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What a devil wants
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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6919448" data-attributes="member: 4937"><p>Oh, I agree, but it's totally antithetical to a devil's mission in life to leave heroes largely free to take their own actions. Yes, they prefer to assimilate, but if they cannot dominate, then they prefer to destroy. They will not leave things up to chance. They will not leave things free. Freedom, chance, randomness, these are things as hateful to them as charity and mercy. If there is any doubt as to whether they will win, they will certainly prefer the surety of destruction to the potential of corruption only. They only play rigged games that they cannot lose. That's why you never bargain with a devil. The DM in this case should rig the game so that he thinks there is zero chance of the PCs winning. If they manage to escape fate anyway, fine and good. But this is no time to be fair about it.</p><p></p><p>ADDENDUM: Imagine it this way. That devil is reporting to another devil at least as ruthless and cruel as he is, and that devil demands results. He has to make an account of his every action. That devil will pore over his every decision, criticizing every fault he can find with it. If it doesn't live up to his supervisors standards, if anything goes wrong, he stands to face eons of unremitting torment. While it's true he can win greater esteem from the hierarchy for assimilating some heroes to his cause, if there is the slightest chance that would go wrong and along the way the heroes will in some way thwart the designs of hell, or make him to look foolish by outwitting him, he will always prefer to cover his own rear by just killing dangerous potentially uncontrollable heroes than taking a risk on a bargain he might not win and which might result in as much good as it does evil.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 6919448, member: 4937"] Oh, I agree, but it's totally antithetical to a devil's mission in life to leave heroes largely free to take their own actions. Yes, they prefer to assimilate, but if they cannot dominate, then they prefer to destroy. They will not leave things up to chance. They will not leave things free. Freedom, chance, randomness, these are things as hateful to them as charity and mercy. If there is any doubt as to whether they will win, they will certainly prefer the surety of destruction to the potential of corruption only. They only play rigged games that they cannot lose. That's why you never bargain with a devil. The DM in this case should rig the game so that he thinks there is zero chance of the PCs winning. If they manage to escape fate anyway, fine and good. But this is no time to be fair about it. ADDENDUM: Imagine it this way. That devil is reporting to another devil at least as ruthless and cruel as he is, and that devil demands results. He has to make an account of his every action. That devil will pore over his every decision, criticizing every fault he can find with it. If it doesn't live up to his supervisors standards, if anything goes wrong, he stands to face eons of unremitting torment. While it's true he can win greater esteem from the hierarchy for assimilating some heroes to his cause, if there is the slightest chance that would go wrong and along the way the heroes will in some way thwart the designs of hell, or make him to look foolish by outwitting him, he will always prefer to cover his own rear by just killing dangerous potentially uncontrollable heroes than taking a risk on a bargain he might not win and which might result in as much good as it does evil. [/QUOTE]
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