魔鬼大公(Archdevil)
魔鬼大公是地狱中最强大和可怕的魔鬼,他们是守序和邪恶之力的强大子嗣,狡诈而久经世故的半神强者,每一位魔鬼大公都统治着八重地狱中的一层。每一个魔鬼大公都是一个独一无二的存在,都在宇宙的腐败和痛苦之链中扮演着一个特定角色。第一位魔鬼大公崛起于他们的君主阿斯摩蒂尔斯(Asmodeus)将地狱划为自己的王国后不久。阿斯摩蒂尔斯也曾引领过其他魔鬼大公的诞生,有时他会直接创造他们,就像他对贝利亚(Belial)和墨菲斯托菲勒斯(Mephistopheles)所做的一样。其他一些魔鬼大公则是在天堂叛乱之时宣誓效忠于阿斯摩蒂尔斯的一些更古老的存在,比如巴尔泽布(Baalzebul)和迪斯帕特(Dispater)。阿斯摩蒂尔斯据知甚至曾在额外需要一些忠诚的总督的时候将魔鬼以外的生物转化为魔鬼大公,比如巴尔巴托斯(Barbatos)和格殷永(Geryon)。
在真正的魔鬼大公阶级之下的地狱公爵(infernal dukes)。这些地狱贵族的潜在力量并不弱于某些魔鬼大公,但却没有统治一层地狱的权力,所以他们终究不能和一位魔鬼大公相提并论。一位地狱公爵可以通过很多方式来提升自己的权力:获得职业等级、提升生命骰、获得神话等级、举行一场邪恶仪式、拉拢一大群足够忠诚的追随者、或者在很稀有的情形下,接受他们领主的委托。然而,除非阿斯摩蒂尔斯将一层地狱封赏给一位地狱公爵(来继任一位死亡或被贬斥为公爵的魔鬼大公),不然魔鬼是不能自封为魔鬼大公的。应该指出的是,作为守序之力的子嗣,地狱公爵和魔鬼大公虽然会通过诉诸诡计和阴谋来巩固自己的资源和声誉,但他们都忠于阿斯摩蒂尔斯和地狱。那些不忠者必定会很快被揭露为叛徒,并因此受到黑暗王子的惩罚。地狱里可以有任何数量的地狱公爵,但正如阿斯摩蒂尔斯自己所统治着的巴托九狱一般,任何时候都只会有八个魔鬼大公存在。
一位魔鬼大公可以被通神术或异界探知联系到,并可以通过一个异界之门法术来召唤。但当被这么呼唤时,一位魔鬼大公并不会被迫穿过异界之门。通常来说,若想要一位魔鬼大公屈尊回应一道异界之门法术,将需要一场巨大的献祭或牺牲。
The greatest and most terrible of devils are the archdevils of Hell, powerful scions of law and evil, subtle and sophisticated demigods who each rule one of the eight vast planes of torment that form the layers of Hell. Each archdevil is a unique creature, and each fits into a specific role in the cosmic chain of corruption and oppression that devils use to bind the cosmos to their will. The first archdevils rose to power soon after their lord Asmodeus claimed Hell as his realm. Asmodeus has guided the rise of other archdevils, sometimes directly creating them as he did Belial and Mephistopheles. Others are older beings who pledged their allegiance to Asmodeus during heavenly rebellions, like Baalzebul and Dispater. Asmodeus has even been known, when in need of additional loyal viceroys, to grant archdevildom to creatures outside the diabolic race, as in the case of ascended mysteries like Barbatos and Geryon.
Below the ranks of true archdevils are Hell’s infernal dukes. These infernal nobles have the potential for power equal to some of the archdevils, but without a layer of Hell under their rule, they cannot truly be counted the equal of an archdevil. An infernal duke can rise in power by gaining class levels, advancing in Hit Dice, gaining mythic ranks, undertaking a vile ritual, amassing a sufficiently large and devoted following, or, rarely, at the leave of their blasphemous lords. However, until Asmodeus sees fit to award an infernal duke its own layer of Hell (to replace a fallen archdevil or one being punished via demotion to infernal duke), such a devil is not itself an archdevil. It should be noted that as scions of law, infernal dukes and archdevils remain loyal to Asmodeus and Hell, though they might resort to trickery and subterfuge to bolster their own resources and reputations. Those who are not loyal are quickly and inevitably revealed as traitors and punished accordingly by the Prince of Darkness. There can be any number of infernal dukes in Hell, but as Asmodeus himself rules the ninth layer of Hell, only eight archdevils can exist at any one time.
An archdevil can be contacted via commune or contact other plane, and can be conjured via a gate spell, but when so called, an archdevil is under no compulsion to come through the gate. Typically, an archdevil requires an enormous and significant offering or sacrifice before it deigns to answer a gate spell.
