Demonic Mastery - A question of semantics?

sandukutupu

First, I am not the type of player who worries about where the 0.001% damage is going or what my boons do. I wrote off boons as being worthless after module 16 nerfed them despite everything. Never the less, I still like to allocated the boon points where they are at least functional.

The description on this boon point states you gain an advantage against "fiends" but what is defined as a fiend in this game? I was thinking about it when working toward a boon point in Vallenhas. All the tags there read as "devil" and "demon", I assume they are covered as fiends, but I never gave it much thought. I don't juggle my boon points often either, but if players tell me it is a useless boon for demons and devils, then I will move my 5 points elsewhere. Is this a clever pigeon hole for just a particular class of demon or devil? Does anyone have a detailed list of NPCs this boon effects?

I don't bother with the dinosaurs and cultists, as I never had any issues or died fighting them. Also I don't see any issues defining what a dinosaur or cultist is in the game.

arazith07

Fiends is the general term for evil extraplanar creatures typically found in the Abyss or the Nine Hells. Both Devils and Demons are fiends, a creature like Incubus and succubus that don't aren't a devil or a demon are also fiends. https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters?filter-search=&filter-type=9&page=1

zimxero

I think a lot of people question whether it affects Orcus in ToNG, Castle Never, and in the RTQ. I don't know the answer to this, but the +10% versus demons does increase my damage total by 4% in the RTQ.

sandukutupu

Thanks for these answers, I know about the WoC table top game database. If we were to take that list as gospel for this game, page 4 has the howler listed. I am not sure if the boon is all that effective. But I will keep it as it is for now. I don't get all bogged down in the formulas when they tell you 5% and the reality is more likely 1.5% by the time it gets filtered.

pitshade

The boons were just copy pasta from the pre mod 16 ones so it said Demons. They changed it to be Fiends at mod 18 so it would be useful again now since Underdark and Maze Engine. Succubi and Incubi are probably coded to be either Devils or Demons since the type shown on the mobs matches whatever group they spawn with. Succubi spawning with demons show demon as a type while those spawning with devils are shown as devils.

Just as background info, from the original days of the game until Fourth Edition, Succubi/Incubi were always demons. The people behind Fifth changed anything they felt like, and they felt like making these critters into Devils. Fifth edition attempted to bridge the gap on many things and took a third option, making them generic fiends that can work with any faction.