Orcus

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Orcus
Mace with human a skull as its head, or a goat's head with ram's horns
Alignment	Chaotic Evil
Divine Rank	Demon Prince, Eternal Immortal
Pantheon	Demonic, Manifest, Mystaran
Portfolio	Undeath
Domains	3E: Chaos, Death, Demonic, Evil, Undeath
Home Plane	Thanatos (Abyss)
Worshippers	Denizens of Xaphan, Necromancers, Undead
Favoured Weapon	Wand of Orcus, Orcusword

Orcus as he appears in 5e.

Orcus is the Demon Lord of the 113th Layer of the Abyss, known as The Belly of Death. He has been called the Prince of the Undead, and is infamous for sitting on his throne (clutching his terrible rod) while minions, cultists, and lesser agents do his bidding.

In all of Orcus's incarnations, it/he/whatever appears as the goat-headed, cloven-hooved monster from medieval depictions of The Devil, and wields a rod or mace dubbed "the Wand of Orcus," and has a fascination with or domain over the undead. He has been featured as the BBEG of multiple adventures, campaigns, and campaign settings, most prominently in Forgotten Realms via Dead Gods and least prominently in Ghostwalk, where he plots to kill all ghosts and living beings in the setting. Most of the time, he spends the entire campaign sitting on his throne in the Abyss, while the players work their way through the machinations of his minions and worshippers. Whenever he does something awesomely evil, it happens off-screen. Once, he even showed up to warn the player characters from looting his stuff before returning to The Abyss, preferring to leave a verbal smackdown rather than get his hands dirty. This would lead to his death.

The only D&D edition that didn't have Orcus was AD&D 2nd Ed, mostly because of a certain someone who wanted to get rid of anything un-Christian and anything else she didn't like about D&D (which was anything that wasn't her beloved Buck Rogers... I wish I was joking). Orcus did come back in 2E with Planescape supplement as the secret BBEG behind the Dead Gods adventure plotline.

The following is copypasta:

3.5E Orcus

The massive, bloated demon stands 15 feet tall, his immense frame a hideous combination of muscle and bloated flesh. Its head is that of a ram with a great maw filled with tusks, and its thick-furred legs end in cloven hooves. Leathery wings and a barb-tipped tail complete the picture of the archetypal demon.

Orcus, Prince of the Undead [CR 22] CE Large outsider (chaotic, evil, extraplanar, tanar’ri)

Init+10 ; Senses darkvision 60 ft., true seeing; Listen +34, Spot +34

Languages Abyssal, Common; telepathy 300 ft.

AC 48, touch 20, flat-footed 42 (–1 size, +6 Dex, +28 natural, +5 deflection)

hp 455 (26 HD); DR 20/cold iron and good

Immunities: ability drain, critical hits, death effects, electricity, energy drain, mind-affecting spells and abilities, negative energy, paralysis, poison, sneak attacks

Resistances: acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR35

Saves: Fort+28 , Ref+21, Will+20

Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 40 ft. (average)

Melee: Wand of Orcus +44/+39/+34/+29 (2d6+18/19–20 plus 2d6 unholy plus 2d6 chaotic plus death) and claw +35 (1d6+6) and gore +35 (1d8+6) and sting +35 (1d6+6 plus poison)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Base Atk+26 ; Grp+ 42

Special Actions summon tanar’ri, summon undead

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th): At will: astral projection, command undead (DC 18), desecrate, detect good, detect law, enervation(+31 ranged touch), greater dispel magic, greater teleport, telekinesis (DC 19), unhallow, unholy blight (DC 18); 3/day: quickened enervation (+31 ranged touch), finger of death (DC 23), symbol of death (DC 24); 1/day: wail of the banshee (DC 25)

Abilities: Str 35, Dex 23, Con 37, Int 27, Wis 20, Cha 19

Special Qualities: tanar’ri traits (see Fiendish Codex I, page 28)

Feats: Dark Speech*, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Hover, Improved Critical (heavy mace), Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (enervation), Spell Focus (necromancy), Weapon Focus (heavy mace)

Skills: Bluff +33, Climb +41, Concentration +42, Craft (alchemy) +37, Diplomacy +8, Escape Artist +35, Forgery +37, Intimidate +35, Knowledge (arcana) +37, Knowledge (religion) +37, Knowledge (the planes) +37, Listen +34, Search +37, Sense Motive +34, Spellcraft +39, Spot +34, Use Magic Device +33

4E Avatar of Orcus

Aspect of Orcus - Level 24 Elite Brute

Large elemental humanoid (demon)

Initiative +15 Perception +21 (darkvision)

Aura: Lesser Aura of Death (Necrotic) aura 10 inflicts necrotic 5

HP 560; AC 37; Fortitude 39, Reflex 35, Will 36

Immune: disease, poison

Resists: 20 necrotic, 10 variable (may change 3/encounter as minor action)

Saving Throws +2

Speed 6, fly 8 (clumsy)

Action Points 1

Melee attack(default): Skull Mace (standard; at-will) (Necrotic, Weapon) Reach 2; +27 vs. AC; 2d10 + 5 damage, and the target is weakened (save ends).

