Demon lord

Demon lords, also known as Abyssal lords, were archfiends who gained great power and established a position of preeminence among demonkind. Each demon lord had a unique appearance and set of abilities. Most controlled at least one layer of the Abyss. A demon lord, when slain in a plane other than the Abyss, was banished to the Abyss for a hundred years, whereas ordinary demons, including the mariliths and glabrezus, risked being reborn into a lesser form, or not at all. A demon lord who had complete control over an entire layer of the Abyss was known as a demon prince. "Demon lord" and "demon prince" were self-proclaimed titles; unlike the archdevils, the chaotic evil demon lords did not have a rigid hierarchy.

Demon lords waged eternal war with each other, often seeking ways to expand their holdings into other layers and at the same time defend their personal domains from rival lords and scheming underlings. Demogorgon had, for many years, been the most powerful demon lord, and proclaimed himself Prince of Demons—a coveted status symbol since the Age before Ages, granted by the Abyss itself to the most powerful, ruthless, cunning demon in the plane. Miska the Wolf Spider was the first to hold it, followed by Obox-ob, and then Demogorgon. Orcus and Graz'zt contested this title, while Obox-ob desired to regain it.

Most demon lords had secretive mortal cults who sought to elevate their lords to godhood through prayer and sacrifice.

Known demon lords
The most commonly known demon lords were Baphomet, Dagon, Demogorgon, Fraz-Urb'luu, Graz'zt, Juiblex, Kostchtchie, Lolth, Malcanthet, Obox-ob, Orcus, Pale Night, Pazuzu, Sess'innek, Yeenoghu, and Zuggtmoy.

''The majority of these below demon lords appear as listed in Appendix I in Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss. (o) indicates an obyrith, (l) indicates a loumara, and (d) indicates a lord that is presumed dead. Note that any demon lord who was mentioned by name only in the Monster Manual II (1983), on page 35, is noted as "*MM2".''

 

Appearances

 * Novels:
 * Archmage