D&D 5E Tier 4+ Encounter with Asmodeus

[LordEntrails]

As my campaign nears it's end, the party is about to encounter Asmodeus. What are some good cohorts to add to support him? What about some thematic environmental hazards?

Setting is to be an oversized manor. Figured to have some fire and lightning hazards in the doorways. Maybe a few blinking portals that teleport 'victims' to other places in the manor. Encounter CR is probably 35-38. Not too worried about being too much.

For reference, party is of 6 level 20 characters with solid to high magic.

 

[aco175]

He is the lord of lies and the greatest schemer of all time. His plans take 100 years to plan and come to fruition. He lives in a projected image and nobody knows his true form or where he truly is. The PCs must first get past this before hoping to meet him, if it is surely him at all and not a patsy of his.

After that, I would have 100 paladins of good defend him as they are bound by contract that they once sought or were fooled into.

 

[LordEntrails]

Thanks @aco175, but I don't need the intro or reason. They've had dealings with him before and I have the setup. In this case Asmodeus has drawn them into the encounter.

I've got a CR 30 stat block for Asmo from the MM Expanded that I'm happy with. But, I need more than him for the encounter.
So what I'm looking for is what should the encounter consist of beside Asmo? A couple of pit fiends? Some Abishai? A thousand imps? A mix of supporting devils is... acceptable. But I know some of you are more creative than that and can come up with something more interesting. So what might that be?

 

[Quickleaf]

As my campaign nears it's end, the party is about to encounter Asmodeus. What are some good cohorts to add to support him? What about some thematic environmental hazards?

Setting is to be an oversized manor. Figured to have some fire and lightning hazards in the doorways. Maybe a few blinking portals that teleport 'victims' to other places in the manor. Encounter CR is probably 35-38. Not too worried about being too much.

For reference, party is of 6 level 20 characters with solid to high magic.

Holy moly!

I know your question focuses on minions & environment, which I'll give some suggestions on, but first I would attack things the PCs/players believe to be true... revelation of ancestries that create a complication, withdrawal or reversal of blessings/boons they previously relied upon, betrayals of those closest to them, discovering that the old resurrection came with conditions, etc, etc.

Vassals (canonical): Asmodeus has a whole bunch of vassals who you can bring into play, including...

• Alastor: The Executioner of Nessus, a pit fiend of maximum HP with broken wings, wielding a +3 battleaxe and a scythe (I'd make one or both "hellfire weapons" from BGiA).
• Baalberith: Pit fiend major domo of Asmodeus's palace, who commanded palace guard of 66 pit fiends (I'd make them minions with 1 hp and a damage threshold of 20).
• Bune: A greedy horned devil (maximum HP) commander quick to heed Asmodeus' commands, He has regeneration (5), has a Frightful Touch, can cast cone of cold and symbol of death 1/day each, and can summon 1d4 cornungons 70% of the time.
• Phongor: The dreaded Inquisitor of Hell who acts as something of a spymaster for Asmodeus, Phonger is a unique devil – 6 ft tall humanoid with alabaster skin, glittering pink eyes, oily black hair, tiny horns, a forked tail, red hooves, and a hoarse, hissing voice. A compliment of spined devils is at his beck and call. I would start with an archmage, and give him: (A) devil traits/resistances/immunities & stunning/pain effect immunity, (B) a poisonous cat-of-nine-tails, (C) truesight, (D) Frightful Presence, (E) modified spell list (contagion, shocking grasp, sending, symbol (pain)), (F) summon 1d6 spined devils 70%.
• Rimmon: Sarcastic and nasty gelugon (max HP) commander of the gelugon companies, he wields a trident, has Frightful Presence, has truesight, and cast these spells: magic, detect magic, wall of ice, ice storm, cone of cold, fly, lightning bolt, chain lightning, symbol (pain), and teleport. Also has wish-granting powers similar to a genie or what's described in BGiA for greater devils.
• Zagum: A cold-blooded, wryly humorous, and ambitious barbed devil (max HP) commander of the barbed devil companies, Zagum has Regeneration (5), Fearful Gaze, and can cast these spells: pyrotechnics, produce flame, wall of fire, dispel magic, hold person, hold monster, fly, symbol (pain), flame strike, and teleport. Also has wish-granting powers similar to a genie or what's described in BGiA for greater devils.

