Succubus (Diablo)

Succubus
Diablo character
Diablo Succubus Concept Art
First appearance	Diablo
First game	Diablo I
Fictional profile
Handmaidens of Andariel

For other uses of the word Succubus, see Succubus (disambiguation).

Succubi in the Diablo I video game are demons in the form of voluptuous female humans with wings and talons. They have appeared in all three games of Diablo series. Succubi often appear in packs, attacking with blasts of dark energy known as Bloodstars.

They are known in Diablo I variously as: Succubus, Snow Witches, Hell Spawn, and Soul Burners.

Game Background

Lore

The handmaidens of Andariel, these powerful demonesses were thought to have been all but killed off during the battle below Tristram, but Baal has unleashed his personal harem on Mt. Arreat and enlisted their charms to help fulfill his desire to control the mortal realm. Succubi are among the most zealous minions of their master. They possess an incessant craving for blood, especially that of human men, and they take to battle with a passion and a joy not often seen in demons. They are fast and mobile in combat, preferring to weaken their prey from a distance with a diabolical curse that causes the afflicted to lose life instead of mana when using their skills. Once their prey is weakened, the Succubi move in for the kill, slashing viciously with their long, curved talons.

Etymology

In the Western medieval legend, a Succubus (plural Succubi) is a demon who takes the form of a beautiful woman to seduce men in dreams to have sexual intercourse. They draw energy from the men to sustain themselves, often until the point of exhaustion or death of the victim. From mythology and fantasy, Lilith is, in redactive Christian fables (folktales not part of official Christian theology), considered a Succubus. Similarly, there are also demons called incubi, the male version of succubi. However there are no apparent incubus in Sanctuary.

The word "succubus" comes from an alteration of the Late Latin succuba meaning "strumpet". The word itself is derived from the Latin prefix "sub-" which means "below, underneath", and the verb "cubo" which means "I lie". So a succubus is someone who lies under another person, whereas an incubi (Latin "in-" in this case stands for "on top") is someone who lies on top of another person.

Tips

Succubi have a chance to deal Magic damage. Succubi also cast several different curses.

Defense Curse

If you have more Life than Mana, then they give you a curse that halves your defense (65% in Nightmare, 85% in Hell).

Blood Mana

Succubi and Baal cast a special curse shown in the screenshot above. This curse causes you to do damage to yourself when you cast spells. For skills that require more mana, you will take more damage. This even includes such spells like Teleport but doesn't include Thunderstorm or Energy Shield because you have already have cast them. Whenever this curse is cast on you, stop casting spells until it's worn off, click on a Shrine to counteract it, or go back to town and have it removed. Blood Mana only affects you if you have more Mana than Life. If you have at least as much max Mana as max Life, you can be cursed.

Diablo I/Hellfire

Archbishop Lazarus uses Succubi as his personal guards below Tristram. They are then encountered in later levels of the game. Succubi attack using the spell Bloodstar, but unlike the spell players can learn, it does not consume their health. The projectile's colour corresponds to the different colours blood. As the succubi have no melee attack, they flee if the player closes in on them, making them infamously troublesome for melee attackers, especially the Barbarian. Succubi appear in three other variations: Snow Witches, Hell Spawn, and Soul Burners.

Statistics

Name	Image	Level	Damage	HP	Resistance	Immunity
Succubus		24 39 54	1-20 6-44 10-86	120-150 230-275 340-400	Magic None Fire	None None Magic
Snow Witch		26 41 56	1-24 6-52 10-102	67-87 251-311 368-448	Lightning None Lightning	None None Magic
Hell Spawn		28 43 58	1-30 6-64 10-126	75-100 275-350 400-500	Magic None Lightning	Lightning None Magic, Fire
Soul Burner		30 45 60	1-35 6-74 10-146	70-112 260-386 380-548	Magic, Lightning None None	Fire None Magic, Fire, Lightning

Unique Succubi

Succubi

• Witchfire the Unholy

Snow Witch

• Witchmoon

Hell Spawn

• Stareye the Witch
• Bloodlust
• Blackjade
• Red Vex

Trivia

Despite Succubi often fighting without any armor to cover their upper body in game and also in artwork of them, no organization has ever demanded Blizzard Entertainment make 'censored' versions of these monsters in any of the Diablo games. Lylirra explained that officially all three Diablo games have an M rating (Mature, 17+) on ERSB which allows nudity and gore.

See Also

• Succubus (Diablo II)
• Succubus (Diablo III)

External Links

• The source of this article at the Diablo Wikia