* [[Sarkrith]], large-sized lawful evil lizard people who hate magic.
** Spelleater, the leaders. They can fire rays that dispel magic and spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them.
** Thane, the soldiers. They can create antimagic fields around themselves for a short time once per day, and when they take damage from spells or effects that do energy damage, they gain resistance to that type of energy.
* [[Sea Drake]], sea serpents that demand payment from any ship that passes through their territory.
* [[Selkie]]
* [[Senmurv]], a lawful good [[Furry|sparkledog]] with bird wings instead of arms.
* [[Shadar-Kai]], the page for details. This book also contains rules for several Shadar-Kai magic items. The gal-ralan is an armband Shadar-kai use to protect themselves from the shadow curse that anchors the soul to their body and enhances saving throws, but also causes constant pain since it stabs the wearer through the arm. The blackstone rune lets you planeshift between the material and shadow planes. Night extract is a liquid that darkens non-magical light around it when spilled.
* [[Shadow Asp]], a poisonous snake from the plane of shadow that is often used as a guardian. They can become incorporeal, and their venom causes victims to come back as shadows.
* [[Shedu]], a relative of the [[Lammasu]] resembling a winged bull with the face of a man and a fancy beard and an extra leg between their front legs. They travel between the material, astral, and ethereal planes spreading lawful good.
* [[Skulk]]
* [[Skybleeder]], a huge aberration used as flying mounts by the Kaorti. It resembles a mass of eyes and tentacles with the arms ending in pincers and it is always surrounded by a cloud of mist that rains red acid.
* Mud [[Slaad]]
* [[Slasrath]], a flying worm monster with razor sharp wings. They are used as mounts by [[yugoloth]]s
* [[Spectral Lurker]], a huge incorporeal slug-like aberration. It can turn victims it grabs with its tentacles incorporeal as well, then drags them into solid objects and lets go of them so they take damage as they turn corporeal again and get ejected.
* [[Spirit of the Air]], a big monkey with batwings in place of arms. They can wield a mace with their tale, cast several spells and spell-like abilities, and transform into a whirlwind.
* [[Sporebat]], a creatures resembling a big bat with an eye in the middle of its body that can shoot an ''enervation ray'' but is actually a [[fungus]].
* [[Spriggan]]
* [[Steel Predator]], a predator from [[Acheron]] that looks like a robotic mix of a cat, a lizard, and a fish. They have a roar that inflicts sonic damage, and they are deaf, but more than make up for it with a great sense of smell and an ability to sense magic items that are made of metal, which they love to eat.
* [[Sunwyrm]], a shining [[dragon]] with brightly glowing wings, eight legs, and a ball of light on the tip of its tail. Their breath weapon is a beam of energy that only harms living things (radiation maybe?), and they can also transform their four front legs and teeth into energy weapons that pass through non-living matter and also change their whole body into an incorporeal form.
* [[Swarm]], any large swarm of monsters treated as one monster.
** Abyssal Ant Swarm, 8-inch long ants from the lower planes. Unlike other swarms they can be affected by mind affecting spells because the swarm shares a single mind. Their attacks do acid damage and penetrate as if they were +5 weapons.
** Plague Ant Swarm, ants that spread disease and cause serious bleeding with their attacks.
** Lesser Pack [[Cranium Rat]] Swarm.
** Average Pack [[Cranium Rat]] Swarm.
** Greater Pack [[Cranium Rat]] Swarm.
** Bloodfiend Locust Swarm, energy draining locusts that reanimate their victims as vampire spawn.
** Rapture Locust Swarm, flesh eating locusts affect people that see them as the ''hypnotic pattern'' spell and people who they feast on may become enraptured and stand still while they are eaten.
** Scarab Beetle Swarm, flesh eating scarab beetles that can quickly reduce living things to nothing.
** Viper Swarm, a swarm of venomous snakes that shares a single mind.
** Wasp Swarm, you know what they are, swarm of [[That Guy|tiny little jerks]].
* [[Swordwraith]] Template, the [[wraith]] of a [[fighter]] who wouldn't stop fighting even in death. The example is a 5th level human fighter.
* [[Terlen]], a shark with extra long fins that allow it to fly. We are doomed.
* [[Terror Bird]], a large flightless carnivorous bird. Another extinct animal in real life.
* [[Thunder Worm]], a colossal sized incorporeal giant worm that looks like a thunder cloud.
* [[Ti-khana]] Template, a reptilian creature that is part [[Yuan-ti]], giving it a venomous bite and several psionic abilities, including turning into a viper. The example is a Ti-khana Deinonychus.
* [[Tunnel Terror]], [[Gotcha Monster|a huge stony psionic worm with a hollow body that pretends to be the walls of a tunnel to trick prey into walking inside it]]. This book has a lot of giant worm monsters, doesn't it?
* [[Ulgurstasta]], a gargantuan inteligent undead maggot with many eyes created by [[Kyuss]]. Please no more worms! We have enough. Their stomach acid converts people they swallow or vomit on into skeletons, and their bodies are covered in 40-foot long tendrils that block nonmagical ranged weapon attacks and inflict slashing damage to everything around them.
* [[Varrangoin]], skull-faced poison-tailed bat people from the [[Abyss]]
** Acanist Varrangoin, the leaders who have the abilities of wizards and are immune to low level spells
** Lesser Varrangoin, fighters who bullied by the other types and can have one of four different breathe weapons and explodes when it dies.
** Rager Varrangoin, barbarians with a ''dispel magic'' ability and immunity to mind affecting magic and effects.
* [[Vine Horror]], appears to be the equivalent of the algoid from the previous two books. Loses the mind blast ability it had before and can only animate vines.
* [[Vorr]], rat dogs from the [[Abyss]]. Can turn into a living shadow and teleport between shadows.
* [[Wendigo]] Template. The example is a 4th level human sorcerer.
* [[Wicker Man]], a huge wooden construct used for capturing human sacrifices which are then burned alive inside of it. They are immune to magic except for a few spells that affect wood. Probably inspired by the movie, The Wicker Wan. This book did come out the same year as the terrible remake.
* [[Yellow Musk Creeper]]
* [[Yellow Musk Zombie]] template, the example is an orc.
* [[Yuan-ti]] Anathema, see page. Also include rules for items used by Anathemas. Blasphemous weapons have evil spirits bound into them and deal damage like an unholy weapon and inflict a ''blasphemy'' effect and also weaken good characters who try to wield them. A serpent symbol is a holy symbol that can cast ''disintegrate'' and ''destruction'', but can only be wielded by a Yuan-ti or someone who can use magic devices. Sickening weapons are unholy weapons that can also weaken good characters on a critical hit. Venomous fire is similar to alchemist's fire that also can do poison damage to what it burns.
* [[Yugoloth]]
** Piscoloth
** Skeroloth
* [[Yurian]], a crab like creature that walks around on two legs like a humanoid.
* [[Zodar]], a strange construct that looks like a suit of metal armor but is actually made of ceramic and muscle tissue. They almost never speak, but when they do everyone can understand them, and they also have an ability that works like the ''wish'' spell they can, but usually don't, use once per year. Nobody knows where they came from, but they sometimes join parties of adventurers.

===[[Prestige Class]]es:===
* [[Fiend of Blasphemy]], an evil outsider that leads a cult of minions who are magically bound to it and gains spells like an evil cleric.
* [[Fiend of Corruption]], an evil outsider who specializes in turning good mortals evil through temptation. They have abilities that let them give rewards to mortals who do evil, such as the fiendish grafts and symbionts later in this book.
* [[Fiend of Possession]], an evil outsider who has learned to possess objects and people.

===Grafts and Symbionts===
Grafts and Symbionts are monstrous body parts that can be attached to creatures. Symbiotes are sentient creatures and have monster stats since they can act as independent beings (except for the fiendish familiar), but also have an ego score like a sentient magic item which may allow them to take control of their host, while grafts don't have monster stats can be created like magic items and function similarly to non-sentient magic items. Creating a graft requires the ''graft flesh'' feat for that type of graft. More grafts appear in other books. [[Lords of Madness]] includes a prestige class that specializes in making grafts and allows access to grafts that normally have race resctions on who can make them. And the book [[Tome and Blood]] includes some prestige classes that get some grafts automatically.

====Grafts====
* [[Aboleth]] grafts. Aboleths apply these grafts to their slaves. They can only be applied to [[Skum]] and creatures transformed by aboleth slime, and the graft will be destroyed if the transformed creature is healed. Includes ''aboleth tentacle'', ''mucus sheathe'', ''Skum eyes'', and ''skum tail''.
* [[Beholder]] grafts. Unlike most other grafts, the feat for making them is not race restricted. Beholder worshipers apply these grafts to themselves. Includes ''crown of eyes'', ''eye stalk'', ''gazing eye'', ''plated skin'', ''replacement eye'', and ''third eye''.
* Fiendish grafts. Given by fiends to mortals. They cause wisdom damage to good creatures and cause non-evil creatures to suffer temptations to do evil acts. Includes ''charming eye'', ''clawed arm'', ''fast leg'', ''fearsome eye'', ''feathered wings'', ''fiendish ear'', ''fiendish jaw'', ''fiendish skin'', ''flexible arm'', ''grappling tentacle'', ''long arm'', ''membranous wings'', ''springing leg'', ''stinging tail'', ''strong leg'', ''trampling leg'', and ''whip tail''.
* [[Illithid]] grafts. Given by illithids to their slaves. They have the drawback weakening resistance to mind effects. Includes ''antennae graft'', ''climbing legs'', ''goring horn'', ''grasping mandibles'', ''hauling back'', ''raking tentacles'', ''rending claw'', and ''weapon graft''.
* [[Maug]] grafts. Spellcasting maugs give them to other maugs. Includes ''locking hand'', ''rollers'', ''shoving arm'', ''shudder plate'', ''spike stones'', and ''stone splitter''.
* [[Undead]] grafts. Unlike most other grafts, the feat for making is not race restricted. Applied by necromancers to the living. Includes ''bonemail'', ''enervating arm'', ''paralyzing arm'', and ''weakening arm''.
* [[Yuan-ti]] grafts. Given by Yuan-ti to their humanoid minions. Includes ''added tail'', ''poison fangs'', ''replacement tail'', ''scaly skin'', and ''serpent arm''.

====Symbionts====
* Cerebral symbionts, symbionts with psionic abilties that may have been created by or have some connection to [[Illithid]]s
** Cerebral hood, a creatures resembling a small [[Cloaker]] with a long spiky tail that engulfs a host's head and sticks its tail down their throat, but allows the host to see by sharing its senses. It feeds on the host's mental energy and allows them to survive without eating or breathing. It has telepathy and it can use a powerful mind blast, but doing so causes intelligence damage to its host which they won't naturally recover from because it is constantly feeding on their intelligence at the same speed it heals.
** Mind leach, a fine sized parasite that burrows into a host and coils around the brainstem. They have several psionic abilities, but the stronger ones cause intelligence damage to their host, though they will eventually recover because it doesn't drain intelligence constantly.
** Psionic sinew, a worm like length of muscle tissue that can be attached to a creature's arm. It enhances the host's strength, protects itself and its host with a psychokinetic field, and can use the ''claws of the bear'' psionic power. They have no attacks without a host and cannot forcefully bond with a host. They cannot communicate with their host but are able to understand spoken commands in Undercommon.
* Fiendish symbionts, like with fiendish grafts, they cause wisdom damage to good characters and can make non-evil character succumb to the temptation to do evil. All of them can communicate telepathically.
** Fiendish familiar, a small, evil-looking face that is grafted somewhere on a host's skin. They are completely helpless and immobile without a host and have no abilities other than acting as a source of magical knowledge and enhancing the spellcasting abilities of their host.
** Gutworm, a worm that you can get infected with by drinking polluted water in the [[abyss]] containing its eggs. It lives in the host's digestive tract and improves the host's constitution, can protect them from poison, and gives the host rage like a barbarian, but also gives penalties to several checks and requires the host to eat extra food and lowers their endurance. It can be killed with a ''remove disease'' spell, but doing so will cause it to damage the host as it dies. Outside of a host it is harmless as it has no attacks and cannot forcefully enter a host.
** Soul tick, a blood drinking tick from [[Baator]]. It empowers death, evil, and negative energy spells cast by the host while impeding good, chaos, and positive energy spells and also can protect the host from chaos and good. It also drains the host's constitution by feeding and can feed faster than the host naturally heals if they choose too.
* Ghostly visage, a incorporeal spirit that can manifest as a face on its host's body, including over their own face, which can paralyze people that look at it with fear. It also protects the host form mind affecting effects.

==5th Edition==
See [[Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio]].

[[Category:Game Books]][[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Fiend Folio

2020-08-12T20:20:14Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* 2nd Edition */

{{WTF}}
The '''Fiend Folio''' was a 1981 [[Monster Manual]]-like book for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st edition. It served to gather up the various monsters that had been submitted to TSR works but not made the MM itself as of its 1978 edition - for instance, [[kuo-toa]], [[svirfneblin]] and of course the official full writeup of [[drow]]. Most came out of [[White Dwarf]]'s [[Fiend Factory]] as of then. Many of the latter monsters are laughable crap, like the [[Xvart]] which sounds like Fart, so have fallen into obscurity or - like the [[Flumph]] - notoriety.

But a few gems do appear amongst the dross: usually cited here, Charles Stross' badass [[Githyanki]] and [[Githzerai]]. We could also shout-out to the Dark Ones, the Creepers and Stalkers. Who knows why later publishers didn't publish stuff featuring those guys, they were fucking sweet.

A 3rd-party company called Necromancer Games vaguely affiliated with [[White Wolf]] released a spiritual successor to the Fiend Folio in "The Tome of Horrors", which adapted many, if not all, of these monsters to [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]]. WotC for 3e did its own Fiend Folio, figuring that was a decent brand for niche monsters - so Caryatid Columns and those Dark Ones were here. Others were brought back for [[Pathfinder]]. With the release of [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]], many of these monsters are starting to be revived and return to the spotlight. The [[Lava Children]], Flumph, and [[Berbalang]] all entered the canon here, among others. 5th edition also has a new series of PDF supplements called [[Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio]] which updates even more obscure monsters from the original Fiend Folio to 5th edition.

==1st Edition==
* [[Aarakocra]]
* [[Achaierai]] a giant evil bird with a spherical body with no neck and tiny wings and four long metallic legs it attacks with. They can release poison smoke when badly injured. This should give you a good idea of the kinds of monsters that are to follow.
* [[Adherer]], a weird creature that looks like a mummy but sweats glue.
* [[Alaex]], a personification of a god's anger that resembles a duplicate of the person it has been sent to punish.
* [[Algoid]], a humanoid that actually is a colony of intelligent algae. They can use mind blast and can control trees like a [[treant]]. They are immune to psionic attacks, edged weapons of less than +2 quality, fire, and electricity, but take damage from some spells that affect water.
* [[Al-mi'raj]], a killer rabbit with a unicorn's horn.
* [[Apparition]], an undead that cannot cause physical harm, so it tries to scare people to death.
* [[Assassin Bug]], giant flies that attack humans in male/female pairs. The male paralyzes the victim so that the female can lay their eggs in their wounds.
* [[Astral Searcher]], a spirit formed from violent thoughts that attacks people psychically to destroy their mind to it can posses their body.
* [[Babbler]], a mutated form of lizard man.
* Giant bat, just a giant bat.
* [[Berbalang]] an ugly bat winged humanoid that spends most of its time with its body dormant while its spirit hunts on the astral plane. During the full moon it instead hunts on the physical plane by sending out a physical projection of itself.
* [[Blindheim]], a frog-like creature with brightly shining eyes.
* [[Blood Hawk]], a bird of prey that likes human flesh.
* Giant [[Bloodworm]], just a giant blood sucking worm.
* [[Bonesnapper]] a dinosaur that like to collect human bones.
* [[Booka]], a small and ugly but helpful creature that lives in peoples' attics.
* [[Bullywug]] frog people
* [[Bunyip]], a seal like creature with strong jaws.
* [[Carbuncle]], a strange creature with a jewel on its head that follows travelers around and tries to get them killed for its amusement.
* [[Caryadit Column]], a stone pillar shaped like a woman holding a sword that can come to life.
* [[Caterwaul]], a chaotic evil feline predator with blue fur. They have a powerful screech for a breath weapon.
* [[Cifal]], a tightly packed swarm of insects that forms a humanoid shape.
* [[Clubnek]], a giant mutant ostrich.
* [[Coffer Corpse]], an undead creature that can only be damaged with magical weapons. If you hit it with non-magical weapons with will pretend to be damaged and fall down, only to get up again and scare you
* [[Crabfolk|Crabman]], humanoids with hard shells and crab claws instead of hands.
* [[Crypt Thing]], an undead guardian that teleports intruders to random places, or paralyzes them and turns them invisible, but claims that it disintegrated them.
* [[Dakon]], Lawful neutral talking apes.
* [[Dark Creeper]] small humanoid that love to steal magic item. They have the abilities of a 4th level thief and creating magical darkness and detecting magic items.
* [[Dark Stalker]] taller and stronger leaders of dark creepers that can create walls of fog and explode when they die.
* [[Death Dog]] a two headed dog with a bite that spreads a deadly rotting disease.
* [[Death Knight]], a powerful undead created from a fallen paladin transformed into a lich.
* [[Demon]]
** [[Lolth]], the demon queen of spiders.
* [[Denzelian]], a peaceful creature resembling a large sheet of rock that slowly eats through rock, creating tunnels. May have been stolen from [[Star Trek]].
* [[Devil]]
** Styx devil, a humanoid devil with a oversized head and black wings. Their attacks have a chance of inflicting the imprisonment spell on their target.
* [[Devil Dog]], a chaotic evil hound that uses its white fur to blend into snow.
* [[Dire Corby]], a flightless humanoid bird that lives underground.
* [[Disenchanter]], a tapir like creature that sucks the magic out of magic items
* [[Doombat]], an evil giant bat with a barbed tail and a shriek that prevents consentration.
* [[Oriental Dragon]]
** Li lung
** Lung wang
** Pan lung
** Shen lung
** T'ien lung
** Yu lung
* [[Dragonfish]] a well camouflaged fish with poisonous spines on its back. Don't step on them. They probably could have just used the stonefish which is a completely real animal that is pretty much the same thing.
* [[Dune Stalker]], an evil humanoid that attacks with powerful vibrations.
* [[Archomental|Elemental princes of evil]]
** [[Cryonax]]
** [[Imix]]
** [[Ogrémoch]]
** [[Olhydra]]
** [[Yan-C-Bin]]
* [[Drow]] [[Elf]]
* [[Enveloper]], a shapeshifting mass of flesh that can copy the abilities of people it eats.
* [[Ettercap]], a humanoid with the ability to generate spider silk, which it uses to make weapons and traps.
* [[Eye Killer]], a monster with the lower body of a snake and the upper body of a bat. Once per day, it can absorb light from light sources and fire it from its eyes as a death ray.
* [[Eye of Fear and Flame]]
* [[Firedrake]], a [[Dragonet]] with flaming hot blood.
* [[Firenewt]]
* [[Fire Snake]], a snake that is only found in fires.
* [[Firetoad]], a toad that hates water and breathes fireballs.
* [[Flail Snail]]
* [[Flind]], a relative of the [[gnoll]] that often leads gnoll packs.
* [[Flumph]]
* [[Forlarren]]
* [[Frost Man]], a humanoid that radiates cold and can lift its eyepatch to fire a cone of cold. They can have class levels.
* [[Galltrit]], a small winged gremlin that lives in dirty places and feeds on blood. If avoided being detected when feeding on victims with its anesthetic saliva.
* [[Gambado]], a very strange monster with a skull for a face that can coil up its body to launch itself like a spring. [[Gotcha Monster|It ambushes prey by pretending to be a skull sitting on a pile of rocks with its body hidden in a pit behind the pile.]]
* [[Garbug]], a flying lobster with tentacles that cause paralysis.
** Black Garbug, attacks with a sharp proboscis.
** Violet Garbug, attacks with powerful claws.
* [[Giant]]
** [[Fog Giant]]
** [[Mountain Giant]]
* [[Giant Strider]], a flightless featherless bird that can shoot fireballs from its head. Fire heals them but they are vulnerable to cold. Firenewts use them as mounts.
* [[Gibberling]]
* [[Githyanki]]
* [[Githzerai]]
* [[Goldbug]], [[Gotcha Monster|a beetle with a deadly poison bite that looks like a coin.]]
* [[Gorbel]]
* [[Gorilla Bear]], a gorilla with the arms and teeth of a bear.
* [[Grell]]
* [[Grimlock]]
* [[Gryph]], ''another'' evil four legged bird monster. Not as giant and silly looking as the achaierai. Females gryphs lay their eggs in people's bodies xenomorph style.
* Guardian [[Daemon]], a daemon that has been summoned and bound to guard a treasure.
* Guardian [[Familiar]], a cat that guards a treasure. It must be killed 9 times to destroy it, and it gets stronger the more times it has been killed.
* [[Hellcat]], a cat from hell that serves lawful evil beings. It is only visible in darkness.
* [[Hoar Fox]], a fox with ice breath. They are resistant to ice and vulnerable to fire, but you will want to avoid using fire because their pelts are very valuable if undamaged.
* [[Hook Horror]]
* Giant Hornet, just a giant hornet.
* [[Hound of Ill Omen]], when a character does something to seriously offend their deity, this hound may appear and put a curse on them that prevents them from healing and quadruples all damage they take until they take a certain number of wounds. There is no saving throw for this curse, the ''remove curse'' spell is only partially effective and only has any effect if applied immediately, and the hound is impossible to harm in any way. This probably was put into the book to give DMs a way to more easily kill off misbehaving player characters without having to resort to falling rocks or sending monsters that risk a TPK.
* [[Huecuva]]
* [[Ice Lizard]], a small winged lizard with magical abilities, including the power to turn into a white dragon twice per day.
* [[Imorph]], a weird tentacled slug thing that slowly transforms into a copy of whatever it fights. Its liver can be used to make a potion of ''polymorph self''.
* [[Iron Cobra]], a powerful construct in the form of a metal snake that obeys its owner's commands.
* [[Jaculi]], a snake with sharp bones on the sides of its head and the ability to camouflaged itself like a chameleon. They can only attack by leaping at enemies from above.
* [[Jermlaine]]
* [[Kamadan]], a relative of the [[displacer beast]] that looks like a leopard with several venomous snakes growing from its shoulders and fires a cone of sleep as a breath weapon.
* [[Kelpie]], a shapeshifting seaweed monster that transforms into either a woman or a horse and charms men into drowning themselves so it can feast on them. Women are immune to its charm.
* [[Kenku]]
* [[Khargra]], a very strange looking fish like creature from the elemental plane of earth that eats metal and can swim through stone.
* [[Killmoulis]]
* [[Kuo-toa]]
* [[Lamia]] Noble
* [[Lava Children]] a hybrid of earth and fire elementals. They are size of a man but look like children. They can be warriors, magic users, or clerics. They are immune to earth and fire magic. Metal objects cannot touch them and simply pass through them.
* [[Lizardfolk|Lizard king]]
* [[Magnesium Spirit]], a fast moving flame that needs to possess a human in order to cast the spell to let it go home. They attempt to merge with a human, draining their energy and strength in the process. The human must be at least 9th level to survive the merging process due to the energy drain. If it succeeds the body it possesses will vanish with it. Victims that don't survive can't be resurrected without a powerful such as ''wish''. They can only be damaged by silver and magic weapons, and can only be damaged by holy water while it is trying to merge with a human.
* [[Mantari]], a flying ray with a stinger tail that does more damage the less constitution the victim has, and does quadruple damage if it hits the same target again the next round.
* [[Meazel]], an ugly humanoid that likes to sneak up on prey from behind and strangle them with a cord.
* [[Meenlock]], a hideously ugly evil bug creature that lives in underground shafts. If the entrance to their lair is opened but the party isn't able to get down the tunnel to attack them, a group of meenlocks will start following the party and will start telepathically harassing one of them to slowly weaken them. They will always choose a paladin as the target if there is one in the party, and if there isn't will select humans over other beings. When the party is sleeping, they will attack and teleport away with the chosen target back to their lair to be transformed into another meenlock.
* [[Mephit]]
** Fire Mephit
** Lava Mephit
** Smoke Mephit
** Steam Mephit
* [[Daemon|Mezzodaemon]]
* [[Mite]], a small humanoid related to the jermlaine. They set traps for lone adventurers in order to rob them.
* [[Necrophidius]], a construct made from a human skull and the spine of a giant snake used as either an assassin or a guardian. They can hypnotize victims by dancing and their bite causes paralysis.
* [[Needleman]], an intelligent plant that looks like a zombie with the ability to shoot needles out of its body. They hate elves for some reason.
* [[Nilbog]]
* [[Nonafel]], a panther like monster that uses its tail as a flail and has the ability to split itself into up to nine weaker creatures.
* [[Norker]]
* [[Daemon|Nycadaemon]]
* [[Ogrillon]], a hybrid of an [[orc]] and an [[ogre]].
* [[Osquip]], a rodent the size of a small dog with powerful teeth and extra legs.
* [[Penanggalan|Pĕnanggalan]]
* [[Pernicon]], a small grasshopper-like insect that lives in deserts and attacks in swarms. They suck out the body fluids of victims using the pincers on their tail. Their antennae can be used for dowsing for water.
* [[Phantom Stalker]], a relative of the invisible stalker from the elemental plane of fire. They can polymorph but normally appear as a large humanoid with fiery eyes. If the summoner is killed, it vanishes to the ethereal plane and tracks down the killer and reappears a few hours later to kill them. They cannot use this ability at will.
* [[Poltergeist]], an invisible undead that attacks by throwing things.
* [[Protein Polymorph]], an intelligent colony of cellular organisms that can [[Gotcha Monster|disguise itself as both living and non living things]]. It attacks by enveloping and crushing enemies or by using weapons if it is disguised as a creature that can use them. It can also disguise itself as multiple objects or creatures at the same time as long as they remain connected together.
* [[Quaggoth]]
* [[Quipper]], basically a piranha, but it lives in cold water.
* [[Qullan]], a race of insane humanoids who paint their bodies in bright colors and wield extremely sharp broad swords, although the swords aren't magical and lose their sharpness quickly when used. They also radiate and aura of confusion and instantly die if they fail a save against being charmed or controlled.
* [[Retriever]], a construct created by [[Demogorgon]] resembling a giant spider. They have four eye rays, include one that transmutes victims into a random substance.
* [[Revenant]]
* [[Rothé]], similar to an ox but smaller and lives underground.
* [[Sandman]], a man made of sand who puts people to sleep.
* [[Scarecrow]], an animated scarecrow. Touching it or meeting its gaze causes victims to be charmed.
* [[Screaming Devilkin]], an [[imp]]-like creature that constantly produces a painfully loud scream while in combat. They are lawful evil, but are not true devils, as they are native to the material plane.
* Shadow [[Demon]]
* [[Sheet Ghoul]]. A sheet phantom that has successfully killed a humanoid. They cannot paralyzed victims like a true ghoul, but can spray acid out of their nose.
* [[Sheet Phantom]], a [[wraith]] resembling a bed sheet with a face that attacks by dropping on people and suffocating them. If they succeed, the sheet phantom merges with the corpse and becomes a sheet ghoul. Seriously, how old was the person who designed who designed the sheet phantom and sheet ghoul? 5 maybe?
* [[Shocker]], a humanoid that seems to be made of electricity. They can only attack once before they turn to dust.
* [[Skeleton Warrior]]
* [[Skulk]]
* [[Slaad]]
** Blue Slaad
** Death Slaad
** Green Slaad
** Grey Slaad
** Red Slaad
** [[Ssendam]] - Lord of the Insane
** [[Ygorl]] - Lord of Entropy
* [[Snyad]], another forgettable small ugly humanoid related to the [[jermlaine]]. Don't confused with the [[Synad]]
* Son of [[Kyuss]], a disease carrying, regenerating, worm infested undead. People killed by one of its worms rise as another son of Kyuss.
* [[Slime|Stunjelly]]
* [[Sussurus]], a strange monster that looks like a headless gorilla with an exoskeleton full of holes. It constantly sucks air through its body, producing a song that causes undead creatures that hear it to go into a sleep-like state.
* [[Svirfneblin]]
* [[Slime|Symbiotic Jelly]]
* [[Tabaxi]]
* [[Tentamort]] a spherical creature with short suckered tentacles on one side of its body it uses to move around and two much longer tentacles on the other side it uses to attack. One of the long tentacles constricts enemies, and the other has a stinger which first paralyzes prey and then injects them with digestive saliva and then sucks out their organs.
* [[Terithran]], a humanoid from the ethereal plane. Casting powerful magic other than cleric or druid magic on the material plane close to its layer on the ethereal plane makes it angry, and it will try to kidnap and punish the magic user responsible.
* [[Thoqqua]], a burning hot worm monster that tunnels through rock, like a smaller, fiery version of the [[Purple Worm]].
* [[Thork]], a bird resembling a stork, but its feathers are made out of copper, making it valuable. It defends itself by squirting boiling hot water.
* [[Throat Leach]], a small leach that sucks that sucks blood from the person who accidentally swallows it while drinking from the water it lives in, choking them to death if it isn't removed.
* [[Tiger Fly]], a giant wasp with a human face. Males have upper arms that end in sickle like blades and a poisonous sting, and females have a paralyzing sting. They are yet another monster that lays eggs in victims xenomorph style. The trope is definitely getting overused.
* [[Tirapheg]], an extremely weird monster with three heads, three eyes that are all on the same head with the third on the back of the head, three arms with the third growing from the chest, three fingers that are all on the middle arm, with the other two arms ending in blades, three legs, three toes all on the same legs, its mouth located on its chest under the middle arm, and three small tentacles between the middle arm and the mouth. Aside from the blades, the only body part it has two of are its ears, also on the middle head. It can make two illusionary copies of itself, but the illusions can do real damage if not recognized as illusions.
* [[Trilloch]], an invisible energy creature that feeds on the dying. They cannot directly harm anything, but they can make unintelligent creatures more aggressive and attacks become more accurate and damaging in their presence. The trilloch is impossible to harm, but can be driven away by ''dispel magic''.
* [[Troll]]
** Giant Troll
** Giant Two-Headed Troll
** Ice Troll
** Spirit Troll
* [[Tween]], an Ethereal creature that bonds to a host and appears as a shadowy copy of that host. It grants the host increased luck, but at the cost of giving bad luck to everyone around them. Possibly the monster with the stupidest name in the book.
* [[Umpleby]]
* [[Urchin]], sea urchins that can fire their spines as missiles and roll around on land. Inside of their bodies is a gemstone whose value depends on the type of urchin.
** Black Urchin, the weakest and most common type.
** Green Urchin, stronger and well camouflaged in water
** Red Urchin, third strongest with venom that causes sleep
** Silver Urchin, the strongest type with venom that causes a catatonic trance that can last for days.
** Yellow Urchin, the second strongest type with venom that causes paralysis and is also well camouflaged in water.
* [[Vision]], an ethereal shadow creature that wants to be destroyed so it can return to its home plane so it attacks other creatures to get them to fight back. It cannot directly cause physical harm, but anybody who sees a vision has a chance of being affected by the illusion that they have suddenly aged ten years. When a vision is destroyed, the illusionary aging becomes real if the victim fails their save. They can be damaged by ''bless'' and ''dispel illusion''.
* [[Vodyanoi]], a relative of the [[Umber Hulk]] that looks like a fish man instead of a bug. They lack the confusing gaze of an umber hulk, but can summon electric eels.
* [[Volt]], a floating ball of hair with bulging eyes, short horns, and a long tail. It bites people's necks to drain their blood and its tail shocks what it hits with electricity. Is this pokemon?
* [[Vortex]], a small sphere that generates a miniature tornado around itself.
* [[Whipweed]], a plant like tentacle monster with two long tentacles it attacks with and eight small legs it uses to move around. Does this sound familiar?
* [[Witherstench]], a hairless skunk like creature that produces a horrible smell constantly.
* [[Witherweed]], a plant with venom that drains dexterity and can cause seizures. It is weak against fire, but when it burns it produces smoke that can instantly kill people that inhale it.
* [[Xill]], a four armed monster reproduces by implanting eggs in humanoids xenomorph style. Seriously, we don't need anymore of these. They ambush their victim from the ethereal plane and attempt to either subdue or paralyze them with their venomous claws and grapple them and carry them back to the ethereal plane. They can be warded off with a ''protection from evil'' spell and it is extremely vulnerable while it is switching from the material plane to the ethereal and grappling a victim.
* [[Xvart]]
* [[Yellow Musk Creeper]], a plant that sprays victims with mind controlling dust from its flowers which lures them into the plant so it can drain their intelligence. If the victim dies from the intelligence drain, a new flower is added to the plant, but if the victim survives they become a yellow musk zombie.
* [[Yellow Musk Zombie]], a humanoid that has a yellow musk creeper seed implanted in their brain which allows the plant to control them. They can be restored back to normal using magic, but only if the plant that turned them is killed first. If not cured they will eventually die and grow into a new creeper.

