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• Jul 3, 2022

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Devil, Rage

  

  This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.

  Looks like the Monster Manual 3 is all about blurring the lines between fiends. We have a devil who became a demon lord, demons who became devils, and now a devil who behaves like a demon. I haven’t run into rage devils before. If they appeared in previous editions, it must have been in a late MM or a specialized supplement.

  The Lore

  A Rage Devil is what happens when you take a standard Hell Knight and inject demon ichor into it. They’re hulking brutes who are constantly angry and delight in carnage. In other words, they’re pretty much demons, or they would be if their flesh wasn’t bound with empowered Supernal sigils that keep them pointed in the right direction.

  These creatures are the result of an infernal experiment to create more powerful shock troops to throw into the meatgrinder of the Blood War. They’re actually a little weaker than a standard hell knight, making them a bit of a failed experiment. Maybe they adapted the process for the mass-produced version so it works on legion devils instead.

  Rage devils are used as heavy elements attached to legion devil forces, and are often placed under the command of hell knights. In their free time, these things roam Avernus in search of demon stragglers or anyone else they can get away with smashing.

  The Numbers

  Rage Devils are Large Immortal Humanoids (Devils), and Level 11 Brutes with 138 HP. They have Darkvision and Resist Fire 20, but they can’t fly. Their ground speed is 6.

  These devils are heavily armored and fight with Disrupting Mauls whose basic attacks strip all of the target’s resistances for a turn! They have a special technique named Demonscourge Crush (recharge 4+), which deals the same damage as a basic attack, weakens, and strips all resistances (save ends both). Another maneuver is Maul Storm an at-will Close Burst 2 that deals some damage and pushes targets 3 squares. If they’re bloodied, they’re also knocked prone.

  Their Blood Rage passive trait makes them deal extra damage on all attacks against bloodied opponents.

  Final Impressions

  Rage devils are indeed an excellent weapon both against demons and against other devils, as well as any creature type that relies on high elemental resistances. Behavior-wise they tend to be on the shallower end of the demon cliche pool, with only their binding rituals preventing them from turning on their devilish masters.

  As I said above, I’d probably say most rage devils are modified legion devils, because baseline Hell Knights are both stronger and smarter than these things, so turning a Hell Knight into a Rage Devil is a bit of a waste.

• Jun 29, 2022

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Devil, Passion

  

  This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.

  This is the first time I come across passion devils, but they give me strong 3e vibes.

  The Lore

  Do you want to employ seductive and manipulative devils in your villainous schemes, but feel that succubi are too nice? Fierna, archdevil ruler of Phlegethos, sure did! In order to fulfill her very specific needs, she created Passion Devils.

  The reason these creatures give me a strong 3e-or-earlier vibe is that they feel like the sort of grid-filling exercise that was very common in those games. Succubi were considered demons back then, so when they needed to fill the “seductive manipulator” niche on the devil side they created a completely new creature.

  In 4e, passion devils are kinda like a specialized succubus variant tied to Fierna. As incarnations of her vanity, they’re made in her image but always have some extra imperfection in their forms so their mistress remains the fairest of them all. They’re sent to infiltrate mortal societies just like a succubus, and they’re also used to replace the leadership of Fierna’s own cults so she can keep tabs on them. When used as official emissaries and ambassadors, they are often protected by a unit of bearded devil bodyguards.

  The main difference between a baseline succubus and a passion devil is that the latter have serious anger management issues. When their tempers flare, their disguises tend to melt away as the passion devil abandons all subtlety and resorts to force. This is obviously what happens when the PCs thwart their plans, but it could also happen if they run out of patience while trying to employ standard succubus strategies. At least their fire powers make them better combatants than succubi when the jig is up.

  The Numbers

  These creatures are Medium Immortal Humanoids with the Devil keyword, and Level 16 Controllers. They have Darkvision, Resist Fire 20, and move at speed 6 on the ground or in the air. A pretty standard devil toolkit.

  They project a charm aura (1) that makes others see them as a Object of Desire and take a -2 penalty to saves against dazing effects.

