D&D: Five Fantastic Fiends That Aren’t Demons OR Devils
The range of “cosmic evil” in D&D is so much more than just demons or devils, as these five fiends will show you.
Fiend is the term to cover any cosmically evil being in D&D. You hear it, and the mind instantly leaps to devils and their lawful evil hordes of everything from foot soldiers to the infernal equivalent of lawyers. And then there’s demons, who embody destruction and savagery incaarnate. Unless they don’t.
But there is so much more cosmic evil out there, beyond the hells or the abyss. Just take a look at these five fiends that are neither demon nor devil.
Arcanoloth
Arcanoloths are among the more powerful figures in the multiverse. And they are neither devil nor demon. These fiends embody greed – and here, specifically, greed for power, secrets, and control. Arcanoloths are some of the most interesting figures in the Monster Manual. They are often willing to work with those they believe they can gain something from, and this makes the wily fiends even more dangerous than their more straightforward counterparts.
Mezzoloth
If Arcanoloths represent some of the heights of power outside of the devil/demon axis, mezzoloths illustrate that there’s plenty of room for fodder as well. These are often mercenary troops that hire themselves out to people who have a way of contacting other planes. These insectoid fiends are great if you need some lower-level (but still dangerous) troops to either hype up a villain with murderous muscle, or they can be the villains in their own right, with grappling claws and the ability to cast Cloudkill.
Lamia
Lamia are one of the rare kind of fiends that exist on the material plane. They are fiendish tricksters who have either inherited infernal blood or made a deal that has transfigured them into these part-humanoid, part-lion fiends. Either way, they are potent marauders who often dwell in the deserts, preying upon the weak.
Gnolls
Gnolls got a fiendish glow-up in the latest Monster Manual. Now they are fiends dedicated to Yeenoghu and they have some serious power to back it up. They all can bite, but then there are some gnolls who gain even more demonic power. The Fang of Yeenoghu and the Gnoll Demoniac, for instance, can call upon the endless hunger of their patron to destructive end.
Larvae
Larvae are one of the most terrifying fiends in all of the Monster Manual. And they’re just level 0. But here’s why; they show the terrible kind of fate that awaits any who perform wicked deeds. These are the souls of the wicked, those who have been condemned to the lower planes. No matter how much stature you had in life, in the end you are nothing but a worm, and one barely capable of realizing that your boyfriend wouldn’t love you, even if you were a worm.
The mighty wicked are reduced to little more than trade goods and fuel for the fiends of the lower planes. Poetic.
What are your favorite fiends?