==2nd Edition==
2rd Edition's version of the Fiend Folio was the 14th volume of the [[Monstrous Compendium]] series. A lot of monsters from the previous Fiend Folio returned with expanded and revised fluff. The artwork in this book is also a lot better so a lot of (but certainly not all of) the dumb looking monsters are less so. For some reason, the artwork of several of the monsters are not consistent with their descriptions, such as the volt, which is described the same way as in the previous edition, but the picture looks completely different.
* [[Slime|Aballin]]
* [[Achaierai]], still stupid looking.
* [[Adherer]]
* [[Algoid]], definitely looks a lot cooler now.
* Purple Algoid, a new variant that lives in arctic areas. Instead of controlling trees they can talk to crustaceans.
* [[Al-mi'raj]], now has the ability to teleport short distances.
* [[Apparition]]
* [[Caterwaul]]
* [[Crabfolk|Crabman]]
* [[Coffer Corpse]], the artwork is a huge improvement.
* [[Dark Creeper]]
* [[Dark Stalker]], for some reason he appears to be dressed as a superhero.
* [[Darter]], a blood drinking lizard that can fire it fangs as darts that cause paralysis.
* [[Denzelian]]
* [[Gem Dragon]]
** Amethyst dragon
** Crystal dragon
** Emerald dragon
** Sapphire dragon
** Topaz dragon
* [[Dune Stalker]], now has a more reptilian appearance.
* [[Fire Falcon]], a bird that can fire explosive spheres from its wings.
* [[Faux Fairy]], a fairy creature that lives to cause confusion through lies and tricks. They can copy the appearance of any kind of [[fairy]] creature. They completely immune to all spells. Whenever they are hit by a spell, they absorb the spell and store it. When they no longer have room to store spells, casting a spell at them will cause them to release one of the previously stored spells at the caster to make room. At night they merge with a piece of dead wood. Burning the piece of wood will cause the spells they have stored to release, and cutting it up will cause only some of the stored spells to release and make the faux fairy split in into two faux fairies.
* [[Firedrake]]
* [[Flawder]], intelligent neutral good sea snails.
* [[Fyrefly]], a insect that reproduces in fires. A adult fyrefly normally is harmless but when it is ready to reproduce, it will fly into a fire and rapidly divide into a swarm of up to 64 extremely aggressing flaming insects. Luckily the swarm only lasts for ten rounds of combat before the flies go dormant and change into adults.
* [[Gambado]]
* [[Garbug]], the two different types are now the male and female of the same species. Oddly, it is the blood drinking black garbug that is that male, while in real life, blood drinking insects like mosquitos usually are females. Females, but not males, can be trained as guard animals.
** Black garbug
** Violet garbug
* [[Fog Giant]]
* [[Gibberling]], now with a more canine appearance.
* [[Gorbel]]
* [[Grimlock]]
* [[Hellcat]]
* [[Ice Lizard]]
* [[Iron Cobra]]
* [[Khargra]]
* [[Mantari]], its stinger tail works differently now. It now has a venom that causes temporary strength and dexterity loss.
* Great Mantari, a larger variant.
* [[Mephit]]
** Fire Mephit
** Ice Mephit
** Lava Mephit
** Mist Mephit
** Smoke Mephit
** Steam Mephit
* [[Penanggalan]]
* [[Pernicon]]
* [[Phantom Stalker]]
* [[Quaggoth]]
* [[Retriever]]
* [[Ruve]], an intelligent dog with psionic powers. Although they are lawful good, they are extremely arrogant and obnoxious.
* [[Scathe]], an ugly white reptilian humanoids\ related to the [[harrier]], that lives in icy regions. They have poisonous beaks and are immune to cold.
* Scathe Larva, identical to harrier larva.
* [[Sheet Ghoul]], it now sprays acid from the mouth instead of the nose. Probably an attempt to make it less silly.
* [[Sheet Phantom]], no longer has a face. Probably an improvement.
* [[Shocker]], completely redesigned. It now looks like a suit of armor crackling with electricity and it no longer crumbles into dust after its first attack. Now confirmed to be an elemental from the Plane of Lightning.
* [[Spanner]], [[Gotcha Monster|an intelligent living stone bridge]] that can talk and likes to gossip. It will drop you if you make it mad or try to cross it without permission. This should be fun for the DM to roleplay.
* [[Stwinger]], a tiny humanoid with short wings whose favorite activity is swinging around using peoples hair or beards until they fall unconscious from the pain of their hair or beards being pulled on. They produce a pheremone that charms victims into letting them do this and even if they fail the stwinger is difficult to attack because of how cute it is.
* [[Sussurus]], now redesigned into a plant monster related to the [[shambling mound]] made of bamboo. The song they produce now affects both the living and the undead.
* [[Slime|Symbiotic Jelly]]
* [[Terithran]], now it attacks spellcasters because it likes to eat them, rather than wanting to punish them for disturbing the ethereal plane.
* [[Thunder Children]], black humanoids that come out during thunderstorms to feed on people's fear. Their bites inflict electric damage and they can cast several spells, sense fear, and turn into a gaseous form. They like to scare people do death by sneakily doing things to increase the victims fear of the storm. The plane of [[Ravenloft]] is a paradise for them.
* Ice [[Troll]]
* [[Tween]], it now looks like a short ugly humanoid while on the ethereal plane and it can fight with weapons but only against other things on the ethereal plane.
* [[Umpleby]]
* [[Urdunnir]], a relative of the [[dwarf]] that has the ability to pass through stone and can innately cast ''stone shape'' and ''shape metal''. They can kill people by dragging them into stone using their special ability and then leaving them behind.
* [[Volt]]
* [[Xill]]
* [[Xvart]]
* [[Zygraat]], yet another bird monster with extra legs. This one is actually part spider. It can make webs and has a venomous bite.

==3rd Editon==
===Monsters===
Fewer monsters from the two previous folios return. It has way fewer stupid monsters. A lot of the monsters here probably deserved to go in the monster manuals or other books instead and many of the monsters from the previous folios that didn't appear in this book did appear in other books. The Achaierai actually made it into the first [[Monster Manual]] and the artist managed to make it less dumb looking. Especially considering how later 3.x edition Monster Manuals declined in quality, this book probably could've been released as just another Monster Manual. It also contains stats for several obscure extinct animals that existed in real life.
* [[Abrian]], an intelligent bird from the [[Abyss]] that looks like an ostrich with small arms instead of wings.
* Abyssal [[ghoul]], an ghoul from the abyss. Possibly a creation of [[Doresain]]?
* [[Ahuizotl]], a monster from Aztec mythology. It is part dog, part monkey and has a hand on the end of its tail. It lives in water and attacks people to eat their eyes, teeth, and fingernails.
* [[Aoa]], a floating blob of silver liquid. Possibly is the neutral counterpart of the zag-ya and zeg-yi. They reflect energy instead of producing it and are attracted to magic. They are very dangerous to spellcasters and magic items as their touch dispels magic.
** Droplet
** Sphere
* [[Slime|Aquatic ooze]]
** Bloodbloater
** Flotsam ooze
** Reekmurk
* [[Bacchae]], humanoid outsiders that spend all of their time constantly drinking and partying. People who get drawn into the party risk becoming a Bacchae as well.
* [[Bhut]], a hideous incorporeal undead with a poison bite and is able to possess corpses. Except when possessing a body, they have a weakness against anything made of earth or stone.
* [[Blackstone gigant]], a stone construct that looks like a gargantuan woman with eight arms or a [[Marilith]]. Their touch can turn people to stone, and they can temporarily animate their victims into living statues.
* [[Blood hawk]]
* [[Bloodthorn]], an extraplanar plant that drinks blood and lures victims with its sweet smelling berries.
* [[Bonespear]], a giant insect from [[Acheron]] resembling a giant grasshopper with venomous barbed horns. It can fire its horns like harpoons and reel them back in.
* [[Canomorph]], a fiendish hound that has learned to assume humanoid form.
** Haraknin, [[hell hound]] canomorph,
** Shadurakul, [[shadow mastiff]] canomorph
** Vultivor, [[vorr]] canomorph,
* [[Caryatid column]]
* [[Century worm]], a gargantuan worm that tries to swallow everything it encounters whole. Its stomach is filled with baby worms that burrow into those it swallows. They get their name from the fact that it takes 100 years for a baby worm to grow to full size after implanting itself in a body.
* [[Chronotyryn]], a bird with arms and adamantine feathers. They are powerful sorcerers and can stop time. They also have two brains, which lets them do twice as much per round of combat, somehow.
* [[Chwidencha]], a giant spider completely covered in legs, created from a [[Drow]] who seriously angered [[Lolth]].
* [[Crawling Head]], the undead head of a [[Giant]] that crawls around with its intestines and has numerous smaller heads from people it bit off the heads of embedded in it. They can cast a lot of necromancy spells, but are weak to water.
* [[Crypt Thing]]
* [[Dark ones]]
** [[Dark creeper]]
** [[Dark stalker]]
* [[Darkweaver]], an [[Aberration]] from the [[Plane of Shadow]] resembling a spider but with tentacles instead of legs. They have several shadow related powers, including the ability to generate a web of shadow around itself
* [[Death dog]]
* [[Demodand]]
** Farastu
** Kelubar
** Shator
* [[Demon]]
** Alkilith
** Blood fiend, a vampire demon that can turn other evil outsiders into more of itself.
** Klurichir, a demon even worse than a balor.
** Maurezhi, a ghoul like demon that can absorb the traits of what it eats. [[Derp|Wait, didn't this book already have a ghoul demon monster in it?]]
** Myrmyxicuses
** Skulvyn
** Wastrilith
* [[Deva]]
** Monadic deva
** Movanic deva
* [[Devil]]
** Paeliryon
** Xerfilstyxe
* [[Dire rhinoceros]]
* [[Disenchanter]]
* [[Slime|Ethereal ooze]]
* [[Ethergaunt]], aberrations from the ethereal plane resembling emaciated humanoids with their heads protruding from their chest, which they keep covered with a mask. The sight of their unmasked face causes psychological damage. They seek to purge themselves of all emotions and exterminated all creatures that may possibly threaten them. They have two unique weapons. The etherblade is a glaive that can fire shots of force damage, and the doubtbomb, a sphere that releases wisdom damaging gas when broken.
** Black ethergaunt
** Red ethergaunt
** White etherguant
* [[Fensir]] extraplanar giants resembling trolls from [[Ysgard]]. Sunlight causes them to turn to stone.
* Rakka, a transformation that females rakkas may undergo after they have given birth. They grow larger, lose their intelligent and spellcasting, become extremely gluttonous and they usually die in one year. If they are killed they can put a dying curse on their killer that acts as a ''geas'' or ''quest'' spell.
* [[Feytouched]], the child of a half-fey and a humanoid or a giant.
* [[Fhorge]], a monstrous boar that lives in the [[Outlands]].
* [[Flame snake]], intelligent fiery snakes that are often used as guards, varying in size from small to huge.
** Minor flame snake
** Lesser flame snake
** Greater flame snake
* [[Formian]]
** Armadon
** Observer
** Winged warrior
* [[Fossergrim]], a fey similar to a dryad except it is male and is bound to a waterfall instead of a tree.
* [[Gathra]], a half bull half boar creature from [[Baator|Avernus]].
* [[Giant]]
** Bog giant
** Shadow giant
* [[Golem]]
** Blood golem of [[Hextor]],
** Brain golem, created by an [[illithid]] elder brain out of a part of itself.
** Demonflesh golem, the components for making one include fiendish grafts found later in this book.
** Hellfire golem
* Half-[[fey]] Template, a hybrid of a Fey and another creature. The example given is a half-fey centaur.
* Half-[[illithid]] Template, what happens when a non-humanoid creature is put through ceremorphosis. The example giving is a half-illithid lizardfolk.
* Half-[[troll]] Template, somebody, willing or not, mated with a troll and had a baby. The example given is a half-troll [[Baatezu|barbazu]].
* Half-scrag Template, a variant of the half-troll template.
* [[Huecuva]] Template, now a template instead of a monster. The example giving is a 5th level human cleric huecuva.
* [[Hullathoin]], a massive undead reptilian creature that can control other undead as is always surrounded by a swarm of bloodfiend locusts (see below under swarm).
* [[Imp]]
** Bloodbag imp, the medics of hell. Drinking a bloodbag imp's blood heals injuries. They can also cast a curse that makes injuries bleed badly.
** Euphoric imp, living drug dispensers. Their stinger tail delivers a hallucination causing venom, which they themselves are not immune to.
** Filth imp, a disease carrying imp that can release foul smelling gas. They are hated by other devils, so they are often found on the material plane working for thieves guilds. They can speak several languages and have a talent for codes and cyphers, so often work as translators and forgers.
* [[Indricothere]], a huge mammal resembling an elephant and a giraffe that is often used as mounts by giants. In real life, this is a family of extinct animals.
* [[Inevitable]]
** Quarut
** Varakhut
* [[Iron Cobra]]
* [[Ironmaw]], a man eating oak tree.
* [[Jackal Lord]], evil [[Furry|humanoid jackals]] who are clerics of evil gods. They can turn humanoids into regular jackals with their gaze.
* [[Jackalwere]], another evil canine that can assume a [[Furry]] or humanoid form. They can put victims to sleep with their gaze.
* [[Kaorti]], Humanoids that have been warped by the [[Far Realm]]. The material plane is harmful to them if they are unprotected from it. They are slowly trying to take over the material plane and make it more like the far realm. They secret resin which they use to create homes and armor that protect them from the material plane, as well as weapons call ribbon daggers that are very sharp, but also flexible. They can only reproduce by turning humanoids into more kaorti. Subjecting non-humanoids to this process creates kaoti thralls, which are the creature with a modified version of the fiendish template from the [[Monster Manual]] or with the pseudonatural template from [[Tome and Blood]].
* [[Keeper]], strange humanoids whose joints can bend in any direction and have no eyes, which they hide by always wearing goggles. They are completely obsessed with gathering knowledge and secrets, but never share anything they learn with other creatures. They can transform their hands into weapons, spit poison, switch places with other nearby keepers, and share a hivemind with nearby keepers. They melt into puddles of poison if they are killed, and automatically die if they are captured or immobilized for too long.
* [[Kelp angler]], a carnivorous plant resembling a jellyfish made of kelp.
* [[Kelpie]], now it is a fey creature whose natural form is a horse, but can make itself look human.
* [[Khaasta]], Lizard people that work as mercenaries on the outer planes.
* [[Kuldurath]], a beast from the [[Outlands]] resembling a rhino but with longer legs and with sharp teeth and tusks and no horn and can also produce and electric aura. They are used as mounts by Ferrumach Rilmani.
* [[Living holocaust]], No, not [[Nazi|that kind of holocaust]], an evil half fire half air elemental resembling a fire tornado.
* [[Lucent worm]], another gargantuan worm monster. This one is a magical beast instead of a vermin. Its body is transparent and they are very stealthy.
* [[Maelephant]], fiendish humanoid elephants engineered by baatezu and used as guardians. They can breath a gas that causes amnesia.
* [[Maug]], intelligent stone constructs from [[Acheron]] that live for war.
* [[Maulgoth]], an aberration resembling a huge rhinoceros with four tentacles and only a mouth were its head should be. They are partially made of rock and have several druid like abilities and can move through stone as though it were water and their tentacles can send things to the ethereal plane.
* [[Megatherium]], a giant land sloth. An extinct animal in real life.
* [[Mongrelfolk]]
* [[Necrophidius]]
* [[Nerra]], humanoids from the [[Plane of Mirrors]]. They can travel through reflective surfaces and spells bounce off of them, but they are vulnerable to sonic attacks. They wield exotic weapons that appear to be made of glass but are very strong.
** Kalareem, nerra warriors. Unlike other types they do not have the ''change self'' ability.
** Sillit, nerra leaders.
** Varoot, nerra spies.
* [[Octopus tree]], aquatic carnivorous plants with great magical abilities. They can be found rooted near shore, or floating on the surface of the ocean. Their magical abilities mainly involve controlling plants and wood.
* [[Ocularon]], an aberration resembling a floating jellyfish that steals people's eyeballs and uses them as weapons.
* [[Ophidian]], snake people that [[Yuan-ti]] often use as slaves. Their bite turns people into more of them.
* [[Oread]], another fey creature linked to a natural feature. A stony skinned woman that defends mountains from being mined.
* [[Phiuhl]], a strange aberration found on [[Gehenna]] made of poison gas. They might be the spirits of dead elementals.
* [[Planetouched]]
** Maeluth, part dwarf, part devil.
** Mechanatrix, descended from humanoids who bred with the clockwork creatures of [[Mechanus]], somehow.
** Shyft, descended from humanoids who bred with creatures of the Ethereal Plane.
** Wispling, part halfing, part demon.
* [[Quth-Maren]], an undead created by the clerics of [[Kiaransalee]] out of a person whose skin they removed. They have acidic blood they can spit, and they can command other undead creatures.
* [[Rilmani]]
** Aurumach
** Cuprilach
** Ferrumach
* [[Rukanyr]], a powerful aberration made by the Kaorti. They look like giant scorpions wearing armor but with multiple pincers near the back their body instead of their front, three lamprey like mouths on stalks where the pincers should be, a single large eye, and a spiky club instead of a stinger. They have a deafening roar that can inflict sonic damage.
* [[Sarkrith]], large-sized lawful evil lizard people who hate magic.
** Spelleater, the leaders. They can fire rays that dispel magic and spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them.
** Thane, the soldiers. They can create antimagic fields around themselves for a short time once per day, and when they take damage from spells or effects that do energy damage, they gain resistance to that type of energy.
* [[Sea drake]], sea serpents that demand payment from any ship that passes through their territory.
* [[Selkie]]
* [[Senmurv]], a lawful good [[Furry|sparkledog]] with bird wings instead of arms.
* [[Shadar-Kai]], the page for details. This book also contains rules for several Shadar-Kai magic items. The gal-ralan is an armband Shadar-kai use to protect themselves from the shadow curse that anchors the soul to their body and enhances saving throws, but also causes constant pain since it stabs the wearer through the arm. The blackstone rune lets you planeshift between the material and shadow planes. Night extract is a liquid that darkens non-magical light around it when spilled.
* [[Shadow asp]], a poisonous snake from the plane of shadow that is often used as a guardian. They can become incorporeal, and their venom causes victims to come back as shadows.
* [[Shedu]], a relative of the [[Lammasu]] resembling a winged bull with the face of a man and a fancy beard and an extra leg between their front legs. They travel between the material, astral, and ethereal planes spreading lawful good.
* [[Skulk]]
* [[Skybleeder]], a huge aberration used as flying mounts by the Kaorti. It resembles a mass of eyes and tentacles with the arms ending in pincers and it is always surrounded by a cloud of mist that rains red acid.
* Mud [[Slaad]]
* [[Slasrath]], a flying worm monster with razor sharp wings. They are used as mounts by [[yugoloth]]s
* [[Spectral lurker]], a huge incorporeal slug-like aberration. It can turn victims it grabs with its tentacles incorporeal as well, then drags them into solid objects and lets go of them so they take damage as they turn corporeal again and get ejected.
* [[Spirit of the Air]], a big monkey with batwings in place of arms. They can wield a mace with their tale, cast several spells and spell-like abilities, and transform into a whirlwind.
* [[Sporebat]], a creatures resembling a big bat with an eye in the middle of its body that can shoot an ''enervation ray'' but is actually a [[fungus]].
* [[Spriggan]]
* [[Steel predator]], a predator from [[Acheron]] that looks like a robotic mix of a cat, a lizard, and a fish. They have a roar that inflicts sonic damage, and they are deaf, but more than make up for it with a great sense of smell and an ability to sense magic items that are made of metal, which they love to eat.
* [[Sunwyrm]], a shining [[dragon]] with brightly glowing wings, eight legs, and a ball of light on the tip of its tail. Their breath weapon is a beam of energy that only harms living things (radiation maybe?), and they can also transform their four front legs and teeth into energy weapons that pass through non-living matter and also change their whole body into an incorporeal form.
* [[Swarm]], any large swarm of monsters treated as one monster.
** Abyssal ant swarm, 8-inch long ants from the lower planes. Unlike other swarms they can be affected by mind affecting spells because the swarm shares a single mind. Their attacks do acid damage and penetrate as if they were +5 weapons.
** Plague ant swarm, ants that spread disease and cause serious bleeding with their attacks.
** Lesser pack [[Cranium Rat]] swarm.
** Average pack [[Cranium Rat]] swarm.
** Greater pack [[Cranium Rat]] swarm.
** Bloodfiend locust swarm, energy draining locusts that reanimate their victims as vampire spawn.
** Rapture locust swarm, flesh eating locusts affect people that see them as the ''hypnotic pattern'' spell and people who they feast on may become enraptured and stand still while they are eaten.
** Scarab beetle swarm, flesh eating scarab beetles that can quickly reduce living things to nothing.
** Viper swarm, a swarm of venomous snakes that shares a single mind.
** Wasp swarm, you know what they are, swarm of [[That Guy|tiny little jerks]].
* [[Swordwraith]] Template, the [[wraith]] of a [[fighter]] who wouldn't stop fighting even in death. The example is a 5th level human fighter.
* [[Terlen]], a shark with extra long fins that allow it to fly. We are doomed.
* [[Terror bird]], a large flightless carnivorous bird. Another extinct animal in real life.
* [[Thunder worm]], a colossal sized incorporeal giant worm that looks like a thunder cloud.
* [[Ti-khana]] Template, a reptilian creature that is part [[Yuan-ti]], giving it a venomous bite and several psionic abilities, including turning into a viper. The example is a ti-khana deinonychus.
* [[Tunnel terror]], [[Gotcha Monster|a huge stony psionic worm with a hollow body that pretends to be the walls of a tunnel to trick prey into walking inside it]]. This book has a lot of giant worm monsters, doesn't it?
* [[Ulgurstasta]], a gargantuan inteligent undead maggot with many eyes created by [[Kyuss]]. Please no more worms! We have enough. Their stomach acid converts people they swallow or vomit on into skeletons, and their bodies are covered in 40-foot long tendrils that block nonmagical ranged weapon attacks and inflict slashing damage to everything around them.
* [[Varrangoin]], skull-faced poison-tailed bat people from the [[Abyss]]
** Acanist varrangoin, the leaders who have the abilities of wizards and are immune to low level spells
** Lesser varrangoin, fighters who bullied by the other types and can have one of four different breathe weapons and explodes when it dies.
** Rager varrangoin, barbarians with a ''dispel magic'' ability and immunity to mind affecting magic and effects.
* [[Vine Horror]], appears to be the equivalent of the algoid from the previous two books. Loses the mind blast ability it had before and can only animate vines.
* [[Vorr]], rat dogs from the [[Abyss]]. Can turn into a living shadow and teleport between shadows.
* [[Wendigo]] Template. The example is a 4th level human sorcerer.
* [[Wicker man]], a huge wooden construct used for capturing human sacrifices which are then burned alive inside of it. They are immune to magic except for a few spells that affect wood. Probably inspired by the movie, The Wicker Wan. This book did come out the same year as the terrible remake.
* [[Yellow Musk Creeper]]
* [[Yellow Musk Zombie]] template, the example is an orc.
* [[Yuan-ti]] Anathema, see page. Also include rules for items used by Anathemas. Blasphemous weapons have evil spirits bound into them and deal damage like an unholy weapon and inflict a ''blasphemy'' effect and also weaken good characters who try to wield them. A serpent symbol is a holy symbol that can cast ''disintegrate'' and ''destruction'', but can only be wielded by a Yuan-ti or someone who can use magic devices. Sickening weapons are unholy weapons that can also weaken good characters on a critical hit. Venomous fire is similar to alchemist's fire that also can do poison damage to what it burns.
* [[Yugoloth]]
** Piscoloth
** Skeroloth
* [[Yurian]], a crab like creature that walks around on two legs like a humanoid.
* [[Zodar]], a strange construct that looks like a suit of metal armor but is actually made of ceramic and muscle tissue. They almost never speak, but when they do everyone can understand them, and they also have an ability that works like the ''wish'' spell they can, but usually don't, use once per year. Nobody knows where they came from, but they sometimes join parties of adventurers.

