I third I already have the book of vile darkness, the book of exalted deeds, and the whole realms catalogue I would love this to be made into a book as well as having a book of the stilled tongue
If you guys keep talking about all this evil mumbo jumbo I'm gonna have to find a Conjuration Wizard to Summon an Imperial Comissar......FOR THE EMPEROR!!! (Warhammer is invading Faerun!) 😂
Incorrect. There is only a limited amount of storage space available for recordings. So it is possible to slip by if nobody realizes what is there until it gets recorded over again. Demodands have no such limit.
You have handed me, gift wrapped, the missing puzzle piece to my campaign. It is uncanny how well this lore fits into the game im running. Merry Christmas.
Brother you got this shit down. I've been listening to your lore on the Hells & the Abyss again. There aren't that many who do deep dives like you do. You must have the largest collection of Dragon anybody has seen.
Back in 3-3.5 Dungeon magazine had a series of adventure paths, ie campaigns, that took the players from level 1 to level 20, One of these campaigns was referred to as "The Shackled City". Within the campaign is a plot by a Demodand to pull a whole city into Carceri (by opening a portal above the city).
One thing I really appreciate about your lore videos, AJ, is that you lay everything out for us, even the cruel, horrible, disgusting, scandalous, and/or frightening parts. I can be a pretty squeamish person in real life, but when it comes to D&D lore I want all of it, not just the clean, pretty, fluffy parts. You are both knowledgeable and thorough, and I look forward to every video.
AJPickett, im sold. I'll use demodands. As NPC, as Planar Assassin, as lore, as scary story told by frawny bards, as ever growing Paranoia Fuel. Anything. *Im* *In* *Love* *With* *Them.* You can sell like literally anything with those few min novells.
17:31 Weirdly, my friends and I always associated these guys with their Eberron blurb in MM3 rather than their main blurb about Carceri. The idea of these tumbleweeds of hands rolling around in mist surrounded by corpses was just really evocative.
There are quite a few lower plane races and species that resemble frogs and toads. There are Gehereleths and Slaadi races, and each of the three major fiend races have a frog type. Demons have Hezrou, Yugoloths have the Hydroloth, and Devils have the Corruption Devil or Paeliryon.
This was a lot of fun and a very educational experience but the thing I got the most is that there's coffee in faerun and the sage is rather fond of it
Your post made me curious and I looked up demodand and deodand, and learned to my surprise that the latter is actually from law, describing a thing or person that has caused death and is then "given to god" (Latin deo dandum). Replaced the term "bane". Pretty cool stuff.
What I like most about these videos is the lore makes me rethink using monster that I initially thought lame. Usually from a quick glance at art and stat blocks.
for a DM who wants some truly horrific options for their lower planes I highly suggest looking up the painting known as the Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, it has a vast array of surreal and terrifying depictions of demons and the stuff they get up too.. I also suggest looking up Bosch "Sinner's Hymn" which is a piece of music found in that painting and has been transcribed by varied people over time, the closest a DM can get to a medieval music piece that is quite literally from the Lower Planes.
Man I am obsessed with Carceri, it’s probably my favorite lower plane. I wish there were more about it and the beings that live on it. Thankfully we did sort of get a 5e stat block fi the Demodand, with that non official 5e villain book. I hope we get more soonz
I've had to unsubscribe from a few channels to be able to stay on top of posts with my schedule. I'll never unsubscribe from this channel though... It's too good. Keep it up AJ!
I have a potential request. There's so little on these guys that I figure if anyone could tell us more, you could. The Hordelings of Hades. I know there's got to be more to them then just some monster with varied appearance.
I am curious what sort of Gehreleth Gamnestro the Vile, the doorman to Sigil’s Society of the Luminiferous Aether is. It doesn’t say. What are your thoughts?
I know this is a massive and difficult undertaking of a request, but I’ve always wondered how one could make the new 5E lore, with the first world dominated by dragons prior to a second being made of the humanoid races’ gods’ victories, with past lore of the D&D timeline like Tharizdun and the dawn war, both simultaneously true. Since D&D is very much head canon-oriented and some of your best lore videos have merged the lores of multiple editions, do you think you could make a revised timeline video that seeks to combine the various editions’ lores of the multiverse?
Agree. An invaluable feature creature ofthe lower planes, a great character nemesis. Fun to run as a DM too. Though it's been awhile. Theyll be back for trouble in my my melieu soon.gratitudes, and cheers, mate!
@@johngleeman8347 The Batrachi, an amphibian creator race that ruled a large chunk of the planet and had a transdimensional empire via stone planar gateways for thousands of years, a long, long time ago.
Another Excellent story AJ! 👍 My PCs have been dealing with Larloch, or mostly hindered by him, for the past year and ran a 1-shot recently of them going into his Tower
After a point when long life is possible, it would be wise to disguise your appearance when traveling about (via magic or non-magic techniques). Possible proof of protection from such beings?
I like how the thumbnail has a second name in parenthesis as if to clarify to someone who doesn't know what Demodand is. "Demodand" ?????? (Gehrehleth) Ohhhhhhh I see
The demodands now finally have stat blocks in 5e in the Planescape bestiary book, and personally for me, they did not disappoint. Wish the new Planescape books had more content about Carceri itself though.
