Demonlands Demon Rules¶
Rules system: homebrew, written for the Demonlands mini campaign (2025-2026 documents: 2d20 contests, Essence spent as experience points, DC checks).
Lore: what demons are in the world is on Demons.
Contested
This page is named in the open question Demon rules: Bond, minions and strata in S333 and S334. The two drafts disagree on the Bond cap, the master's draw on a minion's Bond, what happens at Bond 0, the minion limit, the master's contest bonus, and how far a host's capacity can grow. The page follows the newer primer (S334) where the two conflict and gives the older reading beside it.
Legacy design material, not canon for play: how anything works at the table is defined by ARCS. These are the core rules for playing a demon in the Demonlands campaign: Essence and its decay, corruption, the Essence Contest, Bond, the Mortiquery, hosts and host capacity, metamorphosis, Aspects, and masters and minions. The full rules draft is Demons of Terrun (S333, 2025); the player handout Introduction to Playing a Demon (S334, 2026) restates them in condensed form and adds the Stratum tiers and demonic speech. The mutations each Aspect unlocks are on Demonic Facets and Techniques; the hosts and derivative forms are on Demonic Forms.
Types of demonic entity¶
| Entity | Definition (S334) |
|---|---|
| Demonic Spirit | A formless demonic entity with just its essence (spirit) without a host (form). |
| Demon | A living creature (host) possessed by a demonic spirit (essence). |
| Demonspawn | A living creature that is not possessed, but has been corrupted and turned into a thrall under the control of a Demonic Spirit. |
Essence¶
Essence (Dae'Medeis) "represents the core of a singular demonic entity. It is a measure of a demon's power and identity" (S334). It is the demon's experience points.
- Gaining Essence: absorbed by consuming other demons in an Essence Contest. The victor gains 20% of the defeated demon's Essence; the rest is lost as Demonic Corruption. Living souls that become corrupted also produce Essence (S334).
- Function: exactly equivalent to experience points (XP) for traditional characters, except that the amount usable as XP is capped by the demon's Host Capacity.
- Use: available Essence (Essence up to Host Capacity) is allocated to Ability Scores, Expertises, Techniques and Facets.
- Loss: Essence can be lost or gained in Essence Contests, and lost to decay.
Stratum¶
Essence comes in Stratums: Minor, Lesser, Legion, Greater, Lord, Monarch, Arch (S334). "The primary impact of stratum is how much essence a form is able to hold": the stratum multiplies the Base Capacity of the form.
| Stratum | Capacity multiplier |
|---|---|
| Minor | 2× |
| Lesser | 3× |
| Legion | 5× |
| Greater | 8× |
| Lord | 13× |
| Monarch | 21× |
| Arch | ?× (not given) |
Essence consumed from a lower stratum (one or two below) grants only +1 XP; essence from three or more strata below grants nothing.
Improving stratum "requires force applied to your essence". The examples given:
| Advancement | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Minor to Lesser | Consume the essence of 3 other demons simultaneously. Another approach has been to add 3 souls to a Mortiquery at the same time. |
| Lesser to Legion | Be present and participate in the simultaneous death (same Bout) of 13 or more mortal souls. |
| Legion to Greater | Consume 91 (7×13) demons with essence of Lesser or stronger that are your minions. |
| Greater to Demonlord | Demonic corruption siphoning life from at least 666 mortal souls simultaneously. |
| Demonlord to Demon King, Queen, Prince or Princess | Simultaneous culling of 3 Demonlord minions. |
| Demon King to Archdemon | Unknown; "research seems to indicate it is related to the souls or death of the archwizards". |
Gap
S333 has no strata. Its capacity limits are fixed multiples of the host's initial capacity instead (see Host Capacity below).
Exposure and decay¶
When a demon's essence is Exposed it decays: it is lost as Demonic Corruption at a rate given as a number (S333).
- Oversize decay rate (1 per 10 XP over capacity, rounded up): the demon is Exposed when it does not fit in its current host's capacity.
- Formless (1 per 5 XP): the demon has lost its last physical form, either because it never had one or because its previous form died.
De-evolution¶
A demon whose total Essence drops below 80% of its XP expenditure suffers an involuntary metamorphosis within 2d8 hours into a new form that meets its new Essence limit: XP purchases are reverted until the new limit is reached (S333).
Demonic Corruption¶
Demonic Corruption comes in two forms (S333):
- Passive Corruption is demonic essence embedded in non-sentient organic matter: trees, roots, bones, insects, worms, tiny animals, grass. Demons gain advantages near it. Essence released after an Essence Contest or by decay is applied as passive corruption.
- Active Corruption is a demon infecting and corrupting a mortal soul, which lets the demon siphon the corrupted portions of that soul as Essence. A demon can actively corrupt a mortal by turning them into a thrall; by having them enter a demonic contract (spellcasters frequently make Pacts with demons); or by torment, which gives more immediate but usually short-lived Essence. A form that has become sufficiently corrupted can no longer be used as a host.
Levels of passive corruption¶
| Level | Effect on the environment | Benefit to demons nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | Most biological functions are reduced in efficiency by 50%. Growth is stunted and deformed. Not immediately apparent to observers; small animals may have minor mutations. | "The nearby environment whispers to you": +1 to attack and defense. |
| Major | Biological functions are minimal, barely sustaining life. Living things appear cracked, sickly, wilted or dying; parts may be charred or black; liquids may ooze green or yellow, often with a slight glow. Easily noted. | +2 to attack and defense. Advantage on perception or awareness checks against non-demons. Recovery and mutation costs (in Bond) reduced by 25%. |
| Severe | Biological functions have stopped; living things are dead. Decay accelerates, usually turning the matter completely black and oozing glowing green or yellow liquids. | +3 to attack and defense. Advantage on perception or awareness checks against non-demons. Recovery and mutation costs (in Bond) reduced by 50%. |
Corruption attunements¶
A closing fragment of S333: "Powerful Demonlord's Mortiqueries alter Demonic Corruption in a region to favor their Prime Aspects (Unlocked with Facet). The distance/range of the alteration depends on terrain factors and the Bond Strength of their Mortiquery." The Facets are the Corruption: Facets at level 5 of each Aspect.
Essence Contests¶
Essence Contests are used when a demon's essence fights another demonic essence, or a spirit when the demon is taking possession of a mortal host (S333). When demons fight there are usually two fights at once, host against host and essence against essence; "the essence battle is ultimately more important, but the physical fight can have a very strong influence on the outcome". A master sometimes holds a non-physical contest to test a subjugated minion: "to an observer this would just be a battle of twisting shadows and incorporeal wraith-like shapes assaulting each other while the physical forms touched each other."
Starting and running a contest¶
- A contest is always between 2 creatures, and is resolved once per Bout, at the end of the Bout.
- One creature must have initiated the contest, and the two must have been in essence (physical) contact at some point during the Bout.
- A demon in several contests tracks each contest and its essences independently.
- If a demon has split its essence, only the essence present in the form counts. A demon not inhabiting a form counts at 50% essence strength.
- Subjugated Essence is tracked for both sides and usually starts at full Essence on both. When one side wins a Bout, the winner adds +X and the loser subtracts −X (tracking it as a difference may be easiest).
- When one side reaches 0 or less essence, the contest is over between those two creatures.
- If the two disengage before either side wins, 10% of the Subjugated Essence passes to the victor after a Metamorphosis (Long Rest), 10% is lost to corruption, and the remaining 80% is restored to the loser.
Rolling a Bout¶
- Essence Score is the modifier for both offense and defense.
- Demonic Essence Score = Essence total ÷ 20, including Exposed Essence above Host Capacity. It is not reduced or increased as Essence is Subjugated.
- Mortal Essence Score = XP ÷ 20 + Willpower Task (Discipline, Reason).
- Both demons and mortals take −1 Essence Score for every 10 Health of damage taken.
- Both sides roll 2d20 and add their Essence Score. The difference between the totals, ×5, is the Essence Subjugated by the side with the higher total.
- A Downed demon has Disadvantage on Essence Contest rolls.
- A demon may surrender, "begging for Subjugation": the contest ends at once with the surrendering demon's remaining essence set to 0.
One demon in several contests¶
- A demon may take Subjugated Essence from only one target per Bout. It resolves all its contests for the Bout and chooses one it won to take effect; its other wins are treated as draws.
- Contests it lost are resolved normally: a demon can lose to several enemies in one Bout.
Outcomes¶
Demon against demon, when the target has no Essence left, the winner chooses to:
- absorb the target's essence at once, taking 20% and releasing the rest as Demonic Corruption;
- subjugate the target, forging a master and minion relationship; the subjugated demon stays vulnerable until its next Metamorphosis cycle, and the master can absorb it with a 1 Effort action;
- or release it.
A demon winning a contest against another demon cannot normally take its form if that form has been held for 10 or more days: "Forms which have been stripped of their former spirit are now attuned to the possessing demon and other demons are unable to occupy it." Elsewhere S333 puts it as "Demons fortify their forms against possession and the form is destroyed before allowing another demon to occupy it."
Demon against mortal: a demon that loses loses 10% of its Essence to Demonic Corruption; a demon that prevails may possess the target, leaving its own host or splitting its essence if able.
Worked example¶
S333's example, reproduced as written. The source's numbering repeats Bout 4 and labels C's contests "A vs Z" in Bouts 8 and 9; both are kept.
Four demons are fighting. A (50 Essence, +3), B (40 Essence, +2) and C (80 Essence, +4) are ganging up on Z (160 Essence, +8).
- Bout 1. Physical combat occurs normally. Z has taken 24 dmg (−3 score). A takes 30 damage (−3 score). B missed Z.
- A vs Z: 26+0 vs 30+5. B vs Z: no essence contact. C vs Z: 31+4 vs 28+5.
- Z takes 45 Essence from A. C takes 10 Essence from Z.
- Bout 2. Z has taken 40 dmg (−4). A has taken 30 dmg (−3). C has taken 26 dmg (−3).
- A vs Z: 9+0 vs 15+4. B vs Z: 12+2 vs 25+4. C vs Z: 23+1 vs 24+4.
- Z takes 75 Essence from B; B loses. Z chooses to destroy B, gaining 20 Essence (+1 Score). A and C both lost and take nothing from Z.
- Bout 3. Z has taken 58 dmg (−6). A has taken 30 dmg (−3). C has taken 52 dmg (−6).
- A vs Z: 37+0 vs 13+3. C vs Z: 22−2 vs 18+3.
- A takes 105 Essence back from Z (+60 to A). Z takes 5 Essence back from C (+5 to C).
- Bout 4. Z has taken 75 dmg (−8). A has taken 30 dmg (−3). C has taken 72 dmg, downing them (−8 Score and Disadvantage to Essence Contests).
- A vs Z: 8+0 vs 15+1. C vs Z: (25,27)−4 vs 30+3.
- Z takes 40 Essence back from A (+20 to A).
- Bout 4 (sic). Z has taken 81 dmg (−9). A has taken 55 dmg (−6). B is destroyed. C is down (−8 and Disadvantage).
- A vs Z: 29−3 vs 26+0. The contest is a draw.
- Bout 5. Z has taken 81 dmg (−9). A has taken 71 dmg (−8), downing them. C is down.
- A vs Z: (20,21)−3 vs 26+0. Z takes 45 Essence back from A (−25 to A).
- Bout 6. Physical combat is over. Z touches downed A to finish the contest.
- A vs Z: (25,22)−3 vs 22+0. Z takes 15 Essence back from A (−40 to A).
- Bout 7. A vs Z: (15)−3 vs 22+0. Z takes 50 Essence back from A (−40 to A). A is below 0; Z destroys A, taking 25 Essence.
