16:00 I wish they put lots more of these story-developments hints in rpgs, as opposed to giving tons of detailed rules. I don't think most DMs have a problem cooking up detailed rules, but most (yes, most) lack the kind of attention to storytelling that makes encounters more than just fights
Iv fallen asleep to these playlist so many times I get stoked when I find one I haven't liked because I know I found one that played while I was sleeping
As a DM, I have only ever run pre-fabricated adventures. What I learn watching your channel is that every single one of the encounters that exist in those adventures could/should potentially be the end of the game. There’s some rando bearded devil that’s found in an unholy temple? That being is on a very specific job, and has a whole history and ambitions, and yet is as capable as a lawyer of defining the boundaries of their contract, and is possibly relieved to be hanging out in such a quiet place! S’great stuff. You rule from on high.
3:30 haha, I imagine the devil in the center of the top row sounding like Ringo Starr for some reason😋 - I know you don't personally like Critical Role, but they had a pretty cool arc where they had to go to Dis to permanently kill a Rakshasa that had a vendetta against one of the characters. It was funny to see the looks on all their faces when it came back a second time because they're all relatively new to D&D lore
A lot of the lore here was on display in various Forgotten Realms chapter books. For example, the erinyes that was demoted to a succubus was one of the antagonists of the first Brimstone Angel book. She was the mother and leader of the most elite force of Erinyes Enforcers. Invadiah i think her name was, mother of Lorcan ( the warlock patron mentioned in the phb)
So, we begin our first steps into Baator. Barbed Devils are honestly one of my favorite Devils to use, albeit ones that I don't always use to their maximum potential.
Do you think you'll have time to cover the steel devils (Bueroza)? They have a very odd appearance compared to their vile superiors and their combat abilities are spectacular. A squad or even a platoon of Bueroza will send chills down the spines of an adventuring party when they begin to fathom the extent of their dreadful power.
Experimentalist's Ideas: Ovitorium Implant. Graft an ovitorium into trusted employees(if space is needed, replace the appendix or a kidney) to allow them to revive as a Devil when killed, prolonging their usefulness. Notes: Troll Blood Extract can expedite the transformation process if used to form a pseudo-amniotic sac around the ovitorium. Slaadi Gems may be need to be implanted in the Ovitorium in some cases to ensure obedience post transformation. Demonic Ichor can expedite the transformation process, but can result in mutations and disobedience. Use only when completely necessary. Teiflings are oddly resistant to the process and their bodies will simply absorbe the Ovitorium in most cases, while Aasimar have a high risk death due to rejecting the graft.
do bearded devils pls: my favorite beards: scorpion tails snakes hedhog spikes luminescend jellyfish tentacles razor wire and the best, a bunch of crimson red baby arms holding tiny poisoned knives
Gack, the only example of promotions and demotions in actual play. Gack (true name in my notes) was a wrapped up figure they spotted in a githyanki village guarding a POI. Then they were surprised to see them in another area's sewers working alongside other fiendish agents- now fully in their Kyton chain devil form. They were defeated (by an unexpectedly demonic themed character no less) and then that same player ran into them again on their next character's last scene before leaving the campaign (another demonic character). Doug, the Jackalwere warlock, was challenged to a duel by the returned Gack- now a barbed devil, which it saw as a demotion. Gack brandished a Nine-Lives-Stealer and lit a circle of fire about themself and their opponent, cutting off the bystanding other player character in the scene. Gack's Nine-Lives-Stealer against Doug's Silver Greatsword +3. It was a harsh and short fight, but Gack lost his blade (I was THIS close to landing that deathblow!) and was destroyed a second time, sent back to Avernus. With this video I feel encouraged to treat Gack's fate as a promotion through the complex machinations underlying the devils' roles in the story. I'm thinking about doing more with Gack when the party finds a certain Bearded Devil or even near the higher tiers of gameplay as a greater devil beyond their original kyton form. Would fit the theme of fantastical transformations for those in league with its commander..
@@AJPickett Thank you! I think I should make a blog post and homebrewery stat bloc for him as a mid-high tier roaming planescape badass Warlock. He's possibly the only jackalwere PC in recorded dnd history, he is a blade pact Fiend-lock with a two handed +3 silver githyanki greatsword, a Nine Lives Stealer longsword, and a +2 gnome crafted (rolled in the dmg for everything on this, was in a dragon's hoard) shield if I recall it correctly. The party had no use for them and they all went to Doug (pronounced dog) just before he left the campaign. He has a wonderful backstory wih a good balance of detail and vagueness that DM's could use well to drive their tone and he's a Warlock of a demonic power (is CE, but was Neutral) so he could be anywhere doing anything at any time. He has access to a couple planar portals and in my mind would be out there forever doing labors for his hated patron. I would love for somewhere out there to be games where young planar adventurers would skim along the astral to see Doug the jackalock and his unreasonable amount of firepower and demon summoning potential out on some errand. Honestly he works great at a ton of cr ranges. Level 10 warlock of the fiend jackalwere cr 5-8 or cr 10-14, lich-level spellcasting melee powerhouse 17-21 cr, and as a junior demon lord kind of like a smaller yeenoghu mixed with the low stature of Raxivort but reluctant like a death-knight. *He would have a sick visual novel.. Gack would make a hell of a villain..* Shit I'm actually goin to ask Marcus if I can write up his story and start blogging it. >innocent origins, dark backstory, elevation to warlock, time spent with an adventuring party, duel with a devil rival character, doomed solo attempt to fight their patron alone, and then planar adventures where he bullies epic tier planescape characters with his two actually-terrifying invocation boosted pact blades while running endless tasks as he seeks to discover the nature of his true patron and attempt to circumvent their power before they lose their sense of the material world they left behind and time becomes meaningless and his quest of freedom becomes a dour quest of vengeance........ But also DOOOO Kytons actually experience promotions and demotions? How would one perceive a shift from 5e chain devil to barbed devil? And what end-game pit fiend level devils would a kyton see as their future?
