Playing Demons and Devils

The AD&D system does little to convey the sense of evil of two of the most iconic specimens of evil: devils and demons.

A review of the listings in the various monster tomes describes devils and demons as essentially a cross of other species, similar to manticores and griffons. They are a list of statistics. This denies the experience of supernatural evil that these beings embody. A better conception of a demon is that of J.R.R. Tolkien's Balrog. The creature is described as a being of 'shadow and flame.' This is substantially different from the AD&D version of these creatures. I attempt to keep the following in mind when playing these NPC's.

Devils are more than just humanoids with shocking features, such as horns and hooves. They delight in suffering. They do not kill for the sake of killing. Devils play by rules – but will twist them to their advantage. In the end, they do play by rules because they are lawful beings, and as a result devils roam free. They will not just arbitrarily kill Bob the Barbarian. Instead they will target those people and things that are important to Bob, who to whom Bob is important. For example, a devil will prefer to torture Bob to cause pain and anguish to Larry the Lord and Patricia the princess. The greater the devil, the greater the scheme. A lesser devil might torture and enslave Bob just for the hell of it. More 'sophisticated' devils are likely to torture Bob so that Larry and Patricia can see it. Further, they will trick Bob in to thinking that Larry and Patricia have abandoned and forsaken him, causing Bob more anguish and more emotional pain for Larry and Patricia as well. Morgoth is a good example in The Silmarillion. He tortured Hurin by giving the ability to see the results of his machinations against Hurin's children. Sauron, Morgoth's servant, by contrast was far less sophisticated, as his chief aim was deception for purposes of enslavement.

Devils are likely to regard demons as 'baby evil' – unsophisticated, but something to be fond of, nonetheless. Demons are interested in destruction and defilement. They will kill merely to create chaos and to satisfy bloodlust. Worse, they take pleasure in defiling the sacred, even to the extent of violating human bodies. Causing a human's nose to move around their body so that it is permanently placed just over their ass would strike a demon as hilariously amusing. Demons flaunt rules, and for this reason, their tenure on the Prime Material Plane tends to be limited in some way. For example, they may be able to wield their power without limit, but not be allowed to leave the place of their conjuring. Night of the Demons is a good example.

While demons and devils do have some physical characteristics, they should be played as being supernatural – like Tolkien's Balrog. Care, however, should be taken to avoid describing them according to the elements – just because one is made of smoke doesn't require one made of fog. Yes, this is a deliberate swipe at the Fiend Folio and the thought behind it, the idea that we must fill every category in an ordered fashion. Just because a shadow world exists, does not mean that we must have a lawful good shadow were-weird fighting the underwater pseudo quasi hyper-aerated mer-elemental. Demons and devils are more than mutated physical creatures – this isn't Gamma World! These are beings who are there and not-there. If players confronted with these beings go immediately into strategy, thinking about magic resistance and magical weapons and such, you've lost some of the flavor of demons and devils, as well as that of fantasy RPG's in general.

It is sometimes best to to follow the lead of horror writers. Rather than telling the players what it is, start with a description of the evidence they observe that this thing is interacting with their physical world. Show them footprints, describe a smell, use very descriptive and figurative language. H. P Lovecraft often made mention of the Unnameable, both in the sense of being taboo to discuss but also the lack of words to describe it. In this there was a degree of horror. How will you describe non-Euclidean geometry or Cyclopean geometry to players without using those terms? How do you convey gravity that is wrong, colors that are sentient, reality that is unreal? Or actions that betray a shocking un-morality, without stooping to the merely vulgar by engaging in simple shock value like a group of teenage boys? Will you subtly change the background music during the game (aren't remote controls great?)? These are the things that demons and devils are made of, and to play them otherwise is to suck the magic out of a game that has magic as part of its basic premise. Here, perhaps more than anywhere else, the ability to maintain the suspension of disbelief is paramount. Any game system can only provide a framework. The transmission of the message of horror, terror, and evil is the responsibility of the DM.

Should you have any tips you'd like to share, remember that comments are always welcome.