Uber-wizard + Hell = ???

[Arravis]

So, this might seem a bit odd, but I'm looking for some DM'ing advice for a friend. We've been running a campaign for two years, playing solidly throughout it; the group is now at 23rd level. There are two-DM's who take turns, and play their character's when they are not DM'ng. Another of the players has expressed an interest in co-DMing as well and is planning to run a min-adventure in a series of adventures that our party has been in (which is easily split up among the DM’s). So, I'm trying to help him with some of the pre-game work, since he's not an experienced DM.

The adventure he’s going to run involves us going to hell to retrieve an Ice Orchid from Molikrith's Garden in Cania, the eighth layer of Hell. The catch is that the party must be given, willingly, the Ice Orchid from whoever is in charge of them (some poor Hellish gardener that grows them I suppose). Oh, one addendum rule we've added in our game; Gate and such spells only take you to the first layer of any given plane or to a layer the caster has previously been to before. We've been as far as the 2nd layer, Dis, so we'll have to go the hard way to the eighth.

Anyway, one of the possible problems I've thought of is that my character, a wizard, will likely use his considerable power try to work within the strict hierarchy of Hell instead of fighting every devil we encounter. In Hell might makes right and the weak follow the strong. He'll try to gather a small army of devils around him for protection and such (his alignment is LN, used to be LE, and might fall back to LE after this, I know).

If I were DM'ing this myself, I'm honestly not sure if such a strategy would work, how to handle it, etc... so I'm hoping to get some advice I can pass on to the DM that will be running this. You guys are welcome to screw over my character's plans... I do a pretty decent job of keeping OOC knowledge, OOC, so no biggie. Thanks guys!

 

[Zarrock God of Evil]

Sounds like a very interesting adventure to undertake. Quite a quest.

I think it is important for the DM to have an intricate knowledge of the politics of Hell (Legions of Hell, MotP and BoVD are all good resources). The lesser and higher nobility of the 7 layers you'll have to pass through should have some interest in a powerful wizard passing through their domains - especially if he gathers an army of other devils around them. Some will see this as a provocation that has to be destroyed quickly while others will attempt to use the wizard.
The travel through multiple layers with a small army would open up many interesting possibilities for the different devils - the opportunity to war with other lords, spy on the affairs of other devils, or transport and guard an item or person through the layers.
Being devils, however, any dealings with the fiends of Hell will eventually turn out bad unless the wizard has the firepower to stave off all that is brought against him.

-Zarrock

 

[Kerrick]

Well, let's see... First, and most obvious, some pit fiend or minor duke is going to get wind of the mortal raising and army and take immediate steps to quell it, viewing it as a threat to their power. Also, any devils the mage comes across are going to join him only if it serves them in some form (inlcuding making a play for power). Because of their lawful alignment, devils will abide by the terms of any agreement, but they will always look for ways to twist the wording to their advantage, and they are more subtle than demons - they're more involved in political maneuvering and power plays. That should give your DM some ideas right there.