What's Hell Like?

[Lord Vangarel]

My players have just gone through a gate to Hell. This wasn't an accident and I know what they are supposed to be doing there but I'm looking for help on what Hell is like. What cool features could be there, should all fiends attack them on sight etc.

Any ideas and help would be great.

 

[Bagpuss]

No I don't all should attack them on site, but some will attempt to bargin with them to gain entry to the prime material plane. Or perhaps pretend to help them but in fact trick them into being trapped there forever.

Brutal force, is only one face of evil, best not to over do it.

For the geography you can go the traditional lava and brimstone route, or as a twist go with frozen artic plane (devils think its ironic that people say "When hell freezes over.") since very few people ever return from hell all the discriptions of it are just speculation and could be completely wrong. Another option is rip off the mines around Isengard and have it as some massive steaming industrial workhouse.

 

[wighair]

i'd go with the above for a general DnD in hell, but it could be interesting to base it on the charaters involved in some way.
More specifically in the tormenting of the soul aspect.

most fighter types love a good mosh, so legions of bad guys with burning whips is probabaly just their cup of tea (reminds me of and old hell joke), so maybe their is no conflict, just peace.

Maybe the devout cleric finds a land of happiness and contentment and a population of atheists. "We need no gods!"

Rogues could maybe find a land of plenty where everone has all they need, nothing protected, no need to steal. And magic users could maybe find a land where there is no magic.

This would be VERY difficult to pull off in a traditional DnD game, but you might want to consider this type of thing, just to keep your players on their toes. Maybe split 'em up so they could each face their own version.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Hell is hard, bitter, straining, stressful, deceitful, hurtful, hot and cold, and so on.

It, the place finds your weakness and breaks you down. In a way the place is a vampire, living off your pain, fear, suffering.

You don't die, you are past that, all there is the suffering, wounds that don't heal, that turn green with puss, the fever, the madness. The creatures you meet will help only betray you or torment you. The places are traps and focuses designed only to increase the torment, fear and pain.

 

[Lord Vangarel]

So any ideas on what the landscape could be like?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Download the free adventure "For Duty and Diety" from the WOTC site (it's in the classic downloads archive -- not the free adventure area, since its a 2E adventure). That adventure takes place on three levels of the Abyss, and should give you lots of ideas on structuring a planar level -- like the river of salt that winds through all three planes.

 

[Li Shenron]

What cosmology have you planned? Is there an Abyss with Demons or only Hell (and Demons are together with other fiends)?

If you are planning to have a Hell quite like the MotP one, that is a Lawful Evil oriented plane, make it a little like the most horrible prison you can imagine. Your characters may be easily recognized as visitors (the prison is for deceased), and most of the Devils may even ignore their presence altogether, especially if their have someone who accompany them.

Notice, it's not my original idea, a fellow of mine called Dante Alighieri wrote something similar a long time ago , and you may find his Inferno surprisingly inspiring for your campaign.

 

[Sammael99]

This probabaly won't help you much, but here are a few ideas of unconventional torments in hell :

(From Sartre's Huis Clos) : Three people who really grate on each other's nerves stuck in a room for eternity.

(From Pratchett's Eric) : Being forced to watch a devil's holiday photos for all of eternity...

OK, so it's not very D&Dish...

 

[jasper]

you find yourself in a old structure. The smells of sour milk, vomit, and lavendar mingle into a ball which you can barely gag down. The heat is dripping. You hair whits as your sweat glands try but fail to cool you off.
Five rows of six desk each for halflings or gnomes are arrange in a square.

A huge door opens with a screeh. Mrs. Gray your first grade teacher enters with her four foot yard stick.

Mrs. Gray,"Piratecat, Jasper, Biblo baggins, take your seats!"


WELL YOU WANTED A DESCRIPTION OF H E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS.

 

[Henry]

My players have just gone through a gate to Hell. This wasn't an accident and I know what they are supposed to be doing there but I'm looking for help on what Hell is like. What cool features could be there, should all fiends attack them on sight etc.

Any ideas and help would be great.

If you can find it, Chris Pramas' Guide to Hell from Wizards of the Coast is a wonderful resource for this.

If you can't find that, and you want to stick to the "Generic D&D" interpretation of the Nine Hells, then (the following with thanks to the poster "Pale Writer" over at the Necromancer Games Boards


First Layer:Avernus- Ruled by Tiamat. Think "Roman Military Encampment, and you'll be close. Also, plenty of barren plains, random fireballs shooting off in all directions, etc. A very inhospitable front door.

Second Layeris- Ruled by Dispater. The Iron city (a massive metropolis where humans go to deal with the devils, so to speak) is on this layer, and the Iron City is a relatively safe area to resupply - the only one in all of the Hells.

---------------------------------

The other layers, I'll leave in from Pale Writer's post, though I don't recall enough info to help you characterize them sufficiently.

Third Layer:Minauros- Ruled by Mammon (relevant passage is the layer of the avaricious, and ruled by Mammon...).

Fourth Layerhlegothos- Ruled by Belial (relevant passage Its ruler is Belial, who rules from the city of Abriymoch...).

Fifth Layer:Stygia- Ruled by Geryon (relevant passage One such island holds the great city Tantlin, which is ruled by Geryon).

Sixth Layer:Malbolge- Ruled by Moloch (relevant passage Malboge is dotted with copper-shod fortresses, the homes of Moloch, who rules this plane as the viceroy of Baalzebul).

Seventh Layer:Maladomini- Ruled by Baalzebul (relevant passage ...the seventh layer, is the home of Baalzebul, Lord of Flies and Lies).

Eighth Layer:Caina- Ruled by Mephistopheles {relevant passage The devilish ruler of this layer is Mephistopheles).

Ninth Layer:Nessus- Ruled by Asmodeus (relevant passage ...each leading lower until the grand palace of Hell's Overlord, Asmodeus, is reached).