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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 6697057" data-attributes="member: 6669384">A few thoughts on Devils:I think we all may have different versions of Devils,and how they should be played.My own vision of their role in the game may differ from yours, and we may both see them differently than someone else.Some DMs use them as simply another monster, a combatant to be faced and defeated.Some use the "Father of Lies" image, with Devils as masters of deception, to be trusted little if at all.  As in, if he says "Good Morning", you check to see if it might be afternoon.My style for them is driven by the phrase "Always Lawful Evil" in the stat block.  They recognize the value of the infernal hierarchy, even if this particular Devil is currently doung scut work for it.  You can't rise to a position of power in the organization by tearing the organization down, after all.Additionally, I include a sharp limit on their behavior, driven by that forced alignment, and the fact that every one is, or dreams of being, someone to trade for souls.  That limit is that they can't actually tell you something that isn't true, particularly when discussing a contract.  It's against their nature, and in particular, it would void the contract.Now they can "lie" to you, in that they can mislead you, tell half-truths etc. , but they have to do it through factually accurate statements.For example, he might say, "Think of the possibilities with this gift.  You might ascend to the throne of the Emperor himself with what I'm offering."Note that he didn't guarantee anything, he just encouraged the victim to use his imagination.  Nothing in the deal says that any good will come of it at all.In one of my more infamous deals, the Devil began with, "I have heard it said that, in Pompeii beneath the ashes, in the ancient temple of Helios the Titan of the sun, there lay the lost Dagger of Helios.  Bring it to me.  And, to show that I am not unfair, you have one full year to acquire it.  Deliver it to me, in this place, one year from tonight and all debts are paid."The clinkers in this one were many.  First, the Devil accurately reported that he had heard it said that the dagger was there.  That in no way implies that it actually is, or or that he knows where it is, or that the dagger is to be had at all.  He might have asked a friend to say that to him, just so he could say he had heard it.In a world where standard calendars may or may not match from one kingdom to he next, it's arguable that they could even know, exactly, when "one year from tonight" might be.  If the party delivers the dagger a day early or a day late, they have failed to complete the contract.If this place (an Inn on an island) isn't standing a year from now, the deal can't be completed.There were a could of other opportunities to fail that were campaign specific, but you get the picture.  On the face of it the deal seems relatively easy, with plenty of time to complete.  A classic dungeon delve, temple ruins in a lost city.  What could be more classic?  And yet there is almost no chance of them completing the bargain.He spoke "the truth", but he layered lie on lie on lie while doing it.</blockquote>

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