Demon (Dungeons & Dragons)

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In the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, demons are the most widespread race of fiends. The demons are chaotic evil by nature, and are native to the Abyss. Demons have no true rulers, though powerful demon lords are able to gain enough power and influence to gain control over sizeable armies of demonic creatures.

In First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, some types of demons were not given species names, but were rather referred to as "Type I" through "Type VI" demons. In subsequent editions, Types I-VI were instead known as Vrocks, Hezrou, Glabrezu, Nalfeshnee, Mariliths, and Balors, respectively. Some of these names were originally given in the First Edition Monster Manual as example names of specific demons of that type, so (for instance) Marilith was the originally the name of an individual Type V demon.

There are currently three known subtypes of demon:

Contents

[edit] Obyrith

The obyriths are so ancient that they predate mortal life, and even the gods. They rarely have a humanoid shape, and some say that just looking at an obyrith can drive a mortal insane. Some obyrith lords have evolved over time to take on more recognizable shapes, such as Pazuzu or Pale Night. Other known obyrith demon lords include Obox-ob, Dagon, the Queen of Chaos, the Malgoth, Ugudenk, Bechard, Vroth-Khun, Ubothar, and Cabiri (imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness). Asima and numerous other obyrith lords whose names were lost to time have been destroyed.

[edit] Tanar'ri

The tanar'ri are a race of numerous demons originally created by the obyriths as slaves. The tanar'ri eventually revolted against the obyriths, killing most of them, and taking over as the dominant race of demons on the Abyss. Most known demon lords are tanar'ri, with the exceptions being listed above.

The tanar'ri are essentially classic demons; those that arose as a result of faith and humanity. They're reflections of cruelty and evil and sin, and usually have a basic humanoid shape, although there are several exceptions.

There are many known types of tanar'ri, including: Alkilith, alu-fiend, anzu, armanite, arrow demon, babau, balor, bar-lgura, bulezau, cambion, cerebrilith, chasme, dretch, glabrezu, goristro, hezrou, jarilith, jovoc, kastighur, kelvezu, klurichir, mane, marilith, maurezhi, molydeus, myrmyxicus, nabassu, nalfeshnee, orlath, palrethee, rutterkin, skurchur, sorrowsworn, succubus, turagathshnee, uridezu, vathugu, and vrock.

[edit] Loumara

The loumara are a relatively new demonic race, much younger than the tanar'ri. They are still centuries old, but this is still recent in a place like the Abyss where time doesn't mean the same thing as it does on the Material Plane. As a result, no loumara have become powerful enough to be recognized and famous as a demon lord.

Loumara are usually immaterial or invisible demons that are more like ghosts or undead than demons. All loumara can possess living creatures.

Known types of loumara include:

Dybbuks resemble a jellyfish with a simply sketched human face. Dybbuks can possess and control dead bodies, so they spent a lot of time looking for a good body to animate. After taking the control of a body, dybbuks try to insert themselves in the society of the victim, pursuing their plans or, more probably, looking for a better body. Dybbuks are lonely creatures and they can be found in group only where they can find a lot of corpse to possess, such as on a battlefield.

Guecubus resemble a mass of vapor. Guecubus can possess and control the body of any sleeping humanoid. Once taken the control, they try to spread death and murder. They believe that through killing other beings they could fulfill their aims. Guecubus rarely form groups with other guecubus, since everyone believe to be the real manifestation of the Abyss. However a lot of them could be found on the Dreaming Gulf (230th layer of the Abyss), where they are created from the raw chaos of the Abyss.

[edit] Other demons

Not all known demons fit into one of the above races. Such non-typed demons include:

Abyssal drake, abyssal eviscerator, abyssal maw, abyssal ravager, abyssal skulker, ankashar, artaaglith, bebelith, blood fiend, broodswarm, deathdrinker, ghour, lilitu, nashrou, quasit, retriever, shadow demon, skulvyn, soul demon, wastrilith, whisper demon, yochlol, and zovvut.

Elemental demons also exist, beings spawned from the broken souls of Blood War casualties and resembling the elemental material that spawned them. Known types include: air, ash, earth, fire, ice, and water.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Cordell, Bruce R (2004). Expanded Psionics Handbook. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, Inc. ISBN 0-7869-3301-1
  • Jacobs, James. "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Baphomet." Dragon #341 (Paizo Publishing, 2006).
    • Jacobs, James. "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Dagon." Dragon #349 (Paizo Publishing, 2006).
    • Jacobs, James. "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Fraz-Urb’luu." Dragon #333 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
    • Jacobs, James. "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Kostchtchie." Dragon #345 (Paizo Publishing, 2006).
    • Jacobs, James. "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Pazuzu." Dragon #329 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
    • Jacobs, James. "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Zuggtmoy." Dragon #337 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
  • Jacobs, James, Erik Mona, and Ed Stark. Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (Wizards of the Coast, 2006).
  • Kestrel, Gwendolyn F.M. Monster Manual IV (Wizards of the Coast, 2006).
  • Marmell, Ari. "The Ebon Maw: Beware the Waking Hunger." Dragon #312 (Paizo Publishing), 2003.
  • McArtor, Mike, ed. Dragon Compendium, Volume 1 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
  • Smith, Lester W, and Wolfgang Baur. Planes of Chaos (TSR, 1994).
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