Dungeons and Dragons Lore: Graz'zt
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- Ranked the 12th most influential villain in Dungeons and Dragons history, Graz'zt the Dark Prince is one of the most powerful lords of the Abyss.
TIMESTAMP INDEX:
1:05 A Brief history in Print
3:48 Origins of Graz'zt
5:13 The Siblings of Graz'zt
9:07 Servants of Graz'zt
10:33 Iggwilv and Iuz
12:13 The Goals of Graz'zt
13:37 The Alliances of Graz'zt
16:12 The Wars of Graz'zt
19:48 Raxivort (and the origin of Xvarts)
20:52 Denizens of Azzagrat
22:25 Graz'zt in Combat
31:16 The Cults of Graz'zt
37:07 The Hollow Feast Ritual
39:32 Graz'zt's city of Zelatar
44:54 The Evil of Graz'zt
So Graz'zt is how you spell Slaanesh in D&D. Good to know.
Him and Malcontet
Nah if Slaanesh and Tzeench are siblings, Graz'zt is their shared father. Graz'zt is a like a Borgia, debaucherous and cunning all at once.
@@willowpackerthestoryteller135 perfect
Lol, agreed. He's got an aura, I seen it, it's purple!
@@willowpackerthestoryteller135The And if they would habe, they would not have the same.
Chaos Gods dont have mothers.
The Chaos Gods are Gods, Grazzt is only a Demon Lord, much lower.
"Most handsome of the demon lords" isn't exactly a hard title to win. Unlike the archdevils, most of them aren't even humanoids.
Pssh. Demogorgon beats him tentacles down. XD
Look me in the eyes and tell me you wouldn't like a taste of Zuggtmoy's cake. That fungussy is *chef's kiss*
Orcus thicc.
Jubliex wins for sure!
Once you go bug you aint ever gonna shrug
24:04 “you’re not gonna face Graz’zt all by himself unless he wants you to. In which case you’re in big trouble”
Big trouble or one hell of a romp.
Adventurer enters a Temple of Pan and looks around. He says "These guys, I love them. They are like a totally chill version of the last temple I was at." Priest of Pan asks him "Totally chill is not what we do here. We follow Pan's youthful spirit of wine, song, and loving carnal fun. We party while we give our divine services. What temple were you at?". Before the other adventurers can stop him he says "We just cleared out a dark temple of Graz'zt. You guys are a lot alike." Temple goes silent. For the first time in centuries, everyone in the Temple of Pan draws a weapon on their visitors (the adventuring party) due to such a deep insult. Pan Himself takes notice and blesses all those drawing their weapons on the visitors, something he hasn't done without a priest calling upon him for eons.
Graz'zt is the only being to control three layers of the Abyss, which speaks volumes of his influence and power.
He's also been defeated and imprisoned unlike demogorgon who has never been defeated
But they aren't infinite like every other layer of the abyss...
@@rejvaik00 Drizzt defeated him.
@@gustaafargoan What story? Who wrote it?? AND......most importantly, WHY IS THERE NO ART OF THE FIGHT!!!
(sounds epic, I want to read about it😁)
@@archam777 it was in a game I played, so I think that makes it canonical. Probably not.
Not gonna lie, but he seems like an epic leveled bard.
lol
cenobite bard on roidrage
I'm currently running a campaign with Graz'zt as the BBEG and I keep coming back to this video
Thank you :)
"he considers restrictions the only sin
His cultist wear alabaster masks with estatic expressions
He wields Angdrelv the wave of sorrow
Near his lair flat surfaces become highly reflective
Wild beasts break into frequent conflicts and wild coupling
You can be inflicted with the madness that pervades the area around him
You will start thinking that nothing in the world is more important than you
You will not rest until you made someone you desire yours
Anything that can bring you happiness should be enjoyed immediately"
What a terrifying opener to a video. That's a read-aloud text for when he comes up in my campaign now
The reason he's allied with Zuggtmoy is because he wants a taste of the mushroom pie, if you ask me. ;P
And Zuggtmoy and Juiblex still hate him, since he's the most cunning Demon Lord.
