The topic is based on content found on Fiendish Codex II : Tyrants of the Nine Hells ( edition 3.5 )
Just a thought exercise, I would not try to implement this in a real campaign.
Let's say there's a spellcaster ( Cleric, or Mage, or both ) with a good knowledge of Baator, fiends and infernal burocracy. He's Neutral Evil, not Lawful. Although he's a slaver and a profiteer he don't feels "entitled" over his slaves. He simply has a "might makes right" pragmatical mentality, abiding to laws only if convenient.
He use his magic to take control of some goblin bands and to kidnap humans, and he creates a fort in the middle of nowhere, hidden and isolated. Then he start "farming" slaves, brainwashing them from the craddle into obedient slaves.
He summon / bind an appropriate devil ( probably an Harvester Devil, aka Falxugon ), do the bargaining, obtain goods ( probably gold, silver, baatorian steel ) for a soul ( Pact Certain )... but it's not his soul: it's one of his slaves that sign the contract.
To coerce the slaves into selling their souls he circumvent the rules about "no pact under duress" in several ways:
1- ignorance To reclaim in the infernal court one must first know the court exists at all. The spellcaster keeps his slaves isolated and ignorant. That should allow to smuggle their souls into hell even with formally invalid pacts.
2- deception Let's say the pact requires the client to understand what he's signing. There's no need to explain clearly to the slave what the pact means: the spellcaster can tell the slaves some half truths, like that signing means servitude to Hell forces after death ( technically true, but it skips all the torture part ).
3- drugs The spellcaster can offer to his slaves several kind of recreative drugs or painkillers ( produced by the slaves themselves working his cultivations ) that induce tremendous addiction. So they would be more likely to believe his lies ( reduced Wisdom / Intelligence ) and crave the narcotics strong enough to accept the soul selling in exchange for their fix.
4- bribing The pact is invalid if signed under duress. But he can offer "positive enforcements" instead of threats ( more food, more drugs, more rest ).
Basically, the spellcaster does the summoning and the bargaining, the slave signs the contract and get the goods ( gold, silver, batoorian steel ecc. ). The master spellcaster do not steal his prize, he allow the slave to buy the aformentioned bribes ( food, drugs, rest and other comforts).
After the pact he says, informally, to the Harvester devil: "Do not kill the slave, directly or not. I'll assure you he'll stay damned, there are no clerics here around to Atone him, and I'm not letting my slaves escape. Let him work for me and die naturally. If you do so, I'll bring you more souls. If you cheat me in any way, I'll simply no longer summon you and I'll make deals with another devil - serving another Lord of the Nine, so you will be massively screwed with your superiors. "
- another idea: the Book of Vile Darkness talks about sacrifices that increase the power of evil gods or powerful fiends. The spellcaster could promise to the Harvester Devil to sacrifice the slave after a certain time ( like, 20 years; depending on the age and health of the slave ) and dedicate the sacrifice to the devil's master. So if he let the slave live and work he gets both a soul and a sacrifice ( since the act of sacrifice release energy through the killing, not the soul ).
Question: is the plan doable? There are any remarkable flaw that would forbid it?
Lore-wise this sounds fine I guess, although like you said it probably would never come up in a game. Are you saying, though, that this spellcaster would be the one gaining the powers/boons/ whatever from the contract, and is simply using the slave souls to get that?
If so, who knows, a devil's contract might specify that there are no third parties, that the signer must be the one to recieve benefits and detriments, etc.
Just my two cents
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I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
I don't think it would be possible to get powers and boons as a third party because - rule of thumbs - getting infernal powers means getting that energy added to your soul, mind, body. Looks too personal.
But Infernal Pact can provide material goods ( precious metals, weapons, jewelry ecc. ) that the client ( the slaves ) can use freely. Basically the spellcaster "buy" - at VERY discountent price - these goods from the slaves exploiting their situation of weakness ( expecially the drug addiction ).