One of the things that I really miss from the older editions is more stable rules for advancing monsters. Things like more powerful versions of basic monsters like the Barbed Devils and the like. One other thing with the Barbed Devil is that they're high enough for higher ranked devils to listen to what they say and low enough that being summoned isn't something that would irritate them like the higher ranked ones seem to view it. They're workable as agents for working with even Good aligned parties because they're smart enough to know that being a "monster" isn't acceptable, and a barbed devil trading information with the upper planes about demonic actions is a thing they'd excel at. Sending them after the cults on the material plane while they work in the hells to stop a potential incursion there
So, some Erinnis can bear new life, and maybe angels, demons and aberrations can morph eggs like devils do. Your player that wanted his character to have Baatorian+Abyssal+Angelic+Aberrant descent was right :D
People find it pretty fascinating... yet the real questions to ask are.. How did the eight other planes get attached to Avernus, and if they are infinite planes.. the nine hells is actually nine dimensions of existence and the mapped/known bits are just TINY parts of the true extent of them. So... just what is hidden on each of these dimensions that is so important it was necessary to REMOVE WHOLE DIMENSIONS from the prime material plane and drag them into the hereafter?
@@AJPickett The concept "this is not meant for mortals to know" probably come into play but imagine that thinking not meant for mere immortas to know. On the other hand there could be concepts that mortals are perfectly fine with while it scare immortals. The dragon rend shout in Skyrim for instance is used to sow fear into immortal dragons that cannot comprehend the concept of finality.
The Nine Hells really does sound like working at the worst company ever. You prostrate your very soul/essence just to get ahead.....and if you get demoted or “fired”(pun intended), you literally get torn down.
It is hell, of course it is bad. Something I love about D&D is that its afterlives are not designed, the hells are horrible not for karmic justice but because you have to spend eternity with people like yourself.
Also I would like your take on the Erinye as you could probably guess fiends of the lower planes are a big part of my campaign also Sigil and the lady of pain
I remember running one these guys for my Christmas Game, he was basically the Grinch but a white dragon riding prison warden who the players escaped by riding a flying sleigh up the layers of the nine hells.
Thank you for remaking your devil videos. Devils are my favorite monster to run and I hope you redo all your devil videos. I love your channel and your work and I appreciate all your knowledge and work.
I agree , some of the older videos are more difficult to watch due to the sound quality but all in all they are chalk full of great info and can’t wait to keep myself busy during this whole lockdown , cheers mate
Will you be expanding on your half fiends as well in the near future? I hope to see a video on the Durzagon. I loved the artwork they had for it in the 3rd edition Monstrous Compendium.
My players are currently holding a auction in Sigil for the Infinity Spindle and I'm wondering who do you think has the biggest bargaining power between Asmodeus and Primus of Baator and Mechanus respectively
3D6=grenade?? Wow, I would've figured more than that. Or at least having a +6 or something depending on range from the blast... I wonder what a nuke would be? Or a Goku?
I'm not a chemist, but I'm sure it could be throwing burning handfuls of chemicals that give off a poisonous gas? Or handfuls of magnesium flakes to blind a target in melee range?
I was about to go to sleep after my first really successful use of new software (problems, don't ask). I saw an AJ sage video. Mandatory watching! Ah... Barbed Devils. To my shame, I under-used these devils because I considered them boring bureaucrats who gleefully get their hands dirty when they MUST fight. Also, in my campaigns, for extra-planar creatures (2nd Ed rules) who Gate in support, I still do that. I Heroes' Quest (a fantasy board game I use when presenting an attitude in comparison) nothing and stick with the core focus of the original AD&D lore. You f^ck with an extra-planar being, you also face the threat of facing their extra-planar help that they command (or compel). The Gating is a great way to (in battle) physically show their command (and-or compulsion) positions. Pick a fight with a eons-old genius beastie that can gate in help? Not a bad counter-point to any players who would challenge such an enemy who probably have their version(s) of that. Also, zero respect for anyone who boasts about defeating any enemy who once had the ability to gate such help but in the modern versions cannot.
"Barbed devils are only CR 5...", yup and the kobolds that are my go-to for TPK's are only CR 1/8. One of my favorite uses of barbed devils was a "needful things" type tea shop where the proprietor was a disguised barbed devil and the 4 servers were imps disguised as gnomes. Remember, undercover demons (Edit: oops, that's supposed to be devils) make respectable citizens - they don't break the law, and understand that the appearance of goodness grants vast opportunities for corruption.
@@DetectiveBarricade That could make a fun B or C plot - a devil & a paladin trying to convert each other. The devil thinking he's manipulating the paladin into taking out his rivals, While the paladin keeps trying to show the devil the "right" way to uphold the law.
I wonder what the bureaucracy of Hell looks like. In my mind, it's like when Yusuke Urameshi went to Koenma's palace across the river Styx, ogres and tieflings running to and fro with large stacks of paper, all of them high on adrenaline and/or caffeine.
Or fear of pain and demotion... I kind of imagine it more like the buerocracy in Futurama that Hermes was a part of. Hellishly convoluted and unnecisary, but brutally strict. At least parts of it, anyway. Like the record keeping parts. Laws for the sake of having laws.
If your bluff is high enough I wonder if claiming to know the location of a demon would work to distract them Would the truth of knowing where demons are distract them from whatever they are doing, too?
@@AJPickett Or it might be excruciatingly painful. For the player character exposed for lying, or for the unfortunate lesser devil inevitably blamed and subsequently demoted for the distraction? Who says those are necessarily mutually exclusive?
I doubt it. Any significant incursion would probably already be known about (they're not exactly stealthy), and besides that the demons are endless. Not as valuable as the soul they're trying to trick or coerce you out of, not as likely to help their career.
@Ian Robertson Oh, they are. They're dirty, disgusting, despicable, filthy, immoral beasts, who only survived on this planet as long as they have because predators know they taste terrible. And I mean that. Especially in most recent years.
I imagine in my games that the Archduke Levistus prison is actually a humongous floating iceberg in the sea hollowed out to be a Palace of sorts and he is under house arrest what is your ideas for his ice prison
You could almost think about it like the real life armed forces. In in the United States Marine corps if an eagle scout joins their one rank higher automatically after boot camp If you get enough people to join with you you can actually gain another rank automatically as well but the limit is two ranks, maybe it's similar for devils there might be a limit to how powerful you can be before you have to prove yourself in Hell's army in courts before you can actually be promoted to the truly high ranking positions
@Ian Robertson as a GM and player i'm fully aware that the Dungeon master has the final say in all, but something about finding lawful legitimazation for multiplanar progression brings me unequal satisfaction,like an itch that was properly scratched,in short i crave the multiplaner lore friendly answer for things
@@sithis36 i assumed so too,but the decent of avernus featured a man named Thavius Kreeg, who got promoted to an amnizu! For relatively no grinding up the ladder so its a curious query for me to satiate
That's what I'm thinking of the predator the species itself just one just think everybody just think that predator he could have been maybe a captain or elder brother or general but he could be his age could be 300 or 400 years old maybe 500.
It is a shame that Pathfinder exploited the fun idea of Hama-tsulu (a martial art based on how these devils fight, and not a typographical error at all.)
What is the name for the creature that is created when a lesser deity or demigod breaks their portfolio? I know it's not happened that many times but I know that there's an Abomination that they become I just can't remember the name of it they're basically if a good aligned God of lesser power somehow Falls to corruption and acts in a way that would compromise its portfolio They're not any kind of Undead they become a twisted semblance of their former selves a almost mindless abomination
Random question: Are Succubus/Incubus devils or demons? Ps. Scratch that. Don't know why I didn't check TH-cam first. You've done a video on Succubi already. I'll go watch that😋 Pps. You also answered the question later in this video. Should have waited🤣
The devils make so much more sense than the demons, but have a less horrific style which is the lame part. For all the demons' purported chaos and craziness, blah blah blah, they're awfullt structured and relatable. The devils, even though they lack the cool tentacle factor, sure have their act together. AJ, can you do an update sometime on what the state of the devil/demon situation is now? Asmodeus is a god right? If the blood war is over, what's everyone up to then?
I am not an expert on DND, but from what I know the demons make a very effective infestation, even if they are terrible as an army. All demons are at least somewhat self sufficient in order to live in the abyss where infrastructure is non-existent. Thus destroying the command chain which none of the demons where obeying or eliminating the non-existent supply lines will not eliminate the demonic presence, but merely scatter it making them harder to eliminate. If the region becomes untenable for these monsters they will simply move on to spread chaos elsewhere. If any of them were easy to hunt down and eliminate then other demons would have dealt with them before they got to the field, and even in small numbers they represent a constant and ongoing threat to everyone in the region. As an army they suck, but removing them from a region where they have become established, preventing demons in a region from causing damaged, and, most importantly, preventing there spread is an epic undertaking.
I'd swear I've heard on several channels that with Asmodeus ascending (wasn't he always a god, half of some cosmic serpent who fell and is covered in sores...) the war of over. I'll have to dig up AJ's video alluding to that. Whether one side legit won and the other lost is one of the things I'm curious about. I definitely could be wrong, but the Nessus and Asmodeus videos need a rewatching or sure.
@@AJPickett Oh no no no you don't. You're not getting off that easily! I can't be the only dude out there who'd love to see one of your great videos on where everything's at. Seriously, thanks for the info and you're great content. Keep it up man.
@@LAYOTAM444 that has lots of consequences on tactics ! Devil's should do constant incursions rather than waiting on the front, but that means being in enemy territory and a place seething wirh chaos. Who knows if after a few incursions in the abyss a devil gets infected by chaos
@@mrl9418 thats exactly the thing, from what i understood, these consequences are correct: devils sometimes go to the forefront of a battle zone and attack demons, for example a material plane threatened to be attacked by demonlords or other extra planar threat, not to mention incursions to the abyss did happen or assumed at least to happen if an objective of importance is to be secured.
I was just wondering, if you haven’t already, (I couldn’t find it) could you do a video on Baalzebul? He’s been mentioned in a number of videos, but doesn’t have one of his own. To me he is the coolest Devil. I only play 1st edition, so I am not up on his newer history. Thanks
Woah Woah woah, wait.....Predator fought a pirate captain to the death and AFTERWARDS the dead pirate captain "gave" predator a flintlock as a "gift"??? Something doesnt add up right there.
So in the movie when the guy kills the Predator, there's a BUNCH of other Predators around. And thinking over the story, what Predator would give back a flintlock pistol if there was never another Predator to receive it? The first one is dead. Which means to me, the Pirate's fight with the Predator was spectated by more Predators
@@tannerrobinson3952 kinda. What happened in the comic was that the predator was hunting this badass pirate, like the preds hunt the people in the movies. As he hunted the pirate, he became impressed with his skill, and decided to duel him instead of just killing him. However, when the Predator was about to challenge the pirate, the pirates crew mutinied. The Predator and the Pirate fought against the crew together, killing all except one hiding in the trees. The pirate and the predator faced off, ready to begin their duel, and the pirate was shot in the back by the last dude hiding in the trees. The Predator took the flintlock as a sign or respect for the Pirate, since he was honorable and skilled enough to accept the duel, but never got to fight. It's absolutely ridiculous but it was a good comic when I was young lol
@@NSG0079 kind of. They never got to fight, since the pirates crew mutinied and shot him in the back as they faced off in a duel. Which is why the pred in the movie have the flintlock back to the humans as a sign of respect.
@@FireHawkISA well, shit man. I just saw this 2 years later when someone liked my comment. I never knew there was a comic. And the very idea that the predator respected a pirate so much that the predator fought WITH them is fucking insane. But the outcome of the story is sad altogether. However, leave it to a pirate to sully an honorary duel
As a binge watcher trying to listen to everything you've ever created... Is there any way you could organize your playlists better? Break them up, alphabetize them, something like that?
