Crazy Players - DM needs ideas

[The Great Wyrm]

NOTE: If you are a player in this campaign, stay out!

So, the PCs (level 11, mid to low optimization, wizard, cleric, druid, ranger, assassin) are currently in the Bronze Citadel on Avernus, and were negotiating with an Aspect of Bel and some other high-ranking devils. Negotiations broke down, and the devils moved to arrest the PCs. The Bronze Citadel is teleportation-locked, but I (the DM) had given the PCs a single-use "get out of jail free card" item that enabled the creation of a portal (fluffed as a "dimensional vortex"), lasting 10 rounds, between the point of activation and any other point in the multiverse.

I thought the PCs would use the item to get back to Sigil (the PCs' base), and then be pursued by angry devils through the streets.

Instead, the PCs set up the portal into the heart of Demogorgon's realm on the Abyss, hoping to have demons swarm through and cause total chaos. I ruled that demons did, in fact, swarm through and cause total chaos. I then ended the session because I needed to plan out what happened, and the session was almost over anyways.

I'm not sure where to go from here. As many demons as possible will pour through for the next 10 rounds, attacking both devils and PCs. Furthermore, the devils will still try to arrest/kill the PCs. The PCs are only level 11, have just used up their best method of escape, and are about to get totally wrecked. I don't want to cause a TPK, but on the other hand I don't want to make the devils or demons seem wimpy. What should I do?

[Bobby Baratheon]

Another devil looking for a promotion tries to get the PCs to follow him, leaving his boss to die, promising them safe passage with the caveat that they owe him big time, and probably have to help him with his plans.

[TheCorsairMalac]

Powerful devils are supposed to be fond of deals. You could have a Pit Fiend or other powerful figure cut them a deal. An untrustworthy deal with lots of strings attached, but enough to get them out alive.

They could be captured and forced into the blood war for a time, until they find some way to escape.

Perhaps turncoats among the demons get them out in exchange for a favor that will help the turncoats stay hidden.

Perhaps a celestial army, sensing a momentary advantage over the demons, invades as well, giving a possible escape.

Lastly, maybe it should be a TPK, because that's what would reasonably happen.

[Crake]

what level is this aspect of bel? Could he not just forcecage the dimensional vortex after the first round to stop more demons coming through? Since the citadel is dimensionally locked, they can't teleport out of the cage to let more through, so only a limited number would be able to come through at a time and would be stuck there as easy pickings for the devils, while they deal with the much more managable demons left. Extra props if he traps the PCs inside with the demons.

I'd tell the PCs that they ****ed up bad, and that it was likely a TPK would be incoming, unless they could somehow wade through the demons and get out into demogorgon's realm and then teleport somewhere safe.

[daremetoidareyo]

All of the demons have a weird brand on their head of the same strange sigil. These demons fight in orthodox cooperative style. These demons swarm in and engage the baatezu directly. A second line of specialized demon teams stream in and kidknap the PCs (think poison) and yank them through the portal.

The PCs are demanded to stand down if they are still aggressive. They are drug before and presented to yugoloth lord (pick the biggest and nastiest one). The yugoloth lord inquires into the dimensional magic the PCs used. The yugoloth is apparently opening a demon hunting safari in one of the layers of the abyss and he needs two things: a consistent source of dimensional travel magic and recruiters. The business is simple, travel the primes, recruit paladins to go fight in the bowels of the abyss, the paladins have to pay a dimensional travel fee, there is no liability on the yugoloth if any paladins die, and he gets paid to send stupid naive bullies from the multi-verse on killing sprees on the layer of the abyss that he plans on taking over. Win. Win. Win.

See if your PCs want to make a sham business recruiting young rich and dumb paladins into fighting a power mongers' war of attrition for him. With that as a background, the PCs either fess up where they got the magic.

[The Great Wyrm]

what level is this aspect of bel? Could he not just forcecage the dimensional vortex after the first round to stop more demons coming through? Since the citadel is dimensionally locked, they can't teleport out of the cage to let more through, so only a limited number would be able to come through at a time and would be stuck there as easy pickings for the devils, while they deal with the much more managable demons left. Extra props if he traps the PCs inside with the demons.

I'd tell the PCs that they ****ed up bad, and that it was likely a TPK would be incoming, unless they could somehow wade through the demons and get out into demogorgon's realm and then teleport somewhere safe.

