evil campaign in hell ideas

[herculesftw]

I wanted to do a campaign where I would have my players start off however they normally would. Except, since most campaigns I play, parents are rarely mentioned, and have little effect on the story, this is where things change. This time however, the parents of the players made a deal with different lords of hell(branding their children for damnation, in order to save their own skins) In the event the players die, unknown to them, they automatically would be sent to hell. Basically I want the players to have to start off as the lowest fiend, and work their way up the totem pole. Classes like fiend of possession, corruption, blasphemy, ect would be available to them, and the more souls they corrupt/take the higher they advance. They have to get creative in how they decide to tempt mortals. Now as far as normal leveling goes, to keep things doable, they'll level classwise at half normal speed, and I'll have a table for soul exp regarding their development as a fiend. There will be different roles they can take. Once they reach the highest, they can take different 'General of hell' posts. Be it pitfiend or another similarly matched fiend, that way not everyone is a pitfiend, ect. Also, the spell like abilities granted can be swapped out for others, that way, not everyone is exactly the same. Thoughts, opinions, and advice would be greatly appreciated.

[ArcturusV]

Well, as a lower ranking Fiend type you can also work in the Maho Bujin from OA, and as they advance work in the Akutenshi. Give you a few more options, which is always nice.

One idea to hammer home the need for Corruption and Faustian Deals, etc, is to rework slightly how XP works. You keep the same sort of general Objective stuff. You'd get XP for accomplishing quests and goals. But rather than having a default line for killing stuff as a Demon/Devil, have it so killing an enemy gives minimal, if any, XP for their fiend side of life. So something like half normal XP value for killing an enemy from the Blood War (Devil/Demon, whatever you are not), 3/4s for killing a Celestial. And only 1/4 for killing a mortal.

But give them full XP for spreading evil/corruption, or bonus XP.

Thus while they might get only 1/4th XP for killing some level 15th Orc Barbarian, they'd get 100% XP for inspiring true fear into the Barbarian, leaving him marked as a psychologically damaged coward for the rest of his mortal life (And probably beyond). Considering that Fiends and Celestials should be more resistant to such things, bonus for doing that to them. 150% for corrupting a Fiend, 200% for corrupting a Celestial.

Then give them an even bigger bonus for turning people. So turning that 15th Orc Barbarian into the leader of a gluttonist devilish cult, bam, get 200% for it. 100% for fiends as you're not really 'turning' them, you're just giving a slight alteration to their allegiances. And 500% for making a Celestial Fall and become a Fallen Angel, etc.

[limejuicepowder]

What kind of quest are you going to do up until the player's death? If your overall plot requires the players to die, but you don't plan on killing them with plot (like the game beginning with their ritual sacrifices at the hands of their parents or something), it could be awhile before it happens. What are you going to do until then? I would also urge caution how you transition; if they are embroiled in a complicated plot but then they happen to die, and the entire plot thus far is thrown away and forgotten, it's going to be weird to say the least. This is especially true if you are ham-handed with the TPK; it's going to feel extremely rail-roady.

Are you planning on using devils/demons from the monster manual? If yes, the respective alignments will matter a lot for the plot. Devils epitomize law AND evil; they are extremely regimented, with clear and absolute chains of command. If the campaign takes place in the 9 Hells, the players should expect to be given specific objectives to complete, and always be reporting back to more powerful devils. In this case, a progression of increasing important tasks would make a good story, along a mix of devilish politics - devils are lawful, but they are also evil; greed and lust for power are very significant. Perhaps the player's direct superior has a rival, and they each send out minions to secretly disrupt each other, trying to make the other look bad.

If the campaign takes place in the Infinite Layers, it's going be a very different plot. Demons epitomize chaos, so notions of "duty" or "discipline" are entirely foreign. The chains of command are only as strong as the leader on top, who rules with fear. Lower-level leaders especially change on a frequent basis, as assassination is common. Especially canny or capable demons may even be killed by their superiors to remove future competition. If a demon wants something, they take it by force; if they can't take it by force, they plot to take it with subterfuge. This place is a complete madhouse.