- Bout 8. Z touches downed C to finish the contest. "A vs Z" (C): (21)−4 vs 17+0. Draw (+5 to C still).
- Bout 9. "A vs Z" (C): (8)−4 vs 24+0. Z takes 100 (−95 to C). C is below 0; Z subjugates C, turning them into a minion.
Bond¶
Bond (Dae'Cilias; "Spiritual Bond" in S333) "measures its link to the material planes — the tether keeping the demonic essence from being drawn back into the Abyss" (S334). It is a Power-type resource, distinct from Essence.
Gaining and storing Bond¶
- Bond belongs to a Host, not to an essence or spirit. Leaving a host abandons all Bond tied to it.
- Cap: Bond ≤ Host Essence ÷ 10 (S334). S333 caps it at Essence in the Host ÷ 5.
- Initial value: on first possessing a host, the demon gains 5% of the host's XP as Bond.
- Masters may draw Bond from Subjugated Minions once per day at any range, up to 10% of each minion's current Bond (S334's Bond section and S333). S334's minion section gives 20%; see Masters and minions below.
- Kills (S333): killing a sapient or sentient creature and absorbing Bond from it within 2 minutes (letting its soul go free) gives 1 Bond per 100 XP of the creature, to each demon within 1 space of the corpse. Plants and other non-sapient living things give 0 Bond.
- Killing a demon (S333): 20% of its Host's Bond, if absorbed within 2 minutes, to each demon within 1 space of the corpse.
Spending and losing Bond¶
- Spellcasting Drain: 1 Bond lost in place of 1 Stamina.
- Decay: 1 Bond per 50 XP per day per form. S333 applies this only while out of range of the demon's Mortiquery.
- Healing and regeneration (S333):
| Restored | Away from Mortiquery | In range of Mortiquery |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 1 Bond per 3 Health | 1 Bond per 5 Health |
| Stamina | 2 Bond per Stamina | 1 Bond per Stamina |
| Injury | 3 Bond per Injury | 2 Bond per Injury |
- Host Capacity: 1 Bond per +1 Host Capacity.
- Metamorphosis into a derivative form: Bond cost = form cost (S333's Bond section). S333's Metamorphosis section gives the cost as 50% of max Bond and 20% of Essence.
Bond at zero¶
"If Bond in a particular form reaches 0, the Demonic Spirit is exorcised from that form" (S334). In S333: "If Bond reaches 0, the Demon's essence is banished to the Abyss."
Mortiquery¶
A Mortiquery (Dae'Morticus) "is a collection of spirits or organic remnants bound to the demon. It acts as a reservoir of Bond that the demon can draw from. While it may be stored within a single relic, most Mortiqueries are gruesome assortments of flesh, bone, and soul fragments harvested from victims" (S334). S333 makes it "a single organic object, … often surrounded by a collection of other organic material from its victims." What a Mortiquery is in the world is on Demons.
A demon's own Mortiquery¶
- Creating one requires the Facet Mortiquery (S333 places it at Horned 1; the Facets draft S330 lists it under Winged at levels 2 and 4).
- Soul Power measures its strength. Each soul added gives Mortal XP ÷ 50 Soul Power. Only sentient souls bound to deities work; other souls (sapient creatures such as animals) give immediate Bond but cannot be added.
- The trapped souls give "effectively … infinite Bond (Soul Power daily)". They are slowly consumed, but even drawn daily this takes years, and drawn slowly "hundreds or even thousands of years". The souls are bound to the demon and to the object, and their ownership cannot be transferred.
- A demon can draw Bond from a Mortiquery in range once per day, up to its total Soul Power. A demon with several Mortiqueries may draw from only one per day; having several requires a Facet.
Another demon's Mortiquery¶
- A demon senses another demon's Mortiquery within 1 space of it.
- In its physical presence, a demon may draw Bond from it (up to Soul Power per day). The owner is immediately aware, and neither the owner nor anyone else can draw from it until after the next day.
- Fully destroying another demon's Mortiquery requires Death (Souls) or Astral (Dispel) magic. Destruction releases a burst of immediate Bond (Soul Power) to all demons in the area, and the remaining spirits return to the afterlife.