Minions (my ideas):

• A red ruby golem made from shattered bits of the Shard of Evil, controlled by Asmodeus' ruby rod. I'd use a smargadine golem (ToB) as a base, but give it a high Regeneration and/or Damage Threshold until the ruby rod is destroyed/dispelled/disarmed. And its strikes leave shards of evil essence embedded in the victim, with some kind of compounding corruption effect (e.g. similar to sword of wounding or wraith's life drain, but at 0 hp become Lawful Evil thrall of Asmodeus).
• A pact that he can invoke, conjuring a NPC known to the party who is compelled to fight for Asmodeus.
• A living spell that tears souls from their bodies, flinging the body to the Astral Plane. Reuniting them requires dispelling/slaying the living spell OR transporting to the Astral Plane and bringing the body back. If the soul is bodiless for ~3 rounds in the Nine Hells, pursuant to an ancient compact it becomes the "property" of Asmodeus.

Environment (my ideas):

• A wall of illusion casting anyone passing through in the role of Asmodeus from the "Trial of Asmodeus" (in which Asmodeus was condemned and fell from angelic grace).
• Occam's Razor – a storm of blades (a la blade barrier), anyone damaged by it must save or have self deceit / false expectations stripped away, along with stripping multi-class powers, and anything vestigial/tacked on to the PC.
• Angels with flayed skin on display like that human anatomy gallery exhibit, creating an aura that interferes with clerical magic – the aura can be lowered with Channel Divinity, deva's tears, a miracle, wish, etc.
• Massive holy symbols of Asmodeus (that triangle thingy) hanging over passages/doors which burn a symbol onto the skin of unwelcome guests entering. This acts to trigger certain spell effects (e.g. glyph of warding) in the manor, both increasing access & risk.

 

[LordEntrails]

@Quickleaf Excellent, Thank you!

A pact that he can invoke, conjuring a NPC known to the party who is compelled to fight for Asmodeus.

So the party first came to the awareness of Asmo as they fought the Cassalanter's (from WDDH). The party has since killed both of them (Ammalia more recently) and the kids (as devils). BUT, this would be a great time to bring them back!

I have planned to put some hidden portals in place, of two different type. One that are invisible that teleport to one of the other ones randomly in the set. And a second set that only activate like 1/2 the time. I've thought about things like lightning motes, walls of fire, blade barriers. And I guess static ones in strategic places is ok, but... still seems let interesting. Maybe instead of damage, save vs exhaustion, or ability suppression.

Lots of ideas, please keep more coming.

 

[DEFCON 1]

If it's in a manor house and since Asmodeus is schemer... have every doorway and hallway blocked by a "Prismatic Wall". However, only make half of them real and actual Prismatic Walls... others are just programmed illusions of Prismatic Walls. So the party will either waste spell slots trying to remove them all, or they will discover as they try to go through one that it isn't real-- and thus make them more likely to try and walk through others and then discover those other ones are.

And since allies of the caster can go through the walls without issue... you can "trap" the party in hallways between Walls that appear, and the other demon mooks can pass through and into the hallway, attack the party, then go back out through the Wall again (and the party then has to decide whether or not to follow and possibly end up going through a real Prismatic Wall.)

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I would have the manor chock full of every type of canonical baatezu, as well as various other servitors, and particular individual devils as suggested above. I'd have another archfiend or two visiting him at any particular time (who may or may not help him in a battle). Pit fiends are particularly common this far down in the, er, pit. Don't just give him a couple of those, have dozens of them around at least.

I put together a baatezu hierarchy by combining information from multiple editions. Some of the lines reference the Planar Bestiary (for previous edition devils not converted to 5e), and I've house-ruled some 2e style baatezu for a classic feel. I'm generally hesitant to post highly organized material when it has some of my own interpretation or creative decisions thrown in, but in case it's useful to you (or others), here it is:

 

[cranberry]

In addition to legions of pit fiends, his daughter, Glasya should be part of the encounter.

As far as themes, a lot of illusion/mind/INT based traps and puzzles would be appropriate.

I assume you're playing 5E? If so, where did you get the stats for Asmodeus?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I'm pretty sure Asmdeous' preferred weapons are words.

Expect to fight his army of evil lawyers.

 

[LordEntrails]

I put together a baatezu hierarchy by combining information from multiple editions. Some of the lines reference the Planar Bestiary (for previous edition devils not converted to 5e), and I've house-ruled some 2e style baatezu for a classic feel. I'm generally hesitant to post highly organized material when it has some of my own interpretation or creative decisions thrown in, but in case it's useful to you (or others), here it is:

Thank you! Appreciate it, it will be useful

I assume you're playing 5E? If so, where did you get the stats for Asmodeus?

Yes, Monster Manual Expanded. It's a third party product on the DMsGuild. It's well done. If you like NPCs to have at the ready, I highly recommend it and it's companion, MME II (I don't have III, yet). I actually have the FG version, but here is the PDF: Monster Manual Expanded (5E) - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild