| Game background | |
|---|---|
| Title(s) | King of Hell, Lord of the Ninth, Prince of Nessus |
| Home plane | Baator, the Nine Hells |
| Power level | Greater Deity |
| Alignment | Lawful Evil |
| Portfolio | Sin (all), Tyranny (4th edition) |
| Superior | None |
| Design details | |
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Asmodeus (az-mo-DAY-us, or az-MO-dee-us[1]) is an Arch-Devil: a lord of the game's version of Hell (Baator in 2nd Edition; also in early 3rd edition but increasingly referred to as "the Nine Hells" in 3.5 products). There he is the Overlord of the Dukes of Hell. His symbols include a clawed fist gripping a skull and a ruby-tipped rod.
In the game's in-universe history, Asmodeus retained his position all through the Reckoning of Hell, unlike many of the other arch-devils. Asmodeus is specifically the lord of Nessus, the Ninth Layer of Hell, but he reigns as king over all of Baator.
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Asmodeus is named for the Judeo-Christian demon, Asmodai from the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit and for a fallen angel of the same name who appears in John Milton's "Paradise Lost."[2]
Asmodeus first appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977).[3]
Asmodeus's realm was further detailed in Ed Greenwood's "The Nine Hells Part II" in Dragon #76 (1983).[4]
Asmodeus did not initially appear in 2nd edition, and in the Planescape line the lord of Nessus was unnamed and mostly a secret. Eventually, the Lord of the Ninth was revealed indeed as Asmodeus, in Guide to Hell (1999).[5]
In third edition, Asmodeus appeared along with the other lords of the Nine Hells in the Book of Vile Darkness (2002).[6]
Asmodeus was further detailed in the Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (2006).[7]
Asmodeus appears as one of the gods of evil in the 4th edition Dungeon Masters Guide (2008).[8] His backstory for this edition is expanded in the supplements Manual of the Planes, The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea, and Demonomicon. In this edition his origins are explicitly defined as the leader of an angelic rebellion. His position as King of Hell and the father of Glasya is retained.
Setting-specific versions of Asmodeus are described in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide and the Eberron Campaign Guide. The Realms Asmodeus has only recently been made a full god (the core version has been a god for millennia), having consumed the divine essence of Azuth following the latter's fall into Baator after the death of Mystra. This Asmodeus used his newfound godhood to rip the Abyss and Baator from their positions on the Great Wheel, hurling the former to the bottom of the Elemental Chaos and raising the latter to the Astral Sea (ending the Blood War in the process).[9] The Eberron Asmodeus's godhood is questioned (as he would be the only true god of that setting who actually interacts with his followers), but he is still the undisputed master of the Nine Hells.[10]
Through all four editions of Dungeons & Dragons, Asmodeus is depicted as the strongest, most cunning, and most handsome of all devils. He is typically described as appearing as a giant human, over 13 feet tall, with dark skin and hair, red eyes, handsome features, and small horns on his forehead. He dresses in regal finery of unimaginable expense (the cost is the same a country used on food in a year). Beneath his clothing, Asmodeus' body is covered in bloody wounds which he sustained when he fell from the Upper Planes. His wounds ooze blood daily, and the drops of his blood which touch the ground grow into powerful devils, normally Pit Fiends that are mad with rage and the desire to kill. Blood from these Pit Fiends that hits the ground grows into lesser devils.
Asmodeus is never seen without his Ruby Rod (also referred to as The Rod of the Asmodeus in The Book of Vile Darkness and in Fiendish Codex II), a glowing rod of pure ruby that serves as a badge of office as well as having several powerful offensive and defensive powers. The Rod allows Asmodeus to attack with elemental forces, force his enemies to cower in fear, or cover himself with a field which heals and protects him. It is also a powerful melee weapon that causes great harm to those struck by it or who touch it against Asmodeus's will. In the default 4th edition setting, the Ruby Rod is a fragment of the shard of pure evil that created the Abyss, but this origin is not suggested in earlier editions.
Like the other Archdevils of Baator, Asmodeus has the ability to cast many spells at will, and is nearly impossible to hurt without the use of very powerful holy magic weapons. Asmodeus's Ruby Rod allows him to use several powerful offensive and defensive spells at will. In addition, Asmodeus has the power to alter the form of lesser devils, including the other lords of Baator. He transformed Mammon into a humanoid/serpent hybrid, and cursed Baalzebul with the form of a gigantic slug with tiny, useless arms. As the master of Hell, all of Baator's legions are his to command (including the other Archdevils themselves), which he may summon at will, normally including his favored Nessian Warhounds. One of his most potent abilities is his Aura of Submission, forcing creatures within 30 ft. to make a save or be dominated.
