Mostly inspired the stories of devil stealing souls through music and deception. The Fiddler Devil is supposed to be a dangerous enemy when the PCs can't find him or identify him. He would never combat the PCs alone voluntarily.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.
The Fiddler, Devil CR10
XP 9,600
LE Medium outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
Init +6 Senses Darkvision 60ft, see in darkness, true seeing; Perception +18
defence
AC 23 touch 20, flat-footed 13 (+6 Dex +4 Dodge +3 Nat)
hp 130 (13d10+26)
Fort 11 Ref 19 Will 18
DR 10/good and silver; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10; SR 21
offence
Speed 30ft
Melee +3 rapier +17/+12 (1d6+3/ 18-20)
Special Attacks bardic performance (28 rounds), damning dance
Spell-like Abilities (caster level 12th)
constant – true seeing, feather step
at will – Greater teleport, Hypnotic pattern (DC 19), Scare (DC 13), Rage, Suggestion (DC 19)
3/day- Haste, Summon (closed carriage pulled by 2 Nightmares)
stats
Str 10 Dex 18 Con 14 Int 21 Wis 20 Cha 22
BAB +10 CMB +14 CMD 24
Feats Weapon finesse, Skill Focus (Perform (string)), Persuasive, Dodge, Mobility
Skills Bluff +13, Diplomacy +8, Disguise +19 (+23 to pass as human), Escape Artist +17, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (planes) +18, Perception +18, Perform (string) +25, Sense Motive +19
languages Abyssal, Aklo, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100ft
SQ Almost Human, Fiddle Proficiency
ecology
Environment any (Hell)
Organization solitary, gang (1 plus 4-6 Medium humanoids), legion (1 plus 10-15 bearded devils)
Treasure standard (+3 rapier, masterwork fiddle)
special abilities
Almost Human (Ex) Fiddler devil has enough human features that it is possible for them to pass for a pure-blooded human. They gain +4 bonus on Disguise checks to pass as human.
Bardic Performance (Su) A Fiddler devil can use his fiddle against prey and foes or to inspire his minions. He can use bardic performance as a 9th-level bard.
Damning Dance (Ex) Three times a day, when a mortal becomes fascinated by the Fascination effect of the Fiddler's bardic performance, they must succeed a DC 19 Will save or start dancing the next turn until the Fiddler chooses to end his bardic performance. This a compulsion based effect. At the end of the performance, they die 1d4 days later. Upon death their soul now belongs to the Fiddler and can only be restored to life by a miracle, wish or a Fiddle Contest against the Fiddler who owns the soul. If they succeed the save, the devil's bardic performance is interrupted. Nothing happens to anyone who failed their save if the Fiddler's performance is interrupted before he chooses to end its performance.
Fiddle Contest (Su) Once a month, a Fiddler can be challenged by a mortal to a Fiddle contest. The mortal can ask for a limited wish, the Fiddler's binding, a soul in the possession of the Fiddler or an equivalent prize if they win, at the GM's discretion. The mortal will die instantly upon loss of the contest and their soul now belongs to the devil and can only be restored to life by a miracle, wish or a Fiddle Contest against the Fiddler who owns the soul. The mortal can only agree to take part in the contest of its own free will. The contest consists of alternating Perform (string) checks, DC 19, until either the devil or the mortal fail a check or stop playing. If they are attacked or similarly interrupted during the contest, the devil automatically wins. The use of special abilities and spell-like abilities by the participants is permitted.
Fiddle Proficiency (Ex) A Fiddle devil can use his Perform (string) bonus in place of his bonus with the associated skills: Bluff and Diplomacy.
The line about the fiddle devil automatically winning the contest if they're interrupted gives them a 99% chance of winning. If he has even one minion with him, all he has to do is tell him to hit the opponent one time. Combat is joined, the mortal loses, soul is gained.
That... should not be.
Edit: Well, that, and their +25 Perform (Strings) skill means they can't fail, except on a 1.
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I would say the DC of the fiddle contest should increase with every round-- that builds up the suspense as it gets harder and harder to win, but it also means that no matter how good you are at the fiddle, victory is never guaranteed.
I'd also argue that if the contest is interrupted, instead of the devil winning, the contest should just "fail" and no winner or loser is declared. It keeps the devil and his patsies from cheating (much). It also opens up the possibility of a rematch, if a failed contest doesn't count towards the devil's 1/month limit.
Also, what happens if a mortal tries to challenge a fiddler devil, but that particular fiddler devil already had a fiddle contest this month?
The devil who went down to Georgia was actually pretty mediocre at the fiddle; his performance is nothing but noise and relies on the input of the band of demons to sound quality. I'd say the Fiddle Contest should require a Perform check from the mortal opponent only, make it a high DC (30?) or require a set of increasingly difficult rolls to succeed.
Or how about this: it's an opposed perform roll, but the Fiddler Devil is always treated as having rolled a 1. So the mortal has to roll a 27 or higher to succeed.