Gehreleths are one of my favorites and featured heavily in the first D&D campaign I ever ran. I rather like 5e, but it’s lore is relatively sparse, but, I prefer to use my 2e books for that in any case. I just use those books along with 5e or some other ruleset.
I love that you release content weekly. I get so bored waiting for other UA-camrs to put out good content, I have never had that feeling with you and I want you to know you are appreciated thanks for the hours of content keep it up.
Always loved the Demodands ever since i first saw them in the original AD&D monster Manual 2 35+ years ago. Must admit its nice hearing lore on them and the rest of the planes taken from all over the various editions, and especially all the lore bits from the Planescape campaign setting manuals... ive got virtually all the books from that setting, and recognize material read from them. Nice to hear the Baernoloths and Apomps brought up, as they are one of the great and mysterious dark ancient secrets of Planescape lore that never got fully completed before the setting got discontinued. Although you did miss the tid bit that Apomps has the name the Three-fold One (also explains the obsidian triangles). Also the reason for the limited number of Geths at anytime is that while Apomps is technically a minor god, his power is limited and so he can only infuse so much of himself into the Geths at any one time, hence their limited numbers... even if their numbers dont make much sense in terms of scale. Also, its interesting that the Geth sub species each is similar in attitude to each of the other races of fiends, Faratsu for Tanari, Kelubar for Baator, and Shaator for Yugoloths... given they were supposed to be the original 'true' fiendish representations of the lower planes it makes sense. All the faces of evil as a unified whole.
I often wonder what other fiendish races lived in the outer planes had Gygax stayed with TSR and continued to produce material for them. His Gord novels with New Infinities had Tarterus/Carceri inhabited by a race of fiendish primates called dumalduns..
Your description of the merchant reminded me of the A Boy and His Dog and the obese slaver who had so many slaves digging through the sands for lost cans of food from the before times.
"new bitter bean tea that I was now quite fond of for some reason..." me looking at my own mug, eggnog in place of cream: ".....for some reason, yes." xD
I freakin' love Gehreleths. I was so psyched that WotC released a (suspiciously rushed, and not DNDBeyond supported) source with them! I was of course very disappointed with the parenthetical problems though.
I was hoping you'd do the Gehreleth, great video! I love using less known fiendish opponents - PCs fear the unknown, to paraphrase HPL, and Gehreleth are definitely among the less known creatures. There's a fun Ravenloft adventure about a Shator trapped in the Domain of Dread, combining fiends with the setting's gothic horror. Can recommend.
@@tylerannand3777 I don't know what you consider traditional in regards to Ravenloft, but I use the Van Richten's Guide to Fiends. Which is where the shator is mentioned (not an adventure, I really ought to get myself a mimir for this kind of stuff...).
Hate to be that guy but it's actually in his personality if he doesn't view you as a potential threat or person of interest as long as you don't steal anything or be disrespectful he doesn't care in fact he some times helps other liches or wizards naturally something is in it for him and he might plan to stab you in the back as well win or lose
@@kishinasura1989 also you can steal and get away with it. If it's a tome he doesn't value. There's a really good short story about one. Also another where a child ends up in his library through one of his secret portals. He sends the child back with an amulet that protects him from evil and undead especially.
I genuinely think that execution via being eaten alive by insects is the worst possible way a person can die. I wasn’t expecting literal nightmare fuel from the darkest pits of history going into this.
I know this isn't about baernaloth per se, but I love them so much. The penultimate evil in the multiverse. When asked "why are you doing this to me?" I feel they would answer thusly. "Because you cannot stop me. To teach you a painful truth about existence. You are a cleric, but you will not find the aid of your god here. Nothing can save you from this. You are driven by your emotions. Petty impulses from your meat. Your moral compass is laughable. " Cleric: I hope that one day, you will see the light...and that the hatred you feel will be absolved...and you can be free from this evil influence. Baernaloth: sweet of you to say, but Ultimately as pointless as your faith. I don't have feelings. I don't have a soul, there is nothing for you to save. And I'm not under the influence of any darkness. I AM that influence. Even with all the feelings in the world, it all comes down to this. At the end of the day, Evil is a choice. One that I will choose with every opportunity. And now, one last thing you will learn and then i send you to your god. *Slashes open the clerics throat* The baernaloth watches as the blood clots the sand of hades. And raises his hand. Dark waves of light extend from its twisted claws and the cleric stirs back to life. Cleric: what!? No! How am I here again!? Baernaloth: the other truth is that I am also a liar. You will never leave here.
I feel it is not true baernaloth have no feelings or emotions. Just that the only thing that has value to them is evil so nothing else will ever get a true reaction out of them. They could choose differently. They could even feel compassion. But they never will because evil is, from their frame of reference, the only thing that is real. Their truth is in stark opposition to good aligned entities. They could never see value in goodness no matter what you do to them so will always see those whom pursue it as deluded.
