Demons
Demons
During the great war between the sorcerers, your ancestors were dragged from their idyllic hellish existence in another reality, forced into clay and stone bodies, and sent forth to battle other demons enslaved in similar shells of metal, dirt, and stone.
Things have changed drastically since then. With the fall of the two sorcerers and the destruction of their imprisoning flesh, those demons capable of fleering back through the failing hellgates did so, leaving many souls still trapped on the mortal plane. Over time, these elemental spirits bred and dispersed, leaving their children to be trapped in the webs of the Fates.
Physical Qualities. Demons are naturally bodiless, spiritual creatures. In order to interact with the world, they must fashion for themselves a body from raw materials. Thus, their physical features vary in the extreme depending on their own personal predilections.
Playable demons are always humanoid, while NPC demons might take the forms of animals, monsters, or even mobile stones or plants. They are always easily identifiable by their vestiges.
Playing a Demon. While demons might have a cultural representation as tricksters or malevolent forces, the average demon is just like anyone else. They want a job, a stable home life, and possibly a mate or companion. Demons have a racial inclination towards trouble-making, but few actually seek to be actively evil or dangerous.
Demons most often favor the warlock class, with their patron being a more powerful Prince or Arch-demon. They might sometimes form a pact or bond with a god to become a cleric, or immerse themselves in a natural lifestyle to become rangers. Ascetism and self-reflection is not a natural life-style for them, so they rarely become paladins, or monks. Demons have a strong antipathy towards the sorcerer class, due mainly to racial memories of their prior enslavement. Demons tend to lack the patience or scholarly bent to become artificers or wizards.
Culture. Demons are the ultimate chameleon, and they tend to reinvent themselves over time to fit whatever community they're attempting to join. They lack a strong racial culture, outside of a few salient points:
Mantle is Key. A demon's mantle, and thus its elemental affinity, is key to the demon's personality, mood, and outlook. Aether demons are flighty, crystal demons are stoic, plague demons are generous, and void demons are driven. These are more than just racial features, and should form a backbone for the character for you to embrace.
Respect for Power. It is natural for a demon to respect an entity inherently more powerful than themselves. While some demons may freely debase themselves before someone they consider stronger, others instead form a one-sided rivalry, or their respect might form an unusually powerful terror that causes them to flee. This respect is greatest for the far more powerful demon Princes or arch-demons that still walk on the material plane.
Chaotic, but not Stupidly So. Even the most rational demon is still a spirit of elemental chaos. They're capricious, sometimes whimsical, and often follow a script they've laid out in their heads an hour previously. While excellent chameleons in many respects, their inherently alien mindsets sometimes interfere with them understanding basic social interactions.
Relations. Modern demons have an over-all luke-warm relationships with the 13 tribes. Since demons do not have a strong racial identity, many of the tribes find them hard to understand, work with, or trust. Most the time, the tribes tend to take a wait-and-see attitude for any particular demon.
Notable Demons. Amongst the movers and shakers of the world, many are demons.
Raksha, a female identifying hellfire demon Prince, who was once the consort of the Tiger god. She is the grand matriarch of many Tiger families, and is that same god's most fervent acolyte. Its said that her greatest desire is bear him a child.
Fenri, a male identifying rime demon Lord, manifesting as a massive black and crimson wolf. Fenri is known as the godkiller, and focuses on hunting and consuming any god he encounters. He is served by a veritable army of dispossessed Wyld humans. His greatest dream is to hunt and eat the Wolf god, Cliotus.
Gilnamel, a non-gendered void demon Lord that manifests only in its spiritual form. It hunts and consumes undead, converting their biomass to energy to propel itself forward. It doesn't speak, but sometimes births lesser void demons from its enormous cloud-like form.
Shaitan, a male identifying crystal demon Lord, who works as an engineer amongst the Unicorn and Serpent tribes. He is often called upon to lay the foundations for any of their crystalline Academies.
Lahansu, the Ooze Prince, an ancient ichor demon Lord that manifests as a titanic sea of green and ochre fluid. It lurks within the moat at the center of the wastes, devouring any creatures that seek to reach Phoenix. It has not feasted on anything but undead for centuries, and vaguely desires a change of pace.