The topic is based on content found on Fiendish Codex II : Tyrants of the Nine Hells ( edition 3.5 )
Just a thought exercise, I would not try to implement this in a real campaign.
Let's say there's a spellcaster ( Cleric, or Mage, or both ) with a good knowledge of Baator, fiends and infernal burocracy.
He's Neutral Evil, not Lawful. Although he's a slaver and a profiteer he don't feels "entitled" over his slaves. He simply has a "might makes right" pragmatical mentality, abiding to laws only if convenient.
He use his magic to take control of some goblin bands and to kidnap humans, and he creates a fort in the middle of nowhere, hidden and isolated. Then he start "farming" slaves, brainwashing them from the craddle into obedient slaves.
He summon / bind an appropriate devil ( probably an Harvester Devil, aka Falxugon ), do the bargaining, obtain goods ( probably gold, silver, baatorian steel ) for a soul ( Pact Certain )... but it's not his soul: it's one of his slaves that sign the contract.
To coerce the slaves into selling their souls he circumvent the rules about "no pact under duress" in several ways:
1- ignorance To reclaim in the infernal court one must first know the court exists at all. The spellcaster keeps his slaves isolated and ignorant. That should allow to smuggle their souls into hell even with formally invalid pacts.
2- deception Let's say the pact requires the client to understand what he's signing. There's no need to explain clearly to the slave what the pact means: the spellcaster can tell the slaves some half truths, like that signing means servitude to Hell forces after death ( technically true, but it skips all the torture part ).
3- drugs The spellcaster can offer to his slaves several kind of recreative drugs or painkillers ( produced by the slaves themselves working his cultivations ) that induce tremendous addiction. So they would be more likely to believe his lies ( reduced Wisdom / Intelligence ) and crave the narcotics strong enough to accept the soul selling in exchange for their fix.
4- bribing The pact is invalid if signed under duress. But he can offer "positive enforcements" instead of threats ( more food, more drugs, more rest ).
Basically, the spellcaster does the summoning and the bargaining, the slave signs the contract and get the goods ( gold, silver, batoorian steel ecc. ). The master spellcaster do not steal his prize, he allow the slave to buy the aformentioned bribes ( food, drugs, rest and other comforts).
After the pact he says, informally, to the Harvester devil: "Do not kill the slave, directly or not. I'll assure you he'll stay damned, there are no clerics here around to Atone him, and I'm not letting my slaves escape. Let him work for me and die naturally. If you do so, I'll bring you more souls. If you cheat me in any way, I'll simply no longer summon you and I'll make deals with another devil - serving another Lord of the Nine, so you will be massively screwed with your superiors. "
- another idea: the Book of Vile Darkness talks about sacrifices that increase the power of evil gods or powerful fiends. The spellcaster could promise to the Harvester Devil to sacrifice the slave after a certain time ( like, 20 years; depending on the age and health of the slave ) and dedicate the sacrifice to the devil's master. So if he let the slave live and work he gets both a soul and a sacrifice ( since the act of sacrifice release energy through the killing, not the soul ).
Question: is the plan doable? There are any remarkable flaw that would forbid it?
Not even a single reply? :(
Lore-wise this sounds fine I guess, although like you said it probably would never come up in a game. Are you saying, though, that this spellcaster would be the one gaining the powers/boons/ whatever from the contract, and is simply using the slave souls to get that?
If so, who knows, a devil's contract might specify that there are no third parties, that the signer must be the one to recieve benefits and detriments, etc.
Just my two cents
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
Thank you for the reply :)
I don't think it would be possible to get powers and boons as a third party because - rule of thumbs - getting infernal powers means getting that energy added to your soul, mind, body. Looks too personal.
But Infernal Pact can provide material goods ( precious metals, weapons, jewelry ecc. ) that the client ( the slaves ) can use freely.
Basically the spellcaster "buy" - at VERY discountent price - these goods from the slaves exploiting their situation of weakness ( expecially the drug addiction ).