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Yugoloth's - How many types are there?
- Thread starter johnnype
- Start date
ThirdWizard
First Post
There was a great thread on this right before the Crash. =/
I could dig out and find info on various 'loths, but I have no idea what the hierarchy is, really.
I could dig out and find info on various 'loths, but I have no idea what the hierarchy is, really.
Clueless
Webmonkey
Write ups on loths (with illustrations) can be found: http://www.planewalker.com/encyclopedia/encyclopedia.php?intEntryID=34
Shemeska
Adventurer
Heirarchy of the 'loths:
General of Gehenna
Oinoloth
Ultroloths
Arcanaloths
Nycaloths
Lesser Yugoloths
Above the Heirarchy
Baernaloths - no direct political authority, but their 'advice' is generally taken as gospel by the most powerful Ultroloths or unique yugoloths who either seek them out or who have such 'advice' given to them without asking. While they take no direct hand in the political structure of their children, they subtly twist and steer the direction of the overall goals of the yugoloth race.
Outside the Heirarchy
Altraloths (outside of the proper heirarchy, but raw power tends to elevate them in influence)
Order of Promotion:
Skerroloth (demoted mezzoloths) - Canoloths (demoted mezzoloths) - Mezzoloths < Dergholoths < Piscoloths < Hydroloths < Yagnaloths < Marraenoloths < Nycaloths < Arcanoloths < Ultroloths
* there are also Gacholoths and Echinoloths, but their exact place in the heirarchy has not been fully fleshed out. They're both lesser yugoloths, probably somewhere between pisco and yagna.
* Guardian Yugoloths are not included above because they're not actual yugoloths, but more something like semi-sentient constructs of raw soulstuff created by the yugoloths to serve as summoning fodder. If you try to summon a yugoloth without knowing the name of a specific yugoloth, odds are that you'll get the spell twisted and redirected to get a guardian yugoloth.
All lesser yugoloths can breed to produce mezzoloths, but most mezzoloths are simply 'birthed' directly from the raw essence of the Gray Waste, Gehenna, or more rarely Carceri. Among 'greater yugoloths', Nycaloths can breed to make nycaloths, arcanaloths can breed to make arcanaloths, and Ultroloths can birth arcanaloths by parthanogenesis. However this is frowned upon, and nycaloths or arcanaloths born into caste are largely second class fiends compared to those who rise up to rank from mezzoloth status.
Edit: I don't believe that I deviate from canon material on the 'loths, so much as I add a bunch of stuff in my SH. To that end, my treatment of the Baernaloths is speculatively extrapolated from the canon material on 'The Demented', but the histories, names, and lore therein in my SH is my own with the sole exception of Daru Ib Shamiq (who is a canon Baernaloth, but was never explicitely named as a member of The Demented).
If there are any specific questions about my SH treatment of the 'loths versus the canon material on them, I'll field those questions certainly, as well as generic 'loth lore too I suppose. Just had my first full day of work today at my job, so I'm happy and pleasant at the moment, I should spread it around I guess. *toothy grin*
General of Gehenna
Oinoloth
Ultroloths
Arcanaloths
Nycaloths
Lesser Yugoloths
Above the Heirarchy
Baernaloths - no direct political authority, but their 'advice' is generally taken as gospel by the most powerful Ultroloths or unique yugoloths who either seek them out or who have such 'advice' given to them without asking. While they take no direct hand in the political structure of their children, they subtly twist and steer the direction of the overall goals of the yugoloth race.
Outside the Heirarchy
Altraloths (outside of the proper heirarchy, but raw power tends to elevate them in influence)
Order of Promotion:
Skerroloth (demoted mezzoloths) - Canoloths (demoted mezzoloths) - Mezzoloths < Dergholoths < Piscoloths < Hydroloths < Yagnaloths < Marraenoloths < Nycaloths < Arcanoloths < Ultroloths
* there are also Gacholoths and Echinoloths, but their exact place in the heirarchy has not been fully fleshed out. They're both lesser yugoloths, probably somewhere between pisco and yagna.
* Guardian Yugoloths are not included above because they're not actual yugoloths, but more something like semi-sentient constructs of raw soulstuff created by the yugoloths to serve as summoning fodder. If you try to summon a yugoloth without knowing the name of a specific yugoloth, odds are that you'll get the spell twisted and redirected to get a guardian yugoloth.
All lesser yugoloths can breed to produce mezzoloths, but most mezzoloths are simply 'birthed' directly from the raw essence of the Gray Waste, Gehenna, or more rarely Carceri. Among 'greater yugoloths', Nycaloths can breed to make nycaloths, arcanaloths can breed to make arcanaloths, and Ultroloths can birth arcanaloths by parthanogenesis. However this is frowned upon, and nycaloths or arcanaloths born into caste are largely second class fiends compared to those who rise up to rank from mezzoloth status.
Edit: I don't believe that I deviate from canon material on the 'loths, so much as I add a bunch of stuff in my SH. To that end, my treatment of the Baernaloths is speculatively extrapolated from the canon material on 'The Demented', but the histories, names, and lore therein in my SH is my own with the sole exception of Daru Ib Shamiq (who is a canon Baernaloth, but was never explicitely named as a member of The Demented).
If there are any specific questions about my SH treatment of the 'loths versus the canon material on them, I'll field those questions certainly, as well as generic 'loth lore too I suppose. Just had my first full day of work today at my job, so I'm happy and pleasant at the moment, I should spread it around I guess. *toothy grin*
Last edited:
victorysaber
First Post
Just curious,
In relative order of power
Arcanaloths are CR 17(3.0, MMII)
Ultroloths are CR 16(3.0, MotP) or CR 13 (3.5, MMIII)
Yet Ultroloths rank higher than Arcanaloths, despite being less powerful (even in 3.0, the Arcanaloth is 1 CR higher than the Ultroloth).
Why?
Are the Ultroloths too weak as it is, statted in the books? I thought they were the NE equivalent of Balors and Pit Fiends... Poor 'loths.
In relative order of power
Arcanaloths are CR 17(3.0, MMII)
Ultroloths are CR 16(3.0, MotP) or CR 13 (3.5, MMIII)
Yet Ultroloths rank higher than Arcanaloths, despite being less powerful (even in 3.0, the Arcanaloth is 1 CR higher than the Ultroloth).
Why?
Are the Ultroloths too weak as it is, statted in the books? I thought they were the NE equivalent of Balors and Pit Fiends... Poor 'loths.
Shemeska
Adventurer
victorysaber said:
Because 3e and 3.5 Ultroloths are too weak. They're the top of the orthodox yugoloth heirarchy, the average Ultroloth probably commands more influence on the planes than a Pit Fiend or Balor does, and virtually none of their minions or enemies are really well aware of just what they can or can't do (all those intangibles, their mystique, etc doesn't translate easily into a statblock).
The MMII arcanaloth CR is also a tad high. They're pretty powerful in their own right yes, but the average arcanaloth shouldn't be on the same order of power as an Ultroloth. However, as presented in 3e stats, they're probably better than them, which is a problem that was never addressed, even with the nominal upgrade the Ultroloth got in the MMIII. Ultroloths are still underpowered.
Personally, I tend to give Ultroloths sorcerer or psion caster levels per their hit dice.
victorysaber said:
Ultroloths are definitely more powerful than arcanaloths; they come into being when arcanaloths defeat existing ultroloths in battle (albeit usually a battle of wits and secrets). The victorious arcanaloth then earns the right to become an ultroloth itself.
I wouldn't take the published stats too seriously; they were done without too much communication between the various designers (apparently).
Add at least seven class levels to a typical ultroloth, I'd say.
There's a similar problem with celestials, incidently. Most are too weak to be proper counterparts of the demons and devils. Give them some class levels, too.