地狱诸层(The Layers of Hell)
每一个魔鬼大公都统治着地狱的前八层之一,而地狱公爵管理着其中的封地。这些地狱层面都广阔无垠,由成百上千的较小子域构成,这些子域可能大到像一座大陆,也可能小到像一座陌生而隐秘的城市。每一层的环境、主题和特征都和魔鬼大公本身一样独特,并且可以根据其领主的心绪和意图而转换和改变。然而,一个魔鬼大公并不能完全控制自己的领土,强大的冒险家可以渗透到一层地狱中,并在不激起其领主大公的愤怒的情况下完成各种目标——如果他们小心的话。
一位魔鬼大公在其王国中将获得以下的额外能力(以下几页中给出的数据不包括这些能力):
●神话:一位魔鬼大公被视为一个10级的神话生物(神话冒险 176),包括拥有神话之力能力(10/天,激增+1d12)。他能使用神话之力的使用次数来使用任何拥有“M”上标的类法术能力的神话版本,如同此能力是一个神话法术。
●随意使用下列的类法术能力——短讯暗示、感知位置、鬼斧神工、强效造物术、和变形万物(当对本地的物体或生物使用时,变形的持续时间因子增加6)。
●每天能使用一次以下类法术能力:束缚大法和神迹术(限于操纵国度的物理效果,或与魔鬼大公关注的地区有关的效果)。
●强化认知(Ex):一位魔鬼大公在察言观色和先攻检定上获得+10的洞察加值。
Each archdevil rules one of the eight upper layers of Hell, with infernal dukes ruling fiefdoms within it. These layers are immense in size and composed of hundreds or even thousands of smaller subdomains, each of which may be the size of a continent or as small as a strange and secret city. The environments, themes, and traits of each layer are as unique as the archdevils themselves and can shift and change in response to the mood and intention of its archdevil master. An archdevil does not exert total control over its realm, though, and powerful adventurers can infiltrate a layer and accomplish various goals without arousing the anger of its archdevil overlord—if they are careful.
An archdevil gains the following additional powers while in its realm (the statistics presented on the following pages do not include these abilities):
●Mythic: An archdevil functions as a 10th-rank mythic creature (Pathfinder RPG Mythic Adventures 176), including having the mythic power ability (10/day, surge +1d12). It can expend uses of mythic power to use the mythic versions of any spell-like ability denoted with a superscript “M,” as if the ability were a mythic spell.
●Use of the following spell-like abilities at will—demand, discern location, fabricate, major creation, and polymorph any object (when used on objects or creatures that are native to the realm, the polymorph duration factor increases by 6).
●Use of the following spell-like abilities once per day: binding and miracle (limited to physical effects that manipulate the realm or to effects that are relevant to the archdevil’s area of concern).
●Heightened Awareness (Ex): An archdevil gains a +10 insight bonus on Sense Motive checks and Initiative checks.
战役中的魔鬼大公(Archdevils In a Campaign)
每一个魔鬼大公都是一个独特的生物,挑战等级从26到30不等。他们的挑战等级对他们在地狱阶级中的地位和影响没有用。在原始的力量、巧妙的偶发事件、和大量的仆人之间,这些阿斯摩蒂尔斯的副手们在邪恶和毁灭上都有着相似的潜力。在任何情况下,大多数的人类英雄通常都不会接触到魔鬼大公,在没有仔细考虑的情况下,他们不应该被置于冒险之中。在大多数情况下,他们最好被用作一个漫长战役的终极敌人——特别是那些玩家就是神话人物的战役——甚至连见到魔鬼大公一面都应该是一个值得纪念的事件。
然而,虽然魔鬼大公超越了大多数英雄的正面交战能力,但他们却是完美的傀儡大师和幕后黑手,在一场战役中能激励和指挥所有等级的怪物、人类和整个邪教。制止一个将魔鬼大公释放到人间的邪恶仪式是一个经典套路,让玩家能和魔鬼大公在仪式被中断,大公被逐回地狱之前短暂的相遇。另外,英雄们可以努力摧毁一个魔鬼大公的资源,对他施加越来越严重的拖累,并收集有效的武器来对付他,从而让玩家面对一个挑战等级被削弱或承受负向等级(虽然他们通常免疫于负向等级)的魔鬼大公……直到魔鬼大公可以重建和恢复他的力量。
Each archdevil is a unique creature ranging in power from CR 26 to CR 30. Their CRs have no impact on their standing or influence in Hell’s hierarchy. Between raw power, ingenious contingencies, and legions of servants, Asmodeus’s deputies share roughly similar potential for nefariousness and ruin. In any case, archdevils are generally beyond the reach of most mortal heroes, and should not be placed in an adventure without careful consideration. In most cases, they are best used as the final enemies of a long campaign—especially campaigns in which the PCs themselves are mythic characters—and even getting an audience with one should be a memorable event.
Yet while archdevils are beyond the abilities of most heroes to combat directly, they are perfect puppet masters and masterminds, inspiring and directing monsters, mortals, and entire cults at every level of a campaign. Halting a sinister ritual to unleash an archdevil on the world is a classic capstone, allowing a brief encounter with the archdevil and its minions before the ritual is halted and the archdevil forced back to Hell. Alternatively, the heroes can work to destroy an archdevil’s resources, imposing increasing penalties on it and gathering potent weapons to use against it, allowing PCs to face the archdevil at a diminished CR or with negative levels (even though they are normally immune to negative levels) to represent its reduced power... until the archdevil can rebuild and recover its strength.