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The uppermost plane of the Nine Hells
is ruled by Tiamat, the Chromatic
Dragon, and serves as a home to all lesser
unique devils. These are devils with individual
names and characteristics, and
powers of greater magnitude than those
of a pit fiend (for all such unique devils
of lesser power are soon destroyed by their
enemies and the cruelty of their fellows),
which are not otherwise placed in the
hells as ruling archdevils or their direct
servants.
There are approximately fifty of these
lesser unique devils; embittered, frustrated
beings who torment the lemures
and spined devils of this plane and
viciously attack all intruders. Chief
among them is Nergal, who like all of his
outcast fellows plots and schemes constantly
to win a higher rank, but through
hopes of reward always eagerly and
enthusiastically obeys commands issued
by the archdevils. Most such commands
concern the defense of the hells against
all intruders, for the dukes of hell have no
wish to deal with intruders on their own
ground ? the plane or planes they rule
?when such disorderly business can be
conducted elsewhere. The uppermost
plane of the hells thus serves as a marshalling
area and training ground for
infernal armies, and is (preferably to the
At irregular intervals the darkness is lit
by fireballs (as in the spell, varying in size
and damage from 2d6 to 7d6) that form
spontaneously from the vapors of the air,
bursting at any height above the ground.
If one should notice a glowing, swirling
effect in the air, one soon discovers that a
fireball will burst in that location one
round later. The precise cause of these
fiery discharges is unknown, but it is
natural and not under the control of any
devil or other creature. A gust of wind
spell will push a forming fireball away,
but a dispel magic will not stop it from
forming, or negate its effects. (Editor?s
note: DMs using Avernus in play should
take note of the alterations in magic spell
effects that are prevalent there and on the
other planes of the Nine Hells. That
information will be part of the second
installment of this article.)
Any non-devil lawful evil creatures not
native to the hells (such as the occasional
beholder), if they are to be found in the
infernal regions at all, will be found on
Avernus unless specifically located elsewhere
by order of an archdevil. One
noteworthy example of such creatures are
the nycadaemons (see the FIEND
FOLIO
Tome). These have the power to move
freely about the Nine Hells, but they are
disliked and distrusted by the archdevils
and may well be met with physical opposition
if they appear uninvited on a plane
other than Avernus. (DMs should bear in
mind that a nycadaemon might aid a
party of adventurers traveling in the hells,
to further its own ends.)
Avernus is nominally ruled by Tiamat,
the Chromatic Dragon. The mother of all
evil dragonkind holds Avernus through
the support of Asmodeus, but her actual
authority extends only as far as her physical
reach. Most of the inhabitants of the
plane avoid her, not wishing to serve as
her meals.
The Chromatic Dragon spends most
(90%) of her time sprawled in her lair, the
great caverns known as Azharul, ?The
green, one blue, and one red (for details,
refer to the Monster Manual). She is constantly guarded by these consorts,
and
when not plotting, feeding, enjoying
cruel sport or facing danger, Tiamat will
be found mating with one of them within
a protective ring formed by the other
four. She bears litters of 1-4 dragonets (or
?mewlings?: very young dragons born
conscious and in control of their feeble
powers) after an average gestation period
of 6 days. Tiamat occasionally (7% chance
at any given time) travels via the Astral
Plane or Ethereal Plane, perhaps to give
birth to a litter on the Prime Material
Plane (or Planes, if the multiverse of your
campaign includes ?parallel worlds?) ?
sometimes grudgingly, at the behest of
Asmodeus, but more often to further
some plan of her own.
The scant remainder of her time is
spent roaming Avernus; very rarely, she
journeys to the palace of Asmodeus.
Those of Tiamat?s offspring that are born
and remain on Avernus occupy themselves
with hunting down and bringing
back food for Tiamat and her consorts
while the Chromatic Dragon is in her
lair. These offspring/underlings are of all
sizes, types, and ages of evil dragonkind,
and all are aggressive, cruel, and in good
health. Injured, weak, or disobedient
specimens are soon eaten by Tiamat, or
by others at her direction; she also dines
on slain dragons, including slain consorts
who have displeased her, and all newborn
spawn who are multi-headed or otherwise
chromatic in nature. The few of her
spawn that survive to achieve ?huge
adult? status serve as replacements for her
consorts.
Note that Tiamat will have
full
amounts of treasure (as shown in the
Monster Manual entry) only while in her
lair. She may seize small amounts of treasure
when on the Prime Material Plane,
but only quantities which she can transport
herself, since her bodyguards are
unable to accompany her when she leaves
Avernus. They guard her hoard in
Azharul diligently in her absence, for she
will notice if even a single bauble is gone!