Host death and the Mortiquery¶
The Mortiquery is the demon's respawn point. When a host is destroyed, the essence is drawn at 10 miles per hour to its nearest Mortiquery, suffering any essence loss on the way. The Mortiquery becomes its new host, an immobile one it can possess and repossess without contest. If enough organic material surrounds it, the spirit may split that material off and metamorphose it into an Amalgamated Form (S333).
Host¶
The Host (Base Form) is the physical vessel the demon has chosen to possess. Its nature limits the maximum size and class of derivative forms open to the demon and its maximum Host Capacity.
Host properties¶
- Racial stats: base and maximum Ability Scores, Movement, Resistances and so on. A host may unlock particular Expertises or Facets.
- Base Capacity (S334): the base amount of Essence the host's species can hold.
- Initial Capacity: the amount of Essence this host can initially hold. It differs from base because of the specific host's power or experience level (S334).
- Maximum Capacity: in S334, Base Capacity × the stratum multiplier (2× Minor, 3× Lesser, 5× Legion, 8× Greater, 13× Lord, 21× Monarch). In S333, 5× Initial Capacity, "before it falls apart"; derivative demonic forms have "usually around 20x Initial Host Capacity".
Host Capacity and exposure¶
Host Capacity is the Essence the host can safely contain. Holding more causes Exposure and Essence Decay, with further effects when the excess is large (S333):
| Essence held | State | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1×+ | Overflow | +1 Decay in this form. |
| 2×+ | Unstable Form | "It's like an adult riding a tricycle meant for a 2 year old." +3 Decay and −2 to all actions in this form. |
| 4×+ | Volatile Form | +5 Decay, 1 damage per hour ongoing, −4 to all actions. Signs of distress: signs of corruption and uncoordinated or shifting movement. |
| 10×+ | Untenable Form | +8 Decay, 1 damage per 5 minutes ongoing, 50% movement penalty, −8 to all actions. Obvious distress: bleeding from all orifices, obvious demonic corruption. |
Improving Host Capacity¶
Spend any amount of Bond during a Metamorphosis cycle (Long Rest): 1 Bond raises Host Capacity by 1. In S333 capacity is capped at 5× the base form's Host Capacity and exceeding it destroys the host; in S334 how far it can be improved depends on the essence's stratum. The host shows visible corruption, in addition to any mutations from Facets or Techniques, at Low (1× to 3×), Medium (3× to 4×) and High (4× to 5×) levels of improvement.
Mortal host corruption¶
For a mortal host, at each Host Capacity tier (1×+, 2×+, 3×+, 4×+) roll 1d8, rerolling duplicates. Effects progress and stack down the columns: a host at 2×+ that rolled 1 at 1×+ and 3 at 2×+ goes from red eyes to red, bestial eyes and black fangs (S333).
| d8 | Low (1×+ / 2×+) | Medium (3×+) | High (4×+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eye Color | Bestial Eyes | Glowing Eyes |
| 2 | Black Nails | Clawed | Spined limbs |
| 3 | Black Teeth | Fangs | Horns |
| 4 | Ridge along back | Spined back | Spiked Tail |
| 5 | Corrupted patches of skin | Scaled areas of skin | Black scaled |
| 6 | Black Blood/Veins | Oozing sores | Burning, Acidic blood |
| 7 | Black Bones | Warped body | Fiery Aura |
| 8 | Abnormal Shadows | Aura of Darkness | Extinguish Lights & Fires |
Derivative forms¶
The original form can be metamorphosed into a derivative demonic form with a higher Host Capacity than a mortal form, usually around 20× Initial Host Capacity. The hosts, their capacities and the forms they lead to are tabled on Demonic Forms.
Changing hosts¶
- Most commonly, the demon performs a possession from inside its current form. If it wins, it can split its essence and occupy both forms (if it has unlocked this), or abandon the old form and move its essence into the new one.
