Lesser Devil (5e Race)
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Lesser Devil[edit]
“ | We are bound by any and all agreements, written, verbal, or otherwise. This is why we write the contracts, and we never agree to anything without first considering every variable and every potential loophole. This is a lesson you humans could stand to ponder more meticulously. It might just save your life. Or your soul. | ” |
—Azeris 'Queen of Archnids' |
Physical Description[edit]
Lesser Devils are quite diverse in appearance but are also quite similar to Humans in form and figure. They have large horns that take any of a variety of shapes - some have curling horns like a ram, others have straight and tall horns like a gazelle's, and some spiral upward like an antelopes' horns. They have thick tails with arrowhead or spade shaped plates of bone at their tips. Their tails are four to five feet long and lash when they get upset or nervous. Their canine teeth are sharply pointed. The sclera of their eyes can take many shades of black, white, gray, red, or brown, their irises generally taking shades of red or yellow with slitted pupils and a slight glow. Their skin ranges in tone and hue from greys to reds to blues and violets to any of the more common tones one might find among humans or elves.
History[edit]
The Devils of the Nine Hells have been around since before our earliest written history. For as long as the universe has existed, there have been the forces of good and evil, the armies of the Heavens and the armies of Hell. These fated foes have battled numerous times throughout the ages, causing much death and destruction across the mortal plane which is far too often caught in the crossfire of these cataclysmic confrontations.
Society[edit]
The Devils of the Nine Hells have a very strict hierarchy based on the souls that have been consumed or corrupted with a heavy power gap and much animosity between the levels. Lesser Devils are rather close to humans as far as power and physical prowess with Greater Devils being high above them. Above the Greater Devils are the Lords And above the Lords sits the King and Queen of the Nine Hells. The Devils have built an entire economy around buying and selling mortal souls. Moving up in the hierarchy is not impossible, but unless you were born among the elite, it is widely considered too unlikely to be worth putting any effort towards. The number of souls required to go from Lesser to Greater is far higher than can be achieved within a Lesser Devil's expected life span.
Lesser Devil Names[edit]
There is much power in a devil's name, thus they have two, their true name and an alias that they use when traversing the mortal realms. Devils' true names are very guttural, harsh, and in many cases quite difficult for mortal tongues to speak. There is no discernible difference between male and female names. Devils pick their aliases based on the races they interact with most often, and in some cases will have multiple aliases. The chosen alias will always have some similarity or relation to the true name, whether that be a shared meaning, or just similar sound. Devils that gain the attention of the Lords gain a title related to the deeds or traits that gained them the recognition of the Lords of Hell. Depending on the nature of their deeds, this title might be one of respect, resentment, insult, or even warning. It is very rare for Lesser Devils to receive a title, thus even those who receive titles of insult or warning gain a certain level of respect and envy from their Lesser Brethren. Lesser Devils with a title could mean they are just a few souls away from ascending to Greater or that they are just a few unfortunate deeds away from being wiped from existence.
True Names: Rarnis, Thog'hunas, Bir'goxag, Oremeg
Aliases Nicolaus, Meline, Traric, Yesvaris
Titles 'The Enduring' 'The Childish' 'The Respected' 'The Unfathomable'
Lesser Devil Traits[edit]
The lowest ranks of the legions of Hell; Devils of low status but unmatched cunning.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2 and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age. Lesser Devils mature at the same rate as humans and can't die from old age but due to the power gap between the Lesser and Greater Devils and the animosity among the legions of Hell, Lesser Devils are not expected to live much longer than a century.
Alignment. Devils are bound by fiendish magic to fulfill all promises and agreements they make, forcing them into lawful alignments. Devils are largely self-centered in nature, meaning the majority of them are evil. Outliers, while rare, do however exist.
Size. Lesser Devils range anywhere from just under 5 feet to over 6 feet in height and are on average taller and more slender than humans. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Creature Type. Your creature type is Fiend (Devil).
darkvision. Thanks to your infernal heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Hellish Resistance. You have resistance to fire damage.
Natural-Born Deceivers. You have proficiency in the Deception skill.
Infernal Disguise. As an action, you can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics change. You determine the specifics of the changes, including your coloration and hair length. You must adopt a form that is humanoid. You can also adjust your height and weight, but not so much that your size changes. You can change the appearance of your clothes with this feature, but not your armor or equipment. While disguised in this way, no amount of physical scrutiny or investigation can identify you as a devil; only magic can reveal your fiendish nature.
You stay in the new form until you use an action to revert to your true form or until you die.
Infernal Wings. Much like angels must earn their wings, Lesser Devils are not born with wings wings, but gain them later in their lives. While most don't live long enough to take flight, a select few have. When you reach 5th level, you gain a pair of leathery wings. As an action, you can summon your wings, granting you a fly speed of 30 feet. Summoning your wings while under the effects of your infernal disguise will instantly reveal you as a devil to all onlookers.
Devils' Sixth Sense. A devil has an unnatural sense when it comes to potential prey. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect mortal souls. Until the start of your next turn, you become aware of every humanoid soul within 60 feet of you. You know whether the soul is living or dead or if it is bound to an object, but do not learn the soul's identity. Additionally, you feel a pull in the general direction of the soul, but do not learn their exact location.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Infernal.
Random Height and Weight[edit]
Base Height |
Height Modifier* |
Base Weight |
Weight Modifier** |
---|---|---|---|
4′ 9'' | +2d10 | 100 lb. | × (2d4) lb. |
*Height = base height + height modifier |
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