I Seem To Be Embarking on Something Quite Rare

[Presto2112]

Spoilers for a couple modules featuring devils

[SBLOCK]2e A paladin in Hell

3e Lord of the Iron Fortress

3e Tsar Rising (Monkeygod)

3.5 Hellspike Prison

3.5 Hellstone Deep (Monkeygod)

3.5 Dungeon Interludes (Goodman Games)[/SBLOCK]

Hey, thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Psion]

Since we're discussing devil MO vs. demon MO, here's my pair of coppers:

The Demonic impetus is to corrupt, to change, to spawn. Their infinite variety comes from their primal chaotic nature. They are alive, and enjoy life, but value strength over valor, pleasure over morality, and power over loyalty. To a demon, each individual's fall is like a beautiful snowflake. They want to catch you all... no, they've got to catch you all.


The Diabolical impetus brooks no disobedience. They would rather see the universe dead and re-animated as mindless obedient minions than see any spark of hope or defiance. They want you dead. All of you. Now.


So, a Devil will gladly help a Wizard research a city-killing spell, because more dead humans are what they want, while a Demon would be happier corrupting a single good person.

That's pretty much exactly the opposite of the interpretation in FCII. Therein (and I prefer this mode of thinking, it makes more sense WRT the differences between capital LE and capital CE) they describe Demons as wanting destruction and mayhem and Devils and wanting corruption (albeit on a large scale, as opposed to the singular scale you speak of) and domination.

 

[Nifft]

That's pretty much exactly the opposite of the interpretation in FCII. Therein they describe Demons as wanting destruction and mayhem and Devils and wanting corruption (albeit on a large scale, as opposed to the singular scale you speak of) and domination.

Yeah, I know. LE is supposed to be "better" than CE. But for my setting that just makes no sense.

IMC, Chaos is the source of life and inspiration.
The goddess of Death is LN, for example.

However, the seeds of my interpretation are in the monster stats themselves -- as y'all know, I'm a big proponent of "mechanics produces flavor" -- so take a look at these examples:

At will—blasphemy (DC 25), create undead, fireball (DC 21), greater dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), invisibility, magic circle against good, mass hold monster (DC 27), persistent image (DC 23), power word stun, unholy aura (DC 26); 1/day—meteor swarm (DC 27).

At will— blasphemy (DC 25), dominate monster (DC 27), greater dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), insanity (DC 25), power word stun, telekinesis (DC 23), unholy aura (DC 26); 1/day—fire storm (DC 26), implosion (DC 27).

So, which one of these wants to corrupt you, and which one wants to kill you and re-animate your corpse? (In 3.0, all of the Devils get animate dead or similar. Them as the source of undead simply made sense.)

- - - -

Anyway, in the short term, both want to corrupt and control people. Both generally want war -- Devils because it kills people, and Demons because the extreme conditions encourage immoral choices. (Also because Demons love fighting, and war means lots of fighting.)

Cheers, -- N

 

[Sammael]

Prior to the events of the adventure, the Cult of Baalzebul has created a huge number of stockpiles of magically-preserved food. Baalzebul then starts sending plagues of locusts and swarms of slugs to the continent to ruin all crops. Next, his agents should appear, spreading propaganda of how the famine is an unjust punishment by the gods for some minor slight. Meanwhile, the Cult of Baalzebul should start coming out in the open and "miraculously" providing food to the needy. When the other churches and clerics inevitably attack them, they will have the general populace's sympathy. The Cult can begin summoning devils to defend themselves (and the food), at first taking care that the devils are disguised, and slowly revealing their true selves, as the population gets accustomed to these new guardians. Witch-burnings of captured enemies (particularly enemy clerics) should become a commonplace; if at all possible, the ones organizaing those pyres should be the peasants themselves, not the Cult proper. Slowly, but surely, the Empire of Lies shall rise...