The treasure prized most highly by
Tiamat is magic ? specifically, magicuser
spells of 1st to 5th level which are
new to her. With these she can increase
her personal power, and consequently she
is always seeking more powerful offensive
and defensive spells which she can study,
experiment with, and modify for her own
use. Note that Tiamat needs time and
trial to modify a written magic-user spell
from the standard form to her own (verbal
component only) form of casting.
While on the Prime Material Plane, she
will reveal herself in the open only if she
believes a fair chance exists to gain such
spells in so doing. Otherwise, her visits to
the Prime Material tend to be secretive
affairs, for she feels uneasy without her
bodyguards. In the past, it is said, many
men (and some of other races) worshipped
Tiamat, and her visits were triumphs
of worship, adulation, pampering,
and the bestowal or riches and
magical information to the extent of
human experimentation and mastery
upon the Chromatic Dragon ? but if this
was indeed so, it is no longer the case.
Nowadays, evil dragons will still
acknowledge their allegiance to her, but
this is a ?worship? born of fear and
respect rather than love or loyalty.
Although Tiamat will battle (attempting
to kill and eat) individual devils
without hesitation, she will never knowingly
attack an archdevil or a lieutenant
to an archdevil. She rules her spawn by
force and fear, but her will is enforced on
Avernus by 40 companies of abishai
under the command of Malphas, 29 similar
companies led by Amduscius, and 3
companies of erinyes under the command
of the pit fiend Goap. (Names printed in
italic type indicate devils who are individually
described in the text that follows.)
These forces are always busy, for
Avernus is constantly dealing with
intruders and the machinations of the
?rabble of devilkin? ? former consorts
fallen from favor, and other unique devils
too weak or too mistrusted to gain or
hold a position in the hierarchy of the
hells. These beings are constantly
attempting to gather enough support to
win (at least) a position in the service of
Tiamat, perhaps by supplanting one of
the incumbent vassal devils, and are
always moving to avoid the armies
searching for them. Among these outcast
devils are names such as Rumjal, Caim,
Bist, Cahor, Dagon, Azazel, Armaros,
Kochbiel, Nisroch, and Nergal.
Tales are told of a mysterious archdevil,
Astaroth, said to be mightier in
power than any devil save Asmodeus
himself (see Alexander von Thorn's article,
"The Politics of Hell," printed in
DRAGON #28 and reprinted in the BEST
OF DRAGON Vol. II anthology), who
dwells elsewhere than the Nine Hells,
apart from the present regime, working
alone to advance his secret ends. This
devil represents the greatest threat to
Asmodeus; with Astaroth?s support,
Mephistopheles, Baalzebul, or even a
lesser archdevil such as Geryon could
conceivably wrest control of the Nine
Hells from the Great Devil himself. But
even the existence of Astaroth is uncertain;
he is definitely not an avowed force
in the hells at this time.
| Amduscias (Duke of Hell) | Malphas (Duke of Hell) | Nergal (Greater Devil) | Bist (Greater Devil) | Caim (Greater Devil) |
| Avernus | - | - | - | Hell |
FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -2
MOVE: See below
HIT DICE: 92 hit points
% IN LAIR: 20%
TREASURE TYPE: See below
NO. OF ATTACKS: See below
DAMAGE/ATTACK: See below
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better
weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
SIZE: See below
PSIONIC ABILITY: 216
Attack/Defense Modes: All/all
Amduscias is a duke in the service of
Tiamat, ruler of Avernus,
and leads 29
companies of abishai. He is a being of
long memory and cunning strategies. He
can shape change at will into a dirty yellow
unicorn with eyes of flame and a
purple horn, a hawk-headed man (he
usually wears dark red or black robes
when in this form), or his favored form: a
wolf with a prehensile, constricting serpent
?s tail. He does not need, and does
not wear, armor in any of his forms.
When in unicorn form, Amduscias
attacks with his horn (acts as a sword of
wounding, for 2-9 damage), or his hooves
(2 per round, for 2-10 damage each). His
maximum movement rate in this form is
18?; he can ?bolt? from a standing start,
and some say that when horses spook or
gallop uncontrollably, it is because
Amduscias has affected them.
In human-like form Amduscias has
average dexterity, and two or three attacks
(fists for 1-2 each and beak for 1-8, or
weapon and beak). Amduscias is ambidextrous
and can wield two weapons if
they are small (e.g., daggers or darts).
