A Complete Guide to Asmodeus: The Supreme Ruler of the Nine Hells in 5e

Last Updated on January 22, 2023

Who Is Asmodeus?

Asmodeus is the greater deity of indulgence in the Faerunian pantheon, the ruler of all devils, and the lord of the Nine Hells of Baator. Sure, devil may be a creature type in 5e, but Asmodeus is quite definitively, the Devil, at least in the Forgotten Realms.

Evil isn’t hard to come by when you’re playing a game of D&D. At practically every curve in the road, there’s some nefarious trickster, some crazed fanatic, or some murderous fiend waiting to end your life, or worse. When it comes to great evil though, most things come back to Asmodeus in one way or another.

The natural place to start talking about a deity that’s been around since AD&D is the appearance. For the Prince of Evil, we actually have a couple of descriptions to run through.

Asmodeus’s true form is a wingless scaled serpent whose body stretches out for hundreds of miles. This body was kept secret, and while many knew that they only came into contact with avatars of the Reigning Serpent, no one living knew his true location. 

The form of Asmodeus that you’ll almost always be encountering is an avatar of the archdevil, not the real thing. He presents himself as a horned, red-skinned humanoid that stands well over 10 feet tall. Always slim and charismatic, Asmodeus gave himself a regal appearance, tying his aesthetic together with expensive red and black clothing.

Asmodeus is a powerful enough deity to create up to 10 avatars at a time, enough to watch over each layer of hell and still have one leftover. This is truly incredible and something few deities, even greater deities, have the strength to pull off.

Of course, his regal appearance echoes who exactly he is. As the ruler of devils, Asmodeus is not necessarily the definitive personification of evil. He is, however, the chief of all things Lawful Evil. This distinction keeps him wholly separate from beings like Orcus or Yeenoghu.

As a Lawful Evil deity, or even just as a Lawful Evil character, the question really comes down to whether he is more lawful or more evil. By his own accounts, Asmodeus states that all of his actions are based on necessity. His position is that the souls taken to hell serve a greater purpose in protecting the cosmos from falling into chaos.

Realistically, this is a pretty fair point. There has been a long-standing rivalry between the two types of fiends, devils, and demons, and the devils are at least a bit more based in what’s right. At the very least, devils aren’t running around seeking to destroy all life because it’s fun. Devils, with Asmodeus being no exception, do what they do out of a sense of duty. 

A lot of Asmodeus’s justifications fall back to “doing what needs to be done,” but what exactly does that mean?

Well, more than anything, Asmodeus seeks to bring order to the multiverse. To do that, he believes that he must destroy the outer planes and dismantle the rules that currently govern the multiverse. Achieving this goal would revert everything back to primordial chaos, and from that, he could forge a new reality, one based on order fabricated by Asmodeus and Asmodeus alone.

This is no small feat, especially since the Prince of Devils has seen better eons. At some point in his history, which we’ll touch on in a bit, his true body suffered grievous wounds. Even his avatars are in constant pain, agonized by the scars hidden beneath such elegant finery. 

The souls he collects serve several purposes. Souls that are taken to the Nine Hells are tortured, a fact that is well known. What is less well known is that this massive planar torture chamber is an elaborate way to siphon off magic. The magic Asmodeus receives from these souls is what he uses to fuel his divine power, to maintain the whole of Baator, and to heal his body slowly and gather his strength.

Fortunately, as we’ve covered already, Asmodeus is a Lawful Evil deity. He has formed a great many contracts in his time that have allowed him to claim trillions of souls for the nine hells. From small contracts for individual souls of great value to huge contracts that have landed him the souls of any true atheist, his commitment to law isn’t just a flavor of evil; it’s his fuel for more evil deeds.

So, who is Asmodeus? He is a Lawful evil deity that seeks to rebuild the entire multiverse in his image. His calm demeanor and clever dealings only serve to further his power and influence. As the lord of all devils, he rules over the Nine Hells of Baator and all the souls damned to spend eternity there.

History of Asmodeus

Asmodeus hasn’t been a deity since the dawn of time. Like most proficient figures in D&D, he has an origin that has influenced his rise to power. However, unlike most, his history isn’t quite set in stone.

While it would be a bit extreme to say that Asmodeus has a past shrouded in mystery, there are definitely historic disputes over his exact origin. I’ll run you through both potential origins, and then we can catch up to recent events.

