How can commoners seek out and bargain with magical beings?

[sorcererlover]

The magical beings I can think of on the top of my head are: Dragons, Fey, Demons, Devils, elementals, and Angels.

Fey are easy, I think. You go into their forest and make an effort to meet them in peace and I think they'll eventually start teasing and playing tricks on you before actually talking to you, as long as you make the effort.

Dragons are easy too, i think. You travel the world, asking people if they know where a dragon is, and since dragon's are known to bargain/manipulate mortals, it shouldn't be hard. Then you just approach one and bargain, and be very respectful.

Demons, devils, or any outsiders require planar binding. That means you gotta seek out a demon or devil cult and beg the cultists there for an audience. That or get lucky by gaining the attention demons like glabrezus and succubi. I don't really like either of these methods because both are really hard to come by. I mean, how would you find a demon cult without extensive use of divination magic? It's not like you could go ask around like you did for dragons and fey. I want to make extensive use of fiendish codex II at extremely low levels, both to NPCs and my PCs. The gold award from the deals at low levels are excellent ways to damn a PC or NPC without making them any stronger, and would be a great plot driver.

I don't think angels and elementals make bargains. I could picture fey making bargains but not angels or elementals.

So... what are some other ways commoners can find magical beings to bargain with? :)

[incarnate236]

You could do a crossroads demon sort of thing. Like in Supernatural.

[sorcererlover]

You could do a crossroads demon sort of thing. Like in Supernatural.

What's a crossroads demon?

edit: A quick google revealed the answer XD. So how can a commoner seek out a crossroads demon? There isn't any ritual a commoner can perform to summon one. It has to be planar binding does it not? And all magical items require a UMD for it, and it's not like a commoner can afford those scrolls anyways.

[ThisIsZen]

What's a crossroads demon?

edit: A quick google revealed the answer XD. So how can a commoner seek out a crossroads demon? There isn't any ritual a commoner can perform to summon one. It has to be planar binding does it not? And all magical items require a UMD for it, and it's not like a commoner can afford those scrolls anyways.

Crossroads demons/devils already exist in the world - one doesn't so much need planar binding as just knowing where to find one. Falxugon (Harvester Devils) are specifically noted as occasionally living at crossroads, but I imagine any Fiend with temptation in its wheelhouse might take advantage of already-existing myths to set up a soul trade somewhere very much on the beaten path.

[Pokonic]

Commoners are more likely to stumble into the fey, really. That said, if one is in the mindset of wishing to interact with them, bringing a offering to a local druid (which would probably be around, if they're in a area where fey are even a power) wouldn't be out of the question. Perhaps the druid could be a intermediary for whatever business a mortal would want with, say, a dryad, because as a trusted servant of nature, he could either be around to satiate the dryad or simply bring the commoner's business to the fey.

On the other hand, commoners who interact with demons or devils are likely worshiping them, because chances are Average Joe doesn't have information about the details of the Nine Hells besides the fact that there are nine of them, to say nothing of knowing about the proper way to summon up anyone who isn't Pazuzu. If a commoner is willing to even stand the presence of a demon or devil or other sort of miscellaneous evil outsider, then he was likely sought out by the outsider themselves (evil deals are the best) or is part of a cult worshiping them in some way; the latter shouldn't be especially hard, because most of the established evil outsider entities are perfectly happy to foster cults, if not relationships with mortals. If one dude in a farmhouse is sacrificing to Orcus some demon related to Orcus would probably pop up some time or another, or at least another mortal worshiper who's more in with the know.

[sorcererlover]

Reading your post, I just realized the cultists could seek you out as well. A commoner is asking around about stuff, a cultist overhears, and then either tells a demon or devil of the potential damnable soul, or coerces the commoner himself.

I super like this one!

[Milo v3]

You can go to places like volcanos where an elemental plane bleeds into the material to make a deal with elemental plane creatures like Salamanders.

[atemu1234]

1. Start a business (DMG II), probably a farm.
2. Optimize your primary and secondary skills, take business savvy feat. Also take lots of ranks in use magic device.
3. Save money until you're really old, then buy a scroll of gate with your life's savings, then proceed to cast.
4. ???
5. Profit.
6. Die of old age.

[JDL]

PazuzuPazuzuPazuzu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazuzu_%28Dungeons_%26_Dragons%29#Cult_of_Pazuzu).

[sorcererlover]

PazuzuPazuzuPazuzu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazuzu_%28Dungeons_%26_Dragons%29#Cult_of_Pazuzu).

Nice! 1 alignment shift toward chaotic in exchange for whatever you want. XD.

[Emperor Tippy]

They don't as a general rule.

Even Imps are only going to bother with an irrelevant commoner when it is a deal of opportunity.

