Need help with some boring devils please

[Gwaednerth]

So I have a campaign that is all-around solid but I'm having trouble with one of the adventures. The previous adventure was a wild goose chase through deadly swamps to rescue kidnapped children from an evil dragon cult (because I needed some cliché to balance things out). However, the adventure I'm about to get into is very similar thematically and I don't want things to get boring.
The premise is that as the heroes are returning from their rescue mission they start to encounter roving warbands of devils whom they will hopefully end up tracking to a rift in the universe type thing where dwells an uber demon. The problem is that this is shaping up to be a very similar "hack and slash" sort of adventure and although "hack and slash" is great to blow off steam between the more complicated adventures two in a row with so much in common seems a bit much. Any advise?

[Telonius]

A couple general questions first - are you treating devils and demons as hostile to each other, or just different flavors of evil? Are the enemies they're encountering generally Lawful or Chaotic?

In the typical D&D lore, devils are the brainier side of the devil/demon divide. They're more out for domination and Faustian pacts and tempting people with power, where demons are more RARRRGH KILL MURDER STAB SLASH DISMEMBER! Devils usually won't organize a warband unless it's for a specific purpose, where a roving gang of demons would be something they're much more likely to encounter.

If you want less of a hack and slash, I'd strongly recommend using devils rather than demons. Maybe think about an over-arching plan, something they're after, some soul they need to tempt in order to do whatever it is they're trying to do. Personally I love the Falxugon (from Fiendish Codex 2); they're ideal for that kind of mess-with-their-heads mission. One might even try to help the adventurers in some way.

[illyahr]

^This

Roving bands of demons would turn into a hack-n-slash if you aren't careful. A group of devils infiltrating the political structure of a city and making the PC's miserable would be very thought-provoking and might give your skill-monkeys more to do.

[Gwaednerth]

Definitely devils as demons are a bit of a running joke in this campaign. I was going for the regimented armies of hell sort of thing. Devils as opposed to demons and more roman empire than barbarian hordes but still militant conquest. I was thinking the devil intelligence thing could be the solution but I can't figure how.
Thanks.

[ZX6Rob]

So I have a campaign that is all-around solid but I'm having trouble with one of the adventures. The previous adventure was a wild goose chase through deadly swamps to rescue kidnapped children from an evil dragon cult (because I needed some cliché to balance things out). However, the adventure I'm about to get into is very similar thematically and I don't want things to get boring.
The premise is that as the heroes are returning from their rescue mission they start to encounter roving warbands of devils whom they will hopefully end up tracking to a rift in the universe type thing where dwells an uber demon. The problem is that this is shaping up to be a very similar "hack and slash" sort of adventure and although "hack and slash" is great to blow off steam between the more complicated adventures two in a row with so much in common seems a bit much. Any advise?

Hm, well, demons or devils, that's the question, innit? I think if you're looking for hacky-slashy-fight-the-boss-y kind of encounters, demons are the better choice, being chaotic entities that embrace violence for its own sake. If you decide that you just want to play D&Doom, demons are great for that. Slay a bunch of mooks, take on a couple of minibosses, have one more fight where terrain or locale plays a big role, and then have your final showdown with the uberdemon himself -- preferably with some minions along with him, because otherwise four-on-one wrecks the action economy.

If you decide that you want to add more to your adventure, then I always like playing up the more "civilized" nature of devils. One of the things I really like about 3.5's devils is that, while they all look like terrible, horrible things that go bump in the night, they're highly intelligent, highly organized, and incredibly meticulous in their planning. Where there may be an open hellgate that's sending the little buggers out into the world at large, devils won't just pillage and destroy. No, they'll seek to corrupt others, insinuate themselves into the community, and consolidate their power to serve their own evil needs. If it's devils you're using, then I would consider the first few adventures as perhaps a sort of murder mystery. Your adventurers arrive in a town that, unbeknownst to many, is secretly being infiltrated by the servants of a mighty devil that seeks to corrupt enough souls to open a sealed gate to the lower planes located deep under the earth. Perhaps your crew gets drawn in by someone in a tavern or church who hires them to investigate the mysterious disappearance or murder of a friend or loved one, and the town guard is being more recalcitrant than usual. Of course, the guard, the clergy, and the city officials have all been infiltrated -- either corrupted by promises of power and wealth, or simply replaced by shape-changing devils.

As your adventurers discover more clues about the nature of the murder, they are brought into conflict with some of the corrupted guard. Perhaps they're cornered in an abandoned warehouse or back alley, and have no choice but to fight their way out. One or more of the guardsmen -- twist! -- are actually devils in disguise, and once their infernal nature is known, the PCs slowly begin to understand just how far the rot goes.

To get back to the combat, your PCs find a clue with the defeated devils leading them to, I don't know, let's say the old, abandoned church for maximum cliche symbolism. They are drawn underground and into a hidden and sprawling labyrinth, where they face more corrupted mortals and greater numbers of more powerful devils. Ultimately, they stumble into the massive sacrificial chamber where the evil mastermind is trapped. The powerful devil laughs, telling them that killing and harvesting the souls of such powerful mortals will provide him/her/it with enough energy to break free into the world of man and lay waste to all under the sun, and the PCs must destroy the foul fiend once and for all.

[Rabidmuskrat]

Interesting idea: Roving bands of DEVILS - Yes. Some of the roving bands are pretty easy to kill. Really weak or whatever. Some are a bit stronger. The 'uber-devil' in the rift is way, way too strong for the party. He also isn't interested in fighting.

The devils are in the area because they have already tempted a soul, who signed away his soul as part of the pact. However, now that its time to collect on their dues, for some reason they cant find him! Could be because of the some minor wording issue of the contract, or because the soul in question is a particularly devious diviner-type who is really good at hiding, or whatever.

Regardless, the devils have tracked their quarry to this general area and have launched a man-hunt to find him (all legal by the contract). The lesser devils in the warbands get a little ambitious with their task, so yes there is some carnage occuring, but the more powerful ones do not have written permission to kill anyone but their target so the party is safe. If anything, they are a minor annoyance.

The party has a choice in how they stop this madness. Find the guy who was dumb enough to sign away his soul in the first place and hand him over. The devils thank the adventurers, pay them a finders fee and promise to contact them again if they have more work (future plothook?).

Alternatively, the party could simply keep killing all the devil warbands out searching. This leads to a more conventional hack and slash adventure as a 'boss demon' eventually gets pissed off and comes to deal with them himself. This encounter should be beatable. While not a long term solution, this forces the devils to withdraw and change tactic.

Thirdly, the party could find the signee and help him escape the area. This would be really difficult, but the more powerful devils would not be allowed to harm the PCs except in self defence (or as part of aoe attacks). If the signee can escape the area or perhaps just survive until his spells refresh, he can teleport out, taking the problem of the devils with him.

Plot twist, multiple solutions, possibility for some ethically questionable behavior. What else could you ask for?

[Gwaednerth]

You my friend, are a genius.