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View Full Version : [3.5] Ways to become a Devil?



jokey665
2010-06-16, 12:04 AM
In a (epic-level) game I'm in right now one of the players is playing a Disciple of Dispater and wants to take it to the next level by turning into a Devil himself. Is there a way to do this? Half-Fiend and Fiendish are both inherited instead of acquired, and even if those worked he doesn't think they quite fit the bill (his words: "though each of those just make you an outsider, not an actual devil")

Anything else out there?

Crafty Cultist
2010-06-16, 12:14 AM
There is a spell in the book of exalted deeds that grants the axiomatic template to a creature. it wouldn't be unreasonable to homebrew a version for the fiendish template

Alleine
2010-06-16, 12:19 AM
There's always polymorph any object.

Thrice Dead Cat
2010-06-16, 12:30 AM
I'm fairly certain you can grab the Baatazu subtype via one of the ritual in Savage Species. Other than that, epic magic does everything ever instantaneously.

Starscream
2010-06-16, 12:40 AM
Well, he could always just sell his soul for such a privilege and kill himself. FCII says that becoming a devil after death (with your mind and memories intact as opposed to the normal fate of LE people) is sometimes granted to exceptionally powerful servitors of Hell.

An epic level character would certainly qualify. The devils would be stupid to turn down such a person, and instead just let him lose all his powers and start as a Lemure. And for the most part, devils are not stupid.

Optimystik
2010-06-16, 01:10 AM
There's always polymorph any object.

This. It's an epic-level game, you should have little difficulty locating it.

Endarire
2010-06-16, 01:34 AM
Spell Compendium 122 has lesser infernal transformation. Your type changes, too!

Runestar
2010-06-16, 01:51 AM
Actual devil PCs tend to have very steep ECLs, so I would discourage against playing one.

You may consider having him rebuild as a true fiend, found here.

http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/True_Fiend_%283.5e_Class%29

Beorn080
2010-06-16, 02:06 AM
I could have sworn that you became a more powerful devil by killing those above you. But then again, I was never clear on how evil promotion worked.

Optimystik
2010-06-16, 02:13 AM
I could have sworn that you became a more powerful devil by killing those above you. But then again, I was never clear on how evil promotion worked.

You can also:

- betray your superior to HIS superior (or his equal if they are far enough above you) and switch allegiance to them.
- Trade enough souls (esp. via contracts) to be considered for promotion.

The killing part is actually frowned-on (openly, anyway); that's more demonic behavior.

Beorn080
2010-06-16, 02:16 AM
You can also:

- betray your superior to HIS superior (or his equal if they are far enough above you) and switch allegiance to them.
- Trade enough souls (esp. via contracts) to be considered for promotion.

The killing part is actually frowned-on (openly, anyway); that's more demonic behavior.

But that's the thing. If an imp trades enough hoagies for souls to be promoted, does he then become a balrog, or is he stuck in an imp body. And yes, I'm probably mixing the evil outsiders and skipping some.

Optimystik
2010-06-16, 02:24 AM
But that's the thing. If an imp trades enough hoagies for souls to be promoted, does he then become a balrog, or is he stuck in an imp body. And yes, I'm probably mixing the evil outsiders and skipping some.

You actually change form when promoted, typically going up in CR. For example, there is an illustration in the book of a bone devil named Zammaster the Cruel being promoted to a barbed devil:

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/FC2_Gallery/101454.jpg

Beorn080
2010-06-16, 02:30 AM
I thought that was the case, but ya never know with those wacky devils. Seems like this is the answer to the OP's question.

Blue Disciple of Dispater needs souls badly!

Ravens_cry
2010-06-16, 03:37 AM
You actually change form when promoted, typically going up in CR. For example, there is an illustration in the book of a bone devil named Zammaster the Cruel being promoted to a barbed devil:

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/FC2_Gallery/101454.jpg
Oh gods that';s going to give me nightmares. I remember a watercolour Batman graphic (no pun intended for once) novel where these people were being transformed into Man-bat like creatures and they literally were bursting out of their skins. The image haunted me forever and ever.
Thanks.:smalleek:

Skaven
2010-06-16, 04:37 AM
Honestly, its an epic game so if I were DMing I would just throw in a ritual to transform him into a Devil with all traits and abilities by sacrificing the required class levels. High racial HD are penalty enough without LA.

Can't break the game even remotely as much as full spellcasting progression + epic spells.

Just be wary of any Devils that may grant HD spellcasting progression, which may require some LA balancing or very powerful Devils.

However, epic game so.. the rules of balance are already thrown out the window.

Could throw in some nifty quest to do it, which could be fun for the player/s.

hamishspence
2010-06-16, 05:45 AM
I think there are devils without the baatezu subtype- (Hellcats?).

And there is a devil in Stormwrack with the Native subtype- the scyllan (so, a devil native to the Material Plane)

So, if the creature is an outsider with the Evil and Lawful subtypes, with an affinity with the Nine Hells (maybe a hellish feat or two) that might be enough for the creature to be "a devil"

The rituals in Savage Species can grant the Evil and Lawful subtypes.

And there are ways of gaining the Outsider type.

Ingus
2010-06-16, 06:50 AM
I've an interesting option to you. Since you're already using BoVD, you can throw in a knife of sacrifice (like the altar of sacrifice), storing souls of those slain by it.
Then your bad guy can trade souls for archfiendishness.
This, for the in game justification.

Then, for the mechanic, I suggest you to use a Savage Species-like advancement in accordance with your player. Being it an experiment, strongly specify that you feel free to adjust the advancement if it turns out too weak or too good.

And then tell me how you did it and how it's gone ;)

Fizban
2010-06-16, 07:28 AM
If we're using Savage Species, just turn to the page about Wish. It's considered more powerful than usual, but they give you rules to turn yourself into something else, complete with all abilities. The catch is that the caster has to make a spellcraft check to get each ability right. This is actually a bonus because you can pick and choose what to get by failing the checks for the parts you don't want. So it should be easy as pie to get the form, types, immunities, resistances, move speeds, ability scores, and spell like abilities that make a devil a devil without the crappy racial hit dice.

And as everyone's said, it's epic. You can get this kind of stuff for chump change at this point, so just take it out of his cash. Unless he's getting multiple 7th level or higher spells I wouldn't worry about it unbalancing anything.

AslanCross
2010-06-16, 08:06 AM
I think there are devils without the baatezu subtype- (Hellcats?).

And there is a devil in Stormwrack with the Native subtype- the scyllan (so, a devil native to the Material Plane)

So, if the creature is an outsider with the Evil and Lawful subtypes, with an affinity with the Nine Hells (maybe a hellish feat or two) that might be enough for the creature to be "a devil"

The rituals in Savage Species can grant the Evil and Lawful subtypes.

And there are ways of gaining the Outsider type.

The Chain Devil strangely isn't baatezu either---yet in Fiendish Codex II, it's part of the hierarchy.

Aeromyre
2010-06-16, 08:08 AM
I could have sworn that you became a more powerful devil by killing those above you. But then again, I was never clear on how evil promotion worked.

Have it revealed to him in his search for lore on how to become a devil he would have to kill some devil (possibly an Archdevil) to take his place in the hierarchy of evil. He'd be set on a quest to kill Asmodeus :D
That's been my fantasy since i got my AD&D Monster Manual