  Their basic attack is a claw that targets Reflex and does fire damage. They can also be “gentler” and employ a Fiery Touch that does less damage and dominates for a turn. The ability that combos with their aura is Beckoning Whispers, a non-damaging attack against Will that pulls targets 5 squares and dazes them (save ends).

  Finally they have an area attack named Passion’s Flames, a Close Burst 3 that deals fire damage and forces any dominated enemies it hits to make melee basic attacks against targets of the devil’s choice.

  As a minor action, the passion devil can change shape to appear like a Medium humanoid. The DC to see through the disguise is a respectable 36, but it’s less stable than that of a succubus and ends when the devil attacks.

  Final Impressions

  It’s a Succubus Plus with a temper. Lore-wise they’re Fierna’s trademark servants, so they fit into any adventure where she’s the main enemy. Otherwise you might want to use leveled-up succubi from the Monster Vault, or reskin these into succubi as appropriate.

• Jun 28, 2022

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Devil, Hellwasp

  

  This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.

  I don’t remember seeing hell wasps before, but they sound like the sort of monster that might have debuted in 3e.

  The Lore

  In past editions the Blood War was this eternal alignment-based conflict, but here it’s part of Asmodeus’ safety net. You see, the other gods don’t like Asmodeus very much, both because he’s an evil asshole and because he got his position by murdering a popular non-evil deity.

  One of the measures he took to prevent them from ganging up on him was to commit the considerable armies of Hell to the task of containing the demons of the Abyss. As we mentioned before, demons are too busy with infighting to launch regular invasions on the rest of the universe, but when they do manage to briefly get their shit together and spill out, they find a few legions of devils waiting to fight them. Hell also launches occasional raids into the Abyss to prevent demons from organizing.

  This isn’t a war that rages on eternally, but a series of sporadic conflicts that flare up whenever one of the two sides feels a bit stronger. The gods lets Asmodeus be because he provides a valuable service, and because providing that service also serves as a check on his power. Asmodeus and his underlings in the meantime keep enacting diabolic schemes to acquire more power in an attempt to dominate the other gods.

  One of the most enthusiastic participants in the Blood Wars seems to be Glasya, Asmodeus’ daughter. Because of this she tends to be involved in stories where demons and devils switch sides, corresponding to her failures and successes. We already heard about Graz’zt the devil who became a demon lord. And now we get to hear about a whole species of demon who became devils.

  Hellwasps were once a species of demon related to the insectile mezzodemons, servants of a wasp-like demon lord whose name was lost to time. Glasya fought and killed this demon in one of her raids, and its spawn immediately swore allegiance to her. She took the lot of them to Hell and converted them into devils. Now they inhabit the Garden of Delights, a region of Malbolge. As loyal servants of Glasya, they can be found alongside any of her other servants or allies.

  The Numbers

  Hellwasps are Medium Immortal Magical Beasts (devils). They have Darkvision and a Flight Speed of 8 (hover), but their ground speed of 0 means they can’t actually walk. They fight with their natural weapons: a pair of sword-like talons, and a huge venomous sting.

  Hellwasp Colony Guard

  This is a Level 19 Minion Skirmisher of the kind you can find by the score in hellwasp hives. Their Sword Talon attack allows them to shift 1 square before or after the attack, and their Sting deals poison damage, slows, and prevents the target from shifting for a turn.

  They’re good for slowing the PCs down and setting them up to be surrounded by sturdier allies. The ability to shift away after a talon attack makes them slightly less vulnerable to melee-centric PCs.

  Hellwasp Devil

  The regular version is a Level 23 Skirmisher with 212 HP. Since it’s higher level it probably represents an exceptional individual within a hive, of the kind that gets loaned out to allies and sent on away missions.

  Aside from a somewhat weak Sword Talon attack, the hellwasp can also perform a Talon Skewer. This also counts as a basic attack. It allows the wasp to fly its speed and make two talon attacks at any point along the movement. The wasp doesn’t draw opportunity attacks when moving away from the target of these attacks. If both attacks hit the same target, the wasp grabs them, and the Drag Off trait allows it to pull the grabbed victim when it moves without drawing opportunity attacks from them.

