Back in 2e and 3e, there was available for the Vrocks an ability I really liked. A group of them could start chanting and release a devastating attack after three rounds, the Dance of Ruin. I think it would be a good idea to use it again, if not always, at least at some appropriate moment to be used as a plot element.
So I after taking a look at the previous edition books and the playtest material, I think it sould be along the lines of this:
Dance of Ruin: A group of three vrocks must join hands in a circle, dancing wildly and chanting. At the end of 3 rounds of dancing, a wave of energy flashes outward in a 100-foot radius. All non-demons within the radius take 20d6 points of damage (Constitution DC 14 half). Stunning, paralyzing, or slaying one of the vrocks stops the dance.
So, what do you think?
I think that the ability is, and has always been, pretty stupid.
That said, here is a bit of AD&D that I suggest you mine for ideas:
dance of ruin, before 3rd edition wrote:
I agree. Unless the party is unaware it’s going on the Vrocks have no chance of pulling it off.
That said it sounds like it could make a good ritual, especially if it kills the users in the process. I can see myself using it in a game as a suicide bomb for terrorist attacks.
I think a demon worshiping death cult destroying villages and cities to further their political agenda would make for a great game at any level. All the threat with none of the trouble of running high level enemies.
Theros wrote:
The Dance of Ruin was an optional ability for the vrocks in the playtest bestiary. Here it is:
Dance of Ruin: To use this ability, a group of at least three vrocks must join talons in a circle, combining their actions and moves to dance and chant wildly. If at any time fewer than three vrocks participating in the dance can take actions or move, the effect ends. After each vrock in the circle spends three actions dancing, a wave of crackling necrotic energy flashes outward. Each non-demon creature within 60 feet of the vrocks must make a DC 12 Reflex saving throw. Failed Save: 55 (10d10) necrotic damage. Successful Save: Half damage.
An interesting take on the ability from the playtest... it's even more useless than the other versions have been, which I think might be a large part of why it didn't make the cut for the PHB.
All it takes to prevent that version is to successfully grapple one of the vrocks.
I'm also really disappointed by the "non-demons" clause that got added in 3rd edition sticking around - selective area effect damage doesn't sound very "chaotic force out to spread destruction" to me, and thus is not very "demon" at all.
Yeah, I have to admit the Vrocks will not have an easy time pulling this off (no mirror image at will any more to keep them relatively safe) but still I like the concept too much to let it go like this. Maybe requiring less time to activate it would make it more useful but then again you might end up with a Vrock dance class with every trio of Vrocks singing and dancing along. 
(yes, I know it is stupid) I don't know, I will probably try it once if I get a chance just to see what happens.
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
evil_warlock wrote:
Works better in a mixed demonic force, with some Vrock dancing amidst other forces hoping to bog the players down (and prevent their escape)
SpedGuy wrote:
I think that the idea of a power that requires team work and time to set up, can be interrupted, and is extremely devastating if not interrupted is a fairly interesting idea - but there is something about the particulars of the dance that makes it unsalvagable in the form that it has traditionally held.
Trying to fine tune the number of vrocks, the number of rounds, and the amount and area of damage is going to be near impossible because there isn't a whole lot of difference between "too easy to stop" and "nearly impossible to stop" because of the multiple actions going on in each of those rounds.
I've actually come to the conclusion that such an ability as dance of ruin would be better served as being the design of an encounter, rather than simply a thing which any group of demons including at least X vrocks might try to pull off - make it a big group of demons working their mad dancing ritual, putting an entire mile radius in great danger if they aren't stopped, put a timer on when the ritual has progressed far enough to begin damaging the imediate area (call it a 50 foot radius), and have the area expand another 50 feet and damage repeat each round that the ritual continues, until the maximum range is reached (and an entire city is likely being blasted to ruin)
Then you have this looming timer ticking down the rounds while the party has to get past whatever security the vrocks have set up (other demons), and the party has to disrupt the casting not just the once, but tally up some number of rounds of disrutping the casting to finally cause the ritual to fail/cease.
It is, to me, much more intersting as a set piece than as a just a team-work special attack.
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
I am more disappointed by the lack of SLA for the balor, but the dancing is agreeably silly and adds little to an encounter. It is easy to add as a case by case ability that SOME vrocks possess
EzechielDantan wrote:
I have replaced dance of ruin with Dance-Off Ruin in which the vrocks challenge the PCs to an impromptu dance competition where the losers are eliminated from the campaign.
Well, you can tell by the way I use my vrock,
I'm a demon, man: no time to talk...
iserith wrote:
The Aaracokra in the 5e MM have a dance to summon an elemental, maybe you can get some inspiration from that.
Well, there is also this
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
Just give the balor demon summoning and then some lair actions like dragons have. I think the stat block hits all the right notes for a balor - the whip, the death throes, the aura of flame.
EzechielDantan wrote: