Thursday, April 16, 2020

On Devils and Demons In My World

I have a pretty direct approach to handling Devils and Demons when I run 1e/OSRIC games.

Devils are Lawful Evil.   They are all about concentration of power and "the deal".  They want more creatures under their control and consider themselves top tier chess masters.  They LOVE to think they can outsmart or swindle their way into anything. 

They'll use every dirty trick and back stab available to them but because they do put so much stock into playing by rules, they must honor the outcomes whether they like it or not and they almost never like getting bested or outmaneuvered.

Demons are Chaotic Evil.  They couldn't care less about rules.  They are all about fear and intimidation.   They can't help but show off and grandstand if it will scare the shit out of their victims even more.

To beat a devil, especially the higher devils, its about being able to outwit them.  Some would say the only intelligent way to beat a Devil at a game is not to play the game in the first place.  Always a wise decision.  But sometimes, Devils get one playing without one realizing it.  Thats when wit and craftiness are your best and usually only hope.  Except maybe for divine interference.

The main way to beat a demon is to have a stronger will and determination than they do.  They have a relatively low force of will reflected by a low to mid range Charisma score.  PC's with higher Charisma scores and have something to back themselves up in terms of being a credible threat to a demon can banish them

Demons are impatient and get riled up easily.  Devils tend to be aloof and always wearing a poker face.

When, as the DM, I play a Devil or Demon NPC, I think of those traits and try to role play as close as possible to them.  Obviously each Devil or Demon has its own personality that encompasses these traits to greater or lesser degrees.  For example, Asmodeus will be a much different character than Beelzebub.

Also, when it comes to Devils trying to claim someones "soul", I play it that if a Devil wins, its essentially like having a permanent geas on the PC.  Devils are always looking for agents to carry out tasks that may or may not make sense to the PC but falls into some devious plot the Devil has nefariously crafted.   Its all about control and the more pawns they collect, the greater their power.

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