Devils were some of the most mysterious entities in Dungeons & Dragons until the publishing of Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes in 2018. Since then, we’ve received an entire adventure, Descent into Avernus, that explores the first layer of the deadly Nine Hells.
In Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, the hierarchy of devil society is laid out quite clearly. Devils are ranked from one to thirteen, and their form normally corresponds to the devil’s status. However, the only devils that can claim rank thirteen are the lords of the nine hells themselves. These higher lords are also referred to as baatezuand areranked from the topmost layer of Avernus all the way down to the bottom, where Asmodeus silently schemes in the deepest, darkest pits of Nessus.
Updated November 20, 2021, by Kristy Ambrose: The lore of the Devil continues to expand in the D&D universe, and this deadly creature has become even more compelling, complicated, and terrifying. It remains a favorite monster of Dungeon Masters when it’s time to challenge a party and see if they’re worthy of that loot. Whole modules are built around the Devils of D&D, and they have a lot more going on than a pair of horns or a convenient view of a lava pit from their front porch. They do have some common traits, such as that they are always Lawful Evil and are often mainly concerned with seducing or stealing the souls of mortals.
12 The Barbazu
Also known as the Bearded Demon, the Barbazu are members of the baatezu although they are considered to be the second-lowest rung of the devilish hierarchy. Their name comes from their long beards, which are tangles of biting, venomous snakes that are often infested with maggots and pass on disease as well as poison.
Even among other denizens of the Nine Hells, they are known for their belligerence, aggressive nature, and a natural propensity to violence. That’s why they’re often found on the front lines of Hell’s army.
11 Asmodeus
Asmodeus may be the most powerful of devils, but it would be wrong to assume he flexes his power through the use of brute force. Asmodeus is a schemer and strategist, an orator who once convinced Primus, the absolute god of law, that an uncountable number of terrible crimes he committed ought to go unpunished for he had never breached any contract or broken any rule.
As ruler of the Nine Hells, all souls recruited by any who live here are by proxy dedicated to Asmodeus. The nine hells are truly Asmodeus’ to command, and he holds sway over all of its denizens.
10 Mephistopheles
If Asmodeus is the king of the nine hells, Mephistopheles is his master court wizard. Mephistopheles performs endless magical experiments in the frozen wastelands of his layer, Cania. Furthermore, Mephistopheles guards the layer against all intruders in order to prevent anyone from ever reaching the layer of Nessus below.
Obsessed with his research, Mephistopheles is only interested in the souls of the most powerful mages. When recruiting such souls, he binds them with foolproof contracts that prevent any measure of dissent by forcing the mages into an existence comprised entirely of solitude.
9 Pit Fiend
If the Barbazu is near the bottom of the ladder when it comes to the power that demons command in the Nine Hells, then the Pit Fiend is the opposite. These beings have been cleansed in the Pit of Flame and have reached a level of despicable evil that few other creatures ever come to know or understand, and their reward is a place on the top of the hierarchy of devils.
Occasionally, a party will face a Pit Fiend, but these are beings of such power that a fight with one of them often comes with high stakes and might even mark the end or breaking point of a campaign.
8 Baalzebul
Despite the undeniable evil of the nine hells, even here one can find stories of redemption. Perhaps the most notorious such story is that of Baalzebul. The devil Baalzebul once ruled over two layers of the nine hells, both Malboge and Maladomini. Confident that he could seize control of all the nine hells, Baalzebul purposefully altered contractual documents as part of his plan to overthrow Asmodeus.
Unfortunately, the plan backfired due to the blood war, but Asmodeus allowed Baalzebul to retain his lordship over Maladomini under two conditions. First, he turns into a hideous slug for a year whenever lying to a devil. Second, any deal made with him will inevitably end in disaster.
7 Glasya
Glasya is the daughter of Asmodeus. She took over the layer of Malboge after Baalzebul’s traitorous plot was exposed. but her lordship was not given to her as a reward. Rather, Asmodeus made his daughter the lord of Malboge after she successfully swindled many a soul merchant out of their highly prized souls.
She did so in a move reminiscent of those made by daddy dearest, skirting the line of the law but never actually breaking it. In order to reign in his daughter’s ambition and keep her occupied with busy work, Asmodeus promoted her to a lord.
6 Levistus
Despite being locked in an impervious glacier, Levistus continues to rule over the layer of Stygia. This was not always the case, though. Another devil named Geryon ruled the layer previously, but Levistus defeated him in battle before Asmodeus locked Levistus in his icy tomb. The reason behind this imprisonment is still unknown.
Stygia, like Cania, is a frozen wasteland, but an ocean roils beneath the ice here. In places, the water has broken free of the ice sheet, and giant glaciers float about. Levistus preys on those desperate souls who seek escape from punishment in the material plane such as prisoners, criminals, and other apprehended wrongdoers.
5 Beliel and Fierna
While the layers of the Nine Hells normally have but one lord, Beliel and Fierna rule over the flaming layer of Phlegethos together. Asmodeus makes this exception because he feels the two devils complement each other exquisitely.
Fierna’s charms are capable of manipulating the strongest of wills, while Belial is a master strategist who prepares contingencies for his contingency plans. The two are constantly at one another’s throats, fighting over the singular lordship of the realm. Neither of them has succeeded in besting the other.
4 Mammon
Mammon is the lord of Minauros. Here is where those Lawful Evil souls that never entered into a contract with any devil emerge from the River Styx. Mammon oversees the trading of these souls, and, as a result, may be the richest entity in all the planes. Hilariously enough, Mammon is a penny pincher in spite of his enormous wealth.
Typical of a greedy god, Mammon never spends more money on anything than what is necessary and refuses to enter into any deal until he’s certain he’ll make a considerable profit. Consequently, the swamps of Mammon are littered with derelict buildings built atop impossibly neglected structures.
3 Dispater
Dispater lords over the mines and smelting operations of Dis. The forges of Dis crank out all of the weapons, armor, and siege vehicles used to stem the tides of war against the abyssal demons. Just as well, Dispater is a renowned craftsman in his own right. He’s crafted for himself a suit of adamantine armor with features incomprehensible to most so-called “craftsmen”.
Dispater is also obsessed with secrets. He believes that by acquiring the secrets to the universe, he may one day rule all the cosmos. The lord of Dis trades lesser secrets to entice mortals into making deals for their souls. However, Dispater’s obsession with secrets has made him terribly paranoid.
2 Tiamat
A golden dragon with a whole D&D adventure dedicated to her, Tiamat is considered to be a devil. In fact, one of her many titles is Archdevil. Her alignment is Lawful Evil and she often stands in fierce opposition to her Lawful Good brother Bahamut, a metallic dragon.
Tiamat is one of the more fascinating devils and her story carries an impressive amount of lore that’s connected to various locations and adventures in the D&Duniverse. She has several heads, one for each color that exists in the chromatic spectrum, including the matching draconic powers. The adventuring module, The Rise of Tiamat, is focused on a cult that is attempting to raise their devil lord to the surface world.
1 Zariel
The former archangel Zariel is the most recent addition to Asmodeus’ nine hells. Charged by her superiors in Mount Celestia to watch over the Blood War, Zariel eventually grew to wonder why the angels did not descend upon the hordes of demons and devils and destroy them all. She asked her superiors for permission to join the fray, but time and time again, they denied Zariel’s request.
Fed up, Zariel raised a small army of mortal followers and cut a swathe through the devils of the Nine Hells before finally being overwhelmed. Asmodeus commanded his bone devils to bring the angel to her. He allowed Zariel the time to recover, then installed her as the new warrior general of his legions and lord of Avernus.
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