@@jenniferphipps2012 I mean, they are Demon Lords, they hate everything with a passion. Juiblex hates even itself, the multiverse and this reality as a whole.
17:36
Thraxia: Daddy I wanna be a Goddess that makes all the money!
Grazz't: Of course! Anything for my princess.
One of the best D&D villans, way underused, so sad to see him gone these days.
Gratz'zt should get a smart phone. He'd be awesome on Twitter.
Graz'zt has a BASTARD sword?That's extremely ironic.
Graz'zt orcus demogorgon and yunogu the creator of the gnuls represent different forms of chaos orcus is the heartless infection of it Graz'zt is the seductive lure of power yunogu is the savage cannibalistic side of it and demogorgon is its raw unstoppable fury and pale night well she's the unknowables of chaos since her mindset is so alien no one could figure her out
kiara sanders Yeenoghu
Graz'zt sounds more lawful evil than chaotic evil.
He is very chaotic evil. Trust that. He has no love for laws, oaths, or honor, and is completely against anything that block his dream of personal freedom.
"Fourth Edition playing merry havoc with the lore."
Everyone knows 4e lore doesn't really exist. It's just an urban legend used to scare new DMs and annoy older players.
So sayeth Ao, the Overload
@@HammarPwnsYourFace lets not forget the luminous being...
Agreed
I'm running the Avernus campaign. I changed it a bit. Graz'zt is actually the BBEG. He imprisoned Bael in what the characters think is the shield of Gaurgoth.. Graz'zt took Bael's place with a polymorph spell. Bael(Graz'zt) has created his own line of fiends that the characters have ran across, which are usually used as mercenary guards employed by the other high level devils on Avernus. I made them out of Warhammer character models, the Bloodletters and Gors. Graz'zt gives the characters a lot of support in the guise of Bael, in the attempt to remove Zariel from power, which makes sense. He says he will help them return the city to the Forgotten Realms. His main goal is to take power over Avernus with his hidden (in the open) forces and convince his father to help him depose Orcus and Demogorgon. Prior to that, if the characters redeem Zariel, I plan on having Graz'zts forces defeat Tiamat giving him access to the 2nd level. Asmo will agree to do what he can, but force the characters to fix their mess. Asmo isn't in any real danger and if the characters defeat Graz'zt, Asmo will intervene and force Graz'zt to assume leadership of Avernus and use his access to the 3 levels of the Abyss under his control to take the blood war to that plane. Not take it over but move the main battlefield.
I definitely subscribe to the lore that Graz'zt is the child of Pale Night and Asmodeus. It just makes the most sense, given his personality, goals, and uniqueness among demonkind. It's also amusing to think that the most hideous fiend (Pale Night) gave birth to the handsomest.
I imagine Graz'zt's realm to be like Mabeland. Filled with pleasure and constantly offering things to the players that make them never want to leave.
Dad: Asmodeus
Mom: Pale Night
Me:😱
Hotel: Trivago
After all the 40k lore I came here for in-depth d&d lore thanks!!
Honestly your videos have helped me to start actually using my imagination and dreaming again. I have found inspiration in them and continue to as you put them out. Thank you kind sir.
Dude i love your vids im glad there is someone out there who does this service for the rest of us. Im about to run a game for my two sons and wife...all three are new to game . They have been exposed to me talking about D&D for a decade so hopefully they will like it...but this channel has helped my wife wrap her head around it all. We all set down and watch vid after vid.. If u get a chance one area i been thinking bout is Narfell.....not sure if there is a video already about it from u but if not i would love some background as i want to weave Devils into the game....Thanks for the info. May Ao guide your TH-cam Channel to greatness!
Yes, Narfell is mentioned a lot in the demon lord research, I better take a closer look at it. He to the wife and kids, happy to hear you are getting into this great hobby! :)
Lord Razoun Dude. So cool that your getting your wife and kids in on the same first game. Also super cool of your wife to binge watch all of AJ's videos (wish my lady would).
Would love to watch a game where a family slays together.
This guy sounds like such a fantastic villain.
Yes, Xvarts - I can hear their screaming from Baldur's Gate even now....
