Thursday, December 29, 2016

Demons versus Devils primer

Sometimes the distinction between demons (see 13th Age Core Rulebook) and devils (see 13 True Ways) may be a little arbitrary. I’ve devised this primer to provide guidelines for how to distinguish them clearly.

Demons are creatures of chaos and darkness that oppose the gods of law and light. The gods created the devils to compete with them and the angels to keep both in check. All the temptations of evil are in fact manifestations of chaos, but so are all changes for the better.

Demons want to destroy mortals, devils want mortals to destroy themselves. Demons are brash and impatient and want immediate results, devils are patient and scheming and play the long game. However, both sides include warriors and geniuses.

Both display distinct aesthetics. Both organize themselves into professions based on the sin they represent; there are ten sins according to the infernal orthodoxy, including vanity, despair and discouragement beyond the traditional seven. Demons are brutish, grotesque, unorganized, single minded and generally horrible. Devils are civilized, handsome, industrialized, masters of subterfuge and all around respectable.

Devils send imps to the material plane in order to harvest sin. They tempt mortals but deny catharsis, consuming the pathos as it builds. While devils beget and consume sin, they embody its virtuous opposite for better work performance. Demons, in contrast, embody and indulge the sin they represent. They like to crush, kill and devour. They aren’t so good if you want them to sit down and shut up.

Demons may have the advantage of numbers, but they lack self-control and aren’t particularly interested in mortal souls. Devils have the advantage in an industrialized warmachine and soul harvesting, but make up their lack of numbers by conscripting demons unaffiliated with the barbarian hordes.

Helpful sources I used to write this primer:

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