Succubus concept art
Succubi are demons in the form of voluptuous female humans with wings and talons. They have so far appeared in all three games of Diablo series. Succubi often appear in packs, attacking with blasts of dark energy known as Blood Stars.
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 as of yet.
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.
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.
Stats
| Name | Image | Level | Damage | HP | Resistance | Immunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Succubus | 
|
24 | 1-20 | 120-150 | Magic | None |
| 39 | 6-44 | 230-275 | None | None | ||
| 54 | 10-86 | 340-400 | Fire | Magic | ||
| Snow Witch | 
|
26 | 1-24 | 67-87 | Lightning | None |
| 41 | 6-52 | 251-311 | None | None | ||
| 56 | 10-102 | 368-448 | Lightning | Magic | ||
| Hell Spawn | 
|
28 | 1-30 | 75-100 | Magic | Lightning |
| 43 | 6-64 | 275-350 | None | None | ||
| 58 | 10-126 | 400-500 | Lightning | Magic, Fire | ||
| Soul Burner | 30 | 1-35 | 70-112 | Magic, Lightning | Fire | |
| 45 | 6-74 | 260-386 | None | None | ||
| 60 | 10-146 | 380-548 | None | Magic, Fire, Lightning |
Unique Succubi
Succubi
Snow Witch
Hell Spawn
Diablo II
Like in Diablo I, Succubi appear later in the game, specifically in Act V of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. Their appearance has changed slightly, and they actually utilize their wings for flight. They are clothed, and have a stabbing tail.
The Succubus' infamous curse returns, this time under the moniker of Blood Mana. However, they will only cast it on players that have greater than or equal mana than life. If the opposite is true, Succubi will cast a curse that halves defense.
Besides normal Succubi, there are four other variations: Vile Temptresses, Stygian Harlots, Hell Temptresses, and Blood Temptresses.
Stats
| Property | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Demon | Demon | Demon |
| Act(s) found in | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Monster Level | 32 | 61 | 82 |
| Experience | 913 | 11412 | 42406 |
| Health points | 155-228 | 827-1241 | 2626-5253 |
| Damage 1 | 9-17 | 24-45 | 46-83 |
| Attack Rating 1 | 453 | 1841 | 5105 |
| Damage 2 | 9-17 | 24-45 | 46-83 |
| Attack Rating 2 | 453 | 1841 | 5105 |
| Defense | 205 | 952 | 1837 |
| % to Block | 42 | 42 | 42 |
| Damage Resist | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Magic Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fire Resist | 0 | 0 | 120 |
| Cold Resist | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Lightning Resist | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Poison Resist | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Drain Effectiveness | 100 | 85 | 75 |
| Immunities | |||
| Fire | |||
| Chill Effectiveness | 50 | 40 | 33 |
| Walk/Run Speed | ? | ? | |
| Group/Minion Size | ? | ? |
| Property | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Demon | Demon | Demon |
| Act(s) found in | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Monster Level | 34 | 61 | 82 |
| Experience | 1097 | 11412 | 42406 |
| Health points | 157-252 | 827-1241 | 2626-5253 |
| Damage 1 | 10-18 | 25-45 | 46-83 |
| Attack Rating 1 | 441 | 1841 | 5105 |
| Damage 2 | 10-18 | 25-45 | 46-83 |
| Attack Rating 2 | 441 | 1841 | 5105 |
| Defense | 218 | 952 | 1837 |
| % to Block | 44 | 44 | 44 |
| Damage Resist | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Magic Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fire Resist | 0 | 0 | 66 |
| Cold Resist | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Lightning Resist | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Poison Resist | 0 | 0 | 110 |
| Drain Effectiveness | 100 | 85 | 75 |
| Immunities | |||
| Poison | |||
| Chill Effectiveness | 50 | 40 | 33 |
| Walk/Run Speed | ? | ? | |
| Group/Minion Size | ? | ? |
| Property | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Demon | Demon | Demon |
| Act(s) found in | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Monster Level | 35 | 62 | 83 |
| Experience | 1211 | 12097 | 43629 |
| Health points | 165-264 | 827-1270 | 2678-5356 |
| Damage 1 | 10-19 | 25-45 | 47-84 |
| Attack Rating 1 | 458 | 1869 | 5164 |
| Damage 2 | 10-19 | 25-45 | 47-84 |
| Attack Rating 2 | 458 | 1869 | 5164 |
| Defense | 224 | 966 | 1858 |
| % to Block | 46 | 46 | 46 |
| Damage Resist | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Magic Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fire Resist | 0 | 0 | 66 |
| Cold Resist | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Lightning Resist | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Poison Resist | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Drain Effectiveness | 100 | 85 | 75 |
| Immunities | |||
| Lightning | |||
| Chill Effectiveness | 50 | 40 | 33 |
| Walk/Run Speed | ? | ? | |
