Seven Deadly Fiends: A Campaign of Sin

[Draconium]

I've recently begun to design a campaign for my group. The basic concept is that somehow, a rift to the Lower Planes has opened somewhere in the world, and all different kinds on fiends have begun escaping into the Material Plane. They are being led by a group of seven fiendish lords, based off of the Seven Deadly Sins - Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride. Yes, I know this has been done to death, but I've always been interested with the idea of making these sinds into Demon/Devil/Daemon Lords.

At any rate, I was trying to decide the best way to design these guys as the campaign's BBEG's, and I could use some help. I mean for them to be encountered - and defeated - in the order I've listed them above, though obviously the party might have different plans. Anyways, as such, I would prefer to design them in power so that they are defeated from least to most powerful. After all, a being based on Lust would be more of a manipulator than a fighter, while a being based on Wrath would obviously be a warrior of sorts. And Pride would have earned that title by being the most powerful of all.

So, the requirements I'd want for these guys would obviously be that I want them to be fiends of some sort, like demons or devils. Of course, I'd be more than willing to refluff other creatures into Evil Outsiders if it would fit, and I wouldn't object to homebrew materials. The campaign would start from levels 1-3, while the first Sin would be encountered at levels 7-9, maybe slightly sooner, and the rest of the Sins would be encountered from that point on every few levels. My preferred encounter rate would be the first at level 7 or 8, then one at every two levels from there, until the final at level 19 or 20. (Yes, I want this to be a long-running campaign.) I would like the CR of each individual Sin to be at least 2 higher than that - such as this first Sin being CR 9 or 10.

So, what advice would you have for building the Seven Deadly Fiends?

[TheifofZ]

Well. Are they the literal embodiment of the sin, or how do you want to represent them?

[Draconium]

Well. Are they the literal embodiment of the sin, or how do you want to represent them?

I'm leaning towards "literal embodiment," to be honest. I may go with something else, but for now, let's assume that's what I'm doing - I can always change the fluff later.

EDIT: Also, I'd love it if they had some way to "inspire" this sin in other humans, such as Wrath being able to force people into a Rage and such. With a saving throw allowed, of course.

[Flickerdart]

I recently did a big honkin' writeup on the sins for some other guy's campaign so I'mma just leave it here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?453784-need-themed-puzzles-(7-deadly-sins)&p=20004560&postcount=8#post20004560).

For a bare minimum of obscuring the theme, consider calling them by the Latin names - Luxuria, Gula, Avaritia, Acedia, Ira, Invidia, and Superbia. Or maybe the Greek - Porneia, Gastrimargia, Philargyria, Akedia, Orge, Lype, and Kenodoxia or Hyperphania.

[legomaster00156]

You might take some inspiration from Pathfinder's sinspawn (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/aberrations/sinspawn-hub).

[Draconium]

I recently did a big honkin' writeup on the sins for some other guy's campaign so I'mma just leave it here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?453784-need-themed-puzzles-(7-deadly-sins)&p=20004560&postcount=8#post20004560).

For a bare minimum of obscuring the theme, consider calling them by the Latin names - Luxuria, Gula, Avaritia, Acedia, Ira, Invidia, and Superbia. Or maybe the Greek - Porneia, Gastrimargia, Philargyria, Akedia, Orge, Lype, and Kenodoxia or Hyperphania.

Heh, I had actually just been looking for that post, thanks for linking it. :smalltongue:

I may do that, but my players are pretty smart - I'd imagine it's gonna be fairly easy for them to figure it out anyways, probably before I even reveal them.


You might take some inspiration from Pathfinder's sinspawn (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/aberrations/sinspawn-hub).

Ooh, interesting... I forgot to mention that this is for 3.5, but I may be able to convert these over...

[Bonzai]

I'm actually running something similar. Originally the PC's encounter mortals possessed by spirits of the 7 deadly sins. Later they will face off against the actual manifestations.


Greed: spell thief/ Lasher. Will steal spells and disarm/ steal their weapons.

Lust: beguiler/fate spinner. Will attempt to charm/beguile some of the party to turn them against each other.

Wrath: Barb/ Frenzied Berserker. Pure uncomplicated power house build.

Envy: Bard. Incites crowds to riot. Party has to deal with innocents under his influence.

