The Most Powerful Devils In DnD

Summary

• Devils in Dungeons & Dragons are ranked, with the topmost layer of Avernus being ruled by the higher lords or baatezu.
• The Barbazu, also known as Bearded Devils, are aggressive and often found on the front lines of Hell’s armies.
• Asmodeus, the ruler of the Nine Hells, is a schemer and strategist who holds sway over all of its denizens.

Devils were some of the most mysterious entities in Dungeons & Dragons until the publishing of Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes in 2018. Since then, we’ve received an entire adventure, Descent into Avernus, that explores the first layer of the deadly Nine Hells. Not to mention the 2025 Monster Manual.

In Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, the hierarchy of devil society is laid out quite clearly. Devils are ranked from one to thirteen, and their form normally corresponds to the devil’s status. However, the only devils that can claim rank thirteen are the lords of the nine hells themselves. These higher lords are also referred to as baatezu and are ranked from the topmost layer of Avernus all the way down to the bottom, where Asmodeus silently schemes in the deepest, darkest pits of Nessus.

Updated February 12, 2025, by Alfredo Robelo: Devils continue to be the best villains to insert in any Dungeons & Dragons adventure, either as a casual encounter or as the enemy behind it all. We’ve updated this article with new and updated entries from the 2025 Monster Manual so you can have all your devilish dreams come true.

15

The Barbazu

Also known as the Bearded Devil, the Barbazu are members of the baatezu, although they are considered to be the second-lowest rung of the devilish hierarchy. Their name comes from their long beards, which are tangles of biting, venomous snakes that are often infested with maggots and pass on disease and poison.

Even among other denizens of the Nine Hells, they are known for their belligerence, aggressive nature, and natural propensity towards violence. That’s why they’re often found on the front lines of Hells’ armies.

14

Erinyes

The erinyes (often known as furies) are the most lawful out of all the devils in the Nine Hells. When not summoned by an evil magic user or following the commands of an archdevil, the enriyes hunt for oathbreakers to drag them to hell, often hunting in packs of three.

The 2025 Monster Manual has the erinyes wield a powerful rope, one that restrains a target with ease and keeps it that way without much chance of a save. Either the target or its allies will need to cut the rope (its hit points and armor class are on the stat block) or risk being flown into the sky, or worse, being dragged to the Hells.

13

Ice Devil

If it seems odd that a devil can be related to ice, then you haven’t explored all of the Nine Hells. The fifth and eighth layers of the Hells are frigid wastelands where few can survive, and that is where the ice devils thrive; that is, when they aren’t on the Material Plane, pushing mortals to be alone and vulnerable.

Their ice powers can make them hard to fight and even harder to get away from since the 2025 Monster Manual gives their ice spears the ability to freeze opponents, preventing them from moving and acting on the same turn. They can also cast Wall of Ice, making up for the fact that they can’t fly and opening the way forward for their own minions.

12

Pit Fiends

If the Barbazu is near the bottom of the ladder when it comes to the power that demons command in the Nine Hells, then the Pit Fiend is the opposite. These beings have been cleansed in the Pit of Flame and have reached a level of despicable evil that few other creatures ever come to know or understand, and their reward is a place on the top of the hierarchy of devils.

Occasionally, a party will face a Pit Fiend, but these are beings of such power that a fight with one of them often comes with high stakes and might even mark the end or breaking point of a campaign. Pit Fiends are personal servants and bodyguards of the lords of the nine. Even if you defeat one, you’ll likely have to contend with its master soon afterward.

11

Empyrean

Right below the archdevils in power are the empyreans, mighty creatures with a challenge rating of 23 that can either be celestials or fiends. Since they are often the offspring of mighty gods, an empyrean devil can work as the ultimate challenge for your players, possibly representing their nemesis or an aspect of it.

The power of an empyrean makes them gain the titan moniker in the 2025 Monster Manual, being one of the deadliest monsters a party can face. While not the most powerful of devils, these creatures can still offer a challenge while being something a well-armed party could reasonably defeat.

10

Tiamat

A five-headed dragon with a whole D&D adventure dedicated to her, Tiamat is considered to be a devil even though she is also a dragon goddess. In fact, one of her many titles is Archdevil. Her alignment is Lawful Evil, and she stands in fierce opposition to her Lawful Good brother Bahamut, a metallic dragon.

Tiamat is one of the more fascinating devils, and her story carries an impressive amount of lore that’s connected to various locations and adventures in the D&D universe. She has several heads, one for each color that exists in the chromatic spectrum, including their matching draconic powers. The adventuring module, The Rise of Tiamat, is focused on a cult that is attempting to raise their dragon queen to the surface world.

