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.

There are currently three known subtypes of demon:

Contents

1 Obyrith
2 Tanar'ri
3 Loumara
4 Other demons
5 See also
6 References

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, Ugudenk, Bechard, and Areex and Cabiri (both imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness). Asima and numerous other obyrith lords whose names were lost to time have been destroyed.

Known types of obyrith include the ekolid and sibriex.

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, armanite, arrow demon, babau, balor, bar-lgura, bulezau, cambion, cerebrilith, chasme, dretch, glabrezu, goristro, hezrou, jarilith, jovoc, kelvezu, klurichir, mane, marilith, maurezhi, molydeus, myrmyxicus, nabassu, nalfeshnee, palrethee, rutterkin, sorrowsworn, succubus, uridezu, and vrock.

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 the dybbuk and guecubu.

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, artaaglith, bebelith, blood fiend, broodswarm, ghour, lilitu, quasit, retriever, shadow demon, skulvyn, wastrilith, yochlol, and zovvut.

References

Bonny, Ed, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Skip Williams, and Steve Winter. Monster Manual II (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).
Jacobs, James, Erik Mona, and Ed Stark. [[Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss]] (Wizards of the Coast, 2006).