This article originally appeared in d20 Weekly
Armies of the Abyss
Published by Green Ronin Publishing
Written by Erik Mona
64 b&w pages; $14.95
Following up on Legions of Hell, the first Book of Fiends, Green Ronin brings us the denizens of the Abyss. In terms of format, this book is a step up; it's perfect bound as opposed to stapled, and, unlike Legions of Hell, makes use of the interior covers.
The book is broken up into four chapters with appendices to tie things together. Chapter 1, "Into the Abyss," provides the DM with a very rough framework on what the Abyss is. This is a semisentient realm, the layers of which can only be ruled by chaotic creatures. The Abyss was once ruled by the qlippoth long before the rise of man or tanar'ri, until the hosts of heaven -- through the eladrin (chaotic good celestials) -- destroyed the empire of the qlippoth; this allowed the tanar'ri to spread throughout the layers of the Abyss. The chapter includes both tanar'ri qualities and qlippoth qualities, saving space in individual write-ups later. A section on demon lords and princes provides the DM with some ideas on how to craft their own menaces through control of a layer of the Abyss and the devouring of souls. The information on using demons on the material plane (the Prime plane) is a little too brief, being only two paragraphs long.
Chapter 2, "Those Who Serve," introduces the thaumaturge, a new core class that gains powers through service to a demon prince. These spellcasters use divine magic and have a number of special . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: July 3, 2002
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