How many magic items can a cr 5 creature accumulate even over 1000 years when it looses all of them every time it dies? It’s certainly not gonna get its hands on any artifacts. And higher ranking devils will probably take magic items from them as well. Their ability to get magic items at its maximum might be similar to what a party gets if they just kept playing at level 3. A LOT of uncommons probably too much to carry. A rare or 2, a very rare very unlikely, but possible. And then it dies on the material plane and rejuvenates and all the items are GONE, and if they get anything more powerful than that it will be confiscated by higher ranking devils or sold for favors to get them closer to promotion. A barbed devil would have treasures: the amount of treasure you expect an intelligent Cr 5 creature to have, the lawful nature of the devils and the lose of magic items on prime material planes more than makes up for the treasure accumulation of immortality.
Not necessarily. There are millions (probably,we really don't know the real number and it doesn't matter anyway)of barbed devils, there are bound to be some that never lost their stuff. While like you wrote they can't easily accumulate magic items, they can however swap or sell them for better ones. They have all the time in the world. So no artifacts of course, they're lesser devils, but probably better gear than you would suspect. Greater devils will take the very rare stuff, but they are lesser in number than lesser devils, there are a statistically significant number of hamatula that got to keep some juicy items simply because they never get caught having them. What I'm saying is: while the vast majority of barbed devils have only common/uncommon items, the fact a few of them have the occasional "good stuff" is within reason. Scare your PCs with unexpectedly prepared devils, it's fun
You seem to be suffering from a misunderstanding. The devils lose the items because they cannot take any items they hold on their person with them to hell when they die as their form more often than not is a sort of magical projection. How about items they hid? Or stuff they pick up from the other outer planes, which it is possible to find them on? See what I mean. Sure, they lose what they decided to have on their person when banished...but that is the extent of it.
Demoting an Erinye into a succubus does seem to make sense... to be honest succubus being seen as demons has never made sense to me, sure they are evil creatures, but they don't seem to be chaotic, and their appearance doesn't make sense in the realm of demons.
@@AJPickett googled anything related to "devil talisman", "devil resurrection", "devil phylactery" etc. checked the 5e and 3.5e monster manuals, Forgotten Realms wiki and Volo's Guide to Monsters' section on the blood war.
@@AJPickett Well now you're starting to change my mind a little. If those teeth and appendages grow in the right places it could be a net positive. There is no net positive to turning into a lemure.
Thank you for continuing to keep us all updated with monster lores love these videos
You are most welcome Brooke!
16:00 I wish they put lots more of these story-developments hints in rpgs, as opposed to giving tons of detailed rules. I don't think most DMs have a problem cooking up detailed rules, but most (yes, most) lack the kind of attention to storytelling that makes encounters more than just fights
Iv fallen asleep to these playlist so many times I get stoked when I find one I haven't liked because I know I found one that played while I was sleeping
Ahh yes, the bearded devil, nemesis of the mustached demon.
Hahaha roflcopter :)
Fools, everyone knows the most powerful of devils rock the goatee. Hail sata-Asmodeus!
Just woke up here in good ol Kansas, great way to start the day
I'm using devils and demons in my campaign right now. Thank you for the insight.
Hell of a theme you've got going
Thanks for all the videos, haven't commented on any videos really but your the best! Thank you for all the work!
Thank you!
Most interesting and fascinating lore video! Thank you AJ appreciate it! 🧙🏼♂️
As a DM, I have only ever run pre-fabricated adventures. What I learn watching your channel is that every single one of the encounters that exist in those adventures could/should potentially be the end of the game. There’s some rando bearded devil that’s found in an unholy temple? That being is on a very specific job, and has a whole history and ambitions, and yet is as capable as a lawyer of defining the boundaries of their contract, and is possibly relieved to be hanging out in such a quiet place! S’great stuff. You rule from on high.
Totally agree with the CR point.
I hate when people interpret CR power as the level of political, social, and economic power a monster has.
Not gonna lie, think I've become addicted to the channel now, started binging on this series of the Nine Hells. Awesome job AJ!
Thanks James!
This is my favorite channel on TH-cam, my background in zoology and love for d&d makes this the perfect storm for me, thank you for all you do!
I'll keep doing it if people keep watching it :)
3:30 haha, I imagine the devil in the center of the top row sounding like Ringo Starr for some reason😋
- I know you don't personally like Critical Role, but they had a pretty cool arc where they had to go to Dis to permanently kill a Rakshasa that had a vendetta against one of the characters. It was funny to see the looks on all their faces when it came back a second time because they're all relatively new to D&D lore
It's not that I don't like Critical Role, its just I don't have the time to enjoy their games.
@@AJPickett That makes sense. It usually takes me a few days to watch a single session
Abigor heartily approves of this video.
🧙♂️
Glorious. I always appreciated 3.5 for the attention they gave devils and demons.
A lot of the lore here was on display in various Forgotten Realms chapter books. For example, the erinyes that was demoted to a succubus was one of the antagonists of the first Brimstone Angel book. She was the mother and leader of the most elite force of Erinyes Enforcers. Invadiah i think her name was, mother of Lorcan ( the warlock patron mentioned in the phb)
I have waiting this one for a long time I find devils very interesting lawful evil is such a neat concept thank you
So, we begin our first steps into Baator.
Barbed Devils are honestly one of my favorite Devils to use, albeit ones that I don't always use to their maximum potential.
Do you think you'll have time to cover the steel devils (Bueroza)? They have a very odd appearance compared to their vile superiors and their combat abilities are spectacular. A squad or even a platoon of Bueroza will send chills down the spines of an adventuring party when they begin to fathom the extent of their dreadful power.
Absolutely.
HEAVY METAL DEVILS!
Experimentalist's Ideas: Ovitorium Implant. Graft an ovitorium into trusted employees(if space is needed, replace the appendix or a kidney) to allow them to revive as a Devil when killed, prolonging their usefulness.
Notes:
Troll Blood Extract can expedite the transformation process if used to form a pseudo-amniotic sac around the ovitorium.
Slaadi Gems may be need to be implanted in the Ovitorium in some cases to ensure obedience post transformation.
Demonic Ichor can expedite the transformation process, but can result in mutations and disobedience. Use only when completely necessary.