The Aspect of Bel is the lower-level one, in the web extension to Fiendish Codex 2. I did give him a few spell-like and supernatural abilities to pump up the CR from 9 to 13, but he doesn't have forcecage.

I like the idea of a devil offering them a deal.

Also, I had a brilliant idea of how to end this if it ends up being a TPK:

Randolph the Bloody waited. The torches above him blinked and sparked out of the air. There were demons in the Citadel. He didn’t see them, but had expected them now for years. His warnings to Archduek Bel were not listenend to and now it was too late. Far too late for now, anyway.
Randolph was a Bronze Guard for fourteen years. When he was young he watched the legions and he said to dad “I want to be on the ramparts daddy.”
Dad said “No! You will BE KILL BY DEMONS”
There was a time when he believed him. Then as he got oldered he stopped. But now in the Bronze Citadel base of Avernus he knew there were demons.
“This is Bel” the sending stone crackered. “You must fight the demons!”
So John gotted his hellfier crossbow and blew up the wall.
“HE GOING TO KILL US” said the demons
“I will shoot at him” said the magedemon and he fired the magic missiles. Randolph hellfireed at him and tried to blew him up. But then the ceiling fell and they were trapped and not able to kill.
“No! I must kill the demons” he shouted
The sending stone said “No, Randolph. You are the demons”
And then Randolph was a zombie.

[Godskook]

1.Cause a TPK if you think that's appropriate. Don't ever back down from what SHOULD be a TPK just to keep the party alive.

2.Devils almost assuredly have an "enemy of my enemy is my ally whenever not harmful to me" ideology. Devils who don't know the PCs are responsible would likely treat them slightly better than normal until informed otherwise.

3.Does Bel have some errand that requires a non-devil PC-shaped minions to carry out? Aiding Demons in the brood war surely violates the pax primeval to the point that even the good deities won't harbor the PCs from Bel's wrath. If the PCs want to not be turned into paste at Bel's order, they MUST do what she says.

[The Great Wyrm]

1.Cause a TPK if you think that's appropriate. Don't ever back down from what SHOULD be a TPK just to keep the party alive.

2.Devils almost assuredly have an "enemy of my enemy is my ally whenever not harmful to me" ideology. Devils who don't know the PCs are responsible would likely treat them slightly better than normal until informed otherwise.

3.Does Bel have some errand that requires a non-devil PC-shaped minions to carry out? Aiding Demons in the brood war surely violates the pax primeval to the point that even the good deities won't harbor the PCs from Bel's wrath. If the PCs want to not be turned into paste at Bel's order, they MUST do what he says.

1: I'll cause a TPK if I have to, but I really don't want to. The PCs were actually impersonating representatives of Tiamat in the negotiations, and trying to get Bel to hate Tiamat; the negotiations broke down because the PCs were being intentionally insulting. In this respect letting demons into the Bronze Citadel fulfilled their goals nicely (unless they get captured and the truth comes out).

2: The devils saw one of the PCs (the ranger) open the vortex. The item was basically a weaponized/controlled version of putting a portable hole inside a bag of holding, and took a full-round action to activate. However, the other PCs might be able to bluff the devils into thinking the ranger acted alone.

3: Maybe, but in my campaign I've really been casting Bel as Lord of Wrath. He's going to be very angry, and likely just turn the PCs into paste anyways, if given the chance. Furthermore, getting captured would expose the PCs as impostors.

This is what I think I'll have happen:
-On the first round, the demons pour through and start fighting devils (these demons hate devils more than mortals). The surprised devils try to defend themselves. The PCs get a round to flee.
-On the second round, the devils are clearly overwhelmed by the demons, and start retreating. More demons pour through. Now, there are enough demons that some go after the PCs.
-On the third round, the devils are routed. More demons pour through. Bel himself (not the Aspect) intervenes, and seals off the vortex with a forcecage or similar effect. However, many demons are already inside the Bronze Citadel.
-The rest of the encounter involves the PCs trying to escape from the demons, while also avoiding the devil reinforcements that arrive to deal with the situation. One interesting idea: they see a nearly dead balor, and have to escape its death throes radius before it is killed by devils and explodes.

[AvatarVecna]

Lastly, maybe it should be a TPK, because that's what would reasonably happen.