Origin 1: Serpent of Law

The first origin story actually does claim that Asmodeus has been around since the dawn of time. In this version, Jazirian and Asmodeus, who were known as Ahriman at the time, were lawful gods who took the form of mighty serpents. 

These two gods sought to create order within the multiverse, eventually biting each others’ tails and forming a circle that bordered the first plane, the neutral plane of the Outlands. The rest of the outer planes followed suit, and so was born the law of the Unity of Rings, which states that most things on the planes are circular, both geographically and philosophically.

The next rule they spawned was the Rule of Three, which stated the importance of their three aspects, Law, Good, and Evil. 

Conflict arose when the two gods sought to find a center for the multiverse. While the Outlands was the perfect option, the good deity Jazirian wanted Celestia to be the center, and Ahriman wanted Baator as he was evil. 

The two ripped each others’ tails off, and Ahriman fell into Nessus in the Nine Hells. This is why his serpentine body lies bleeding in the Serpent’s Coil.

Origin 2: The Pact Primeval

Another story tells tales of infernal pacts and deceit. Asmodeus made a pact with the rest of the gods that allowed devils to take souls to Baator if they were corrupted. In this version, Asmodeus was originally an angel, built for fighting demons. 

When he and his fellow angels took on fiendish traits to better fight the demons, the deities who created them called for a trial. Asmodeus knew the laws though and won every case brought against him. 

After a time, the demon threat subsided enough for Asmodeus’s angels to be mostly unnecessary. However, the gods realized that mortals were the next threat as they followed their own free will rather than law. To this, Asmodeus saw that the solution was punishment.

So, Asmodeus turned Baator into a place made for torturing the souls of those who transgressed the gods. In order to do this, he and his angels would need to draw their own divine power from the souls they tortured. The gods agreed, so rather than allowing souls to be tortured on their own planes, they signed the Pact Primeval.

This origin does not make it clear why Asmodeus has an injured serpentine body, although some accounts say he was thrown through Baator, breaking it into the nine layers.

Origin 3: He Who Was

The final origin story is honestly pretty similar to the Pact Primeval, in as much as it sees Asmodeus as a fallen angel who makes cunning deals with the gods. In this version, he served as an exarch for a long-forgotten god who is known simply as He Who Was.

The god exiled Asmodeus from his services when he took drastic measures in wartime. In the time after, Asmodeus struck an alliance with the demon lord Pazuzu, who eventually served as his general when he rose up against He Who Was.

Asmodeus’s deeds further corrupted him, and he began to hear the shards of evil. When he found a shard in the Abyss, he used it to create his Ruby Rod and finally killed He Who Was. With this final act of corruption, the shard turned him and his forces into the first devils, and Asmodeus was cursed to never leave Baator.

While the gods maintained a position of condemnation toward Asmodeus’s war, they knew that He Who Was had been an incompetent god, one who could’ve led to their defeat in the Dawn War. Some made secret pacts, akin to the Pact Primeval, which led to Asmodeus channeling divine energy from the torture of mortal souls.

The Blood War

Of the many important stories attached to Asmodeus, the Blood War is definitely one of the better-known ones. You can think of this more like the Cold War than an actual battle. Sure, there have been fights between the two factions, but it’s more of an ages-old rivalry between them.

The two factions in question would be the two main forms of fiends, devils, and demons. With one being Lawful Evil (devils), and one being Chaotic Evil (demons), there are some serious philosophical differences between the two. The question boils down to asking which side holds the definitive stance on evil, and who will reign supreme.

Of course, this all goes back to the initial conflict between the two. Depending on which origin you choose to accept, this could be devils’ origin as angels, or it could be an interaction further down the line. 

A very important piece of this is actually part of Asmodeus’s rise to power. When he found the shard of evil in the abyss, he stole it from the demons that inhabited the area, and they still seek to get their hands on the power that was stolen from them.

Asmodeus himself saw little value in this trivial conflict but saw great benefit as a way for it to hide his true intentions. First of all, it kept his armies well trained and gave them something concrete to fight for. It was also a great way to keep the demon population in check since demons could eventually control the multiverse if they weren’t otherwise occupied.

Additionally, if Asmodeus could collect all of the shards of evil from the Abyss, he could enslave and control the entirety of demonkind. Such a feat would allow him to finally conquer the gods of the upper planes and eventually the multiverse in its entirety.