Lelantos is a male identifying aether demon Lord who has formed a body of clouds and sea salt. He is also called the hunter, for he pursues Albatross ships diligently for any perceived slights. He can be driven off, but most Albatross keep gifts and bribes aboard to deter his wrath.
Vivis is a notorious plague demon Lord, who travels the world seeking a deadly disease it simply calls the pestilence. It manifests in a human form, wearing a black cloak and a bird-like mask. Its touch is said to be able to heal a sick man the gravest of wounds or illnesses, or to turn a healthy man into a ravaging undead.
Vestiges
Only the first demons, locked in bodies of stone and clay, could truly mimic a form without flaw. Once freed from these prisons, however, even they could only form a body with vestiges - traits that identified the creature as some other.
A vestige is a physical representation of the demon's extraplanar origin. They can range from relatively mundane quirks to obscene body modifications. Whenever a demon shapes a new form for itself, there will always be a vestige that shows it for what it truly is. With older and wiser demons, a vestige can be extremely subtle, taking the sharpest eye to detect. Younger, or more feral, demons usually take less subtle forms.
The following is a list of common vestiges, but is by no means a comprehensive list. If playing a demon character, feel free to use this list as a guidepost on creating a unique vestige for your demon.
Burning Eyes: Your eyes seem to radiate a strange and unsettling glow. Wisps of energy seem to weep from the corners of your eyes, constantly escaping into the sky. While extremely obvious even in darkness, this vestige does not produce any actual illumination.
Horns: You have a pair of horns. These horns can manifest in nearly any fashion from curling ram horns, to those of a bull, or even antler-like appendages. The horns are too frail to provide a natural weapon, but regrow relatively quickly if damaged. If your constructed form would already have horns, then your vestige will appear doubly conspicuous; constantly dripping ichor or blood, engraved with strangely unsettling symbols, or some other apparent unnatural sign.
Claws: You possess some unusual type of claw, spine, or blade. Fingernails might become hooked talons, sharp spikes erupt from the wrist or elbow, while the paws of a beast might possess claws of rusted black iron or an unsettling green stone.
Ragged Wings: Uneven, torn, ragged wings project from the demon. Usually linked to the back, some demons develop these on fore-limbs, developing bat-like characteristics. These wings are too weak and clumsy looking to allow the demon flight, and may seem only like vestigial limbs. They may appear in many varieties: as rough fur-covered bat wings, black torn feathered wings, or some obscene insect-like wings.
Ichor: Closely related to the ichor mantle, most demons with that mantle also possess this vestige. The demon constantly drips some foul-looking substance or liquid. The ichor could come from vile open sores that drip a noxious bloody discharge, or the demon might seem to simply be bathed in blood, strange pulsating goo, or some other obvious or disgusting manifestation.
Demon Traits
Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score by 2, and increase a different one by 1, or increase three different scores by 1.
You may change how these points are allocated every time you fashion a new body.
Age. Demons are effectively immortal elemental spirits. They do not mature or age in the same fashion as the thirteen tribes.
Alignment. Independent and self-reliant, demons tend toward a chaotic neutral alignment.
Size. Demons can vary in size, but humanoid demons are generally built like the race they mimic, standing anywhere from 5 feet to over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Immortal. Upon failing your three Death saving throws, you do not die. Instead your corpse dissolves and you must fashion a new body.
Shapeformer. You may fashion a body from clay, wood, dirt, or other materials. When you create a new form, you determine the specifics, including your coloration, hair length, and gender. You can also adjust your height and weight, but not so much that your size changes.
You can even make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics change. You can't duplicate the appearance of a creature you've never seen, and you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs as a humanoid. You always bear a vestige in your new form; a mark of your demonic nature.
You must stay in the new form until you die, after which your body crumbles away to ash and dust.
Mantle. Demon 'subraces' are defined by their mantle, an elemental calling card that defines some of their racial trait.
Aether Mantle
Aether demons are flighty, capricious, and gregarious. Their moods can shift on a whim, drifting from edgy and mysterious to really too close for comfort extremely quickly.
Aether demons tend towards the rogue, bard, and fighter classes.
Radiant Resistance. You have resistance to radiant damage.
Mingle with the Wind. You can cast the Levitate spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Crystal Mantle
Crystal demons are unphased, solid, and simply want to do their job and go home. They're the most dependable and loyal demon, but likely very dour and unimpressed with your shit.