This devil has above average strength
when in human-like form, and a long,
curved beak somewhat like a hummingbird
?s in appearance. This beak is, however,
terrifically strong and sharp. His
move in this form is 12?.
Amduscias prefers to fight in wolf
form; his movement rate is 18?, and he
attacks with two raking foreclaws and his
jaws, or his hind claws and tail. If in a
position to do so, he can use all six of
these attacks in a round, against as many
targets. The claws do 3-12 damage each,
the jaws 1-20, and the tail 1-10 constriction
damage per round plus additional
damage if Amduscias uses it to immerse a
held victim in water, batter a victim
against a rock, etc. The tail will loosen its
grip if it is severed, or if it is dealt 17
points of damage in any single round or
26 points of damage over a succession of
rounds.
Amduscias can change forms in one
round (during which he can do nothing
else except speak), and is restricted to the
forms described. He can use the spell-like
powers listed below, one at a time, once
per round. Note that (as with other devils)
verbal, somatic, and material components
? as spell-casters on the Prime
Material Plane know them ? are not
necessary. Amduscias? spell-like powers
are: pyrotechnics, produce flume, fire
shield (either version), detect invisibility,
detect lie, read magic, locate object, dispel
magic, telekinesis (5,000 g.p. maximum
weight), find familiar (for another being;
the familiar will be an imp), and faerie
fire. Amduscias can cause fear (save vs.
spell to avoid) in anyone within 3? he
points at (but only one target per round).
Once per day he can use a symbol of
stunning.
Amduscias is sometimes called the
?Reconciliator of Foes,? because he is a
skillful actor and negotiator, and Tiamat
often employs him to mediate in disputes
between devils or her kin. While in any of
his forms, Amduscias can speak and
understand perfectly any language (cf.
tongues spell). When encountered,
Amduscias will only have treasure with
him if he is in his human-like form; if so,
it may be of any type. Amduscias regenerates
2 hit points per round. He can summon
(with a 70% chance of success) 1-3
abishai at will.
MALPHAS (Duke of Hell)
FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -3
MOVE: 12?/30? (in crow form)
HIT DICE: 90 hit points
% IN LAIR: 20%
TREASURE TYPE: See below
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type +5
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
SIZE: See below
PSIONIC ABILITY: 220
Attack/Defense Modes: All/all
Malphas is a duke in the service of
Tiamat, ruler of Avernus. He leads 40
companies of abishai, and, like his fellow
duke Amduscias and the pit fiend Goap,
is likely to be found traveling about
Avernus enforcing Tiamat?s will. None of
Tiamat?s dukes have permanent encampments
or fortresses, but instead they
maintain a commonly held system of
guarded, ?safe? caves where their forces
can rest or gather.
Malphas appears as a powerful, dark complexioned
man dressed in black velvet
studded with gems (of considerable value;
his robes have 333 gems of all sorts, 100
g.p. base value each, if recovered complete),
or as a large, black, crow-like bird.
Malphas shuns armor, and fights with
all weapons (and his spell-like powers)
when in human form. His voice is deep
and compelling, and with his powers of
tongues and ESP (usable at will), he is
adept at deceiving others, particularly
non-devils. He may carry treasure of any
type if encountered in human form.
Once per round, at will, Malphas can
use one of his spell-like powers: tongues
or ESP (as noted above), pyrotechnics,
produce flame, fortress (this creates a
structure similar to Daern's
Instant Fortress
? see the DMG ? in all respects,
save that its door will open and close for
anyone, and it will disappear in 16 turns
or when Malphas wills), detect invisibility,
read magic, dispel magic, flame arrow
(Malphas can also apply this to blades
wielded by himself or others; these
become flume tongue swords ? fiery
damage, but no ?to hit? bonuses ? for 3
rounds), and remove (or bestow) curse.
Once per day Malphas can use a symbol
of pain, and he can cause fear (save vs.
spell at -2 to avoid) by touch (one target
per round). He can summon 1-2 abishai,
with a 55% chance of success, at will.
Malphas regenerates 2 hit points per
round.
NERGAL (Greater Devil)
FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -2
MOVE: 18?/10?
HIT DICE: 106 hit points
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better
weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
SIZE: L (9? tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: 211
Attack/Defense Modes: All/all
Nergal is the most powerful of the
?rabble of devilkin? banished to Avernus
by the archdevils. Usually enveloped in
magical darkness, Nergal appears as a
lion-headed, winged toad. His mottled
pinkish-grey, warty skin is covered with
sores which ooze a clear, colorless ichor.
