I was reading over Demon Hunter lore in the interest of playing one, and there is a part saying that part of their training is summoning, slaying and absorbing a demon into their being, that is the source of their demonic power.
My question is what kind of demon do they absorb? Does it vary on an individual basis? Does the strength and abilities of the demon affect the strength and abilities of the Demon Hunter?
I believe it is generally assumed that the kind of demon differs from case to case. A character from the Illidan novel is written as consuming a felhound but I doubt every single initiate specifically does. Since I don’t have that book myself, and there are seemingly no other sources for Illidari Demon Hunter lore, I can’t say for sure either way. The novel also implies that one gains peculiar side effects based on the demon consumed, but beyond that there doesn’t seem to be any official ruling on how much what demon is consumed impacts the individual.
With all this said it should probably go without saying that the demon in question would likely be something one is already capable of handling on their own; so it’s highly unlikely that many have, say, a Pitlord as their bound demon.
I’ve seen a number of DH rpers interpret the consumed demon’s influence being as great as influencing the kinds of abilities they have and even sometimes their personality and/or behavior to merely providing aesthetic quirks; a Shivarra providing extra arms, for example. One could speculate that the bound demon doesn’t influence one on such a deep physical level, due to demon hunters in game not being so morphologically varied.
There are some known common effects. Upon consumption one receives a vision of the kind of chaos and destruction wrought by the Burning Legion then proceeds to gouge their eyes out; there has been some debate over whether or not it is the vision that causes the eye gouging or if the eye gouging is an independent part of the ritual. The bound demon is also a constant influence, trying to draw the individual to Legion service (if memory serves).
I personally like to think of the bound demon as being a base of sorts, from which a demon hunter begins their mutation based on various factors; primary of which would be the amount of fel energy and demon souls they take in after. Quirks, both physical and otherwise, might be inherited but are overall quite minor.
I additionally believe that additional traits can be inherited from other demons later on. This is arguably reinforced by the DH starting experience, wherein some abilities are implied to be gained from killing demons; and example being the acquisition of Eye Beam after killing a named Inquisitor and taking his eyes. This may also be a common means to how Demon Hunters get some of the abilities they have.
Thank you for all that information! That was all very helpful!
Well the main reason why I was asking was because I think I would like an imp or a fel imp be the demon my Demon Hunter bonds with, because I freaking love imps they are the best, but I was wondering if an imp would be “unacceptable” for such an important ritual.
Such a seemingly “unimpressive” demon would result in fewest physical mutations but would have benefits in other ways such as being more stealthy, increased felfire abilities and probably the least corrupting of the potential demons one could absorb. An imp’s voice is probably less a constant voice to become a pawn of the Legion and more intrusive thoughts telling you to do things like “steal that artifact” or “burn down that orphanage”. Maybe even an Eddy/Venom type of relationship.
I imagine it could come with the downsides of meaning you are on the weaker side for a Demon Hunter though and may not be taken as seriously by one’s peers.
Oh, an imp would be surprisingly corruptive- just not in the way you normally think of. Rather than convince you to join the Legion, they’d probably encourage you to do what you wanted. To use your power to live a life of mischief and debauchery and damn anyone who’d get in the way of that.
As a demon hunter, being bonded with an imp probably isn’t as crippling as you think it might be. Sure, you probably wouldn’t be as handy in a straight fight, but you’re the trickster, the saboteur now.
Imps are the lowest of the low in the demon hierarchy. Even the more powerful fel imps are basically treated like trash. No, more likely than not, your bonded imp partner is going to relish the chance to get back at their oppressors, even if it’s by proxy. They have a much bigger, much meaner friend now, in you.
That being said, the imp is probably going to attempt to inspire… less-than-stellar conduct. Such as kleptomania, dangerous mischief, and a deep distrust of authority. So while they might be more loyal to you, they’re still an influence on you- likely for the worse.
Edit:
It’s worth noting that even the lowliest Demon Hunter would seriously outperform the main infantry of any army. They are ALL handpicked by Illidan, and even if you somehow washed out without dying, you’d basically be unchallenged by the common grunt and footman.
It’s also worth noting that an imp is hardly a worthless choice. Granted, you’d get some questioning looks from your fellow Illidari, but they’d be more curious than judging.
An Imp by and of itself might be a trifling thing… but there is not really anything stopping a Demon Hunter from consuming the souls of multiple demons.
It is more than feasible that your body becomes the host of an amalgam of multiple, possibly different demon souls, essentially turning yourself into a waking version of a demon’s Freddy Kreuger.
The type of demon you consume probably determines how many your average Demon Holder can safely hold.
For instance, you could easily absorb the souls of a host of Imps, but trying to absorb the lone soul of a mighty Pit Lord might very well be the end of you.
I love that idea, bonding with a host of imps. Reminds me of the Jackie character from the comic The Darkness. There are a variety of types of imps, capable of working equally varying types of magics. Alternately, there also exist singularly powerful imps that are no trifle. Personally I’m rather fond of the multiple imps ideas. To have a variety of chattering voices in your head urging you one way or another, providing a myriad of mischievous abilities. Maybe being able to summon them into existence from the darkness spell you cast, similar to “The Darkness”, could be a fun idea to play with.
I’m eager to see what you come up with, Carlaus.
Valdonna are the heart of a Fel Stalker, so she’s really good at tracking.