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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Serge" data-source="post: 3182376" data-attributes="member: 4049">While I plan on buying this book (it is, after all, about devils), I am already having some misgivings based upon the excerpts posted at WotC.  As rip already mentioned, the retcon with the Dark Eight (or, perhaps there will be a story element to explain the change) is dull.  There was more dramatic tension with having the Dark Eight essentially autonomous (answering only to Asmodeus, and then only occasionally) with Bel's responsibilities to the Blood War based upon his location (as the Lord of Avernus) and his own past (which may still force him to serve the Dark Eight's plans).  Additionally, the implication that Asmodeus may be a fallen celestial of some type is not particularly original if we still have Baalzebul as a fallen archon.  As for the stats, historically demons were mechanically stronger than devils.  If you compare the stats of the arch-devils in MMI with the demon princes in the same text, you'll find that Demogorgon is physically mightier than Asmodeus.  If you compare most of the "common fiends" in the Planescape, you'll find that demons are the strongest, yugoloths fill in the middle, and devils are the weakest.  Things were blurry with the "lordly" types; many of the abyssal lords were lesser gods while the Lords of the Nine weren't clearly gods, but did generate avatars (according to DRAGON Magazine 223) that paralleled the powers of avatars generated by greater gods.  It wasn't until 3ed that we started to see a bit of reverse with the power levels with pit fiends clearly capable of taking down a balor 65% of the time (and with ultroloths relegated, idiotically, to being no match for either head CE or LE fiend).I honestly have no idea what they're going to do with the stats in FCII.  If they go the  route parallel to FCI, we run into even more significant problems than that book in that there is no real spread of power beyond the pit fiend and before Bel (assuming he's still the weakest of the Nine) in which to fill your Dukes of Hell (assuming they still have them).  I have to agree with Shemeska: the best option would have been to suggest that the stats in FCI (and if they're of similar design philosophy, those in FCII) are for avatars/aspects (I'd make the sidebar for advancement as the alternative for those that want those, or similar, stats as the option/variant).If we go another route and they're similar in power to those in BoVD (which still doesn't really please me), hopefully they'll take advantage of real epic rules...  This would put them roughly on par with the demon princes and demon lords in DRAGON.In any event, yes, I suspect that we'll have very similar debates to those we had with FCI once again.</blockquote>

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