Help my party take out a Pit Fiend

[orchid blossom]

Our 15th level party recently took on a Pit Fiend. We had a huge advantage though, the Pit Fiend was frozen in time. So we were able to do things like Consecrate the battle area.

We found him frozen in a secret room in our manor house, in the middle of a battle with a family member who was blocking him with her staff of the magi. He was in the middle of breaking it. Now, the fact that we had all the time in the world to set up the battle area like we wanted made a huge difference, but our basic theory should still help you.

Make him waste actions. I know, this is more party planning than DM help, but still. We did stuff like smash tanglefoot bags on his feet. Sure, he's going to break them no problem, but he has to waste time doing it. We used a rope of climing to tie his sword and hinder his swing, we even tied bedsheets around his head and tied him up with rope. We knew none of this would stop him, but after all that, and a few other things, he spent his entire first round getting all that annoying crap off him, which made a big difference since he'd won initiative. (We had the means to move time backward six seconds, so we set off the battle and then init was rolled.)

 

[Wild Gazebo]

"In 1e MM2 Asmodeus & Mephistopheles commanded Legions of Pit Fiends! For these 'mook' pit fiends the 3.0 stats work fine (I'd say they're about CR 13 or so). The 3.5 CR 20 stats are usable for Dark Eight or Dukes of Hell like (1e MM2) Hutijin."


I pretty much scrapped all of the 1e stuff when Planescape rolled around. I held out till then...mocking those stupid binders...and calling my Demons and Devils: Baatezu and Tanari...the nerve! But, when the heirarchy was mapped out and the promotion explained...it sort of just clicked. I switched over and played the fiends a la 2e. Pit Fiends--though potentially numerous--were one step below commanding a demi-plane or huge influence over the Baatorian power structure. As is, I believe most Powers in the Nine Hells are significantly higher than CR 20 so its not as if there aren't some mooks for a Real Power to kick around.

And so, I was disappointed with the 3.0 version and relieved with the 3.5.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Endur]

I had a final battle with a party that was around level 15 against a 3.5 Balor.

The party killed the 3.5 Balor, but before he was slain, he summoned a second Balor.

More than half the party was killed (mostly from the explosion when the original Balor died) and the rest fled. The party was evil, so Blasphemy wasn't an issue.

As I see it, Blasphemy and the Summon Horned Devil are probably the worst things the Pit Fiend can do to a party. Meteor Swarm once a day could also be nasty.

The rest of what he can do is lots of: power word stuns, hold monsters, fireballs, and combat.

For optimal Pit Fiend combat tactics, I'd focus on spell casting that can affect multiple party members. Only if the party is immune to spellcasting would I switch to combat.

If you want to make the Pit Fiend easier to manage, maybe you can have the Pit Fiend go insane with rage and revenge at the party and fight in hand to hand against the party, not using his spells, even if that is suboptimal.

You could also say the Pit Fiend used his 1/day spells earlier in the day (summon, meteor swarm).

 

[azmodean]

Remember, you've taken away one of the pit fiends most usefull abilities, teleport at will. I would call that a reduction to cr 19 all by itself. That aside, if the party knows what they are fighting and has time to prepare, it shouldn't be that bad of a fight. If they have a chance to get their rd/level buffs up right before the combat, it should be easy.

 

[Psion]

I'd let them get the drop on the Pit Fiend.

That reminds me of Sepulchrave's story hour, where their arch-nemesis seeks out the alienst, not knowing that he was one of her enemies.

Priceess.

Anyways, if it's the last battle of the campaign, letting the PCs come into campaign breaking odds-evening magic items wouldn't hurt anything...

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

Well, Taking out a Pit Fiend is a pretty tall task.


1. Make sure its all right with his mother. (Tell him you'll have him back before the sacrifical hour).

2. Wear something nice. Preferablay made from the skin of a sentient creature.

3. Bring it a gift. I'd recommend some paladin truffles (Pit Fiends prefer Dark Choclate & make sure it's GENUINE paladin, not that fake failed-paladin crap).

4. Take it someplace nice. Like a slaughterhouse or a blood covered battlefield. Or just take him to the Jerry Springer Show. Nothin says evil like JERRY! JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!

5. No tongue. It the first date after all. Don't try to get to second base until at least the third date.

6. Try to avoid being flayed alive.

May you both find true love,

 

[S'mon]

4. Take it someplace nice. Like a slaughterhouse or a blood covered battlefield. Or just take him to the Jerry Springer Show. Nothin says evil like JERRY! JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!

If you can plane shift to UK, the second half of Jerry Springer the Opera even takes place in Hell...

 

[Bryan898]

Isn't that supposed to be a near impossible encounter?

In lower levels yes. At higher levels the CR system starts to suck. Remember that when multiple PCs focus on one creature they're going to do a whole lot of hurt in no time, and the pit fiend will only get one action a round while the PCs as a whole will get many. A creature with a CR 5 or 6 higher has a much better chance of standing alone against the party and still doing some damage. In my high/ epic campaigns there were times when the party would barely survive a CR 8 higher than their level, and others when they had to run from a CR 2 higher.

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

If you can plane shift to UK, the second half of Jerry Springer the Opera even takes place in Hell...

Yea, but that's only for HIGH CLASS Pit Fiends. Your average Pit Fiend is more a Nascar/Good Ole Boy, umm Make that Evil Ole Boy. Think Deliverance, only the inbred country hicks have incredible spell like powers. "Squeeeeel like a DIRE pig"

Opera just doesn't hold their interest. Though they find the Fat Lady tasty.

 

[maggot]

Is there a possibility to give the party one or more NPCs that could help in the battle?

That's always a possiblity, but I don't want an NPC to steal the spotlight from the PCs. What kind of NPC were you thinking would be most helpful?

Some people mentioned giving them magic items, any specific suggestions?