Teiflings are oddly resistant to the process and their bodies will simply absorbe the Ovitorium in most cases, while Aasimar have a high risk death due to rejecting the graft.
do bearded devils pls:
my favorite beards:
scorpion tails
snakes
hedhog spikes
luminescend jellyfish tentacles
razor wire
and the best,
a bunch of crimson red baby arms holding tiny poisoned knives
If the whole devil hierarchy system isn't based on a corporate ladder, I'll swallow my dice....
Gack, the only example of promotions and demotions in actual play. Gack (true name in my notes) was a wrapped up figure they spotted in a githyanki village guarding a POI. Then they were surprised to see them in another area's sewers working alongside other fiendish agents- now fully in their Kyton chain devil form. They were defeated (by an unexpectedly demonic themed character no less) and then that same player ran into them again on their next character's last scene before leaving the campaign (another demonic character). Doug, the Jackalwere warlock, was challenged to a duel by the returned Gack- now a barbed devil, which it saw as a demotion. Gack brandished a Nine-Lives-Stealer and lit a circle of fire about themself and their opponent, cutting off the bystanding other player character in the scene.
Gack's Nine-Lives-Stealer against Doug's Silver Greatsword +3. It was a harsh and short fight, but Gack lost his blade (I was THIS close to landing that deathblow!) and was destroyed a second time, sent back to Avernus. With this video I feel encouraged to treat Gack's fate as a promotion through the complex machinations underlying the devils' roles in the story. I'm thinking about doing more with Gack when the party finds a certain Bearded Devil or even near the higher tiers of gameplay as a greater devil beyond their original kyton form. Would fit the theme of fantastical transformations for those in league with its commander..
Excellent!
@@AJPickett Thank you! I think I should make a blog post and homebrewery stat bloc for him as a mid-high tier roaming planescape badass Warlock.
He's possibly the only jackalwere PC in recorded dnd history, he is a blade pact Fiend-lock with a two handed +3 silver githyanki greatsword, a Nine Lives Stealer longsword, and a +2 gnome crafted (rolled in the dmg for everything on this, was in a dragon's hoard) shield if I recall it correctly. The party had no use for them and they all went to Doug (pronounced dog) just before he left the campaign.
He has a wonderful backstory wih a good balance of detail and vagueness that DM's could use well to drive their tone and he's a Warlock of a demonic power (is CE, but was Neutral) so he could be anywhere doing anything at any time. He has access to a couple planar portals and in my mind would be out there forever doing labors for his hated patron. I would love for somewhere out there to be games where young planar adventurers would skim along the astral to see Doug the jackalock and his unreasonable amount of firepower and demon summoning potential out on some errand. Honestly he works great at a ton of cr ranges.
Level 10 warlock of the fiend jackalwere cr 5-8 or cr 10-14, lich-level spellcasting melee powerhouse 17-21 cr, and as a junior demon lord kind of like a smaller yeenoghu mixed with the low stature of Raxivort but reluctant like a death-knight.
*He would have a sick visual novel.. Gack would make a hell of a villain..*
Shit I'm actually goin to ask Marcus if I can write up his story and start blogging it. >innocent origins, dark backstory, elevation to warlock, time spent with an adventuring party, duel with a devil rival character, doomed solo attempt to fight their patron alone, and then planar adventures where he bullies epic tier planescape characters with his two actually-terrifying invocation boosted pact blades while running endless tasks as he seeks to discover the nature of his true patron and attempt to circumvent their power before they lose their sense of the material world they left behind and time becomes meaningless and his quest of freedom becomes a dour quest of vengeance........
But also DOOOO Kytons actually experience promotions and demotions? How would one perceive a shift from 5e chain devil to barbed devil? And what end-game pit fiend level devils would a kyton see as their future?
One of the things that I really miss from the older editions is more stable rules for advancing monsters. Things like more powerful versions of basic monsters like the Barbed Devils and the like.
One other thing with the Barbed Devil is that they're high enough for higher ranked devils to listen to what they say and low enough that being summoned isn't something that would irritate them like the higher ranked ones seem to view it. They're workable as agents for working with even Good aligned parties because they're smart enough to know that being a "monster" isn't acceptable, and a barbed devil trading information with the upper planes about demonic actions is a thing they'd excel at. Sending them after the cults on the material plane while they work in the hells to stop a potential incursion there
100% agree.
So, some Erinnis can bear new life, and maybe angels, demons and aberrations can morph eggs like devils do. Your player that wanted his character to have Baatorian+Abyssal+Angelic+Aberrant descent was right :D
Family gatherings must be interesting.
@@michaelpettersson4919 when they do a family gatherings they open a front in the Blood War
People find it pretty fascinating... yet the real questions to ask are.. How did the eight other planes get attached to Avernus, and if they are infinite planes.. the nine hells is actually nine dimensions of existence and the mapped/known bits are just TINY parts of the true extent of them. So... just what is hidden on each of these dimensions that is so important it was necessary to REMOVE WHOLE DIMENSIONS from the prime material plane and drag them into the hereafter?
@@AJPickett The concept "this is not meant for mortals to know" probably come into play but imagine that thinking not meant for mere immortas to know. On the other hand there could be concepts that mortals are perfectly fine with while it scare immortals. The dragon rend shout in Skyrim for instance is used to sow fear into immortal dragons that cannot comprehend the concept of finality.
@@michaelpettersson4919 this is an interesting twist to the concept
The Nine Hells really does sound like working at the worst company ever. You prostrate your very soul/essence just to get ahead.....and if you get demoted or “fired”(pun intended), you literally get torn down.
Well it is hell, it's not supposed to be nice. 😄
It is hell, of course it is bad.
Something I love about D&D is that its afterlives are not designed, the hells are horrible not for karmic justice but because you have to spend eternity with people like yourself.
Hm just imagined a covered ops elite barbed devils squad, fully equiped with magical equip and with different specialties and 'personalities'.
Also I would like your take on the Erinye as you could probably guess fiends of the lower planes are a big part of my campaign also Sigil and the lady of pain
I remember running one these guys for my Christmas Game, he was basically the Grinch but a white dragon riding prison warden who the players escaped by riding a flying sleigh up the layers of the nine hells.
