Cleric of Asmodeus.

[OrlockDelesian]

I am playing a Mystic Theurge (3cler/3wiz/1mys theurge) of Asmodeus who in his background sold his soul in order to recieve arcane knowledge - lets suppose for story reason that magic requires a special gift and not only intelligence.
He must sucrifice 9 persons each year or he will go to hell, he WILL go to hell in 9 years regardless of Sucrifices, he can only be healed by disciples of Asmodeus , and you know, the usual.
My question is not how to optimize him, since our dm is fairly new, and the party does not hyper-optimize their characters. But how to ACTUALLY role play him.
I was thinking of lawfull neutral, Lawfull Evil or Neutral Evil.

Can you give me role play suggestion for all those 3 alignments?

Thank you :)

[SolioFebalas]

Read Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells, there are a lot of useful info (Also Hellbred race from this book fits perfect to your story). Take Lawful Evil alighment like the Asmodeus, use its own model of behavior: don't do haotic things - only thoughtful moves, don't do things by yourself - manipulate others, hate demons and celestials, try to spread evil but without bloody massacre.

[Crake]

Sacrificing 9 people a year definitely puts you in the realms of evil, no questions about it, So it's really a question of lawful or neutral evil. I'd go with what Solio said, it seems like a good plan

[Fouredged Sword]

I would ask what you are getting mechanicaly for not being able to be healed by a cleric of anything other than Asmodeus? It seems like a big enough draw back to maybe play into a pact of some kind. You get feats for those.

OK

LN - You where once good, but you are forced into the pact to get the strength you needed so save someone you couldn't bare to loose. You are on the trajectory to evil, but you aren't there yet. You consider your deal a necessary evil, and you have not yet discovered just how much a deal with Asmodeus will cost you.

NE - Asmodeus is powerful, but you will hold your own. You will do what it takes to extend those nine years. Maybe it will be more death, maybe you break your bargain, but you got what you need, now you just have to figure out how to survive the deal that you made to get it.

[Pseudo_Nym]

Regardless of anything else, you don't sell your soul unless you want something. Power? Knowledge? Fame? Fortune? Vengence? Because your parents were killed by a six-fingered man, and you needed this to be able to find him? Because they mocked you in finishing school, but now you'll show them all, bwahahahaha? Because nothing really matters, so you might as well go down in style? Almost anything can work, but your motivation is a key part of your character.

Another important consideration is how you feel about those nine people a year. Does it make you queasy, but have to be done? Did it bother you at first, but now you're totally desensitized? Do you try and save nine people's lives (or more?) each year, and if so does that make you feel like you've totally made up for everything you've done, no appologies necessary?

The final question is how you react to that nine year clock you're on. Fear? Denial? Confidence that it's all the time you'll need? Even if you're only answer is "doing his best not to think about it," that still says a lot about the character.

Answer these questions and you'll have a much better idea of how to roleplay the guy. Much better than just choosing alignment would have gotten you, certainly. I could write a story for you, sure. A tale of woe and depression, or one of laughter and madness, or one of passion and grim regret. But you'll have much more fun if you write one yourself.

[OrlockDelesian]

Thank you very much for you answers.

The whole thing I had in mind is that he was the 1st born son of a Wealthy noble, of a family that placed magical might above birth on who would claim the title once the family head passed.
He himself was an absolute disgrace on magical matters, unable to even cast a cantrip. He could understand the theories but could not harness the energy.
Not wanting to lose the title -and the mariagge that would come with it since he fancied the bride- he took his measures. He began reading about devilish deals and tried to find a Cleric of a Power that would help him. He succeded.
He asked enough for enough arcane power to defeat his siblings, and he was granted it.
Saddly, he did not specify that the duel was to be non lethal so he killed his brothers with the first spell he used. His brothers defeated, his arcane powers left his body and he was charged with fratricide and sentanced to death.
It seemed however that some of the Arcane power stayed with him, and managed to funnel the spark he had with him all along (I know a bit cliched but what can you do?), enabling him to become a wizard.
The cleric that what helped him appeared on his cell and told him that it was time to pay up. The cleric told him, that since they did not specify when the payment would occur it was within his rights to send his soul to his patron now, before he recieved last rites from the Clerics of the City after his imminent execution.
Not wanting to die, he asked what he could do, and the cleric told him that he can postprone his death for 9 years if he sucrificed eithers to Asmodeus. And he would gain even more years of life if he managed to trick someone to sell his/her soul as well (a form of Devilish Pyramid scheme), in order to do so however he should learn the ways of the church of Asmodeus (thus becoming a cleric)
He agreed and with the help of the Cleric he escaped.

He does feel furius to himself with his stupidity, but he is determined to survive as long as possible -until he finds a way to break his contract (which of course is impossible but he does not know it)
He has yet to realize that he is actually damned even if he does break the contract since in order to survive he slays others, so he will end up in hell either way.
He has no discrimination of who he kills, but he wants to be sure that he will not be captured when he does that. Being confined when you are on a Deathclock is not very nice, so he Usually opperates within the law.
If he can get away with it however, he will do so.

Thoughts on Alignment?

[Pseudo_Nym]

Sounds neutral evil to me. He wanted prestige and status, and he was willing to sell his soul to get it. Now he wants to live, and he's willing to kill innocents for it. He doesn't seem to regret his actions, except so far as they've inconvenieced him. He worships Asmodeus, but has no love for the guy. Asmodeus, for his part, is probably perfectly okay with that. Better you keep looking for a way out of the contract than start atoning for your mistakes, or stop your murders. Maybe he'll even be kind enough to grant you a further extension, only now it's up to nine murders every month...