  Yes, this is another one of those fliers that allows you to have fun with cliffs. And at epic level we’re probably taking the cliffs of Hell itself, which have lava pools or other layer-appropriate hazards at the bottom.

  Hellwasp regulars also have a stronger Sting. It deals more poison damage, slows, prohibits shifts and deals ongoing 15 fire damage (save ends all). This is a “recharge 5+” attack, and a good one to use on a PC that was dragged off to an isolated position.

  Final Impressions

  Bugs with sword-arms that slot neatly into the same slot as Swordwings. Perfect for those players who dislike monsters that lack ties to AD&D lore. You can reskin these into swordwings, or take inspiration in swordwing abilities when building more hellwasp varieties.

  Mechanically, they’re interesting without overstaying their welcome. It’s always fun to see a monster who can carry PCs off and drop them into lava pits.

• Jun 23, 2022

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Devil, Hell Knight

  

  This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.

  Death Knights have a long and storied existence in D&D, but this is the first time I hear of Hell Knights.

  The Lore

  Hell Knights are absolutely not Nazgul, no way, no how. They’re narzugons, which is a completely different thing. Jokes aside, their origins are quite tragic.

  The first hell knights used to be servants of He Who Was, the god Asmodeus rebelled against. Asmodeus tricked them into betraying their former master, and their betrayal damned them to serve Asmodeus forever. From that point forward, whenever someone got tricked into betraying their deity, they would become new hell knights upon death.

  I think this is the first time I see an explicit mention of people going to Hell and becoming devils in 4e. This used to be a 3e thing, so I guess Hell Knights come from that edition. It could also be that angels and other immortals become hell knights when they get tricked into betraying their deities, if you want to play it that way.

  Though hell knights are powerful, becoming one is definitely a form of punishment. A Hell Knight’s existence is an eternity of hatred. They hate themselves for their betrayal, they hate their new masters, they hate their immortality, and they hate free mortals. Though many of them serve Asmodeus directly, every potentate of Hell has at least a few knights at their disposal. The most famous group of them is the Order of the Nightmare, so named for their preferred mounts. Other groups have other mounts, like the mammoth-riding knights of Cania, or the ash riders of Avernus with their wyverns.

  Hell Knights usually only associate with members of their own order, but will work together with other devils when commanded to do so.

  The Numbers

  Hell Knights are Medium Immortal Humanoids (devils), and Level 15 Soldiers with 146 HP. They have Darkvision, are immune to fear, and have Resist 20 Fire. Their ground speed is 6, but they will almost always be mounted on something faster. Their gear is the full “Classic Knight” setup of plate armor, heavy shield, a lance, and a mace.

  Their Hell’s Rider trait allows their mount to use the knight’s Athletics, Acrobatics and Stealth scores if they would be better than the mount’s own. The mace does bonus fire damage and knocks prone on a hit, and the lance has better base tamage and crits on a 19-20 when used on a charge. Both count as basic attacks.

  As a minor action they can use Eyes of the Narzugon, which causes a creature within 10 squares to be marked and slowed for a turn. This is an effect, so it auto-hits.

  Final Impressions

  Hell Knights pair really well with Nightmares! As I mentioned in the Nightmare article, enemy riders can still take actions independently of their mounts, so the knights can charge with their lances and maces at the same time their nightmare mounts set the map on fire. Since they have native fire resistance, they can ignore the burning terrain even when unhorsed.

  A simple but effective hell knight encounter would consist of three knights and three nightmares, using classic medieval cavalry tactics (charge early, charge often). This group’s lack of ranged attacks would be compensated by the nightmare’s high teleport speed.

• Jun 22, 2022

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual 3: Devil, Corruption

  This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.

  Remember when I told you the MM3 had the very good idea of giving each devil and demon its own entry rather than lumping them all together? Here’s where they kinda toss that out the window and make a big entry full of diverse stat blocks for a single type of devil.

  Corruption Devils, or Paeliryons, first appeared in one of the later Monster Manuals for 3rd Edition. I remember they were not very well-received because their lore and appearance had some quite unfortunate implications. This book is still making an effort to make them a big part of the game, so let’s see if the lore improved in any way.