Thank you for remaking your devil videos. Devils are my favorite monster to run and I hope you redo all your devil videos. I love your channel and your work and I appreciate all your knowledge and work.
I agree , some of the older videos are more difficult to watch due to the sound quality but all in all they are chalk full of great info and can’t wait to keep myself busy during this whole lockdown , cheers mate
The best part of waking up is AJ and my cup....of coffee lol
Would absolutely love an updated video on red dragons if you ever find it worthwhile. Cheers for the great content!
Coming soon!
It think one of these were in forgotten realms the godborn novel or maybe it was spine devil's or neither either way book was good
I believe it was a bone devil that the spellscarred turned into. Godborn was a great book, the scene with the pregnant woman was brutal.
Will you be expanding on your half fiends as well in the near future? I hope to see a video on the Durzagon. I loved the artwork they had for it in the 3rd edition Monstrous Compendium.
I may do. There are a lot of devils to cover.
For when you order your devil with extra spikes.
@19:00
That beautiful line from Raistlin. "It is always winter in my vision. Always night."
More hell videos pls. I played a fiendlock to 20+ and I need all these for my DM
"Barbed devils have no lore, so here's a bunch of stuff around that topic"
Creepy and Cool! 👍
Thank you dude
Thank you for the inspiration
My players are currently holding a auction in Sigil for the Infinity Spindle and I'm wondering who do you think has the biggest bargaining power between Asmodeus and Primus of Baator and Mechanus respectively
Asmodeus.
3D6=grenade?? Wow, I would've figured more than that. Or at least having a +6 or something depending on range from the blast... I wonder what a nuke would be? Or a Goku?
Well, ok a grenade in 5th edition does 5d6 piercing damage (you get a DC 15 dex save for half), but for just pure fire? Its decent.
I'm not a chemist, but I'm sure it could be throwing burning handfuls of chemicals that give off a poisonous gas? Or handfuls of magnesium flakes to blind a target in melee range?
@@Zasek2112 they hurl it a huge distance... Physics has little to do with it.
With the devils, violence is diplomacy
I was about to go to sleep after my first really successful use of new software (problems, don't ask). I saw an AJ sage video. Mandatory watching!
Ah... Barbed Devils. To my shame, I under-used these devils because I considered them boring bureaucrats who gleefully get their hands dirty when they MUST fight. Also, in my campaigns, for extra-planar creatures (2nd Ed rules) who Gate in support, I still do that. I Heroes' Quest (a fantasy board game I use when presenting an attitude in comparison) nothing and stick with the core focus of the original AD&D lore. You f^ck with an extra-planar being, you also face the threat of facing their extra-planar help that they command (or compel). The Gating is a great way to (in battle) physically show their command (and-or compulsion) positions.
Pick a fight with a eons-old genius beastie that can gate in help? Not a bad counter-point to any players who would challenge such an enemy who probably have their version(s) of that. Also, zero respect for anyone who boasts about defeating any enemy who once had the ability to gate such help but in the modern versions cannot.
"Barbed devils are only CR 5...", yup and the kobolds that are my go-to for TPK's are only CR 1/8.
One of my favorite uses of barbed devils was a "needful things" type tea shop where the proprietor was a disguised barbed devil and the 4 servers were imps disguised as gnomes. Remember, undercover demons (Edit: oops, that's supposed to be devils) make respectable citizens - they don't break the law, and understand that the appearance of goodness grants vast opportunities for corruption.
You mean undercover devils. Demons would be terrible at trying to remain undercover. Too chaotic & blood-thisty
@@jaymevosburgh3660 You are correct, and I freudian slipped, thank you.
I can imagine them acting offended and deeply wounded if, say, a paladin were to uncover the truth. All the while trying to slowly corrupt them.
@@DetectiveBarricade That could make a fun B or C plot - a devil & a paladin trying to convert each other. The devil thinking he's manipulating the paladin into taking out his rivals, While the paladin keeps trying to show the devil the "right" way to uphold the law.
I wonder what the bureaucracy of Hell looks like. In my mind, it's like when Yusuke Urameshi went to Koenma's palace across the river Styx, ogres and tieflings running to and fro with large stacks of paper, all of them high on adrenaline and/or caffeine.
Or fear of pain and demotion... I kind of imagine it more like the buerocracy in Futurama that Hermes was a part of. Hellishly convoluted and unnecisary, but brutally strict. At least parts of it, anyway. Like the record keeping parts. Laws for the sake of having laws.
That single downvote from demoted Baatezu?
If your bluff is high enough I wonder if claiming to know the location of a demon would work to distract them Would the truth of knowing where demons are distract them from whatever they are doing, too?
It can't hurt to try.
@@AJPickett Or it might be excruciatingly painful.
For the player character exposed for lying, or for the unfortunate lesser devil inevitably blamed and subsequently demoted for the distraction?
Who says those are necessarily mutually exclusive?
I doubt it. Any significant incursion would probably already be known about (they're not exactly stealthy), and besides that the demons are endless. Not as valuable as the soul they're trying to trick or coerce you out of, not as likely to help their career.
Eating a fiend away from it's home plane will make it unable to reform. Chances are only a fiendish stomach can stomach such a foul feast
Can you please do one about Merragons, and i mean that as how they are in 4th and 3rd edition since 5e masacred my boy
You know I look at all editions and attempt to present a cohesive ecology, so, be prepared for 4th edition lore being sidelined quite often.
Sweet wakey wakey to dnd😀
20:20 Well, vivisection might work, but anyone willing to do that to sapient being (or even animals, IMOHO) is already going to Hell.
Then the Devil might let them do it.
@Ian Robertson Oh, they are.
They're dirty, disgusting, despicable, filthy, immoral beasts, who only survived on this planet as long as they have because predators know they taste terrible.
And I mean that. Especially in most recent years.
Good video AJ
Fantastic. Will there be a Gelugon video at some point?
Absolutely, the ice devils are super important to the Nine Hells.
