Old time religion – Druaga, ruler of the devil world, lesser god of the AD&D Babyl

Old time religion – Druaga, ruler of the devil world, lesser god of the AD&D Babylonian mythos, is a shape changer whose terrifying true form has 8 arms with talons and 4 legs ending in snaky masses, a ruby red scaly hide and the face of a beautiful boy.  “His mace does 35 points of damage every time it hits and turns all beings it hits into devils (random type) under his command if they do not make their magic saving throw.”  He occasionally sends devils to aid worshippers who make a virgin sacrifice, making him a good lesser-known alternative archvillain for a campaign.  (Diesel / David S LaForce illustration, AD&D Deities & Demigods, TSR, 1980)

Druaga seems to have been invented for AD&D with no clear historical Babylonian source, and the name likely comes from “Drauga” (“Falsehood”), equated with Ahriman in Zoroastrianism.  An altered version of AD&D’s Druaga appears in the 1984 Namco video game and 2008-09 anime The Tower of Druaga, and all later pop culture references to a Babylonian Druaga apparently derive from these origins.