Demons And Devils: A Guide To 'Dungeons & Dragons' Fiends
A collage of Demons, Devils and Daemons from Dungeons and Dragons
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In the outer planes of the Dungeons and Dragons cosmos, there exists beings of pure evil. Those who seek to conquer the world, and destroy it. These creatures are collectively known as Fiends, and are well known to the player base. They are the Demon, Devils and other related creatures. Many readers come here asking a couple of questions, namely, “what’s the difference between them”, and “how do they fit into the classic alignment chart?” These will be answered as we explore the outer planes and those who inhabit them, and discuss the nature of their evil one step at a time.
The first fiends we will be talking about are the demons. Demons are chaotic evil, and dwell with the Infinite Layers of the Abyss, a chaotic realm of seemingly limitless layers slapped together. They are being of destruction, and only respond to one authority, raw strength. There are three types of Demon, the Tanar’ri, the classic demons most players think about, Obrythis, eldritch beings who predated the Tanar’ri, and the Loumara, immaterial beings that possessed people to spread evil. The main goal of the demons was to destroy the cosmos and/or turn it into something more like the abyss.
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A collage of Demons vs. Devils
Image Source: Youtube
In the Nine Hells of Baator, you can find the devils. The classic depiction of evil beings who tempt mortals, the devils were lawful evil and had a strict hierarchy. Most devils are the Baatezu race, though there were a few types who didn’t belong as Baatezu, such as hell cats, chain devils and Kalabons. Unlike Demons, who usually sprang from the abyss, devils used mortal souls to create more devils. The devil army sought to bring their own order to the cosmos, “saving” it from other threats such as the demons, though the universe would not see it that way.
Those are not the only fiends. In the Blood Rift between Baator and the Abyss, you can find the Yugoloths, or Daemons. The yugoloths embody neutral evil, not as chaotic as demons, nor as orderly as Devils, but something in between. Mercenary by nature, the Yugoloths are motivated purely by self-interest, and are known for their deception. They have castes and forms akin to the devils, but with little of the complexity, simply being a straightforward path to higher ranks. The Yugoloths play everyone off each other in their webs of intrigue, including other fiends and even themselves.
An army of demons vs. devils
Image Source: Tv Tropes
As you can probably guess, Fiends don’t tend to get along. The Blood War is (or at least was) a major part of the lower planes for centuries. Demons fight against Devils, with the Yugoloths playing both sides. The Demons had the numeric advantage, but the Devils could command armies better. This conflict often spills into the other planes, with mortals and celestials alike often caught in the crossfire. It is likely that such a conflict will never end, though there have been some moments where the fighting ceased, if only for a little while.
On top of the food chain lies the Archfiends. These individuals stand above their peers as the most powerful fiends in the lower planes. The demons are ruled by the Demon Princes, the most powerful demons around. There is no one ruler, but the Demogorgon comes closest as the most powerful of the Demon Princes. A two headed demonic baboon, he stands as one of the most iconic villains in the game, and has even been referenced in other media. Other famous demon princes include Orcus, Baphomet, Juiblex and Graz'zt, among others. The chaotic nature of demons meant the Princes rarely got along, which is good for mortals.
A meeting between Demon Princes
Image Source: Forgotten Realms Wiki
Among the devils, the Archdevils reign supreme. The Duke and Archdukes of Hell, they stand above the rest as the rulers of them all, and rule over the nine circles of Baator. The ruler of Baator and all Devils is Asmodeus, Lord of the Ninth and King of the Hells, a god in his own right. He oversees the entire devilish hierarchy with an iron fist of course. Other prominent Archdevils include Zariel, Mephistopheles and Dispater, among others. The Dukes and Archdukes have a clear hierarchy, but infighting and scheming is very much common among them.
The Lord of the Nine
Image Source: Forgotten Realm Wiki
The Yugoloths have much less defined archfiends. The greater Yugloths and the Yugoloth Lords served this purpose, but not much is known about them. They are the Ultraloths, visionaries who guide the Yugoloths, Altraloths, those enhanced by the Night Hags to lead their kind, the Baernoloths, who may have created the yugoloths but kept to themselves, and the Oinoloth, the nominal leader of Yugoloth kind who played everyone against each other, because that’s what Yugloths do best. One notable figure among the Yugoloths was the General of Gehenna, an enigmatic figure whose true nature was unknown, but revered by all as a demigod among them.
The presence of demons has been part of Dungeons and Dragons for years, which even caused the game some controversy back in the day. They have evolved over the years, and it would likely take a whole day to go over everything. For now, this is a good starting point for aspiring players interested in the fiends.
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