Devil Infernal Hierarchy

It tore at the air eagerly with its claws as it came, The Nine Hells has a rigid hierarchy that defines every
its poisonous tail curled up beneath it to stab if need be. aspect of its society. All devils have a place in the
Elminster looked into the devil's exulting eyes. He felt a rash of hierarchy, from the lowliest dretch to the godlike
warmth and the vinegarlike tang of its hide as its jaws gaped Archdevils. Devils who are fail grossly or are found to be
wide. Its head turned on an angle to bite out his throat. He fed it lacking are demoted to lesser forms of devils, and those
fire, searing claws and head alike to nothingness in an instant who demonstrate exceptional cruelty are promoted to
and letting it tumble away into the rocky darkness below. greater fiends.
- Ed Greenwood, Elminster in Hell Chief among the devils, and second to none in the Nine
Masters of corruption and despoilers of purity, devils seek Hells is Asmodeous. With all the powers of a lesser god,
to destroy all things good and drag mortal souls back with Asmodeous can strip any member of the infernal hierarchy
them to the depths of Hell. of rank and status as he likes, an ability which he uses,
along with treachery and guile to maintain power over his
Embodiment of Evil Archdevils and hold the Throne of Baator for himself.
Incarnate of evil, devils delight in cruelty. Their tools of Blood War
choice are deception and violence, preferring these always
Since time immemorial, a ferocious conflict has roared in
to a diplomatic option whenever possible. However, this
the lower planes. Down below, the chaotic demons of the
sadism is tempered by the cool intelligence which makes a
Abyss wage war against the equally evil, but lawful devils
devil far more deadly than a mundane monster. Their
of the Nine Hells. Neutral fiends act as mercenaries,
cunning and treachery allow devils to plan clever traps,
changing alliances whenever one side gains the advantage.
playing on mortal fears and striking dangerous bargains to
The conflict is massive, spanning entire planes of reality,
solidify power.
and hosting an immeasurable number of fiends.
A devil's ambition is always tyranny. On the mortal
No one in the outer planes seems to have any real notion
plane, devils seek to manipulate humanoid rulers with
of what started the Blood War. The yugoloths like to
whispered words and evil thoughts into abusing their power
entertain the notion that the War is their own personal
and causing strife. Whether through conquering, enslaving,
experiment into the nature of evil, one which they created
or oppressing, devils take a perverse delight in exercising
and will ultimately end on their own terms. Other fiends
power over the weak.
have their own notions about the war, colored by their
particular alignments and racial propaganda.
Pacts and Deals Bearded Devil
Though devils are confined to the lower planes, they can be Barbazu, called bearded devils by most, serve archdevils as
summoned to the mortal plane by bargainers wishing to shock troops, fighting shoulder-to-shoulder and reveling in
make a deal. Devils love forming pacts with mortals who the glory of battle. They respond with violence to any
seek some benefit or prize, but those making those deals slight, real or imagined, gorging themselves on violence as
should be wary. Though a devil always honors the word of their infernal saw-toothed glaives carve a path through their
his contract, which is enforced by Asmodeous himself, they
foes.
are ruthless negotiators and rarely miss a loophole in a
contract. Any mortal creature that breaks such a contract Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases
instantly forfeits its soul, which is spirited away to the Nine by 1.
Hells. Size. Your size is medium.
To own a creature's soul is to have absolute control over Speed. Your speed is 30 feet.
that creature, and most devils accept no other currency in Beard. Your beard ends is sharp barbs and you have
exchange for the fiendish power and boons they can move it like a bed of snakes. When you take the Attack
provide. Only divine intervention can release a soul after a
devil has claimed it. action on your turn, you may attack with your beard as a
bonus action, treating it as a light, finesse weapon that deals
Devil Names 1d6 piercing damage on a successful hit. You do not add
Though each devil has a common name in their language of your ability score modifier to this damage.
Infernal, it also has a true name it keeps secret. A mortal Steadfast. You have advantage on saving throws against
who learns a devil's true name can use powerful being charmed or frightened.
summoning magic to call the devil from the Nine Hells and
bind it into service. Imp
Devil Names: Azazel, Barabas, Balthazar, Diorum, Imps are found throughout the Lower Planes, either
Dogreth, Gargoth, Meritos, Nodroc, Ylvirron, running errands for their infernal masters, spying on rivals,
Zakthara, Zammasir. or misleading and waylaying mortals. They resemble
diminutive red-skinned humanoids with a barbed tail, small
Devil Traits horns, and leathery wings.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases
increases by 1. by 1.
Age. The infernal creatures of hell are ageless, and on Size. Your size is small.
their own plane will only know death through the carnage Speed. Your speed is 20 feet.
of the Blood War. However, if transported to the mortal Flight. You have a pair of leathery wings which grant
plane through portals or summoning magic, the hellfire you a fly speed of 20 feet. However, your wings are weak,
and you can only perform sustained flight for a number of
they carry inside themselves will eventually sputter out. A rounds equal to your level before suffering a level of
devil that does not return to the lower planes will die within exhaustion. By 10th level, your wings are sturdier and grant
10 years. the ability to fly at a base speed of 25 feet. At 15th level,
Alignment. Devils are almost exclusively evil and your fly speed increases to 40 feet and you may fly for any
lawful, if contemptuous of authority. Failure and duration without exhaustion.
disobedience are met with swift demotion to a lower form Innate Spellcasting. You know the
of devil, to the lowest level of a wretched lemure. thaumaturgy cantrip. When you
reach 3rd level, you can cast the
Darkvision. You have superior vision in dark and dim
spell expeditious retreat. When
conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you you reach 5th level, you can cast
as if it was bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim the spell invisibility. Charisma is
light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of the casting ability for these spells.
grey. After casting a spell with this trait,
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede your you must finish a long rest to cast
darkvision. the spell again.
Hellish Resistance. You have resistance to fire damage.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common
and Infernal.
Subrace. The most humanoid of the devils are the
mighty bearded devils, shock-troops of the infernal army,
and imps, the messengers and spies of the lower planes.
Choose one of these subraces.