[herculesftw]

Well, as a lower ranking Fiend type you can also work in the Maho Bujin from OA, and as they advance work in the Akutenshi. Give you a few more options, which is always nice.

One idea to hammer home the need for Corruption and Faustian Deals, etc, is to rework slightly how XP works. You keep the same sort of general Objective stuff. You'd get XP for accomplishing quests and goals. But rather than having a default line for killing stuff as a Demon/Devil, have it so killing an enemy gives minimal, if any, XP for their fiend side of life. So something like half normal XP value for killing an enemy from the Blood War (Devil/Demon, whatever you are not), 3/4s for killing a Celestial. And only 1/4 for killing a mortal.

But give them full XP for spreading evil/corruption, or bonus XP.

Thus while they might get only 1/4th XP for killing some level 15th Orc Barbarian, they'd get 100% XP for inspiring true fear into the Barbarian, leaving him marked as a psychologically damaged coward for the rest of his mortal life (And probably beyond). Considering that Fiends and Celestials should be more resistant to such things, bonus for doing that to them. 150% for corrupting a Fiend, 200% for corrupting a Celestial.

Then give them an even bigger bonus for turning people. So turning that 15th Orc Barbarian into the leader of a gluttonist devilish cult, bam, get 200% for it. 100% for fiends as you're not really 'turning' them, you're just giving a slight alteration to their allegiances. And 500% for making a Celestial Fall and become a Fallen Angel, etc.

All really good ideas! Thank you=)

[herculesftw]

What kind of quest are you going to do up until the player's death? If your overall plot requires the players to die, but you don't plan on killing them with plot (like the game beginning with their ritual sacrifices at the hands of their parents or something), it could be awhile before it happens. What are you going to do until then? I would also urge caution how you transition; if they are embroiled in a complicated plot but then they happen to die, and the entire plot thus far is thrown away and forgotten, it's going to be weird to say the least. This is especially true if you are ham-handed with the TPK; it's going to feel extremely rail-roady.

Are you planning on using devils/demons from the monster manual? If yes, the respective alignments will matter a lot for the plot. Devils epitomize law AND evil; they are extremely regimented, with clear and absolute chains of command. If the campaign takes place in the 9 Hells, the players should expect to be given specific objectives to complete, and always be reporting back to more powerful devils. In this case, a progression of increasing important tasks would make a good story, along a mix of devilish politics - devils are lawful, but they are also evil; greed and lust for power are very significant. Perhaps the player's direct superior has a rival, and they each send out minions to secretly disrupt each other, trying to make the other look bad.

If the campaign takes place in the Infinite Layers, it's going be a very different plot. Demons epitomize chaos, so notions of "duty" or "discipline" are entirely foreign. The chains of command are only as strong as the leader on top, who rules with fear. Lower-level leaders especially change on a frequent basis, as assassination is common. Especially canny or capable demons may even be killed by their superiors to remove future competition. If a demon wants something, they take it by force; if they can't take it by force, they plot to take it with subterfuge. This place is a complete madhouse.

I think for good organized structure, and for better role-playing, the 9 hells has more to offer. Chaos in a campaign setting that is already 'out there' is just asking for it. As far as how I want to kill them off, it will be in the very first session. There are a lot of ways I could approach it but basically I don't want them getting attached to their characters. Another way to send them off could be a method of them being 'collected' as in, time to pay the piper. Operatives from each of the lords of hell in question show up to collect what is due, and a brand will show up(brand of the 9 hells) from there I haven't thought that far haha. I have a HUGE group of friends who all play and we typically pick about 4-5 people so I'll need people who like being in evil campaigns. Of course, those who want to be good, could have a chance end-game, going hell-bred. I might make it mandatory that they're all lawful evil, and they don't know why but ever since they can remember they have acted in that manner(a bad seed). Might do a 'Supernatural' kind of take on the campaign too. Crossroad demons ect if you've ever watched the show haha