I DO still want to do my "A Barbarian in Hell" adventure sometime. These will help me out.
So come with me. Let's go to Hell!
PDF, 20 Pages, DMsGuild. $6.66
This one is fun. It's 20 pages long, and it takes its inspiration from both Dante's Inferno and Heavy Metal music. Sounds like my kind of mix, to be honest! This one also takes cues from a few different video games. This works if you imagine that your characters are already dead and in Hell and not traveling there as a "Soujurn in Hell."
This PDF sets up seven "boss battles" for characters in Hell. It can be used as described or as a supplement to an ongoing campaign in Hell, which is what I am using it for.
This is obviously for D&D 5e via the DMsGuild.
Nine Hells Adult Coloring Book
PDF, 48 Pages. B&W art (by design). $6.95 PDF / $8.98 Print
This is overtly a coloring book, but it is also a great resource for the Pathfinder version of Hell and stat blocks for the rulers of each level. Again this could be in the form of a "boss battle" or as a resource. Buy it for the coloring book, but stay for the backgrounds, lore, and stat-blocks.
The art from Jacob E. Blackmon is excellent as well, and there are some pieces here that would be a lot of fun to color. Now, where did my kids leave their crayons?
PDF, 246 Pages. Color art. $15.00
From Sean McGovern, of The Power Score RPG blog. So right away I knew this was going to be a well-researched product. Sean has been one of the best at deep lore D&D research in the blogging scene for years. He is meticulous and encompassing on any topic he tackles.
This is a massive volume at 246 pages and covers the Hells and its inhabitants. It takes D&D lore from as far back 1st/2nd Edition (I noticed that details from "Politics of Hell" are not really included though, but everything else is) and tries to bring them all together. It leans heavily into the 5th edition versions of Hells (naturally), and the book is presented like many of the newer 5e books, with notes from Emirikol the Chaotic and Natasha the Dark.
The information makes for a great read, and there are some details I really enjoy. I like how the author explains the shift from Demon to Devil to Fiend for Succubi. There are plenty of stat blocks, which is good if you don't have all the devils and Archdevils. And there are plenty of new devils and backgrounds on playing characters associated with devils and the Hells.
The art is a mixed bag, as with any DMsGuild product, and I am not 100% on board with all the lore choices made here. But there is enough text and information here to keep me busy. Plus any choice I don't like I can simply say "well, Emirikol got it wrong" or even "This was from Natasha when she was younger and not yet Iggwilv."
In any case, it is good to have multiple points of view on something as complex as the Nine Hells.
I do wish there was a printer-friendly version. This would be nice in my big red binder of devil information.
PDF, 127 pages, Color art. PDF $19.99 / Print $34.99
Now this one was a bit of a pleasant surprise to me. It is for 5e so I was expecting something akin to the DMsGuild products I had been reviewing. But this one reminds me of the best of the OSR in terms of look and feel, with solid 5e design and layout. Really the best of both worlds. The vibe I get from it is like the old Mayfair Demons series.
This book gives you a ton of new demons and devils and plenty of background and lore for them. There is even a fiendish language and alphabet. I am a little surprised this one doesn't have more sales because it is just a treasure trove of great stuff.
There are new demon lords, new arch-devils, cults and contracts, and even a new class. A little bit of everything really.
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See you in Hell!
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