Invoking Emirikol’s Guide To Devils for 5E D&D
Here we are again, doing another Homebrew Review. This time we are tackling Emirikol’s Guide To Devils from Sean McGovern. Like the last review, we aim to be honest for good or ill, and this one really took a good long time to review. Why you may ask? Because Emirikol’s Guide To Devils is a mighty big book of baddies for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons (240 pages!), available through the Dungeon Masters Guild. Anywho, we will be using the same scale as last time, and will be measuring it with the same school grading system. Let’s delve in and see how this one rolls out.
Straight from the DM’s Guild to your D&D game it’s…
Art: 8/10
Woo boy! Start this off with a bang, Emirikol’s Guide to Devils is full of amazing artwork, all of which are original with a feel for all the old editions. From the oil painting motif in many to the way every devil seems… happy… to see you. I could not help but want to make characters and stories centered around the evil within. If I dare say, that is the highest honor of any artist in a D&D product. The only points I knock off is because there are a few bits of art with a bit of a drop in quality, though they are not bad in their own right. The thing I must mention is a big boon toward a high grade is dang near every page of this massive work has an on-subject illustration. Talking about the various levels of hell? Here is a diagram! Read about Asmodeus and find a portrait of him in high detail. I would say this book is the benchmark, but it’s a tad better. Beyond this the artists for this piece are numerous, dozens literally.
Asmodeus as seen in Emirikol’s Guide to Devils. [Art by Joseph Vitale]
Writing: 8/10
There is lore, and then there is lore respectful of those that came before, drawing on not only the older editions of Dungeons & Dragons, but also the inspirations from our forefathers Gygax and Arneson drew upon all those years ago on Lake Geneva. I will refrain from dropping spoilers but Dante was the last person to get this detailed in hell. From history, to religion, to politics, Emirikol’s Guide To Devils covers it. It was a joy to read, not just for the game stats but for the fiction presented. The only points I can deduct would be a bit of personal beef with the way some things are organized. That could be cleaned up a bit, and we have the goal every book can aspire to be.
Balance: 7/10
Emirikol’s Guide to Devils is not for the faint of heart. It is not for low level campaigns for the most part. It is full of things eternal, both sacred and sacrilegious. The worlds presented here have shaped the worlds we all adventure in. Logically things that have defined the heavens and all below them are not exactly balanced to be levied against a farmer with the best pig in the county. With that in mind, I bounced a great deal of this against my high level characters and found they are fairly well balanced. They can be fit into any campaign, and when push comes to shove they can enhance the campaign without destroying it.
Fun: 9/10
I love a campaign of biblical proportions. I also love to have something out there big and nasty enough to challenge the gods. Emirikol’s Guide to Devils has this covered. If you are running an evil campaign or need an epic baddie to face off against your group, especially if you have a paladin, this book is a must have.
Originality: 7/10
Something old, something new, something with fangs… Emirikol’s Guide to Devils has a good bit of new content but is indeed based on old content. That’s its only downside. Beyond this, it is glorious. Though I will say it does present old information in such a manner to make it fun and easy to absorb. New people can learn the tales of the Devil King’s fall from grace and rise to power. Man, I wish my old text books from school were this fun to read.
Necessity: 9/10
What is light, without dark? What is good, without evil? What is bacon, without tofu? Emirikol’s Guide to Devils was needed not just for the lore, and for the challenges listed herein, but also for the way it completes the powers that be. Just like you need the gods for the celestial language, you need Emirikol’s Guide to Devils for the infernal and to a lesser degree abyssal languages. Not just those languages but the realms, religions, and people they represent. The religions move armies, and armies shape worlds, those worlds become campaigns.
Learning curve: 8/10
Emirikol’s Guide to Devils actually does a great job pointing out what is a tad more difficult to integrate and explaining everything from hard to simple. They do lose a point for a few parts that seem disorganized, and another point for a few oddly-worded parts. That being said, those parts are few and far between. There is a lot of meat and potatoes here, but they give you a fine knife and fork to devour it with.
Synergy: 8/10
A Vallis Crystal is one of the new magic items in Emirikol’s Guide to Devil. Yep, it’s got new magic items too! This one opens up whole new worlds… [Art by Kagurachi]
Theme: 10/10
Emirikol’s Guide to Devils has a theme, one they maintain throughout the entire book. You want devils? You got it mind, body, and black soul. If you need deviltry then Emirikol’s is your go to. Even if you don’t purchase this, I daresay you would be justified in making Emirikol’s Guide to Devils an in-game item. It is that much of a quintessential piece.
Completion: 9/10
Like my previous review, a smidge of editing can bring this higher. Though Emirikol’s Guide to Devils fixed two of the big issues in my last review. Namely the art is where it needs to be, and the guide has the feeling it was playtested by those of multiple gaming styles. Power gamers can find a bit, but it won’t break any game for three pillars. Lore and roleplayers will be well satisfied. The only thing I would change is moving certain parts around for a bit of better organization. Not much, but it did keep it from perfection it so nearly attained.
Total: 83/100
B
Emirikol’s Guide to Devils is one of the best homebrews I’ve ever been exposed to. It has everything it promises, and a bit more. Though it is not the best book to come to D&D, it is one book any serious collector will want. At $15 US, it sits well below the price of the core books and its true value. Though that was a detriment to the previous subject, it is actually of a “Is that all?!” kind of thing here. I would still advise purchase if it was as much as $20.
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From the Nerditor’s Desk
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