Demons have been a part of the Dungeons & Dragons game since almost the beginning. I say almost because they don’t appear in the monster lists of the original D&D brown box set (though robots and androids do make an appearance!) or its first two supplements, Greyhawk and Blackmoor. It wasn’t until Eldritch Wizardry that demons first reared their loathsome heads.
While demons aren’t the oldest monsters in D&D, they are some of its most popular. After all, we’re not about to create an entire book about owlbears or shriekers. Aside from dragons, more has probably been written about demons than any other Dungeons & Dragons monster. For that reason, approaching the design of Demonomicon required a careful mix of research, invention, and planning. For this book to work, it had to incorporate classic Dungeons & Dragons lore in a cohesive way that made the book an easy-to-use reference and adventure generator for DMs.
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About the Author
Mike Mearls is the Group Manager for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. His recent credits include Player’s Handbook 3, Hammerfast, and Monster Manual 3.