Balor (Dungeons & Dragons)
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
roleplaying game, a balor is one of the most powerful types of tanar'ri demons
. Of all the inhabitants of the Abyss, balors are second in power only to the demon lord
s, klurichirs, and myrmyxicus. In first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, balors were known as "type VI demons."
of Irish mythology
, actually being based on the balrogs of The Lord of the Rings
, and some of its derivation can be seen in its physical description, with its wings, fiery aura, sword and flaming whip.
In the original Dungeons & Dragons pamphlets, this breed of demon was known as "balrog", but the name was revised in subsequent supplements to simply "type VI demon" so as not to infringe on J. R. R. Tolkien
's copyright. In second edition AD&D, the name "type VI demon" was revised to "balor," taking the name of the greatest individual of their rank as the name for the entire breed. Also in second edition, balors now had vorpal swords.
Gary Gygax
, in his Gord the Rogue
novels, has alternately called them raloogs or conflagranti.
supplement (1976).
, given as: Errtu, Ndulu, Ter-Soth, Alzoll, and Wendonai, with Balor itself being the greatest and most powerful of them all.
set, in the DM's Guide to Immortals (1986). The roaring lesser fiend appeared in the Wrath of the Immortals set, in "Book One: Codex of the Immortals" (1992).
The balor true tanar'ri also appeared for the Planescape
campaign setting
in the first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994). Balors were most often no longer given individual names in print, usually referred to simply as "a balor demon" or similar, and their numbers were increased drastically, from only six in existence to perhaps hundreds of thousands or more, as the plane they inhabited, the Abyss, was said to be composed of an infinite number of infinite layers (or alternately, 666 infinite layers) and the numbers of tanar'ri were likewise said to be infinite. Balors were no longer ranked just below the Demon (now Tanar'ri) Lords and Princes, and several other types of non-unique tanar'ri were introduced above them, such as the molydeus.
: Underdark set #41 (2005).
It also appeared in the Legendary Evils set.
.
In the 2nd edition Monstrous Manual, balors are the most powerful tanar'ri. They exist solely to wage the Blood War
, and roam the Abyss, forming legions to command in battle. They have huge wings, claws, venomous fangs, and are frequently surrounded by flame. They wield a many-tailed whip and a greatsword that resembles a bolt of lightning. In the game's second edition, at least 24 balors are known to exist.
In third edition version of the Monster Manual
, balors are 12 feet (3.7 m) humanoids with bat wings, bull horns, clawed hands, and a mane. Their dark red skin is bathed in flame. They wield a vorpal sword in one hand and a flaming whip in the other. They are generals of demonic armies. They answer only to Demon lords and kluritchirs.
Other balors:
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
roleplaying game, a balor is one of the most powerful types of tanar'ri demons
Demon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, demons are the most widespread race of fiends. The demons are chaotic evil by nature, and are native to the Abyss...
. Of all the inhabitants of the Abyss, balors are second in power only to the demon lord
Demon lord (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, demon lords are demons who have gained great power and established a position of preeminence among demonkind. Each demon lord has a unique appearance and set of abilities. Most control at least one layer of the Abyss...
s, klurichirs, and myrmyxicus. In first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, balors were known as "type VI demons."
Publication history
The balors found in Dungeons & Dragons have little relation to the mythical BalorBalor
In Irish mythology, Balor of the Evil Eye was a king of the Fomorians, a race of giants. His father was Buarainech and his wife was Cethlenn...
of Irish mythology
Irish mythology
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
, actually being based on the balrogs of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
, and some of its derivation can be seen in its physical description, with its wings, fiery aura, sword and flaming whip.
In the original Dungeons & Dragons pamphlets, this breed of demon was known as "balrog", but the name was revised in subsequent supplements to simply "type VI demon" so as not to infringe on J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's copyright. In second edition AD&D, the name "type VI demon" was revised to "balor," taking the name of the greatest individual of their rank as the name for the entire breed. Also in second edition, balors now had vorpal swords.
Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
, in his Gord the Rogue
Gord the Rogue
Gord the Rogue is the protagonist in a series of fantasy novels and short stories written by Gary Gygax. Gygax originally wrote the novels and short stories to promote his World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. After he left TSR, Gygax continued to write...
novels, has alternately called them raloogs or conflagranti.
Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)
The type VI demon appeared under the demon entry in the Eldritch WizardryEldritch Wizardry
Eldritch Wizardry is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, written for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which included a number of significant additions to the core game.-Contents:...
supplement (1976).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The type VI demon (Balor, etc.) appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977). In this incarnation of the game there were only six Type VI Demons in existence across all of the planes of the multiverse, and they were ranked in power below only the Demon Lords and Princes of the Abyss, who were each unique in both name and form. Each Type VI Demon had its own individual name as an indication of their importance and power, as lesser demons (Types I - III and lower) had only a species name, and not individual appellations. Their names were listed in an appendix of the Dungeon Master's GuideDungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
, given as: Errtu, Ndulu, Ter-Soth, Alzoll, and Wendonai, with Balor itself being the greatest and most powerful of them all.
Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the type VI demon, which is known as the roaring demon, first appearing in the Immortal RulesDungeons & Dragons Immortals Rules
Dungeons & Dragons Immortals Rules is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1986 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-Publication history:...
set, in the DM's Guide to Immortals (1986). The roaring lesser fiend appeared in the Wrath of the Immortals set, in "Book One: Codex of the Immortals" (1992).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
In this edition, demons were reintroduced in the Outer Planes Appendix of the Monster Compendium, relabeled as tanar'ri, and the Type I through VI designations were dropped in favor of a species name for each type. This creature officially became known as the balor, a "true tanar'ri", taking the name of the most powerful of the Type VI Demons as the species name for the entire breed and removing much of their individuality. (1991), and then reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).The balor true tanar'ri also appeared for the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
in the first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994). Balors were most often no longer given individual names in print, usually referred to simply as "a balor demon" or similar, and their numbers were increased drastically, from only six in existence to perhaps hundreds of thousands or more, as the plane they inhabited, the Abyss, was said to be composed of an infinite number of infinite layers (or alternately, 666 infinite layers) and the numbers of tanar'ri were likewise said to be infinite. Balors were no longer ranked just below the Demon (now Tanar'ri) Lords and Princes, and several other types of non-unique tanar'ri were introduced above them, such as the molydeus.
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
The balor appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000); In this edition, the name demon is resumed, with tanar'ri now being considered a subtype of related demons. The tanar-ri were now said to have been created by another, older subtype of demon, the obyrith, and any native inhabitant of the Abyss is referred to as a demon. The relative power level of the balor remains the same as previously in 2nd Edition, but now allowance is made for varying power levels within the balor type, with increased size and hit dice possible, and even the possibility of a balor having character class levels (such as levels of Fighter or Sorcerer added on top of the native power of a balor itself.) Balors are once again routinely given individual names in print in many instances (such as Errtu and Wendonai once again making appearances,) and much of their individuality is restored, with class levels and varying hit dice being listed for individual balors (such as the aforementioned Wendonai, who is given game statistics including class levels, and even a prestige class.)Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
The balor appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
The balor appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), again under the demon entry.Miniatures
The balor appeared in the D&D MiniaturesDungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game
The Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game is a collectible miniatures game played with pre-painted, plastic miniature figures based on characters and monsters from the Dungeons & Dragons game. The figures are 30mm in scale...
: Underdark set #41 (2005).
It also appeared in the Legendary Evils set.
Environment
Within the game world, balors are native to the AbyssAbyss (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the Abyss or more fully, the Infinite Layers of the Abyss, is a chaotic evil-aligned plane of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Planes that form part of the standard Dungeons & Dragons cosmology, used in the Planescape...
.
