There’s an interesting comment in the Game Master’s Guide: Lucifer may currently have more Demon Princes than Heaven has Archangels, but he has an even larger number of dead Demon Princes. That means there are a lot of former Demon Princes we know nothing about
Known Infernal Superiors
Living |
Dead |
| Alaemon (Secrets) Andrealphus (Lust) Asmodeus (The Game) Baal (The War) Beleth (Nightmares) Belial (Fire) Fleurity (Drugs) Furfur (Hardcore) Haagenti (Gluttony) Kobal (Dark Humor) Kronos (Fate) Lilith (Freedom) Magog (Cruelty) Malphas (Factions) Mammon (Greed) Nybbas (Media) Saminga (Death) Valefor (Theft) Vapula (Technology) |
Beelzebub (1st Corruption) Demogorgon (Destruction) Gebbeleth (1st Secrets) Genubath (Rapine) Legion (2nd Corruption) Makatiel (Disease) Mariel (Oblivion) Meserach (Sloth) Vephar (the Seas) |
In order to bring hell’s hierarchy in line with the Game Master’s Guide we would need to at least double the number of dead superiors.
Right now I’m just brainstorming, but here are some ideas for who else might have had a shot at the shiny brass ring of hell:
- Demon of Backstabbing (betrayed by one of his Dukes)
- Demon of Conquest (killed by Makatiel)
- Demon of Curiosity (killed by either Asmodeus or Gebbeleth)
- Demon of Envy (killed by Genubath)
- Demon of False Gods (killed by Uriel during the Purity Crusades)
- Demon of Famine (bested by Marc and Novalis working in concert)
- Demon of Ignorance (promoted after Mariel’s death, killed by Vapula)
- Demon of Joylessness (absorbed by Mariel)
- Demon of Malice (killed by David and Novalis)
- Demon of Murder (died under mysterious circumstances)
- Demon of Obsession (consumed by Haagenti)
- Demon of Pride (killed by Lucifer while attempting to steal his throne)
- Demon of Punishment (crippled in an attempt to imprison Lilith)
- Demon of Stinginess (bought out by Mammon)
- Demon of Tyranny (killed by Lilith and Marc secretly working together)
- Demon of Vainglory (killed in a direct confrontation with Michael)
- Demon of Wrath (killed in a direct assault against heaven)
If you have another idea (or if you’d like me to produce a full write up for one of these former demon princes), I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
EDIT: Links added as homebrew write ups are generated for each of these former princes.
Would you mind doing write-ups for envy, pride, & wrath? I’m running a campaign based on the history of all the “seven deadlies” in hell.
Will do, should be fun.
Could you do Curiosity, Famine, and False Gods sometime next year? They seem like pretty good choices for my wish granting game!
do you think sustainability and wastefulness would covered by a single archangel and demon prince? or would it make more sense to spread the words connected to it amongst already existing superiors?
I’d probably spread it out. Sustainability would probably be concentrated in Eli, Marc, and Novalis. Wastefulness would mostly be Vapula, Haagenti, and Mammon.
So would the behemoth be considered an unique creature, or do you thing that it would better fit the word of famine like leviathan fit the word of envy?
I would probably say both are accurate. I was tempted to make Leviathan one of the first creatures rather than one of the first Nephalhim – the same option is also for Behemoth.
Alternately, Behemoth could be dead or could be a mass of sentient clay of creation that has not yet been fully formed.
could Gebbeleth be used as an active superior? would you simply use the version of Alaemon in feast of blades or would more work be required?
More work would be required. Alaemon in Feast of Blades and Alaemon in Superiors 4 are clearly the same Superior.
so i’m not using it yet but i’m looking to have the return of the prince/princess of ignorance be the big reveal of my light-hearted setting. could you give me an estimate on how soon after you break you could start on a profile?
Ideas for more Demon Princes:
Demon Prince of Delusion (Killed by Raphael.)
Demon Prince of Despair (KIlled by Kobal.)
Demon Prince of Paranoia (Died at the hands of Asmodeus.)
Demon Prince of Cowardice. (Paranoia’s predecessor: Killed during a failed attempt to cut his losses and flee from Hell.)