I want to allow one of my PJ to be able to summon a Cambion as some kind of familiar, or some sort of devil contract, I thought as a normal approach that since it has a mind of its own, he will be able to summon it and command it but I will roleplay it which is what I considered the logical way.
The problem is that he told me he wanted to "Role him" and I thought it was impossible, but since I also want to have a very loose campaign I was thinking is there any way how this can happen.
I seriously don't see how rolling 2 characters that have different opinions is not cheating... am I missing something? Can someone offer me some perspective, ideas, or opinions... I'm also coming back to D&D from a 10 years break... so any help is welcome!
If we're going off of the in-game rules, the way for a PC to summon a Cambion would be through the 4th level spell, Summon Greater Demon. This spell only lasts 1 hour and has a lot of downsides where the summoned demon will just go nuts and turn on the caster who summoned them.
The Cambion would be an NPC controlled by the DM in this case. The spell charms the demon, so it still obeys orders given, but it still does so in the manner the DM decides.
That said, if you want to work more with your player on this I'd treat the Cambion fully as an NPC. As in.. you decide their name, personality, abilities (if you're given them any other than they already have in their stat block). Then your player might make an in-game deal with this Cambion and you can decide how they can contact the Cambion and what they need to do in order to get the Cambion to actually arrive and assist. I'd say treating the Cambion as a second PC fully under control of the player would be horribly unbalanced, and also unfair to the other players who, I presume, are just playing as a single PC each.
A cambion would be ridiculously powerful, especially in a party of low-level characters. Not to mention, it's a hellish warlord with a mind of its own, who would feel the same way about being a "familiar" as you or I would about being treated as a dog. The only way I could see this working is playing the cambion as a summoned ally using the new sidekick rules, who works with the party but isn't commanded by them, and even then only if the party is seriously high level.
there are reduced threat wyvens.. what I'm saying create a semi-standard sidekick, out of sidekick rules using teifling and have the runt grow into one.
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Itinerant Deputy Shire-reave Tomas Burrfoot - world walker, Raft-captain, speaker to his dead
Toddy Shelfungus- Rider of the Order of Ill Luck, Speaker to Friends of Friends, and Horribly big nosed
Jarl Archi of Jenisis Glade Fee- Noble Knight of the Dragonborn Goldcrest Clan, Sorcerer of the Noble Investigator;y; Knightly order of the Wolfhound
I was thinking to justify the Cambion maybe as a "contract". The PJ wanted more power, and sells his soul to the demon in return the Cambion comes to fight for him, for the joy of killing... In addition, I wanted the PJ to roll a Will save every time is summoned to check if the Cambion will obey him or not, and if fail the cambion will act on his own, killing any non-party member he pleases.
I wouldn't worry about the technical aspects so much, or the balancing since that is something I can tick easily. My struggle is understanding if there is a way (no about the rules) in which the PJ rolling as a demon when summoned makes sense... I mean it could be like...
- PJ: I command you demon to attack!
- DEMON: You don't command me, human... I'm just helping your weak ass to collect your soul... <the demon attack>
I mean it seems like the pj, may not role the struggle of the relationship, and that what worries me. I thought maybe you have dealed with similar situations in the past...
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Hi Everyone,
I want to allow one of my PJ to be able to summon a Cambion as some kind of familiar, or some sort of devil contract, I thought as a normal approach that since it has a mind of its own, he will be able to summon it and command it but I will roleplay it which is what I considered the logical way.
The problem is that he told me he wanted to "Role him" and I thought it was impossible, but since I also want to have a very loose campaign I was thinking is there any way how this can happen.
I seriously don't see how rolling 2 characters that have different opinions is not cheating... am I missing something? Can someone offer me some perspective, ideas, or opinions... I'm also coming back to D&D from a 10 years break... so any help is welcome!
Thanks!
If we're going off of the in-game rules, the way for a PC to summon a Cambion would be through the 4th level spell, Summon Greater Demon. This spell only lasts 1 hour and has a lot of downsides where the summoned demon will just go nuts and turn on the caster who summoned them.
The Cambion would be an NPC controlled by the DM in this case. The spell charms the demon, so it still obeys orders given, but it still does so in the manner the DM decides.
That said, if you want to work more with your player on this I'd treat the Cambion fully as an NPC. As in.. you decide their name, personality, abilities (if you're given them any other than they already have in their stat block). Then your player might make an in-game deal with this Cambion and you can decide how they can contact the Cambion and what they need to do in order to get the Cambion to actually arrive and assist. I'd say treating the Cambion as a second PC fully under control of the player would be horribly unbalanced, and also unfair to the other players who, I presume, are just playing as a single PC each.
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Well.. a teilfing side kick.. played as a familiar cambian?
Itinerant Deputy Shire-reave Tomas Burrfoot - world walker, Raft-captain, speaker to his dead
Toddy Shelfungus- Rider of the Order of Ill Luck, Speaker to Friends of Friends, and Horribly big nosed
Jarl Archi of Jenisis Glade Fee- Noble Knight of the Dragonborn Goldcrest Clan, Sorcerer of the Noble Investigator;y; Knightly order of the Wolfhound
A cambion would be ridiculously powerful, especially in a party of low-level characters. Not to mention, it's a hellish warlord with a mind of its own, who would feel the same way about being a "familiar" as you or I would about being treated as a dog. The only way I could see this working is playing the cambion as a summoned ally using the new sidekick rules, who works with the party but isn't commanded by them, and even then only if the party is seriously high level.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
there are reduced threat wyvens.. what I'm saying create a semi-standard sidekick, out of sidekick rules using teifling and have the runt grow into one.
Itinerant Deputy Shire-reave Tomas Burrfoot - world walker, Raft-captain, speaker to his dead
Toddy Shelfungus- Rider of the Order of Ill Luck, Speaker to Friends of Friends, and Horribly big nosed
Jarl Archi of Jenisis Glade Fee- Noble Knight of the Dragonborn Goldcrest Clan, Sorcerer of the Noble Investigator;y; Knightly order of the Wolfhound
Thank you very much guys, great Ideas.
I was thinking to justify the Cambion maybe as a "contract". The PJ wanted more power, and sells his soul to the demon in return the Cambion comes to fight for him, for the joy of killing... In addition, I wanted the PJ to roll a Will save every time is summoned to check if the Cambion will obey him or not, and if fail the cambion will act on his own, killing any non-party member he pleases.
I wouldn't worry about the technical aspects so much, or the balancing since that is something I can tick easily. My struggle is understanding if there is a way (no about the rules) in which the PJ rolling as a demon when summoned makes sense... I mean it could be like...
- PJ: I command you demon to attack!
- DEMON: You don't command me, human... I'm just helping your weak ass to collect your soul... <the demon attack>
I mean it seems like the pj, may not role the struggle of the relationship, and that what worries me. I thought maybe you have dealed with similar situations in the past...