9

Baalzebul

Despite the undeniable evil of the nine hells, even here one can find stories of redemption. Perhaps the most notorious such story is that of Baalzebul. The devil Baalzebul once ruled over two layers of the nine hells, both Malboge and Maladomini. Confident that he could seize control of all the nine hells, Baalzebul purposefully altered contractual documents as part of his plan to overthrow Asmodeus.

Unfortunately, the plan backfired due to the blood war, but Asmodeus allowed Baalzebul to retain his lordship over Maladomini under two conditions. First, he turns into a hideous slug for a year whenever he lies to a devil. Second, any deal made with him will inevitably end in disaster.

8

Glasya

Glasya is the daughter of Asmodeus. She took over the layer of Malboge after Baalzebul’s traitorous plot was exposed, but her lordship was not given to her as a reward. Rather, Asmodeus made his daughter the lord of Malboge as a punishment after she successfully swindled many a soul merchant out of their highly prized souls.

She did so in a move reminiscent of those made by daddy dearest: skirting the line of the law but never actually breaking it. In order to both reign in his daughter’s ambition and keep her occupied with busy work, Asmodeus promoted her.

7

Levistus

Despite being locked in an impervious glacier, Levistus continues to rule over the layer of Stygia. This was not always the case, though. Another devil named Geryon ruled the layer previously, but Levistus defeated him in battle before Asmodeus locked Levistus in his icy tomb. The reason behind this imprisonment is still unknown.

Stygia, like Cania, is a frozen wasteland, but an ocean roils beneath the ice here. In places, the water has broken free of the ice sheet, and giant glaciers float about. Levistus preys on those desperate souls who seek escape from punishment in the material plane such as prisoners, criminals, and other apprehended wrongdoers.

6

Beliel And Fierna

While the layers of the Nine Hells normally have but one lord, Beliel and Fierna rule over the flaming layer of Phlegethos together. Asmodeus makes this exception because he feels the two devils complement each other exquisitely.

Fierna’s charms are capable of manipulating the strongest of wills, while Belial is a master strategist who prepares contingencies for his contingency plans. The two are constantly at one another’s throats, fighting over the singular lordship of the realm. Neither of them has succeeded in besting the other.

5

Mammon

Mammon is the lord of Minauros. Here is where those Lawful Evil souls that never entered into a contract with any devil emerge from the River Styx. Mammon oversees the trading of these souls, and, as a result, may be the richest entity in all the planes. Hilariously enough, Mammon is a penny pincher in spite of his enormous wealth.

Typical of a greedy god, Mammon never spends more money on anything than what is necessary and refuses to enter into any deal until he’s certain he’ll make a considerable profit. Consequently, the swamps of Mammon are littered with derelict buildings built atop impossibly neglected structures.

4

Dispater

Dispater lords over the mines and smelting operations of Dis. The forges of Dis crank out all of the weapons, armor, and siege vehicles used to stem the tides of war against the abyssal demons. Just as well, Dispater is a renowned craftsman in his own right. He’s crafted for himself a suit of adamantine armor with features incomprehensible to most so-called “craftsmen”.

Dispater is also obsessed with secrets. He believes that by acquiring the secrets to the universe, he may one day rule all the cosmos. The lord of Dis trades lesser secrets to entice mortals into making deals for their souls. However, Dispater’s obsession with secrets has made him terribly paranoid.

3

Zariel

The former archangel Zariel is the most recent addition to the Nine Hells. Charged by her superiors in Mount Celestia to watch over the Blood War, Zariel eventually grew to wonder why the angels did not descend upon the hordes of demons and devils and destroy them all. She asked her superiors for permission to join the fray, but time and time again, they denied Zariel’s request.

Fed up, Zariel raised a small army of mortal followers and cut a swathe through the devils of the Nine Hells before finally being overwhelmed. Asmodeus commanded his bone devils to bring the angel to her. He allowed Zariel the time to recover, then installed her as the new warrior general of his legions and lord of Avernus.

2

Mephistopheles

If Asmodeus is the king of the nine hells, Mephistopheles is his master court wizard. Mephistopheles performs endless magical experiments in the frozen wastelands of his layer, Cania. Furthermore, Mephistopheles guards the layer against all intruders in order to prevent anyone from ever reaching the layer of Nessus below.

Obsessed with his research, Mephistopheles is only interested in the souls of the most powerful mages. When recruiting such souls, he binds them with foolproof contracts that prevent any measure of dissent by forcing the mages into an existence comprised entirely of solitude.

1

Asmodeus

Asmodeus may be the most powerful of devils, but it would be wrong to assume he flexes his power through the use of brute force. Asmodeus is a schemer and strategist, an orator who once convinced Primus, the absolute god of law, that an uncountable number of terrible crimes he committed ought to go unpunished for he had never breached any contract or broken any rule.

As ruler of the Nine Hells, all souls recruited by any who live here are by proxy dedicated to Asmodeus. The Nine Hells are truly Asmodeus’ to command, and he holds sway over all of its denizens.