Pit fiend

Scholars said that there are sixteen standard ranks of baatezu and pit fiends were right at the top of this hierarchy. Pit fiends were the generals of baatezu armies, the orchestrators of mass corruption and the bullies of the lesser devils.

Description
Pit fiends were both majestic and horrifying, with a hulking, tall humanoid form that weighed 800 lbs (360 kg). Their bodies were armored with scales and were quickly inflamed in response to their rage or excitement. A pair of massive, bat-like wings gave pit fiends a gargoylish appearance and they often wrapped their wings around their fearsome, red figures. Their huge fangs dripped with hissing, green venom and their prehensile tails could be cracked like whips.

Personality
After rising from the Pit of Flame, pit fiends obtained a perfect understanding of their nature as devils. They were both self-entitled narcissists and tyrannical masterminds that schemed to bring their dark agendas to fruition and ruthlessly pursued their inscrutable desires. Within the depths of their enigmatic minds was a vast, manipulative intelligence and a unique understanding of agony.

Abilities
Every part of the pit fiends could be used as a weapon from their fearsome claws, powerful wings constricting tails and menacing maws. The bite of a pit fiend was both venomous and infectious, inflicting a wicked disease known as devil chills and filling the victim with vile poisons. The combined effect drained the victim's vitality and strength, rendering them powerless against the brutality of the pit fiend. As easily as they could envelop themselves in an aura of sheer terror they could ignite their own bodies to burn anyone too close. Their scale armor and regenerative abilities made them incredibly durable, and good-aligned spells and weapons, or silvered weapons were the most effective means of stopping their natural healing.

The spell-like abilities of the pit fiends largely related around their ability to create and manipulate flames, often with truly devastating force. Their magic also allowed them to paralyze powerful beings, turn themselves invisible and use a symbol of pain to cripple their enemies. They could easily gate in a few baatezu from all ranks, from the lowliest of lemures to fellow pit fiends, although the more powerful the type of devil the fewer they could call. The most dangerous of their magical powers however, was their ability to cast the wish spell once each year.

Combat
While their monstrous forms and array of magical abilities made them formidable foes, the greatest weapon in the arsenal of a pit fiend was potentially their minds. Through ingenious planning, fearsome guile and creative tactics, pit fiends could win battles even without their power and magic.

Pit fiends normally began battle by enveloping themselves in their auras and summoning other devils for assistance, often attempting to get them into flanking position. From their, they used their magical abilities to rain down hellish infernos upon enemy groups, striking fear into hearts of their foes and magically restricting those without armor, especially in regards to irritating spellcasters. They viciously destroyed those they saw were the most weakened by their initial onslaught, and in addition to their claws were known to arm themselves with jagged-toothed clubs, ancus-like weapons and burning maces.

Their other strategies involved turning themselves invisible while savaging those most capable of perceiving them. If put in a dangerous position they would maneuver the battlefield as needed and would not hesitate to sacrifice devils weaker than themselves. The only mental shortcoming of the pit fiends was their complete and utter hubris. Incapable of considering the possibility of failure, they often sought out the most powerful enemies first with dauntless intent to prove their indomitable greatness.

Society
The next step up from pit fiend in the infernal hierarchy is the rank of duke. Only dukes were allowed to become an archdevil. The process of becoming a duke did not involve a ritual as other devilish ranks did; it just meant that a pit fiend gained even more prestige.

Pit fiends were the most powerful of the infernal legions. They served not only as the generals of Hell’s armies but also as the lower nobility of the infernal courts. These monstrous fiends were only surpassed in power, prestige, magic, and authority by the archdevils.

Powerful conjurers could summon a pit fiend to make deals. Contracts were usually written up in order to have the deal honored, but pit fiends were masters of such things and always had ways of perverting the contract to their own ends.

Notable pit fiends

 * Dark Eight
 * Baalzephon
 * Koraboros
 * Abarax
 * Tanetal

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Gauntlgrym
 * Video games
 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
 * Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
 * Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition
 * Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer