Making an Archdevil

[atemu1234]

Hi, I'm a relatively new DM. Started a couple years ago, signed up for this site a few months ago. I've essentially homebrewed a campaign setting, designed with the following basic history facts:

The plane most everything occcurs on is known as Multifaarim. Though other planes exist (as in the elemental planes, the astral plane, etc.) it is the equivalent to the prime material plane.
Multifaarim was created when a mortal necromancer sought to make himself a god by stealing the divinity of other gods through unworldly magic. This killed most of the normal D&D pantheon.
This was known as the Cataclysm. It shattered all the planes across the multiverse and through all of causality, causing all of the possible planes (including pre-existing campaign settings, such as Eberron and Faerun) to fuse, making basically anything from any of them playable together.
The current adventures occur several trillion years removed from the Cataclysm. All events prior to the Cataclysm have been forgotten as well as the Cataclysm itself. This is due to a substance known as Aether, the "stuff" between planes. It killed most beings, but wiped the memories of others.
The archdevils have all been wiped out. Not by the cataclysm, but over the years they have been overthrown and replaced. Asmodeus's replacement is the subject of this thread.


I'm having trouble making this work. I don't know particularly how to make him, but he's supposed to be among the most powerful beings in the multiverse. In other words, I need guidelines for an Archdevil, not just in stats but in personality. I'm not looking for a very particular design, but any help is appreciated, and tips most so.

[John Longarrow]

Mal has decided that for each and every action, those taking them must know what they are doing, why, and what the possible concequences are. Mal has instituted policies across Hell that require all souls and Devils to conform to standardized regulations and procedures.

Mal has instituted ISO policies. Each Devil must read, ALOUD, the relevant procedures, regulations, policies, and procedures for use of their torture device, safe handling, conduct an evaluation regarding what is expected both by the devil and by the victem to be tortured, and a review of how well he accopmlished the use of said torture device.

Mal has created such bureaucratic inertia in hell that all are tormented by excessive oversight and overbearing micromanagement. Devils will do near anything to leave this horrific existance. Most souls simply devolve into mind wiped shells of existance rather than face the mind destroying regimentation that truely is HELL.

Mal, the overlord, personifies this bland and maleable oppression. Like the red tape that encompasses all in his domain, Mal will seem reasonable when spoken to, almost grandfatherly. The reality is for any action there are dozens of volumes dictating what must come next. Like any good bureaucrat, Mal will hide behind untold walls of regulations and rules to explain that "How ever much I may want to help, my hands are tied"...

[atemu1234]

Mal has decided that for each and every action, those taking them must know what they are doing, why, and what the possible concequences are. Mal has instituted policies across Hell that require all souls and Devils to conform to standardized regulations and procedures.

Mal has instituted ISO policies. Each Devil must read, ALOUD, the relevant procedures, regulations, policies, and procedures for use of their torture device, safe handling, conduct an evaluation regarding what is expected both by the devil and by the victem to be tortured, and a review of how well he accopmlished the use of said torture device.

Mal has created such bureaucratic inertia in hell that all are tormented by excessive oversight and overbearing micromanagement. Devils will do near anything to leave this horrific existance. Most souls simply devolve into mind wiped shells of existance rather than face the mind destroying regimentation that truely is HELL.

Mal, the overlord, personifies this bland and maleable oppression. Like the red tape that encompasses all in his domain, Mal will seem reasonable when spoken to, almost grandfatherly. The reality is for any action there are dozens of volumes dictating what must come next. Like any good bureaucrat, Mal will hide behind untold walls of regulations and rules to explain that "How ever much I may want to help, my hands are tied"...

He's a little bit more evil than that. He's going to be taking part in one of my more evil campaigns with him trying to track down these things called Abyssal Plates. There's one for each of the abyssal races (Demons, Daemons and Devils) and give you control of that type of abyssal race. To control one, however, you must have be an outsider with the appropriate alignment subtype. He's found rituals to get around this, but still needs the plates, so the PCs have to stop him. What should his traits be?

[John Longarrow]

He's a little bit more evil than that.

I'm guessing you haven't dealt with some of the most evil people in the world then. Remember, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Tamur the Lame were all bureaucrats running organizations...

For specifics, I'd look at Asmodeus and tinker from there.

[atemu1234]

For specifics, I'd look at Asmodeus and tinker from there.

Well, he needs to be more powerful. Basically, these are extremely (LVL 40+) epic adventures. If it was Asmodeus, then the adventurers would simply pop down and kill him.

[John Longarrow]

Ah, way epic.

Have you looked through any of the books of Gods then? I'd start with 20 RHD outsider and toss 30 levels of spell casting (mixing wizard and half a dozen pClasses). Probably throw in a few divine ranks on top.

Look at Wee Jas as a starting point. If you go lower than that you'll make something way to easy for the PCs to kill.

[Phelix-Mu]

Obligatory dicefreaks mention. If you are looking for epic enemies for epic campaigns that make normal epic look like playground bullies, then you need look no further. As I recall, I think Orcus clocked in at CR67, and had a number of aura abilities with a radius measured in miles. Worth a look, anyway. Not quite sure where their stuff is posted these days, and I'm away from my bookmarks. Phooey.

Anyway, I'm sure if you search for "dicefreaks" and "orcus" or "pelor" you can come up with something.