Aberzanzorax
Hero
Here's what I would do:
She makes the deal with the pcs to destroy the statue, with one of them left behind. She also will accept terms of "and I will not harm any of you for today, so long as you do not attempt to hurt me either" She then charms that one and has a conversation with him.
If you want to be extra cautious, she could be hiding with a minor image of herself sitting with the charmed player in case they try to ambush her when they come back.
But, when the pcs come back, she says "thank you for the lovely gift" referring to the charmed player. "You have freed me from being bound to this temple!"
She summons 1d4 barbazu** (I'd just let this work, and probably make it a fixed amount that you decide upon based on party strength. I recommend 3 as it's not a "max roll" and also because one of the players is charmed. That's essentially 4 vs 4. Even if she couldn't do this before, she is no longer "summoned"-she's free of her bindings). Then, she entangles the charmed player with her rope of entanglement (who does not resist) and tries to fly away.
Allow the uncharmed players to attack the rope (you might hint that they have no real chance of taking her out and also that attempting to hurt/attack her frees her of the deal so that she can TPK them) to free their ally (still charmed). This "convinces" the charmed player that they are shooting at her/him, and are not the friends he thought they were.
Then, they must battle the barbazu (who cannot teleport and are a melee group...so the players have a good chance). The charmed player will however, defend the barbazu (a command she gave him/her while she discussed her plan with him).
This should lend itself to a doable battle, make them hate her, make her a recurring villian, and most importantly, it is logical/reasonable for her to do and yet it avoids your TPK.
**Note that she is not harming the players, the barbazu are. Also, if they cut the rope and the charmed pc falls, she didn't do that to him, his allies did.
EDIT: If she DOES get away with the charmed player, she'll bring him to a secluded place, uncharm him, and make a deal with him (his life or XYZ). The deal should include the offer to return him to his friends. She'll then find them (gather info and teleport are a potent combo) and fly him back to their group, letting him loose outside of their camp (not within sight). Part of the deal should be that he has to lie to them and say he got away by cutting the rope himself and then hiding from her.
(BY THE WAY: All devils in my campaign have the ability to "cast" geas/quest, lesser geas/quest or mark of justice. The target of the spell must be willing, and not charmed or magically compelled. Think of this as an enforceable devil's bargain. It might be something you could consider giving to her if she does get away with the charmed pc. She's "advanced" after all. Alternately, there could be a "magic contract" that is written out with the power to geas all parties that sign it.)
She makes the deal with the pcs to destroy the statue, with one of them left behind. She also will accept terms of "and I will not harm any of you for today, so long as you do not attempt to hurt me either" She then charms that one and has a conversation with him.
If you want to be extra cautious, she could be hiding with a minor image of herself sitting with the charmed player in case they try to ambush her when they come back.
But, when the pcs come back, she says "thank you for the lovely gift" referring to the charmed player. "You have freed me from being bound to this temple!"
She summons 1d4 barbazu** (I'd just let this work, and probably make it a fixed amount that you decide upon based on party strength. I recommend 3 as it's not a "max roll" and also because one of the players is charmed. That's essentially 4 vs 4. Even if she couldn't do this before, she is no longer "summoned"-she's free of her bindings). Then, she entangles the charmed player with her rope of entanglement (who does not resist) and tries to fly away.
Allow the uncharmed players to attack the rope (you might hint that they have no real chance of taking her out and also that attempting to hurt/attack her frees her of the deal so that she can TPK them) to free their ally (still charmed). This "convinces" the charmed player that they are shooting at her/him, and are not the friends he thought they were.
Then, they must battle the barbazu (who cannot teleport and are a melee group...so the players have a good chance). The charmed player will however, defend the barbazu (a command she gave him/her while she discussed her plan with him).
This should lend itself to a doable battle, make them hate her, make her a recurring villian, and most importantly, it is logical/reasonable for her to do and yet it avoids your TPK.
**Note that she is not harming the players, the barbazu are. Also, if they cut the rope and the charmed pc falls, she didn't do that to him, his allies did.
EDIT: If she DOES get away with the charmed player, she'll bring him to a secluded place, uncharm him, and make a deal with him (his life or XYZ). The deal should include the offer to return him to his friends. She'll then find them (gather info and teleport are a potent combo) and fly him back to their group, letting him loose outside of their camp (not within sight). Part of the deal should be that he has to lie to them and say he got away by cutting the rope himself and then hiding from her.
(BY THE WAY: All devils in my campaign have the ability to "cast" geas/quest, lesser geas/quest or mark of justice. The target of the spell must be willing, and not charmed or magically compelled. Think of this as an enforceable devil's bargain. It might be something you could consider giving to her if she does get away with the charmed pc. She's "advanced" after all. Alternately, there could be a "magic contract" that is written out with the power to geas all parties that sign it.)
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