So my players are about to head into hell to find an artifact. This will involve having to descend through each of the first 4 layers. To do this I plan on them having to negotiate their way to get access to the portals between levels, with the devils on each layer giving the party small quests with contracts in order to get access to the next level.
What I was hoping to get some ideas for is 2 things:
Firstly, ideas for the quests themselves. I have a few ideas already, one would be to capture a devil alive on another level and bring it back to one of the earlier levels. Another would be to try and get the true name of another devil. I need a few more ideas, at least one for each layer.
Secondly, ideas for the contracts themselves. I think getting these right is important for the feel of the plane and the devils. So I was wondering if people had any ideas for the way the contracts are written, or clauses to include. Also if its possible to use some ambiguous or confusing language to try and confuse and trick the players.
The devils' quests should be intended to corrupt the party. Early ones should seem innocuous, but they should get increasingly morally grey before becoming tasks for the party to perform specific evil actions. That's what devils do. Similarly, the contracts should have a costs for the desired services, as well as extensive Infernal legalese detailing loopholes that would either absolve the devils of their obligations while leaving the party bound to theirs, or otherwise create additional obligations for the party based on future decisions.
The best example I could give would be the devil's contract that Percy agreed to in the second Critical Role campaign. It gave them what they wanted, but it also included clauses that offered additional benefits at ever increasing costs, including the transfer of ownership of the mortal's soul.
The challenge isn't the difficulty of the tasks, it's maintaining resolve to resist the corruption. And note: I wouldn't have the Fiends using Charm effects on the party. Their goal is to make the party willfully give up their morals so the Fiends can own them forever.
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So this is sort of a follow up to this post.
So my players are about to head into hell to find an artifact. This will involve having to descend through each of the first 4 layers. To do this I plan on them having to negotiate their way to get access to the portals between levels, with the devils on each layer giving the party small quests with contracts in order to get access to the next level.
What I was hoping to get some ideas for is 2 things:
Firstly, ideas for the quests themselves. I have a few ideas already, one would be to capture a devil alive on another level and bring it back to one of the earlier levels. Another would be to try and get the true name of another devil. I need a few more ideas, at least one for each layer.
Secondly, ideas for the contracts themselves. I think getting these right is important for the feel of the plane and the devils. So I was wondering if people had any ideas for the way the contracts are written, or clauses to include. Also if its possible to use some ambiguous or confusing language to try and confuse and trick the players.
Thanks in advance for any help and ideas.
The devils' quests should be intended to corrupt the party. Early ones should seem innocuous, but they should get increasingly morally grey before becoming tasks for the party to perform specific evil actions. That's what devils do. Similarly, the contracts should have a costs for the desired services, as well as extensive Infernal legalese detailing loopholes that would either absolve the devils of their obligations while leaving the party bound to theirs, or otherwise create additional obligations for the party based on future decisions.
The best example I could give would be the devil's contract that Percy agreed to in the second Critical Role campaign. It gave them what they wanted, but it also included clauses that offered additional benefits at ever increasing costs, including the transfer of ownership of the mortal's soul.
The challenge isn't the difficulty of the tasks, it's maintaining resolve to resist the corruption. And note: I wouldn't have the Fiends using Charm effects on the party. Their goal is to make the party willfully give up their morals so the Fiends can own them forever.