- It can abandon its form and become a demonic spirit, moving freely to find another mortal form. This is usually a last resort when the host has been captured or incapacitated, and is sometimes done by minions to give up a captured form to a master.
- A newly inhabited host remains exactly as it was (same Expertises, Facets and Techniques). Applying essence changes to it takes a Metamorphosis cycle.
- An abandoned host inhabited for more than 10 days dies in 2d6 Bouts: "the host's spirit is beyond repair at that point". One inhabited for less regains consciousness in a few hours at 10% health, and may take months to recover fully.
Metamorphosis Cycle¶
"Demons do not sleep — they transform" (S334). A Metamorphosis Cycle works like a Long Rest: the demon is incapacitated, and disturbing it cancels the benefits. During a cycle a demon may:
- upgrade Host Capacity (1 Bond = 1 max capacity);
- transition into a new derivative host form (S333: 50% of max Bond and 20% of Essence);
- apply Essence changes, spending XP on Facets, Techniques and Ability Scores;
- recover Health and remove Injuries (S333: 1 Bond = 3/5 Health).
Metamorphosis time = XP + Bond spent, in minutes (S333).
Demonic Aspects¶
Aspects "are channels of power expressing the demon's vice and magical nature" (S334) and one of the primary mechanisms of demonic progression (S333). Raising an Aspect through the Mortiquery unlocks Facets, Techniques and magical abilities. Each ranges from 0 to 5. Each Aspect is tied to a vice and to one of the Spheres of Magic.
| Aspect | Emotion / Vice | Sphere | Traits (S334) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbed | Pain | Chaos | Piercing attacks, stingers, poison. |
| Blade | Hatred | Energy | Slashing attacks, spines, weapon mastery. |
| Frost | Apathy | Elements | Cold, chains, crushing attacks. |
| Horned | Domination | Order | Charm, minion control, natural armor. |
| Infernal | Wrath | Matter | Fire, bestial strength and might. |
| Maw | Gluttony | Life | Acid, bites, cannibalism and vitality. |
| Night | Despair | Shadow | Deception, incorporeality, necrotic attacks. |
| Rot | Greed | Death | Disease, decay, undeath. |
| Winged | Pride | Astral | Flight, psychic command, inspiration. |
Suppression. Some forms restrict an Aspect: the demon still has it, but it is suppressed to the cap while the demon uses that form. "The Whale Shark form suppresses Winged Aspect to 0 and Infernal Aspect to 3. This means while possessing the Whale Shark, they will be unable to metamorphosize Facets which use any Winged Aspect or which use an Infernal Aspect above 3" (S333).
Improving Aspects. After possessing a host for 10 or more days, or bonding a creature's spirit to its Mortiquery, the demon gains +1 in each Aspect that creature possessed, but not above the creature's own value. A creature's Aspect can be skewed by how it died: "A creature who was tortured to death or who died from poisoned food may improve Barbed+1. A creature who was eaten while still alive might improve Maw+1. A creature who has seen all they love destroyed before death may improve Night+1, etc. This is one reason demons manipulate the death of their prey in different ways" (S333; the source writes "Max+1" for Maw+1).
Masters and minions¶
Hierarchies form when one demon defeats another in an Essence Contest and, instead of consuming it, "essentially re-write[s] it with themselves at its master" (S333). A demon may have only one master; a demon with a master that is subjugated by another gains the new master and loses the old. The relationship persists even if master or minion is banished to the Abyss.
Demonkin. Demons instinctively recognise others in their hierarchy (minion, master, the master's other minions, the master's master, and so on down any chain); the exact relationship can be confirmed through essence contact. Demons and demonspawn related by subjugation are called Demonkin (S334).
Having a master:
- A bonus in Essence Contests. S334: "Gain a 20% bonus to Essence Contests while your Master's Essence is 2× or more of yours." S333: between +20% and +50% of your Essence, +20% base, improvable by Facets the master takes.
- Benefits from mutations (Facets) the master chooses, active only while the master is not banished: Affinities, Ability Score maximums, Health, Resist, improved Host Capacity and the like.
