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start small. "Hey remember that fancy item i got for ya, how would you like to get another one, even better?"
- Immortality. Suckers always think that'll let them keep their souls, and game-impactwise it's no big deal.
- Minions. Low level NPCs who'll fawn over the PCs, act as spell fodder and are generally expendable. They're a great way to draw characters ever deeper into depravity.
- Lawful Evil intelligent items. They're only useful to PCs who'll remain true to that alignment, and are more likely to be listened to: they're considered possessions after all, not NPCs.
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give them ultimatums
we once got stuck in a situation where one of our PCs made a deal so that the rest of us could escape, but he was then bound to the devil who would ask for favors at inopportune times
I just used a contract devil (successfully) in a game a few sessions ago.
The best advice I can give: Let them know that these aren't "the spell" wishes, limited like those. There are rules, but these wishes allow for much greater things. The character in question wished to be a demon. I picked a demon type with CR equal to his level and gave him new stat adjustments and spell like abilities. His type changed to outsider.
Three storybook level wishes is powerful, that's true. However, there's a time limit (24 hours to make all three or they are lost), and if they character dies, their soul is lost. No chance of ressurection unless the rest of the team goes and steals or bargains for the soul. Do you think the rest of the party will be in a rush to help the guy who got cool stat boosts and demon powers while they didn't? For all intents and purposes, this character is now a single life character.
You could try giving a scenario where the devil can offer help without the players needing to sell their sell. Get a plausible scenario for a devil to actually help because it would be in their best interest, and present it as such. Kind of a "Yes, normally, I would be bargaining for your soul, but given the situation, I'd actually rather you succeed, so you get my help free of charge this time," type of deal.
You can also have the devil give at least token terms as well, to placate the players ("After you're done, you can donate a few hundred gold pieces to your local Church of Asmodeus, and we'll call it even").
If the PC's accept this kind of assistance, have the devil come by every once in a while to check in on the characters (perhaps individually if some characters are receptive to it than others) and offer assistance now and then, should they need it. At this point, you can start making bigger deals in terms of the powers the devil might give and the costs for the players.
With luck(?), it can be a slow and gradual thing, and the devil can eventually offer a more major deal.
It's a thought, at least.
They can deal with a devil and not necessarily know that it is a devil.
i'd suggest have the devil offer services or information for a price of some sort, while under the guise of a human. have the service / information be in-line with the party's current goals as to not draw suspicion and make it seem like a useful coincidence with a possible quest to do after the current one is completed.
For Instance:
The party needs to rescue their black market contact from the royal dungeons, but they can't scout the dungeons or observe the guard rotations without arousing suspicion. However, a lucky break comes in the form of helpful stranger who has a way to sneak the party through the front door if they agree to him out later. The future request might be to help find information on a long-last magic item, which, unbeknownst to the party, is really an evil artifact. The players don't find out about this until much further down the line, when they already have an established working relationship with the devil-in-disguise. Once the players realize what they are about to unearth, the devil then gives them the choice: fetch the item for the devil in exchange for a similarly powerful artifact, or exchange one of the PC's souls and leave the evil item where it remains. There you get a big moral dilemma at the end, an evil plot twist that the PCs may not foresee, a (possible) big final confrontation, and a series of quests/side-quests that comprise a full side-quest arc that runs concurrent with the campaign you already have planned.
Wait until they screw something up, and have a devil sell the solution. They get caught up in a situation that has the guard after them? Once they duck into a corner, a devil appears telling them he can make it all go away.
I often play with a self-defined "treasure hunter", so simply dangling shiny items in front of him is usually enough. I like the idea of a devil looking to drop off a Fingerbone of Fickle Fortune to mess with mortals, for example.
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You could try indirect methods such as...
Bogdor the local Magistrate made a deal with a devil in exchange for political success. In exchange he must do 13 favors for the devil.
The devil "cashes in" those favors by having Bogdor send the PCs on a series of quests that become more and more morally ambiguous as time goes on. The devil provides Bogdor with rewards to give the PCs, these rewards are often excessive for the jobs done. Like a drug dealer, start small to get them hooked.
