With a Little Help From My Fiends

Fiendish hype!

Love this art, the "Demoniac" piece on the right is too cool.

*swoon*

FIFTY?! What, are the dukes and harbingers getting the obdeience treatment, too?!

Someone has definitely earned a bonus.

Squamous adj. covered with or characterized by scales.

The names of Demodands are always the best part.

Looking forward to this one!

And here it is! *-* I'm intrigued to read more about the CR 20 demodand as well as the Nikaramsa.

I really liked the art for the Executioner, but the div is terrifyingly disturbing... O.o

I am very interested in getting information on the material plane petitioners. Are they, what, dead spirits with physical bodies wandering around the 'real world' getting in trouble?

And I like the look of the Demoniac and Executioner Devil. The latter must have a fun relationship with servants of Dammerrich the Weighted Swing.

I am liking that executioner devil!

Pre-ordered.

Feeling deeply vindicated for having done so!

FIFTY?! What, are the dukes and harbingers getting the obdeience treatment, too?!

Someone has definitely earned a bonus.

I think the Demigod reps for ALL the fiend races are getting it: Daemons, Rakshasa, Oni, Qlippoth, Sahkil, Asura. All of them.

I'm actually impressed as well, especially with the Harbingers, since there are some of them so terrible that I didn't think Paizo would EVER give them a fleshed out statblock and description (Like Folca, who apparently even gets artwork in this book).

Hhhhuh. That's gonna be a little weird given some of these guys have already gotten the evangelist/exalted/sentinel boons. Like, Cyth-V'Sug got those in Ironfang Invasion, so I guess it's retconning it so it's the fiendish version and not the regular? Not to mention all the archdevils and stuff who got those boons in Hell's Rebels and Hell's Vengeance. Or are the new Fiendish Obediences going to be different from the Deific Obediences? Blimey my aspergers is making me so confused.

Thankfully it doesn't seem too much of a stretch. Now with boons in hand I can finally make a stat block for Maralictor Tryfilion (and thankfully the given class levels in that book already work).

Does the fiendish Sentinel not require Weapon Focus, then?

Reduxist wrote:

FIFTY?! What, are the dukes and harbingers getting the obdeience treatment, too?!

Someone has definitely earned a bonus.

I think the Demigod reps for ALL the fiend races are getting it: Daemons, Rakshasa, Oni, Qlippoth, Sahkil, Asura. All of them.

I'm actually impressed as well, especially with the Harbingers, since there are some of them so terrible that I didn't think Paizo would EVER give them a fleshed out statblock and description (Like Folca, who apparently even gets artwork in this book).

I get what you mean. I'm not looking forward to Zepar's entry either. On the bright side, if they're going to be statted, that just gives people the ability to kill them in their campaigns.

Reduxist wrote:

FIFTY?! What, are the dukes and harbingers getting the obdeience treatment, too?!

Someone has definitely earned a bonus.

I think the Demigod reps for ALL the fiend races are getting it: Daemons, Rakshasa, Oni, Qlippoth, Sahkil, Asura. All of them.

I'm actually impressed as well, especially with the Harbingers, since there are some of them so terrible that I didn't think Paizo would EVER give them a fleshed out statblock and description (Like Folca, who apparently even gets artwork in this book).

Folca actually gets (very disturbing) art, too! All of the Harbingers are just creepy or gross or disturbing, or all of the above. Todd Stewart, you maniac! :)

Daemon harbingers have always been super creepy. Ever since that end table in Horsemen of the Apocalype I've wanted more.

CrinosG wrote:

Reduxist wrote:

FIFTY?! What, are the dukes and harbingers getting the obdeience treatment, too?!

Someone has definitely earned a bonus.

I think the Demigod reps for ALL the fiend races are getting it: Daemons, Rakshasa, Oni, Qlippoth, Sahkil, Asura. All of them.

I'm actually impressed as well, especially with the Harbingers, since there are some of them so terrible that I didn't think Paizo would EVER give them a fleshed out statblock and description (Like Folca, who apparently even gets artwork in this book).

I get what you mean. I'm not looking forward to Zepar's entry either. On the bright side, if they're going to be statted, that just gives people the ability to kill them in their campaigns.

Well, the fiends themselves aren't getting full stats, but they are getting enough you can run evil cults dedicated to them.

And yeah, looking up Zepar he's a real piece of work too. See also Slandaris, the daemonic Harbinger of lechery and love potions.

Hmm, it's almost like things made out of Evil are bad guys that do bad things...

A bit let down by the Executioner Devil's artwork but oh wells. I hope we get a Seduction Devil (Lilim) that Ardad Lili forms out of the damned souls she acquires in order to serve her (yes I know that Wayfinder featured a Lilim in it's bestiary, I want Paizo to make an official Core version).

Yay! Bezlarue!

Yay! Bezlarue!

Oh, is that her? Nice!

Yay! Bezlarue!

Wait. searches name

...nice. ^_^

James Jacobs wrote:

Yay! Bezlarue!

Wait. searches name

...nice. ^_^

*does word search as well*

Ohhhhhhhh :3

A bit let down by the Executioner Devil's artwork but oh wells. I hope we get a Seduction Devil (Lilim) that Ardad Lili forms out of the damned souls she acquires in order to serve her (yes I know that Wayfinder featured a Lilim in it's bestiary, I want Paizo to make an official Core version).

They did? May I please know what issue of Wayfinder is the Lilim in?

I think it was this last one.

Eric Hinkle wrote:

Berselius wrote:

A bit let down by the Executioner Devil's artwork but oh wells. I hope we get a Seduction Devil (Lilim) that Ardad Lili forms out of the damned souls she acquires in order to serve her (yes I know that Wayfinder featured a Lilim in it's bestiary, I want Paizo to make an official Core version).