This was a bit of a pleasure to listen as I've been fond of Graz'zt ever since I first discovered him in the "Gord the Rogue" Series of books that Gygax wrote and I've even used his name for my screen name many times. My Favorite bit about Graz is he feels real as opposed most of the various demon lords who are so alien as to be unusable... I mean how the hell are you going to role play demogorgon?! But Graz has real ambitions and drives with enough history behind him that he's fairly easy to work with and at the same time still be diabolical. Thanks for the Vid!
Asmodeus IS the father? Wow, that's one hell of a Maury episode. Literally!
Amadeus oh hell no I ain't the father!
A small, interesting tidbit on Azzagrat - if I remember correctly, in the 3E adventure _Expedition to the Demonweb Pits_ the PCs can encounter a storm giant who's been sitting in the center of Zelatar since _before_ the fall of Ostoria (the giant empire of old). Sadly, said giant had no way of knowing that the home they left is long gone...
This fella is so powerful it is said he can poop without peeing
I'm not sure if i wanna laugh, grunt, snort, or cry so i did all of these together and my dog is now very worried 😔✊
I've probably watched this video 5 or 6 times in the last month. Graz'zt is my campaigns big bad. So this info has been so helpful! Cheers, AJ!
I love your descriptions of the actual layers of the abyss, i feel this gets overlooked a lot with the descriptions of demons and mostly demon lords taking center stage instead in most lore videos ive seen
Agreed, citys of bone built inside a giant blister filled with bile where the inhabitants breath through gills... so going into the upcoming adventure! *evil goon laugh.
Always love all the game statistics and lore you provide in these videos covering beings and creatures of DnD
Ah, one of my favorite antagonists! Thank you for this amazingly well-done video.
As an aside, the MMO, Dungeons and Dragons Online recently released an adventure arch with Graz'zt as the antagonist. I just ran it a couple days ago, so this is a perfect epilogue to that.
Have a great day!
So I was developing a game in which a warlock was cursed by a demon so that no one would believe her tale of why she had made a magical barrier around one of the continents of the world that no one could pass through using ancient and evil magic from a devil who wanted to prevent the demons from merging this plane with their level of the abyss. I said already decided on grats as my final BBEG because after running out of the abyss he seemed the one that got the least attention and I was interested in what he represented besides just hedonism.
This video was both amazing and brought so many more things to my concept including things that are apparently already canon which makes it that much better.
If Grazzt is the son of Asmodeus, what is Grazzt's relationship with Glasya? I would assume because he toils away in the Abyss, he is not very welcome in The Nine Hells.
I think the story is that he was sent into the Abyss by the orders of Asmodeus and over time became corrupted by the energy of the realm. There's also another story that says he told his dad to fuck off and willingly was corrupted cause his libido was easier to satisfy as a Demon than a Devil.
@@QuillStroke weird. I'd expect a demon to rip the meat to shreds
@@eosdawn6399 I'm sure he tears it up
oh and you're doing really well. I enjoy these both as a player, for enjoyment, and as a DM for plot stuff.
I watch and rewatch your videos and I'm just going to have to come out with it you're the Bob Ross of d&d lore videos
I accept this accolade.
I like to come back every once in awhile and listen to this one again😈😈
To quote Alice Cooper, "Well I ain't evil...I'm just good-lookin'..."
haha ,the "meet my libido(he's a psycho)" part also fits him.
Graz'zt is my favorite demon by a mile, and with Asmodeus one of my two favorite fiends. Naturally, this means I heavily prefer the origin story that has him being a renegade archdevil who seized a layer of the Abyss during some battle of the blood war, then decided he wanted to rule for himself (power and not bowing to anyone is primary of course, but Asmodeus probably wasn't a huge fan of his general's more hedonistic tendencies as well) and declared himself a demon lord. The idea that Graz'zt wants to turn the Abyss into a kinkier Baator is a really cool head canon.
Zuggtmoy is a consort/lover of Iuz, so Graz'zt having a settlement in one of his layers named in her honor isn't that surprising. She may be a fellow demon lord, but she's also his daughter-in-law... er, chaos.