The Nine Hells of Baator

In order to use Asmodeus in a campaign, one shot, or anything of the sort, you have to understand that which he rules over. Baator is the outer plane of Lawful Evil, where devils draw up infernal contracts and torture the souls of mortals. Of course, it’s also the sum of its parts, so let’s talk more about the nine hells of D&D lore.

Baator is called the nine hells because it is split into nine layers. In order from the highest to lowest, the layers are as follows:

• Avernus – The first circle of hell is where astral travelers might enter Baator. It is a barren wasteland filled with rivers of magma. Most famously, Avernus is used as a preparation ground before the armies of hell leave for any campaigns.
• Dis – Dis circle of hell (sorry, couldn’t resist) is home to the Iron City, where prisoners of war and common criminals are sent to be tortured. 
• Minauros – This swampy circle of hell is home to disease and decay. Even the devils fear the creatures that live in the rotting swamps of Minauros. 
• Phlegethos – The fiery circle of Phlegethos fits the stereotypical picture of hell. Volcanoes, flames, and smoking pits fill the fourth layer of hell. 
• Stygia – An endless ocean covered in sheets of ice makes for a stark contrast to the rest of hell. 
• Malbolge – This plane has several different descriptions, ranging from a labyrinth of angular stone blocks to a steep, craggy incline to a beautiful terrain slowly corrupted by the evil of the nine hells.
• Maladomini – The seventh layer of hell is filled with the ruins of old cities, abandoned mines, decrepit fortresses, and pools of ichor rising from the ground. 
• Cania – The bottomless ocean of Stygia is nothing compared to the eighth circle of hell, which is made of solid ice. 
• Nessus – The final layer of hell is composed of all extremes, from the most bitter colds to heat that could melt souls. Here lies Malsheem, the Citadel of Hell, home to millions of devils. 

These are the most cursory descriptions of the nine layers of hell, but we’ll delve more into these in another article somewhere down the line. For now, the brief imagery should at least show you that Baator is not a cozy travel destination. Adventurers sent on quests here should plan not to return, for few have.

Souls sent to the nine hells are tortured until they’ve been rung of all remnants of mortal life. At that point, they become lesser devils such as lemures or nupperibos. These devils eventually rise through the caste system of the nine hells and go on to tempt more mortals into committing evil deeds.

In this way, the nine hells are an infernal machine, constantly supplying a chain of fuel and new soldiers for its army. This was all designed perfectly by Asmodeus, whose strategic mind is unmatched.

Archdevils

At the top of the caste system, below Asmodeus, are the archdevils. Each archdevil is a unique creature, having achieved status by particularly evil deeds. Some of these are powerful creatures who became devils, such as the fallen angel Zariel, and some rose to their power, such as Lilith.

Most notable among the archdevils are the Lords of the Nine, the powerful devils who rule over each circle of hell. They are as follows:

• Zariel, Lord of the First – A fallen angel who once fought against Asmodeus. In her descent, Asmodeus rewarded her by naming her commander of hell’s armies.
• Dispater, Lord of the Second – A calculating and wise archdevil known for the impregnable defenses he set up around his Iron City.
• Mammon, Lord of the Third – Mammon is a two-faced devil who values riches above all else.
• Fierna, Lord of the Fourth – Fierna is a rageful seductress, known for her statuesque figure and short fuse.
• Levistis, Lord of the Fifth – While technically still the lord of Stygia, he was long ago imprisoned in an iceberg for his crimes against Asmodeus. 
• Glasya, Lord of the Sixth – The daughter of Asmodeus and princess of hell, Glasya is one of the most powerful devils. She constantly strives to undermine her father but holds great admiration for him at the same time.
• Baalzebul, Lord of the Seventh – Known as the lord of lies, or more commonly, the lord of flies, Baalzebul is a devil whose lies are woven so thick that not even flies could escape them. 
• Mephistopheles, Lord of the Eighth  – The last of the archdevils before Asmodeus himself, Mephisto is the most powerful wizard of hell with a cunning strategic mind that rivals even the Cloven. While he may present himself as a level-headed charmer, he holds a passion for rage and vengeance that fuels his desire to dethrone Asmodeus.

Many other archdevils exist, serving the lords of the nine as intermediaries between them and lesser devils. Each holds incredible power beyond what any mortal could wish for but pale in comparison to Asmodeus. 

