Baatezu
| Devil | |
|---|---|
| Characteristics | |
| Alignment | Lawful Evil |
| Type | Outsider (Fiend) |
| Image | Wizards.com image |
| Publication history | |
| Mythological origins | Devil |
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, devils (also known as baatezu) are a powerful group of monsters used as a high-level challenge for players of the game. Devils are Lawful Evil in alignment and originate from the Nine Hells of Baator. True to their Lawful Evil alignment, devils are locked in a strict and brutal hierarchy (changing form as they work their way up the ladder of power). At the top of the hierarchy are the supreme Archdevils or Lords of the Nine, who are the rulers of the different regions of Baator. Devils often see the various worlds in the D&D metacosmos as tools to use for their own ends, including prosecuting the Blood War, a millennia-long war between the devils and their arch-enemies, demons.
Devils first appeared in the original first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual.
Many of the early devils were inspired directly by real-world religion and mythology, with Mephistopheles best known from the Faust cycle, Asmodeus, a devil from the Deuterocanonical Book of Tobit and Baalzebul appearing as high devils in the D&D cosmology. Other inspirations came from the Erinyes, Greek demigoddesses of vengeance, and the Lemures, Roman spirits of the dead.
The release of the 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rule set brought a name change for the devils and their counterparts demons. The 1st Edition's Deities and Demigods sourcebook was described as "exactly like witchcraft" by a televangelist. Concerned about protests from religious groups and others who viewed the game as an entryway into Satanic worship, TSR, Inc. dropped the words "devil" and "demon" from all descriptors of the monsters, substituting instead baatezu /beɪˈɑːtɛzuː/ and tanar'ri . This persisted until the rollout of 3rd Edition, when the original terms were reinstated. Since the change, the term "baatezu" has been retained as a specific subset of powerful devils.
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