Dungeons and Dragons Lore : The Abyss 

“Devils are what you would get if you gave phenomenal godlike powers to a bunch of divorce attorneys, loan sharks and dictators. Demons are what you would get if you combined the concept of hatred itself with a black hole. Now, here’s the kicker: the divorce attorneys, loan sharks and dictators are undeniably horrible, but they’re also the ones in charge of keeping the giant angry black hole from eating the universe.” - my Stepdad, explaining the difference between Devils and Demons to 12-year-old me.

Realization: the infinite nature of the Abyss and the fact that there are a bunch of undiscovered layers is basically an open invitation for DMs to make their own demon lords (who canonically would probably be lesser known/less influential, but whatever)

Putting Artorias at 8:08 when introducing the ways to contain the abyss was spot on. Bravo!

I'm pretty sure that the abyss was created by the Shard of Pure evil and it keeps getting deeper because the shard of pure evil bores it deeper and deeper hence why it's considered infinite

Everyone gangsta until 3E Demogorgon or Orcus show up. Keep your 5E easy mode.

They are rage, brutal, without mercy.

Man just the way AJ gets the lore like this in incredible. It definitely gets your audience going. You are one of the better things about D&D lore on RU-vid here.

“Nothing is too destructive” Immediately shows a Terrasque.

I've talked with my spiritual friend who is well versed in many faiths and esoteriscisms and the conclusion I have come to is thus; to defeat the abyss you need to have a really cool, Lord of the Rings quality campaign that focuses on moral and ethical victories, the metaphysical purpose of the Abyss and all other planes while at the same time, you and your party achieving Apotheosis. Interestingly, back in the day (Greco-Egyptian) Abussos was not necessarily bad but something you had to pass through when you die. The idea being you need to peice yourself back together after ego death.

“In the abyss, there is nothing impartial but death. For all living creatures death is sure to eventually come. Death is the equalizer, it is an absolute truth, and it’s always lingering just within reach of us. People make the best use of their wits and courage, struggling, floundering, they cling to life until the very end, and soon we realize, this unjust and indifferent world, it’s just the way we like it”

Watching both Warhammer 40k and Dungeons and Dragons while Reading the SCP Foundation is hard

I have a paradise layer I created in my campaigns. Reality TV was not yet a thing. People in that paradise are inspired to conflict with each other, often manipulated into it. It was enjoyed a bunch of times. My players loved using the device to transport them there. One player with a True Seeing artifact saw it for what it was. Every inhabitant was a succubus or disintegrating soul and their healing there was the thing that bolstered their enemy's attacks on them, damage wise. One of my player's Quasite familiars spoke up at the time of the discovery. "Don't worry. It's a succubi plane. They actually follow rules more than any other demon should. Master, I say we move there." The CE mage was hated by the other players at that point. So... the "paradise plane" was ghosted. That did not stop the inhabitants from trying to get them to come back. Also, I always treated The Abyss as an infinite chaotic evil plane. The whole layering number is and was a ruse to make people believe that there is some form of order. In my campaigns, I have a precedent on how to run them called "cubing the sphere". No, it's not like the 2nd Ed spell of that name. It is a rule I created because I was used to gamers that read all the related books and MOST cannot plan their tactics on a new creature to their character without the knowledge of the books. I slightly alter all life with every new campaign, "cubing the sphere". It made many people who read up on the monsters backfire with special tactics that only people who read the DM material knew before-hand would know... bad role-play backfire. I had a special Sehaguin god avatar get special power and heal by electricity. I had Bronze Golems heal against cold magic even though they are immune to fire and splatter molten metal on anyone that damage them... I wrote that in as a forging nugget. I had Red Dragons go from being vulnerable to cold to being vulnerable to corrosive gas (the Gold Dragon 2nd breath weapon akin to Green Dragons). Sorry for the rant but I am getting to a point. Beings from The Abyss, I almost abuse Cubing the Sphere. I pull things out of the air. I roll a die and apply that many weaknesses and that many strengths. Usually one and one, but I roll a die for the "boss fights". Even my veteran players are wary of Abyssal beings.

(Your face when) you find out the abyss is actually nothing more than an intentionally guided creation of THEE mega dungeon that if you reach the end earns you a position as an Overdiety.

I've been playing D&D since it's inception in 1974. In 1977, I created a 1st ed. fighter/ranger. It took twenty years of solid playing for my character to reach a cumulative level of 114. In 1997 we were playing the last module of the four module Bloodstone campaign. My character, and four of his adventuring companions of equally high level, finally made it to The Palace of Bones (Orcus's main place of residence) in the Abyss. Even with my character as high level as he was, he still had his toughest battle ever when he squared off with Orcus himself. His companions dealt with the numerous demons and undead that were summoned in during the battle. Eventually, my character defeated Orcus. However, he himself was severely beaten and battered in the epic battle. The Abyss and its denizens, especially the demon lords, is no joke!!

So basically the Abyss is an infection? Interesting concept!

It says something about the Drow that even Demons give them a modicum of respect.

my favorite was Ojukalazogadit. The layer is in fact a single vast demon prince.

There are many layers of the Abyss that can contain numerous disparate realms like Layer 99 in Tales From the Outer Plane. One can be similar to a layer of Carceri, planetoids floating in an airy void, each orb reflecting the nature of the petty demon noble that rules it. Another layer can be shaped like a tesseract like the Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga with each realm on one side of the tesseract.

I am astounded that spells like summon lesser or greater demon don't have text that says something like, "roll on this table to see if a devil or celestial comes to murder you for siding with the enemy"

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he there by become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss the abyss gazes also into you. ~Friedrich Nietzsche~

I once introduced an adventuring party to a layer of the Abyss that looked like an idealized pastoral place filled with Care Bears, Smurfs, and My Little Ponies (all with demon powers and abilities). The players quickly declared this to be the 666th layer, the foulest and most evil plane in existence. A demon from this realm that escaped into the mortal world was a Raggedy Ann with medusa powers, but instead of stone her petrification turned people into plush and stuffing.

AJ, I have to tell you. I found your channel a couple weeks ago and I have been binge-watching your videos. And having a GREAT TIME! Thanks man. I really appreciate your work.

The Demonic Taint. And thus my next homebrewed fermented hot sauce was named.

Basically the devils are the representation of necessary evil whereas the demons are the embodiment of chaos in its purest form.

Reminds me of something I read in the past that the only reason the blood war remains a stalemate is because the demons fight eachother as much if not more than the devils and should they decide to simply work together and swarm the devils then the demons would swarm all realms and win.

Pazuzu is where the really interesting lore is. He pretty much had a hand in the rules for the entire Universe through manipulating Asomdeus.

I just like that they are again called Devils and Demons. As someone who started with AD&D 1st ed. and lived through the 'Satanic panic' I always hated Baatezu and Tanar'ri (Obyrith, Loumara ... ) Refreshing to get back to that at least even if everything else has changed. Yes, I know they are still often called Baatezu and Tanar'ri but many people ignore those terms.

Descriptions of the layers in the Abyss is an itch I just can't scratch enough. Do a video for every know layer please. ;p

So what about the "Shard of Pure Evil" at the heart of the Abyss- what is it exactly? Where did it come from? What properties does it have? How can it be reached? And can it be destroyed?

83b5'th layer of the Abyss is a place, where actual ground is covered with orange and blue strings, trying to cover everything that isn't in constant motion. Basically everything is trying to choke players and absorb them as string puppets in services to THE LOOM!

I feel sorry for those poor hypothetical artificial beings.

Since the abyss is a lower plane maybe it’s decaying due to it being filled with negative energy. That’s part of the reason they need to add new layers.

According to the original manuel of the planes, one of the abysal realms was sentinant; the entire plane was alive and filled with malice at intruders. I always thought that was kick ass but to be avoided if possible.

I've always seen the abyss as the demons that show up in it.. starts out you feel violated as a manes, ends up as you take all that forbidden knowledge and use it for your own advantage like the sibriex, then you act like the balor

I would LOVE to hear some descriptions of random abyssal layers! Your description of Franz..Urloo-whatever's domain was down right captivating. And there are so many layers to choose from, too!

