D&D General The Enmity of a Devil (brainstorm help)

[el-remmen]

So recently, the PCs in my home group drew some cards from the Deck of Many Things, and one of them drew the FLAMES card, garnering "the enmity of a devil." Unfortunately, in another example of the limited practical utility of the Book of Many Things, there is not much guidance for what this enmity looks like and manifests in the game in a way that would have an actual consequence and drive a PC to address the problem somehow. There are a few example demons and devils - but the guidance itself is vague at best.

The DMG doesn't offer much. Nor do the entries for devils in the MM. Heck, I even looked in the 3E Book of Vile Darkness for ideas, but I am still struggling.

In terms of an in-game narrative reason for the enmity (aside from the bad luck of drawing the card), I decided that an evil sage the PC killed in cold blood before the NPC had a chance to speak or defend themselves, was a secret servant of this devil - and thus the enmity has its origin in killing one of his servants. The PC was also central in helping to free a young blue dragon that had been tortured captive of deep gnomes who used its lightning breath to help power their magical automatons. The devil had been appearing to the dragon in dreams to help build its bitterness and untrusting nature to use as a weapon of mass destruction on the mortal plane, but the PC's compassion to it could have mixed up its feelings (it did not grow up with dragons, but as a captive - its wings cut off as soon as it was old enough to start trying to fly/escape), complicating the devil's work.

Okay, so I have come up with two reasons the devil would be pissed at the PC (who btw is a 5th level swashbuckler rogue 3/fighter 2) and I have a scene planned where the devil appears to the PC in a mirror to let him know - but what I need help with is the form of this enmity. What can the devil do from another world to make the PC suffer and in the process either destroy him or corrupt him and take his soul?

I have basic ideas like sending various monsters after him or letting his agents know to look out for him in different places the PCs might visit, and undermine their goals.

Since the player knows there is enmity, I doubt he will trust the devil enough to accept any gifts or boons that might be turned against him, but that is another possibility.

So I am looking for short and long term suggestions that I can build on and that will not be an overwhelming obstacle but still offer a challenge and develop the flavor of garnering cosmic attention.

Ideas? Questions?

 

[Tonguez]

Curse the PC so that others suffer - if they visit a village the cow milk all turns to blood!
The day after they stay at an Inn, the serving maid is found murdered. NPCs they interact with suffer 'accidents'. The PCs start to be accused of murder and a priest does indeed detect that they are cursed to bringing misfortune - the Devil has marked them with a dark pact!

Send cultist to harrass their 'friends', let them receive unsettling or cursed 'gifts', have them see vision in reflections or in their dreams. Deny them rest, so they wake each morning with a level of exhaustion due to nightmares

 

[GMMichael]

What can the devil do from another world to make the PC suffer and in the process either destroy him or corrupt him and take his soul?

This seems like the realm of most horror movies that feature haunting.

If that doesn't work, everything that comes out of the PC's mouth must be the truth. "I've had better." - Jim Carrey

 

[Piperken]

...I decided that an evil sage the PC killed in cold blood before the NPC had a chance to speak or defend themselves, was a secret servant of this devil - and thus the enmity has its origin in killing one of his servants. The PC was also central in helping to free a young blue dragon that had been tortured captive of deep gnomes who used its lightning breath to help power their magical automatons. The devil had been appearing to the dragon in dreams to help build its bitterness and untrusting nature to use as a weapon of mass destruction on the mortal plane, but the PC's compassion to it could have mixed up its feelings (it did not grow up with dragons, but as a captive - its wings cut off as soon as it was old enough to start trying to fly/escape), complicating the devil's work.

Okay, so I have come up with two reasons the devil would be pissed at the PC (who btw is a 5th level swashbuckler rogue 3/fighter 2) and I have a scene planned where the devil appears to the PC in a mirror to let him know - but what I need help with is the form of this enmity. What can the devil do from another world to make the PC suffer and in the process either destroy him or corrupt him and take his soul?

So I am looking for short and long term suggestions that I can build on and that will not be an overwhelming obstacle but still offer a challenge and develop the flavor of garnering cosmic attention.

Ideas? Questions?

Maybe considering the following questions:

• What Devils/demons can do, can be based on the name(s) they're given. What is/are this devil's particular name(s)? Be specific. This can include titles (Lord, Seer, Queen, Suzerain), domains (of Nightmares, the Dead, Bodily Suffering), and actions (He Who Lashes, She Who Holds Court With the Dead).
• Broadly, the more names a demon or devil is known by, the more influence or capability to affect stuff (tm) it should have. At this point, you should have a sense of what choices or actions they might take to affect a situation?
• Why would this devil be moved to act at all if this evil sage was killed, or the dragon freed? Where does this enmity arise from? A place of violence? Grief? Passion? What forms could this enmity take?
• How might they act towards this PC or their companions in accordance to the name(s) they have? Don't target things, attack what is intangible, what is an essential part of the PC's being, what is held precious.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I always think of swashbucklers as the fantasy equivalent of Wild West gunslingers, with rival swashbucklers always wanting to show up the PC when possible. Maybe the devil decides to support a bunch of these other swashbucklers and point them at the PC, who starts getting challenged to duels to the death in every place he goes, by increasingly sinister swashbucklers, many of whom eventually are pretty openly allied with Hell.