This incredible difference in power is why Asmodeus rules with unquestionable authority. While some may still try to prove themselves against him, none have succeeded in all of history. 

Devils

Devils are the wide variety of fiends that fill the nine hells. They adhere to a strict caste system and can advance through the ranks to reach the level of pit fiend and even possibly become an archdevil.

There are many different ranks of devils, but the three main categories, below archdevil, of course, are least devils, lesser devils, and greater devils. These fiends can be promoted or demoted, or they can even receive a lateral demotion (remaining in the same caste but taking the form of a less-desirable devil).

Like most fiends, these castes dictate more than just status. A devil literally changes forms when they change ranks. For example, a lemure that achieves a promotion would transform into a spinagon.

Interestingly, this transformation can mean a change in mental fortitude as well as abilities and physical attributes. For this reason, certain less-intelligent devils are extremely undesirable ranks, even if they are powerful. A devil needs cunning in order to be promoted.

Devils must tempt mortal souls and lead them down a path of evil in order to receive credit. When their superiors believe they have done enough, they may receive a promotion. However, if a devil messed up, it might be punished and demoted, possibly even to a nupperibo, the lowest rank of devel.

Tempting souls can be done in a few ways. The most popular method is to form contracts with mortals in which they sell their souls for some offer. Of course, devils also hunt souls and lead them down a path of Lawful Evil if they can do so before they are claimed by another plane.

Asmodeus Campaigns 5e

Running a campaign centered on Asmodeus may seem like a lot of work, but it really boils down to a general theme of Lawful Evil plots and schemes. Since Asmodeus is the ruler of the nine hells, he will often be little more than a threat in the background pulling the strings, which means DMs will set up plots centered around other devil lords, cults, or any sort of Lawful Evil lesser villain.

Realistically, if you’re running a lawful evil villain of any variety, the credit comes back to Asmodeus in one way or another. This is because, at least in the Forgotten Realms, Asmodeus is the greatest deity of Lawful Evil that there is. 

Still, if you want Asmodeus to really be the big bad of an entire campaign, you’ll likely want to focus on devils, cults, or a bit of both. The typical progression has us dealing with a cult for the first tier, and as we progress through the campaign, we gradually learn of their connections with Asmodeus and his underlings.

Since the Prince of Hell is so powerful, it’s a smart idea to keep him in the background. In this way, you can treat him as “The Bigger Bad” hidden behind the threat of the first big bad. Normally, this will be one of the Lords of the Nine or even several of them. 

In Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus, characters start off fighting some cultists, but the campaign quickly leads them to Avernus, where they must decide how to deal with Zariel and her crimes. This is, whether it may seem that way or not, an Asmodeus campaign. Without him, Zariel wouldn’t have become the Lord of Avernus and wouldn’t be a fallen angel worthy of Big Bad status.

Asmodeus himself would then end up being a high 4th tier or, even post level 20, larger enemy to deal with. Normally, the campaign would end with Zariel either being killed, avoided, or joined. Regardless of which you choose, the results of this campaign could end up with the forces of hell seeking vengeance against the heroes. 

If it works for you, you can think of Asmodeus himself as a bit of post-game content. Our heroes have saved the day or been corrupted, but now they face a threat unlike anything they’ve come across so far. Even then, there should still be some serious gauntlets to face before dealing with Asmodeus directly.

Of course, some players want to enjoy a god-killing campaign, and going directly against Asmodeus can be a really cool way to do this. I would imagine such a campaign would start at least at 10th level, and you’d need to throw a large amount of the forces of hell before they ever reached Nessus.

However, the players could definitely be tasked by some good deity (or a demon posing as a good deity, for a twist) to destroy Asmodeus. Doing so would have to require learning the location of his true form and finding ways to kill him as well. More than likely, there will be some elaborate fetch quest for an artifact, something more powerful than the Holy Avenger. 

As for things to incorporate in such a campaign, I see a few strong options to consider, but you could realistically do anything that you wanted. 

The first is to dabble in the Blood war, including demons and devils that want to help or hinder your progress in the mission. Perhaps you might seek out shards of evil in the Abyss and be captured by a demon lord that ultimately aids you in your quest to kill Asmodeus. Or, you could end up caught in a battle between the two evil forces, a terrifying event for even the bravest adventurers.

Another option is to interact with He Who Was. Sure, the stories say that he died, but he and his followers might still be around, lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike out against the baatezu. You could be enlisted in his services, which gives the DM a lot of wiggle room to create a god and their motivations.