Great video by the way!

"it is akin to refusing to breathe or eat" I shall remember to use that one with my players.

This is a great vid! Further reading of the Planescape box set Planes of Chaos D&D 2nd Ed is a good place to start.

The difference between demons and devils is plain as day but what I don't understand is what's the difference between demons and Primordials? they are both chaotic evil they are both of chaos i mean hell what's the difference between the abyss and the elemental chaos? >_

Welcome to another installment of RPG Lore online!

I really enjoy the Abyss. Well some of it. Specifically Juiblex and the oozes and Zuggtmoy. As well as the Nalfeshnee race

So the abyss has always been fascinating to me and I want to run a campaign at some point that would have the party delve within its depths to confront a demon lord that is causing them problems. (Obviously at higher levels) The issue is that even at higher levels the abyss strikes me as the kind of place that is danger incarnate and suicide to explore but I don’t want to totally tpk the party by having them be swarmed by the hoards of demons that roam about. (I know It’s a party of 4 not a platoon of devils but I have trouble suspending disbelief that the hoards would just ignore the presence of mortals without a significant reason why they wouldn’t know they were there or why they wouldn’t care) Essentially I want to get the feel of danger and some decently challenging encounters without either babying the players or killing my players outright. Anyone have any tips?

Listening to this made me think of Hollow Nnight and its fallen kingdom Hallownest. There is a area formally called the Abyss, but it has been known to extend to parts of Hallownest. I know this isn’t a Hollow Knight channel, but is it possible that parts of Hollownest, if not the entire kingdom, are actually an extension of the Abyss outsiders (this case being bugs) keep trying to control and eventually fail? I love dnd and have most recently become interested in Hollow Knight. Might even build a DnD campaign with Hollow Knight elements mixed in.

Surely Tiamat should own a plain within the Abyss? instead of kinda tacked onto the 9 hells as an afterthought. As a complete force of destruction and utter primordial power and predation and selfish gain, her and dragon flights / spawn are uniquely suited and able to wage an endless war for it's own thrill? if I recall does not her own realm within Krynn's lore get called the "Abyss"? And if not, hell what a twist if the ultimate answer to supress the power of the Abyss is Tiamat and the Chromatic Dragons?

Thanks for the vid sir.

This is super creative writing.

Quick pointer: hold onto the wand of orcus for 30 days in a random abyssal layer and you automatically become a demon lord or prince. Shouldnt be too hard, eh?

In the SCP Universe, The Obyrith are called Pattern Screamers. The Sibriex may be responsible for Sarkicism in the SCP Universe.

I'd say the abyss is the negative energy that dwells within us all.. you put it out in life then go into eternity and it stays, doesn't disintegrate just adds up and changes into worse and worse until armageddon lol

One hell of an intro bro! \m/

Rick James dwells in the Abyss

It should be after the more normal denizens of the abyss for full effect and context, but I'd love to see one on the Bebilith. A spider infestation worthy of the abyss.

The Abyss is like a box of chocolates...

thats all i wanted to know about the difference between hell and the abyss a lot of holes fixed thank you so much because after the glasya video i was sorta confused

For me you can take control of certain layers. Like 1-50 but you can't take control over all of it because it is so massive and always changing. The new Lawful forces can stop the plains they are on from changing but only so long as they hold power.

It is the time of demons, it is the time of chaos!

Find the shard of evil in the abyss and get rid of it. Then the abyss loses its power or blows up. My money on the abyss to punt the Devils if the blood wars break out again.

665th layer - go through portal and on your "fall" a wind fillets the flesh from your bones...repeat the portal "fall", infinite loop --- ooooo damn, that would be horrific.

In my cosmos you can't destroy realms limbo can't exist if machines is destroyed there must be evil for there to be good and there must be law for there to be chaos

Nice start to the series. Any info on this is welcome.