When it comes right down to it, a Commoner has nothing to bargain with that is worth even six seconds of most outsiders time. They would only bother when they have some ulterior motive in making the deal (for example, that commoner is the grandson of some high level wizard who actually cares about his family even though he spends most of his time doing stuff on other planes; so that specific commoners soul is valuable enough to get some minor favor out of that important wizard).

[Nousos]

One thing I could see is a deal with a weak elemental. Maybe rounding up a gang to help a small water elemental rid its lake of some toxic monsters that outnumber it in exchange for some sunken loot, or something similar. But really, an elemental isn't going to have the same "pact power" that an outsider does unless DM fiats it for fluff and story purposes.

[sorcererlover]

They don't as a general rule.

Even Imps are only going to bother with an irrelevant commoner when it is a deal of opportunity.

When it comes right down to it, a Commoner has nothing to bargain with that is worth even six seconds of most outsiders time. They would only bother when they have some ulterior motive in making the deal (for example, that commoner is the grandson of some high level wizard who actually cares about his family even though he spends most of his time doing stuff on other planes; so that specific commoners soul is valuable enough to get some minor favor out of that important wizard).

Actually, I think devils don't give a damn whether you're a level 20 wizard or a commoner, as long as your soul goes to the hells. Of course, the service they would provide would be drastically different depending on how strong their client is, but still, if a guy says he'll sell his soul for a pizza, why would any devil refuse, especially since he didn't specify whether the pizza is delicious or rotting in a dumpster?

Or the more cunning devils and demons (glabrezu), would trick them into walking the path of damnation, even if he/she specifically says he/she won't sell his/her soul.

[Emperor Tippy]

Actually, I think devils don't give a damn whether you're a level 20 wizard or a commoner, as long as your soul goes to the hells. Of course, the service they would provide would be drastically different depending on how strong their client is, but still, if a guy says he'll sell his soul for a pizza, why would any devil refuse, especially since he didn't specify whether the pizza is delicious or rotting in a dumpster?

Or the more cunning devils and demons (glabrezu), would trick them into walking the path of damnation, even if he/she specifically says he/she won't sell his/her soul.

Opportunity cost. Why is a Pit Fiend going to spend 18 seconds to bring that commoner a pizza in exchange for his soul when he could instead spend 18 seconds going and assassinating some aristocrat for some other aristocrat in exchange for being able to corrupt an entire kingdom?

One commoner's soul isn't really worth that much. Especially when anyone who is willing to deal with a demon or devil for their soul is probably already going to be sent to hell anyways.

And that is assuming that the Devil isn't already doing something more worthwhile, which it is liable to be doing if it is in any location/situation where a lowly commoner is coming into contact with it.

[sorcererlover]

Pit fiend: No, won't waste his time and in fact slaughter the commoner for wasting his time. Unless it's one of those pit fiends who corrupt commoners like that as a hobby. He won't fetch the pizza himself but order a cultist to do it. It's my understanding pit fiends can't kill an aristocrat just like that because of asmodeus, who doesn't want bad publicity that would result in an invasion from the celestials. Only subtle methods are allowed.

If a pit fiend does detect great potential in a commoner (potential adventurer), I am sure the pit fiend will bargain and grant him/her a service but, although not obvious at first, the return payment will end in his/her damnation.

Glabrezu: Yes, well, not for pizza, or maybe he will. Though technically a demon, he would grant a commoner power in exchange for extreme acts of evil, or for free if the commoner is planning to do an extreme act of evil. So for the pizza, he would ask the commoner to murder his family, or a paladin's family, etc.

Succubus: Yes, similar to glabrezu except... you know...

[Kelb_Panthera]

Sorcererlover is right about devils, canonically at least. A first level commoner's soul (the commonest of common souls) is worth a tripe but a harvester devil will still buy it if he's selling and an imp will still try to corrupt him unless it has something better to do "right now."

The OP asks the wrong question though. The question is not how a commoner seeks out a creature for a bargain but how a commoner comes to know that he and some magical creature have anything to offer each other. After that, it's pretty trivial to find some folklore (not necessarily accurate lore) that pertains to the creature he wants to contact. Just by random chance -some- commoners will get in contact with the creature they're trying to reach and some mystical creatures (notably devils) actually -want- these mortals to come to them, for whatever enigmatic reason, and either play along with the local superstitions or actively move to make sure the folklore becomes and stays accurate.

For example; harvester devils have a vested interest in making sure that it's known far and wide, in an open secret kind of way, that they can be reached by approaching a crossroads at midnight. Individual harvesters may vary that a bit by planting the idea of some small (nonsensical) ritual or assigning a particular, but regular and fairly common, event to set a schedule; such as the full or new moon.

A rusalka (unapproachable east) might make it known, through rumor spread by mortals or even other fey, that it will appear to people who throw offerings of jewelry or other shinies into her river. Not necessarily for making any sort of deal but just to play with mortals using her fey powers or feminine wiles.

And so on and so forth.