The ways that Carceri is described often make it seem like a more lawful place. I mean, it's always described as "an infinite set of prisons", imprisonment being a law-based idea. Shators seem fun though. Everyone thinks they're good and righteous - and the more righteous someone thinks they are, the more awful they often really are. Those slavers and merchant barons often think themselves incredibly righteous - look at Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth"! Remember - all those torture techniques AJ mentioned were done by "good" people! Forgotten Realms is no different. The "good" forces signed the Pact Primeval to do the very same.
Remember though, Good and Evil, Law and Chaos are all tangible, objective things. There is no such thing as subjective morality in universe apart from people's in universe dreams or ideas.
@@empoleonmaster6709 Ah - but that's not true! Good and evil are just words we came up with and subjectively affix to everything (real or not). So who or what "defines" morality in DnD? How can these fictional entities do it, considering their IRL writers are humans who - to this day - haven't come to an objective consensus on morality?
@@monsieurdorgat6864 Actually they have, this was clearly outlined in The Book of Exalted Deeds in 3.5, it ALSO answers every question you could have about various situations that might go against lawful good alignments.
@@empoleonmaster6709 Wait, really? Why is it good that the forces of Lawful Good signed the Pact Primeval literally to condemn people they don't like to eternal torment? They didn't know Asmodeus was going to betray them, but they definitely signed on to torment souls they didn't like. Isn't justice the legally sanctioned version of revenge? Isn't what's "just" kind of arbitrary? Why is positive energy hoarded to gods and their lackeys, while negative energy is handed out like candy? Wouldn't it be better if it was the other way around - if the Weave constrained the use of negative energy more than positive energy? i.e., every wizard can do necromancy, but none/few of them can cast Cure Wounds! If what's good in Mt. Celestia isn't always what's good for people on the Material Plane, is their influence actually a good thing? I will absolutely be the toddler who asks silly yet difficult to answer questions lol. I do refuse to spend money on this book though I am poor and have better things to buy lmao
@@monsieurdorgat6864 Read the book on Exalted Deeds, also knowing AJ I can't legally say how you can get it for free but I recommend checking organizations of archives if you catch my drift.
I really wish there was a modern version of the Fiendish Codexes that included a book dedicated to this and the other fiendish races that didn't receive the same attention as the tanar'ri and the baatezu.
You see, he is a mystical creature well known for fashioning improvised explosives from the most base of components. It is said that large gatherings of them come together to roast the flesh of their prey and partake in fermented beverages. Whether this is a mating ritual, a religious ceremony, or just base instincts we will probably never know.
Cheers for the new type of fiends (for me they are new). Hope you enjoying your festive period and your gob is healing well!!! What happened to their boss?
@@joeking3282 the 2 lower castes are too lacking in personally to become leaders, their commanding caste has more exceptions but generally the leth's minds are not condusive to standing out as they are nihilistic to a fault, and rarely think of themselves as individuals.
@@joeking3282 They do not, well... individual Shator may declare themselves some sort of noble title, but there is no lawful system, they are innately chaotic.
“The Lord of Murder shall perish, But in his death he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny, Chaos will be sewn in their footsteps.” - So Sayeth The Wise Alaundo
If apomps can see & perceive thru a demodand, is it possible for him to possess and seize control of a demodand? Therefore speaking & acting thru them while keeping himself safe and protected?
I would say it wouldn't need to happen because the demodands are his to use as he desires. They are already his mouthpiece as they are filled with his will. They will never work against his desires because his desires are their desires. And as soon as they know anything he knows it
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. AJ you are like Santa, except you give the best gift of your time each month instead of once a year. Thank you very much, .. G*D bless.
Four minutes in and you've already established a trait of the Demodands that separates them from literally every other fiend. Which was the thing they always felt lacking to me to be relevant. And the rest also includes a lore treatment of Apops/ Apophos respectful of and adapting his place in the lore of ancient Egypt? Fantastic.
Sadly for the opening story, most Faerunians don't end up in the planes matching their alignments the way most other mortals tend to; given the nature of Gods and expectations of divine realms there that AO has set up
Glorious nerdy stuff! Wonder whats your take on a D&D version of Witchers but cranked up in scale? For example, a large human kingdom being supported by a few good religious and scholarly pantheons in the creation of mostly human hit teams/ investigators/ explorers/ spies. The kingdoms mages would enhance and enchant these and later equip and train them to survive on other planes of existence. Their equipment would be artifact or upper tier level and would be selected based on the mission. They wouldn't even be considered for duty until around level 12 which many would be multi-classed.
1.) Are there similar natives in the other planes, like Pandamonia, Gahena (the Yugoloth live there, but from what I understand they are from the Grey Wastes), or Acaron? 2.) Any video on the Book of Derelict Magics? 3.) Does that explanation refer to the split of Ouroboros? 4.) How does the whole First World thing fit into everything, and did it exist before 5E, or even Fizbans? 5.) If good was with law, and chaos with evil, then how did the chaotic good being come into existence? 6.) How are Yugoloths spawned then? And is it similar to Gardinels? 7.) Is Chaotic Evil Evil just naturally entrapping, or is there a particular reason why it is this way? Perhaps a divine prison later claimed by evil from the law, chaos war when the moral axis began to enter the equation? 8.) Do people usually get their own custom punishment, or is it only the most vial? 9.) Is imprisonment in Carceri for mortals, departed souls, or immortals like outsiders or gods? 10.) Do they use corpses of mortals, petitioners, and/or outsiders? 11.) Is there a known way to destroy one? 12.) Is the information a Demodan gains automatically transmitted, or do they need to recover the triangle?
Also here's a question AJ. If someone or something manages to destroy the Sentient cosmic Tumor know as the Abyss would Carceri and the Gehreleth become the new Chaotic evil faction in the multiverse with Carceri absorbing the Layers of the Abyss into new Layers and the Gehreleth creating new members of their race from the carcasses of Tanar'i and even Obyrith floating in the empty void from where the Abyss was? and would some of the Abyss's Layers coalesce to create a new plane that would fill Carceri's role in the old Cosmic order as the Neutral/Chaotic evil plane?
Ultraloth are different from Altroloth right? The ones that make the pact with the hags. Anthraxas and such. The general of Gehenna, Altroloth or ultraloth?
In the 2nd edition Planescape setting, he was an Ultraloth, granted the strongest Ultraloth in existance. Not sure if he was unique like the Altroloths but given his level of power he might have been a little different from his kin, although they never mention just how different, given you virtually never heard anything about him except his name and legend and was never shown in any artwork as far as i remember (although there was a small piece of art that had a tall shadowed and crowned Ultraloth standing over a bunch of other Yugoloths in the background, so that might have been him).
16:14 "you have been sentenced to the Doom of Milk and Honey"
"Oh, that doesn't sound so bad!"
Yes. We had a new baby a few weeks before xmas so i have been watching your whole library from oldest to newest. Great for late night bottle feeding.
Been doing this for a year for the same reason - best library out there, keep it up AJ!
Until the kid’s first words are “roll for initiative”.
I'll have to narrate some bedtime stories for little adventurers.
Congratulations and I'm sorry 😂❤️
I did the same, and now my daughter is 3!
I would pay you to release your own version of "The Book of Derelict Magics" that name just caught my imagination so vividly
I second the motion
I third I already have the book of vile darkness, the book of exalted deeds, and the whole realms catalogue
I would love this to be made into a book as well as having a book of the stilled tongue
If you guys keep talking about all this evil mumbo jumbo I'm gonna have to find a Conjuration Wizard to Summon an Imperial Comissar......FOR THE EMPEROR!!! (Warhammer is invading Faerun!) 😂
"I'm Doug Demodand! Owner of the dismdale demodand!
Bruh I legit thought the same thing I love you
The part about never being able to escape their notice or be forgotten by them encapsulates the horror of the modern surveillance state.
Incorrect. There is only a limited amount of storage space available for recordings. So it is possible to slip by if nobody realizes what is there until it gets recorded over again. Demodands have no such limit.
Doug Demodand owner of the Dimmsdale Demodands.
You have handed me, gift wrapped, the missing puzzle piece to my campaign. It is uncanny how well this lore fits into the game im running. Merry Christmas.
Tell menmore! Tell me more! I put on a pinky jacket
My pleasure!
Brother you got this shit down. I've been listening to your lore on the Hells & the Abyss again. There aren't that many who do deep dives like you do.
You must have the largest collection of Dragon anybody has seen.
Back in 3-3.5 Dungeon magazine had a series of adventure paths, ie campaigns, that took the players from level 1 to level 20, One of these campaigns was referred to as "The Shackled City". Within the campaign is a plot by a Demodand to pull a whole city into Carceri (by opening a portal above the city).
One thing I really appreciate about your lore videos, AJ, is that you lay everything out for us, even the cruel, horrible, disgusting, scandalous, and/or frightening parts. I can be a pretty squeamish person in real life, but when it comes to D&D lore I want all of it, not just the clean, pretty, fluffy parts. You are both knowledgeable and thorough, and I look forward to every video.
AJPickett, im sold. I'll use demodands. As NPC, as Planar Assassin, as lore, as scary story told by frawny bards, as ever growing Paranoia Fuel. Anything. *Im* *In* *Love* *With* *Them.* You can sell like literally anything with those few min novells.
Hence the saying "I would rather be selling fur coats in Chult" , meaning - literally anything is better or easier than that.
@@AJPickett hell yeah, Chult is treated like Australia in my FR campaigns. Victorian Era Australia....
17:31 Weirdly, my friends and I always associated these guys with their Eberron blurb in MM3 rather than their main blurb about Carceri. The idea of these tumbleweeds of hands rolling around in mist surrounded by corpses was just really evocative.
Thank you for the video. Planescape: Torment gave me a love of these fiends
There are quite a few lower plane races and species that resemble frogs and toads. There are Gehereleths and Slaadi races, and each of the three major fiend races have a frog type. Demons have Hezrou, Yugoloths have the Hydroloth, and Devils have the Corruption Devil or Paeliryon.
because those species are adapted well to slime and filth
It seems that fiends were created on Wednesday...
I love how these new videos start with a story. Really great listening while I’m cooking
This was a lot of fun and a very educational experience but the thing I got the most is that there's coffee in faerun and the sage is rather fond of it
indeed!
