The monster manual says that anyone that can conquer any of the layers of the abyss can become a demon lord (this is how lolth became a demon lord). So does that mean that a very powerfull mortal like an archmage can become a demon lord if they conquer a layer of the abyss?
To start with, simply conquering an Abyssal layer is not going to grant major supernatural abilities. Nor does it bestow the power to compel loyalty from lesser demons. You need to have the strength to back up your claim, and all the other Demon Princes see any newcomers as targets. So a mortal that conquers an Abyssal layer they're going to have to be fighting continually until all the other Demon Princes get bored.
On top of that, you're mortal and consequently going to die of old age in a few decades or centuries, depending on your race.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Could a mortal? I suppose so but why bother? Even assuming you find a way around the mortality problem you’re still stuck with constant battles from below and outside as well as becoming part of the blood war. If your that powerful just conquering your own home world should be easy Peary and then you can relax.
Lolth was a Seldarine Goddess before being cast into the Abyss. Lolth used sheer godly ambition and manipulation to take control of the 66th layer after she had been sent to the Abyss and uses sheer godly ambition and manipulation to keep control.
If anything, referencing Lolth shows how difficult it would be to become a powerful Tanar'ri who could overthrow any significant portion of the Abyss to become a Lord/Prince without another rebellion, which one soul from a mere mortal likely could not accomplish.
EDIT: Maybe there's your answer. The Tanar'ri rebellion saw the rise of many new lesser Lords and the fall of many great and old Lords. This would be the best opportunity for a mortal to become a Demon Lord over some part of the Abyss. This is a historic event, though. It is not something the majority of player would personally see happen first hand.
Of course, players could always see some mortal try to do it, and given the costs it takes to send one into the Abyss to purposely become a Tanar'ri, the process would likely involve devastation of some kind. The mortal would be a fool, though. Fools with ambitions to rival deities are the likely candidates who would try. It would be a senseless devastation likely doomed to failure. Definitely a villain worth stopping regardless of the mortal's highly unlikely success.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
As others have said, it would be extremely difficult to achieve, and even more difficult to maintain.
However, it could be a really interesting story - either a villain's origin or even an "ally." When I ran an expanded Out of the Abyss, Fraz-Urb'Luu was killed and a mortal tried to replace him. One of the PCs wound up indebted to her and became a paladin in her service and guide her towards being a lesser evil (he's Oath of Redemption). Unfortunately, she's a long way from being good, but he also realizes if she isn't there, someone else would control that domain, so it's at least a step towards something better for that domain. It's an incredibly tenuous position and may or may not last, but either way it's an interesting story getting into the new Demon Lord's philosophy and how it ties to aspects of the PC's past and how the PC can try to spin that philosophy into a not necessarily evil thing, and the interesting dynamic between the two with the new Demon Lord having been a mortal very recently and adjusting to experiencing existence as a Demon Lord, etc.
Heck, mortals have become gods, so why not a Demon Lord?
So, I encourage you to explore the idea - how it would be possible, why they would want to, how PCs could be involved (for, against, or "it's complicated"), etc. and don't worry about the naysayers. The most interesting stories are often when the unexpected happens rather than the predictable business as usual. :)
I actually already made this character. 1000 years ago; an order of paladins charged into a layer of the abyss and slaughtered every demon there. After many years, only one of them was left. He was able to survive because he could eat demon flesh to restore his strength and grow in power. He is now kind of half good, half evil from the abyssal energy in him, but he helps the characters in my campaign by providing them with some magic weapons to fight some other demons with. He was a paladin of bahamut, but he believes bahamut has forsaken him. bahamut actually will forgive him if he leaves the abyss and purges himself of the abyssal essence.
The monster manual says that anyone that can conquer any of the layers of the abyss can become a demon lord (this is how lolth became a demon lord). So does that mean that a very powerfull mortal like an archmage can become a demon lord if they conquer a layer of the abyss?
Yes, though it's unlikely that they'll be able to keep it long-term.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Why not?
A number of reasons.
To start with, simply conquering an Abyssal layer is not going to grant major supernatural abilities. Nor does it bestow the power to compel loyalty from lesser demons. You need to have the strength to back up your claim, and all the other Demon Princes see any newcomers as targets. So a mortal that conquers an Abyssal layer they're going to have to be fighting continually until all the other Demon Princes get bored.
On top of that, you're mortal and consequently going to die of old age in a few decades or centuries, depending on your race.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Could a mortal? I suppose so but why bother? Even assuming you find a way around the mortality problem you’re still stuck with constant battles from below and outside as well as becoming part of the blood war. If your that powerful just conquering your own home world should be easy Peary and then you can relax.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Lolth is not a good example.
Lolth was a Seldarine Goddess before being cast into the Abyss. Lolth used sheer godly ambition and manipulation to take control of the 66th layer after she had been sent to the Abyss and uses sheer godly ambition and manipulation to keep control.
If anything, referencing Lolth shows how difficult it would be to become a powerful Tanar'ri who could overthrow any significant portion of the Abyss to become a Lord/Prince without another rebellion, which one soul from a mere mortal likely could not accomplish.
EDIT: Maybe there's your answer. The Tanar'ri rebellion saw the rise of many new lesser Lords and the fall of many great and old Lords. This would be the best opportunity for a mortal to become a Demon Lord over some part of the Abyss. This is a historic event, though. It is not something the majority of player would personally see happen first hand.
Of course, players could always see some mortal try to do it, and given the costs it takes to send one into the Abyss to purposely become a Tanar'ri, the process would likely involve devastation of some kind. The mortal would be a fool, though. Fools with ambitions to rival deities are the likely candidates who would try. It would be a senseless devastation likely doomed to failure. Definitely a villain worth stopping regardless of the mortal's highly unlikely success.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
As others have said, it would be extremely difficult to achieve, and even more difficult to maintain.
However, it could be a really interesting story - either a villain's origin or even an "ally." When I ran an expanded Out of the Abyss, Fraz-Urb'Luu was killed and a mortal tried to replace him. One of the PCs wound up indebted to her and became a paladin in her service and guide her towards being a lesser evil (he's Oath of Redemption). Unfortunately, she's a long way from being good, but he also realizes if she isn't there, someone else would control that domain, so it's at least a step towards something better for that domain. It's an incredibly tenuous position and may or may not last, but either way it's an interesting story getting into the new Demon Lord's philosophy and how it ties to aspects of the PC's past and how the PC can try to spin that philosophy into a not necessarily evil thing, and the interesting dynamic between the two with the new Demon Lord having been a mortal very recently and adjusting to experiencing existence as a Demon Lord, etc.
Heck, mortals have become gods, so why not a Demon Lord?
So, I encourage you to explore the idea - how it would be possible, why they would want to, how PCs could be involved (for, against, or "it's complicated"), etc. and don't worry about the naysayers. The most interesting stories are often when the unexpected happens rather than the predictable business as usual. :)
I actually already made this character. 1000 years ago; an order of paladins charged into a layer of the abyss and slaughtered every demon there. After many years, only one of them was left. He was able to survive because he could eat demon flesh to restore his strength and grow in power. He is now kind of half good, half evil from the abyssal energy in him, but he helps the characters in my campaign by providing them with some magic weapons to fight some other demons with. He was a paladin of bahamut, but he believes bahamut has forsaken him. bahamut actually will forgive him if he leaves the abyss and purges himself of the abyssal essence.
That's what Fraz-Urb'Luu wants you to believe....
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.