Crystal demons make excellent clerics, fighters, and rangers.
Earth Walk. You can move across difficult terrain made of earth or stone without expending extra movement.
Merge with Stone. You can cast the Pass without Trace spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Hellfire Mantle
One word that can describe Hellfire demons is passionate. When they do something, they do it with vigor and decisiveness. They tend to be bold, forthright, and eager.
Hellfire demons prefer spellcasting, with some favoring the cleric class, but others preferring the warlock. Rarely, with some tutoring, a hellfire demon will become a wizard or bard.
Darkvision. 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. Your ties to the Elemental Plane of Fire make your darkvision unusual: everything you see in darkness is in a shade of red.
Fire Resistance. You have resistance to fire damage.
Reach to the Blaze. You know the Produce Flame cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Burning Hands spell once with this trait as a 1st-level spell, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Ichor Mantle
Ichor demons tend towards and more reserved and introspective look, compared to other demons. They're not exactly keen to contemplate their navels, but they also don't understand the high energy of hellfire and aether demons, or the aggressiveness of storm and plague demons.
While an ichor demon might be the only demon with the patience and discipline to actually become a monk, their laziness leads them to prefer simple classes, such as fighter or rogue. They rarely become warlocks or bards.
Acid Resistance. You have resistance to acid damage.
Amphibious. You can breathe air and water, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Call to the Wave. You know the Shape Water cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Create or Destroy Water spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Plague Mantle
Plague demons are, perhaps, the most generous of the demon types. On one hand, a plague demon can be gregarious and giving, going out of their way to ensure the health and safety of others. Such plague demons often become doctors or medics, especially when dealing with disease, becoming the forefront of any effort to fight and contain outbreaks.
On the other hand, many plague demons hide a deep-seated need to burn it down. Their idea of generosity leads to wanting to bring a glorious end to anyone and everything they encounter.
Plague demons favor cleric and warlock as their class, with some becoming healing-focused rogues or assassins.
Immunity: You are immune to disease.
Mantle's Resilience. You have resistance to poison damage, and have advantage on saving throws against poison.
Poison Soul. Any creature within 5 feet of you at the end of your turn takes 1 point of poison damage. You may activate or suspend this ability as a bonus action.
Rime Mantle
Rime demons are calm, calculated, and logical. They are patient, considering, and... so cold. A rime demon is most likely the only demon capable of introspection and self-discovery, but they're most likely too bust pointing out the flaws in their companions.
Yeah, they're that kind of friend.
Rime demons are logical to a fault, and with training make excellent artificers or wizards. Their mantle features, however, allow them to be sturdy fighters, rangers, or rogues.
Cold Resistance. You have resistance to cold damage.
Icewalk. You are not slowed by difficult terrain.
Breath Weapon. You can use your action to exhale a 15' cone of exceptional cold. When you use your breath weapon, all creatures in the area must make a Con saving throw. The DC of this saving throw is 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 cold damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one.
The damage increase to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th, and 5d6 at 16th level. After using your breath weapon, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Storm
Storm demons are, to put it mildly, bombastic. They are full of sound and fury, they are flashy, loud, and boisterous, and have more presence than decorum; like thunder. Storm demons make excellent bards, warlocks, and storm clerics.
Storm Resistance. You have resistance to lightning and thunder damage.
Storm Magic. You know the shocking grasp cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the thunderwave spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you short a long rest. Choose Wisdom or Intelligence to be your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Void
Sometimes called entropy demons, those with the void mantle are perhaps (surprisingly) the most well respected. Some of the most famous demon heroes and champions have been void demons that turned their powers against the blight, standing with radiants and umbrals to protect humanity.
Void demons are tied to one element: death. And they seek to bring a final death and resting to the undead. As void demon, undeath is a palpable insult and offense to you.
Alone of the demon mantles, many Void demons become paladins or clerics. Some few have the patience to become monks. Very few void demons favor the arcane arts, so bards, warlocks, and wizards are extremely uncommon.
Necrotic Immunity. You have immunity to necrotic damage.
Soul Hunger. You drain the vital energy of undead opponents you strike. Whenever you make a melee attack, you deal an extra 1d4 points of radiant damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken, and you gain temporary hit points equal to 1/2 that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.