As for your guy, he's got to be terrified. He's lost everything, including his soul, and now he's on the run from the law. But he can't just lay low - he's got to keep killing if he wants to live. Lots of different ways to react to fear, though. He might show it, or he might convert it to anger, or he might just act stoic, doing his best not to think about the thing and move on one day at a time. I doubt he's completely mentally stable at this point, though.

[ZamielVanWeber]

Your character is currently so deep the evil pool the concept of winning his soul back through sheer amazing goodness is downright alien to him. There ispretty much no greater evil power than Asmodeus (the god's are stronger, but they still control a smaller dominion than Asmodeus), so it would take either an act of truly brilliant tactical/legal maneuvering (which requires knowledge of how faustian pacts actually work) or turning to chaotic entities willing to stand toe to toe with Asmodeus (I believe the long since vanished Queen of Chaos is the only one willing and able to do this) or to turn to... darker powers (Him Who Watches from Beyond the Stars is always willing to make a deal...)

How many of these options are available to you depends entirely how much your character knows. Bolothamogg is INSANELY rare knowledge and the Queen of Chaos is close behind .Reaching these entities is much easier said than done. In any case, always be scheming your way out of this predicament: avoid taking responsibility for actions and never try to live up to them. You HAD to sell your soul, but it is not fair. If theydid not force you to kill your brothers by fighting them. If only they had recognized your obvious superiority in magic.

[Fouredged Sword]

I would count on getting strung along with extensions for further, darker service. Asomdious always sounds like such a reasonable guy...

[John Longarrow]

OK, Cleric to Asmodeus.

That means you wish to emulate Asmodeus. You should be about power and control of others. Those stronger than you are to be placated, those weaker used for your needs. There are no equals.

You are confident in your power. Now your goals should be 1) Gain more power/control and 2) figure out how to best arrange for your existance after 9 years. Are you able to garner more souls/power to become a devil of some kind? Are you looking for a way to avoid going to hell, such as becoming a lich?

Any way you cut it, you will be EVIL. If you want to become someone of importance in hell, stick to the Lawful side to.

You are 7th level. Very easy to start getting people to sign away their souls. Start out with easy ones. Find someone who's down on their luck and can't provide for their family. Offer them gold and a livelyhood in exchange for their soul. They become your servant and you take care of them/their family. Since they are useful to you, take care of them as you would any other loyal and useful animal.

Bonus points if they have kids that you can then become the "Kindly uncle" to, strict but supportive. Nothing like getting willing followers.

Once you have a couple loyal folks who provide you a good cover and who will take care of things for you, start working your way up the ladder. Find an inn keeper who needs help and is willing to pay the price for their child to survive (cure disease), or a merchant who's wife has been kidnapped that you can rescue.

Also see about getting a representative from hell to talk to as soon as you can. Start laying out what you will get when you go there. You should be able to bargain to be an Imp if you get N number of souls. Then work your way up by getting more willing to sell their afterlife for something now (much like you did).

Of course hedge your bets with finding other ways around the bargain (like becoming undead). Remember that the main currency in Hell is souls of the damned. If you can become a decent source of them, it is in the best interestes of your now patron to keep you around on the prime.

[Fouredged Sword]

One could even fulfill your barging by turning into a lich and handing over your phylactery to the devils after 9 years. It has your soul.

Just make it out of riverind, and layer it with strategic spell blades to prevent all the specific spells that can break it and anything that could dispel it.

Now they have your soul, they just can't DO anything with it.

[OrlockDelesian]

One could even fulfill your barging by turning into a lich and handing over your phylactery to the devils after 9 years. It has your soul.

Just make it out of riverind, and layer it with strategic spell blades to prevent all the specific spells that can break it and anything that could dispel it.

Now they have your soul, they just can't DO anything with it.

Lawfull evil at its best.
I salute you!

Though I think Neutral Evil is more appropriate for this character :)

[OrlockDelesian]

Just wanted to refresh the thread to hear a few more oppinions.

I went the neutral evil route.
Kept my word when it shuited me, killed a few (well many) when I was sure I would not get caught, and a few of annoying party members fell in battle. (If you know what I mean)

I Just Reached a City with a Huge temple of Asmodeus.
Any more suggestions?

[Envyus]

Just wanted to refresh the thread to hear a few more oppinions.

I went the neutral evil route.
Kept my word when it shuited me, killed a few (well many) when I was sure I would not get caught, and a few of annoying party members fell in battle. (If you know what I mean)

I Just Reached a City with a Huge temple of Asmodeus.
Any more suggestions?

Try to get in contact with a greater devil or cleric at the temple. Your character is currently in the stupidly screwed state. (Upon being turned into a Lemure when he does go to hell all trace of who he used to be will be destroyed.) You need to secure a role in hell that won't result in your memories and personality being destroyed. Devils are beings of law if you get get them to promise that they will allow you to keep that stuff and get you a role in hell they have to keep it.

In order to this this you have to prove your worth. Getting souls or helping major players in the temple with their plans are probably the best way of going about this. Maybe eventually your could corrupt a king which can lead to the corruption of a kingdom which is a good way of making your patrons see you as worth keeping. If you can have a place in hell secured everything will be much easier for you.