I remember reading years ago that the Demodands were a nod to Jack Vance's Deodands from the Dying Earth stories
Your post made me curious and I looked up demodand and deodand, and learned to my surprise that the latter is actually from law, describing a thing or person that has caused death and is then "given to god" (Latin deo dandum). Replaced the term "bane".
Pretty cool stuff.
I have been waiting for Demodands, interesting monsters.
Verrry interesting indeed.
Finally the last "lower planes main lost fiend type"
What I like most about these videos is the lore makes me rethink using monster that I initially thought lame. Usually from a quick glance at art and stat blocks.
I played AD&D in the 80's. I can vaguely remember these things from a book called "The Fiend Folio".
AJ, your imagination and lore weaving skills are amazing. It's something I take inspiration from, and aspire to. Thank you!
Thank you 😊
The stories you write to go along with this lore is excellent and so engaging
16:58 -ish sounds like a great ritual to create a spawn of Kyuss
Player 1: So...what did AJ cover this video.
Player 2: Demodands.
Player 1: Oh crap!
DM: I've got some cool critters for you all this session.😈
for a DM who wants some truly horrific options for their lower planes I highly suggest looking up the painting known as the Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, it has a vast array of surreal and terrifying depictions of demons and the stuff they get up too.. I also suggest looking up Bosch "Sinner's Hymn" which is a piece of music found in that painting and has been transcribed by varied people over time, the closest a DM can get to a medieval music piece that is quite literally from the Lower Planes.
Hot climate you won't see natives about at noon , only tourists go about and get heat stroke :)
Man I am obsessed with Carceri, it’s probably my favorite lower plane. I wish there were more about it and the beings that live on it. Thankfully we did sort of get a 5e stat block fi the Demodand, with that non official 5e villain book. I hope we get more soonz
AJ you’ve done it again , a great little guide for dnd multiplanar lore, god bless!
I have been wondering for literally years when these were going to show up. Alleluiah!
Extremely interesting and great description. This must of taken a while to put together, thanks AJ
I had excellent resources.
I've had to unsubscribe from a few channels to be able to stay on top of posts with my schedule. I'll never unsubscribe from this channel though... It's too good. Keep it up AJ!
I am honored!
I have a potential request. There's so little on these guys that I figure if anyone could tell us more, you could. The Hordelings of Hades. I know there's got to be more to them then just some monster with varied appearance.
I am curious what sort of Gehreleth Gamnestro the Vile, the doorman to Sigil’s Society of the Luminiferous Aether is. It doesn’t say. What are your thoughts?
You can tell by his size.
I know this is a massive and difficult undertaking of a request, but I’ve always wondered how one could make the new 5E lore, with the first world dominated by dragons prior to a second being made of the humanoid races’ gods’ victories, with past lore of the D&D timeline like Tharizdun and the dawn war, both simultaneously true. Since D&D is very much head canon-oriented and some of your best lore videos have merged the lores of multiple editions, do you think you could make a revised timeline video that seeks to combine the various editions’ lores of the multiverse?
Yes, I could do that.
I just noticed that Demodand is spelled as Demo D and D. I approve.
Agree. An invaluable feature creature ofthe lower planes, a great character nemesis. Fun to run as a DM too. Though it's been awhile. Theyll be back for trouble in my my melieu soon.gratitudes, and cheers, mate!
Did you learn Larloch's Minor Drain while you were snooping about his library?
As a side note, why are there so many frog-like monsters in D&D? XD
@@johngleeman8347 The Batrachi, an amphibian creator race that ruled a large chunk of the planet and had a transdimensional empire via stone planar gateways for thousands of years, a long, long time ago.
WAIT!
(runs and gets popcorn.)
Kay, go ahead. (Demodands have always been one of my favorites.)
Another Excellent story AJ! 👍
My PCs have been dealing with Larloch, or mostly hindered by him, for the past year and ran a 1-shot recently of them going into his Tower
Demodans, never heard of them but as usual more than happy to learn about a new feature from you buddy!
After a point when long life is possible, it would be wise to disguise your appearance when traveling about (via magic or non-magic techniques).
Possible proof of protection from such beings?
Awesome, AJ. Just a brilliant, informative, wonderful video about an overlooked fiendish force. I love the in world narration too.
Hell ye, been waiting for this topic forever.
I know, sorry it has taken so long, but, I think the lore in this is worth the wait.
I like how the thumbnail has a second name in parenthesis as if to clarify to someone who doesn't know what Demodand is.
"Demodand" ??????
(Gehrehleth) Ohhhhhhh I see
Athkatla always reminds me of that scene where Irenicus is blasting a horde of cowled wizards in BG2.
The demodands now finally have stat blocks in 5e in the Planescape bestiary book, and personally for me, they did not disappoint. Wish the new Planescape books had more content about Carceri itself though.
Gehreleths are one of my favorites and featured heavily in the first D&D campaign I ever ran.
I rather like 5e, but it’s lore is relatively sparse, but, I prefer to use my 2e books for that in any case. I just use those books along with 5e or some other ruleset.
This is the way.
I love that you release content weekly. I get so bored waiting for other UA-camrs to put out good content, I have never had that feeling with you and I want you to know you are appreciated thanks for the hours of content keep it up.
