Mammon (Dungeons & Dragons)
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
roleplaying game, Mammon is an Arch-Devil of Hell (Baator
in later editions of the game), also known as the "Lord of Avarice." His symbol is a pair of red scaled hands open and looming over a black gemstone, or gold medallions emblazoned with the image of a snake-bodied devil.
Mammon is the lord of Minauros, the Third Plane of Hell, and he was able to retain this position after the Reckoning of Hell
. In keeping with the traditional use of the name in literature, he is portrayed as a personification of greed and lust. He also has a well-earned reputation for duplicity. His followers can be found among both humanoid and monstrous species.
's article "From the Sorcerer's Scroll: New Denizens of Devildom," in Dragon
#75 (TSR, 1983). He also appeared in the original Monster Manual II (1983). Mammon's realm was further detailed in Ed Greenwood
's article "The Nine Hells Part I" in Dragon
#75 (1983).
In the 2nd edition of the game, during a period when TSR's management didn't allow their authors to use the names of historical demon
s, he was replaced by "Viscount Minauros," a man-snake hybrid with powers over disease. In A Paladin in Hell by Monte Cook
, it was explained that "Viscount Minauros" and Mammon were one and the same, and it was revealed that he had changed his shape to show he had become a "new devil" after the failed rebellion in Hell that Chris Pramas
dubbed "the Reckoning" in Guide to Hell.
In third edition, Mammon appeared along with the other lords of the Nine Hells in the Book of Vile Darkness
(2002). Mammon was further detailed in the Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells
(2006).
The 4th edition Monster Manual mentions that Mammon is still the lord of Minauros.
, Asmodeus transformed Mammon into a massive serpent with a humanoid upper body and two arms, and a monstrous head with a fanged mouth. It is not known whether the transformation was a reward or a punishment. He retains this appearance in the third edition sourcebooks Book of Vile Darkness
and Fiendish Codex II
.
Mammon occasionally takes on his earlier form when out hunting.
, Mammon was allied with Mephistopheles
and Dispater
. As soon as the rebellion was over, however, he was quick to betray his erstwhile allies in order to save his own skin, and no archdevil trusts him now.
Some rumors have it that since her ascension to greater power, Glasya has rekindled her affair with her former lover Mammon. Others say that Glasya despises Mammon for failing to fight for her; both rumors could easily be true.
The Plane Above, a Fourth Edition supplement, states that Mammon has sired a daughter named Baelzra by Sagirsa, a corpulent assassin devil that serves as the Queen of Jangling Hiter.
Mammon's army, known as the Gleaming Guard, is made up mostly of bone devils and barbed devils, commanded by the insectoid ice devils. Much of their armor has been stolen from angels and corrupted to diabolic purposes.
Mammon is indirect and venomous. Mammon is known for speaking in riddles, never coming straight to the point even when giving orders. His servants emulate this behavior.
s, illithid
s, and dragons
.
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...
roleplaying game, Mammon is an Arch-Devil of Hell (Baator
Baator
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Baator, also known as the Nine Hells of Baator or the Nine Hells, is a lawful evil-aligned plane of existence...
in later editions of the game), also known as the "Lord of Avarice." His symbol is a pair of red scaled hands open and looming over a black gemstone, or gold medallions emblazoned with the image of a snake-bodied devil.
Mammon is the lord of Minauros, the Third Plane of Hell, and he was able to retain this position after the Reckoning of Hell
Reckoning of Hell
In the cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the Reckoning of Hell was a civil war that shaped the political landscape of the Nine Hells into its current form...
. In keeping with the traditional use of the name in literature, he is portrayed as a personification of greed and lust. He also has a well-earned reputation for duplicity. His followers can be found among both humanoid and monstrous species.
Publishing history
Mammon was first detailed in Gary GygaxGary 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....
's article "From the Sorcerer's Scroll: New Denizens of Devildom," in Dragon
Dragon (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...
#75 (TSR, 1983). He also appeared in the original Monster Manual II (1983). Mammon's realm was further detailed in Ed Greenwood
Ed Greenwood
Ed 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 "The Nine Hells Part I" in Dragon
Dragon (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...
#75 (1983).