Once the mystery is solved, the devil appears and then there's the sword fight to end all sword fights, with various other devils (or the devil's minions) keeping the other PCs busy while the PC and devil duel for the PC's soul.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

What @Whizbang Dustyboots said!

Also... a secret gift:
A Flame Tongue variant is found in a pile of loot discovered by the adventurers. Yeah, maybe a little too on the nose with the FLAMES card and, at some point, a flame tongue is found. But you and I both know that players often miss the most obvious clues (and I'm definitely calling myself out here when I'm on the player side of the DM screen, too).

I'm assuming said swashbuckler uses a sword of sorts... shortsword, rapier, scimitar etc... this flame tongue will be the same type. I suppose there's no guarantee our specific PC will claim it nor is there a guarantee that anyone else in the party will either - but whatever happens is all part of the story. If our specific PC claims it - or even if someone else in the party does so - then the fun begins. The sword acts like a legit flame tongue sword complete with the command word and the shedding of the light and the extra fire damage. But it is also cursed and sentient.

The curses do not manifest right away, however, and any school of magic associated with any characteristics of the curse are undetectable until they manifest. It will take some in-game time for the sword to "awaken" and start applying curse effects. Until then, it is a "normal" flame tongue. A week? A moon cycle? Pick a time frame that makes sense in your campaign.

A few curse/detriment/benefit ideas that kick in individually, or in bunches, over time:

• the sword allows the devil in question to scry on the party (perhaps would require an upcast detect magic or similar to realize the divination magic within the sword)
• the sword is sentient, knows Infernal, and communicates sporadically through cryptic dreams with its wielder (although the wielder may not realize these dreams are not natural)
• the sword does double fire damage to demons and celestials (not revealed until such a creature takes damage)
• the sword grants devil's sight to its wielder (again, not revealed explicitly... just the PC gets to see through magical at some point)
• the sword grants resistance to fire damage to its wielder (yep... will just need to be discovered)
• holy water within 10' of the wielder is denatured
• attacking with any other weapon other than the sword is done with disadvantage
• the wielder suffers 3 levels of exhaustion when more than 30' away from the sword (wielding it again removes the exhaustion completely)
• attunement cannot be broken except via wish or a 7th+ level upcast remove curse or greater restoration
• the sword auto-misses any attack against the devil in question!

 

[touc]

I like @Tonguez 's idea, expanding on it. Begin corrupting those around the PC.

Devils can be eternal and their schemes long-term. This devil focuses its enmity on forging Contracts with susceptible NPCs the PC encounters or helps, an eternal hell of misfortune ever befalling the PC wherever he goes until those nearest to him begin to curse his name. The miner apprentice with a jealous heart looks at his shaving mirror and sees his superior cowing on the ground, begging for his forgiveness, the lass at the tavern finally looking his way, the soldier who taunted him yesterday a pillar of fire screaming for succor that he shall not give. There's going to be dark hearts wherever the PC goes, but the one constant is that the PC is where evil begins.

At first the PC might not grasp what's going on. It's just another adventure hook. Then, the circle tightens, and at some point, some lord, some powerful mage, some adventuring group hired by the locals, is going to do the math. Wherever the PC travels or has been, bad things happen.

As for the mirror scene:

The mirror clouds. The reflection shifts — not always your own, your face covered with flickering shades of rivals turned friend, lovers, strangers you've aided and are yet to aid. All staring accusingly, laughing, weeping. Then comes the voice slithering through like smoke under a door [insert a minor Nine Hells effect, like drop or rise in temperature].

"The gallant blade… the silver tongue...the golden grin — how many hearts have you stirred just walking into a room? I will turn each one to rot.

For every soul you charm, I will plant the seed. Each soul you touch, each hand you grasp — I will be there. I will whisper sweet hungers and nurture their appetites into doubt. They will smile at you as they break.

Your path is ash before it is walked, and every bond you forge is mine to twist. I’ll make monsters of your lovers, traitors of your friends, and saints into beasts that crow unholy prayers invoking your name with hatred.

You will never be alone...I will be your shadow, the blade at your side. And one day, when the last friend's knife finds your back, I'll be the one whispering 'thank you.' "

 

[MechaTarrasque]

A rival group whose patron is the devil would be a good nuisance for lower-level PC's. If one member is a warlock (or wizard) with an imp familiar could be a reason why the PC's always have to scramble at the end of the adventure to get the loot. A red dragon sorcerer translates exceedingly well as an infernal sorcerer if you need a second caster or the stories of someone making a deal at a crossroads to be a better musician might justify a bard. I could see a zealot barbarian have been brought back by a devil....

Chains of Asmodeus (made by WotC, sold on the Dungeon Masters Guild) is mostly about PC's trying to get their loved ones (or their own) souls, and I think it could be mined for mid-to-high level stuff.