  The Lore

  The book describes these devils as “bloated infernal masterminds of graft, sleaze, and vice”. They’re better at politics and intrigue than almost anyone else in Hell, and they put that skill to use in subverting mortal societies to their benefit, turning them into decadent kleptocracies via a network of agents and dupes. Most paeliryons work for Dispater, lord of the second layer of Hell, acting as the civil administration of that wretched city.

  A corruption devil’s agent network is somewhat inverted from what you’d expect. Its most powerful members are kept at a safe remove from the devil, while those that work directly with it are ignorant sycophants and expendable muscle.

  I see that they kept the Paeliryion illustration from the previous edition, but if I’m remembering it correctly the lore was changed to something a little less problematic. With an extra decade of hindsight, I’d probably replace the Ursula cosplay with a big suit and an orange wig.

  The Monsters

  Corruption Devil

  

  The basic model, depicted in the illustration. These are most likely to be found running the city of Dis, but can also go out into the other planes to perform specific missions. Though physically imposing, the creatures prefer to avoid direct conflicts, and will try to negotiate their way out of trouble. If forced into combat they fight like PC bards, staying away from the melee and hurling magically-charged insults and mind control spells at their enemies.

  They pal around with other manipulative devils such as succubi, vizier devils, and cambions, though these are almost always pawns rather than full allies. If things see to be going bad for it, the paeliryion will definitely fly away and abandon its “friends”.

  Corruption Devils are Large Immortal Humanoids (Devils), and Level 22 Controllers (Leaders) with 208 HP. They have Darkvision and a +5 to save against fear and charm effects. Their ground speed is only 4, but they’re excellent fliers with speed 6 (hover).

  These devils project a Corruptive Presence that works as an aura (5) and inflicts a -2 penalty to saves on all enemies inside its radius. It fights in melee with Corrupting Claws and at range with Words of Corruption, both of which deal no immediate damage and instead inflict ongoing psychic damage (save ends).

  Their mind control magic takes the form of two minor-action spells. Sway the Corrupt (at-will) targets an enemy that’s taking ongoing psychic damage. It hits automatically, and dominates them for a turn. Doom the Corrupt (recharge 5+) targets an ally or a dominated creature, forcing them to make a melee basic attack against an enemy of the devil’s choice. If that attack hits, its target is also immobilized (save ends).

  Finally, it can use Desperate Measures as a minor action to allow an ally to make a basic attack that crits on 19-20, in exchange for the ally granting combat advantage for a turn. This recharges when the devil is first bloodied, and if used while it’s bloodied it applies to every ally within 5 squares instead of just one.

  Sire of Corruption

  These are the most powerful corruption devils, and among some of the most powerful devils in Hell. They’re the ones who run long term projects of the “turn a whole kingdom to evil” variety, and have a particular strong hatred of “incorruptible” people or institutions, working extra-hard to prove that assertion wrong or destroy these offenders if they can’t. Sires of Corruption can make a particular kind of infernal contract that can make the signing mortal gain power from utterly embracing their vices, thought they still remain pawns of the devil in the end.

  These creatures are Medium Immortal Humanoids (devils), and Level 29 Elite Controllers (leaders) with 530 HP. They have 15 fire resistance and a ground speed of 6, but no special senses.

  Their Lasting Corruption aura is actually a bit worse than that of a basic corruption devil, since the save penalty only applies to charm effects. All of their non-basic attacks are charm effects, so it doesn’t make a difference to the sire itself, but it’s less helpful to its allies.

  Their basic attack is a Corrupting Touch that does a sizable amount of psychic damage and inflicts a -2 penalty to defenses against charm effects for a turn, so you want to alternate it with the other attack: Touch of Vice (recharge 4+), which deals the same amount of psychic damage and inflicts one of six possible effects named after different vices or sins. They’re all (save ends), and have the following effects:

  • Lust causes the target to be marked by another enemy within 5 squares.
  • Excess dazes.
  • Greed slides the target 5 squares to a space adjacent to one of its allies, and forces it to make opportunity attacks against allies whose actions would provoke them.
  • Fear pushes the target 5 squares and forbids it from moving closer to the sire of corruption.
  • Sloth immobilizes.
  • Vengeance auto-damages the target whenever they use an attack power.