Always loved the Demodands ever since i first saw them in the original AD&D monster Manual 2 35+ years ago.
Must admit its nice hearing lore on them and the rest of the planes taken from all over the various editions, and especially all the lore bits from the Planescape campaign setting manuals... ive got virtually all the books from that setting, and recognize material read from them.
Nice to hear the Baernoloths and Apomps brought up, as they are one of the great and mysterious dark ancient secrets of Planescape lore that never got fully completed before the setting got discontinued. Although you did miss the tid bit that Apomps has the name the Three-fold One (also explains the obsidian triangles). Also the reason for the limited number of Geths at anytime is that while Apomps is technically a minor god, his power is limited and so he can only infuse so much of himself into the Geths at any one time, hence their limited numbers... even if their numbers dont make much sense in terms of scale.
Also, its interesting that the Geth sub species each is similar in attitude to each of the other races of fiends, Faratsu for Tanari, Kelubar for Baator, and Shaator for Yugoloths... given they were supposed to be the original 'true' fiendish representations of the lower planes it makes sense. All the faces of evil as a unified whole.
I often wonder what other fiendish races lived in the outer planes had Gygax stayed with TSR and continued to produce material for them. His Gord novels with New Infinities had Tarterus/Carceri inhabited by a race of fiendish primates called dumalduns..
@@PungiFungi You can tell he grew up on pulps, pulps loved them some apes.
We got some good stat blocks for them in Minsc & Boo’s journal of villainy
There are excellent resources in the book, including the city of Athkatla!
I have waited a couple of years for this one! A nice xmas gift!!
31:20 How I feel after every large family gathering/holiday meal
Your description of the merchant reminded me of the A Boy and His Dog and the obese slaver who had so many slaves digging through the sands for lost cans of food from the before times.
"new bitter bean tea that I was now quite fond of for some reason..."
me looking at my own mug, eggnog in place of cream: ".....for some reason, yes." xD
I freakin' love Gehreleths. I was so psyched that WotC released a (suspiciously rushed, and not DNDBeyond supported) source with them! I was of course very disappointed with the parenthetical problems though.
Honestly even though I adore DnD. I can't think of one supplement they haven't rushed heh.
I was hoping you'd do the Gehreleth, great video!
I love using less known fiendish opponents - PCs fear the unknown, to paraphrase HPL, and Gehreleth are definitely among the less known creatures.
There's a fun Ravenloft adventure about a Shator trapped in the Domain of Dread, combining fiends with the setting's gothic horror. Can recommend.
Traditionally, the Demiplane of Dread doesn't want anything to do with Outsiders and... Pressures them to leave (even Planetouched feel this pressure)
@@tylerannand3777 I don't know what you consider traditional in regards to Ravenloft, but I use the Van Richten's Guide to Fiends. Which is where the shator is mentioned (not an adventure, I really ought to get myself a mimir for this kind of stuff...).
Been waiting for these guys. Thanks mate.
Ah yes the lore master uploaded in great time of needs
I hope all is well and keep it up!
Me hearing the name Larloch: "I'm sorry, WHAT?! This guy must've rolled several nat 20's to get out!"
Hate to be that guy but it's actually in his personality if he doesn't view you as a potential threat or person of interest as long as you don't steal anything or be disrespectful he doesn't care in fact he some times helps other liches or wizards naturally something is in it for him and he might plan to stab you in the back as well win or lose
@@kishinasura1989 also you can steal and get away with it. If it's a tome he doesn't value. There's a really good short story about one. Also another where a child ends up in his library through one of his secret portals. He sends the child back with an amulet that protects him from evil and undead especially.
I genuinely think that execution via being eaten alive by insects is the worst possible way a person can die. I wasn’t expecting literal nightmare fuel from the darkest pits of history going into this.
I did hesitate and consider if that was a bit too real.
Doug Demodand, owner of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome
8:00 Does anyone know what book/webcomic this page comes from? I really want to be able to read the whole thing!
Do Apomps and Orcus have some backdoor business going on between themselves?
Likely all the Lords of the lower planes have such deals. It is just a matter of current need balancing against their disdain for each other
Having heard so little about the demodands, I didn't think they were much at all. Clearly I was wrong.
Also, merry christmas!
I love your descriptive imagination aj, I just don't always appreciate it properly during a meal lol
Lol I was mid bite when he was describing the historical torture method.
@@konradcurze394 soldiered through my lunch, I keep choosing to listen while I eat its my own dumb fault, not the first time
I know this isn't about baernaloth per se, but I love them so much. The penultimate evil in the multiverse. When asked "why are you doing this to me?" I feel they would answer thusly. "Because you cannot stop me. To teach you a painful truth about existence. You are a cleric, but you will not find the aid of your god here. Nothing can save you from this. You are driven by your emotions. Petty impulses from your meat. Your moral compass is laughable. "
Cleric: I hope that one day, you will see the light...and that the hatred you feel will be absolved...and you can be free from this evil influence.
Baernaloth: sweet of you to say, but Ultimately as pointless as your faith. I don't have feelings. I don't have a soul, there is nothing for you to save. And I'm not under the influence of any darkness. I AM that influence. Even with all the feelings in the world, it all comes down to this. At the end of the day, Evil is a choice. One that I will choose with every opportunity.
