Asmodeus Unleashed - Level 33 Super-solo

[Mirtek]

Just a short remark:

Asmodeus (2nd Edition AD&D)

Asmodeus was never detailed in 2nd Edition and in fact was never even named until about a dozen years after the release of 2nd Edition because of the idiocy of the Angry Mothers From Heck and their ill-conceived crusade against the game. When Asmodeus did finally get a mention it was to suggest that he was a fallen angel overgod whose true form was a great serpent/dragon whose fall created the Nine Hells. The humanoid form was just some sort of Avatar or Aspect of this true being.

2nd Edition never claimed that he was an overdeity. That was the result of hyped fanon ignoring what the very book that introduced the base concept on which said fanon was build stated without any doubt: He was a greater deity (Guide to Hell, page 48).

 

[Upper_Krust]

Howdy Mirtek - thanks for the spot.

2nd Edition never claimed that he was an overdeity. That was the result of hyped fanon ignoring what the very book that introduced the base concept on which said fanon was build stated without any doubt: He was a greater deity (Guide to Hell, page 48).

Guide to Hell is one of the few books on the matter I do not personally own (hence my error). I was probably channelling subsequent works of Chris Pramas when I put that down.

 

[Alzrius]

2nd Edition never claimed that he was an overdeity. That was the result of hyped fanon ignoring what the very book that introduced the base concept on which said fanon was build stated without any doubt: He was a greater deity (Guide to Hell, page 48).

I don't have my copy of Guide to Hell handy, but I seem to recall that the sidebar on Jazirian states that he (Jazirian) is "like Ahriman, pretending to be less than he is as a greater deity." Or something to that effect.

Either way, the intent seems very clear that the two are overdeities.

 

[Zaukrie]

Do you have your history writeups in documents, or should I copy and paste from the site? Great read.

Sent using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mirtek]

I don't have my copy of Guide to Hell handy, but I seem to recall that the sidebar on Jazirian states that he (Jazirian) is "like Ahriman, pretending to be less than he is as a greater deity." Or something to that effect.

Either way, the intent seems very clear that the two are overdeities.

GtH is pretty clear:

GtH, page 48: Ahriman confused matter further by changing his name to Asmodeus and posing as a near-power at best. [...] In truth, Asmodeus is a greater power, just like Jazirian.

2e knew the divine strates of demipower, lesser power, intermediate power and greater power and overpower and GtH clearly set the twin serpents as greater powers.

Just some fans found that their background sounded to awesome to "just" be two greater powers and started with the whole "they have to be overpowers" thing.

Edit: While going through it I just also found another reference in GtH on page 51: "As a greater god, Asmodeus can maintain up to 10 avatars at once", which is just the same as other greater powers can per Legends&Lore or Faiths&Pantheons

 

[Alzrius]

GtH is pretty clear:

GtH, page 48: Ahriman confused matter further by changing his name to Asmodeus and posing as a near-power at best. [...] In truth, Asmodeus is a greater power, just like Jazirian.

Yeah, but again, that sidebar on What About Jazirian. I think there's room for, at the very least, some ambiguity. (Also, this is reaching a bit, but there's a possible interpretation that Ahriman is a greater power now, after being injured so badly.)

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey there Zaukrie!

Do you have your history writeups in documents, or should I copy and paste from the site?

How about this, when I get the whole (6 page) article finished I'll make the pdf available for free download on both my website and here in this thread.

Ironically, I take snapshots from my pdf version and upload them to my website as jpegs.

Great read.

Thanks.

 

[Mirtek]

Yeah, but again, that sidebar on What About Jazirian. I think there's room for, at the very least, some ambiguity. (Also, this is reaching a bit, but there's a possible interpretation that Ahriman is a greater power now, after being injured so badly.)

The sidebar (which is on page 50) just says that Jazirian is the only one to know of Ahriman's masquerade but for the time being prefers to continue as deity of the couatl's and have them gather spy on the devils to figure out Asmodeu's plan and then decide what to do about it. It doesn't mention any power levels

 

[Shemeska]

As I understand it, the fanon-in-some-circles idea of Asmodeus as an overdeity comes from a conflation of his description as a big wounded snake in GtH with the entirely seperate concept of The Serpent from the various Vecna modules (Die Vecna Die and the two earlier ones).

Of course the idea of The Serpent as an overgod / Magic itself, was itself a misreading of the original use of The Serpent as only an artifact of Vecna's madness (according to Monte Cook's original intention).

Somehow on the WotC boards and later elsewhere these two things got conflated and confused, and you still find the occasional Asmo as overdeity claims.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi all!

Just to mention I updated the article with another two pages featuring the Death dragon Telocvovim that is trapped within Asmodeus' Ruby Rod.