Demons, Devils, or Other?

[Barastrondo]

Hm. I like devils' personality better as a "malevolent civil servant" take, all Ox Head and Horse Head in servitude to the Gods of Hell, hanging with Ereshkigal-figures. On the other hand, I like the look of the more chimerical demons better; that six-armed snake woman is a heck of an image, and it's fun to have six-fingered orangutans and leather-clad horned skeletons all dancing about blasphemous altars. The aesthetics are basically of medieval grimoires and Chinese paintings of hell on one side vs. pure sword and sorcery (with one Tolkien refugee) on the other.

I like them both about equally well, I think. Demons get just a faint edge of usability, though, since sword and sorcery tropes are easier to plug into a wider variety of D&D sub-genres.

Since they were created as something largely unique to D&D, they never had to crib off of the flavor of any real world demons or devils (for whom the distinction by alignment and nature in D&D was entirely moot). They had their own flavor that wasn't, by its nature, capable of ever coming off as pastiche of anything like the Lesser Key of Solomon, etc. There was never a case of being a D&D'ized version of names swiped from Dante or Paradise Lost.

Curiously, I view that as a flaw. I like stuff that feels like it could have boiled out of stories that people told before D&D; it's easier to present to players who didn't grow up on D&D cosmology but might have read a lot of other books. That said, I do have a few favorites among the middle children. The arcanodaemons (yes, with 1e horns, please) have a nice sword and sorcery vibe in particular; the 4e reskin into "ravaasta" makes them look like a Middle Eastern take on rakshasas, which really makes me want to plug one into my next Arabian-inspired campaign.

 

[Alzrius]

I'm more of a demon fan.

To me, demons just seem more evil because they seem to take so much pleasure in the suffering of others. And it's not some psychological suffering that comes from having manipulated them in a grand plot to make the person be the unwitting architect of the destruction of everyone and everything they hold dear, a la devils.

For demons, it's suffering in the sense of experiencing severe physical agony; demons are the torturers in Hostel, slowly cutting off pieces of you just to hear you scream. That frightens me in a way that signing away my soul on a piece of paper doesn't, and so demons frighten me in a way that devils don't. Hence why I think they're the better evil outsider.

Also, the original lyrics for the song were:

Demogorgon has a demon put aside for me, for me, for MEEEEEEE!!!

Seriously, true story.

 

[Shemeska]

What???

On another note, why does your vote count for two? Special Paizo Contributor bonus?

"Apparently I made some other fiend vote my way."

*dangles that teleport-at-will ability ala Daru ib Shamiq in 'Squaring the Circle'*

"Vote 'loth and you all get to keep or regain this ability in 5e!"

 

[sev]

Where's my "All of the Above" button? I wanna "all of the above..."

I love having both demons and devils in my toolbox. Demons are so straightforwardly destructive, and devils are so cunning and manipulative. They've each got their role in the story.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Demons. They're mutable, crazy, unpredictable, and will breed with anything. Their most devious plans work right by going wrong.

 

[BronzeDragon]

Yugoloths by about 2500 miles.

Masterminds, manipulators (including playing both Tanar'ri and Baatezu against each other), corruptors of Celestials and mortals alike, what's not to like?

 

[BronzeDragon]

"Daru ib Shamiq in 'Squaring the Circle' "

Instant goosebumps.

Greatest. Boxed. Set. Ever.

 

[Shemeska]

Boo!

Instant goosebumps.

Greatest. Boxed. Set. Ever.

[sblock]

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[TarionzCousin]

I hope you don't talk to yourself this much in person

Who said that?

Where's my "All of the Above" button? I wanna "all of the above..."

I love having both demons and devils in my toolbox. Demons are so straightforwardly destructive, and devils are so cunning and manipulative. They've each got their role in the story.

You must choose the form of your destructor!

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Devils.

There's something joyous about offering the PCs that they KNOW will bite them back, but to do it in such an understanding way, and to do it when they're so very desperate, that they sign it anyways.

And that's when the real fun begins.

Don't get me wrong, I love demons. But devils hits an itch just right. Demons will pull off your toes to hear you scream. Devils will do the same, but they'll make you agree to it first.