This. Actions have consequences, and on the scale of "dumb plans that have no reason to succeed", escaping Hell while surrounded by hostile devils by opening a gate to the Abyss is preeeeeetty high.

EDIT: To put it another way: when your best plan for success involves planting yourself directly on the front lines of the Blood War, you might want to start reconsidering your life choices.

[Kelvarius]

Out of curiosity, were the demons just massed and ready to invade the split second the portal opened?

I mean, it's your game so what you say goes, but it seems odd to me that the second a portal pops up in demonland, there's already an army waiting and ready to make use of it and that they aren't in the least bit surprised/curious before immediately charging in.

All that aside, I think the only real course is to let things play out as they should. That's not to say the PCs shouldn't get a chance to escape and hide in the chaos, but even with that, it seems unlikely they'll be escaping with their lives anytime soon.

[Sword-Geass]

What Kelvarius said is the first thing that striked me. But it's probably to late for you to change it. As for the party, TPK is the way to go, or at the very best they may have like 5% chances of going out alive (and not even all of them). Really your players were in the enemy's base, and their best idea was to make more enemies appear. They are in a 3 sided battle, the smallest side being them, they should be squashed, even more as someone saw them throwing the stone.
As a DM I'd probably start the next sesion with all of them in a sea of devils and demons. I would also have the demons get the upper hand at first, while also attacking the PC's. Devils would focus on the nearest thing they have, so, if the closest breathing object are the PC's, they also get attacked by devils.
To sum it up:

Demons attack the PC's so long as the demons hold a better position over the devils.
Devils attack nearest thing, be it demons or PC's, preference for the weakest, if equal threat, go for demons.



I hope your players roll high, as ,unless you play everyone like a retarded, they are going to have a tough fight.

[MisterKaws]

Can't they, like, enter the portal to the Abyss and then immediately TP out without even giving the demons time to react? It's not like the other side needs to be in a travel-forbidden zone, right?

[ATHATH]

Can't they, like, enter the portal to the Abyss and then immediately TP out without even giving the demons time to react? It's not like the other side needs to be in a travel-forbidden zone, right?
You forgot one thing...

[Insert Toy Story "X, X everywhere" meme here, with X being Attacks of Opportunity]

[MisterKaws]

You forgot one thing...

[Insert Toy Story "X, X everywhere" meme here, with X being Attacks of Opportunity]

Welp, the beatstick's gotta learn to tumble fast.

[Quertus]

PCs have "clever plan".

DM looks at PCs action, and sees no way around TPK

Players probably did not intend action as TPK.

So... ask your players how this is supposed to result in anything other than a TPK. They may surprise you.

[Thealtruistorc]

Honestly, I say that the best solution is a combination of everything.

Imagine the demons swarming in and delivering an absolute TPK. The players can't do crap against them but the massive garrison of devils can. The mortal corpses are trampled to smithereens, but the souls remain.

That's where the fun begins. Some Demon or Devil decides to make a bargain with the players to bring them back in exchange for service. Anybody who opts in becomes bound to that creature and may harness some of its abilities (half-fiend template works for this). On the other hand, this means that they are now evil and acting in the service of a fiend.

This takes the adventure in an exciting new direction. Turn the faustian pact into a new plot point, where the players are forced to find some way to break free or else die in the attempt. The story just writes itself.

[Von Zinzer]

...Turn the faustian pact into a new plot point, where the players are forced to find some way to break free or else die in the attempt. The story just writes itself.

This, I like. IMO some of the best RP and plot development comes from having PCs pull their own bacon out of the fire and deal with the consequences later. (Full disclosure: a character of mine once had...relations...with a sexy bear/druid in exchange for a cure for his permanent blindness. Consequences never materialised because the campaign fell apart, but still.) Pacts with devils can make for some great questionably moral adventures. I would be cautious, however, that the party doesn't just go full Evil, unless you're all ok with that.

[The Great Wyrm]

I just ran the session last night, expecting a Bolivian Army Ending (aka TPK). Three PCs (cleric, ranger, assassin) were KILL BY DEMONS, but the others actually made it through the vortex and escaped, due to very good luck.

[atemu1234]

Another devil looking for a promotion tries to get the PCs to follow him, leaving his boss to die, promising them safe passage with the caveat that they owe him big time, and probably have to help him with his plans.

A devil would want leverage; their souls, which it'll keep until they help it with his plans