Difference between revisions of "Fiend"

From Marillia
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In D&D, a '''fiend''' is a negative supernatural entity.
The term is a bit weird, since D&D fiends are what we IRL would generally call a '''[[demon]]'''. D&D, however, makes a distinction between fiends and demons: fiends are the generic term for any evil spirit, whereas a demon is one specific type of fiend—specifically, a [[Chaotic Evil]] spirit.
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In D&D and Pathfinder, a '''fiend''' is a negative supernatural entity—what we IRL would generally call a '''[[demon]]'''.
In D&D and Pathfinder, a '''fiend''' is a negative supernatural entity—what we IRL would generally call a '''[[demon]]'''.


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To make matters even more confusing, you may hear various NPCs (and even me) referring to all sorts of fiends as ''demons''. Fun.
To make matters even more confusing, you may hear various NPCs (and even me) referring to all sorts of fiends as ''demons''. Fun.
 
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== Etymology ==
== Etymology ==



Revision as of 13:29, 29 April 2022

In D&D, a fiend is a negative supernatural entity.

The term is a bit weird, since D&D fiends are what we IRL would generally call a demon. D&D, however, makes a distinction between fiends and demons: fiends are the generic term for any evil spirit, whereas a demon is one specific type of fiend—specifically, a Chaotic Evil spirit.

Etymology

The word comes from the Middle English word for "enemy" or "demon," which comes from Old English feond ("enemy").

Main types

The three main types across both D&D and PF are devils, demons, and yugoloths (aka "daemons"). These three groups align with the three Evil alignments: devils are Lawful Evil, demons are Chaotic Evil, and yugoloths are Neutral Evil.

Basically, in ascending order of "how badly do you NOT want to run into one of these guys," it goes: devils, yugoloths, demons.

D&D

Pathfinder

External links

See also