Over time the PCs will become accustomed to unbalanced rewards, that's when the devil turns off the "easy loot" tap and they discover that they've been patsies all along. What do they do once they've found out the terrible aftermath of wheels they themselves set in motion? Do they try to set things right by destroying the devil? He can always pull the old "I never made you do anything, you did it all of your own free will, so what does that say about YOU?" routine to try and turn them to evil.
Just a thought, happy gaming!
In my own game, it's not all that hard to get them to accept deals with devils. But I run in my own world. One of the gods is a former devil who managed to ascend to god-hood. Now, anyone that makes a deal with a devil basically ends up being sorted out after death as 'devil worshipper' and the goddess of death just bundles up the person's soul and sends it to the devils. No arguments, no having to keep the soul in a gem, the devils just get it at death. They like that arrangement. Plus, the world in general knows the devils keep the letter of their promises, so it's fairly easy to tempt people. Everyone always assumes they'll be able to get out of it at a later date. Most are wrong. :)
I agree with Tragic Missile on this. It is best to make the 'favors' seem small and innocent but, when viewed later, are the cause of much evil. But, so used to having a reliable way out of situations, will the characters rail against the evil they unknowingly caused or will they slip further? If they resist at first, have the devil actively engineer situations to encourage them come back for more, but do it so that the players do not recognize it as the devil's until they have refused several times.
create a lawful good "devil", that bargins with one of the more pious characters. If death occurres, he is confined to a church saying prayers for 12 hours a day and eating rice cakes. Other characters learn of his fate, and must deal with lawful evil devil for another twist.
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"Wanna cookie?"
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This is a long-winded non-answer. Still, I hope it helps.
Devils are usually very intelligent, ancient and patient beings. The magnitude of their very being should add tension to every scene in which they participate.
So I advice you to hold back on the offers. If you play the devil like a goat-market merchant, just spewing deals at the players in the hopes that they will bite on one of them, the devil, and the importance of such a deal, loses all impact. It does not matter how well themed the offer is, or how much power it seems to afford the players, what really truly matters is the presentation, and this is where devils shine.
Devils have the power and Machiavellian genius to -MAKE- any deal seem like the best deal ever offered. I suggest you pick a type of devil that seems fitting, then you name him and give him a few associates. Then have your devil create a situation where the players would want to strike a deal with him. Spin the web and shift in the shadows, until you've created a situation where the players are confronted by a problem, that they do not necessarily have an obvious solution to. It does not have to be a gigantic problem, or a case of them being in any real peril. Just that they have a marked interest in making something happen (or not happen), with no obvious way of achieving it.
Enter the devil. At this point, the players are being offered what they want, not what the devil THINKS they want. You have created a situation, in which the devil holds all the cards, and even if the players do not accept the deal, let the devil roll with it. The deal should hold no importance to him, it is just a minor deal after all.
Also! Important! Avoid the classic turn-offs to such deals. There are certain beloved classics that you WANT to use, but they may not serve you the best when trying to get players to make deals with the devil.
Avoid "Unspecified favor at a later date", "The prize of your immortal soul", "Service to me for X years" and "the blood of your firstborn" and all that stuff. Instead have the devil offering them their deal in exchange for something tangible and immediate. Like helping the devil by stealing something from someone, doing wetwork, or something else. Then, if your players succeed, offer them a little extra reward, and offer to do business again sometime. You can then re-use the same devil at a later point, either by creating another situation where a minor deal must be made, but keep escalating the prize ever so slightly. This maintains the importance of the devil, and also distances him from the group. The closer they get to a devil, the harder of a time you will have portraying him in a tension-building fashion. Make every interaction with him to-the-point, make it obvious that he -can- help them fix their problem if -they- are willing to deal, and make sure he has everything planned.