===[[Prestige Class]]es:===
* [[Fiend of Blasphemy]], an evil outsider that leads a cult of minions who are magically bound to it and gains spells like an evil cleric.
* [[Fiend of Corruption]], an evil outsider who specializes in turning good mortals evil through temptation. They have abilities that let them give rewards to mortals who do evil, such as the fiendish grafts and symbionts later in this book.
* [[Fiend of Possession]], an evil outsider who has learned to possess objects and people.

===Grafts and Symbionts===
Grafts and Symbionts are monstrous body parts that can be attached to creatures. Symbiotes are sentient creatures and have monster stats since they can act as independent beings (except for the fiendish familiar), but also have an ego score like a sentient magic item which may allow them to take control of their host, while grafts don't have monster stats can be created like magic items and function similarly to non-sentient magic items. Creating a graft requires the ''graft flesh'' feat for that type of graft. More grafts appear in other books. [[Lords of Madness]] includes a prestige class that specializes in making grafts and allows access to grafts that normally have race resctions on who can make them. And the book [[Tome and Blood]] includes some prestige classes that get some grafts automatically.

====Grafts====
* [[Aboleth]] grafts. Aboleths apply these grafts to their slaves. They can only be applied to [[Skum]] and creatures transformed by aboleth slime, and the graft will be destroyed if the transformed creature is healed. Includes ''aboleth tentacle'', ''mucus sheathe'', ''Skum eyes'', and ''skum tail''.
* [[Beholder]] grafts. Unlike most other grafts, the feat for making them is not race restricted. Beholder worshipers apply these grafts to themselves. Includes ''crown of eyes'', ''eye stalk'', ''gazing eye'', ''plated skin'', ''replacement eye'', and ''third eye''.
* Fiendish grafts. Given by fiends to mortals. They cause wisdom damage to good creatures and cause non-evil creatures to suffer temptations to do evil acts. Includes ''charming eye'', ''clawed arm'', ''fast leg'', ''fearsome eye'', ''feathered wings'', ''fiendish ear'', ''fiendish jaw'', ''fiendish skin'', ''flexible arm'', ''grappling tentacle'', ''long arm'', ''membranous wings'', ''springing leg'', ''stinging tail'', ''strong leg'', ''trampling leg'', and ''whip tail''.
* [[Illithid]] grafts. Given by illithids to their slaves. They have the drawback weakening resistance to mind effects. Includes ''antennae graft'', ''climbing legs'', ''goring horn'', ''grasping mandibles'', ''hauling back'', ''raking tentacles'', ''rending claw'', and ''weapon graft''.
* [[Maug]] grafts. Spellcasting maugs give them to other maugs. Includes ''locking hand'', ''rollers'', ''shoving arm'', ''shudder plate'', ''spike stones'', and ''stone splitter''.
* [[Undead]] grafts. Unlike most other grafts, the feat for making is not race restricted. Applied by necromancers to the living. Includes ''bonemail'', ''enervating arm'', ''paralyzing arm'', and ''weakening arm''.
* [[Yuan-ti]] grafts. Given by Yuan-ti to their humanoid minions. Includes ''added tail'', ''poison fangs'', ''replacement tail'', ''scaly skin'', and ''serpent arm''.

====Symbionts====
* Cerebral symbionts, symbionts with psionic abilties that may have been created by or have some connection to [[Illithid]]s
** Cerebral hood, a creatures resembling a small [[Cloaker]] with a long spiky tail that engulfs a host's head and sticks its tail down their throat, but allows the host to see by sharing its senses. It feeds on the host's mental energy and allows them to survive without eating or breathing. It has telepathy and it can use a powerful mind blast, but doing so causes intelligence damage to its host which they won't naturally recover from because it is constantly feeding on their intelligence at the same speed it heals.
** Mind leach, a fine sized parasite that burrows into a host and coils around the brainstem. They have several psionic abilities, but the stronger ones cause intelligence damage to their host, though they will eventually recover because it doesn't drain intelligence constantly.
** Psionic sinew, a worm like length of muscle tissue that can be attached to a creature's arm. It enhances the host's strength, protects itself and its host with a psychokinetic field, and can use the ''claws of the bear'' psionic power. They have no attacks without a host and cannot forcefully bond with a host. They cannot communicate with their host but are able to understand spoken commands in Undercommon.
* Fiendish symbionts, like with fiendish grafts, they cause wisdom damage to good characters and can make non-evil character succumb to the temptation to do evil. All of them can communicate telepathically.
** Fiendish familiar, a small, evil-looking face that is grafted somewhere on a host's skin. They are completely helpless and immobile without a host and have no abilities other than acting as a source of magical knowledge and enhancing the spellcasting abilities of their host.
** Gutworm, a worm that you can get infected with by drinking polluted water in the [[abyss]] containing its eggs. It lives in the host's digestive tract and improves the host's constitution, can protect them from poison, and gives the host rage like a barbarian, but also gives penalties to several checks and requires the host to eat extra food and lowers their endurance. It can be killed with a ''remove disease'' spell, but doing so will cause it to damage the host as it dies. Outside of a host it is harmless as it has no attacks and cannot forcefully enter a host.
** Soul tick, a blood drinking tick from [[Baator]]. It empowers death, evil, and negative energy spells cast by the host while impeding good, chaos, and positive energy spells and also can protect the host from chaos and good. It also drains the host's constitution by feeding and can feed faster than the host naturally heals if they choose too.
* Ghostly visage, a incorporeal spirit that can manifest as a face on its host's body, including over their own face, which can paralyze people that look at it with fear. It also protects the host form mind affecting effects.

==5th Edition==
See [[Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio]].

[[Category:Game Books]][[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Fiend Folio

2020-08-12T20:15:26Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* 2nd Edition */

{{WTF}}
The '''Fiend Folio''' was a 1981 [[Monster Manual]]-like book for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st edition. It served to gather up the various monsters that had been submitted to TSR works but not made the MM itself as of its 1978 edition - for instance, [[kuo-toa]], [[svirfneblin]] and of course the official full writeup of [[drow]]. Most came out of [[White Dwarf]]'s [[Fiend Factory]] as of then. Many of the latter monsters are laughable crap, like the [[Xvart]] which sounds like Fart, so have fallen into obscurity or - like the [[Flumph]] - notoriety.

But a few gems do appear amongst the dross: usually cited here, Charles Stross' badass [[Githyanki]] and [[Githzerai]]. We could also shout-out to the Dark Ones, the Creepers and Stalkers. Who knows why later publishers didn't publish stuff featuring those guys, they were fucking sweet.

A 3rd-party company called Necromancer Games vaguely affiliated with [[White Wolf]] released a spiritual successor to the Fiend Folio in "The Tome of Horrors", which adapted many, if not all, of these monsters to [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]]. WotC for 3e did its own Fiend Folio, figuring that was a decent brand for niche monsters - so Caryatid Columns and those Dark Ones were here. Others were brought back for [[Pathfinder]]. With the release of [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]], many of these monsters are starting to be revived and return to the spotlight. The [[Lava Children]], Flumph, and [[Berbalang]] all entered the canon here, among others. 5th edition also has a new series of PDF supplements called [[Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio]] which updates even more obscure monsters from the original Fiend Folio to 5th edition.

==1st Edition==
* [[Aarakocra]]
* [[Achaierai]] a giant evil bird with a spherical body with no neck and tiny wings and four long metallic legs it attacks with. They can release poison smoke when badly injured. This should give you a good idea of the kinds of monsters that are to follow.
* [[Adherer]], a weird creature that looks like a mummy but sweats glue.
* [[Alaex]], a personification of a god's anger that resembles a duplicate of the person it has been sent to punish.
* [[Algoid]], a humanoid that actually is a colony of intelligent algae. They can use mind blast and can control trees like a [[treant]]. They are immune to psionic attacks, edged weapons of less than +2 quality, fire, and electricity, but take damage from some spells that affect water.
* [[Al-mi'raj]], a killer rabbit with a unicorn's horn.
* [[Apparition]], an undead that cannot cause physical harm, so it tries to scare people to death.
* [[Assassin Bug]], giant flies that attack humans in male/female pairs. The male paralyzes the victim so that the female can lay their eggs in their wounds.
* [[Astral Searcher]], a spirit formed from violent thoughts that attacks people psychically to destroy their mind to it can posses their body.
* [[Babbler]], a mutated form of lizard man.
* Giant bat, just a giant bat.
* [[Berbalang]] an ugly bat winged humanoid that spends most of its time with its body dormant while its spirit hunts on the astral plane. During the full moon it instead hunts on the physical plane by sending out a physical projection of itself.
* [[Blindheim]], a frog-like creature with brightly shining eyes.
* [[Blood Hawk]], a bird of prey that likes human flesh.
* Giant [[Bloodworm]], just a giant blood sucking worm.
* [[Bonesnapper]] a dinosaur that like to collect human bones.
* [[Booka]], a small and ugly but helpful creature that lives in peoples' attics.
* [[Bullywug]] frog people
* [[Bunyip]], a seal like creature with strong jaws.
* [[Carbuncle]], a strange creature with a jewel on its head that follows travelers around and tries to get them killed for its amusement.
* [[Caryadit Column]], a stone pillar shaped like a woman holding a sword that can come to life.
* [[Caterwaul]], a chaotic evil feline predator with blue fur. They have a powerful screech for a breath weapon.
* [[Cifal]], a tightly packed swarm of insects that forms a humanoid shape.
* [[Clubnek]], a giant mutant ostrich.
* [[Coffer Corpse]], an undead creature that can only be damaged with magical weapons. If you hit it with non-magical weapons with will pretend to be damaged and fall down, only to get up again and scare you
* [[Crabfolk|Crabman]], humanoids with hard shells and crab claws instead of hands.
* [[Crypt Thing]], an undead guardian that teleports intruders to random places, or paralyzes them and turns them invisible, but claims that it disintegrated them.
* [[Dakon]], Lawful neutral talking apes.
* [[Dark Creeper]] small humanoid that love to steal magic item. They have the abilities of a 4th level thief and creating magical darkness and detecting magic items.
* [[Dark Stalker]] taller and stronger leaders of dark creepers that can create walls of fog and explode when they die.
* [[Death Dog]] a two headed dog with a bite that spreads a deadly rotting disease.
* [[Death Knight]], a powerful undead created from a fallen paladin transformed into a lich.
* [[Demon]]
** [[Lolth]], the demon queen of spiders.
* [[Denzelian]], a peaceful creature resembling a large sheet of rock that slowly eats through rock, creating tunnels. May have been stolen from [[Star Trek]].
* [[Devil]]
** Styx devil, a humanoid devil with a oversized head and black wings. Their attacks have a chance of inflicting the imprisonment spell on their target.
* [[Devil Dog]], a chaotic evil hound that uses its white fur to blend into snow.
* [[Dire Corby]], a flightless humanoid bird that lives underground.
* [[Disenchanter]], a tapir like creature that sucks the magic out of magic items
* [[Doombat]], an evil giant bat with a barbed tail and a shriek that prevents consentration.
* [[Oriental Dragon]]
** Li lung
** Lung wang
** Pan lung
** Shen lung
** T'ien lung
** Yu lung
* [[Dragonfish]] a well camouflaged fish with poisonous spines on its back. Don't step on them. They probably could have just used the stonefish which is a completely real animal that is pretty much the same thing.
* [[Dune Stalker]], an evil humanoid that attacks with powerful vibrations.
* [[Archomental|Elemental princes of evil]]
** [[Cryonax]]
** [[Imix]]
** [[Ogrémoch]]
** [[Olhydra]]
** [[Yan-C-Bin]]
* [[Drow]] [[Elf]]
* [[Enveloper]], a shapeshifting mass of flesh that can copy the abilities of people it eats.
* [[Ettercap]], a humanoid with the ability to generate spider silk, which it uses to make weapons and traps.
* [[Eye Killer]], a monster with the lower body of a snake and the upper body of a bat. Once per day, it can absorb light from light sources and fire it from its eyes as a death ray.
* [[Eye of Fear and Flame]]
* [[Firedrake]], a [[Dragonet]] with flaming hot blood.
* [[Firenewt]]
* [[Fire Snake]], a snake that is only found in fires.
* [[Firetoad]], a toad that hates water and breathes fireballs.
* [[Flail Snail]]
* [[Flind]], a relative of the [[gnoll]] that often leads gnoll packs.
* [[Flumph]]
* [[Forlarren]]
* [[Frost Man]], a humanoid that radiates cold and can lift its eyepatch to fire a cone of cold. They can have class levels.
* [[Galltrit]], a small winged gremlin that lives in dirty places and feeds on blood. If avoided being detected when feeding on victims with its anesthetic saliva.
* [[Gambado]], a very strange monster with a skull for a face that can coil up its body to launch itself like a spring. [[Gotcha Monster|It ambushes prey by pretending to be a skull sitting on a pile of rocks with its body hidden in a pit behind the pile.]]
* [[Garbug]], a flying lobster with tentacles that cause paralysis.
** Black Garbug, attacks with a sharp proboscis.
** Violet Garbug, attacks with powerful claws.
* [[Giant]]
** [[Fog Giant]]
** [[Mountain Giant]]
* [[Giant Strider]], a flightless featherless bird that can shoot fireballs from its head. Fire heals them but they are vulnerable to cold. Firenewts use them as mounts.
* [[Gibberling]]
* [[Githyanki]]
* [[Githzerai]]
* [[Goldbug]], [[Gotcha Monster|a beetle with a deadly poison bite that looks like a coin.]]
* [[Gorbel]]
* [[Gorilla Bear]], a gorilla with the arms and teeth of a bear.
* [[Grell]]
* [[Grimlock]]
* [[Gryph]], ''another'' evil four legged bird monster. Not as giant and silly looking as the achaierai. Females gryphs lay their eggs in people's bodies xenomorph style.
* Guardian [[Daemon]], a daemon that has been summoned and bound to guard a treasure.
* Guardian [[Familiar]], a cat that guards a treasure. It must be killed 9 times to destroy it, and it gets stronger the more times it has been killed.
* [[Hellcat]], a cat from hell that serves lawful evil beings. It is only visible in darkness.
* [[Hoar Fox]], a fox with ice breath. They are resistant to ice and vulnerable to fire, but you will want to avoid using fire because their pelts are very valuable if undamaged.
* [[Hook Horror]]
* Giant Hornet, just a giant hornet.
* [[Hound of Ill Omen]], when a character does something to seriously offend their deity, this hound may appear and put a curse on them that prevents them from healing and quadruples all damage they take until they take a certain number of wounds. There is no saving throw for this curse, the ''remove curse'' spell is only partially effective and only has any effect if applied immediately, and the hound is impossible to harm in any way. This probably was put into the book to give DMs a way to more easily kill off misbehaving player characters without having to resort to falling rocks or sending monsters that risk a TPK.
* [[Huecuva]]
* [[Ice Lizard]], a small winged lizard with magical abilities, including the power to turn into a white dragon twice per day.
* [[Imorph]], a weird tentacled slug thing that slowly transforms into a copy of whatever it fights. Its liver can be used to make a potion of ''polymorph self''.
* [[Iron Cobra]], a powerful construct in the form of a metal snake that obeys its owner's commands.
* [[Jaculi]], a snake with sharp bones on the sides of its head and the ability to camouflaged itself like a chameleon. They can only attack by leaping at enemies from above.
* [[Jermlaine]]
* [[Kamadan]], a relative of the [[displacer beast]] that looks like a leopard with several venomous snakes growing from its shoulders and fires a cone of sleep as a breath weapon.
* [[Kelpie]], a shapeshifting seaweed monster that transforms into either a woman or a horse and charms men into drowning themselves so it can feast on them. Women are immune to its charm.
* [[Kenku]]
* [[Khargra]], a very strange looking fish like creature from the elemental plane of earth that eats metal and can swim through stone.
* [[Killmoulis]]
* [[Kuo-toa]]
* [[Lamia]] Noble
* [[Lava Children]] a hybrid of earth and fire elementals. They are size of a man but look like children. They can be warriors, magic users, or clerics. They are immune to earth and fire magic. Metal objects cannot touch them and simply pass through them.
* [[Lizardfolk|Lizard king]]
* [[Magnesium Spirit]], a fast moving flame that needs to possess a human in order to cast the spell to let it go home. They attempt to merge with a human, draining their energy and strength in the process. The human must be at least 9th level to survive the merging process due to the energy drain. If it succeeds the body it possesses will vanish with it. Victims that don't survive can't be resurrected without a powerful such as ''wish''. They can only be damaged by silver and magic weapons, and can only be damaged by holy water while it is trying to merge with a human.
* [[Mantari]], a flying ray with a stinger tail that does more damage the less constitution the victim has, and does quadruple damage if it hits the same target again the next round.
* [[Meazel]], an ugly humanoid that likes to sneak up on prey from behind and strangle them with a cord.
* [[Meenlock]], a hideously ugly evil bug creature that lives in underground shafts. If the entrance to their lair is opened but the party isn't able to get down the tunnel to attack them, a group of meenlocks will start following the party and will start telepathically harassing one of them to slowly weaken them. They will always choose a paladin as the target if there is one in the party, and if there isn't will select humans over other beings. When the party is sleeping, they will attack and teleport away with the chosen target back to their lair to be transformed into another meenlock.
* [[Mephit]]
** Fire Mephit
** Lava Mephit
** Smoke Mephit
** Steam Mephit
* [[Daemon|Mezzodaemon]]
* [[Mite]], a small humanoid related to the jermlaine. They set traps for lone adventurers in order to rob them.
* [[Necrophidius]], a construct made from a human skull and the spine of a giant snake used as either an assassin or a guardian. They can hypnotize victims by dancing and their bite causes paralysis.
* [[Needleman]], an intelligent plant that looks like a zombie with the ability to shoot needles out of its body. They hate elves for some reason.
* [[Nilbog]]
* [[Nonafel]], a panther like monster that uses its tail as a flail and has the ability to split itself into up to nine weaker creatures.
* [[Norker]]
* [[Daemon|Nycadaemon]]
* [[Ogrillon]], a hybrid of an [[orc]] and an [[ogre]].
* [[Osquip]], a rodent the size of a small dog with powerful teeth and extra legs.
* [[Penanggalan|Pĕnanggalan]]
* [[Pernicon]], a small grasshopper-like insect that lives in deserts and attacks in swarms. They suck out the body fluids of victims using the pincers on their tail. Their antennae can be used for dowsing for water.
* [[Phantom Stalker]], a relative of the invisible stalker from the elemental plane of fire. They can polymorph but normally appear as a large humanoid with fiery eyes. If the summoner is killed, it vanishes to the ethereal plane and tracks down the killer and reappears a few hours later to kill them. They cannot use this ability at will.
* [[Poltergeist]], an invisible undead that attacks by throwing things.
* [[Protein Polymorph]], an intelligent colony of cellular organisms that can [[Gotcha Monster|disguise itself as both living and non living things]]. It attacks by enveloping and crushing enemies or by using weapons if it is disguised as a creature that can use them. It can also disguise itself as multiple objects or creatures at the same time as long as they remain connected together.
* [[Quaggoth]]
* [[Quipper]], basically a piranha, but it lives in cold water.
* [[Qullan]], a race of insane humanoids who paint their bodies in bright colors and wield extremely sharp broad swords, although the swords aren't magical and lose their sharpness quickly when used. They also radiate and aura of confusion and instantly die if they fail a save against being charmed or controlled.
* [[Retriever]], a construct created by [[Demogorgon]] resembling a giant spider. They have four eye rays, include one that transmutes victims into a random substance.
* [[Revenant]]
* [[Rothé]], similar to an ox but smaller and lives underground.
* [[Sandman]], a man made of sand who puts people to sleep.
* [[Scarecrow]], an animated scarecrow. Touching it or meeting its gaze causes victims to be charmed.
* [[Screaming Devilkin]], an [[imp]]-like creature that constantly produces a painfully loud scream while in combat. They are lawful evil, but are not true devils, as they are native to the material plane.
* Shadow [[Demon]]
* [[Sheet Ghoul]]. A sheet phantom that has successfully killed a humanoid. They cannot paralyzed victims like a true ghoul, but can spray acid out of their nose.
* [[Sheet Phantom]], a [[wraith]] resembling a bed sheet with a face that attacks by dropping on people and suffocating them. If they succeed, the sheet phantom merges with the corpse and becomes a sheet ghoul. Seriously, how old was the person who designed who designed the sheet phantom and sheet ghoul? 5 maybe?
* [[Shocker]], a humanoid that seems to be made of electricity. They can only attack once before they turn to dust.
* [[Skeleton Warrior]]
* [[Skulk]]
* [[Slaad]]
** Blue Slaad
** Death Slaad
** Green Slaad
** Grey Slaad
** Red Slaad
** [[Ssendam]] - Lord of the Insane
** [[Ygorl]] - Lord of Entropy
* [[Snyad]], another forgettable small ugly humanoid related to the [[jermlaine]]. Don't confused with the [[Synad]]
* Son of [[Kyuss]], a disease carrying, regenerating, worm infested undead. People killed by one of its worms rise as another son of Kyuss.
* [[Slime|Stunjelly]]
* [[Sussurus]], a strange monster that looks like a headless gorilla with an exoskeleton full of holes. It constantly sucks air through its body, producing a song that causes undead creatures that hear it to go into a sleep-like state.
* [[Svirfneblin]]
* [[Slime|Symbiotic Jelly]]
* [[Tabaxi]]
* [[Tentamort]] a spherical creature with short suckered tentacles on one side of its body it uses to move around and two much longer tentacles on the other side it uses to attack. One of the long tentacles constricts enemies, and the other has a stinger which first paralyzes prey and then injects them with digestive saliva and then sucks out their organs.
* [[Terithran]], a humanoid from the ethereal plane. Casting powerful magic other than cleric or druid magic on the material plane close to its layer on the ethereal plane makes it angry, and it will try to kidnap and punish the magic user responsible.
* [[Thoqqua]], a burning hot worm monster that tunnels through rock, like a smaller, fiery version of the [[Purple Worm]].
* [[Thork]], a bird resembling a stork, but its feathers are made out of copper, making it valuable. It defends itself by squirting boiling hot water.
* [[Throat Leach]], a small leach that sucks that sucks blood from the person who accidentally swallows it while drinking from the water it lives in, choking them to death if it isn't removed.
* [[Tiger Fly]], a giant wasp with a human face. Males have upper arms that end in sickle like blades and a poisonous sting, and females have a paralyzing sting. They are yet another monster that lays eggs in victims xenomorph style. The trope is definitely getting overused.
* [[Tirapheg]], an extremely weird monster with three heads, three eyes that are all on the same head with the third on the back of the head, three arms with the third growing from the chest, three fingers that are all on the middle arm, with the other two arms ending in blades, three legs, three toes all on the same legs, its mouth located on its chest under the middle arm, and three small tentacles between the middle arm and the mouth. Aside from the blades, the only body part it has two of are its ears, also on the middle head. It can make two illusionary copies of itself, but the illusions can do real damage if not recognized as illusions.
* [[Trilloch]], an invisible energy creature that feeds on the dying. They cannot directly harm anything, but they can make unintelligent creatures more aggressive and attacks become more accurate and damaging in their presence. The trilloch is impossible to harm, but can be driven away by ''dispel magic''.
* [[Troll]]
** Giant Troll
** Giant Two-Headed Troll
** Ice Troll
** Spirit Troll
* [[Tween]], an Ethereal creature that bonds to a host and appears as a shadowy copy of that host. It grants the host increased luck, but at the cost of giving bad luck to everyone around them. Possibly the monster with the stupidest name in the book.
* [[Umpleby]]
* [[Urchin]], sea urchins that can fire their spines as missiles and roll around on land. Inside of their bodies is a gemstone whose value depends on the type of urchin.
** Black Urchin, the weakest and most common type.
** Green Urchin, stronger and well camouflaged in water
** Red Urchin, third strongest with venom that causes sleep
** Silver Urchin, the strongest type with venom that causes a catatonic trance that can last for days.
** Yellow Urchin, the second strongest type with venom that causes paralysis and is also well camouflaged in water.
* [[Vision]], an ethereal shadow creature that wants to be destroyed so it can return to its home plane so it attacks other creatures to get them to fight back. It cannot directly cause physical harm, but anybody who sees a vision has a chance of being affected by the illusion that they have suddenly aged ten years. When a vision is destroyed, the illusionary aging becomes real if the victim fails their save. They can be damaged by ''bless'' and ''dispel illusion''.
* [[Vodyanoi]], a relative of the [[Umber Hulk]] that looks like a fish man instead of a bug. They lack the confusing gaze of an umber hulk, but can summon electric eels.
* [[Volt]], a floating ball of hair with bulging eyes, short horns, and a long tail. It bites people's necks to drain their blood and its tail shocks what it hits with electricity. Is this pokemon?
* [[Vortex]], a small sphere that generates a miniature tornado around itself.
* [[Whipweed]], a plant like tentacle monster with two long tentacles it attacks with and eight small legs it uses to move around. Does this sound familiar?
* [[Witherstench]], a hairless skunk like creature that produces a horrible smell constantly.
* [[Witherweed]], a plant with venom that drains dexterity and can cause seizures. It is weak against fire, but when it burns it produces smoke that can instantly kill people that inhale it.
* [[Xill]], a four armed monster reproduces by implanting eggs in humanoids xenomorph style. Seriously, we don't need anymore of these. They ambush their victim from the ethereal plane and attempt to either subdue or paralyze them with their venomous claws and grapple them and carry them back to the ethereal plane. They can be warded off with a ''protection from evil'' spell and it is extremely vulnerable while it is switching from the material plane to the ethereal and grappling a victim.
* [[Xvart]]
* [[Yellow Musk Creeper]], a plant that sprays victims with mind controlling dust from its flowers which lures them into the plant so it can drain their intelligence. If the victim dies from the intelligence drain, a new flower is added to the plant, but if the victim survives they become a yellow musk zombie.
* [[Yellow Musk Zombie]], a humanoid that has a yellow musk creeper seed implanted in their brain which allows the plant to control them. They can be restored back to normal using magic, but only if the plant that turned them is killed first. If not cured they will eventually die and grow into a new creeper.

