Go to hell!

[KingSmitty]

So we are closing out 3.5 and moving to 5e but before we do its time for us to descend into the depths and kill a mage bent on bringing tiamat into power. As a group we have immunity to fire, im a paladin/fist of raziel with the saint template 12ecl.

Were allowed an item of 12th level or equivalent to bring with us....what would you suggest?

[Inevitability]

Wait, you're getting only a single item at ECL 12 when entering literal Hell? How evil is your DM?

[Yael]

Get a 12th-level broon to sweep your party with.

Seriously, if you roll low on the encounter table, a Pit Fiend may be waiting for you in that place.

[Eldan]

Get a 12th-level broon to sweep your party with.

Seriously, if you roll low on the encounter table, a Pit Fiend may be waiting for you in that place.

May? Hell is a highly organized fascist dystopia. They have secret police (bone devils), border guards, passport controls. If you just walk into hell at level 12 without planning this very well, you're probably going to be arrested and tortured for information. Prepare by reading some Kafka.

[Inevitability]

May? Hell is a highly organized fascist dystopia. They have secret police (bone devils), border guards, passport controls. If you just walk into hell at level 12 without planning this very well, you're probably going to be arrested and tortured for information. Prepare by reading some Kafka.

Torture is low-tech evil. The progressively more advanced Methods to Evilly Get InformationTM are threatening loved ones, killing followed by Absorb Mind, killing followed by Speak With Dead, killing followed by undead creation and Mindrape.

[KingSmitty]

Wait, you're getting only a single item at ECL 12 when entering literal Hell? How evil is your DM?

Pretty evil. We have more items but instead of rolling out loot we each get an item or items of our choosing comparable to a level 12 item.

Honestly we wouldnt have known about delving into hell without him givin the heads up saying "if you think it would be useful in hell next week get it" soo. Here goes nothing

Whats more evil is if we die we get to play as monsters and kill everyone else.

[Eldan]

Pretty evil. We have more items but instead of rolling out loot we each get an item or items of our choosing comparable to a level 12 item.

Honestly we wouldnt have known about delving into hell without him givin the heads up saying "if you think it would be useful in hell next week get it" soo. Here goes nothing

Whats more evil is if we die we get to play as monsters and kill everyone else.

Here's my suggestion. THis is about Tiamat. Get a few scrolls of spells that givey ou information. Commune, planar ally, things like that. Then ask around who Tiamats current enemies are. Bahamut, probably, but she also has some enemies amongst the lords of hell. Then try to contact those, there's spells for that too. Inform them of Tiamat's plans and ask them for help.

[Mr Adventurer]

Along similar lines to Eldan, one of my favourite uses of Planar Binding is to tell outsiders stuff so they can act on it as they like. Elder Evil hidden from all divine magic? No problem.

In principle, this even works with Summon Monster spells since the creatures keep their experiences even if they aren't truly "there" and don't perish when destroyed while summoned.

Relatedly, I once used a high level Summon Monster spell for 1d4+1 Lantern Archons, who then all Assisted my Knowledge (the Planes) check to know the name of a Celestial to call with Planar Binding who would already have a personal predisposition toward the task that I wanted completed.

[Lyndworm]

Here's my suggestion. THis is about Tiamat. Get a few scrolls of spells that givey ou information. Commune, planar ally, things like that. Then ask around who Tiamats current enemies are. Bahamut, probably, but she also has some enemies amongst the lords of hell. Then try to contact those, there's spells for that too. Inform them of Tiamat's plans and ask them for help.

That works for the rest of the party, but Paladins can't willingly associate with Evil. It's a DM call, but I kinda doubt someone who doesn't follow WBL during a raid on Hell itself would let a Paladin act out of code.

[Cirrylius]

That works for the rest of the party, but Paladins can't willingly associate with Evil. It's a DM call, but I kinda doubt someone who doesn't follow WBL during a raid on Hell itself would let a Paladin act out of code.

Let the caster do it, without telling the Paladin.

I once instigated a pincer movement on a Devil on the prime, in the flesh, by using Contact Other Plane to ask some... pointed questions at political players in Hell ("are the Dark Eight or the Lords of the Nine aware that the renegade and deserter named X is preparing to open an unsanctioned interplanar gate to help more of the same escape the Blood War?".

[KingSmitty]

Let the caster do it, without telling the Paladin.

I once instigated a pincer movement on a Devil on the prime, in the flesh, by using Contact Other Plane to ask some... pointed questions at political players in Hell ("are the Dark Eight or the Lords of the Nine aware that the renegade and deserter named X is preparing to open an unsanctioned interplanar gate to help more of the same escape the Blood War?".

This is exactly whats going on in the background. Our cleric of wee jas is making a deal with a powerful demon who is against tiamat (whats his name who tiamat took over their stomping grounds) but is explicitly keeping it unknown to my character. Probably going to backfire once i find out in game but well see!