D&D 5E Asmodeus in 5E Faerun

[Riley37]

5E PHB does not list Asmodeus under "Deities of the Forgotten Realms". Is this a ruling, an oversight, or something else?


Are there worshippers of Asmodeus? Are there actual clerics? Is he a patron of warlocks?


I'm writing out an NPC, owner of a restaurant, casino, pawnshop and brothel, who also dabbles as a fence and blackmailer; the wealthiest tiefling in the city, one who profits from the sins of his customers. Seems to me, if there's a cult of Asmodeus, he would be the local leader.

(He also has a child, and wants grandchildren. He wants to match his child with a tiefling who can cast Darkness as a racial ability; any tiefling who cannot, he sees as riff-raff; and one of the PCs, a CG Harper GOO Warlock, is the only local tiefling who meets that high standard.)


As I understand it, Asmodeus and Tiamat are usually at odds, correct? This makes him a possible ally against Cult of the Dragon... a lesser evil, by some margin.


Are Bane and Asmodeus always allied, always opposed or sometimes allied and sometimes opposed?

(I am also asking on Candlekeep.)

 

[Remathilis]

Asmodeus isn't a deity per se, but a powerful being that some think borders on godlike power. 4e went and made him a deity, but 5e rolled it back to that ambiguous state again. He has cults, but no organized churches.

 

[Queer Venger]

He definitely has followers, and like Shar, few visible temples/churches, primarily being worshipped in secret.

 

[gyor]

The PHB is not the complete 5e FR pantheon, already in the novels deities have been mentioned that aren't on that list.

 

[Irennan]

WotC pretty much spoilered Erin Evans' novels line by hinting that Asmodeus won't be a proper deity anymore (It is explictly said in the MM, AFAIK).

 

[pukunui]

In 4e, Asmodeus become a deity by absorbing the divinity of the god Azuth. I think that during the Sundering, this divinity was stripped from him so he's gone back to merely being the most powerful being in the Nine Hells. He's a perfect fit for a warlock patron. He may not be able to grant clerics spells anymore, though.

As for Tiamat, she resents Asmodeus for stripping her of the lordship of Avernus. One of her reasons for wanting to get into Faerûn may also be because Asmodeus wants to get rid of her once and for all (I think I read somewhere recently that Tiamat supposedly glimpsed this when reading the mind of Bel, the pit fiend who now rules Avernus; not sure if that's canon or just someone's supposition, though).

 

[Irennan]

In 4e, Asmodeus become a deity by absorbing the divinity of the god Azuth. I think that during the Sundering, this divinity was stripped from him so he's gone back to merely being the most powerful being in the Nine Hells. He's a perfect fit for a warlock patron. He may not be able to grant clerics spells anymore, though.

As for Tiamat, she resents Asmodeus for stripping her of the lordship of Avernus. One of her reasons for wanting to get into Faerûn may also be because Asmodeus wants to get rid of her once and for all (I think I read somewhere recently that Tiamat supposedly glimpsed this when reading the mind of Bel, the pit fiend who now rules Avernus; not sure if that's canon or just someone's supposition, though).

''[...]When she did so, she came under Bel’s compulsion, and through their hostile meeting of minds saw that Asmodeus had forewarned and prepared Bel to deal with her, so as to establish firm control over her—imprisoning her in her kingdom in Avernus, so that she “doesn’t get above herself” and kindle personal ambitions.
Tiamat was enraged anew, though she hid her ire from both Bel and Asmodeus, and now believes that all the archdevils of the Nine Hells see her as a “lesser being,” a “mere monster” to be duped and exploited. Determined to be caged nowhere and by no one, she reaches out to her mortal worshippers in the Realms, and conceives of a way to manipulate them into bringing her—or at least an aspect of her—into Toril.[...]''

It comes from Ed Greenwood himself (here: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=7#464818), so --by his contract-- it is canon (unless WotC comes in and explicitly says ''no'').

 

[Parmandur]

Asmoseus is listed in the Dawn Ear example pantheon in the DMG, if you want some details on him and want to use him as a deity.

 

[Mephista]

There's absolutely no proof one way or another if Asmodeus is going to stay a god, or not. In 4e, he was considered one, but even then, he was never part of the human standard pantheon.

I'm personally leaning towards yes, still a god, but vastly reduced in importance. They're likely going to be doing the same thing with Asmodeus they did with the succubus. Are they devils or demons? Answer - make it so that its both. Why? 1) We've seen hints about ashmedai cultists in FR. 2) 5e prides itself on "the everyman edition." They're going to keep enough to play any edition, and keeping Asmodeus as a god allows people that like him to continue using him, but doesn't hurt anyone that doesn't want to use him. 3) Asmodeus has had the option of being treated as a god in any number of source materials.

 

[Alzrius]

so --by his contract-- it is canon

Can you expound on this? What is this "contract" you speak of, and how exactly does it give Ed the ability to declare what is and isn't "canon" short of WotC's say-so?