==2nd Edition==
2rd Edition's version of the Fiend Folio was the 14th volume of the [[Monstrous Compendium]] series. A lot of monsters from the previous Fiend Folio returned with expanded and revised fluff. The artwork in this book is also a lot better so a lot of (but certainly not all of) the dumb looking monsters are less so. For some reason, the artwork of several of the monsters are not consistent with their descriptions, such as the volt, which is described the same way as in the previous edition, but the picture looks completely different.
* [[Slime|Aballin]]
* [[Achaierai]], still stupid looking.
* [[Adherer]]
* [[Algoid]], definitely looks a lot cooler now.
* Purple Algoid, a new variant that lives in arctic areas. Instead of controlling trees they can talk to crustaceans.
* [[Al-mi'raj]], now has the ability to teleport short distances.
* [[Apparition]]
* [[Caterwaul]]
* [[Crabfolk|Crabman]]
* [[Coffer Corpse]], the artwork is a huge improvement.
* [[Dark Creeper]]
* [[Dark Stalker]], for some reason he appears to be dressed as a superhero.
* [[Darter]], a blood drinking lizard that can fire it fangs as darts that cause paralysis.
* [[Denzelian]]
* [[Gem Dragon]]
** Amethyst dragon
** Crystal dragon
** Emerald dragon
** Sapphire dragon
** Topaz dragon
* [[Dune stalker]], now has a more reptilian appearance.
* [[Fire falcon]], a bird that can fire explosive spheres from its wings.
* [[Faux fairy]], a fairy creature that lives to cause confusion through lies and tricks. They can copy the appearance of any kind of [[fairy]] creature. They completely immune to all spells. Whenever they are hit by a spell, they absorb the spell and store it. When they no longer have room to store spells, casting a spell at them will cause them to release one of the previously stored spells at the caster to make room. At night they merge with a piece of dead wood. Burning the piece of wood will cause the spells they have stored to release, and cutting it up will cause only some of the stored spells to release and make the faux fairy split in into two faux fairies.
* [[Firedrake]]
* [[Flawder]], intelligent neutral good sea snails.
* [[Fyrefly]], a insect that reproduces in fires. A adult fyrefly normally is harmless but when it is ready to reproduce, it will fly into a fire and rapidly divide into a swarm of up to 64 extremely aggressing flaming insects. Luckily the swarm only lasts for ten rounds of combat before the flies go dormant and change into adults.
* [[Gambado]]
* [[Garbug]], the two different types are now the male and female of the same species. Oddly, it is the blood drinking black garbug that is that male, while in real life, blood drinking insects like mosquitos usually are females. Females, but not males, can be trained as guard animals.
** Black garbug
** Violet garbug
* [[Fog giant]]
* [[Gibberling]], now with a more canine appearance.
* [[Gorbel]]
* [[Grimlock]]
* [[Hellcat]]
* [[Ice lizard]]
* [[Iron cobra]]
* [[Khargra]]
* [[Mantari]], its stinger tail works differently now. It now has a venom that causes temporary strength and dexterity loss.
* Great Mantari, a larger variant.
* [[Mephit]]
** Fire mephit
** Ice mephit
** Lava mephit
** Mist mephit
** Smoke mephit
** Steam mephit
* [[Penanggalan]]
* [[Pernicon]]
* [[Phantom stalker]]
* [[Quaggoth]]
* [[Retriever]]
* [[Ruve]], an intelligent dog with psionic powers. Although they are lawful good, they are extremely arrogant and obnoxious.
* [[Scathe]], an ugly white reptilian humanoids\ related to the [[harrier]], that lives in icy regions. They have poisonous beaks and are immune to cold.
* Scathe larva, identical to harrier larva.
* [[Sheet ghoul]], it now sprays acid from the mouth instead of the nose. Probably an attempt to make it less silly.
* [[Sheet phantom]], no longer has a face. Probably an improvement.
* [[Shocker]], completely redesigned. It now looks like a suit of armor crackling with electricity and it no longer crumbles into dust after its first attack. Now confirmed to be an elemental from the Plane of Lightning.
* [[Spanner]], [[Gotcha Monster|an intelligent living stone bridge]] that can talk and likes to gossip. It will drop you if you make it mad or try to cross it without permission. This should be fun for the DM to roleplay.
* [[Stwinger]], a tiny humanoid with short wings whose favorite activity is swinging around using peoples hair or beards until they fall unconscious from the pain of their hair or beards being pulled on. They produce a pheremone that charms victims into letting them do this and even if they fail the stwinger is difficult to attack because of how cute it is.
* [[Sussurus]], now redesigned into a plant monster related to the [[shambling mound]] made of bamboo. The song they produce now affects both the living and the undead.
* [[Slime|Symbiotic jelly]]
* [[Terithran]], now it attacks spellcasters because it likes to eat them, rather than wanting to punish them for disturbing the ethereal plane.
* [[Thunder children]], black humanoids that come out during thunderstorms to feed on people's fear. Their bites inflict electric damage and they can cast several spells, sense fear, and turn into a gaseous form. They like to scare people do death by sneakily doing things to increase the victims fear of the storm. The plane of [[Ravenloft]] is a paradise for them.
* Ice [[Troll]]
* [[Tween]], it now looks like a short ugly humanoid while on the ethereal plane and it can fight with weapons but only against other things on the ethereal plane.
* [[Umpleby]]
* [[Urdunnir]], a relative of the [[dwarf]] that has the ability to pass through stone and can innately cast ''stone shape'' and ''shape metal''. They can kill people by dragging them into stone using their special ability and then leaving them behind.
* [[Volt]]
* [[Xill]]
* [[Xvart]]
* [[Zygraat]], yet another bird monster with extra legs. This one is actually part spider. It can make webs and has a venomous bite.

==3rd Editon==
===Monsters===
Fewer monsters from the two previous folios return. It has way fewer stupid monsters. A lot of the monsters here probably deserved to go in the monster manuals or other books instead and many of the monsters from the previous folios that didn't appear in this book did appear in other books. The Achaierai actually made it into the first [[Monster Manual]] and the artist managed to make it less dumb looking. Especially considering how later 3.x edition Monster Manuals declined in quality, this book probably could've been released as just another Monster Manual. It also contains stats for several obscure extinct animals that existed in real life.
* [[Abrian]], an intelligent bird from the [[Abyss]] that looks like an ostrich with small arms instead of wings.
* Abyssal [[ghoul]], an ghoul from the abyss. Possibly a creation of [[Doresain]]?
* [[Ahuizotl]], a monster from Aztec mythology. It is part dog, part monkey and has a hand on the end of its tail. It lives in water and attacks people to eat their eyes, teeth, and fingernails.
* [[Aoa]], a floating blob of silver liquid. Possibly is the neutral counterpart of the zag-ya and zeg-yi. They reflect energy instead of producing it and are attracted to magic. They are very dangerous to spellcasters and magic items as their touch dispels magic.
** Droplet
** Sphere
* [[Slime|Aquatic ooze]]
** Bloodbloater
** Flotsam ooze
** Reekmurk
* [[Bacchae]], humanoid outsiders that spend all of their time constantly drinking and partying. People who get drawn into the party risk becoming a Bacchae as well.
* [[Bhut]], a hideous incorporeal undead with a poison bite and is able to possess corpses. Except when possessing a body, they have a weakness against anything made of earth or stone.
* [[Blackstone gigant]], a stone construct that looks like a gargantuan woman with eight arms or a [[Marilith]]. Their touch can turn people to stone, and they can temporarily animate their victims into living statues.
* [[Blood hawk]]
* [[Bloodthorn]], an extraplanar plant that drinks blood and lures victims with its sweet smelling berries.
* [[Bonespear]], a giant insect from [[Acheron]] resembling a giant grasshopper with venomous barbed horns. It can fire its horns like harpoons and reel them back in.
* [[Canomorph]], a fiendish hound that has learned to assume humanoid form.
** Haraknin, [[hell hound]] canomorph,
** Shadurakul, [[shadow mastiff]] canomorph
** Vultivor, [[vorr]] canomorph,
* [[Caryatid column]]
* [[Century worm]], a gargantuan worm that tries to swallow everything it encounters whole. Its stomach is filled with baby worms that burrow into those it swallows. They get their name from the fact that it takes 100 years for a baby worm to grow to full size after implanting itself in a body.
* [[Chronotyryn]], a bird with arms and adamantine feathers. They are powerful sorcerers and can stop time. They also have two brains, which lets them do twice as much per round of combat, somehow.
* [[Chwidencha]], a giant spider completely covered in legs, created from a [[Drow]] who seriously angered [[Lolth]].
* [[Crawling Head]], the undead head of a [[Giant]] that crawls around with its intestines and has numerous smaller heads from people it bit off the heads of embedded in it. They can cast a lot of necromancy spells, but are weak to water.
* [[Crypt Thing]]
* [[Dark ones]]
** [[Dark creeper]]
** [[Dark stalker]]
* [[Darkweaver]], an [[Aberration]] from the [[Plane of Shadow]] resembling a spider but with tentacles instead of legs. They have several shadow related powers, including the ability to generate a web of shadow around itself
* [[Death dog]]
* [[Demodand]]
** Farastu
** Kelubar
** Shator
* [[Demon]]
** Alkilith
** Blood fiend, a vampire demon that can turn other evil outsiders into more of itself.
** Klurichir, a demon even worse than a balor.
** Maurezhi, a ghoul like demon that can absorb the traits of what it eats. [[Derp|Wait, didn't this book already have a ghoul demon monster in it?]]
** Myrmyxicuses
** Skulvyn
** Wastrilith
* [[Deva]]
** Monadic deva
** Movanic deva
* [[Devil]]
** Paeliryon
** Xerfilstyxe
* [[Dire rhinoceros]]
* [[Disenchanter]]
* [[Slime|Ethereal ooze]]
* [[Ethergaunt]], aberrations from the ethereal plane resembling emaciated humanoids with their heads protruding from their chest, which they keep covered with a mask. The sight of their unmasked face causes psychological damage. They seek to purge themselves of all emotions and exterminated all creatures that may possibly threaten them. They have two unique weapons. The etherblade is a glaive that can fire shots of force damage, and the doubtbomb, a sphere that releases wisdom damaging gas when broken.
** Black ethergaunt
** Red ethergaunt
** White etherguant
* [[Fensir]] extraplanar giants resembling trolls from [[Ysgard]]. Sunlight causes them to turn to stone.
* Rakka, a transformation that females rakkas may undergo after they have given birth. They grow larger, lose their intelligent and spellcasting, become extremely gluttonous and they usually die in one year. If they are killed they can put a dying curse on their killer that acts as a ''geas'' or ''quest'' spell.
* [[Feytouched]], the child of a half-fey and a humanoid or a giant.
* [[Fhorge]], a monstrous boar that lives in the [[Outlands]].
* [[Flame snake]], intelligent fiery snakes that are often used as guards, varying in size from small to huge.
** Minor flame snake
** Lesser flame snake
** Greater flame snake
* [[Formian]]
** Armadon
** Observer
** Winged warrior
* [[Fossergrim]], a fey similar to a dryad except it is male and is bound to a waterfall instead of a tree.
* [[Gathra]], a half bull half boar creature from [[Baator|Avernus]].
* [[Giant]]
** Bog giant
** Shadow giant
* [[Golem]]
** Blood golem of [[Hextor]],
** Brain golem, created by an [[illithid]] elder brain out of a part of itself.
** Demonflesh golem, the components for making one include fiendish grafts found later in this book.
** Hellfire golem
* Half-[[fey]] Template, a hybrid of a Fey and another creature. The example given is a half-fey centaur.
* Half-[[illithid]] Template, what happens when a non-humanoid creature is put through ceremorphosis. The example giving is a half-illithid lizardfolk.
* Half-[[troll]] Template, somebody, willing or not, mated with a troll and had a baby. The example given is a half-troll [[Baatezu|barbazu]].
* Half-scrag Template, a variant of the half-troll template.
* [[Huecuva]] Template, now a template instead of a monster. The example giving is a 5th level human cleric huecuva.
* [[Hullathoin]], a massive undead reptilian creature that can control other undead as is always surrounded by a swarm of bloodfiend locusts (see below under swarm).
* [[Imp]]
** Bloodbag imp, the medics of hell. Drinking a bloodbag imp's blood heals injuries. They can also cast a curse that makes injuries bleed badly.
** Euphoric imp, living drug dispensers. Their stinger tail delivers a hallucination causing venom, which they themselves are not immune to.
** Filth imp, a disease carrying imp that can release foul smelling gas. They are hated by other devils, so they are often found on the material plane working for thieves guilds. They can speak several languages and have a talent for codes and cyphers, so often work as translators and forgers.
* [[Indricothere]], a huge mammal resembling an elephant and a giraffe that is often used as mounts by giants. In real life, this is a family of extinct animals.
* [[Inevitable]]
** Quarut
** Varakhut
* [[Iron Cobra]]
* [[Ironmaw]], a man eating oak tree.
* [[Jackal Lord]], evil [[Furry|humanoid jackals]] who are clerics of evil gods. They can turn humanoids into regular jackals with their gaze.
* [[Jackalwere]], another evil canine that can assume a [[Furry]] or humanoid form. They can put victims to sleep with their gaze.
* [[Kaorti]], Humanoids that have been warped by the [[Far Realm]]. The material plane is harmful to them if they are unprotected from it. They are slowly trying to take over the material plane and make it more like the far realm. They secret resin which they use to create homes and armor that protect them from the material plane, as well as weapons call ribbon daggers that are very sharp, but also flexible. They can only reproduce by turning humanoids into more kaorti. Subjecting non-humanoids to this process creates kaoti thralls, which are the creature with a modified version of the fiendish template from the [[Monster Manual]] or with the pseudonatural template from [[Tome and Blood]].
* [[Keeper]], strange humanoids whose joints can bend in any direction and have no eyes, which they hide by always wearing goggles. They are completely obsessed with gathering knowledge and secrets, but never share anything they learn with other creatures. They can transform their hands into weapons, spit poison, switch places with other nearby keepers, and share a hivemind with nearby keepers. They melt into puddles of poison if they are killed, and automatically die if they are captured or immobilized for too long.
* [[Kelp angler]], a carnivorous plant resembling a jellyfish made of kelp.
* [[Kelpie]], now it is a fey creature whose natural form is a horse, but can make itself look human.
* [[Khaasta]], Lizard people that work as mercenaries on the outer planes.
* [[Kuldurath]], a beast from the [[Outlands]] resembling a rhino but with longer legs and with sharp teeth and tusks and no horn and can also produce and electric aura. They are used as mounts by Ferrumach Rilmani.
* [[Living holocaust]], No, not [[Nazi|that kind of holocaust]], an evil half fire half air elemental resembling a fire tornado.
* [[Lucent worm]], another gargantuan worm monster. This one is a magical beast instead of a vermin. Its body is transparent and they are very stealthy.
* [[Maelephant]], fiendish humanoid elephants engineered by baatezu and used as guardians. They can breath a gas that causes amnesia.
* [[Maug]], intelligent stone constructs from [[Acheron]] that live for war.
* [[Maulgoth]], an aberration resembling a huge rhinoceros with four tentacles and only a mouth were its head should be. They are partially made of rock and have several druid like abilities and can move through stone as though it were water and their tentacles can send things to the ethereal plane.
* [[Megatherium]], a giant land sloth. An extinct animal in real life.
* [[Mongrelfolk]]
* [[Necrophidius]]
* [[Nerra]], humanoids from the [[Plane of Mirrors]]. They can travel through reflective surfaces and spells bounce off of them, but they are vulnerable to sonic attacks. They wield exotic weapons that appear to be made of glass but are very strong.
** Kalareem, nerra warriors. Unlike other types they do not have the ''change self'' ability.
** Sillit, nerra leaders.
** Varoot, nerra spies.
* [[Octopus tree]], aquatic carnivorous plants with great magical abilities. They can be found rooted near shore, or floating on the surface of the ocean. Their magical abilities mainly involve controlling plants and wood.
* [[Ocularon]], an aberration resembling a floating jellyfish that steals people's eyeballs and uses them as weapons.
* [[Ophidian]], snake people that [[Yuan-ti]] often use as slaves. Their bite turns people into more of them.
* [[Oread]], another fey creature linked to a natural feature. A stony skinned woman that defends mountains from being mined.
* [[Phiuhl]], a strange aberration found on [[Gehenna]] made of poison gas. They might be the spirits of dead elementals.
* [[Planetouched]]
** Maeluth, part dwarf, part devil.
** Mechanatrix, descended from humanoids who bred with the clockwork creatures of [[Mechanus]], somehow.
** Shyft, descended from humanoids who bred with creatures of the Ethereal Plane.
** Wispling, part halfing, part demon.
* [[Quth-Maren]], an undead created by the clerics of [[Kiaransalee]] out of a person whose skin they removed. They have acidic blood they can spit, and they can command other undead creatures.
* [[Rilmani]]
** Aurumach
** Cuprilach
** Ferrumach
* [[Rukanyr]], a powerful aberration made by the Kaorti. They look like giant scorpions wearing armor but with multiple pincers near the back their body instead of their front, three lamprey like mouths on stalks where the pincers should be, a single large eye, and a spiky club instead of a stinger. They have a deafening roar that can inflict sonic damage.
* [[Sarkrith]], large-sized lawful evil lizard people who hate magic.
** Spelleater, the leaders. They can fire rays that dispel magic and spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them.
** Thane, the soldiers. They can create antimagic fields around themselves for a short time once per day, and when they take damage from spells or effects that do energy damage, they gain resistance to that type of energy.
* [[Sea drake]], sea serpents that demand payment from any ship that passes through their territory.
* [[Selkie]]
* [[Senmurv]], a lawful good [[Furry|sparkledog]] with bird wings instead of arms.
* [[Shadar-Kai]], the page for details. This book also contains rules for several Shadar-Kai magic items. The gal-ralan is an armband Shadar-kai use to protect themselves from the shadow curse that anchors the soul to their body and enhances saving throws, but also causes constant pain since it stabs the wearer through the arm. The blackstone rune lets you planeshift between the material and shadow planes. Night extract is a liquid that darkens non-magical light around it when spilled.
* [[Shadow asp]], a poisonous snake from the plane of shadow that is often used as a guardian. They can become incorporeal, and their venom causes victims to come back as shadows.
* [[Shedu]], a relative of the [[Lammasu]] resembling a winged bull with the face of a man and a fancy beard and an extra leg between their front legs. They travel between the material, astral, and ethereal planes spreading lawful good.
* [[Skulk]]
* [[Skybleeder]], a huge aberration used as flying mounts by the Kaorti. It resembles a mass of eyes and tentacles with the arms ending in pincers and it is always surrounded by a cloud of mist that rains red acid.
* Mud [[Slaad]]
* [[Slasrath]], a flying worm monster with razor sharp wings. They are used as mounts by [[yugoloth]]s
* [[Spectral lurker]], a huge incorporeal slug-like aberration. It can turn victims it grabs with its tentacles incorporeal as well, then drags them into solid objects and lets go of them so they take damage as they turn corporeal again and get ejected.
* [[Spirit of the Air]], a big monkey with batwings in place of arms. They can wield a mace with their tale, cast several spells and spell-like abilities, and transform into a whirlwind.
* [[Sporebat]], a creatures resembling a big bat with an eye in the middle of its body that can shoot an ''enervation ray'' but is actually a [[fungus]].
* [[Spriggan]]
* [[Steel predator]], a predator from [[Acheron]] that looks like a robotic mix of a cat, a lizard, and a fish. They have a roar that inflicts sonic damage, and they are deaf, but more than make up for it with a great sense of smell and an ability to sense magic items that are made of metal, which they love to eat.
* [[Sunwyrm]], a shining [[dragon]] with brightly glowing wings, eight legs, and a ball of light on the tip of its tail. Their breath weapon is a beam of energy that only harms living things (radiation maybe?), and they can also transform their four front legs and teeth into energy weapons that pass through non-living matter and also change their whole body into an incorporeal form.
* [[Swarm]], any large swarm of monsters treated as one monster.
** Abyssal ant swarm, 8-inch long ants from the lower planes. Unlike other swarms they can be affected by mind affecting spells because the swarm shares a single mind. Their attacks do acid damage and penetrate as if they were +5 weapons.
** Plague ant swarm, ants that spread disease and cause serious bleeding with their attacks.
** Lesser pack [[Cranium Rat]] swarm.
** Average pack [[Cranium Rat]] swarm.
** Greater pack [[Cranium Rat]] swarm.
** Bloodfiend locust swarm, energy draining locusts that reanimate their victims as vampire spawn.
** Rapture locust swarm, flesh eating locusts affect people that see them as the ''hypnotic pattern'' spell and people who they feast on may become enraptured and stand still while they are eaten.
** Scarab beetle swarm, flesh eating scarab beetles that can quickly reduce living things to nothing.
** Viper swarm, a swarm of venomous snakes that shares a single mind.
** Wasp swarm, you know what they are, swarm of [[That Guy|tiny little jerks]].
* [[Swordwraith]] Template, the [[wraith]] of a [[fighter]] who wouldn't stop fighting even in death. The example is a 5th level human fighter.
* [[Terlen]], a shark with extra long fins that allow it to fly. We are doomed.
* [[Terror bird]], a large flightless carnivorous bird. Another extinct animal in real life.
* [[Thunder worm]], a colossal sized incorporeal giant worm that looks like a thunder cloud.
* [[Ti-khana]] Template, a reptilian creature that is part [[Yuan-ti]], giving it a venomous bite and several psionic abilities, including turning into a viper. The example is a ti-khana deinonychus.
* [[Tunnel terror]], [[Gotcha Monster|a huge stony psionic worm with a hollow body that pretends to be the walls of a tunnel to trick prey into walking inside it]]. This book has a lot of giant worm monsters, doesn't it?
* [[Ulgurstasta]], a gargantuan inteligent undead maggot with many eyes created by [[Kyuss]]. Please no more worms! We have enough. Their stomach acid converts people they swallow or vomit on into skeletons, and their bodies are covered in 40-foot long tendrils that block nonmagical ranged weapon attacks and inflict slashing damage to everything around them.
* [[Varrangoin]], skull-faced poison-tailed bat people from the [[Abyss]]
** Acanist varrangoin, the leaders who have the abilities of wizards and are immune to low level spells
** Lesser varrangoin, fighters who bullied by the other types and can have one of four different breathe weapons and explodes when it dies.
** Rager varrangoin, barbarians with a ''dispel magic'' ability and immunity to mind affecting magic and effects.
* [[Vine Horror]], appears to be the equivalent of the algoid from the previous two books. Loses the mind blast ability it had before and can only animate vines.
* [[Vorr]], rat dogs from the [[Abyss]]. Can turn into a living shadow and teleport between shadows.
* [[Wendigo]] Template. The example is a 4th level human sorcerer.
* [[Wicker man]], a huge wooden construct used for capturing human sacrifices which are then burned alive inside of it. They are immune to magic except for a few spells that affect wood. Probably inspired by the movie, The Wicker Wan. This book did come out the same year as the terrible remake.
* [[Yellow Musk Creeper]]
* [[Yellow Musk Zombie]] template, the example is an orc.
* [[Yuan-ti]] Anathema, see page. Also include rules for items used by Anathemas. Blasphemous weapons have evil spirits bound into them and deal damage like an unholy weapon and inflict a ''blasphemy'' effect and also weaken good characters who try to wield them. A serpent symbol is a holy symbol that can cast ''disintegrate'' and ''destruction'', but can only be wielded by a Yuan-ti or someone who can use magic devices. Sickening weapons are unholy weapons that can also weaken good characters on a critical hit. Venomous fire is similar to alchemist's fire that also can do poison damage to what it burns.
* [[Yugoloth]]
** Piscoloth
** Skeroloth
* [[Yurian]], a crab like creature that walks around on two legs like a humanoid.
* [[Zodar]], a strange construct that looks like a suit of metal armor but is actually made of ceramic and muscle tissue. They almost never speak, but when they do everyone can understand them, and they also have an ability that works like the ''wish'' spell they can, but usually don't, use once per year. Nobody knows where they came from, but they sometimes join parties of adventurers.