Trying the bell clicky thing for the first time. The Algorithm is more Lovecraftian than devilish I'm afraid.
Not by much
I imagine in my games that the Archduke Levistus prison is actually a humongous floating iceberg in the sea hollowed out to be a Palace of sorts and he is under house arrest what is your ideas for his ice prison
So who is this Veli Nyström? Seem to a talanted artist. And Swedish with that family name.
www.artstation.com/vablo
@@AJPickett thanks.
I gotta ask, is it possible for a high cleric of asmodeus to get "promoted" to a greater devil? Or even a pit fiend?
The process also includes their mortal death.
You could almost think about it like the real life armed forces. In in the United States Marine corps if an eagle scout joins their one rank higher automatically after boot camp If you get enough people to join with you you can actually gain another rank automatically as well but the limit is two ranks, maybe it's similar for devils there might be a limit to how powerful you can be before you have to prove yourself in Hell's army in courts before you can actually be promoted to the truly high ranking positions
@@AJPickett so that is a yes? Excellent! Thank you!
@Ian Robertson as a GM and player i'm fully aware that the Dungeon master has the final say in all, but something about finding lawful legitimazation for multiplanar progression brings me unequal satisfaction,like an itch that was properly scratched,in short i crave the multiplaner lore friendly answer for things
@@sithis36 i assumed so too,but the decent of avernus featured a man named Thavius Kreeg, who got promoted to an amnizu! For relatively no grinding up the ladder so its a curious query for me to satiate
Learning the lore makes the game mean so much more. Thank you for all your hard work and everything you do
Baator; Like prison, but with better politics.
Does a barbed devil’s spines have any properties? Can it be used as a form of ammunition?
Not officially as far as I know.
That's what I'm thinking of the predator the species itself just one just think everybody just think that predator he could have been maybe a captain or elder brother or general but he could be his age could be 300 or 400 years old maybe 500.
It is a shame that Pathfinder exploited the fun idea of Hama-tsulu (a martial art based on how these devils fight, and not a typographical error at all.)
Do you mind explaining why it is a shame?
@@garryame4008 We won’t see it in 5e. At least not officially. Plagiarism and such.
I'd like to know as well
What is the name for the creature that is created when a lesser deity or demigod breaks their portfolio?
I know it's not happened that many times but I know that there's an Abomination that they become
I just can't remember the name of it they're basically if a good aligned God of lesser power somehow Falls to corruption and acts in a way that would compromise its portfolio
They're not any kind of Undead they become a twisted semblance of their former selves a almost mindless abomination
Hmmm, I will have to look that up.
Awesome!
Random question: Are Succubus/Incubus devils or demons?
Ps. Scratch that. Don't know why I didn't check TH-cam first. You've done a video on Succubi already. I'll go watch that😋
Pps. You also answered the question later in this video. Should have waited🤣
Demons I believe but individuals sometimes choose to serve the other side.
@@michaelpettersson4919 They are infernal swingers, they bat for both sides, and neither.
Hey AJ
Great video!
Do you sell the mood, weather, directional dice in your merch store or do I have to go somewhere else?
I designed them but they are manufactured by the Bescon dice company who sells individual sets via Amazon.
Oh boy it's devil time!
Yay!
Thanks AJ.
Great video, thanks for all the research.... I'm now inspired to send my friends to hell.
Is green steel still a thing in 5e?
...I miss planescape
There is no reason not to include it.
The devils make so much more sense than the demons, but have a less horrific style which is the lame part. For all the demons' purported chaos and craziness, blah blah blah, they're awfullt structured and relatable. The devils, even though they lack the cool tentacle factor, sure have their act together.
AJ, can you do an update sometime on what the state of the devil/demon situation is now? Asmodeus is a god right? If the blood war is over, what's everyone up to then?
I am not an expert on DND, but from what I know the demons make a very effective infestation, even if they are terrible as an army. All demons are at least somewhat self sufficient in order to live in the abyss where infrastructure is non-existent. Thus destroying the command chain which none of the demons where obeying or eliminating the non-existent supply lines will not eliminate the demonic presence, but merely scatter it making them harder to eliminate. If the region becomes untenable for these monsters they will simply move on to spread chaos elsewhere. If any of them were easy to hunt down and eliminate then other demons would have dealt with them before they got to the field, and even in small numbers they represent a constant and ongoing threat to everyone in the region. As an army they suck, but removing them from a region where they have become established, preventing demons in a region from causing damaged, and, most importantly, preventing there spread is an epic undertaking.
I'd swear I've heard on several channels that with Asmodeus ascending (wasn't he always a god, half of some cosmic serpent who fell and is covered in sores...) the war of over. I'll have to dig up AJ's video alluding to that. Whether one side legit won and the other lost is one of the things I'm curious about. I definitely could be wrong, but the Nessus and Asmodeus videos need a rewatching or sure.
@@xxxxxx-uh5pu Sounds like 40K orks. :p
@@Deathonthesnow The blood war paused for a little while, back it is back on again, and currently, Asmodeus is a minor god.
@@AJPickett Oh no no no you don't. You're not getting off that easily! I can't be the only dude out there who'd love to see one of your great videos on where everything's at. Seriously, thanks for the info and you're great content. Keep it up man.
What if a devil dies in the other lower planes? If he dies this side of the Styx he's gone forever, he dies on the other shore, it's just respawn?
From what i understood, a fiend only truly dies in his home plane, so a demon dying in avernus would respawn back at the abyss and viseversa
@@LAYOTAM444 that has lots of consequences on tactics ! Devil's should do constant incursions rather than waiting on the front, but that means being in enemy territory and a place seething wirh chaos. Who knows if after a few incursions in the abyss a devil gets infected by chaos
@@mrl9418 An Archdevil led an Attack on the Abyss and conquered three layers.
Then he became Grazz't.
Possibly.
@@mrl9418 thats exactly the thing, from what i understood, these consequences are correct: devils sometimes go to the forefront of a battle zone and attack demons, for example a material plane threatened to be attacked by demonlords or other extra planar threat, not to mention incursions to the abyss did happen or assumed at least to happen if an objective of importance is to be secured.