Typical physical characteristics
In the original Monster Manual, balors are 12 feet (3.7 m), winged humanoids with horns and demonic features. They prefer to wield swords and many-tailed whips. They are able to create flames around themselves and shed darkness at will. They possess a strong charisma that attracts other chaotic evil creatures. They tend towards organized evil. Six balors are known to exist, in the game's first edition.In the 2nd edition Monstrous Manual, balors are the most powerful tanar'ri. They exist solely to wage the Blood War
Blood War
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the Blood War is an eternal conflict between the fiends of the Lower planes. The Tanar'ri are the demonic forces of the Abyss, an evil plane of chaos. Representing the equally evil but lawful realm of Baator are the Baatezu, the dominant caste of...
, and roam the Abyss, forming legions to command in battle. They have huge wings, claws, venomous fangs, and are frequently surrounded by flame. They wield a many-tailed whip and a greatsword that resembles a bolt of lightning. In the game's second edition, at least 24 balors are known to exist.
In third edition version of the Monster Manual
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
, balors are 12 feet (3.7 m) humanoids with bat wings, bull horns, clawed hands, and a mane. Their dark red skin is bathed in flame. They wield a vorpal sword in one hand and a flaming whip in the other. They are generals of demonic armies. They answer only to Demon lords and kluritchirs.
Society
Balors are among the most powerful demons of the abyss, surpassed only by the demon lords. In the 3rd Edition Fiend Folio, two types of Tanar'ri, kluritchirs and myrmyxicus, are more powerful than balors. There are exceptional lesser demons that may surpass a balor, but few possess more potential.Known balors
The six original chief balors were as follows:- Alzoll
- Balor - thought to be the original (and certainly the greatest) Balor. Balor appears in H4 - The Throne of BloodstoneThe Throne of BloodstoneH4 - The Throne of Bloodstone is an Official Game Adventure or "module" for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.-Plot summary:In The Throne of Bloodstone, the player characters take a trip to the Abyss to steal the wand of the demon prince Orcus....
in the palace of Demogorgon. - ErrtuErrtuErrtu is a balor, a true tanar'ri in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, chiefly in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Errtu was featured as a villain of the first book in the Icewind Dale trilogy, The Crystal Shard by R. A...
- Ndulu - first appeared in Ed GreenwoodEd GreenwoodEd Greenwood is a Canadian writer and editor who created the Forgotten Realms. He invented the Forgotten Realms as a child, as a fantasy world in which to set the stories he imagined, and later used this world as a campaign setting for his own personal Dungeons & Dragons playing group...
's article about swords in DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine #91 (reprinted in AD&D supplement FR4 - The Magister). Ndulu is also mentioned in Sea of Fallen Stars and Champions of RuinChampions of RuinChampions of Ruin is a hardcover accessory for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Champions of Ruin is an expansion to detail the role of evil in the Forgotten Realms setting.-Publication history:...
. - Ter-Soth - featured in AD&D module H4 - The Throne of BloodstoneThe Throne of BloodstoneH4 - The Throne of Bloodstone is an Official Game Adventure or "module" for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.-Plot summary:In The Throne of Bloodstone, the player characters take a trip to the Abyss to steal the wand of the demon prince Orcus....
, page 47. - Wendonai - detailed in Lost Empires of Faerun, pages 54–55. He is a former favorite of the drow goddess LolthLolthLolth is a fictional goddess in the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Lolth , the Demon Queen of Spiders, is the chief goddess of drow elves...
and specializes in the art of corruption. He was instrumental in the fall of the drow.
Other balors:
- Belial - a Balor summoned in Chapter Two of Neverwinter NightsNeverwinter NightsNeverwinter Nights , produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames , is a third-person perspective computer role-playing game that is based on third edition Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms rules. It was originally to be published by Interplay Entertainment, but the publisher's financial...
in the "Village of Eternal Night" quest. He was responsible for the slaughter of the children of Charwood alongside Karlat Jhareg. Entitled "Lord of Fire" and 'Prince of Demons".
External links
- Known Balors at the d20 NPC Wiki