===[[Prestige Class]]es:===
* [[Fiend of Blasphemy]], an evil outsider that leads a cult of minions who are magically bound to it and gains spells like an evil cleric.
* [[Fiend of Corruption]], an evil outsider who specializes in turning good mortals evil through temptation. They have abilities that let them give rewards to mortals who do evil, such as the fiendish grafts and symbionts later in this book.
* [[Fiend of Possession]], an evil outsider who has learned to possess objects and people.

===Grafts and Symbionts===
Grafts and Symbionts are monstrous body parts that can be attached to creatures. Symbiotes are sentient creatures and have monster stats since they can act as independent beings (except for the fiendish familiar), but also have an ego score like a sentient magic item which may allow them to take control of their host, while grafts don't have monster stats can be created like magic items and function similarly to non-sentient magic items. Creating a graft requires the ''graft flesh'' feat for that type of graft. More grafts appear in other books. [[Lords of Madness]] includes a prestige class that specializes in making grafts and allows access to grafts that normally have race resctions on who can make them. And the book [[Tome and Blood]] includes some prestige classes that get some grafts automatically.

====Grafts====
* [[Aboleth]] grafts. Aboleths apply these grafts to their slaves. They can only be applied to [[Skum]] and creatures transformed by aboleth slime, and the graft will be destroyed if the transformed creature is healed. Includes ''aboleth tentacle'', ''mucus sheathe'', ''Skum eyes'', and ''skum tail''.
* [[Beholder]] grafts. Unlike most other grafts, the feat for making them is not race restricted. Beholder worshipers apply these grafts to themselves. Includes ''crown of eyes'', ''eye stalk'', ''gazing eye'', ''plated skin'', ''replacement eye'', and ''third eye''.
* Fiendish grafts. Given by fiends to mortals. They cause wisdom damage to good creatures and cause non-evil creatures to suffer temptations to do evil acts. Includes ''charming eye'', ''clawed arm'', ''fast leg'', ''fearsome eye'', ''feathered wings'', ''fiendish ear'', ''fiendish jaw'', ''fiendish skin'', ''flexible arm'', ''grappling tentacle'', ''long arm'', ''membranous wings'', ''springing leg'', ''stinging tail'', ''strong leg'', ''trampling leg'', and ''whip tail''.
* [[Illithid]] grafts. Given by illithids to their slaves. They have the drawback weakening resistance to mind effects. Includes ''antennae graft'', ''climbing legs'', ''goring horn'', ''grasping mandibles'', ''hauling back'', ''raking tentacles'', ''rending claw'', and ''weapon graft''.
* [[Maug]] grafts. Spellcasting maugs give them to other maugs. Includes ''locking hand'', ''rollers'', ''shoving arm'', ''shudder plate'', ''spike stones'', and ''stone splitter''.
* [[Undead]] grafts. Unlike most other grafts, the feat for making is not race restricted. Applied by necromancers to the living. Includes ''bonemail'', ''enervating arm'', ''paralyzing arm'', and ''weakening arm''.
* [[Yuan-ti]] grafts. Given by Yuan-ti to their humanoid minions. Includes ''added tail'', ''poison fangs'', ''replacement tail'', ''scaly skin'', and ''serpent arm''.

====Symbionts====
* Cerebral symbionts, symbionts with psionic abilties that may have been created by or have some connection to [[Illithid]]s
** Cerebral hood, a creatures resembling a small [[Cloaker]] with a long spiky tail that engulfs a host's head and sticks its tail down their throat, but allows the host to see by sharing its senses. It feeds on the host's mental energy and allows them to survive without eating or breathing. It has telepathy and it can use a powerful mind blast, but doing so causes intelligence damage to its host which they won't naturally recover from because it is constantly feeding on their intelligence at the same speed it heals.
** Mind leach, a fine sized parasite that burrows into a host and coils around the brainstem. They have several psionic abilities, but the stronger ones cause intelligence damage to their host, though they will eventually recover because it doesn't drain intelligence constantly.
** Psionic sinew, a worm like length of muscle tissue that can be attached to a creature's arm. It enhances the host's strength, protects itself and its host with a psychokinetic field, and can use the ''claws of the bear'' psionic power. They have no attacks without a host and cannot forcefully bond with a host. They cannot communicate with their host but are able to understand spoken commands in Undercommon.
* Fiendish symbionts, like with fiendish grafts, they cause wisdom damage to good characters and can make non-evil character succumb to the temptation to do evil. All of them can communicate telepathically.
** Fiendish familiar, a small, evil-looking face that is grafted somewhere on a host's skin. They are completely helpless and immobile without a host and have no abilities other than acting as a source of magical knowledge and enhancing the spellcasting abilities of their host.
** Gutworm, a worm that you can get infected with by drinking polluted water in the [[abyss]] containing its eggs. It lives in the host's digestive tract and improves the host's constitution, can protect them from poison, and gives the host rage like a barbarian, but also gives penalties to several checks and requires the host to eat extra food and lowers their endurance. It can be killed with a ''remove disease'' spell, but doing so will cause it to damage the host as it dies. Outside of a host it is harmless as it has no attacks and cannot forcefully enter a host.
** Soul tick, a blood drinking tick from [[Baator]]. It empowers death, evil, and negative energy spells cast by the host while impeding good, chaos, and positive energy spells and also can protect the host from chaos and good. It also drains the host's constitution by feeding and can feed faster than the host naturally heals if they choose too.
* Ghostly visage, a incorporeal spirit that can manifest as a face on its host's body, including over their own face, which can paralyze people that look at it with fear. It also protects the host form mind affecting effects.

==5th Edition==
See [[Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio]].

[[Category:Game Books]][[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Fiend Folio

2020-08-12T20:13:37Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* 1st Edition */

{{WTF}}
The '''Fiend Folio''' was a 1981 [[Monster Manual]]-like book for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st edition. It served to gather up the various monsters that had been submitted to TSR works but not made the MM itself as of its 1978 edition - for instance, [[kuo-toa]], [[svirfneblin]] and of course the official full writeup of [[drow]]. Most came out of [[White Dwarf]]'s [[Fiend Factory]] as of then. Many of the latter monsters are laughable crap, like the [[Xvart]] which sounds like Fart, so have fallen into obscurity or - like the [[Flumph]] - notoriety.

But a few gems do appear amongst the dross: usually cited here, Charles Stross' badass [[Githyanki]] and [[Githzerai]]. We could also shout-out to the Dark Ones, the Creepers and Stalkers. Who knows why later publishers didn't publish stuff featuring those guys, they were fucking sweet.

A 3rd-party company called Necromancer Games vaguely affiliated with [[White Wolf]] released a spiritual successor to the Fiend Folio in "The Tome of Horrors", which adapted many, if not all, of these monsters to [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]]. WotC for 3e did its own Fiend Folio, figuring that was a decent brand for niche monsters - so Caryatid Columns and those Dark Ones were here. Others were brought back for [[Pathfinder]]. With the release of [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]], many of these monsters are starting to be revived and return to the spotlight. The [[Lava Children]], Flumph, and [[Berbalang]] all entered the canon here, among others. 5th edition also has a new series of PDF supplements called [[Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio]] which updates even more obscure monsters from the original Fiend Folio to 5th edition.

==1st Edition==
* [[Aarakocra]]
* [[Achaierai]] a giant evil bird with a spherical body with no neck and tiny wings and four long metallic legs it attacks with. They can release poison smoke when badly injured. This should give you a good idea of the kinds of monsters that are to follow.
* [[Adherer]], a weird creature that looks like a mummy but sweats glue.
* [[Alaex]], a personification of a god's anger that resembles a duplicate of the person it has been sent to punish.
* [[Algoid]], a humanoid that actually is a colony of intelligent algae. They can use mind blast and can control trees like a [[treant]]. They are immune to psionic attacks, edged weapons of less than +2 quality, fire, and electricity, but take damage from some spells that affect water.
* [[Al-mi'raj]], a killer rabbit with a unicorn's horn.
* [[Apparition]], an undead that cannot cause physical harm, so it tries to scare people to death.
* [[Assassin Bug]], giant flies that attack humans in male/female pairs. The male paralyzes the victim so that the female can lay their eggs in their wounds.
* [[Astral Searcher]], a spirit formed from violent thoughts that attacks people psychically to destroy their mind to it can posses their body.
* [[Babbler]], a mutated form of lizard man.
* Giant bat, just a giant bat.
* [[Berbalang]] an ugly bat winged humanoid that spends most of its time with its body dormant while its spirit hunts on the astral plane. During the full moon it instead hunts on the physical plane by sending out a physical projection of itself.
* [[Blindheim]], a frog-like creature with brightly shining eyes.
* [[Blood Hawk]], a bird of prey that likes human flesh.
* Giant [[Bloodworm]], just a giant blood sucking worm.
* [[Bonesnapper]] a dinosaur that like to collect human bones.
* [[Booka]], a small and ugly but helpful creature that lives in peoples' attics.
* [[Bullywug]] frog people
* [[Bunyip]], a seal like creature with strong jaws.
* [[Carbuncle]], a strange creature with a jewel on its head that follows travelers around and tries to get them killed for its amusement.
* [[Caryadit Column]], a stone pillar shaped like a woman holding a sword that can come to life.
* [[Caterwaul]], a chaotic evil feline predator with blue fur. They have a powerful screech for a breath weapon.
* [[Cifal]], a tightly packed swarm of insects that forms a humanoid shape.
* [[Clubnek]], a giant mutant ostrich.
* [[Coffer Corpse]], an undead creature that can only be damaged with magical weapons. If you hit it with non-magical weapons with will pretend to be damaged and fall down, only to get up again and scare you
* [[Crabfolk|Crabman]], humanoids with hard shells and crab claws instead of hands.
* [[Crypt Thing]], an undead guardian that teleports intruders to random places, or paralyzes them and turns them invisible, but claims that it disintegrated them.
* [[Dakon]], Lawful neutral talking apes.
* [[Dark Creeper]] small humanoid that love to steal magic item. They have the abilities of a 4th level thief and creating magical darkness and detecting magic items.
* [[Dark Stalker]] taller and stronger leaders of dark creepers that can create walls of fog and explode when they die.
* [[Death Dog]] a two headed dog with a bite that spreads a deadly rotting disease.
* [[Death Knight]], a powerful undead created from a fallen paladin transformed into a lich.
* [[Demon]]
** [[Lolth]], the demon queen of spiders.
* [[Denzelian]], a peaceful creature resembling a large sheet of rock that slowly eats through rock, creating tunnels. May have been stolen from [[Star Trek]].
* [[Devil]]
** Styx devil, a humanoid devil with a oversized head and black wings. Their attacks have a chance of inflicting the imprisonment spell on their target.
* [[Devil Dog]], a chaotic evil hound that uses its white fur to blend into snow.
* [[Dire Corby]], a flightless humanoid bird that lives underground.
* [[Disenchanter]], a tapir like creature that sucks the magic out of magic items
* [[Doombat]], an evil giant bat with a barbed tail and a shriek that prevents consentration.
* [[Oriental Dragon]]
** Li lung
** Lung wang
** Pan lung
** Shen lung
** T'ien lung
** Yu lung
* [[Dragonfish]] a well camouflaged fish with poisonous spines on its back. Don't step on them. They probably could have just used the stonefish which is a completely real animal that is pretty much the same thing.
* [[Dune Stalker]], an evil humanoid that attacks with powerful vibrations.
* [[Archomental|Elemental princes of evil]]
** [[Cryonax]]
** [[Imix]]
** [[Ogrémoch]]
** [[Olhydra]]
** [[Yan-C-Bin]]
* [[Drow]] [[Elf]]
* [[Enveloper]], a shapeshifting mass of flesh that can copy the abilities of people it eats.
* [[Ettercap]], a humanoid with the ability to generate spider silk, which it uses to make weapons and traps.
* [[Eye Killer]], a monster with the lower body of a snake and the upper body of a bat. Once per day, it can absorb light from light sources and fire it from its eyes as a death ray.
* [[Eye of Fear and Flame]]
* [[Firedrake]], a [[Dragonet]] with flaming hot blood.
* [[Firenewt]]
* [[Fire Snake]], a snake that is only found in fires.
* [[Firetoad]], a toad that hates water and breathes fireballs.
* [[Flail Snail]]
* [[Flind]], a relative of the [[gnoll]] that often leads gnoll packs.
* [[Flumph]]
* [[Forlarren]]
* [[Frost Man]], a humanoid that radiates cold and can lift its eyepatch to fire a cone of cold. They can have class levels.
* [[Galltrit]], a small winged gremlin that lives in dirty places and feeds on blood. If avoided being detected when feeding on victims with its anesthetic saliva.
* [[Gambado]], a very strange monster with a skull for a face that can coil up its body to launch itself like a spring. [[Gotcha Monster|It ambushes prey by pretending to be a skull sitting on a pile of rocks with its body hidden in a pit behind the pile.]]
* [[Garbug]], a flying lobster with tentacles that cause paralysis.
** Black Garbug, attacks with a sharp proboscis.
** Violet Garbug, attacks with powerful claws.
* [[Giant]]
** [[Fog Giant]]
** [[Mountain Giant]]
* [[Giant Strider]], a flightless featherless bird that can shoot fireballs from its head. Fire heals them but they are vulnerable to cold. Firenewts use them as mounts.
* [[Gibberling]]
* [[Githyanki]]
* [[Githzerai]]
* [[Goldbug]], [[Gotcha Monster|a beetle with a deadly poison bite that looks like a coin.]]
* [[Gorbel]]
* [[Gorilla Bear]], a gorilla with the arms and teeth of a bear.
* [[Grell]]
* [[Grimlock]]
* [[Gryph]], ''another'' evil four legged bird monster. Not as giant and silly looking as the achaierai. Females gryphs lay their eggs in people's bodies xenomorph style.
* Guardian [[Daemon]], a daemon that has been summoned and bound to guard a treasure.
* Guardian [[Familiar]], a cat that guards a treasure. It must be killed 9 times to destroy it, and it gets stronger the more times it has been killed.
* [[Hellcat]], a cat from hell that serves lawful evil beings. It is only visible in darkness.
* [[Hoar Fox]], a fox with ice breath. They are resistant to ice and vulnerable to fire, but you will want to avoid using fire because their pelts are very valuable if undamaged.
* [[Hook Horror]]
* Giant Hornet, just a giant hornet.
* [[Hound of Ill Omen]], when a character does something to seriously offend their deity, this hound may appear and put a curse on them that prevents them from healing and quadruples all damage they take until they take a certain number of wounds. There is no saving throw for this curse, the ''remove curse'' spell is only partially effective and only has any effect if applied immediately, and the hound is impossible to harm in any way. This probably was put into the book to give DMs a way to more easily kill off misbehaving player characters without having to resort to falling rocks or sending monsters that risk a TPK.
* [[Huecuva]]
* [[Ice Lizard]], a small winged lizard with magical abilities, including the power to turn into a white dragon twice per day.
* [[Imorph]], a weird tentacled slug thing that slowly transforms into a copy of whatever it fights. Its liver can be used to make a potion of ''polymorph self''.
* [[Iron Cobra]], a powerful construct in the form of a metal snake that obeys its owner's commands.
* [[Jaculi]], a snake with sharp bones on the sides of its head and the ability to camouflaged itself like a chameleon. They can only attack by leaping at enemies from above.
* [[Jermlaine]]
* [[Kamadan]], a relative of the [[displacer beast]] that looks like a leopard with several venomous snakes growing from its shoulders and fires a cone of sleep as a breath weapon.
* [[Kelpie]], a shapeshifting seaweed monster that transforms into either a woman or a horse and charms men into drowning themselves so it can feast on them. Women are immune to its charm.
* [[Kenku]]
* [[Khargra]], a very strange looking fish like creature from the elemental plane of earth that eats metal and can swim through stone.
* [[Killmoulis]]
* [[Kuo-toa]]
* [[Lamia]] Noble
* [[Lava Children]] a hybrid of earth and fire elementals. They are size of a man but look like children. They can be warriors, magic users, or clerics. They are immune to earth and fire magic. Metal objects cannot touch them and simply pass through them.
* [[Lizardfolk|Lizard king]]
* [[Magnesium Spirit]], a fast moving flame that needs to possess a human in order to cast the spell to let it go home. They attempt to merge with a human, draining their energy and strength in the process. The human must be at least 9th level to survive the merging process due to the energy drain. If it succeeds the body it possesses will vanish with it. Victims that don't survive can't be resurrected without a powerful such as ''wish''. They can only be damaged by silver and magic weapons, and can only be damaged by holy water while it is trying to merge with a human.
* [[Mantari]], a flying ray with a stinger tail that does more damage the less constitution the victim has, and does quadruple damage if it hits the same target again the next round.
* [[Meazel]], an ugly humanoid that likes to sneak up on prey from behind and strangle them with a cord.
* [[Meenlock]], a hideously ugly evil bug creature that lives in underground shafts. If the entrance to their lair is opened but the party isn't able to get down the tunnel to attack them, a group of meenlocks will start following the party and will start telepathically harassing one of them to slowly weaken them. They will always choose a paladin as the target if there is one in the party, and if there isn't will select humans over other beings. When the party is sleeping, they will attack and teleport away with the chosen target back to their lair to be transformed into another meenlock.
* [[Mephit]]
** Fire Mephit
** Lava Mephit
** Smoke Mephit
** Steam Mephit
* [[Daemon|Mezzodaemon]]
* [[Mite]], a small humanoid related to the jermlaine. They set traps for lone adventurers in order to rob them.
* [[Necrophidius]], a construct made from a human skull and the spine of a giant snake used as either an assassin or a guardian. They can hypnotize victims by dancing and their bite causes paralysis.
* [[Needleman]], an intelligent plant that looks like a zombie with the ability to shoot needles out of its body. They hate elves for some reason.
* [[Nilbog]]
* [[Nonafel]], a panther like monster that uses its tail as a flail and has the ability to split itself into up to nine weaker creatures.
* [[Norker]]
* [[Daemon|Nycadaemon]]
* [[Ogrillon]], a hybrid of an [[orc]] and an [[ogre]].
* [[Osquip]], a rodent the size of a small dog with powerful teeth and extra legs.
* [[Penanggalan|Pĕnanggalan]]
* [[Pernicon]], a small grasshopper-like insect that lives in deserts and attacks in swarms. They suck out the body fluids of victims using the pincers on their tail. Their antennae can be used for dowsing for water.
* [[Phantom Stalker]], a relative of the invisible stalker from the elemental plane of fire. They can polymorph but normally appear as a large humanoid with fiery eyes. If the summoner is killed, it vanishes to the ethereal plane and tracks down the killer and reappears a few hours later to kill them. They cannot use this ability at will.
* [[Poltergeist]], an invisible undead that attacks by throwing things.
* [[Protein Polymorph]], an intelligent colony of cellular organisms that can [[Gotcha Monster|disguise itself as both living and non living things]]. It attacks by enveloping and crushing enemies or by using weapons if it is disguised as a creature that can use them. It can also disguise itself as multiple objects or creatures at the same time as long as they remain connected together.
* [[Quaggoth]]
* [[Quipper]], basically a piranha, but it lives in cold water.
* [[Qullan]], a race of insane humanoids who paint their bodies in bright colors and wield extremely sharp broad swords, although the swords aren't magical and lose their sharpness quickly when used. They also radiate and aura of confusion and instantly die if they fail a save against being charmed or controlled.
* [[Retriever]], a construct created by [[Demogorgon]] resembling a giant spider. They have four eye rays, include one that transmutes victims into a random substance.
* [[Revenant]]
* [[Rothé]], similar to an ox but smaller and lives underground.
* [[Sandman]], a man made of sand who puts people to sleep.
* [[Scarecrow]], an animated scarecrow. Touching it or meeting its gaze causes victims to be charmed.
* [[Screaming Devilkin]], an [[imp]]-like creature that constantly produces a painfully loud scream while in combat. They are lawful evil, but are not true devils, as they are native to the material plane.
* Shadow [[Demon]]
* [[Sheet Ghoul]]. A sheet phantom that has successfully killed a humanoid. They cannot paralyzed victims like a true ghoul, but can spray acid out of their nose.
* [[Sheet Phantom]], a [[wraith]] resembling a bed sheet with a face that attacks by dropping on people and suffocating them. If they succeed, the sheet phantom merges with the corpse and becomes a sheet ghoul. Seriously, how old was the person who designed who designed the sheet phantom and sheet ghoul? 5 maybe?
* [[Shocker]], a humanoid that seems to be made of electricity. They can only attack once before they turn to dust.
* [[Skeleton Warrior]]
* [[Skulk]]
* [[Slaad]]
** Blue Slaad
** Death Slaad
** Green Slaad
** Grey Slaad
** Red Slaad
** [[Ssendam]] - Lord of the Insane
** [[Ygorl]] - Lord of Entropy
* [[Snyad]], another forgettable small ugly humanoid related to the [[jermlaine]]. Don't confused with the [[Synad]]
* Son of [[Kyuss]], a disease carrying, regenerating, worm infested undead. People killed by one of its worms rise as another son of Kyuss.
* [[Slime|Stunjelly]]
* [[Sussurus]], a strange monster that looks like a headless gorilla with an exoskeleton full of holes. It constantly sucks air through its body, producing a song that causes undead creatures that hear it to go into a sleep-like state.
* [[Svirfneblin]]
* [[Slime|Symbiotic Jelly]]
* [[Tabaxi]]
* [[Tentamort]] a spherical creature with short suckered tentacles on one side of its body it uses to move around and two much longer tentacles on the other side it uses to attack. One of the long tentacles constricts enemies, and the other has a stinger which first paralyzes prey and then injects them with digestive saliva and then sucks out their organs.
* [[Terithran]], a humanoid from the ethereal plane. Casting powerful magic other than cleric or druid magic on the material plane close to its layer on the ethereal plane makes it angry, and it will try to kidnap and punish the magic user responsible.
* [[Thoqqua]], a burning hot worm monster that tunnels through rock, like a smaller, fiery version of the [[Purple Worm]].
* [[Thork]], a bird resembling a stork, but its feathers are made out of copper, making it valuable. It defends itself by squirting boiling hot water.
* [[Throat Leach]], a small leach that sucks that sucks blood from the person who accidentally swallows it while drinking from the water it lives in, choking them to death if it isn't removed.
* [[Tiger Fly]], a giant wasp with a human face. Males have upper arms that end in sickle like blades and a poisonous sting, and females have a paralyzing sting. They are yet another monster that lays eggs in victims xenomorph style. The trope is definitely getting overused.
* [[Tirapheg]], an extremely weird monster with three heads, three eyes that are all on the same head with the third on the back of the head, three arms with the third growing from the chest, three fingers that are all on the middle arm, with the other two arms ending in blades, three legs, three toes all on the same legs, its mouth located on its chest under the middle arm, and three small tentacles between the middle arm and the mouth. Aside from the blades, the only body part it has two of are its ears, also on the middle head. It can make two illusionary copies of itself, but the illusions can do real damage if not recognized as illusions.
* [[Trilloch]], an invisible energy creature that feeds on the dying. They cannot directly harm anything, but they can make unintelligent creatures more aggressive and attacks become more accurate and damaging in their presence. The trilloch is impossible to harm, but can be driven away by ''dispel magic''.
* [[Troll]]
** Giant Troll
** Giant Two-Headed Troll
** Ice Troll
** Spirit Troll
* [[Tween]], an Ethereal creature that bonds to a host and appears as a shadowy copy of that host. It grants the host increased luck, but at the cost of giving bad luck to everyone around them. Possibly the monster with the stupidest name in the book.
* [[Umpleby]]
* [[Urchin]], sea urchins that can fire their spines as missiles and roll around on land. Inside of their bodies is a gemstone whose value depends on the type of urchin.
** Black Urchin, the weakest and most common type.
** Green Urchin, stronger and well camouflaged in water
** Red Urchin, third strongest with venom that causes sleep
** Silver Urchin, the strongest type with venom that causes a catatonic trance that can last for days.
** Yellow Urchin, the second strongest type with venom that causes paralysis and is also well camouflaged in water.
* [[Vision]], an ethereal shadow creature that wants to be destroyed so it can return to its home plane so it attacks other creatures to get them to fight back. It cannot directly cause physical harm, but anybody who sees a vision has a chance of being affected by the illusion that they have suddenly aged ten years. When a vision is destroyed, the illusionary aging becomes real if the victim fails their save. They can be damaged by ''bless'' and ''dispel illusion''.
* [[Vodyanoi]], a relative of the [[Umber Hulk]] that looks like a fish man instead of a bug. They lack the confusing gaze of an umber hulk, but can summon electric eels.
* [[Volt]], a floating ball of hair with bulging eyes, short horns, and a long tail. It bites people's necks to drain their blood and its tail shocks what it hits with electricity. Is this pokemon?
* [[Vortex]], a small sphere that generates a miniature tornado around itself.
* [[Whipweed]], a plant like tentacle monster with two long tentacles it attacks with and eight small legs it uses to move around. Does this sound familiar?
* [[Witherstench]], a hairless skunk like creature that produces a horrible smell constantly.
* [[Witherweed]], a plant with venom that drains dexterity and can cause seizures. It is weak against fire, but when it burns it produces smoke that can instantly kill people that inhale it.
* [[Xill]], a four armed monster reproduces by implanting eggs in humanoids xenomorph style. Seriously, we don't need anymore of these. They ambush their victim from the ethereal plane and attempt to either subdue or paralyze them with their venomous claws and grapple them and carry them back to the ethereal plane. They can be warded off with a ''protection from evil'' spell and it is extremely vulnerable while it is switching from the material plane to the ethereal and grappling a victim.
* [[Xvart]]
* [[Yellow Musk Creeper]], a plant that sprays victims with mind controlling dust from its flowers which lures them into the plant so it can drain their intelligence. If the victim dies from the intelligence drain, a new flower is added to the plant, but if the victim survives they become a yellow musk zombie.
* [[Yellow Musk Zombie]], a humanoid that has a yellow musk creeper seed implanted in their brain which allows the plant to control them. They can be restored back to normal using magic, but only if the plant that turned them is killed first. If not cured they will eventually die and grow into a new creeper.

==2nd Edition==
2rd Edition's version of the Fiend Folio was the 14th volume of the [[Monstrous Compendium]] series. A lot of monsters from the previous Fiend Folio returned with expanded and revised fluff. The artwork in this book is also a lot better so a lot of (but certainly not all of) the dumb looking monsters are less so. For some reason, the artwork of several of the monsters are not consistent with their descriptions, such as the volt, which is described the same way as in the previous edition, but the picture looks completely different.
* [[Slime|Aballin]]
* [[Achaierai]], still stupid looking.
* [[Adherer]]
* [[Algoid]], definitely looks a lot cooler now.
* Purple algoid, a new variant that lives in arctic areas. Instead of controlling trees they can talk to crustaceans.
* [[Al-mi'raj]], now has the ability to teleport short distances.
* [[Apparition]]
* [[Caterwaul]]
* [[Crabfolk|Crabman]]
* [[Coffer corpse]], the artwork is a huge improvement.
* [[Dark creeper]]
* [[Dark stalker]], for some reason he appears to be dressed as a superhero.
* [[Darter]], a blood drinking lizard that can fire it fangs as darts that cause paralysis.
* [[Denzelian]]
* [[Gem dragon]]
** Amethyst dragon
** Crystal dragon
** Emerald dragon
** Sapphire dragon
** Topaz dragon
* [[Dune stalker]], now has a more reptilian appearance.
* [[Fire falcon]], a bird that can fire explosive spheres from its wings.
* [[Faux fairy]], a fairy creature that lives to cause confusion through lies and tricks. They can copy the appearance of any kind of [[fairy]] creature. They completely immune to all spells. Whenever they are hit by a spell, they absorb the spell and store it. When they no longer have room to store spells, casting a spell at them will cause them to release one of the previously stored spells at the caster to make room. At night they merge with a piece of dead wood. Burning the piece of wood will cause the spells they have stored to release, and cutting it up will cause only some of the stored spells to release and make the faux fairy split in into two faux fairies.
* [[Firedrake]]
* [[Flawder]], intelligent neutral good sea snails.
* [[Fyrefly]], a insect that reproduces in fires. A adult fyrefly normally is harmless but when it is ready to reproduce, it will fly into a fire and rapidly divide into a swarm of up to 64 extremely aggressing flaming insects. Luckily the swarm only lasts for ten rounds of combat before the flies go dormant and change into adults.
* [[Gambado]]
* [[Garbug]], the two different types are now the male and female of the same species. Oddly, it is the blood drinking black garbug that is that male, while in real life, blood drinking insects like mosquitos usually are females. Females, but not males, can be trained as guard animals.
** Black garbug
** Violet garbug
* [[Fog giant]]
* [[Gibberling]], now with a more canine appearance.
* [[Gorbel]]
* [[Grimlock]]
* [[Hellcat]]
* [[Ice lizard]]
* [[Iron cobra]]
* [[Khargra]]
* [[Mantari]], its stinger tail works differently now. It now has a venom that causes temporary strength and dexterity loss.
* Great Mantari, a larger variant.
* [[Mephit]]
** Fire mephit
** Ice mephit
** Lava mephit
** Mist mephit
** Smoke mephit
** Steam mephit
* [[Penanggalan]]
* [[Pernicon]]
* [[Phantom stalker]]
* [[Quaggoth]]
* [[Retriever]]
* [[Ruve]], an intelligent dog with psionic powers. Although they are lawful good, they are extremely arrogant and obnoxious.
* [[Scathe]], an ugly white reptilian humanoids\ related to the [[harrier]], that lives in icy regions. They have poisonous beaks and are immune to cold.
* Scathe larva, identical to harrier larva.
* [[Sheet ghoul]], it now sprays acid from the mouth instead of the nose. Probably an attempt to make it less silly.
* [[Sheet phantom]], no longer has a face. Probably an improvement.
* [[Shocker]], completely redesigned. It now looks like a suit of armor crackling with electricity and it no longer crumbles into dust after its first attack. Now confirmed to be an elemental from the Plane of Lightning.
* [[Spanner]], [[Gotcha Monster|an intelligent living stone bridge]] that can talk and likes to gossip. It will drop you if you make it mad or try to cross it without permission. This should be fun for the DM to roleplay.
* [[Stwinger]], a tiny humanoid with short wings whose favorite activity is swinging around using peoples hair or beards until they fall unconscious from the pain of their hair or beards being pulled on. They produce a pheremone that charms victims into letting them do this and even if they fail the stwinger is difficult to attack because of how cute it is.
* [[Sussurus]], now redesigned into a plant monster related to the [[shambling mound]] made of bamboo. The song they produce now affects both the living and the undead.
* [[Slime|Symbiotic jelly]]
* [[Terithran]], now it attacks spellcasters because it likes to eat them, rather than wanting to punish them for disturbing the ethereal plane.
* [[Thunder children]], black humanoids that come out during thunderstorms to feed on people's fear. Their bites inflict electric damage and they can cast several spells, sense fear, and turn into a gaseous form. They like to scare people do death by sneakily doing things to increase the victims fear of the storm. The plane of [[Ravenloft]] is a paradise for them.
* Ice [[Troll]]
* [[Tween]], it now looks like a short ugly humanoid while on the ethereal plane and it can fight with weapons but only against other things on the ethereal plane.
* [[Umpleby]]
* [[Urdunnir]], a relative of the [[dwarf]] that has the ability to pass through stone and can innately cast ''stone shape'' and ''shape metal''. They can kill people by dragging them into stone using their special ability and then leaving them behind.
* [[Volt]]
* [[Xill]]
* [[Xvart]]
* [[Zygraat]], yet another bird monster with extra legs. This one is actually part spider. It can make webs and has a venomous bite.

==3rd Editon==
===Monsters===
Fewer monsters from the two previous folios return. It has way fewer stupid monsters. A lot of the monsters here probably deserved to go in the monster manuals or other books instead and many of the monsters from the previous folios that didn't appear in this book did appear in other books. The Achaierai actually made it into the first [[Monster Manual]] and the artist managed to make it less dumb looking. Especially considering how later 3.x edition Monster Manuals declined in quality, this book probably could've been released as just another Monster Manual. It also contains stats for several obscure extinct animals that existed in real life.
* [[Abrian]], an intelligent bird from the [[Abyss]] that looks like an ostrich with small arms instead of wings.
* Abyssal [[ghoul]], an ghoul from the abyss. Possibly a creation of [[Doresain]]?
* [[Ahuizotl]], a monster from Aztec mythology. It is part dog, part monkey and has a hand on the end of its tail. It lives in water and attacks people to eat their eyes, teeth, and fingernails.
* [[Aoa]], a floating blob of silver liquid. Possibly is the neutral counterpart of the zag-ya and zeg-yi. They reflect energy instead of producing it and are attracted to magic. They are very dangerous to spellcasters and magic items as their touch dispels magic.
** Droplet
** Sphere
* [[Slime|Aquatic ooze]]
** Bloodbloater
** Flotsam ooze
** Reekmurk
* [[Bacchae]], humanoid outsiders that spend all of their time constantly drinking and partying. People who get drawn into the party risk becoming a Bacchae as well.
* [[Bhut]], a hideous incorporeal undead with a poison bite and is able to possess corpses. Except when possessing a body, they have a weakness against anything made of earth or stone.
* [[Blackstone gigant]], a stone construct that looks like a gargantuan woman with eight arms or a [[Marilith]]. Their touch can turn people to stone, and they can temporarily animate their victims into living statues.
* [[Blood hawk]]
* [[Bloodthorn]], an extraplanar plant that drinks blood and lures victims with its sweet smelling berries.
* [[Bonespear]], a giant insect from [[Acheron]] resembling a giant grasshopper with venomous barbed horns. It can fire its horns like harpoons and reel them back in.
* [[Canomorph]], a fiendish hound that has learned to assume humanoid form.
** Haraknin, [[hell hound]] canomorph,
** Shadurakul, [[shadow mastiff]] canomorph
** Vultivor, [[vorr]] canomorph,
* [[Caryatid column]]
* [[Century worm]], a gargantuan worm that tries to swallow everything it encounters whole. Its stomach is filled with baby worms that burrow into those it swallows. They get their name from the fact that it takes 100 years for a baby worm to grow to full size after implanting itself in a body.
* [[Chronotyryn]], a bird with arms and adamantine feathers. They are powerful sorcerers and can stop time. They also have two brains, which lets them do twice as much per round of combat, somehow.
* [[Chwidencha]], a giant spider completely covered in legs, created from a [[Drow]] who seriously angered [[Lolth]].
* [[Crawling Head]], the undead head of a [[Giant]] that crawls around with its intestines and has numerous smaller heads from people it bit off the heads of embedded in it. They can cast a lot of necromancy spells, but are weak to water.
* [[Crypt Thing]]
* [[Dark ones]]
** [[Dark creeper]]
** [[Dark stalker]]
* [[Darkweaver]], an [[Aberration]] from the [[Plane of Shadow]] resembling a spider but with tentacles instead of legs. They have several shadow related powers, including the ability to generate a web of shadow around itself
* [[Death dog]]
* [[Demodand]]
** Farastu
** Kelubar
** Shator
* [[Demon]]
** Alkilith
** Blood fiend, a vampire demon that can turn other evil outsiders into more of itself.
** Klurichir, a demon even worse than a balor.
** Maurezhi, a ghoul like demon that can absorb the traits of what it eats. [[Derp|Wait, didn't this book already have a ghoul demon monster in it?]]
** Myrmyxicuses
** Skulvyn
** Wastrilith
* [[Deva]]
** Monadic deva
** Movanic deva
* [[Devil]]
** Paeliryon
** Xerfilstyxe
* [[Dire rhinoceros]]
* [[Disenchanter]]
* [[Slime|Ethereal ooze]]
* [[Ethergaunt]], aberrations from the ethereal plane resembling emaciated humanoids with their heads protruding from their chest, which they keep covered with a mask. The sight of their unmasked face causes psychological damage. They seek to purge themselves of all emotions and exterminated all creatures that may possibly threaten them. They have two unique weapons. The etherblade is a glaive that can fire shots of force damage, and the doubtbomb, a sphere that releases wisdom damaging gas when broken.
** Black ethergaunt
** Red ethergaunt
** White etherguant
* [[Fensir]] extraplanar giants resembling trolls from [[Ysgard]]. Sunlight causes them to turn to stone.
* Rakka, a transformation that females rakkas may undergo after they have given birth. They grow larger, lose their intelligent and spellcasting, become extremely gluttonous and they usually die in one year. If they are killed they can put a dying curse on their killer that acts as a ''geas'' or ''quest'' spell.
* [[Feytouched]], the child of a half-fey and a humanoid or a giant.
* [[Fhorge]], a monstrous boar that lives in the [[Outlands]].
* [[Flame snake]], intelligent fiery snakes that are often used as guards, varying in size from small to huge.
** Minor flame snake
** Lesser flame snake
** Greater flame snake
* [[Formian]]
** Armadon
** Observer
** Winged warrior
* [[Fossergrim]], a fey similar to a dryad except it is male and is bound to a waterfall instead of a tree.
* [[Gathra]], a half bull half boar creature from [[Baator|Avernus]].
* [[Giant]]
** Bog giant
** Shadow giant
* [[Golem]]
** Blood golem of [[Hextor]],
** Brain golem, created by an [[illithid]] elder brain out of a part of itself.
** Demonflesh golem, the components for making one include fiendish grafts found later in this book.
** Hellfire golem
* Half-[[fey]] Template, a hybrid of a Fey and another creature. The example given is a half-fey centaur.
* Half-[[illithid]] Template, what happens when a non-humanoid creature is put through ceremorphosis. The example giving is a half-illithid lizardfolk.
* Half-[[troll]] Template, somebody, willing or not, mated with a troll and had a baby. The example given is a half-troll [[Baatezu|barbazu]].
* Half-scrag Template, a variant of the half-troll template.
* [[Huecuva]] Template, now a template instead of a monster. The example giving is a 5th level human cleric huecuva.
* [[Hullathoin]], a massive undead reptilian creature that can control other undead as is always surrounded by a swarm of bloodfiend locusts (see below under swarm).
* [[Imp]]
** Bloodbag imp, the medics of hell. Drinking a bloodbag imp's blood heals injuries. They can also cast a curse that makes injuries bleed badly.
** Euphoric imp, living drug dispensers. Their stinger tail delivers a hallucination causing venom, which they themselves are not immune to.
** Filth imp, a disease carrying imp that can release foul smelling gas. They are hated by other devils, so they are often found on the material plane working for thieves guilds. They can speak several languages and have a talent for codes and cyphers, so often work as translators and forgers.
* [[Indricothere]], a huge mammal resembling an elephant and a giraffe that is often used as mounts by giants. In real life, this is a family of extinct animals.
* [[Inevitable]]
** Quarut
** Varakhut
* [[Iron Cobra]]
* [[Ironmaw]], a man eating oak tree.
* [[Jackal Lord]], evil [[Furry|humanoid jackals]] who are clerics of evil gods. They can turn humanoids into regular jackals with their gaze.
* [[Jackalwere]], another evil canine that can assume a [[Furry]] or humanoid form. They can put victims to sleep with their gaze.
* [[Kaorti]], Humanoids that have been warped by the [[Far Realm]]. The material plane is harmful to them if they are unprotected from it. They are slowly trying to take over the material plane and make it more like the far realm. They secret resin which they use to create homes and armor that protect them from the material plane, as well as weapons call ribbon daggers that are very sharp, but also flexible. They can only reproduce by turning humanoids into more kaorti. Subjecting non-humanoids to this process creates kaoti thralls, which are the creature with a modified version of the fiendish template from the [[Monster Manual]] or with the pseudonatural template from [[Tome and Blood]].
* [[Keeper]], strange humanoids whose joints can bend in any direction and have no eyes, which they hide by always wearing goggles. They are completely obsessed with gathering knowledge and secrets, but never share anything they learn with other creatures. They can transform their hands into weapons, spit poison, switch places with other nearby keepers, and share a hivemind with nearby keepers. They melt into puddles of poison if they are killed, and automatically die if they are captured or immobilized for too long.
* [[Kelp angler]], a carnivorous plant resembling a jellyfish made of kelp.
* [[Kelpie]], now it is a fey creature whose natural form is a horse, but can make itself look human.
* [[Khaasta]], Lizard people that work as mercenaries on the outer planes.
* [[Kuldurath]], a beast from the [[Outlands]] resembling a rhino but with longer legs and with sharp teeth and tusks and no horn and can also produce and electric aura. They are used as mounts by Ferrumach Rilmani.
* [[Living holocaust]], No, not [[Nazi|that kind of holocaust]], an evil half fire half air elemental resembling a fire tornado.
* [[Lucent worm]], another gargantuan worm monster. This one is a magical beast instead of a vermin. Its body is transparent and they are very stealthy.
* [[Maelephant]], fiendish humanoid elephants engineered by baatezu and used as guardians. They can breath a gas that causes amnesia.
* [[Maug]], intelligent stone constructs from [[Acheron]] that live for war.
* [[Maulgoth]], an aberration resembling a huge rhinoceros with four tentacles and only a mouth were its head should be. They are partially made of rock and have several druid like abilities and can move through stone as though it were water and their tentacles can send things to the ethereal plane.
* [[Megatherium]], a giant land sloth. An extinct animal in real life.
* [[Mongrelfolk]]
* [[Necrophidius]]
* [[Nerra]], humanoids from the [[Plane of Mirrors]]. They can travel through reflective surfaces and spells bounce off of them, but they are vulnerable to sonic attacks. They wield exotic weapons that appear to be made of glass but are very strong.
** Kalareem, nerra warriors. Unlike other types they do not have the ''change self'' ability.
** Sillit, nerra leaders.
** Varoot, nerra spies.
* [[Octopus tree]], aquatic carnivorous plants with great magical abilities. They can be found rooted near shore, or floating on the surface of the ocean. Their magical abilities mainly involve controlling plants and wood.
* [[Ocularon]], an aberration resembling a floating jellyfish that steals people's eyeballs and uses them as weapons.
* [[Ophidian]], snake people that [[Yuan-ti]] often use as slaves. Their bite turns people into more of them.
* [[Oread]], another fey creature linked to a natural feature. A stony skinned woman that defends mountains from being mined.
* [[Phiuhl]], a strange aberration found on [[Gehenna]] made of poison gas. They might be the spirits of dead elementals.
* [[Planetouched]]
** Maeluth, part dwarf, part devil.
** Mechanatrix, descended from humanoids who bred with the clockwork creatures of [[Mechanus]], somehow.
** Shyft, descended from humanoids who bred with creatures of the Ethereal Plane.
** Wispling, part halfing, part demon.
* [[Quth-Maren]], an undead created by the clerics of [[Kiaransalee]] out of a person whose skin they removed. They have acidic blood they can spit, and they can command other undead creatures.
* [[Rilmani]]
** Aurumach
** Cuprilach
** Ferrumach
* [[Rukanyr]], a powerful aberration made by the Kaorti. They look like giant scorpions wearing armor but with multiple pincers near the back their body instead of their front, three lamprey like mouths on stalks where the pincers should be, a single large eye, and a spiky club instead of a stinger. They have a deafening roar that can inflict sonic damage.
* [[Sarkrith]], large-sized lawful evil lizard people who hate magic.
** Spelleater, the leaders. They can fire rays that dispel magic and spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them.
** Thane, the soldiers. They can create antimagic fields around themselves for a short time once per day, and when they take damage from spells or effects that do energy damage, they gain resistance to that type of energy.
* [[Sea drake]], sea serpents that demand payment from any ship that passes through their territory.
* [[Selkie]]
* [[Senmurv]], a lawful good [[Furry|sparkledog]] with bird wings instead of arms.
* [[Shadar-Kai]], the page for details. This book also contains rules for several Shadar-Kai magic items. The gal-ralan is an armband Shadar-kai use to protect themselves from the shadow curse that anchors the soul to their body and enhances saving throws, but also causes constant pain since it stabs the wearer through the arm. The blackstone rune lets you planeshift between the material and shadow planes. Night extract is a liquid that darkens non-magical light around it when spilled.
* [[Shadow asp]], a poisonous snake from the plane of shadow that is often used as a guardian. They can become incorporeal, and their venom causes victims to come back as shadows.
* [[Shedu]], a relative of the [[Lammasu]] resembling a winged bull with the face of a man and a fancy beard and an extra leg between their front legs. They travel between the material, astral, and ethereal planes spreading lawful good.
* [[Skulk]]
* [[Skybleeder]], a huge aberration used as flying mounts by the Kaorti. It resembles a mass of eyes and tentacles with the arms ending in pincers and it is always surrounded by a cloud of mist that rains red acid.
* Mud [[Slaad]]
* [[Slasrath]], a flying worm monster with razor sharp wings. They are used as mounts by [[yugoloth]]s
* [[Spectral lurker]], a huge incorporeal slug-like aberration. It can turn victims it grabs with its tentacles incorporeal as well, then drags them into solid objects and lets go of them so they take damage as they turn corporeal again and get ejected.
* [[Spirit of the Air]], a big monkey with batwings in place of arms. They can wield a mace with their tale, cast several spells and spell-like abilities, and transform into a whirlwind.
* [[Sporebat]], a creatures resembling a big bat with an eye in the middle of its body that can shoot an ''enervation ray'' but is actually a [[fungus]].
* [[Spriggan]]
* [[Steel predator]], a predator from [[Acheron]] that looks like a robotic mix of a cat, a lizard, and a fish. They have a roar that inflicts sonic damage, and they are deaf, but more than make up for it with a great sense of smell and an ability to sense magic items that are made of metal, which they love to eat.
* [[Sunwyrm]], a shining [[dragon]] with brightly glowing wings, eight legs, and a ball of light on the tip of its tail. Their breath weapon is a beam of energy that only harms living things (radiation maybe?), and they can also transform their four front legs and teeth into energy weapons that pass through non-living matter and also change their whole body into an incorporeal form.
* [[Swarm]], any large swarm of monsters treated as one monster.
** Abyssal ant swarm, 8-inch long ants from the lower planes. Unlike other swarms they can be affected by mind affecting spells because the swarm shares a single mind. Their attacks do acid damage and penetrate as if they were +5 weapons.
** Plague ant swarm, ants that spread disease and cause serious bleeding with their attacks.
** Lesser pack [[Cranium Rat]] swarm.
** Average pack [[Cranium Rat]] swarm.
** Greater pack [[Cranium Rat]] swarm.
** Bloodfiend locust swarm, energy draining locusts that reanimate their victims as vampire spawn.
** Rapture locust swarm, flesh eating locusts affect people that see them as the ''hypnotic pattern'' spell and people who they feast on may become enraptured and stand still while they are eaten.
** Scarab beetle swarm, flesh eating scarab beetles that can quickly reduce living things to nothing.
** Viper swarm, a swarm of venomous snakes that shares a single mind.
** Wasp swarm, you know what they are, swarm of [[That Guy|tiny little jerks]].
* [[Swordwraith]] Template, the [[wraith]] of a [[fighter]] who wouldn't stop fighting even in death. The example is a 5th level human fighter.
* [[Terlen]], a shark with extra long fins that allow it to fly. We are doomed.
* [[Terror bird]], a large flightless carnivorous bird. Another extinct animal in real life.
* [[Thunder worm]], a colossal sized incorporeal giant worm that looks like a thunder cloud.
* [[Ti-khana]] Template, a reptilian creature that is part [[Yuan-ti]], giving it a venomous bite and several psionic abilities, including turning into a viper. The example is a ti-khana deinonychus.
* [[Tunnel terror]], [[Gotcha Monster|a huge stony psionic worm with a hollow body that pretends to be the walls of a tunnel to trick prey into walking inside it]]. This book has a lot of giant worm monsters, doesn't it?
* [[Ulgurstasta]], a gargantuan inteligent undead maggot with many eyes created by [[Kyuss]]. Please no more worms! We have enough. Their stomach acid converts people they swallow or vomit on into skeletons, and their bodies are covered in 40-foot long tendrils that block nonmagical ranged weapon attacks and inflict slashing damage to everything around them.
* [[Varrangoin]], skull-faced poison-tailed bat people from the [[Abyss]]
** Acanist varrangoin, the leaders who have the abilities of wizards and are immune to low level spells
** Lesser varrangoin, fighters who bullied by the other types and can have one of four different breathe weapons and explodes when it dies.
** Rager varrangoin, barbarians with a ''dispel magic'' ability and immunity to mind affecting magic and effects.
* [[Vine Horror]], appears to be the equivalent of the algoid from the previous two books. Loses the mind blast ability it had before and can only animate vines.
* [[Vorr]], rat dogs from the [[Abyss]]. Can turn into a living shadow and teleport between shadows.
* [[Wendigo]] Template. The example is a 4th level human sorcerer.
* [[Wicker man]], a huge wooden construct used for capturing human sacrifices which are then burned alive inside of it. They are immune to magic except for a few spells that affect wood. Probably inspired by the movie, The Wicker Wan. This book did come out the same year as the terrible remake.
* [[Yellow Musk Creeper]]
* [[Yellow Musk Zombie]] template, the example is an orc.
* [[Yuan-ti]] Anathema, see page. Also include rules for items used by Anathemas. Blasphemous weapons have evil spirits bound into them and deal damage like an unholy weapon and inflict a ''blasphemy'' effect and also weaken good characters who try to wield them. A serpent symbol is a holy symbol that can cast ''disintegrate'' and ''destruction'', but can only be wielded by a Yuan-ti or someone who can use magic devices. Sickening weapons are unholy weapons that can also weaken good characters on a critical hit. Venomous fire is similar to alchemist's fire that also can do poison damage to what it burns.
* [[Yugoloth]]
** Piscoloth
** Skeroloth
* [[Yurian]], a crab like creature that walks around on two legs like a humanoid.
* [[Zodar]], a strange construct that looks like a suit of metal armor but is actually made of ceramic and muscle tissue. They almost never speak, but when they do everyone can understand them, and they also have an ability that works like the ''wish'' spell they can, but usually don't, use once per year. Nobody knows where they came from, but they sometimes join parties of adventurers.

===[[Prestige Class]]es:===
* [[Fiend of Blasphemy]], an evil outsider that leads a cult of minions who are magically bound to it and gains spells like an evil cleric.
* [[Fiend of Corruption]], an evil outsider who specializes in turning good mortals evil through temptation. They have abilities that let them give rewards to mortals who do evil, such as the fiendish grafts and symbionts later in this book.
* [[Fiend of Possession]], an evil outsider who has learned to possess objects and people.

===Grafts and Symbionts===
Grafts and Symbionts are monstrous body parts that can be attached to creatures. Symbiotes are sentient creatures and have monster stats since they can act as independent beings (except for the fiendish familiar), but also have an ego score like a sentient magic item which may allow them to take control of their host, while grafts don't have monster stats can be created like magic items and function similarly to non-sentient magic items. Creating a graft requires the ''graft flesh'' feat for that type of graft. More grafts appear in other books. [[Lords of Madness]] includes a prestige class that specializes in making grafts and allows access to grafts that normally have race resctions on who can make them. And the book [[Tome and Blood]] includes some prestige classes that get some grafts automatically.

====Grafts====
* [[Aboleth]] grafts. Aboleths apply these grafts to their slaves. They can only be applied to [[Skum]] and creatures transformed by aboleth slime, and the graft will be destroyed if the transformed creature is healed. Includes ''aboleth tentacle'', ''mucus sheathe'', ''Skum eyes'', and ''skum tail''.
* [[Beholder]] grafts. Unlike most other grafts, the feat for making them is not race restricted. Beholder worshipers apply these grafts to themselves. Includes ''crown of eyes'', ''eye stalk'', ''gazing eye'', ''plated skin'', ''replacement eye'', and ''third eye''.
* Fiendish grafts. Given by fiends to mortals. They cause wisdom damage to good creatures and cause non-evil creatures to suffer temptations to do evil acts. Includes ''charming eye'', ''clawed arm'', ''fast leg'', ''fearsome eye'', ''feathered wings'', ''fiendish ear'', ''fiendish jaw'', ''fiendish skin'', ''flexible arm'', ''grappling tentacle'', ''long arm'', ''membranous wings'', ''springing leg'', ''stinging tail'', ''strong leg'', ''trampling leg'', and ''whip tail''.
* [[Illithid]] grafts. Given by illithids to their slaves. They have the drawback weakening resistance to mind effects. Includes ''antennae graft'', ''climbing legs'', ''goring horn'', ''grasping mandibles'', ''hauling back'', ''raking tentacles'', ''rending claw'', and ''weapon graft''.
* [[Maug]] grafts. Spellcasting maugs give them to other maugs. Includes ''locking hand'', ''rollers'', ''shoving arm'', ''shudder plate'', ''spike stones'', and ''stone splitter''.
* [[Undead]] grafts. Unlike most other grafts, the feat for making is not race restricted. Applied by necromancers to the living. Includes ''bonemail'', ''enervating arm'', ''paralyzing arm'', and ''weakening arm''.
* [[Yuan-ti]] grafts. Given by Yuan-ti to their humanoid minions. Includes ''added tail'', ''poison fangs'', ''replacement tail'', ''scaly skin'', and ''serpent arm''.