- Indirectly: rewards of Essence or Bond from the master, and membership of an organization that protects the minion and can be a vehicle for growth.
Having minions:
| Power | S334 | S333 |
|---|---|---|
| Bond Drain | 20% of a minion's Bond once per day, any distance. | 10% of a minion's Bond once per day (1 Effort), any distance. |
| Essence Feed | Consume 20% of a minion's total Essence (1 Effort, once per Bout). Ends the bond. | The same, "at any time and at any distance on the same plane". |
| Command | Override a minion's actions (1 Effort to block or compel). | The same. |
| Awareness | Sense the direction of any bond you focus on. | Sense the direction of any minion you focus attention on. |
| Rescind Benefits | Remove granted powers without breaking the bond. | The same. |
| Limit | Total minions = 2 + (Essence ÷ 200), modifiable by Facets; the same handout also gives "limited by Essence ÷ 100". | Total minions = 2 + (Essence ÷ 200), modifiable by Facets. |
A master often uses minions as scouts, gatherers and guards (S333).
Demonic communication¶
Every demon instinctively understands two languages (S334). Each form has one of three speech categories:
| Category | Capability |
|---|---|
| Mute | Incapable of any communication except Telepathic Abyssal. |
| Guttural | Capable of only Maw-Speech and Telepathic Abyssal. |
| Vocal | Capable of any spoken language, including Maw-Speech and Telepathic Abyssal. |
Maw-Speech (hisses, grunts, rumbles and clicks) is capable only of rudimentary communication. "Demons don't 'discuss' in Maw-Speech; they command, threaten, or react." Its sentences are 1 to 3 words: [Subject or Command] – [Target] – [Emotion/Emphasis], as in "Go now.", "Kill man.", "Hunger now.", "Obey master."
Abyssal is mostly a written and telepathic language, though it can be spoken. For complex topics demons let their essences touch (masters may use essence telepathy at a distance). In Telepathic Abyssal, conversations take roughly a quarter of the time of spoken language and the demon senses emotions and transitory thoughts, which "makes it very difficult to lie to a demon (Disadvantage)".
Spirits, spawning and summoning¶
A demonic spirit crossing into the material world begins decaying almost at once and has a short time to find and possess a host (S333). The lore of crossings is on Spawning Rifts and Demonic Summoning; the rules points are:
- Spawning Rifts usually spawn minor demonic spirits, which often suffer complete essence decay before they can secure a host. More powerful spirits cross "usually at a high essence cost relative to the power of the demon", which is why powerful demons prefer to be summoned.
- Summoning portals are crafted for a particular demon and let its full essence pass. The summoner usually provides a host and possibly an initial sacrifice of spirits. Summonings are for a Pact (a symbiotic relationship with the spellcaster), a Contract (an exchange of services), or a Minion summoning its master.
- Most spirits that cross are minimum-sized (40 XP).
Differences between the drafts¶
| Point | S334 (2026-01-03, player primer) | S333 (2025-12-20, rules draft) |
|---|---|---|
| Bond cap | Host Essence ÷ 10 | Essence in the Host ÷ 5 |
| Master's draw on minion Bond | 10% (Bond section), 20% (minion section) | 10% |
| Bond reaches 0 | Spirit exorcised from that form | Essence banished to the Abyss |
| Minion limit | Essence ÷ 100, and 2 + Essence ÷ 200 | 2 + Essence ÷ 200 |
| Master's contest bonus | 20% while the master has 2× or more your Essence | +20% to +50% of your Essence |
| Maximum host capacity | Base Capacity × stratum multiplier | 5× Initial (mortal host); about 20× for derivative forms |
| Bond decay | Unqualified | Only out of range of the Mortiquery |
| Strata, speech | Present | Absent |
Sources¶
The page is built from S333 and S334. The worked example, the Mortiquery rules, the corruption table, Bond gains and costs, and spawning come only from S333; the entity table, the Stratum tiers and speech come only from S334.