Demon Prince

Notice

This monster is from an out of date rule-set

An Infernal Monster from the Celestial Codex.

Description

Only the basest, most vile creatures in the Eternal War can ever hope to descend to the ranks of the Demon Princes. Each Prince wields uncontested power in their personal Hells, attended slavishly by a near-endless horde of lesser demons, imps and hell-spawned monstrosities. Much like their diametric opposites, the Archangles [sic], Demon Princes embody dark concepts and twisted ideas on a much larger scale than can be measured within the scope of the game. Where the angels are ruled by distant, rarely-seen Divinities, the Diabolics know exactly who is calling the shots in any given section of the Infernal Regions.
Most Infernals dwell in the province of a single Demon Prince, who rules that realm and his (or her) subjects with a tyrannical iron fist. None dare contest the commands of their Prince, for while rewards of an unholy nature are few and far between, punishment and pain are doled out in ample abundance to any who dare defy their evil whims. Unlike Angelics, who may fall from grace and be forced to live amongst mortals, disloyal or unsuccessful servants of a Demon Prince will find itself obliterated into nonexistence, but not before beingtortured beyond all normal comprehension.
Whereas Archangels are proud and powerful, filled with the epitome of purity and goodness, the Demon Princes wallow in festering evil and a spiteful hatred of all things non-demonic. Their motivations are deeply disturbing to mortal men, for even the most heinous of humans are still limited to the evil their souls can muster, where what passes for a "soul" amongst the Princes of Hell would seem little more than a black and twisted hole.

Traits and Abilities

As beings of nearly immeasurable power, there is no hard and fast list of abilities and skills that all possess, though the following Traits and Abilities are more or less universally known by all Demon Princes:

• Aerial Superiority
• Aura of Terror (Even works against those normally immune to Control)
• Life-Draining Attacks
• Natural Flight
• Teleport (unlimited)
• Tough (see Immunity, below)
• Immunity to all forms of mortal and monstrous magic. Monsters possessing a Q/M Ratio of 8/1 or higher might be able to affect a Demon Prince, at the Reeve's option. When coupled with the Tough Trait, this makes the Princes immune to most attacks a regular player can make. It is strongly suggested that any game featuring such a powerful being be designed so that either the Demon Prince is a non-combat role (too selfish to join in the fracas) or there is some means made available to the players to harm or otherwise Banish the devil back to the Pit.
  

Each Demon Prince also possess a host of minor and major spells, Traits and Abilities that fall in line with their personal area of influence.

Examples

• The Demon Prince of Deception might get unlimited Bard spells, like Charm, Legend and Mimic, and the ability to Blend or even Sneak with limitless ability.
• The Demon Prince of Rot would get use of Life-Draining attacks, Corrosion, Stink Ball and Warp Wood, to keep in line with its love for destroying people and objects.
• The Demon Princess of Lust would have some powerful Charm or even Possession-type powers, as well as the ability to instill players with Attraction to people or objects of her choosing.
• The Demon Prince of Carnage would be an eternally-Berserk monstrosity with the ability to bestow the rage upon anyone engaged in combat.

Role-Playing and Reeving

Unlike their angelic counterparts, Demon Princes take great delight in the affairs of mortals. After all, corrupting mortals is what they were made to do. However, they are Princes of Hell, and would rather have lackeys and slaves do their bidding than to actually sully themselves in combat. Players of "Evil" personas will be hard pressed to want to attack such a being, much less try to actually slay one - and would more than likely offer their eternal souls to join in the mayhem! Reeves should always try and find a suitable motivation for these powerful Monsters, as nothing will bring your game crashing to an unsatisfying conclusion faster than having bored immortals running around like loose cannons. Given the potentially game-destroying abilities of these characters, it is a good idea enlighten such players as to the finer points of your game. See Archangels for more details.

Garb

Demon Princes are not just demons, they are the PREMIER demons of Hell. While some are hideously deformed and monstrous to behold, others are possessed of a sinister beauty, darkly and dangerously attractive. However, all Princes appear elegant, if somewhat alien, to mortals. Aim for rich colors of red, purple or green for garb and/or make-up tones for skin. Body paint, demonic tattoos or other markings also help with the otherworldly effect. Demon Princes love jewelry, to uglier it is, the better they like it. Try and keep the theme of the Prince in mind when designing costumes for the part: warriors princes might be splattered with gore, but a lascivious princess will most certainly be dripping in finery and jewels. Armor, if worn, should be spiky black leather, accented with unholy icons appropriate the Prince’s spheres of influence. All garbing aside, it’s the role-playing that’s going to make this encounter most memorable, so be evil and enjoy it!