Asmodeus's mind itself is as deadly a weapon. He's an Archdevil, and is therefore extremely intelligent. He is a patient and cunning schemer. A tribute to his power and intelligence is the fact that he has always been able to maintain his rule over Baator and the entire race of devils. The Manual of the Planes states that there have been numerous attempts by his subordinates to overthrow him but none has ever succeeded. The various sourcebooks give many examples of Asmodeus forcing his opponents (as often the forces of good as his own subjects) into submission by outsmarting them in some way without him actually having to make a move against them.
In Dragon # 28, the article "The Politics of Hell" by Alexander von Thorn details the history and politics of Hell in the AD&D universe. This gives a different history to that detailed below, and includes statistics for Satan, Belial and Astaroth. Satan is more powerful than any other Devil, but lacks support, having been exiled from hell by Beelzebub following a revolution. Beelzebub (meaning Lord of the Arch Devils) was later himself overthrown by Asmodeus and is forever after known as Baalzebul (Lord of the Flies, with "flies" meaning "little devils" in this context).
In the Book of Vile Darkness, it is stated that while Asmodeus is the oldest devil in the Nine Hells, he may not be the original ruler. However, the origin myth which appears in Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells contradicts this. Some myths even state that he is the original source of evil in all of the multiverse. Though it is important to remember the books specifically states this story is a myth and its accuracy is unverified, as such from an in-game point-of-view different regions and kingdoms could have different stories in relation to Asmodeus.
According to the Codex, Asmodeus began as a servant of the lawful gods. Asmodeus is described in some versions of the myth as an "angel" (though this is self-contradictory given the time period this would have occurred during). He was "the bravest, toughest, fiercest and most beautiful of angels." He and the other angels were created to fight the demons of the Abyss, so that the gods could concern themselves with creating worlds and sentient beings.
After eons of fighting the creatures from the abyss, Asmodeus and some of his fellows began to change. They grew similar in appearance and methods to the demons which they fought. Afraid of his power and of the changes he had undergone, the gods put Asmodeus on trial and demanded that he be cast out of the Upper Planes. However, he argued effectively (and correctly) that he and his fellows had not violated the law. Asmodeus and his followers successfully sued for access to the Upper Planes and the honors to which they were entitled.
Once the gods created worlds and sentient beings, the demons attacked these, too. The gods created mountains, oceans, and wastelands to seal up the gates to the Abyss, but their creations defied their orders and explored their worlds, accidentally unsealing the gates. The gods could not understand why their creations did not follow their instructions, until Asmodeus explained to them that their system did not work because it relied solely upon voluntary compliance. Asmodeus explained that the only way to ensure obedience was to threaten mortals with a disincentive; hence, Asmodeus invented the concept of punishment.
Asmodeus convinced the gods to sign a contract called the Pact Primeval. This contract allowed Asmodeus and his fellow devils to take up residence in the abandoned realm of Baator, to punish the souls of wicked mortals, and to extract magical energy from the souls under their care in order to fuel their powers. Otherwise, Asmodeus reasoned, they would have to be granted the powers of godhood in order to do their job, which the current gods would surely find unacceptable.
In the myth that Asmodeus created Baator (from the Codex) it states that Asmodeus tortured souls in a far off section of the upper planes and that when their screams filled heaven the gods once again tried to remove Asmodeus from the upper planes, but by the Pact Primeval Asmodeus was allowed to torture the souls in heaven. Asmodeus offered the gods an alternative; give him the power to create his own plane of existence from which to torture the souls that broke heavenly law. The gods agreed and Asmodeus and his devils left and created the Nine Layers of Hell.
In both myths, the gods found the arrangement agreeable, at first. However, they eventually realized that fewer and fewer mortal souls were ascending to the Upper Planes, and Asmodeus was deliberately tempting mortals to damnation. When they arrived in Baator, the gods found that Asmodeus had turned it into a nightmarish world of endless suffering, filled with countless new devils. When called to account for his actions, Asmodeus uttered the famous words, "Read the fine print."
This story is presented as mythology, and the Codex itself admits that it does not tell the whole truth. For example, it is known that Asmodeus did not depart from the Upper Planes under amicable circumstances: He was cast out, and literally fell into the Lower Planes, sustaining serious wounds which have never healed. Part of Asmodeus' long-term plans includes using the magical energy harvested from souls in order to heal his wounds, and ultimately, the complete destruction of the Upper Planes, as well as to one day achieve godhood.
The names of the "gods" involved seem to change depending on what world and source the myth is told on, and some aspects and versions of the origin myth contradict others. For example, the version told in the Fiendish Codex II states that St. Cuthbert became a distinct deity when he agreed with Asmodeus that "Retribution is the basis of all law," while the Deities & Demigods sourcebook states that he is a mortal who ascended to godhood.