  The sire chooses which effect happens whenever it hits with Touch of Vice.

  But that’s not all! At the start of the fight it can issue a Call to Corruption to summon six Corrupted Followers into the fight, and it can do that again after it’s bloodied! As a minor action it can use Spread Depravity to give one of these servants a free attack.

  And finally, when the sire is reduced to 0 HP, it uses a final attack named Lasting Vice, which targets everyone in a Close Burst 5 with a Touch of Vice (same damage, same choice of effects).

  These things are nasty, and unlike basic corruption devils they want to get right into the fray while surrounded by their corrupted servants.

  Corrupted Followers

  

  

  

  These are mortals who were prey to some vice in life, and who were offered a very specific kind of infernal contract in their moment of greatest despair or misery. The contract gives them what they desire, and immediately afterwards turns them into monsters made of the same vice that controlled their mortal lives.

  Followers retain no memory of those lives. Left to their own devices, they contrive to spread their ruling vice among the surrounding population. Most often, though, they’re found in the service of their devil master. Usually this is a Sire of Corruption, but it can also be some other powerful devil, or some mortal villain to whom the fiend has loaned them.

  Corrupted Followers are epic-tier minions, and there’s a different variety for every vice a Sire of Corruption can generate. It’s entirely appropriate for the Sire’s Call to Corruption power to summon a full sentai team with the six varieties, but you can vary its composition to have simpler combats.

  Each Follower type has a touch attack that targets Will and does a bit of damage with a rider, an effect that happens when it dies, and sometimes an aura or passive trait. All of those will be related to each Follower’s Thematic Vice. Here they are:

  • Lust: Corrupted Lechers are Level 24 Minion Lurkers. They can’t be targeted unless they’re the closest enemy to the attacker; their attacks can be melee or ranged, and make the target be marked by another enemy for a turn; when they die, they make their killer move its speed towards another enemy.

  • Excess: Corrupted Gluttons are Level 25 Minion Soldiers that attack with bites that also grab the target. Once they have a target grabbed they can chew on them for automatic damage. When they die, they curse their killer to take damage next turn unless the PC recovers HP in the intervening time.

  • Greed: Corrupted Mongers are Level 26 Minion Artillery. Their melee attacks slide the target adjacent to one of their allies; their ranged attack drain daily or encounter powers from magic items until the end of the encounter! When they die, they cause any daily or encounter powers from the item that killed them to become spent.

  • Sloth: Corrupted Idlers are Level 27 Minion Soldiers. They have a small slowing aura, and their attacks prevent the target from taking move actions for a turn. When they die, they make an attack against the killer’s Will that will knock the PC unconscious for a turn on a hit.

  • Vengeance: Corrupted Lunatics are Level 28 Minion Brutes. Their attacks are weak even for a minion, but force the target to make a basic attack against its nearest ally. If someone misses then with an attack, they can make a free attack against that PC, with the same rider as above. When they die, their killer must again make an attack against an ally. They’re walking Three Stooges skits.

  • Fear: Corrupted Cravens are Level 29 Minion Controllers. When they hit with an attack, they force the target to move its speed away from them. The same happens to their killer when they die.

  Final Impressions

  I guess I’m still not entirely sold on the whole “Corruption Devil” lore. It feels kinda redundant because this sort of thing was already supposed to be one of the central themes for Hell as a whole. And the stat blocks use the word “Corruption” so much it kinda starts to lose its meaning. The Sire of Corruption seems like it was an entirely different monster that got retrofitted into this entry. It’s obviously inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins, which I feel is kinda played out. But at least it’s all seven in one monster, and it is in-theme for Hell.

  Mechanics-wise, the Corruption Devil stat block might work quite well for any bard-type enemies, with a few minor adjustments. The Sire of Corruption is a scary combatant, but its mechanics are extremely tied to the concept of sin so it might be harder to reskin. It would make an excellent basis for an Aspect of Asmodeus, though!

  The minions are flavorful, but fiddly. I wouldn’t recommend using the full spread in the same encounter.

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