Melee attack: Tail Lash (immediate reaction, when an enemy moves or shifts into a square adjacent to the aspect of Orcus; at-will) +27 vs. AC; 2d6 + 10 damage, and the target is knocked prone.

Close Burst: Necrotic Burst (standard; at-will) (Necrotic) Close burst 3; targets enemies; +23 vs. Fortitude; 1d10 + 5 necrotic damage.

Alignment Chaotic evil Languages Abyssal, Common

Skills Arcana +23, History +23, Intimidate +24, Religion +23

Str 30 (+22) Dex 17 (+15) Wis 19 (+16) Con 30 (+22) Int 22 (+18) Cha 25 (+19)

5E Orcus

Huge fiend (demon), chaotic evil

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)

Hit Points 405 (30d12+210)

Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft.

Str 27 (+8) Dex 14 (+2) Con 25 (+7) Int 20 (+5) Wis 20 (+5) Cha 25 (+7)

Saving Throws Dex +10, Con +15, Wis +13

Skills Arcana +12, Perception +12

Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning

Damage Immunities necrotic, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing that is nonmagical

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned

Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.

Challenge 26 (90,000 XP)

Wand of Orcus. The wand has 7 charges, and any of its properties that require a saving throw have a save DC of 18. While holding it, Orcus can use an action to cast animate dead, blight, or speak with dead. Alternatively, he can expend or 1 or more of the wand's charges to cast one of the following spells from it: circle of death (1 charge), finger of death (1 charge), or power word kill (2 charges). The wand regains 1d4 + 3 charges daily at dawn. While holding the wand, Orcus gains +3 AC and can use an action to conjure undead creatures whose combined average hit points don't exceed 500, These undead magically rise up from the ground or otherwise form in unoccupied spaces within 300 feet of Orcus and obey his commands until they are destroyed or until he dismisses them as an action. Once this property of the wand is used, the property can't be used again until the next dawn.

Innate Spellcasting. Orcus's spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 23, +15 to hit with spell attacks). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components. At will: chill touch (17th level), detect magic. 3/day each: create undead, dispel magic. 1/day: time stop.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Orcus fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Magic Resistance. Orcus has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Magic Weapon. Orcus's weapon attacks are magical.

Master of Undeath. When Orcus casts animate dead or create undead, he chooses the level at which the spell is cast, and the creatures created by the spells remain under his control indefinitely. Additionally, he can cast create undead even when it isn't night.

Multiattack. Orcus makes two Wand of Orcus attacks.

Wand of Orcus. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage plus 13 (2d12) necrotic damage.

Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d8 + 8) piercing damage plus 18 (4d8) poison damage.

Legendary Actions. Orcus can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Orcus regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.

Tail. Orcus makes one tail attack.

A Taste of Undeath. Orcus casts chill touch (17th level).

Creeping Death (Costs 2 Actions). Orcus chooses a point on the ground that he can see within 100 feet of him. A cylinder of swirling necrotic energy 60 feet tall and with a 10-foot radius rises from that point and lasts until the end of Orcus's next turn. Creatures in that area are vulnerable to necrotic damage.

SPOILERS

Although we said above that Orcus didn't appear in AD&D, that's not entirely true. A shadowy undead god of death and darkness named Tenebrous is eventually revealed as being Orcus, existing as a demon-wraith after being destroyed and losing his coveted Wand, but gaining control of "The Last Word", a sort of uber-tier Power Word: Kill that can slay even deities. Tenebrous causes all kinds of shit looking for that Wand so he can become Orcus again without losing his divinity in the process, including murdering Primus and disguising himself as him in order to seize control of the Modron race and being responsible for the events of The Great Modron March. He eventually finds it and abandons them, murdering a couple of other minor demihuman deities before getting his ass whupped by adventurers in the adventure Dead Gods.

This doesn't put Orcus down forever, and his worshipers eventually resurrect him by the time of 3rd edition. However, Tenebrous ends up becoming "the ghost of a ghost of a demon prince", turning into a Vestige that can be called upon by Binders and, in 4e, Vestige Pact Warlocks.