Rituals, Deals with the Devil, and other short cuts to power!?

[MadLuke]

According to "The Book of Vile Darkness" (chapter 2: sacrifice) once I played one of mine one-shot adventure "Disappearances in the blood": the believed dead son of a paladin came back to the father county, and within a deep dungeon he did sacrifices many virgin girls to get more power.

Bye, MadLuke.

 

[kitcik]

... sacrifices many virgin girls to get more power.

If only life were that simple...

 

[MadLuke]

If only life were that simple...

Hey buddy, be quite: basins on the cheek doesn't count.

Bye, MadLuke.

 

[xigbar]

Necropolitan.

 

[Gregor]

Thanks for the suggestions thus far. Looks like I need to try and track down some splatbooks!

 

[the Jester]

How about instead of giving him MOAR POWER, he finds a ritual that will let him sic a big demon on 'im! (Feel free to replace "Demon" with "Elemental," or whatever floats your boat.) That way the pc doesn't get buffed up, but he makes a powerful enemy by virtue of its temporary enslavement.

 

[Greenfield]

Okay, so have him buy a scroll of something akin to Planar Ally.

He makes a bargain for services, be it paid in gold, blood, EXP, a quest undertaken in service, whatever.

Alternately, have some fiend trick him.

"I will grant you power of unlimited use, and a path to even greater power that you can use to destroy any enemy. Just sign here, before the ink clots... "

And then... and THEN... he cross-classes into Warlock. Yeah, he gets unlimited Eldritch Blasts per day, and yeah he can advance his Warlock levels on a "path to even greater power". It's just, it's a Charisma driven caster, and I'd bet that Charisma isn't one of his good stats.

To quote Bel, lord of the 1st circle of hell in one of my campaigns, "I don't know who has been spreading this idea about Hell being fair, but I'd really like to thank them!"

 

[Thanael]

Check out this awesome thread on Planar Allies: http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/80344-help-minions-planar-binding-spells.html.

It provides several very flavourful allies to summon and advice on how to flavour up the bargains involved. Plus in post 28 Zappo recounts the hilarious escalation of faustian pacts of a PC.

At lvl 5 there's only Summon Monster III available, though. You could use the scroll idea from above or build it up slowly...

Maybe let him get an Improved Familiar? If he wants to spend a feat at CL6. Though the classic imp is only available at CL7.

BTW the levels 6-8 are good levels to enter several prestige classes. See which are available when here. Acolyte of the Skin, Alienist, Blood Magus, and Shadowcrafter come to mind immediately. Though perhaps also Loremaster. Check out there prereqs at the site above.

Maybe he picks up a grimoire that sets him on a dark path? (i.e contains suitably dark spells, the info how to gain an improved familiar, or a enter prestige class, names of possibly planar allies, how to craft a dark magic item, how to gain a template)


Why don't you let us know more about this character so we can get a more specific angle...

 

[Thanael]

Allies. Powerful, powerful allies. Like, Marlon Brando in The Godfather allies. Allies who are willing to assist with a problem but... at some point will want you to repay their "friendship."

In our current campaign, the player of a LE Cleric of Hextor currently has on retainer an Assassin, a warband of Hobgoblin mercenaries, and a Night Hag. They were each brought in to assist him with specific problems and now he is currently in the process of paying off his debts. Of course, the payments are far greater than the services provided. And, of course, the Cleric keeps digging himself further into debt.

This is great advice. And you can combine it with the ideas above.

 

[jefgorbach]

Perhaps a summoning ritual for a powerful planar ally ... however its a reversal so instead of becoming his improved familiar, he's unwittingly become subject to ITS whims, gaining the respective familiar powers per the standard table only while within range.

Worse, the table works in reverse as well, so while he initially gains a significant bonus to his natural AC and Intelligence, etc ... these bonuses DECREASE every time he gains a level, eventually leaving him answerable to another without meaningful benefit.