Pride: crusader. White Raven maneuvers to goad players into combat.

Gluttony: hunger domain cleric. Swallow whole build and buffed to high heaven.

Sloth: hexblade/ blackguard. Debuffs refluffed as lethargy.

[Flickerdart]

Sloth: hexblade/ blackguard. Debuffs refluffed as lethargy.
Wouldn't this work much better as a caster with slow, solid fog, and similar effects?

[legomaster00156]

Ooh, interesting... I forgot to mention that this is for 3.5, but I may be able to convert these over...
Oh, no, I figured that. That's why I said "inspiration". Besides, the sinspawn are actually aberrations, anyway.

[Bonzai]

Wouldn't this work much better as a caster with slow, solid fog, and similar effects?

"You suddenly feel as if your sword weighs 10 times as much. You swing but it is clumsy and lacking its usual precision. You attempt to tumble away, and the mental effort to will yourself into action is almost more than you can manage. You manage to flounder away, barely. You feel the tell tale effects of a spell taking hold, yet you can't seem to muster the will to resist it. All you want to do is... Nothing. Your ambition, drive, and even your will to live all seem to be fleeing from you, and you can barely bring yourself to care..."

I think a debuffer works just fine when flavored correctly.

[ComaVision]

Lust pretty much has to be a succubus.

[Flickerdart]

"You suddenly feel as if your sword weighs 10 times as much. You swing but it is clumsy and lacking its usual precision. You attempt to tumble away, and the mental effort to will yourself into action is almost more than you can manage. You manage to flounder away, barely. You feel the tell tale effects of a spell taking hold, yet you can't seem to muster the will to resist it. All you want to do is... Nothing. Your ambition, drive, and even your will to live all seem to be fleeing from you, and you can barely bring yourself to care..."

I think a debuffer works just fine when flavored correctly.
Telling people how their characters are feeling is a slippery slope, but that's not even the worst drawback - the worst drawback is that the whole thing is painfully overwrought.

"You are moving slowly" is much more straightforward and doesn't fall afoul of the whole "show, don't tell" thing. The characters aren't just becoming more slothful, they are in an area where slothfulness becomes physical law.

[Bonzai]

Telling people how their characters are feeling is a slippery slope, but that's not even the worst drawback - the worst drawback is that the whole thing is painfully overwrought.

"You are moving slowly" is much more straightforward and doesn't fall afoul of the whole "show, don't tell" thing. The characters aren't just becoming more slothful, they are in an area where slothfulness becomes physical law.

Sloth is more than "Moving Slowly". It's about apathy, listlessness, and inertia. It's the inability to act mentally and emotionally, as well as physically. A debuffer that is sapping everything seems a pretty good fit to me. Solid fog is a physical impediment that offers external resistance. Debuffing Attack, damage, AC, skills, ability checks, and saves seems much more thematic and creepy to me. Especially when there are no physical manifestations, only sensations and reduced performance.

To each their own. The Op is welcome to take from these ideas what he will.

[Malak'ai]

Lust pretty much has to be a succubus.

I totally agree, though I'd either advance it a couple of HD or give it a couple of class levels to give it a bit more versatility. Maybe something like Warlock or Binder.
If I took a couple of Warlock levels, Beguiling Influence and Breath of the Night would be the two Invocations I'd take.

IMO all of these personifications should be Demons. They all represent baser/more selfish flaws of the human (and other races) psyche.

[Florian]

@Draconium:

It has been mentioned before, but is worth repeating: Take a look at how the Pathfinder default setting, Golarion, has integrated that theme.

Basically, there are the seven virtues of rulership. Their corrupted versions are the seven deadly sins (Love to Lust, and so on). Both are the basic principles that the schools of magic have been developed around (Important, not the other way around!). Also, look at the relationship chart to go hand in hand with alignments, that's an interesting one.

[Val666]

I know you want Pride to be the final boss but what about something the players won't think. Like one of the lesser Sins (like Envy or Greed) is thought to be dead already or is the first one they encounter and he agreeds to help them/ goes undercover as an ally fighting the other sins. His ability could be something like absorbing others special attacks/spells/abilities. So after they beat Pride, the remaining Sin unveils with the powers of all the Sins and any other powerful enemy they had encountered. He could also use the players abilities, since he was traveling with them until now. Just an idea that came to my mind <_<