Pazrael is another Abyssal Lord I have always had a like for and used in campaigns.
Talk about a complicated family and Alliances. Much thanks 4 bringing it to life
Grazzt’s realms is where I would expect to find Neutral infernals and celestials. They are the only ones that can open gates into the neutral planes, so Graz’zt is likely to try to find ways to coax them into his service.
Demons and devils can be bound or forced into serving. Yugoloths can be bought. The infernal that escaped into the freedom of neutrality and the celestials that fell halfway are harder to convince, since they can’t be coerced or easily tempted.
Graz’zt would make a prince out of any who could lead his army up the infinite staircase to the Celestial. He is a devil and a demon prince with allies across all the infernal realms. The stone from Mount Celestia was a test to see if he could add the layers of Celestia to his growing realms.
This is why repeated viewings of older videos is a good thing. It can still spark ideas.
Love hearing the proper pronunciation of Geas. Love your channel man.
Glad you enjoy it!
Nah its Geese and they Quack
I have always prefered Graz'zt just for how different, and disarming he can be to a group of players. Even the idea of using him as a patron to the warlocks leads to some fun adventures. Though while listening to this I thought of something that could be fun.
It would be somewhat of a rewrite/imagining of the devil may cry setting an story, in which the half-demon spawn are actually descents of Graz'zt himself that retain a taint of his essence inside them. Yet also Graz'zt after defeating some demons graz'zt turns them into Devil-arms/weapons or armor that is sent to this world that those possessing his taint can use. While those with his taint using them need to fight against the willpower of the devil in question in the arm/weapon/armor to retain control, as well as over time unlocking powers an abilities that are linked to that item. I mean think of how the devil in the item would feel being defeated, then turned into a item, while also being used by the children of the one that defeated them.
To take a page out of warhammer I could see using Graz'zt in a campaign in which the players find the society an kingdom they are in slowly being corrupted, and filled with cults that build from just normal cult to cults of extreme depravity. Watching the players investigated such a fact going from cults in the outskirts of the kingdom to finding them hidden within the high class nobility of the kingdom (maybe even one fo the people that had ordered them to investigate such cults being part of it.) would be interesting.
Yeah, you could run a Genestealer cult with a shapeshifted cambion going on some sort of illicit breeding spree, sowing indulgence, vice, depravity, and corruption, with noble families hiding the dark secrets of their eldest daughters, but the Cambion knows full well what is going on and is using blackmail to twist the entire course of city politics in line with their grand agenda.
That would be fun shifting the genestealers to being creatures from the Far-realms would quite work, maybe having it that one of their kind is in league with Graz'zt working with him to gain access to a realm that is normally very hard for them to reach. I could see the Genestealers being reworked into a Far realm creature, and it would fit quite well with the idea and style of Graz'zt actually.
AJ's got a PHD in DND
AJ Pickett!!! Thank you so much I have been anxiously waiting for this! You’re wonderful, you’re videos are wonderful, and keep rollin!!!
Did I understand correctly that Graz'zt is a demon, but that he also wishes to dominate rather than simply destroy? Is this because of his unique celestial heritage?
I thought demons only wished to increase their corruptive influence and destroy as much as possible.
Graz'zt seems like a Devil save for being anything but lawful, but having more neutral than chaotic tendencies.
To me, he sounds like the most interesting demon yet. And the one I would keep my eye out the most as well...
Scary and cool, he's a demo-Fonz
He is a child of Asmodeus, so that would make him very high in the devil heirarchy, but if you watch Mr. Rhexx talk about Asmodeus you see how this also puts him close to the demon world as the devils were originally angels who were transformed by their work fighting demons. His mother, Pale Night, is Mother of the Demons, making Graz'zt royalty in both realms. You'd think he'd be hanging out in Hades, but the Night Hags would have a say about that. As firstborn of royalty, perhaps he would be more prone to go where he could enjoy more freedom and anonymity, avoiding the demands and expectations of his immortal elders.
