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Summary
Devils and demons are some of the most favored creatures for Dungeon Masters to throw at their poorDungeons & Dragonsparties. The variety the creature type provides gives the Dungeon Master lots to play with in terms of stat blocks, and many parties often find themselves on the business end of a devil’s ire, especially if an unlucky fiend-pacted warlock isn’t quite holding up their end of the bargain.
Devils and demons have similarities and spawn from the same mythology in the real world. However, in Dungeons & Dragons, the nuances between them are the source of bloody conflicts and power struggles that echo across the multiverse.
What Are The Origins Of Demons And Devils?
Demons and devils come from vastly different areas.These differing planes inform their attitudes and behaviorstoward other creatures.
Demons
Demons come fromthe Abyss, a plane of pure, chaotic evil.It’s one of the Outer Planes, aconcept elaborated on within the Planescape sourcebook, and is rumored to have around 666 layers.
Demons are better understood as pure manifestations of rage and hate, so they tend towardsmindless destructioninstead of tactical plots. They alsoact as extensions of the Abyss, spreading that chaos across the planes.
Indeed,their entire lives revolve around the Abyssin a pseudo-religious fashion and a genuine sense—their essence may return to be reborn through it.
Because demons exist to destroy and kill,the hierarchy of demons is very loose, with very little order to its name. Demon lords rule over pockets of demons, but they don’t have an extraordinary amount of hierarchal power.
Demon lords are infamously brutal and act as more powerful versions of the demons' base urges.
Devils
Devils, however,reside within the plane of the Nine Hells.Rather than speaking the demonicAbyssal, they speakInfernal. Their society is built on law, consisting of strict hierarchies that position devils on a ladder, allowing them to climb and surpass one another.
Most devils start their tenure aslemures; blobular, formless piles of flesh. Above them arelesser devils, which (in no particular order) include imps, bearded devils, and spine devils. Then comes thegreater devils, such as erinyes, pit fiends, and ice devils. Archdevils sit near the top, and thearchdukesits just above them, with the fiendish god Asmodeus looming over them all.
Devils can move up or down this chain, depending on their failures or accomplishments.
What Are The Alignments Of Devils?
The biggest difference between devils anddemons is that demons prefer chaos, and devils prefer order. Both value evil, but have very different ways of going about ensuring its existence.
Devils most often appear as lawful evil beings, which means they abide by their own rules, often to the sordid end of those they are attempting to pact with.Devils plot, ensuring that their plans go off without a hitch. In fact, many mortal warlocks may not see the fruits of their devilish patron’s labor within their lifetime.
Demons, however, are chaotic evil.They prioritize defeat and wholesale slaughter, sowing devastation throughout the paths of the players. Demons will frequently attack with little regard for their own forms, fighting until their destruction.
An example of demonic ruin is highlighted in the ending chapters of the module Out of the Abyss.
These fundamental differences between the twoare part of what caused the Blood War,an ancient clash between the demons and devilsof the lower planes.
There are also a variety of fiends called Yugoloths, that commonly appear as neutral evil beings. They appear signifigantly less often in D&D media than devils and demons, however.
