Demon Lords. You use 'em?

[DragonLancer]

IMC, they are the "Evil Gods" -- they grant spells and everything.

Not in my games. Gods grant spells not demons. What I do is go the Warlock/Witch route and have their high priests as sorcerers.

Never really liked the idea of demons, even unique ones, granted spells and making clerics.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I've been using the Ebon Maw, a demon lord from Dragon magazine, for almost a year in my campaign.

It started off with the players hearing about some kidnappings and other activities. I've slowly upped the demon influence until the players, all about 8th-10th level, finally fought one of the Ebon Maw's personal beasties and had to pull out all stops in order to beat it.

Demon Lords are great in that they have many of the same resoruces as a deity, but don't have all the baggage of being actual deities in their personal power levels.

 

[Raven Crowking]

In my world, the big demon lords are evil gods. However, I'm not using the standard D&D demon lords. And, IMC, the gods are very much involved in mortals' lives, which means demons and angels do see play even at very low levels.

RC

 

[francisca]

Naw, I killed them all off in 8th grade with my Half-Drow/Half-Dwarf/Half-MindFlayer (he was really big!) Ranger 23/Assassin 18/Magic User 39, and took their stuff!! All of you other guys are just fooling youselves! They're gone!!!! And I obliterated all 666 levels of the Abyss.

But serioulsy:

..... I had them "wake up" in the Abyss with no memories of their former lives, having been told that Orcus wiped their memories after a failed attempt to usurp him. ..... He kindly offered them a chance to redeem themselves in his eyes by performing a series of missions for him, ..... Fortunately, after about three successful missions they regained their normal memories, managed to get themselves resurrected on the Prime Material Plane, and have spent most of their time trying to undo the things they did when they were "dead" and thinking themselves demons.

That sounds like a really fun game, and a very good use of Demon Lords. Hats off to you!

 

[Voadam]

In the past I used Asmodeus when a PC was given to devils as an offering. I'm working on a big Belial plot now for the future although I only anticipate the party encountering minions of his (an unholy warrior, a dedicated warlord (forget the exact title from Librum Equitis Compiled) a pit fiend, classed kyton, the smith devils from Book of fiends, clerics devoted to him, etc.).

I think it is fun to have them in the active pantheon for world plots.

 

[Davelozzi]

I use them as objects of worship for evil cults but have never actually had one appear in game. Though I wouldn't rule that out if one of my campaigns lasted long enough for it to be appropriate.

 

[grodog]

I absolutely use them. Demon Princes, Archdevils, Daemon Masters, Slaad Lords, et al, remain an integral part of many of my campaigns, varying from background window-dressing to core plot elements.

In 1e, I allowed them to grant spells, have paladins (I used paladins of all alignments), etc. I haven't had cause to employ them in 3e yet (for a change, I've mostly been playing vs. DMing), but I still tend to think that they would have a divine rank IMCs.

For some interesting thoughts on tweaking such figures with limited divine ranks, as well as a pile of all-around excellent inspiration on demons, devils, etc., see Sepulchrave's Wyre Rogues Gallery thread (from his SH) at http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5652

 

[Voadam]

One of the things I like a lot about 3e is the ability to have clerics without gods.

I never liked the "demons make deals to front for evil gods so their cults can have clerics" I just have cleric power come from the cleric and their training, focusing devotion on a god is only one option for clerical orders and traditions. Demon cults seem archetipycially appropriate as do champions of generic darkness, or non god aligned orders or pantheon worshippers.

 

[VirgilCaine]

Mind you, I still like the idea of archfiend cults, so now they're quasi-deities whom offer 1 domain each (choose law, evil, or chaos as your 2nd). And some archfiends of my own have taken the places of the fallen. The "seven deadly sin" domains in the last Dragon magazine were perfect for filling in the gaps.

I like the quasi deity idea.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I've been using the Ebon Maw, a demon lord from Dragon magazine, for almost a year in my campaign.

It started off with the players hearing about some kidnappings and other activities. I've slowly upped the demon influence until the players, all about 8th-10th level, finally fought one of the Ebon Maw's personal beasties and had to pull out all stops in order to beat it.

Demon Lords are great in that they have many of the same resoruces as a deity, but don't have all the baggage of being actual deities in their personal power levels.

Very cool. I love hearing stuff like this, considering that article is head-and-shoulders my favorite above all others I've published in Dragon.

I won't ask you to hijack the thread--unless you feel that doing so is still relevant to the original discussion--but if you'd be so kind as to PM or e-mail me, I'd love to hear how your players responded to Turaglas and his cult and cronies.