Fraz Urb'Luu is another example of a devil who has spent a lot of time in both the 9 Hells and the Abyss. Nothing is cut and dried with these realms, but loosely, a devil is more generally interested in control and a demon is more interested in destruction. They still have tendencies to react to their situation though in ways that are at least generally predictable by humans (depending on the skill of the narrator, I suppose), so it shouldn't be a surprise that sometimes entities make decisions that are inconsistent with their core philosophies.
Humans do this ALL the time.
@@johncaccioppo1142 would be neat to see him try to take over a level of the nine hells and try to merge it with the abyss.
This was probably my MOST anticipated video. I have loved this character ever since I read the whole Gord the Rogue series.
I thought i was the only one who HAD read them all.
No way, many times....classic stuff.
Oh my gosh I loved those books! Going from fighting the beggarmaster, to Tharizdun!
Excellent, my rogue/warlock just entered into a pact with him.
Demigorgon used to be my favorite demon prince but Grazz't grew on me. You can do so much more with him as a character!
But I would think that Azmodeus would have far better than messing around with something as hideous as Pale Night!
I feel like this is the role James Franco was born to play
That is pretty on point actually.
@@AJPickett yea amd not in a good way
@@oliclay1348 Oh 100% his innate sleaziness and depravity is not to be admired, but there is no denying it makes him perfect for the lord of smut.
@@AJPickett only difference is i have a grudging respect for grazzt
Thank God you didn't do that voice distortion all the way through. Most channels don't do it right because it's called sound *distortion* for a reason and I like to not have to guess what every fourth word is.
King Axolotl Yup. I just skipped asap when I heard the first word.
anyone else hear "demon lord of fungi" almost as if it was actually "demon lord of funky" XD
Don’t mess with the demon lord’s funky flow
I've never heard of this character... but now I want to somehow weave him into a campaign.
time to crack open F.A.T.A.L. to get those sex varient rules!
So Asmodeus ducked Pale Night, something that even reality said NO too. Graz'zt down to duck anything that is hot and willing to allow him. Likes the Queen of Fungus, even if she's down with Demogorgon. That sounds like a lovers triangle, or Graz'zt's wanting to flip off Demo. Wants to control the Abyss, lay waste to the upper plains. Busy demon prince to say the least
You know, you can just say "Mated with" and avoid sounding like a quack ;)
@@AJPickett Fair point
@@TraciPeteyforlife or he F@cked her once and has been ducking her ever since.
Hes on grinder. Hes handle is Flenesh.
One of your absolute best videos. I constantly come back to your videos for your soothing yet captivating tone and being so thorough with the universe I’ve fallen in love with.
The Engineer image us from "Prometheus" not "Alien: Covenant". Sorry I'm a stickler about franchises I love. Honestly Graz'zt is one of my favorite demon lords and i love the video. His origin that you laid out here (half devil half demon) is what I'm using in my setting with a slight edit. He is one if many children of Asmodeus and Malcanthet. My setting is basically 5.5e as far as I can tell but I love the video and keep up the great work
That was amazing. I can only handle so many demon and abyss videos in a row though. Gotta switch to something lighter.
Collecting storms, thats awesome
It's right up there with making Bonsai mountains for cool immortal hobbies.
I’ve been interested in Iggwilv since I first heard about her. I read that she is an adopted daughter of Baba Yaga.
I’m running a campaign with Baba Yaga and was curious how she fits in the D&D universe.
Yes she is, she started as an adventurer on Oerth, going under the name Tasha. She is one of the most prodigious authors of arcane texts and her Demonomicons (of which there were only six ever made) are potent artifacts. I will certainly be making a video on her soon!
I'm surprised cultists of Graz'zt choose predominantly paladins as sacrifices considering if they get caught they might come to realize that a particularly fervent Paladin can be more horrifying than any demon lolXD!!.. 😅
"Sacrifice?" or seduce them, corrupt them, and then add their now Choatic Evil soul to Graz'zt's forces as a lemure when they die.
yeah, you'd think he'd prefer bards.
@@sve7n182 that’s a devil dude
@@sve7n182 I often wonder if particularly powerful mortals that get corrupted wouldn't pass the early forms and become regular useful demons..a paladin of tenth level could kill dozens of creatures, while another dretch to add to the swarm would be superfluous at best. Seems like a waste..
