Extremely clever, lucky ones that survive for millennia may even eventually become Demon Lords. Manes that survive for many years may be promoted to greater forms of demon. They have pale white skin, sharp teeth and claws, and maggots are reported to crawl through their flesh. The petitioners (souls of the dead who have been sent to the layer for the afterlife) of the Abyss are called manes, and they are the lowest caste of the Tanar'ri. Of the four categories, the Tanar'ri are the most numerous and most influential and the true rulers of the plane. and the other demons, which are simply demons that are not specified as belonging to any of the other three categories.Įach of these categories contains numerous different species of demon.the classical, religion-inspired demons of evil and sin the Tanar'ri.The main race that inhabits the Abyss are the demons, chaotic evil beings. In addition, on planes such as the Abyss, negotiating with evil creatures is frequently necessary, possibly making these planes useful to only neutral and evil characters." It is very dangerous to adventure in planes such as the Abyss, especially for low- and mid-level characters: "Sure, it's possible to design a situation in which first-level characters can accomplish something important and survive in the Abyss, but the immensity and power of the planes is undermined. One description of the Abyss presents it as a region of intense, extreme, and unforgiving climates, with layers consisting of overwhelmingly fierce desert sandstorms explosively unstable volcanic activity, boiling lava, and molten rock blinding, sub-zero Arctic glaciers bottomless oceans filled with enormous leviathans nauseatingly putrid environments saturated with disease-causing fungi and the endless, existential void of infinite space.Īnother description suggests that the Abyss may be alive, and that it spawns demons out of its urge to spread chaos and destruction.
The Abyss, otherwise known as the Infinite Layers of the Abyss, is a chaotic evil-aligned plane of existence.