Free idea for situation the devil can create:
The devil sends spies to watch the PCs. The spies learn of an enemy or rival of the PCs. Establish a likable NPC that the players will interact with often, but in an unimportant way, like a barmaid with a positive attitude, who serves their table regularly and puts a bit more meat in their meat and potatoes. Then have the devil suggest(as in use Suggestion) the rival calls for the hanging of this NPC (in this case a barmaid). Have her stand trial for witchcraft or something, and make sure your players know that she is guilty until proven innocent. Give them a chance to fix the problem with some clever thinking, but otherwise, they can do nothing but watch powerlessly as the date of her burning creeps closer. They will speak to locals to try and solve the issue, by gathering information or using diplomacy. Have someone approach them when there is one day left until her execution and tell them that he has heard of their inquiries, and he might know someone who can help. The players are taken to the devil, who will offer them to have the NPC freed, in exchange for an obvious and tangible service. When the players accept, have an imp take a piece of paper from a stack of similar papers, (the players realize that these are all pardons for criminal sentences) and have the devil casually ask "What was her/his name again?" the imp then fills out the form and the devil hands a full pardon to the players, who now get to save an NPC (gaining a lifelong ally in the process) and now owe the devil something.
-Nearyn
I can use an anti magic field right about now.
A devil is a dangerous thing to deal with. What type of devil are you thinking of using?
Make the devil seem as human as possible. I don't mean concealing the pointy tail and whatnot, I mean make it something the PCs can relate to rather than Mr. Burns.
Maybe the soul of the PC isn't even what the devil wants. Maybe the PC has ties to some individual that the devil wants to get close to, and he'll help the PC out if the PC will vouch for the devil.
For something more sinister, maybe the devil wants the PC to retrieve some hairs of an NPC they know. Make it a rival or someone unfriendly to the PCs, so they might not even mind doing it as a gut reaction, but then they might want to think about it.
Stephen King's 'Full Dark, No Stars' has a devil contract story you might find useful for inspiration - Fair Extension.
I'm running a game centered in Cheliax which has a significant amount of interaction with devils. What tempting offers might a devil offer a PC that the PC would consider?
The Beastiary 2 has a Contract Devil which will exchange a persons soul for either a wish or the service of a devil. While I like those, I don't think any of my PCs would ever consider making such a deal.
What lesser deals might still interest a devil. As I understand it devils are interested in long term investments and are willing to work on corrupting a person over time in hopes of eventually owning his soul.
Devils are subtle exploiters.
They are excellent orators.They know how to find out the weaknesses in people.
They use that knowledge to exploit.
They are not pushy or in a hurry.
They will give little each time to make the PC feel they can accomplish some but not all without some aid.
What the PCs ask for is not always apparent but it does slide their alignment closer and closer to evil in the long run.
The devils are drug pushers and their help is a drug.
Immortals have all the time in the world to wait.
What are the goals and desires of the PCs?
How much is it desired or wanted?
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Have it all happen in a dream, as everyone knows what happens in a dream can’t be real …
I would set up a one on one with each player; each has a dream where they are presented with several options; steal this or don’t, give money to this church or don’t. Tailor each to the character.
If a spellcaster have them dream a spell duel with a harder opponent; if they begin to loose then have a voice offer to help them out for a small fee of course. If they win then you have them enter in a higher risk match against a herder opponent. If the submit and take the assistance they gain a free feat or a power usable so many times a day. If they ignore the offer and loose then they wake up with a strange burn or other injury to remind them.
If a fighter then have a normal duel; Increasing the opponents power each bout.
Rogue they can duel or have a vision of them disarming a exceeding difficult trap or trapped lock to get to some fabulous treasure. Again with the inner voice offering to help if they find it too hard. Each successive door is harder than the last. If they refuse the deal then offer them it again later on. Again grant them a bonus or free feat if they accept. The rogue finally gets to the treasure and finds a beautiful blood red teardrop ruby that sparkles with its own inner light. He wakes up with it in his hand … or imbedded in his hand.
They have to choose to give in. If they resist then they wake up with some small effect or damage, if they give in they gain some small bonus and a reminder that it was not just a dream.
You could also have the powers of good reward them in some small way for resisting if you wish. Makes them think they are important and in some way important to the gods/devils/world/barmaid or whatever.
Sic
A wooden box with a symbol that prevents any divination from affecting it. Tell them that if they turn over thier soul you get the contents of the box. Tell them the contents will be world changing. But dont tell them whats in the box. The box has no lock or catch but will never open by accident. It must be knowingly opened by the PC. Others cant open it. You give the box for free to the PC. Tell them that they only need open the box for the contract to be final.
Never tell them whats in the box.
Wait and see how long it takes them to open that box.