Devil

Update needed This section should be updated to reflect canon changes by the Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project noted in Monster Core. Please help improve it if you can; the talk page might contain suggestions.

Devil

(Creature)

Type

Outsider
(devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)

CR

varies

Environment

Hell

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Adjective

Diabolic; diabolical; devilish

Images of devils

Source: Bestiary, pg(s). 71

Devils are outsiders native to the plane of Hell. They obey a rigid hierarchy, base much of their dealings with others on strict contracts, and are always looking to gain an advantage. It is common for devils to provide mortals with great power in exchange for an eternity of torment and punishment at that devil's hands in the pits of Hell.

Habitat and society

Devils exist in a rigid hierarchy, united under the iron fist of their creator Asmodeus, the Prince of Darkness. Created from the souls of the damned, their individuality and identity stripped away through centuries of torment until they are reduced to mindless piles of flesh called lemures, devils rise through the ranks by proving themselves through ages of service and torture. Devils can be transformed into different castes by proving themselves to their infernal masters (an erinys can be transformed into an osyluth, for instance), but the hierarchy is not based solely on form, and a highly skilled lesser devil might command less experienced greater devils.

Commonly summoned by mortal spellcasters, devils willingly serve and bargain with those who conjure them, but always seek to pervert their orders to serve Hell's greater agenda. Even the weakest imp familiar subtly pushes the bounds of its servitude to corrupt its "master" to the service of the Pit.

Hierarchy

Devils are split into several tiers that define their standing in Hell based on their caste and rank, listed here in rough order of power and influence:

Least devils

Nupperibos, lemures, imps

Lesser devils

Gaavs, zebubs, hesperians, magadazes, ukobachs, barbazus, lesser gidim, magaavs, levalochs, salikotals, ascensoriel, erinyes, sarglagons, chortovs, ghalshoaton, osyluths, phistophiluses, uniilas, hamatulas, ayngavhauls, edavagors

Greater devils

Ashmedes, gylous, greater gidim, bdellavritras, cornugons, gelugons, deimaviggas, advodazas, puragaus, nessaris

Lords of Hell

Malebranche, infernal dukes, Queens of the Night, archdevils, Asmodeus

Archdevils

Each of the nine circles of Hell is ruled by a different archdevil, a unique and nearly godlike fiend. The most prominently worshiped and widely known archdevil is Asmodeus, who is a true deity. He is the master of the deepest circle of Hell as well as the entire plane. The other eight archdevils bow before him. Cultists of these lesser archdevils are uncommon in the Universe outside of Cheliax, and even there they generally pale in comparison to the church of Asmodeus. Often, a worshiper of an archdevil is a lone cultist who practices his faith in total secrecy and lives a deceptively good life.

Abilities

Devils come in numerous shapes and sizes, often with vastly different abilities between types. However, all devils have some traits in common: telepathy (except for lemures and imps), the ability to see in absolute darkness, immunity to fire and poison, and resistance to acid and cold. Most devils can also summon others of their kind and shrug off attacks not made by silver or holy weapons.

On Golarion

It is unsurprising that most devils on Golarion exist in and around the empire of Cheliax. Not only is its government modeled after the unshakable laws of Hell, but the governing House Thrune actively uses devils in numerous capacities. Cheliax's Hellknights also train with summoned devils; Hellknight signifers coax the ingenuity of diabolical tactics from infernal tongues, while rank-and-file members spar against them—making nearly any future conflict a far less daunting prospect.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.