====Symbionts====
* Cerebral symbionts, symbionts with psionic abilties that may have been created by or have some connection to [[Illithid]]s
** Cerebral hood, a creatures resembling a small [[Cloaker]] with a long spiky tail that engulfs a host's head and sticks its tail down their throat, but allows the host to see by sharing its senses. It feeds on the host's mental energy and allows them to survive without eating or breathing. It has telepathy and it can use a powerful mind blast, but doing so causes intelligence damage to its host which they won't naturally recover from because it is constantly feeding on their intelligence at the same speed it heals.
** Mind leach, a fine sized parasite that burrows into a host and coils around the brainstem. They have several psionic abilities, but the stronger ones cause intelligence damage to their host, though they will eventually recover because it doesn't drain intelligence constantly.
** Psionic sinew, a worm like length of muscle tissue that can be attached to a creature's arm. It enhances the host's strength, protects itself and its host with a psychokinetic field, and can use the ''claws of the bear'' psionic power. They have no attacks without a host and cannot forcefully bond with a host. They cannot communicate with their host but are able to understand spoken commands in Undercommon.
* Fiendish symbionts, like with fiendish grafts, they cause wisdom damage to good characters and can make non-evil character succumb to the temptation to do evil. All of them can communicate telepathically.
** Fiendish familiar, a small, evil-looking face that is grafted somewhere on a host's skin. They are completely helpless and immobile without a host and have no abilities other than acting as a source of magical knowledge and enhancing the spellcasting abilities of their host.
** Gutworm, a worm that you can get infected with by drinking polluted water in the [[abyss]] containing its eggs. It lives in the host's digestive tract and improves the host's constitution, can protect them from poison, and gives the host rage like a barbarian, but also gives penalties to several checks and requires the host to eat extra food and lowers their endurance. It can be killed with a ''remove disease'' spell, but doing so will cause it to damage the host as it dies. Outside of a host it is harmless as it has no attacks and cannot forcefully enter a host.
** Soul tick, a blood drinking tick from [[Baator]]. It empowers death, evil, and negative energy spells cast by the host while impeding good, chaos, and positive energy spells and also can protect the host from chaos and good. It also drains the host's constitution by feeding and can feed faster than the host naturally heals if they choose too.
* Ghostly visage, a incorporeal spirit that can manifest as a face on its host's body, including over their own face, which can paralyze people that look at it with fear. It also protects the host form mind affecting effects.

==5th Edition==
See [[Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio]].

[[Category:Game Books]][[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

Fiend Folio

2020-08-12T20:08:14Z

2601:203:480:4C60:E800:A85F:830C:CBC2: /* 1st Edition */

{{WTF}}
The '''Fiend Folio''' was a 1981 [[Monster Manual]]-like book for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st edition. It served to gather up the various monsters that had been submitted to TSR works but not made the MM itself as of its 1978 edition - for instance, [[kuo-toa]], [[svirfneblin]] and of course the official full writeup of [[drow]]. Most came out of [[White Dwarf]]'s [[Fiend Factory]] as of then. Many of the latter monsters are laughable crap, like the [[Xvart]] which sounds like Fart, so have fallen into obscurity or - like the [[Flumph]] - notoriety.

But a few gems do appear amongst the dross: usually cited here, Charles Stross' badass [[Githyanki]] and [[Githzerai]]. We could also shout-out to the Dark Ones, the Creepers and Stalkers. Who knows why later publishers didn't publish stuff featuring those guys, they were fucking sweet.

A 3rd-party company called Necromancer Games vaguely affiliated with [[White Wolf]] released a spiritual successor to the Fiend Folio in "The Tome of Horrors", which adapted many, if not all, of these monsters to [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]]. WotC for 3e did its own Fiend Folio, figuring that was a decent brand for niche monsters - so Caryatid Columns and those Dark Ones were here. Others were brought back for [[Pathfinder]]. With the release of [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]], many of these monsters are starting to be revived and return to the spotlight. The [[Lava Children]], Flumph, and [[Berbalang]] all entered the canon here, among others. 5th edition also has a new series of PDF supplements called [[Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio]] which updates even more obscure monsters from the original Fiend Folio to 5th edition.

==1st Edition==
* [[Aarakocra]]
* [[Achaierai]] a giant evil bird with a spherical body with no neck and tiny wings and four long metallic legs it attacks with. They can release poison smoke when badly injured. This should give you a good idea of the kinds of monsters that are to follow.
* [[Adherer]], a weird creature that looks like a mummy but sweats glue.
* [[Alaex]], a personification of a god's anger that resembles a duplicate of the person it has been sent to punish.
* [[Algoid]], a humanoid that actually is a colony of intelligent algae. They can use mind blast and can control trees like a [[treant]]. They are immune to psionic attacks, edged weapons of less than +2 quality, fire, and electricity, but take damage from some spells that affect water.
* [[Al-mi'raj]], a killer rabbit with a unicorn's horn.
* [[Apparition]], an undead that cannot cause physical harm, so it tries to scare people to death.
* [[Assassin Bug]], giant flies that attack humans in male/female pairs. The male paralyzes the victim so that the female can lay their eggs in their wounds.
* [[Astral Searcher]], a spirit formed from violent thoughts that attacks people psychically to destroy their mind to it can posses their body.
* [[Babbler]], a mutated form of lizard man.
* Giant bat, just a giant bat.
* [[Berbalang]] an ugly bat winged humanoid that spends most of its time with its body dormant while its spirit hunts on the astral plane. During the full moon it instead hunts on the physical plane by sending out a physical projection of itself.
* [[Blindheim]], a frog-like creature with brightly shining eyes.
* [[Blood Hawk]], a bird of prey that likes human flesh.
* Giant [[Bloodworm]], just a giant blood sucking worm.
* [[Bonesnapper]] a dinosaur that like to collect human bones.
* [[Booka]], a small and ugly but helpful creature that lives in peoples' attics.
* [[Bullywug]] frog people
* [[Bunyip]], a seal like creature with strong jaws.
* [[Carbuncle]], a strange creature with a jewel on its head that follows travelers around and tries to get them killed for its amusement.
* [[Caryadit Column]], a stone pillar shaped like a woman holding a sword that can come to life.
* [[Caterwaul]], a chaotic evil feline predator with blue fur. They have a powerful screech for a breath weapon.
* [[Cifal]], a tightly packed swarm of insects that forms a humanoid shape.
* [[Clubnek]], a giant mutant ostrich.
* [[Coffer Corpse]], an undead creature that can only be damaged with magical weapons. If you hit it with non-magical weapons with will pretend to be damaged and fall down, only to get up again and scare you
* [[Crabfolk|Crabman]], humanoids with hard shells and crab claws instead of hands.
* [[Crypt Thing]], an undead guardian that teleports intruders to random places, or paralyzes them and turns them invisible, but claims that it disintegrated them.
* [[Dakon]], Lawful neutral talking apes.
* [[Dark Creeper]] small humanoid that love to steal magic item. They have the abilities of a 4th level thief and creating magical darkness and detecting magic items.
* [[Dark Stalker]] taller and stronger leaders of dark creepers that can create walls of fog and explode when they die.
* [[Death Dog]] a two headed dog with a bite that spreads a deadly rotting disease.
* [[Death Knight]], a powerful undead created from a fallen paladin transformed into a lich.
* [[Demon]]
** [[Lolth]], the demon queen of spiders.
* [[Denzelian]], a peaceful creature resembling a large sheet of rock that slowly eats through rock, creating tunnels. May have been stolen from [[Star Trek]].
* [[Devil]]
** Styx devil, a humanoid devil with a oversized head and black wings. Their attacks have a chance of inflicting the imprisonment spell on their target.
* [[Devil Dog]], a chaotic evil hound that uses its white fur to blend into snow.
* [[Dire Corby]], a flightless humanoid bird that lives underground.
* [[Disenchanter]], a tapir like creature that sucks the magic out of magic items
* [[Doombat]], an evil giant bat with a barbed tail and a shriek that prevents consentration.
* [[Oriental Dragon]]
** Li lung
** Lung wang
** Pan lung
** Shen lung
** T'ien lung
** Yu lung
* [[Dragonfish]] a well camouflaged fish with poisonous spines on its back. Don't step on them. They probably could have just used the stonefish which is a completely real animal that is pretty much the same thing.
* [[Dune Stalker]], an evil humanoid that attacks with powerful vibrations.
* [[Archomental|Elemental princes of evil]]
** [[Cryonax]]
** [[Imix]]
** [[Ogrémoch]]
** [[Olhydra]]
** [[Yan-C-Bin]]
* [[Drow]] [[Elf]]
* [[Enveloper]], a shapeshifting mass of flesh that can copy the abilities of people it eats.
* [[Ettercap]], a humanoid with the ability to generate spider silk, which it uses to make weapons and traps.
* [[Eye Killer]], a monster with the lower body of a snake and the upper body of a bat. Once per day, it can absorb light from light sources and fire it from its eyes as a death ray.
* [[Eye of Fear and Flame]]
* [[Firedrake]], a [[Dragonet]] with flaming hot blood.
* [[Firenewt]]
* [[Fire Snake]], a snake that is only found in fires.
* [[Firetoad]], a toad that hates water and breathes fireballs.
* [[Flail Snail]]
* [[Flind]], a relative of the [[gnoll]] that often leads gnoll packs.
* [[Flumph]]
* [[Forlarren]]
* [[Frost Man]], a humanoid that radiates cold and can lift its eyepatch to fire a cone of cold. They can have class levels.
* [[Galltrit]], a small winged gremlin that lives in dirty places and feeds on blood. If avoided being detected when feeding on victims with its anesthetic saliva.
* [[Gambado]], a very strange monster with a skull for a face that can coil up its body to launch itself like a spring. [[Gotcha Monster|It ambushes prey by pretending to be a skull sitting on a pile of rocks with its body hidden in a pit behind the pile.]]
* [[Garbug]], a flying lobster with tentacles that cause paralysis.
** Black Garbug, attacks with a sharp proboscis.
** Violet Garbug, attacks with powerful claws.
* [[Giant]]
** [[Fog Giant]]
** [[Mountain Giant]]
* [[Giant Strider]], a flightless featherless bird that can shoot fireballs from its head. Fire heals them but they are vulnerable to cold. Firenewts use them as mounts.
* [[Gibberling]]
* [[Githyanki]]
* [[Githzerai]]
* [[Goldbug]], [[Gotcha Monster|a beetle with a deadly poison bite that looks like a coin.]]
* [[Gorbel]]
* [[Gorilla Bear]], a gorilla with the arms and teeth of a bear.
* [[Grell]]
* [[Grimlock]]
* [[Gryph]], ''another'' evil four legged bird monster. Not as giant and silly looking as the achaierai. Females gryphs lay their eggs in people's bodies xenomorph style.
* Guardian [[Daemon]], a daemon that has been summoned and bound to guard a treasure.
* Guardian [[Familiar]], a cat that guards a treasure. It must be killed 9 times to destroy it, and it gets stronger the more times it has been killed.
* [[Hellcat]], a cat from hell that serves lawful evil beings. It is only visible in darkness.
* [[Hoar Fox]], a fox with ice breath. They are resistant to ice and vulnerable to fire, but you will want to avoid using fire because their pelts are very valuable if undamaged.
* [[Hook Horror]]
* Giant Hornet, just a giant hornet.
* [[Hound of Ill Omen]], when a character does something to seriously offend their deity, this hound may appear and put a curse on them that prevents them from healing and quadruples all damage they take until they take a certain number of wounds. There is no saving throw for this curse, the ''remove curse'' spell is only partially effective and only has any effect if applied immediately, and the hound is impossible to harm in any way. This probably was put into the book to give DMs a way to more easily kill off misbehaving player characters without having to resort to falling rocks or sending monsters that risk a TPK.
* [[Huecuva]]
* [[Ice Lizard]], a small winged lizard with magical abilities, including the power to turn into a white dragon twice per day.
* [[Imorph]], a weird tentacled slug thing that slowly transforms into a copy of whatever it fights. Its liver can be used to make a potion of ''polymorph self''.
* [[Iron Cobra]], a powerful construct in the form of a metal snake that obeys its owner's commands.
* [[Jaculi]], a snake with sharp bones on the sides of its head and the ability to camouflaged itself like a chameleon. They can only attack by leaping at enemies from above.
* [[Jermlaine]]
* [[Kamadan]], a relative of the [[displacer beast]] that looks like a leopard with several venomous snakes growing from its shoulders and fires a cone of sleep as a breath weapon.
* [[Kelpie]], a shapeshifting seaweed monster that transforms into either a woman or a horse and charms men into drowning themselves so it can feast on them. Women are immune to its charm.
* [[Kenku]]
* [[Khargra]], a very strange looking fish like creature from the elemental plane of earth that eats metal and can swim through stone.
* [[Killmoulis]]
* [[Kuo-toa]]
* [[Lamia]] Noble
* [[Lava Children]] a hybrid of earth and fire elementals. They are size of a man but look like children. They can be warriors, magic users, or clerics. They are immune to earth and fire magic. Metal objects cannot touch them and simply pass through them.
* [[Lizardfolk|Lizard king]]
* [[Magnesium Spirit]], a fast moving flame that needs to possess a human in order to cast the spell to let it go home. They attempt to merge with a human, draining their energy and strength in the process. The human must be at least 9th level to survive the merging process due to the energy drain. If it succeeds the body it possesses will vanish with it. Victims that don't survive can't be resurrected without a powerful such as ''wish''. They can only be damaged by silver and magic weapons, and can only be damaged by holy water while it is trying to merge with a human.
* [[Mantari]], a flying ray with a stinger tail that does more damage the less constitution the victim has, and does quadruple damage if it hits the same target again the next round.
* [[Meazel]], an ugly humanoid that likes to sneak up on prey from behind and strangle them with a cord.
* [[Meenlock]], a hideously ugly evil bug creature that lives in underground shafts. If the entrance to their lair is opened but the party isn't able to get down the tunnel to attack them, a group of meenlocks will start following the party and will start telepathically harassing one of them to slowly weaken them. They will always choose a paladin as the target if there is one in the party, and if there isn't will select humans over other beings. When the party is sleeping, they will attack and teleport away with the chosen target back to their lair to be transformed into another meenlock.
* [[Mephit]]
** Fire Mephit
** Lava Mephit
** Smoke Mephit
** Steam Mephit
* [[Daemon|Mezzodaemon]]
* [[Mite]], a small humanoid related to the jermlaine. They set traps for lone adventurers in order to rob them.
* [[Necrophidius]], a construct made from a human skull and the spine of a giant snake used as either an assassin or a guardian. They can hypnotize victims by dancing and their bite causes paralysis.
* [[Needleman]], an intelligent plant that looks like a zombie with the ability to shoot needles out of its body. They hate elves for some reason.
* [[Nilbog]]
* [[Nonafel]], a panther like monster that uses its tail as a flail and has the ability to split itself into up to nine weaker creatures.
* [[Norker]]
* [[Daemon|Nycadaemon]]
* [[Ogrillon]], a hybrid of an [[orc]] and an [[ogre]].
* [[Osquip]], a rodent the size of a small dog with powerful teeth and extra legs.
* [[Penanggalan|Pĕnanggalan]]
* [[Pernicon]], a small grasshopper-like insect that lives in deserts and attacks in swarms. They suck out the body fluids of victims using the pincers on their tail. Their antennae can be used for dowsing for water.
* [[Phantom stalker]], a relative of the invisible stalker from the elemental plane of fire. They can polymorph but normally appear as a large humanoid with fiery eyes. If the summoner is killed, it vanishes to the ethereal plane and tracks down the killer and reappears a few hours later to kill them. They cannot use this ability at will.
* [[Poltergeist]], an invisible undead that attacks by throwing things.
* [[Protein polymorph]], an intelligent colony of cellular organisms that can [[Gotcha Monster|disguise itself as both living and non living things]]. It attacks by enveloping and crushing enemies or by using weapons if it is disguised as a creature that can use them. It can also disguise itself as multiple objects or creatures at the same time as long as they remain connected together.
* [[Quaggoth]]
* [[Quipper]], basically a piranha, but it lives in cold water.
* [[Qullan]], a race of insane humanoids who paint their bodies in bright colors and wield extremely sharp broad swords, although the swords aren't magical and lose their sharpness quickly when used. They also radiate and aura of confusion and instantly die if they fail a save against being charmed or controlled.
* [[Retriever]], a construct created by [[Demogorgon]] resembling a giant spider. They have four eye rays, include one that transmutes victims into a random substance.
* [[Revenant]]
* [[Rothé]], similar to an ox but smaller and lives underground.
* [[Sandman]], a man made of sand who puts people to sleep.
* [[Scarecrow]], an animated scarecrow. Touching it or meeting its gaze causes victims to be charmed.
* [[Screaming devilkin]], an [[imp]]-like creature that constantly produces a painfully loud scream while in combat. They are lawful evil, but are not true devils, as they are native to the material plane.
* Shadow [[demon]]
* [[Sheet ghoul]]. A sheet phantom that has successfully killed a humanoid. They cannot paralyzed victims like a true ghoul, but can spray acid out of their nose.
* [[Sheet phantom]], a [[wraith]] resembling a bed sheet with a face that attacks by dropping on people and suffocating them. If they succeed, the sheet phantom merges with the corpse and becomes a sheet ghoul. Seriously, how old was the person who designed who designed the sheet phantom and sheet ghoul? 5 maybe?
* [[Shocker]], a humanoid that seems to be made of electricity. They can only attack once before they turn to dust.
* [[Skeleton warrior]]
* [[Skulk]]
* [[Slaad]]
** Blue slaad
** Death slaad
** Green slaad
** Grey slaad
** Red slaad
** Ssendam - Lord of the Insane
** Ygorl - Lord of Entropy
* [[Snyad]], another forgettable small ugly humanoid related to the [[jermlaine]]. Don't confused with the [[Synad]]
* Son of [[Kyuss]], a disease carrying, regenerating, worm infested undead. People killed by one of its worms rise as another son of Kyuss.
* [[Slime|Stunjelly]]
* [[Sussurus]], a strange monster that looks like a headless gorilla with an exoskeleton full of holes. It constantly sucks air through its body, producing a song that causes undead creatures that hear it to go into a sleep-like state.
* [[Svirfneblin]]
* [[Slime|Symbiotic jelly]]
* [[Tabaxi]]
* [[Tentamort]] a spherical creature with short suckered tentacles on one side of its body it uses to move around and two much longer tentacles on the other side it uses to attack. One of the long tentacles constricts enemies, and the other has a stinger which first paralyzes prey and then injects them with digestive saliva and then sucks out their organs.
* [[Terithran]], a humanoid from the ethereal plane. Casting powerful magic other than cleric or druid magic on the material plane close to its layer on the ethereal plane makes it angry, and it will try to kidnap and punish the magic user responsible.
* [[Thoqqua]], a burning hot worm monster that tunnels through rock, like a smaller, fiery version of the [[Purple Worm]].
* [[Thork]], a bird resembling a stork, but its feathers are made out of copper, making it valuable. It defends itself by squirting boiling hot water.
* [[Throat leach]], a small leach that sucks that sucks blood from the person who accidentally swallows it while drinking from the water it lives in, choking them to death if it isn't removed.
* [[Tiger fly]], a giant wasp with a human face. Males have upper arms that end in sickle like blades and a poisonous sting, and females have a paralyzing sting. They are yet another monster that lays eggs in victims xenomorph style. The trope is definitely getting overused.
* [[Tirapheg]], an extremely weird monster with three heads, three eyes that are all on the same head with the third on the back of the head, three arms with the third growing from the chest, three fingers that are all on the middle arm, with the other two arms ending in blades, three legs, three toes all on the same legs, its mouth located on its chest under the middle arm, and three small tentacles between the middle arm and the mouth. Aside from the blades, the only body part it has two of are its ears, also on the middle head. It can make two illusionary copies of itself, but the illusions can do real damage if not recognized as illusions.
* [[Trilloch]], an invisible energy creature that feeds on the dying. They cannot directly harm anything, but they can make unintelligent creatures more aggressive and attacks become more accurate and damaging in their presence. The trilloch is impossible to harm, but can be driven away by ''dispel magic''.
* [[Troll]]
** Giant troll
** Giant two-headed troll
** Ice troll
** Spirit troll
* [[Tween]], an Ethereal creature that bonds to a host and appears as a shadowy copy of that host. It grants the host increased luck, but at the cost of giving bad luck to everyone around them. Possibly the monster with the stupidest name in the book.
* [[Umpleby]]
* [[Urchin]], sea urchins that can fire their spines as missiles and roll around on land. Inside of their bodies is a gemstone whose value depends on the type of urchin.
** Black urchin, the weakest and most common type.
** Green urchin, stronger and well camouflaged in water
** Red urchin, third strongest with venom that causes sleep
** Silver urchin, the strongest type with venom that causes a catatonic trance that can last for days.
** Yellow urchin, the second strongest type with venom that causes paralysis and is also well camouflaged in water.
* [[Vision]], an ethereal shadow creature that wants to be destroyed so it can return to its home plane so it attacks other creatures to get them to fight back. It cannot directly cause physical harm, but anybody who sees a vision has a chance of being affected by the illusion that they have suddenly aged ten years. When a vision is destroyed, the illusionary aging becomes real if the victim fails their save. They can be damaged by ''bless'' and ''dispel illusion''.
* [[Vodyanoi]], a relative of the [[Umber Hulk]] that looks like a fish man instead of a bug. They lack the confusing gaze of an umber hulk, but can summon electric eels.
* [[Volt]], a floating ball of hair with bulging eyes, short horns, and a long tail. It bites people's necks to drain their blood and its tail shocks what it hits with electricity. Is this pokemon?
* [[Vortex]], a small sphere that generates a miniature tornado around itself.
* [[Whipweed]], a plant like tentacle monster with two long tentacles it attacks with and eight small legs it uses to move around. Does this sound familiar?
* [[Witherstench]], a hairless skunk like creature that produces a horrible smell constantly.
* [[Witherweed]], a plant with venom that drains dexterity and can cause seizures. It is weak against fire, but when it burns it produces smoke that can instantly kill people that inhale it.
* [[Xill]], a four armed monster reproduces by implanting eggs in humanoids xenomorph style. Seriously, we don't need anymore of these. They ambush their victim from the ethereal plane and attempt to either subdue or paralyze them with their venomous claws and grapple them and carry them back to the ethereal plane. They can be warded off with a ''protection from evil'' spell and it is extremely vulnerable while it is switching from the material plane to the ethereal and grappling a victim.
* [[Xvart]]
* [[Yellow musk creeper]], a plant that sprays victims with mind controlling dust from its flowers which lures them into the plant so it can drain their intelligence. If the victim dies from the intelligence drain, a new flower is added to the plant, but if the victim survives they become a yellow musk zombie.
* [[Yellow musk zombie]], a humanoid that has a yellow musk creeper seed implanted in their brain which allows the plant to control them. They can be restored back to normal using magic, but only if the plant that turned them is killed first. If not cured they will eventually die and grow into a new creeper.

==2nd Edition==
2rd Edition's version of the Fiend Folio was the 14th volume of the [[Monstrous Compendium]] series. A lot of monsters from the previous Fiend Folio returned with expanded and revised fluff. The artwork in this book is also a lot better so a lot of (but certainly not all of) the dumb looking monsters are less so. For some reason, the artwork of several of the monsters are not consistent with their descriptions, such as the volt, which is described the same way as in the previous edition, but the picture looks completely different.
* [[Slime|Aballin]]
* [[Achaierai]], still stupid looking.
* [[Adherer]]
* [[Algoid]], definitely looks a lot cooler now.
* Purple algoid, a new variant that lives in arctic areas. Instead of controlling trees they can talk to crustaceans.
* [[Al-mi'raj]], now has the ability to teleport short distances.
* [[Apparition]]
* [[Caterwaul]]
* [[Crabfolk|Crabman]]
* [[Coffer corpse]], the artwork is a huge improvement.
* [[Dark creeper]]
* [[Dark stalker]], for some reason he appears to be dressed as a superhero.
* [[Darter]], a blood drinking lizard that can fire it fangs as darts that cause paralysis.
* [[Denzelian]]
* [[Gem dragon]]
** Amethyst dragon
** Crystal dragon
** Emerald dragon
** Sapphire dragon
** Topaz dragon
* [[Dune stalker]], now has a more reptilian appearance.
* [[Fire falcon]], a bird that can fire explosive spheres from its wings.
* [[Faux fairy]], a fairy creature that lives to cause confusion through lies and tricks. They can copy the appearance of any kind of [[fairy]] creature. They completely immune to all spells. Whenever they are hit by a spell, they absorb the spell and store it. When they no longer have room to store spells, casting a spell at them will cause them to release one of the previously stored spells at the caster to make room. At night they merge with a piece of dead wood. Burning the piece of wood will cause the spells they have stored to release, and cutting it up will cause only some of the stored spells to release and make the faux fairy split in into two faux fairies.
* [[Firedrake]]
* [[Flawder]], intelligent neutral good sea snails.
* [[Fyrefly]], a insect that reproduces in fires. A adult fyrefly normally is harmless but when it is ready to reproduce, it will fly into a fire and rapidly divide into a swarm of up to 64 extremely aggressing flaming insects. Luckily the swarm only lasts for ten rounds of combat before the flies go dormant and change into adults.
* [[Gambado]]
* [[Garbug]], the two different types are now the male and female of the same species. Oddly, it is the blood drinking black garbug that is that male, while in real life, blood drinking insects like mosquitos usually are females. Females, but not males, can be trained as guard animals.
** Black garbug
** Violet garbug
* [[Fog giant]]
* [[Gibberling]], now with a more canine appearance.
* [[Gorbel]]
* [[Grimlock]]
* [[Hellcat]]
* [[Ice lizard]]
* [[Iron cobra]]
* [[Khargra]]
* [[Mantari]], its stinger tail works differently now. It now has a venom that causes temporary strength and dexterity loss.
* Great Mantari, a larger variant.
* [[Mephit]]
** Fire mephit
** Ice mephit
** Lava mephit
** Mist mephit
** Smoke mephit
** Steam mephit
* [[Penanggalan]]
* [[Pernicon]]
* [[Phantom stalker]]
* [[Quaggoth]]
* [[Retriever]]
* [[Ruve]], an intelligent dog with psionic powers. Although they are lawful good, they are extremely arrogant and obnoxious.
* [[Scathe]], an ugly white reptilian humanoids\ related to the [[harrier]], that lives in icy regions. They have poisonous beaks and are immune to cold.
* Scathe larva, identical to harrier larva.
* [[Sheet ghoul]], it now sprays acid from the mouth instead of the nose. Probably an attempt to make it less silly.
* [[Sheet phantom]], no longer has a face. Probably an improvement.
* [[Shocker]], completely redesigned. It now looks like a suit of armor crackling with electricity and it no longer crumbles into dust after its first attack. Now confirmed to be an elemental from the Plane of Lightning.
* [[Spanner]], [[Gotcha Monster|an intelligent living stone bridge]] that can talk and likes to gossip. It will drop you if you make it mad or try to cross it without permission. This should be fun for the DM to roleplay.
* [[Stwinger]], a tiny humanoid with short wings whose favorite activity is swinging around using peoples hair or beards until they fall unconscious from the pain of their hair or beards being pulled on. They produce a pheremone that charms victims into letting them do this and even if they fail the stwinger is difficult to attack because of how cute it is.
* [[Sussurus]], now redesigned into a plant monster related to the [[shambling mound]] made of bamboo. The song they produce now affects both the living and the undead.
* [[Slime|Symbiotic jelly]]
* [[Terithran]], now it attacks spellcasters because it likes to eat them, rather than wanting to punish them for disturbing the ethereal plane.
* [[Thunder children]], black humanoids that come out during thunderstorms to feed on people's fear. Their bites inflict electric damage and they can cast several spells, sense fear, and turn into a gaseous form. They like to scare people do death by sneakily doing things to increase the victims fear of the storm. The plane of [[Ravenloft]] is a paradise for them.
* Ice [[Troll]]
* [[Tween]], it now looks like a short ugly humanoid while on the ethereal plane and it can fight with weapons but only against other things on the ethereal plane.
* [[Umpleby]]
* [[Urdunnir]], a relative of the [[dwarf]] that has the ability to pass through stone and can innately cast ''stone shape'' and ''shape metal''. They can kill people by dragging them into stone using their special ability and then leaving them behind.
* [[Volt]]
* [[Xill]]
* [[Xvart]]
* [[Zygraat]], yet another bird monster with extra legs. This one is actually part spider. It can make webs and has a venomous bite.

