Drow and an Archdevil previews

[Mouseferatu]

Has anyone said anything, one way or the other, about slaadi? It'd make sense, if we're getting more law-oriented creatures (i.e. the inevitables, who really seem, to me, to be related to the modrons in this edition), that we'd be getting more chaos-oriented ones as well.

I'm still hoping for an expansion of demodands (or whatever their other name is), too.

 

[cbwjm]

Looks like Zariel is on par with the most powerful of the demon lords (going by CR anyway). I'm looking forward to seeing what the other archdevils are like, I'm assuming that they are all around the CR 24-26 range like the demon lords.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Looks like Zariel is on par with the most powerful of the demon lords (going by CR anyway). I'm looking forward to seeing what the other archdevils are like, I'm assuming that they are all around the CR 24-26 range like the demon lords.

I am more impressed by Zariel having almost 100 more hp then Demogorgon. (Which I can only guess is because she does not have Immunity to magical weapons.)

 

[gyor]

Has anyone said anything, one way or the other, about slaadi? It'd make sense, if we're getting more law-oriented creatures (i.e. the inevitables, who really seem, to me, to be related to the modrons in this edition), that we'd be getting more chaos-oriented ones as well.

I'm still hoping for an expansion of demodands (or whatever their other name is), too.

Honestly like Kytons, Pathfinder Demodands are way more interesting then then thier D&D counter parts (Kytons in Pathfinder are like shadow plane Cenobites and Demodands are fiendish worshippers of Abyssal Titans that created them and who war with Demons for control of the Abyss, and who in some ways are more merciful then Demons).

 

[Demetrios1453]

Looks like Zariel is on par with the most powerful of the demon lords (going by CR anyway). I'm looking forward to seeing what the other archdevils are like, I'm assuming that they are all around the CR 24-26 range like the demon lords.

So the question is, which ruling Archdevils are we going to get full stat blocks for? Zariel is the first ruler of a layer that we've seen confirmed - all the other Archdevils revealed so far have been either sub-commanders or deposed rulers. We know we won't be seeing Belial or Baalzebul since we've seen the Roll 20 preview of the creatures that begin with "B" in the book (regardless if they will actually be in the "B" section), and they weren't listed there.

Right now I'm guessing:

1.Zariel - confirmed in.
2 Dispater - unknown. (My opinion: not in. They seem to be focusing on those adventurers are most likely to encounter, and Dispater is notorious for rarely leaving his palace in Dis for defensive reasons).
3 Mammon - unknown. (My opinion: in. As the patron of greed, he could definitely be encountered to tempt adventurers to sell their souls for wealth).
4a Belial - confirmed not in.
4b Fierna - unknown (My opinion: maybe. More likely of Glasya doesn't make it in, as they are relatively similar).
5. Levistus - unknown (My opinion: not in. He's stuck in the center of an iceberg, so no one is reasonably going to encounter him).
6 Glasya - unknown (My opinion: in. Being the daughter of Asmodeus makes her an interesting character to profile).
7 Baalzebul - confirmed not in.
8 Mephistopheles - unknown (My opinion: in. Well known, and notorious for interfering in the affairs of mortals).
9 Asmodeus - unknown (My opinion: not in. They'll wait for some sort of book that covers deities before giving him stats, if even then).

 

[dave2008]

I am more impressed by Zariel having almost 100 more hp then Demogorgon. (Which I can only guess is because she does not have Immunity to magical weapons.)

Yes, Demo's effective HP (because of the non-magical weapon immunity) is 620; her effective w/ regen is 640, pretty close and his AC is 1 higher.

I wonder if they will update the demon lords for MToF? I don't think so, but they could sure use a refresh after seeing Moloch and Zariel. The legendary teleport is a massive thing for epic opponents. The demon lords are basically dead in the water without it.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Yes, Demo's effective HP (because of the non-magical weapon immunity) is 620; her effective w/ regen is 640, pretty close and his AC is 1 higher.

I wonder if they will update the demon lords for MToF? I don't think so, but they could sure use a refresh after seeing Moloch and Zariel. The legendary teleport is a massive thing for epic opponents. The demon lords are basically dead in the water without it.

Yeah I would not mind them getting a second look over and buffed in some cases. Though I don't feel they all need the legendary teleport, just an at will teleport is good enough for most of them. (Graz'zt being the exception as he already has the legendary teleport.)

 

[dave2008]

Yeah I would not mind them getting a second look over and buffed in some cases. Though I don't feel they all need the legendary teleport, just an at will teleport is good enough for most of them. (Graz'zt being the exception as he already has the legendary teleport.)

A bonus action limited range teleport would work well too.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Yeah I would not mind them getting a second look over and buffed in some cases. Though I don't feel they all need the legendary teleport, just an at will teleport is good enough for most of them. (Graz'zt being the exception as he already has the legendary teleport.)

It would make sense, given the comparative power level of Zariel we're seeing here. She and Demogorgon have the same CR, but he's arguably the strongest Demon Prince while she's likely one of the weaker level-ruling Archdevils.

And it could easily be explained in gaming terms - the versions of the Demon Princes seen in OotA could just be avatars, or similarly weaker versions, as the result of the botched summoning in that adventure. The Demon Princes' true forms would likely be somewhat stronger.

 

[Demetrios1453]

And one further thing, concerning the drow preview - I really, really like how the drow will, after this book, have a nice set of variants that will run right up the CR scale, allowing for interesting and challenging foes in any tier of play (and even more so when you include drow-adjacent foes like driders and yochlol). One of the things that disappointed me a bit in VGtM was the lack of higher level variants for the featured creatures, especially for the orcs and hobgoblins, who really should have had some leader-types with CRs in the mid-teens or so. Even the yuan-ti and mind flayers were a bit disappointing here, with the yuan-ti anathema being almost shockingly under-powered compared previous editions, with the elder brain being mildly under-powered (both should have been CR 15+, in my opinion). Even the giants should have had some more variants - but I've dealt with that by creating my own, as can be found on this forum! Then again, perhaps we'll see yet another Appendix with NPC stat blocks in this book, but specializing in more high-level types (since that is an acknowledged focus of the book), which would allow the easy creation of the higher-level orc and hobgoblin foes that were absent in Volo's...