My detect evil senses are tingling

I scrolled down to find anyone else asking about the image at 10:32. That's a nice picture but I don't recognize who it is of. The Abyss appears to be the primary cause of warps in reality. Could it be that mortal magic is demonic in origin? How much magic existed before the shard tore into the elemental chaos? Was magic only used by gods? Perhaps all magic in use by mortals is ichor and belief is how gods heal. The shard tore reality and the weave is the fray?

what about those that constantly worship demons? coz we have followers that are faithful to Orcus or Lolth and yet they're not usually torn apart the moment they summon them.

I really hope Balder's Gate III lets you explore this place.

How does a Maine (Mane, Main?) get promoted to a greater form? Is it by time, by deed or something else?

numbering, naming, describing, and mapping the "layers" of The Abyss is just lawful beings (likely the devils) trying to apply some sort of order to what is, in actuality, a writhing mass of shifting chaos 8)

Hey AJ, ever thought about doing videos of D&D content you've homebrewed? I know you are or will be offering to do that as a paid service, but how about a free sample? I'd personally love to see a detailed run down of a new plane of the Abyss or maybe the Far Realm...

There might also be only 333 layers because that's how many gems Tharizdun has.

I recently bought a small cottage on tbe 66th layer of the Abyss just a few blocks away from Lolths pad! Shes such a sweet neighbor never nosy and she always cleans up after her dog does his business on the front lawn 😎 I live a charmed life! 👹😈👺👿

11:15 that must be the ballsiest person in the world

lets sprinkle some warp dust on that cake and we are ready to go.

Cool. Is there any change with the abysse in the last edition?

How comes Lolth made her home in the abyss, isn't she lawful? Or did they change her alignment? Same for vampires, aren't they lawful as a basic trait ? Should t they have a different origin/ patron that isn't Orcus? Someone lawful, evil I mean. What about the effect yeenogu has on minotaurs? What is it?

19:55 isn’t a demon, he’s an elder ask and his name is Ulamog from the Blind Eternities which is the space between the different worlds of Magic.

I can't find a canon reference for the manitou. Where did you find your resource material?

I would like to see a under dark episode, I think you could pull it off well.

19:47 sir demons don’t have annihilator 🤣

How do humans enter the abyss, specifically the third layer?

I would love a video on the Queen of Chaos and Mishka the wolf spider

this video is... abysmal (not really, I just couldn't resist the pun)

Great video are you from New Zealand mate

Yo!!!i like this bit ya know once you say the abyss is a flaw or blight I think it’s a bit of a weird turn but I’m about it god bless

"""THE ETERNAL WAR,, BETWEEN POSITIVE ENERGY,,, AND NEGATIVE ENERGY ""

Man thanks I love this the monster manual like I said in some of my old text my first monster manual I want to say I was about 9 maybe 12 years old I had a weird upbringing born in December a Sagittarius

Wait around 18 minutes in it said unclaimed souls end up in the abyss. I thought unclaimed souls ended up in the very bottom of the 9 hells where Admodeus true body is that he feeds off of to restore his original body? Alongside those who not only dont worship one but actively fight against and hate?

Anyone know what the creature at 15:55 is?

so basically the devils protect the rest of the world and gods from being destroyed by the abyss …. so devils not bad just misunderstood

Can and do the blood war and the Dawn war intersect and interact?

Kostchtchie Kosh - tick - tick - eye

Where do I find a book that has all this information?

I’m wanting to run a campaign where the players at higher levels go into the abyss to fight a demon lord that has been messing with their minds, but the abyss as is very clear seems incredibly hostile and I don’t want to kill my players by having them swarmed constantly and without a chance for a long or short rest as soon as they enter the abyss, is there any way you could reasonably survive in the abyss when traveling there???

Just ask any Succubus about The Path of Bliss that falls into the Abyss.

Do you have a video about kostchichi?

Ya got anything on Loth or the Drow???

what about a video on the vistani? might be interesting

How do u survive there as a player and why would u be trekking through layers of the abyss looking for fights anyway

I love your videos but I'm begging you to somehow equalize your recording volume. It can be really jarring when the intros are loud and your talk is super low.

Lol, who knew Pazuzu was King of the closets.

Ah, so this is where all the murder hobo pcs go! :p

So... in wich layer are we, actually... ?