==3rd Editon==
===Monsters===
Fewer monsters from the two previous folios return. It has way fewer stupid monsters. A lot of the monsters here probably deserved to go in the monster manuals or other books instead and many of the monsters from the previous folios that didn't appear in this book did appear in other books. The Achaierai actually made it into the first [[Monster Manual]] and the artist managed to make it less dumb looking. Especially considering how later 3.x edition Monster Manuals declined in quality, this book probably could've been released as just another Monster Manual. It also contains stats for several obscure extinct animals that existed in real life.
* [[Abrian]], an intelligent bird from the [[Abyss]] that looks like an ostrich with small arms instead of wings.
* Abyssal [[ghoul]], an ghoul from the abyss. Possibly a creation of [[Doresain]]?
* [[Ahuizotl]], a monster from Aztec mythology. It is part dog, part monkey and has a hand on the end of its tail. It lives in water and attacks people to eat their eyes, teeth, and fingernails.
* [[Aoa]], a floating blob of silver liquid. Possibly is the neutral counterpart of the zag-ya and zeg-yi. They reflect energy instead of producing it and are attracted to magic. They are very dangerous to spellcasters and magic items as their touch dispels magic.
** Droplet
** Sphere
* [[Slime|Aquatic ooze]]
** Bloodbloater
** Flotsam ooze
** Reekmurk
* [[Bacchae]], humanoid outsiders that spend all of their time constantly drinking and partying. People who get drawn into the party risk becoming a Bacchae as well.
* [[Bhut]], a hideous incorporeal undead with a poison bite and is able to possess corpses. Except when possessing a body, they have a weakness against anything made of earth or stone.
* [[Blackstone gigant]], a stone construct that looks like a gargantuan woman with eight arms or a [[Marilith]]. Their touch can turn people to stone, and they can temporarily animate their victims into living statues.
* [[Blood hawk]]
* [[Bloodthorn]], an extraplanar plant that drinks blood and lures victims with its sweet smelling berries.
* [[Bonespear]], a giant insect from [[Acheron]] resembling a giant grasshopper with venomous barbed horns. It can fire its horns like harpoons and reel them back in.
* [[Canomorph]], a fiendish hound that has learned to assume humanoid form.
** Haraknin, [[hell hound]] canomorph,
** Shadurakul, [[shadow mastiff]] canomorph
** Vultivor, [[vorr]] canomorph,
* [[Caryatid column]]
* [[Century worm]], a gargantuan worm that tries to swallow everything it encounters whole. Its stomach is filled with baby worms that burrow into those it swallows. They get their name from the fact that it takes 100 years for a baby worm to grow to full size after implanting itself in a body.
* [[Chronotyryn]], a bird with arms and adamantine feathers. They are powerful sorcerers and can stop time. They also have two brains, which lets them do twice as much per round of combat, somehow.
* [[Chwidencha]], a giant spider completely covered in legs, created from a [[Drow]] who seriously angered [[Lolth]].
* [[Crawling Head]], the undead head of a [[Giant]] that crawls around with its intestines and has numerous smaller heads from people it bit off the heads of embedded in it. They can cast a lot of necromancy spells, but are weak to water.
* [[Crypt Thing]]
* [[Dark ones]]
** [[Dark creeper]]
** [[Dark stalker]]
* [[Darkweaver]], an [[Aberration]] from the [[Plane of Shadow]] resembling a spider but with tentacles instead of legs. They have several shadow related powers, including the ability to generate a web of shadow around itself
* [[Death dog]]
* [[Demodand]]
** Farastu
** Kelubar
** Shator
* [[Demon]]
** Alkilith
** Blood fiend, a vampire demon that can turn other evil outsiders into more of itself.
** Klurichir, a demon even worse than a balor.
** Maurezhi, a ghoul like demon that can absorb the traits of what it eats. [[Derp|Wait, didn't this book already have a ghoul demon monster in it?]]
** Myrmyxicuses
** Skulvyn
** Wastrilith
* [[Deva]]
** Monadic deva
** Movanic deva
* [[Devil]]
** Paeliryon
** Xerfilstyxe
* [[Dire rhinoceros]]
* [[Disenchanter]]
* [[Slime|Ethereal ooze]]
* [[Ethergaunt]], aberrations from the ethereal plane resembling emaciated humanoids with their heads protruding from their chest, which they keep covered with a mask. The sight of their unmasked face causes psychological damage. They seek to purge themselves of all emotions and exterminated all creatures that may possibly threaten them. They have two unique weapons. The etherblade is a glaive that can fire shots of force damage, and the doubtbomb, a sphere that releases wisdom damaging gas when broken.
** Black ethergaunt
** Red ethergaunt
** White etherguant
* [[Fensir]] extraplanar giants resembling trolls from [[Ysgard]]. Sunlight causes them to turn to stone.
* Rakka, a transformation that females rakkas may undergo after they have given birth. They grow larger, lose their intelligent and spellcasting, become extremely gluttonous and they usually die in one year. If they are killed they can put a dying curse on their killer that acts as a ''geas'' or ''quest'' spell.
* [[Feytouched]], the child of a half-fey and a humanoid or a giant.
* [[Fhorge]], a monstrous boar that lives in the [[Outlands]].
* [[Flame snake]], intelligent fiery snakes that are often used as guards, varying in size from small to huge.
** Minor flame snake
** Lesser flame snake
** Greater flame snake
* [[Formian]]
** Armadon
** Observer
** Winged warrior
* [[Fossergrim]], a fey similar to a dryad except it is male and is bound to a waterfall instead of a tree.
* [[Gathra]], a half bull half boar creature from [[Baator|Avernus]].
* [[Giant]]
** Bog giant
** Shadow giant
* [[Golem]]
** Blood golem of [[Hextor]],
** Brain golem, created by an [[illithid]] elder brain out of a part of itself.
** Demonflesh golem, the components for making one include fiendish grafts found later in this book.
** Hellfire golem
* Half-[[fey]] Template, a hybrid of a Fey and another creature. The example given is a half-fey centaur.
* Half-[[illithid]] Template, what happens when a non-humanoid creature is put through ceremorphosis. The example giving is a half-illithid lizardfolk.
* Half-[[troll]] Template, somebody, willing or not, mated with a troll and had a baby. The example given is a half-troll [[Baatezu|barbazu]].
* Half-scrag Template, a variant of the half-troll template.
* [[Huecuva]] Template, now a template instead of a monster. The example giving is a 5th level human cleric huecuva.
* [[Hullathoin]], a massive undead reptilian creature that can control other undead as is always surrounded by a swarm of bloodfiend locusts (see below under swarm).
* [[Imp]]
** Bloodbag imp, the medics of hell. Drinking a bloodbag imp's blood heals injuries. They can also cast a curse that makes injuries bleed badly.
** Euphoric imp, living drug dispensers. Their stinger tail delivers a hallucination causing venom, which they themselves are not immune to.
** Filth imp, a disease carrying imp that can release foul smelling gas. They are hated by other devils, so they are often found on the material plane working for thieves guilds. They can speak several languages and have a talent for codes and cyphers, so often work as translators and forgers.
* [[Indricothere]], a huge mammal resembling an elephant and a giraffe that is often used as mounts by giants. In real life, this is a family of extinct animals.
* [[Inevitable]]
** Quarut
** Varakhut
* [[Iron Cobra]]
* [[Ironmaw]], a man eating oak tree.
* [[Jackal Lord]], evil [[Furry|humanoid jackals]] who are clerics of evil gods. They can turn humanoids into regular jackals with their gaze.
* [[Jackalwere]], another evil canine that can assume a [[Furry]] or humanoid form. They can put victims to sleep with their gaze.
* [[Kaorti]], Humanoids that have been warped by the [[Far Realm]]. The material plane is harmful to them if they are unprotected from it. They are slowly trying to take over the material plane and make it more like the far realm. They secret resin which they use to create homes and armor that protect them from the material plane, as well as weapons call ribbon daggers that are very sharp, but also flexible. They can only reproduce by turning humanoids into more kaorti. Subjecting non-humanoids to this process creates kaoti thralls, which are the creature with a modified version of the fiendish template from the [[Monster Manual]] or with the pseudonatural template from [[Tome and Blood]].
* [[Keeper]], strange humanoids whose joints can bend in any direction and have no eyes, which they hide by always wearing goggles. They are completely obsessed with gathering knowledge and secrets, but never share anything they learn with other creatures. They can transform their hands into weapons, spit poison, switch places with other nearby keepers, and share a hivemind with nearby keepers. They melt into puddles of poison if they are killed, and automatically die if they are captured or immobilized for too long.
* [[Kelp angler]], a carnivorous plant resembling a jellyfish made of kelp.
* [[Kelpie]], now it is a fey creature whose natural form is a horse, but can make itself look human.
* [[Khaasta]], Lizard people that work as mercenaries on the outer planes.
* [[Kuldurath]], a beast from the [[Outlands]] resembling a rhino but with longer legs and with sharp teeth and tusks and no horn and can also produce and electric aura. They are used as mounts by Ferrumach Rilmani.
* [[Living holocaust]], No, not [[Nazi|that kind of holocaust]], an evil half fire half air elemental resembling a fire tornado.
* [[Lucent worm]], another gargantuan worm monster. This one is a magical beast instead of a vermin. Its body is transparent and they are very stealthy.
* [[Maelephant]], fiendish humanoid elephants engineered by baatezu and used as guardians. They can breath a gas that causes amnesia.
* [[Maug]], intelligent stone constructs from [[Acheron]] that live for war.
* [[Maulgoth]], an aberration resembling a huge rhinoceros with four tentacles and only a mouth were its head should be. They are partially made of rock and have several druid like abilities and can move through stone as though it were water and their tentacles can send things to the ethereal plane.
* [[Megatherium]], a giant land sloth. An extinct animal in real life.
* [[Mongrelfolk]]
* [[Necrophidius]]
* [[Nerra]], humanoids from the [[Plane of Mirrors]]. They can travel through reflective surfaces and spells bounce off of them, but they are vulnerable to sonic attacks. They wield exotic weapons that appear to be made of glass but are very strong.
** Kalareem, nerra warriors. Unlike other types they do not have the ''change self'' ability.
** Sillit, nerra leaders.
** Varoot, nerra spies.
* [[Octopus tree]], aquatic carnivorous plants with great magical abilities. They can be found rooted near shore, or floating on the surface of the ocean. Their magical abilities mainly involve controlling plants and wood.
* [[Ocularon]], an aberration resembling a floating jellyfish that steals people's eyeballs and uses them as weapons.
* [[Ophidian]], snake people that [[Yuan-ti]] often use as slaves. Their bite turns people into more of them.
* [[Oread]], another fey creature linked to a natural feature. A stony skinned woman that defends mountains from being mined.
* [[Phiuhl]], a strange aberration found on [[Gehenna]] made of poison gas. They might be the spirits of dead elementals.
* [[Planetouched]]
** Maeluth, part dwarf, part devil.
** Mechanatrix, descended from humanoids who bred with the clockwork creatures of [[Mechanus]], somehow.
** Shyft, descended from humanoids who bred with creatures of the Ethereal Plane.
** Wispling, part halfing, part demon.
* [[Quth-Maren]], an undead created by the clerics of [[Kiaransalee]] out of a person whose skin they removed. They have acidic blood they can spit, and they can command other undead creatures.
* [[Rilmani]]
** Aurumach
** Cuprilach
** Ferrumach
* [[Rukanyr]], a powerful aberration made by the Kaorti. They look like giant scorpions wearing armor but with multiple pincers near the back their body instead of their front, three lamprey like mouths on stalks where the pincers should be, a single large eye, and a spiky club instead of a stinger. They have a deafening roar that can inflict sonic damage.
* [[Sarkrith]], large-sized lawful evil lizard people who hate magic.
** Spelleater, the leaders. They can fire rays that dispel magic and spells that fail to beat their magic resistance heal them.
** Thane, the soldiers. They can create antimagic fields around themselves for a short time once per day, and when they take damage from spells or effects that do energy damage, they gain resistance to that type of energy.
* [[Sea drake]], sea serpents that demand payment from any ship that passes through their territory.
* [[Selkie]]
* [[Senmurv]], a lawful good [[Furry|sparkledog]] with bird wings instead of arms.
* [[Shadar-Kai]], the page for details. This book also contains rules for several Shadar-Kai magic items. The gal-ralan is an armband Shadar-kai use to protect themselves from the shadow curse that anchors the soul to their body and enhances saving throws, but also causes constant pain since it stabs the wearer through the arm. The blackstone rune lets you planeshift between the material and shadow planes. Night extract is a liquid that darkens non-magical light around it when spilled.
* [[Shadow asp]], a poisonous snake from the plane of shadow that is often used as a guardian. They can become incorporeal, and their venom causes victims to come back as shadows.
* [[Shedu]], a relative of the [[Lammasu]] resembling a winged bull with the face of a man and a fancy beard and an extra leg between their front legs. They travel between the material, astral, and ethereal planes spreading lawful good.
* [[Skulk]]
* [[Skybleeder]], a huge aberration used as flying mounts by the Kaorti. It resembles a mass of eyes and tentacles with the arms ending in pincers and it is always surrounded by a cloud of mist that rains red acid.
* Mud [[Slaad]]
* [[Slasrath]], a flying worm monster with razor sharp wings. They are used as mounts by [[yugoloth]]s
* [[Spectral lurker]], a huge incorporeal slug-like aberration. It can turn victims it grabs with its tentacles incorporeal as well, then drags them into solid objects and lets go of them so they take damage as they turn corporeal again and get ejected.
* [[Spirit of the Air]], a big monkey with batwings in place of arms. They can wield a mace with their tale, cast several spells and spell-like abilities, and transform into a whirlwind.
* [[Sporebat]], a creatures resembling a big bat with an eye in the middle of its body that can shoot an ''enervation ray'' but is actually a [[fungus]].
* [[Spriggan]]
* [[Steel predator]], a predator from [[Acheron]] that looks like a robotic mix of a cat, a lizard, and a fish. They have a roar that inflicts sonic damage, and they are deaf, but more than make up for it with a great sense of smell and an ability to sense magic items that are made of metal, which they love to eat.
* [[Sunwyrm]], a shining [[dragon]] with brightly glowing wings, eight legs, and a ball of light on the tip of its tail. Their breath weapon is a beam of energy that only harms living things (radiation maybe?), and they can also transform their four front legs and teeth into energy weapons that pass through non-living matter and also change their whole body into an incorporeal form.
* [[Swarm]], any large swarm of monsters treated as one monster.
** Abyssal ant swarm, 8-inch long ants from the lower planes. Unlike other swarms they can be affected by mind affecting spells because the swarm shares a single mind. Their attacks do acid damage and penetrate as if they were +5 weapons.
** Plague ant swarm, ants that spread disease and cause serious bleeding with their attacks.
** Lesser pack [[Cranium Rat]] swarm.
** Average pack [[Cranium Rat]] swarm.
** Greater pack [[Cranium Rat]] swarm.
** Bloodfiend locust swarm, energy draining locusts that reanimate their victims as vampire spawn.
** Rapture locust swarm, flesh eating locusts affect people that see them as the ''hypnotic pattern'' spell and people who they feast on may become enraptured and stand still while they are eaten.
** Scarab beetle swarm, flesh eating scarab beetles that can quickly reduce living things to nothing.
** Viper swarm, a swarm of venomous snakes that shares a single mind.
** Wasp swarm, you know what they are, swarm of [[That Guy|tiny little jerks]].
* [[Swordwraith]] Template, the [[wraith]] of a [[fighter]] who wouldn't stop fighting even in death. The example is a 5th level human fighter.
* [[Terlen]], a shark with extra long fins that allow it to fly. We are doomed.
* [[Terror bird]], a large flightless carnivorous bird. Another extinct animal in real life.
* [[Thunder worm]], a colossal sized incorporeal giant worm that looks like a thunder cloud.
* [[Ti-khana]] Template, a reptilian creature that is part [[Yuan-ti]], giving it a venomous bite and several psionic abilities, including turning into a viper. The example is a ti-khana deinonychus.
* [[Tunnel terror]], [[Gotcha Monster|a huge stony psionic worm with a hollow body that pretends to be the walls of a tunnel to trick prey into walking inside it]]. This book has a lot of giant worm monsters, doesn't it?
* [[Ulgurstasta]], a gargantuan inteligent undead maggot with many eyes created by [[Kyuss]]. Please no more worms! We have enough. Their stomach acid converts people they swallow or vomit on into skeletons, and their bodies are covered in 40-foot long tendrils that block nonmagical ranged weapon attacks and inflict slashing damage to everything around them.
* [[Varrangoin]], skull-faced poison-tailed bat people from the [[Abyss]]
** Acanist varrangoin, the leaders who have the abilities of wizards and are immune to low level spells
** Lesser varrangoin, fighters who bullied by the other types and can have one of four different breathe weapons and explodes when it dies.
** Rager varrangoin, barbarians with a ''dispel magic'' ability and immunity to mind affecting magic and effects.
* [[Vine Horror]], appears to be the equivalent of the algoid from the previous two books. Loses the mind blast ability it had before and can only animate vines.
* [[Vorr]], rat dogs from the [[Abyss]]. Can turn into a living shadow and teleport between shadows.
* [[Wendigo]] Template. The example is a 4th level human sorcerer.
* [[Wicker man]], a huge wooden construct used for capturing human sacrifices which are then burned alive inside of it. They are immune to magic except for a few spells that affect wood. Probably inspired by the movie, The Wicker Wan. This book did come out the same year as the terrible remake.
* [[Yellow Musk Creeper]]
* [[Yellow Musk Zombie]] template, the example is an orc.
* [[Yuan-ti]] Anathema, see page. Also include rules for items used by Anathemas. Blasphemous weapons have evil spirits bound into them and deal damage like an unholy weapon and inflict a ''blasphemy'' effect and also weaken good characters who try to wield them. A serpent symbol is a holy symbol that can cast ''disintegrate'' and ''destruction'', but can only be wielded by a Yuan-ti or someone who can use magic devices. Sickening weapons are unholy weapons that can also weaken good characters on a critical hit. Venomous fire is similar to alchemist's fire that also can do poison damage to what it burns.
* [[Yugoloth]]
** Piscoloth
** Skeroloth
* [[Yurian]], a crab like creature that walks around on two legs like a humanoid.
* [[Zodar]], a strange construct that looks like a suit of metal armor but is actually made of ceramic and muscle tissue. They almost never speak, but when they do everyone can understand them, and they also have an ability that works like the ''wish'' spell they can, but usually don't, use once per year. Nobody knows where they came from, but they sometimes join parties of adventurers.

===[[Prestige Class]]es:===
* [[Fiend of Blasphemy]], an evil outsider that leads a cult of minions who are magically bound to it and gains spells like an evil cleric.
* [[Fiend of Corruption]], an evil outsider who specializes in turning good mortals evil through temptation. They have abilities that let them give rewards to mortals who do evil, such as the fiendish grafts and symbionts later in this book.
* [[Fiend of Possession]], an evil outsider who has learned to possess objects and people.

===Grafts and Symbionts===
Grafts and Symbionts are monstrous body parts that can be attached to creatures. Symbiotes are sentient creatures and have monster stats since they can act as independent beings (except for the fiendish familiar), but also have an ego score like a sentient magic item which may allow them to take control of their host, while grafts don't have monster stats can be created like magic items and function similarly to non-sentient magic items. Creating a graft requires the ''graft flesh'' feat for that type of graft. More grafts appear in other books. [[Lords of Madness]] includes a prestige class that specializes in making grafts and allows access to grafts that normally have race resctions on who can make them. And the book [[Tome and Blood]] includes some prestige classes that get some grafts automatically.

====Grafts====
* [[Aboleth]] grafts. Aboleths apply these grafts to their slaves. They can only be applied to [[Skum]] and creatures transformed by aboleth slime, and the graft will be destroyed if the transformed creature is healed. Includes ''aboleth tentacle'', ''mucus sheathe'', ''Skum eyes'', and ''skum tail''.
* [[Beholder]] grafts. Unlike most other grafts, the feat for making them is not race restricted. Beholder worshipers apply these grafts to themselves. Includes ''crown of eyes'', ''eye stalk'', ''gazing eye'', ''plated skin'', ''replacement eye'', and ''third eye''.
* Fiendish grafts. Given by fiends to mortals. They cause wisdom damage to good creatures and cause non-evil creatures to suffer temptations to do evil acts. Includes ''charming eye'', ''clawed arm'', ''fast leg'', ''fearsome eye'', ''feathered wings'', ''fiendish ear'', ''fiendish jaw'', ''fiendish skin'', ''flexible arm'', ''grappling tentacle'', ''long arm'', ''membranous wings'', ''springing leg'', ''stinging tail'', ''strong leg'', ''trampling leg'', and ''whip tail''.
* [[Illithid]] grafts. Given by illithids to their slaves. They have the drawback weakening resistance to mind effects. Includes ''antennae graft'', ''climbing legs'', ''goring horn'', ''grasping mandibles'', ''hauling back'', ''raking tentacles'', ''rending claw'', and ''weapon graft''.
* [[Maug]] grafts. Spellcasting maugs give them to other maugs. Includes ''locking hand'', ''rollers'', ''shoving arm'', ''shudder plate'', ''spike stones'', and ''stone splitter''.
* [[Undead]] grafts. Unlike most other grafts, the feat for making is not race restricted. Applied by necromancers to the living. Includes ''bonemail'', ''enervating arm'', ''paralyzing arm'', and ''weakening arm''.
* [[Yuan-ti]] grafts. Given by Yuan-ti to their humanoid minions. Includes ''added tail'', ''poison fangs'', ''replacement tail'', ''scaly skin'', and ''serpent arm''.

====Symbionts====
* Cerebral symbionts, symbionts with psionic abilties that may have been created by or have some connection to [[Illithid]]s
** Cerebral hood, a creatures resembling a small [[Cloaker]] with a long spiky tail that engulfs a host's head and sticks its tail down their throat, but allows the host to see by sharing its senses. It feeds on the host's mental energy and allows them to survive without eating or breathing. It has telepathy and it can use a powerful mind blast, but doing so causes intelligence damage to its host which they won't naturally recover from because it is constantly feeding on their intelligence at the same speed it heals.
** Mind leach, a fine sized parasite that burrows into a host and coils around the brainstem. They have several psionic abilities, but the stronger ones cause intelligence damage to their host, though they will eventually recover because it doesn't drain intelligence constantly.
** Psionic sinew, a worm like length of muscle tissue that can be attached to a creature's arm. It enhances the host's strength, protects itself and its host with a psychokinetic field, and can use the ''claws of the bear'' psionic power. They have no attacks without a host and cannot forcefully bond with a host. They cannot communicate with their host but are able to understand spoken commands in Undercommon.
* Fiendish symbionts, like with fiendish grafts, they cause wisdom damage to good characters and can make non-evil character succumb to the temptation to do evil. All of them can communicate telepathically.
** Fiendish familiar, a small, evil-looking face that is grafted somewhere on a host's skin. They are completely helpless and immobile without a host and have no abilities other than acting as a source of magical knowledge and enhancing the spellcasting abilities of their host.
** Gutworm, a worm that you can get infected with by drinking polluted water in the [[abyss]] containing its eggs. It lives in the host's digestive tract and improves the host's constitution, can protect them from poison, and gives the host rage like a barbarian, but also gives penalties to several checks and requires the host to eat extra food and lowers their endurance. It can be killed with a ''remove disease'' spell, but doing so will cause it to damage the host as it dies. Outside of a host it is harmless as it has no attacks and cannot forcefully enter a host.
** Soul tick, a blood drinking tick from [[Baator]]. It empowers death, evil, and negative energy spells cast by the host while impeding good, chaos, and positive energy spells and also can protect the host from chaos and good. It also drains the host's constitution by feeding and can feed faster than the host naturally heals if they choose too.
* Ghostly visage, a incorporeal spirit that can manifest as a face on its host's body, including over their own face, which can paralyze people that look at it with fear. It also protects the host form mind affecting effects.

==5th Edition==
See [[Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio]].

[[Category:Game Books]][[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]