The basis of any Asmodeus-centered campaign has to be someone seeking to destroy him. Typical adventurers aren’t going to end up with a vendetta against the ruler of the nine hells, so a third party gives us a solid way to give our story the necessary impetus. 

Likewise, a group of mortal adventurers isn’t going to be a big threat to a greater deity, so we should be introducing plenty of ways for our characters to stand a chance against, or even indirectly conquer, the lord of the nine hells.

Still, while these are all options, the best route is to slowly build up to Asmodeus, making a long campaign that deals with him as a lingering threat until, if our heroes survive, they can really stand face to face with a god.

Worshippers of Asmodeus

Unlike most deities, Asmodeus has no need for mortal worshippers. Typically, such worship would give a god strength, but Asmodeus draws his power from the torture of souls sent to the nine hells. However, this didn’t mean that he didn’t amass a large number of cults devoted to him.

Think about it, if you wanted to worship an evil deity, a devil, or just some powerful being, why wouldn’t you choose the ruler of all devils? In fact, even those who worship other evil entities end up worshiping Asmodeus in some fashion, almost like a sort of cult pyramid scheme. That’s right, devils are the origin of MLMs.

Those who worshiped Asmodeus directly formed an intricately built secret society. High-ranking officials from politicians to bankers to arch wizards work together to amass power for their cult. No matter what your rank in the cult, you are looked out for, provided for, and shown to power in one way or another.

In this way, cults of Asmodeus are particularly insidious and sinister. Sure, some cults are dangerous because they make blood sacrifices, but the Lawful Evil cults of Asmodeus go unseen and could be hiding in any new acquaintance you meet. A campaign centered on one of these cults could see the party’s favorite NPCs being secretly part of the cult the whole time.

Can You Fight Asmodeus in DnD?

There is no stat block for Asmodeus in 5e, but that certainly shouldn’t stop you from pitting your adventurers against him. If anything would hold you off from a fight with a god, it should be that they are a god, capable of reducing you to a pillar of ash in seconds. 

I like to encourage people to do anything they want to do in D&D. After all, it’s an RPG. If you can’t play the role you want to play, even god killer, then why bother? Still, I should warn you that a fight against a god isn’t as simple as killing goblins or even slaying an archdevil like Zariel. 

This is a fight that should be beyond deadly for a group of level-20 adventurers. You’ll need the most powerful artifacts you can come across, godly boons, and some way to substantially weaken Asmodeus before you even come close to standing a chance. 

Of course, a god’s avatar can be destroyed, which is why stat blocks for Tiamat exist, so I’ve decided to put together an Asmodeus avatar stat block. It won’t be easy, but with the right skill, teamwork, and power, your party just might be able to pull it off. 

Keep in mind that this stat block is a bit more free form than your average 5e stat block. Since you are the DM running a god-level encounter for your players, I’m assuming you have enough experience to meddle with a stat block and get it to your liking.

Specifically, I’ve left the spellcasting a bit ambiguous, limiting Asmodeus to non-good-aligned spells. While this isn’t a hard and fast 5e mechanic, I leave it to your discretion to decide if a spell is too good natured for this devil to use.

I strongly suggest coming up with a list of 20 to 25 spells that feel appropriate to Asmodeus but are also perfectly chosen to combat your party. Remember, Asmodeus is one of the keenest strategic minds in the whole of the multiverse; he’s studied the adventurers and prepared himself to not only defeat them but humiliate them.

Asmodeus could never have too many actions and should realistically be able to do anything. Still, that would make for an absolutely unreadable stat block. So, if you’re up for the challenge, beyond just running a god with the foremost tactical mind in the multiverse, I would like to suggest one more thing.

Add an ability, action, legendary action, mythic action, or whatever you want to call it. Simply named Greater Deity’s Will, this allows Asmodeus to do just about anything within reason. The point of this is to keep your options open while running a creature such as this. 

If it would make sense for Asmodeus to make a melee attack with his ruby rod, go for it. If it would be strategically beneficial for him to increase his size category, do so. Nothing is off limits, just treat the actions reasonably. Everything has a cost, even if you’re a god. 

So there you have it folks, a complete guide to Asmodeus, the ruler of devils in D&D. I hope you’ve enjoyed this article and that it inspires you to include the god in the next campaign you run. As always, happy adventuring.