Somebody needs to make a magic attack to send them to their home plane. Make it easier on culling them.
Great update, thanks
I was just wondering, if you haven’t already, (I couldn’t find it) could you do a video on Baalzebul? He’s been mentioned in a number of videos, but doesn’t have one of his own. To me he is the coolest Devil. I only play 1st edition, so I am not up on his newer history. Thanks
It's going to be a big, comprehensive series 🧙♂️
AJ Pickett Oh, cool, that would be awesome! Can’t wait!
That's a lot of devils and they all try to compete just to get to the top
I guess evertythig was so perfect with this vid, i never even commented it! xD
I finally got here early
Woah Woah woah, wait.....Predator fought a pirate captain to the death and AFTERWARDS the dead pirate captain "gave" predator a flintlock as a "gift"??? Something doesnt add up right there.
I think the assumption is that the human pirate WON the fight and gave the pistol as a recognition of a worthy fight and spared the Predator's life.
So in the movie when the guy kills the Predator, there's a BUNCH of other Predators around. And thinking over the story, what Predator would give back a flintlock pistol if there was never another Predator to receive it? The first one is dead. Which means to me, the Pirate's fight with the Predator was spectated by more Predators
@@tannerrobinson3952 kinda. What happened in the comic was that the predator was hunting this badass pirate, like the preds hunt the people in the movies. As he hunted the pirate, he became impressed with his skill, and decided to duel him instead of just killing him. However, when the Predator was about to challenge the pirate, the pirates crew mutinied. The Predator and the Pirate fought against the crew together, killing all except one hiding in the trees. The pirate and the predator faced off, ready to begin their duel, and the pirate was shot in the back by the last dude hiding in the trees. The Predator took the flintlock as a sign or respect for the Pirate, since he was honorable and skilled enough to accept the duel, but never got to fight.
It's absolutely ridiculous but it was a good comic when I was young lol
@@NSG0079 kind of. They never got to fight, since the pirates crew mutinied and shot him in the back as they faced off in a duel. Which is why the pred in the movie have the flintlock back to the humans as a sign of respect.
@@FireHawkISA well, shit man. I just saw this 2 years later when someone liked my comment. I never knew there was a comic. And the very idea that the predator respected a pirate so much that the predator fought WITH them is fucking insane. But the outcome of the story is sad altogether. However, leave it to a pirate to sully an honorary duel
If demons were invading a world would it be a good idea to summon devils?
You probably don't need to, they arrive anyway.
7:05 haha that chick looks like she'd be making a bruce lee sound
by the 9 hells !
Lol "Odius tasks" I see what you did there...?
Hey talk about ice devils
Gelugons are one of my favourite devil types.
I just like Lawful Evil. Hobgoblins rule!
I agree
I escaped, twice.
As a binge watcher trying to listen to everything you've ever created...
Is there any way you could organize your playlists better? Break them up, alphabetize them, something like that?
It's on my to do list
How many magic items can a cr 5 creature accumulate even over 1000 years when it looses all of them every time it dies? It’s certainly not gonna get its hands on any artifacts. And higher ranking devils will probably take magic items from them as well. Their ability to get magic items at its maximum might be similar to what a party gets if they just kept playing at level 3. A LOT of uncommons probably too much to carry. A rare or 2, a very rare very unlikely, but possible. And then it dies on the material plane and rejuvenates and all the items are GONE, and if they get anything more powerful than that it will be confiscated by higher ranking devils or sold for favors to get them closer to promotion.
A barbed devil would have treasures: the amount of treasure you expect an intelligent Cr 5 creature to have, the lawful nature of the devils and the lose of magic items on prime material planes more than makes up for the treasure accumulation of immortality.
Not necessarily. There are millions (probably,we really don't know the real number and it doesn't matter anyway)of barbed devils, there are bound to be some that never lost their stuff. While like you wrote they can't easily accumulate magic items, they can however swap or sell them for better ones. They have all the time in the world. So no artifacts of course, they're lesser devils, but probably better gear than you would suspect. Greater devils will take the very rare stuff, but they are lesser in number than lesser devils, there are a statistically significant number of hamatula that got to keep some juicy items simply because they never get caught having them. What I'm saying is: while the vast majority of barbed devils have only common/uncommon items, the fact a few of them have the occasional "good stuff" is within reason. Scare your PCs with unexpectedly prepared devils, it's fun
You seem to be suffering from a misunderstanding. The devils lose the items because they cannot take any items they hold on their person with them to hell when they die as their form more often than not is a sort of magical projection. How about items they hid? Or stuff they pick up from the other outer planes, which it is possible to find them on? See what I mean. Sure, they lose what they decided to have on their person when banished...but that is the extent of it.
Please talk about manes demon
Did I not already? #somanyvideos
3 demoted devils so far...
17:34 Oh, why'd you have to remind me we're in the timeline with more bad Predator movies than good ones?
Demoting an Erinye into a succubus does seem to make sense... to be honest succubus being seen as demons has never made sense to me, sure they are evil creatures, but they don't seem to be chaotic, and their appearance doesn't make sense in the realm of demons.
I'm sitting on a scene of a S/Incubus spontaneously transform into a full Erinyes from their devil commander..
I love they n Tijuana
I can't find any source on this "devil phylactery" thing. Where did you find this information?
What sources did you check?
@@AJPickett googled anything related to "devil talisman", "devil resurrection", "devil phylactery" etc. checked the 5e and 3.5e monster manuals, Forgotten Realms wiki and Volo's Guide to Monsters' section on the blood war.
@ 18:58 so... what you're saying is the Barbed Devils are French?
No.
So you're saying they've been to the warhammer 40k universe.
Maaaaaybe.
Makes me wonder whether Id prefer to be in the warp or in Baator... Probably Baator.
@@shamusfarmer Far less chance of bits of your sprouting teeth, eyes and appendages that belong on sea creatures.
@@AJPickett Well now you're starting to change my mind a little. If those teeth and appendages grow in the right places it could be a net positive. There is no net positive to turning into a lemure.
cool
Let's go