Malconvoker

Official art of Vespin Chloras, by Jessica Nguyen from "Exandria: An Intimate History" (Sx61) at 3:37.

“

The standard concept of the perpetual war between good and evil is clichéd to some: a black-and-white vision of reality, suitable only for religious sermonizing. A few who understand the complexity of the battles that rage throughout the planes have taken up a dangerous path, entering into powerful pacts with the foulest abominations of the Lower Planes to turn evil against evil. These daring summoners are malconvokers, and they bargain with their lives.

”

– 

Complete Scoundrel, published January 2007 by Wizards of the Coast

[!h]

A malconvoker was a prestige class in Dungeons and Dragons Edition 3.5. Malconvokers were conjurers, mostly wizards and sorcerers with a few clerics, who believed that evil creatures could be tricked into accomplishing good acts. Although not evil-aligned themselves, malconvokers honed their ability to summon powerful infernal creatures to do their bidding, at great danger to themselves.

Malconvokers were sometimes reckless summoners calling on forces they didn't fully understand, their judgment clouded by their zeal to combat evil. Particularly power-hungry individuals might wage personal wars against fiends and their influences. More thoughtful, conflicted malconvokers believed in the necessity of sacrificing innocence to gain powerful allies.

Known malconvokers

Vespin Chloras

Vespin spent his lifetime thwarting devils and in his arrogance, thought that it would be a good thing if the Lord of the Hells was not so destructive, and that it would be better to get rid of one of these ancient evils and have someone who understands mortals in charge of the Hells. His attempt failed, resulting in his death.

Quotations

• Vespin Chloras: "In life I was a Malconvoker, an Infernalist. I thought-- I thought I could do it. I thought I could do it. And the world will remember me as its greatest villain."

Trivia

• This continues a pattern of using spells and lore from earlier editions of D&D to denote lost knowledge from the Age of Arcanum. For example, Halas Lutagran's spellbook contained Trap the Soul, a spell which appeared in the 2nd and 3rd editions of D&D.

References

Art: