Balor (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, a Balor is one of the most powerful types of demon. Aside from the name, the Balor found in Dungeons & Dragons has little relation to the mythical Balor, actually being based on the Balrog of The Lord of the Rings. In first edition AD&D, Balors were known as type VI demons.

History
In the original D&D pamphlets, this breed of demon was known as "Balrog", but the name was revised in subsequent supplements to simply "type VI demon" so as not to infringe on J. R. R. Tolkien's copyright. According to the Dungeon Master's Guide, there were six type VI demons in existence:
 * Alzoll
 * Balor
 * Errtu
 * Ndulu: first appeared in Ed Greenwood's article about swords in Dragon magazine #91 (reprinted in AD&D suplement The Magister). Ndulu is also mentioned in Sea of Fallen Stars and Champions of Ruin.
 * Ter-Soth: featured in AD&D module The Throne of Bloodstone, page 47.
 * Wendonai: detailed in Lost Empires of Faerun, pages 54-55. He is a former favorite of the drow goddess Lolth and specializes in the art of corruption. He was instrumental in the fall of the dark elves.

From second edition D&D, the name "type VI demon" was revised to "Balor", taking the name of the greatest individual of their rank as the name for the entire breed.