He could convince some celestial beings that killing demogorgon would help order and if they kill him Graz'zt would then kill them if possible
Yep, that might well be how the assault on the upper planes begins.
Great video as always. How would you use him as a Warlock Patron? Might be an interesting component to these videos if you included a 1-2 minute blurb that covered how they might treat their warlocks.
Graz'zt might pay very little attention to his Warlocks, or make demands that the Warlock "Enjoy their short, squalid little life to it's fullest", the Warlock would be required to spend their downtime on some serious debauchery and hedonism. The Warlock might have a chance, when dealing with some official or Merchant in the town, to have "An embarrassing anecdote" about them that they use to blackmail and intimidate the individual.
I just found you yesterday and your videos have been a great help to a newish DM. I wanted to say thank you for the wonderful lore and content! I am definitely getting lots of inspiration for the campaign I'm running!
Stumbled upon your channel. I love it. Great help for dms and players
🖤🖤🙏🖤🖤 Thx... Been reading FR since i was 10.. Im 40 now, still reading.. But you channel i have just discovered is a myth dranorien lore gem... Hugs
Hi again. Just one more thing, this is the first video of yours that I saw. It grabbed my attention because Graz'zt's name is so close to the spelling of Drizzt and they have the same skin colour so I had to see the video! I put Graz'zt in my story. Anyway, I hope you see this comment too. Thank you for being here. :)
Yes, the drow have odd skin thanks to their population being, essentially, descended from tieflings/cambions
@@AJPickett I've never heard that the drow were descended from tieflings/cambions. I thought they were elves made as other elves from the blood of Corellon but they were punished along with Lolth, even the dark elves who didn't do anything against Corellon, the drow were all grouped together and forced into the Underdark.
@@Suzanne_sf Yes, the interbreeding happened after the descent, the matron mothers made pacts with demons, notably Wendonai, so, basically all the drow now have some fiendish influence, hence their spell-like abilities (which always seem to get skipped in conversations about them... like, WHY do they have magic powers? Meh, dunno... Why do they have these weird skin colors if they live in the dark all the time, shouldn't they be blind and stark white? Well... now you know. And you can imagine how frustrating it is when Wizards of the Coast, rather than simply point this out, instead lets the social media situation reach a fever pitch... because it was marketing the game for them. It's blatantly obvious that Hasbro is using controversy and social justice extremists on either side to push public awareness of the D&D brand forward, and they don't have to do anything, they literally sat back and said NOTHING to correct the misinformation, for their own purposes, and one day.... one day... I am going to be in a position to call them to account for that.
@@AJPickett Thank you for your information. Now I understand. It is all due to the drow/demon orgies and drow matrons actually making pacts with demons, which is quite a chaotic thing to do if the demons aren't part devil. I have to look up what Wendonai is, that is a new word for me.
I want to see Lolth fight with Graz'zt now in a three way fight with Malcanthet
cool idée.
I don’t think there’s a bed that could hold it
Graz'zt or more specifically his avatar form, has been a major behind the scenes puppet master pulling strings effecting the world and specifically one character in my player's party. That being said he is technically not in favor of the BBEG of the campaign and is indirectly against them so sometimes he and/or his minions benefit the party. This is all playing a hint at what will be the next to campaigns ( I run 2 campaigns at the same time. ), as Graz'zt will be a major player and plausable BBEG if the party should go that way in one of the campaigns.
What is bbeg
@@capealio big bad evil guy
I know this video is 3 years old but I have to know. Is there any insight into why Verin serves Grazzt so fervently.
Great question, in mythology Verin is a demon that tempts through impatience, serving in the D&D multiverse (hailing from Greyhawk, and in the novels written by Garry Gygax in the chronicle's of Gord the Rogue) as the Voice of Graz'zt, he is the wingman, as decadent and cunning as Graz'zt, he is a demon lord, which means the reason why Graz'zt controls multiple layers of the Abyss at the same time, is because he is allied very closely with other demon lords who combine their power and territory with his own, after all, Graz'zt is very unusual for a demon lord, and so is Verin, who takes many forms, the albino, the equally dark alter ego Ztefano who does deals with other demon lords in Graz'zts favor, or as a dark-skinned cambion who can take the form of a male marilith. He is quite capable of running more than one layer of the abyss at the same time and has an intellect the equal of Graz'zt's own. Does Verin also have an unusual heritage? Another child of the ancient and terrifying Obyrith Pale Night? Who knows... What is certain is that the alliance benefits both of them and together they consume vast plunder is despotic hedonism that would make Caligula crawl into a ball and wet himself.
@@AJPickett Man, I didn't actually expect a reply, thanks!
Video of iuz, Im so excited fr that
If Graz'zt is so good at seduction, why hasn't he seduced Orcus?
The guy already has to many fetishes let's not add necrophilia to it
@@jamesfreeman3617 your assuming that he’s not already into that?
Nothing can seduce Orcus, he's not into it. He just wants everything dead.
@@TraciPeteyforlife “challenge accepted” - Graz’zt, probably
i really liked the idea that Graz`zt is asmodus`s son the crossbreeding sounds just like something the lord of hell would do
After reading all about the siblings and such, it seemed very clear that this was the correct origin story.
AJ Pickett He, also, has quite the lust for... Well... Lust! #asmodeusmuch
This is the first detailed description I've heard of Graz'zt beyond the one in Tome of Foes. This greatly increases my interest in using him in a campaign. Still working on getting my hands on Out of the Abyss book. If I wanted to use Graz'zt or any of the other more common demonlords listed within the Tome of Foes: Orcus, Fraz-Urb'Luu, Juiblex, Zuggtmoy, etc. Would you recommend I use their stats or abilities from Tome of Foes or Out of the Abyss? If there is any difference. If so, maybe merge the two stat blocks per lord?
The info in Abyss may be the same as in Foes.
Don't use their stats. That makes them defeatable
Grazzt is an awesome bad guu
The whole point of the demon lords being listed in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes is so you don't have to buy Out of the Abyss if all you want out of it is just their stat blocks - they are exactly the same.
@@TheAlgorath Yes. Players can defeat their aspects. If their characters aren't driven mad before then.
The intro kinda puts me in mind of the draemora from Elder Scrolls
Really good videos man, I’m using your vids on demon lords to help my me make my homebrew
Oh Yeah! Time Stamps!!!! You rock AJ!
Closed caption keeps saying his name as "breast"
Well, that is strangely fitting really, when you think about it.
He'd like it that way
AJ you are seriously the best at d&d.
👏 Great attention to detail Mr. Pickett. This is going to require a couple 3 listens.
Scott Mcley Great thing there are time stamps now.
I love your content but is there anyway you can make your audio louder? I can barely hear what you were saying with my volume maxed out.
Another magnificent video, thanks A.J.
Why are 5th versions of these demon princes so much lower in AC than other editions?
5e is written to make it an easier game than earlier editions.
@@jackhartford521 that I can understand and get behind, but they're epic encounters for a reason. As I typed, it just clicked for me. The lower CR versions are aspects, aren't they? Why didn't I see that til just now? If you hadn't replied, I wouldn't have had my lightbulb moment, so thanks!
@@RobCrowley85 Well they can be whatever you want them to be. If they were aspects, he would’ve said that in this video. Maybe he does and I missed it though?
@@jackhartford521 A fair point. I think he did mention aspects somewhere here, though I've been watching a lot of videos, so could be getting mixed up
@@RobCrowley85 I look forward one day to putting a party up against a demon lord. And I certainly will not enjoy the fight as much if that Demon Lord goes down quickly. I think I read in a Reddit post where Orcus lasted like less than six rounds or something.
Well if it isn’t the *NuT* -lord himself
That's Knut Thane in Old Swedewegian
Nut is actually the goddess of the sky in Egyptian mythos.
I love the demon lord videos :) any plans to add the devil lords to the mix anytime soon?
I'd certainly like to!
is that you slaanesh?
Yes.
Wait so the demon queen of fungus is cool with Graz'zt and The prince of demons? Hmm.
Yep. They used to date each other.
Thomas Rush I bet she gave him a nasty rash.