This liquid is deadly poisonous to
humans and demi-humans, who must
save vs. poison to avoid this effect if contacted.
If the save is successful, the ichor
does 1-6 points of corrosive damage and
confers immunity to its effects upon the
victim for 10-40 turns. Nergal is sometimes
called ?The Bringer of Pestilence
and Fever? because of this property.
Nergal is warlike, quick to attack those
who defy him or bully injured or weaker
creatures. His bite does 3-12 points of
damage, and possibly confers a disease;
refer to the DMG for type and effects. Victims
who are bitten must save vs. poison
at +3 to avoid disease.
Nergal can employ the following spelllike
powers, one at a time and once per
round: pyrotechnics, produce flume, wall
of fire, continual light, tongues, read
magic, detect magic, detect invisibility,
dispel magic, and darkness 15? radius. He
can cause fear (save vs. spell to avoid) by
touch, if he so wills. Nergal regenerates 2
hit points per round. (Note that he cannot
use a symbol, nor can he summon
other devils to his aid.)
Nergal likes to present himself to
human intruders as a fellow man horribly
transformed by diabolic magic, and may
?help? the intruders for a time, usually to
learn of their powers, magic, treasure,
and purposes, before luring them into a
trap. Often he uses the powers and magic
he obtains in this way to torment his victims;
sometimes he hoards information
and treasure he obtains to use it for bargaining
purposes. Always, he builds and
looks to the future, planning a forcible
entry into the ranks of the dukes or archdevils.
He has no fixed abode or lair, but
often conceals caches of treasure or magic
he has seized in caverns and grottos scattered
all about Avernus.
FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -2
MOVE: 14?
HIT DICE: 90 hit points
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-5/2-5/2-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 60%
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
SIZE: L (9? long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: 213
Attack/Defense Modes: All/all
Bist, a devil akin to the hellcats
(see the
FIEND FOLIO Tome: Hellcat), is totally
selfish and a master of duplicity. For
these reasons, she is mistrusted by all
archdevils and is confined to Avernus.
Bist cannot leave the hells without being
summoned (unlike hellcats), for she has
been compelled to change her name, and
thus can no longer be summoned by
mages on other planes. She shares many
of the hellcats? other capabilities,
however.
Invisible in the presence of light
(except for her eyes, which appear as
irises of orange flame floating in midair),
Bist appears in darkness as a faintly luminescent,
wraith-like, and unusually large
hellcat. Her eyes retain their flame-like
appearance when she is so revealed.
Bist is immune to all mind-controlling
spells (charm, hold, sleep, etc.). She can
only be hit by weapons of +2 ?to hit? or
better, and all magical weapons lose their
damage bonuses when striking her. Bist
communicates by telepathy in a 14?
range, although she can speak (in a hissing,
rasping voice) the common tongue,
Mabrahoring (the High Tongue of the
hells), and the lawful evil alignment
tongue.
Bist can employ the following spelllike
powers at will, one at a time and
once per round: pyrotechnics, produce
flume, affect normal fires, detect magic,
detect invisibility, dispel magic, magic
missile (3 missiles per spell), and shield.
Once per day Bist can employ gaze
reflection, and once per day she can
blink. In addition, she can generate fear
at will in a 5?-radius sphere about herself.
Bist regenerates 1 hit point per round.
FREQUENCY: Unique (very rare)
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -1
MOVE: 8?/16?
HIT DICE: 93 hit points
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better
weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 65%
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
SIZE: S (5? tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: 213
Attack/Defense Modes: All/all
Caim is an outcast devil, bound to
Avernus. He is a gossip and a sneak, and
is particularly disliked in the hells. A
skilled orator, he can always make his
own actions or opinions seem reasonable
?and he often seeks to dupe intruders,
partly because he considers the flesh of
elves and men delicious.
Caim appears as a large, upright,
darkly handsome bird ? a thrush ? with
a long, sharp beak and a belt about the
hips. In pouches on this belt Caim carries
items he deems necessary, manipulating
them by means of his unseen servant
spell-like power.
Caim can employ the following spelllike
powers at will, one at a time and
once per round: pyrotechnics, produce
<> affect normal fires, unseen servant, light,
detect magic, detect invisibility, dispel
magic, hold person, and tongues.
Once per day Caim can reverse gravity;
thrice per day he can cast repulsion. Caim
can generate fear in a 5?-radius sphere
about himself, at will. He regenerates 1
hit point every 2 rounds.