The Manual of the Planes suggests a similar but different story. According to the section about the Nine Hells, Asmodeus' true form is that of a giant serpent. He was cast out of the Upper Planes before the creation of the current gods, and his fall created the 8th and 9th planes of Hell. He is currently still recovering from his wounds in the pits of the 9th level, and his devil form is just an avatar of the real Asmodeus. No one who tells the story of the true form of Asmodeus survives more than 24 hours after the telling. These stories are always connected with the name Ahriman of couatl history.
This story first appeared in the old AD&D supplement guide to hell: Asmodeus is described as Ahriman, the twin brother of Jazirian the god of the couatls. In this story Jazirian and Ahriman were responsible for the establishment of the current arrangement of the planes but fought eventually because of their perspectives of the law (LG versus LE). Asmodeus is said to be a greater power without any need of worship in the guide. As the Forgotten Realms supplement Serpent Kingdoms, as well as the 2e supplement Monster Mythology, tells Jazirian is/was the lawful good aspect of the now-dead overpower the World Serpent, Asmodeus should be the lawful evil one. This interpretation puts Asmodeus as a more supreme evil than other equally official D&D canon, as he was in this material set up as the co-equal first cause of creation and the evil principle therein, rather than a reactionary segment and of evils potentially interpreted as lesser evil due to being meant to combat the demons of the abyss only having gone overboard, as in subsequent explanations of his origin.
In Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells, Asmodeus is described as one of the primal forces of evil in the D&D universe, and had a hand in creating Baator in order to punish sinners for their crimes. After being granted the power to do so, Asmodeus and his followers began consuming souls for power. Despite the horror of the good gods who'd established the Hells as a punishment, they didn't also expect its existence to help fuel evil in the world. As the devils consumed the essences of souls, they began to mutate into the devils that now populate the D&D universe.[7]
Elder Evils names the original ruler of Hell as Zargon, a creature originally described in Dungeon Module B4: The Lost City, by Tom Moldvay.[11]
The core setting of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition offers yet another origin for Asmodeus, identifying him as a former angel in service to a god only known as He Who Was. Asmodeus, as one of the greatest of the angels, was entrusted with leading angelic hosts in battle against the enemies of the gods. Though he served He Who Was loyally, Asmodeus believed that his deific master was far too forgiving and unwilling to use force. After the conflict, which came to be known as the Dawn War, Asmodeus was assigned to guard the entrance to the prison of the god Tharizdun which was located in the Abyss. The demon lord Pazuzu appeared to Asmodeus, as detailed in Demonomicon, and encouraged the angel to act on his thoughts of rebellion against He Who Was. Asmodeus returned to Baathion, the realm of He Who Was, gathered those angels who would join his side, and instigated a rebellion that ended with his former master's death. With his last moments of life, He Who Was cursed Asmodeus and all the angels who had followed him. The angels were transformed into the first devils, and the beautiful astral dominion of Baathion was transformed into a prison realm known as the Nine Hells of Baator. Asmodeus assumed the divine might of the fallen deity and became a god himself, albeit one trapped inside his own dominion.
The following beings are among the most notable subjects of Asmodeus on Nessus. The forces at their disposal are listed, where appropriate:
Asmodeus is devoted to oppression and might through subversive action. He imposes strict rules and harsh punishments on his followers. The cult of Asmodeus urges its adherents to seek power over others, to repay evil with further evil (an eye for an eye), to exploit kindness for personal gain, and to show no compassion for the weak and downtrodden. All done in the most legal possible manner of course, and never overtly.
Typical rhetoric from worshippers of Asmodeus will discuss "promoting personal excellence and independence," "taking care of one's own affairs" and "ridding oneself of weakness". Sometimes one will hear of "ascending to godhood", or "no gods, no masters". When harming innocents, their actions are discussed as "providing motivation to succeed". Most often, ritual practices are deeply secretive and not publicly discussed. Most followers will not publicly admit their worship of Asmodeus, as that would compromise their potential bargaining position for greater power over non-followers.
Though Asmodeus's faith is by far the largest of the diabolic cults, few of Asmodeus' followers are known by name. A notable exception is Christophe Jean Markosian, "The Devil Behind Thrones," a hierarch of the Horned Society. Most of Asmodeus's worshippers are based in the towns and cities of humans and demihumans, though Asmodeus has some monstrous followers as well. His cultists use his faith as a stepping stone to wealth and power. They form secret alliances, using their wealth and connections to bring status and power to other members of the society.
The favored weapon of Asmodeus's clerics is the heavy mace.
In most lands, temples to Asmodeus are hidden subterranean complexes, though in places dominated by lawful evil, they may dominate the landscape. If a cult of Baalzebul overthrows the local government, cultists of Asmodeus typically assume control of their headquarters to bring the local diabolism into its "establishment phase."
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