Nah. Just a fungal infection.
Knowing considering the fact that Grazz’t is the lord of hedonism I can totally see him buying some mushrooms for some of his parties.
They even have a love child that they named Iuz.
This video isn't in the monster ecology/strategy playlist for some reason.
Yes. Life is full of little surprises.
Hey AJ! While I dig the interesting and comprehensive demon lord series of late, please do another aberration soon! Keep up the great work! :D
Jason Damstra Any one in particular?
AJ Pickett, while I know they're from 3e, but I think doing something on Ethergaunts would be really cool :)
Good choice!
the campaign I set up was cut seriously short bc one of my friends that was playing accidently burnt down the town that I had a majority of the side quest planed in
BiscuitOverLord so adapt your plans. Change the quests so they can be put in other places.
I am new to your channel but have been binge watching all of your videos. Love the presentation and layout you give to all the different races and lore to the D&D universe. As someone who has never played I am intriqued with the wealth of knowledge there is. I love monsters and dragons so I will be getting some books very soon. Any suggestions?
Also being a kaiju fan, I am anticipating a video of the Tarrasque. Seems like a badass video topic to me. Hope you will consider making one about the Gojira of D&D! Subscribed!
I suggest downloading the free starter PDF files from Wizards of the Coast, have a read, if you want to get a game started, all you really need is some friends, you can even get dice rolling apps these days, so, anyone can play D&D for free before they decide to invest in the full set of books, dice, etc.dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules
I am very interested if there is a reason why the four main beings in the abyss have such different creation. The four that I'm talking about being, Orcus (former human), demigorgon (created effectively from the abyss), this guy (half devil), and obix-ob (from past the far realm).
So what? Are we just going to say that they are the best of their kinds?
I seriously need to become a Patron.Your one of TWO things that have inspired me too want to be a Patron.I hadn't done either yet, but I'll get around too it, hopefully by 2018.
Who is more plot ocd, Graz'zt or Loth?
Tough call, I am going to have to go with Lolth on that one, as she is a deity, she exists in more dimensions simultaneously than Graz'zt does, so, her plot multitasking if off the charts.
AJ Pickett good point.
Phew, for a moment there I thought you were going to talk about Drizzt Do'Urden.
I was a 10th lvl Fighter/17th lvl Monk in a very powerful party after 4 years of playing. We killed him in his chambers.
@Tyler Durden we weren't mere mortals, obviously. We also had a DM and an assistant DM. The main DM did everything but control the monsters. The assistant DM played as the enemy. We also played 1st Edition. God's only had 200 hit points. Piss off. Can't find the middle finger emoji.
@Tyler Durden He could have teleported away, the moment he took close to half. Let me guess he was also by himself.
@@westcoastgeeks7294 one purchased wish allowed us to scrye on him undetected, allowing us to know when he was alone in his chambers. We had a luckblade with wishes. One wish keeping "anyone or anything" from leaving or entering the chambers for 5 minutes which kept him and us from teleporting. Second wish gave us initiative for 5 minutes. The Wizard used his wish scroll to not allow any type of magic to be cast for 5 minutes. This was also 1st/2nd edition rules, 1st/2nd edition graz'zt . It was a straight up physical fight.
As I previously mentioned, we had a second DM who controlled the monsters. The main DM was the arbiter of the rules. The wishes were made without the 2nd DM's knowledge, with the exception of the fact that we were spying on him, (because he was in the room). 2nd DM wasn't privy to the rest of our schemes and machinations.
We brutalized him, and he didn't know his magic didn't work until he tried using it. The only worthless party member we had during the fight was the wizard, our cleric still had his mace.
Edit: the DM decided that effects of armor, weapons or trinkets that had to be activated wouldn't work because it would be the equivalent of a spell, thus healing potions weren't useful. Any magic weapons or armor imparting a bonus to hit or a protection bonus that are always active, would still be in effect.
Yes, he was by himself.
I’m guessing Graz’zt was a Very HARD opponent?
Now that's a sneaky way of doing it. 😂 I'm not a DnD savvy, but if i understood the vid correctly, it'd be harder to do in fifth edition, no?