They did? May I please know what issue of Wayfinder is the Lilim in?

I think it was this last one.

Margherita Tramontano's (aka Bardess's) lilim (seduction devil) first appeared in Wayfinder #11*, and was reprinted in the Wayfinder Bestiary. I don't know if there were any further changes/updates to the Bestiary version, but I know I wrote some new additional lore for the Bestiary version of the atropocustra (addiction devil), so the two lilims might be slightly different (or not).

(* If it's good, it's due to Bardess; if you don't like it, blame me for my original editing pass on it.)

Isabelle, Ambrosia, thanks for the responses.

CrinosG wrote:

Reduxist wrote:

FIFTY?! What, are the dukes and harbingers getting the obdeience treatment, too?!

Someone has definitely earned a bonus.

I think the Demigod reps for ALL the fiend races are getting it: Daemons, Rakshasa, Oni, Qlippoth, Sahkil, Asura. All of them.

I'm actually impressed as well, especially with the Harbingers, since there are some of them so terrible that I didn't think Paizo would EVER give them a fleshed out statblock and description (Like Folca, who apparently even gets artwork in this book).

Folca actually gets (very disturbing) art, too! All of the Harbingers are just creepy or gross or disturbing, or all of the above. Todd Stewart, you maniac! :)

I tried to depict the various harbingers in such a way as to straddle a blurry line between describing them as beings of horror, deeply disturbing things to elicit genuine unease or even visceral disgust, and broken pitiable things that are doomed to exemplify the worst of mortality even as they loathe mortals and even as they live with the harrowing knowledge that they were mortal once and that other than their soul-hunger they're alone and adrift in a universe devoid of redeeming meaning for them. They're often described in such a way as to allow the reader to fill in the blanks and imagine the worst in places where there are multiple ways to read the text.

These aren't villains you're supposed to empathize except for a fraction of a second before disgust washes over you. These are horrific, broken, rudderless beings which to be frank aren't easy or comfortable things to write about. I hope that I managed to convey that blurry amalgamation of dread/terror/unease in each of their cases. :)

"They're often described in such a way as to allow the reader to fill in the blanks and imagine the worst in places where there are multiple ways to read the text."

And with that you have set them up as some of the most terrifying and horrific monsters there are, for our minds conjure up the worst hells.

It reminds me of some of my thoughts about kytons, as exemplified best in the Aethera setting.

I won't go into that here, though... not the place. ^_^

It reminds me of some of my thoughts about kytons, as exemplified best in the Aethera setting.

I won't go into that here, though... not the place. ^_^

Yeah, we still have eyes here.

These aren't villains you're supposed to empathize except for a fraction of a second before disgust washes over you. These are horrific, broken, rudderless beings which to be frank aren't easy or comfortable things to write about. I hope that I managed to convey that blurry amalgamation of dread/terror/unease in each of their cases. :)

I'd say you got to that disturbing place with ease. Great work.

I'm clearly not a very nice person, 'cause this book kinda has me rooting for Eiseth...

Kvantum wrote:

Folca actually gets (very disturbing) art, too! All of the Harbingers are just creepy or gross or disturbing, or all of the above. Todd Stewart, you maniac! :)

I tried to depict the various harbingers in such a way as to straddle a blurry line between describing them as beings of horror, deeply disturbing things to elicit genuine unease or even visceral disgust, and broken pitiable things that are doomed to exemplify the worst of mortality even as they loathe mortals and even as they live with the harrowing knowledge that they were mortal once and that other than their soul-hunger they're alone and adrift in a universe devoid of redeeming meaning for them. They're often described in such a way as to allow the reader to fill in the blanks and imagine the worst in places where there are multiple ways to read the text.

These aren't villains you're supposed to empathize except for a fraction of a second before disgust washes over you. These are horrific, broken, rudderless beings which to be frank aren't easy or comfortable things to write about. I hope that I managed to convey that blurry amalgamation of dread/terror/unease in each of their cases. :)

I'd say you did a great job of it. And I want to say 'thanks' for having some harbingers of non-human origin. I'm especially thinking of that one that seems to be an elderly frost giant, as well as a few others.

Todd Stewart wrote:

Kvantum wrote:

Folca actually gets (very disturbing) art, too! All of the Harbingers are just creepy or gross or disturbing, or all of the above. Todd Stewart, you maniac! :)

I tried to depict the various harbingers in such a way as to straddle a blurry line between describing them as beings of horror, deeply disturbing things to elicit genuine unease or even visceral disgust, and broken pitiable things that are doomed to exemplify the worst of mortality even as they loathe mortals and even as they live with the harrowing knowledge that they were mortal once and that other than their soul-hunger they're alone and adrift in a universe devoid of redeeming meaning for them. They're often described in such a way as to allow the reader to fill in the blanks and imagine the worst in places where there are multiple ways to read the text.

These aren't villains you're supposed to empathize except for a fraction of a second before disgust washes over you. These are horrific, broken, rudderless beings which to be frank aren't easy or comfortable things to write about. I hope that I managed to convey that blurry amalgamation of dread/terror/unease in each of their cases. :)

I'd say you did a great job of it. And I want to say 'thanks' for having some harbingers of non-human origin. I'm especially thinking of that one that seems to be an elderly frost giant, as well as a few others.

You're most welcome. I also wouldn't necessarily assume that any given harbinger's form reflects their mortal appearance. Trelmarixian for instance was a tiefling (unknown mortal stock) and presumably radically changed his appearance when Lyutheria made him a meladaemon (which under her we're not jackal aspected) and then later a harbinger and at some point he assumed his current form (and made all his meladaemons look like lesser versions of himself). So assume the potential for radical form change either forced on a harbinger by one of The Four or selected by themselves.