In the 2nd edition of the game, during a period when TSR's management didn't allow their authors to use the names of historical demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s, he was replaced by "Viscount Minauros," a man-snake hybrid with powers over disease. In A Paladin in Hell by Monte Cook
Monte Cook
Monte Cook is a professional table-top role-playing game designer and writer. He is married to Sue Weinlein Cook.-Roleplaying:Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, working primarily on role-playing games. Much of his early work was for Iron Crown Enterprises as an editor and writer...
, it was explained that "Viscount Minauros" and Mammon were one and the same, and it was revealed that he had changed his shape to show he had become a "new devil" after the failed rebellion in Hell that Chris Pramas
Chris Pramas
-Career:His works for Dungeons & Dragons include: Slavers , Guide to Hell , Apocalypse Stone , Vortex of Madness , as well as some work on the third edition Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide .He has also done work for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.He quit Wizards of the Coast in 2000 to...
dubbed "the Reckoning" in Guide to Hell.
In third edition, Mammon appeared along with the other lords of the Nine Hells in the Book of Vile Darkness
Book of Vile Darkness
Book of Vile Darkness is an optional supplemental sourcebook for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The book was written by Monte Cook and published by Wizards of the Coast in October 2002. Described as a "detailed look at the nature of evil," it was the first Dungeons &...
(2002). Mammon was further detailed in the Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells
Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells
Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells is an optional supplemental source book for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Contents:...
(2006).
The 4th edition Monster Manual mentions that Mammon is still the lord of Minauros.
Description
Mammon was described in the first edition AD&D sourcebook Monster Manual II as a 12 feet (3.7 m) devil with red-gold scaled skin, and wings that "gleam like rubies". Though his form was bloated and soft-looking, he is very strong. Following the Reckoning of HellReckoning of Hell
In the cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the Reckoning of Hell was a civil war that shaped the political landscape of the Nine Hells into its current form...
, Asmodeus transformed Mammon into a massive serpent with a humanoid upper body and two arms, and a monstrous head with a fanged mouth. It is not known whether the transformation was a reward or a punishment. He retains this appearance in the third edition sourcebooks Book of Vile Darkness
Book of Vile Darkness
Book of Vile Darkness is an optional supplemental sourcebook for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The book was written by Monte Cook and published by Wizards of the Coast in October 2002. Described as a "detailed look at the nature of evil," it was the first Dungeons &...
and Fiendish Codex II
Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells
Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells is an optional supplemental source book for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Contents:...
.
Mammon occasionally takes on his earlier form when out hunting.
Relationships
Before the ReckoningReckoning of Hell
In the cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the Reckoning of Hell was a civil war that shaped the political landscape of the Nine Hells into its current form...
, Mammon was allied with Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Mephistopheles is an Arch-Devil of Hell , also known as the "Lord of No Mercy" and the "Cold Lord"....
and Dispater
Dispater (Dungeons & Dragons)
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Dispater is an Arch-Devil of Hell , and the Lord of the Iron City of Dis....
. As soon as the rebellion was over, however, he was quick to betray his erstwhile allies in order to save his own skin, and no archdevil trusts him now.
Some rumors have it that since her ascension to greater power, Glasya has rekindled her affair with her former lover Mammon. Others say that Glasya despises Mammon for failing to fight for her; both rumors could easily be true.
The Plane Above, a Fourth Edition supplement, states that Mammon has sired a daughter named Baelzra by Sagirsa, a corpulent assassin devil that serves as the Queen of Jangling Hiter.
Vassals
The following beings are among the most notable subjects of Mammon. The forces at their disposal are listed, where appropriate:- BaelBael (Dungeons & Dragons)Bael is a powerful Duke of Hell in the service of Mammon, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Publication history:Bael was first detailed in Gary Gygax's article "From the Sorcerer's Scroll: New Denizens of Devildom," in Dragon #75...
- 66 companies of hamatula (MM2). - CaarcrinolaasCaarcrinolaasCaarcrinolaas is a Duke of Hell in the service of Mammon, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Publication history:Caarcrinolaas first appears in Ed Greenwood's article "The Nine Hells Part I" in Dragon #75 ....
- 36 companies of hamatula (DR75). - The Flametongue - Lord Mammon's unique hell houndsHell hound (Dungeons & Dragons)In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the hell hound is a hyena-like creature which can breathe fire and hunts in packs. It is classified as an outsider from the Nine Hells.-Publication history:...
. There are at least 30 of them. - FocalorFocalor (Dungeons & Dragons)Focalor is a Duke of Hell in the service of Mammon, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Publication history:Focalor first appears in Ed Greenwood's article "The Nine Hells Part I" in Dragon #75 ....
- Seneschal (DR75). - Glasya - Chief Consort (FCII, DR75). (marriage annulled following the Reckoning, later elevated to Archdevil in her own right)
- MelchonMelchonMelchon is a Duke of Hell in the service of Mammon, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Publication history:Melchon first appears in Ed Greenwood's article "The Nine Hells Part I" in Dragon #75 ....
- 18 companies of erinyes (DR75). - Morsch
- Zabvra the Witch-Queen Former clericCleric (Dungeons & Dragons)The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
/sorcererSorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)The sorcerer is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A sorcerer is weak in melee combat, but a master of arcane magic, the most generally powerful form of D&D magic. Sorcerers' magical ability is innate rather than studied...
of Lord HextorHextorIn the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and the default pantheon of deities for the third edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Hextor is the Oeridian god of war, discord, massacres, conflict, fitness, and tyranny....
who is now a desciple of Lord Mammon. She is the only mortal known to have won a position in Hell.
Mammon's army, known as the Gleaming Guard, is made up mostly of bone devils and barbed devils, commanded by the insectoid ice devils. Much of their armor has been stolen from angels and corrupted to diabolic purposes.
Former vassals
The following beings once served in Mammon's court:- Glasya - Daughter of AsmodeusAsmodeus (Dungeons & Dragons)In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Asmodeus is an Arch-Devil: a lord of the game's version of Hell . There he is the Overlord of the Dukes of Hell...
. Glasya was formerly Mammon's chief consort, but she left this position after the Reckoning of Hell. - Zimmimar - This pit fiend commanded six companies of bone devils before joining the Dark Eight.
Realm
Viscount Mammon rules Minauros, the third layer of Hell. His golden, jewel-encrusted palace in Minauros the Sinking City looks more like a tomb than a residence of the living. The city itself descends slowly into the muck of the realm, and perhaps will be gone in a few eons despite the devils' attempts at shoring it up; it is in turn based on the ruins of its predecessor.Dogma
Mammon represents greed, lust, and ambition. He is two-faced, vindictive, and arrogant, always looking for imagined insults. Mammon's servants wage economic warfare on good, prosperous nations in an attempt to collapse their economies, hoping that in their desperation the newly impoverished souls will turn to Mammon for salvation.Mammon is indirect and venomous. Mammon is known for speaking in riddles, never coming straight to the point even when giving orders. His servants emulate this behavior.
Worshipers
Mammon's followers can be found among both humanoid and monstrous species including beholderBeholder
The beholder is a fictional monster in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It resembles a floating orb of flesh with a large mouth, single central eye, and lots of smaller eyestalks on top with deadly magical powers....
s, illithid
Illithid
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, illithids are monstrous humanoid aberrations with psionic powers. In a typical Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, they live in the moist caverns and cities of the enormous Underdark...
s, and dragons
Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , dragons are an iconic type of monstrous creature used as adversaries or, less commonly, allies of player characters...
.
Clergy
Mammon's clerics are known as covetors. They wear copious amounts of gold jewelry and red robes trimmed with gold. Most have grown very wealthy through their evil schemes. They favor the short spear.Temples
Temples to Mammon display vast wealth and audacious treasures, although they have similarly audacious traps and guards with which to defend them. Most of them tower over the landscape. Dripping with gold and jewels, his temples are themselves treasures that function as fortresses. Even the altars and sacrificial knives are encrusted with gold and gems.Additional reading
- Richard BakerRichard Baker (game designer)Richard Baker is an American author and a game designer who has worked on many Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings.-Early life, education, and military:...
, Rob Heinsoo, and James WyattJames Wyatt (game designer)James Wyatt is a game designer and a former United Methodist minister. He works for Wizards of the Coast, where he has designed several award-winning supplements and adventures for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game...
. Manual of the Planes. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2008. - Larme, John. Dangerous Games? Censorship and "Child Protection" http://www.members.tripod.com/anthonylarme/gc/gamesthesis.pdf (2000).
- McComb, Colin. Faces of Evil: The Fiends (Wizards of the CoastWizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, 1997)- McComb, Colin. "The Lords of the Nine." 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...
#223 (TSR 1995)
- McComb, Colin. "The Lords of the Nine." Dragon