Born of the I.F.C.C.: Questions about Daemons

[Getsugaru]

While archiving through the strips of Don't Split the Party, I ran into the I.F.C.C. When they began to speak about the three types of fiends, devils, daemons, and demons, I realized I don't even know what a daemon is. So my questions are:

What is a Daemon?
What is their home plane?
Are they still around in 3.#?
Are there any good useful/effective daemons?
What's their backstory?

[JustPlayItLoud]

Daemons was the early AD&D term for yugoloths, although I think in later editions it may have been adopted to describe both varieties of NE outsiders. I can't remember the name of the other outsiders that the predated the yugoloths but were overthrown. Anyone?

Edit: Just kidding, I'm dumb and mixed up. I was thinking of demodands who were created by a renegade baernaloth (the progenitors of the yugoloth race), but are not considered "daemons" as they're not really NE outsiders, being only "often NE".

[Kuulvheysoon]

Yugoloths also aren't part of the OGL, so Rich might be avoiding mentioning them explicitly to void copyright issues.

Of course, he could probably get away with the Parody exception.

[Malimar]

Some daemons appear in the third-party Tome of Horrors, updated from earlier editions. I seem to recall the ones in that book are more generic fiends that could be found in both the Nine Hells and the Abyss.

[Eldan]

The Daemons or Yugoloth are the native fiends of Hades, the Grey Waste. Their specialties, which they try to promote in the universe, are disease, fear and existential despair. They have engineered the blood war between demons and devils as a cosmic experiment into the nature of evil. In fact, it is said by some that they or their progenitors created both Baatezu and Tanar'ri from impure evil. They are one of only three races of fiends to rule two planes, as they have also conquered the bleak volcanoes of Gehenna. (or at least I can only think of three right now, the Guardinals and Formians being the other two)

Third edition really wasn't kind to them. There's a bit in Book of Vile Darkness, and a few of them are in the Fiend Folio. But if you want the real creed, track down some Planescape books. Hellbound, Planes of Conflict, or Faces of Evil.

[willpell]

The Daemons or Yugoloth are the native fiends of Hades, the Grey Waste.

Correction - they originally hailed from Hades but are now primarily based in Gehenna; Hades belongs more to the night hags and various undead these days, and the Yugs aren't top dog there anymore.

[SaintRidley]

Third edition really wasn't kind to them. There's a bit in Book of Vile Darkness, and a few of them are in the Fiend Folio. But if you want the real creed, track down some Planescape books. Hellbound, Planes of Conflict, or Faces of Evil.

Monster Manual 3 gave them some treatment, giving us stats for their Balor/Pit Fiend equivalent, the Ultroloth, which of course they set at CR 13.

So yeah, as said, not very kind to them.

[karkus]

I believe that their backstory, in real life, is that they were just another way to spell "demon," but that, in D&D, they were NE Outsiders (as one of the Archfiends is), but they eventually had to scrap it when they found out that it's pronounced the same way as "dee-mohn," not "day-mohn."

[TuggyNE]

They are one of only three races of fiends to rule two planes, as they have also conquered the bleak volcanoes of Gehenna. (or at least I can only think of three right now, the Guardinals and Formians being the other two)

I believe you mean "races of Outsiders" here.

[hamishspence]

Monster Manual 3 gave them some treatment, giving us stats for their Balor/Pit Fiend equivalent, the Ultroloth, which of course they set at CR 13.

So yeah, as said, not very kind to them.

Their first 3rd ed appearance was in Manual of the Planes- MM3 simply updated them to 3.5, along with the other yugoloths from that book.

[Eldan]

Yeah, I saw that one. It was really disappointing. Has anyone ever made a CR 20 Ultroloth somewhere?

And the Wasting Tower is still on Hades, as is the Oinoloth, so they have that as a power base there. And they are moving into Carceri as well, with the Tower of Incarnate Pain.
But yeah, the Crawling City and the Tower Arcane are on Gehenna, so their focus is definitely there, these days.