D&D 5E New Wandering Monsters: Demonic Cults

[Weather Report]

1) I can tell of one instance of non-gnoll followers of Yeenoghu, the Maures family. That cult did not involve Baphomet at all. I cannot tell you any cult of Baphomet that is not minotaur, ogre or giant.

2) I find someone being annoyed by not including continuity nods a problematic but that is a personal issue and I like to analyze why people need those nods.

1) Where are you getting these cults?

2) Ah, you'll have a blast on the Yugoloth threads.

 

[steeldragons]

*shrug* meh.

It's all fine, I guess. But nothing earth shatteringly creative or inspiring...none of it made me saay "Oo cool! I gotstuh use me summa dose!" What would they be for anyway? Why was this something he wanted to do? Should we be expecting "Cult of __" entires under demon lords in the MM...or do they go in the DDG?

As for Baphomet v. Yeenoghu's Brawl for an Awl (tm), where's that come from? I don't recall anything about that in my materials of the two of them... Demogorgon and Orcus, yes. But nothing particular between those two...I mean, any more so than any demonlord wants to smash/rend/crush/destroy any other demonlord.

 

[Nymrohd]

*shrug* meh.

It's all fine, I guess. But nothing earth shatteringly creative or inspiring...none of it made me saay "Oo cool! I gotstuh use me summa dose!" What would they be for anyway? Why was this something he wanted to do? Should we be expecting "Cult of __" entires under demon lords in the MM...or do they go in the DDG?

As for Baphomet v. Yeenoghu's Brawl for an Awl (tm), where's that come from? I don't recall anything about that in my materials of the two of them... Demogorgon and Orcus, yes. But nothing particular between those two...I mean, any more so than any demonlord wants to smash/rend/crush/destroy any other demonlord.

I think it is in every single entry of either of them tbh. Gates exist between their planes with armies invading both ways (though Yeenoghu is smart enough not to go anywhere near Pale Night's territory). Yeenoghu also is at war with Malcanthet.

 

[steeldragons]

I think it is in every single entry of either of them tbh. Gates exist between their planes with armies invading both ways (though Yeenoghu is smart enough not to go anywhere near Pale Night's territory). Yeenoghu also is at war with Malcanthet.

Huh. So it is...under Baphomet's MM2 and Caverns of Tsojcanth entries, at least. Never noticed. Don't have my DDG handy to check Yeenoghu's listing. But cool! There's my "learned something" for the day!

 

[Nymrohd]

Huh. So it is...under Baphomet's MM2 and Caverns of Tsojcanth entries, at least. Never noticed. Don't have my DDG handy to check Yeenoghu's listing. But cool! There's my "learned something" for the day!

As for why, I don't think we really know

 

[Nymrohd]

1) Where are you getting these cults?

2) Ah, you'll have a blast on the Yugoloth threads.

1)I think I own like 80% of all D&D products And I've got a solid memory. But certainly, feel free to point me to another human cult I'd love to go check it out. It may well exist for sure just not to my knowledge.

2)I love continuity. I just don't get the need for constant nods to it

 

[Nymrohd]

Anyway to get back to the new WM. Graz'zt's entry is certainly lacking isn't it? The way that is described makes it seem like a fertility cult. If memory serves the classic cult of Graz'zt is led by lamias who seduce people with illusions and after they have their fun with them just go ahead and eat them.

 

[Weather Report]

I love continuity. I just don't get the need for constant nods to it

Who said anything about constant?

 

[MarkB]

Yeah, the Graz'zt cults need more emphasis on the whole "no restraint" thing - basically, if they find something that gives them pleasure, they pursue it regardless of what it might do to others, or even themselves. So, some are vicious sadists or sexual predators, but others are depraved gourmands who will happily stuff themselves to death as long as it tastes good.

The Baphomet entry was okay, but a bit limited - there's only so far you can go with "making people act like evil minotaurs" before it reaches the stage of "okay, how about we just have some actual evil minotaurs".

 

[Pour]

Baphomet and Grazz'zt both seem to reflect the "Evil Dionysus" archetype right now. I almost want to give it all to Baphomet, beastly cults wearing dessicated livestock's heads, performing Hostel on the peasantry, and partaking in orgies, cannibalism and bestiality (this might be a great place to differentiate minotaurs made by biology and minotaurs made by the actual copulation of humans and bulls in violent, unholy rites). Make Baphomet the reptile brain in each of us, the base animal, and the untempered Rage and Passion which drives us to do bad things (with or without our knowledge- how many people these days black out during brutal acts, or how something just came over them). We'll never shake him from our collective unconscious, but civilization, justice, strong communal ties are his bane- torches against the the night of our unreason and filthy desires. His is not a cult of great aims, but can be meticulous planners in order to achieve their grisly catharsis, which may give a little insight into how Baphomet actually is different than Grazz'zt. That lord wants to twist the knife in your guts while you smile and thank him for it. Baphomet just wants your screams.

If I have any gripe, its the possible implication only three lords might get covered in the MM1. That's considerable, given the past, but the list of quality demon lords is long enough and varied enough that three only begins to cover their breadth and complexity. I'm a real sucker for them, especially if they're going to begin to cover what I think they always were meant to, every primeval, chaos, cosmic, and eldritch-like entity in the D&D universe. We should take Demogorgon's Cthulhu cue and nix a lot of pointless subdivisions of chaotic evil being and throw them all back into the primordial stew of the Abyss to hash it out as a lord or prince in the absolute nadir of the universe.

And how about a demon queen in the mix, too, like Oublivae maybe? She is so cool.