| Group/Minion Size | ? | ? |
| Property | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Demon | Demon | Demon |
| Act(s) found in | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Monster Level | 40 | 63 | 84 |
| Experience | 1945 | 12824 | 44852 |
| Health points | 206-326 | 868-1302 | 2730-5460 |
| Damage 1 | 11-21 | 26-46 | 47-84 |
| Attack Rating 1 | 523 | 1897 | 5223 |
| Damage 2 | 11-21 | 26-46 | 47-84 |
| Attack Rating 2 | 523 | 1897 | 5223 |
| Defense | 256 | 979 | 1879 |
| % to Block | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Damage Resist | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Magic Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fire Resist | 0 | 0 | 66 |
| Cold Resist | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Lightning Resist | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Poison Resist | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Drain Effectiveness | 100 | 85 | 75 |
| Immunities | |||
| Physical | |||
| Chill Effectiveness | 50 | 40 | 33 |
| Walk/Run Speed | ? | ? | |
| Group/Minion Size | ? | ? |
| Property | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Demon | Demon | Demon |
| Act(s) found in | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Monster Level | 42 | 64 | 85 |
| Experience | 2361 | 13593 | 46075 |
| Health points | 222-355 | 888-1332 | 2782-5563 |
| Damage 1 | 12-22 | 26-46 | 48-86 |
| Attack Rating 1 | 551 | 1925 | 5282 |
| Damage 2 | 12-22 | 26-46 | 48-86 |
| Attack Rating 2 | 551 | 1925 | 5282 |
| Defense | 269 | 993 | 1898 |
| % to Block | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Damage Resist | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Magic Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fire Resist | 0 | 0 | 66 |
| Cold Resist | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Lightning Resist | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Poison Resist | 0 | 0 | 120 |
| Drain Effectiveness | 100 | 85 | 75 |
| Immunities | |||
| Poison | |||
| Chill Effectiveness | 50 | 40 | 33 |
| Walk/Run Speed | ? | ? | |
| Group/Minion Size | ? | ? |
- Depending on the variation, Succubi can be immune to one of the elements in Hell mode.
- Succubi have a chance of dealing Magic damage.
- If you have more life than mana, instead of casting Blood Mana, Succubi will cast a curse that halves your Defense. This is raised to 65% in Nightmare, and 85% in Hell.
- There are no super unique succubi.
Diablo III
The Succubi with their Blood Stars clearly visible.
« I once met a raving drunk who claimed he had wrestled with a succubus—a demonic creature that possesses the form and face of a beautiful woman. He said she cursed him and tore out the heart of his friend before he made a narrow escape! Really, young men are given to such exaggeration these days... »- Abd Al-Hazir about the Succubi
Succubi are back in Diablo III as handmaidens and daughters of the Maiden of Lust. They can be found in different areas of Act III and IV, respectively in the Arreat Crater and in most areas of the High Heavens. Their appearance is different from that in the first two games, but like in Diablo I, they literally fight completely unarmored.
As seductive and deadly as usual, the Succubi possess their signature Blood Star attack that applies a curse on damaging hit, reducing Armor by -50% for 5 seconds.
The Succubi are support attackers, not too deadly by themselves, but they do make it much easier for all other monsters to kill a hero, especially towards classes that rely on Armor instead of all resistances as their major form of protection. Succubi are fragile, and killing them is only problematic if they are hiding behind their more resilient allies. The damage of a Succubus's attacks is low, and their Blood Star homing projectiles are quite slow and easy to dodge. Avoid large groups of other monsters accompanied by the Succubi, or separate them for easier dispatching. Remember Succubi can fly over the impassable terrain.
There is a mini-event in Tower of the Cursed involving several Keep Guards mind-controlled by the Succubi as they are being prepared to be sacrificed to Cydaea. Upon the death of their tormentors, these guards join the hero to help with clearing the rest of the tower. Sadly, though, they cannot last long against the monsters in the tower, especially Champion/Rare packs.
Unique Succubi:
- Demonika the Wicked (Tower of the Damned Level 1)
- Kysindra the Wretched (The Silver Spire Level 1)
- Lady Victoria (House of Deep Sorrow, Westmarch Commons, Event)
- Lysa (Lair of the Prophet)
- Tethrys (Rift Guardian)
Trivia
Despite Succubi often fighting without armor to cover their body, their appearance did not change the games' rating, and no organization demanded Blizzard Entertainment to make 'censored' versions of these monsters in the first or third game.