And now, one last thing you will learn and then i send you to your god. *Slashes open the clerics throat*
The baernaloth watches as the blood clots the sand of hades. And raises his hand. Dark waves of light extend from its twisted claws and the cleric stirs back to life.
Cleric: what!? No! How am I here again!?
Baernaloth: the other truth is that I am also a liar. You will never leave here.
I feel it is not true baernaloth have no feelings or emotions. Just that the only thing that has value to them is evil so nothing else will ever get a true reaction out of them. They could choose differently. They could even feel compassion. But they never will because evil is, from their frame of reference, the only thing that is real. Their truth is in stark opposition to good aligned entities. They could never see value in goodness no matter what you do to them so will always see those whom pursue it as deluded.
The first panel of the comic around 8:15 looks like a Tonberry.
The ways that Carceri is described often make it seem like a more lawful place. I mean, it's always described as "an infinite set of prisons", imprisonment being a law-based idea.
Shators seem fun though. Everyone thinks they're good and righteous - and the more righteous someone thinks they are, the more awful they often really are. Those slavers and merchant barons often think themselves incredibly righteous - look at Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth"!
Remember - all those torture techniques AJ mentioned were done by "good" people! Forgotten Realms is no different. The "good" forces signed the Pact Primeval to do the very same.
Remember though, Good and Evil, Law and Chaos are all tangible, objective things. There is no such thing as subjective morality in universe apart from people's in universe dreams or ideas.
@@empoleonmaster6709 Ah - but that's not true!
Good and evil are just words we came up with and subjectively affix to everything (real or not).
So who or what "defines" morality in DnD? How can these fictional entities do it, considering their IRL writers are humans who - to this day - haven't come to an objective consensus on morality?
@@monsieurdorgat6864 Actually they have, this was clearly outlined in The Book of Exalted Deeds in 3.5, it ALSO answers every question you could have about various situations that might go against lawful good alignments.
@@empoleonmaster6709 Wait, really?
Why is it good that the forces of Lawful Good signed the Pact Primeval literally to condemn people they don't like to eternal torment? They didn't know Asmodeus was going to betray them, but they definitely signed on to torment souls they didn't like.
Isn't justice the legally sanctioned version of revenge? Isn't what's "just" kind of arbitrary?
Why is positive energy hoarded to gods and their lackeys, while negative energy is handed out like candy? Wouldn't it be better if it was the other way around - if the Weave constrained the use of negative energy more than positive energy? i.e., every wizard can do necromancy, but none/few of them can cast Cure Wounds!
If what's good in Mt. Celestia isn't always what's good for people on the Material Plane, is their influence actually a good thing?
I will absolutely be the toddler who asks silly yet difficult to answer questions lol. I do refuse to spend money on this book though I am poor and have better things to buy lmao
@@monsieurdorgat6864 Read the book on Exalted Deeds, also knowing AJ I can't legally say how you can get it for free but I recommend checking organizations of archives if you catch my drift.
I really wish there was a modern version of the Fiendish Codexes that included a book dedicated to this and the other fiendish races that didn't receive the same attention as the tanar'ri and the baatezu.
If we only knew what the Yugoloths were up to...
@@AJPickett 3.5 needed a Fiendish Codex 3 for the Demodands, Yugoloths, Night Hags, and I guess barghests.
When it comes to fiendish lore AJ, I'm always as early as I can be
Where can one find the image at 8:09?
Commenting so I can also find said image:)
punverse.blogspot.com/2019/09/a-quick-primer-to-yugoloths.html
@@AJPickett Thank you kindly.
Ohhhh a very skilled and joyfully told lire dive xD Thanks AJ as always much love, especially for some of the other lower planer fiends xD
Surprised you didn't discuss how demodands get promoted.
Mmm true, I did not.
Yes, hello, I am here to learn about the Demo Dad
You see, he is a mystical creature well known for fashioning improvised explosives from the most base of components. It is said that large gatherings of them come together to roast the flesh of their prey and partake in fermented beverages. Whether this is a mating ritual, a religious ceremony, or just base instincts we will probably never know.
Cheers for the new type of fiends (for me they are new).
Hope you enjoying your festive period and your gob is healing well!!!
What happened to their boss?
It's still around I think.
@@AJPickett Do they have Dukes/Lords like the Demons or Devils or upper levels fiends like the Demon (Balor) or Devil (Pit Fiend)..?
@@joeking3282 the 2 lower castes are too lacking in personally to become leaders, their commanding caste has more exceptions but generally the leth's minds are not condusive to standing out as they are nihilistic to a fault, and rarely think of themselves as individuals.
@@itaykerensm1629 cool, they are legion
@@joeking3282 They do not, well... individual Shator may declare themselves some sort of noble title, but there is no lawful system, they are innately chaotic.
“The Lord of Murder shall perish,
But in his death he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny,
Chaos will be sewn in their footsteps.”
- So Sayeth The Wise Alaundo
3pm, time for crabcakes and mead.
If apomps can see & perceive thru a demodand, is it possible for him to possess and seize control of a demodand? Therefore speaking & acting thru them while keeping himself safe and protected?
If that needs to happen, then make it happen, I see no problem with that.
I would say it wouldn't need to happen because the demodands are his to use as he desires. They are already his mouthpiece as they are filled with his will. They will never work against his desires because his desires are their desires. And as soon as they know anything he knows it
Been busy learning new work stuff and fallen well behind, time for a happy new year AJ binge :)
Welcome back!
Finally, someone talking about Demodands.
Oh man, thank you!!!! This is excellently timed.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
AJ you are like Santa, except you give the best gift of your time each month instead of once a year.
Thank you very much, ..
G*D bless.
Four minutes in and you've already established a trait of the Demodands that separates them from literally every other fiend. Which was the thing they always felt lacking to me to be relevant.
And the rest also includes a lore treatment of Apops/ Apophos respectful of and adapting his place in the lore of ancient Egypt?
Fantastic.
Sadly for the opening story, most Faerunians don't end up in the planes matching their alignments the way most other mortals tend to; given the nature of Gods and expectations of divine realms there that AO has set up
For all complaints please email wrongafterlife@kelemvor.com
Just want to say I love your content. Keep it up! You are talented. I love the stories you create. WOTC should hire you as a lore master!
9:32 What about the oberith deamonds?
Indeed! Native to the Abyss? Just as the nupperibo and such are native to baator.
Glorious nerdy stuff!
Wonder whats your take on a D&D version of Witchers but cranked up in scale? For example, a large human kingdom being supported by a few good religious and scholarly pantheons in the creation of mostly human hit teams/ investigators/ explorers/ spies. The kingdoms mages would enhance and enchant these and later equip and train them to survive on other planes of existence. Their equipment would be artifact or upper tier level and would be selected based on the mission. They wouldn't even be considered for duty until around level 12 which many would be multi-classed.
1.) Are there similar natives in the other planes, like Pandamonia, Gahena (the Yugoloth live there, but from what I understand they are from the Grey Wastes), or Acaron?
2.) Any video on the Book of Derelict Magics?
3.) Does that explanation refer to the split of Ouroboros?
4.) How does the whole First World thing fit into everything, and did it exist before 5E, or even Fizbans?
5.) If good was with law, and chaos with evil, then how did the chaotic good being come into existence?
6.) How are Yugoloths spawned then? And is it similar to Gardinels?
7.) Is Chaotic Evil Evil just naturally entrapping, or is there a particular reason why it is this way? Perhaps a divine prison later claimed by evil from the law, chaos war when the moral axis began to enter the equation?
8.) Do people usually get their own custom punishment, or is it only the most vial?
9.) Is imprisonment in Carceri for mortals, departed souls, or immortals like outsiders or gods?
10.) Do they use corpses of mortals, petitioners, and/or outsiders?
11.) Is there a known way to destroy one?
12.) Is the information a Demodan gains automatically transmitted, or do they need to recover the triangle?
I will get around to answering these.. working on a big video project.
@@AJPickett no problem. Take your time.
Nice. I was always curious about these creatures.Thanks for this & Merry Christmas and Happy New Year😊
A perfect post Christmas video! Feeling a little Christmas burn out, it's a nice change to watch something that doesn't involve Santa or Rudolph 🤣
Yep, exactly as intended 😎
I appreciate and applaud your dedication to tabletop rpgs.
Thanks AJ!
Frog Zombie Yugoloth's weird and I love it.
Also here's a question AJ. If someone or something manages to destroy the Sentient cosmic Tumor know as the Abyss would Carceri and the Gehreleth become the new Chaotic evil faction in the multiverse with Carceri absorbing the Layers of the Abyss into new Layers and the Gehreleth creating new members of their race from the carcasses of Tanar'i and even Obyrith floating in the empty void from where the Abyss was? and would some of the Abyss's Layers coalesce to create a new plane that would fill Carceri's role in the old Cosmic order as the Neutral/Chaotic evil plane?
Thanks for the video AJ!
like a human igloo; like you barfed curry through your nose
Ultraloth are different from Altroloth right? The ones that make the pact with the hags. Anthraxas and such.
The general of Gehenna, Altroloth or ultraloth?
He is altraloth , he is based on the beast city from krull.
In the 2nd edition Planescape setting, he was an Ultraloth, granted the strongest Ultraloth in existance. Not sure if he was unique like the Altroloths but given his level of power he might have been a little different from his kin, although they never mention just how different, given you virtually never heard anything about him except his name and legend and was never shown in any artwork as far as i remember (although there was a small piece of art that had a tall shadowed and crowned Ultraloth standing over a bunch of other Yugoloths in the background, so that might have been him).
@@NZBigfoot thanks so much for sharing 😃 love learning more about the subject.
What does this main art from Minsc and boo's journal of villainy show? A kelubar or a shator?
That is some Farastu and a Kelubar.
Using Undead and Warforged forces never felt more right. Negating all that poison.
It's cute you think that will save you.
@@aaroncunningham8307
I have my ways.
That was great i,m glad I saved this one for later
мне понравилось ! лайк и комментарий , для алгоритмов ютуба =)