HELP! Need to get souls for my Imp

[sigmagk]

My party is playing an evil campaign, were currently level 8 and my warlock took the pact of the chain option. My DM instead of giving me the spiritual imp-like creature that usually gives the pact, took us into the nine hells and made me do the pact to get the familiar. That is super awesome because i can use the Variant Familiar feature.

The mechanic is that the imp requires souls in order to rank up in the Devil society and evolve into greater Devil (like an evil pokemon). In order to get them i can make contracts on behalf of the Imp with the NPCs on villages and towns and do something to trade for their souls when they die.

So far I made a contract with a farmer and convinced the druid in my party cast Plant growth on his land to enrich the soil for an entire year. As a lawfull evil character i must obey the contract and I cant kill him myself and now i have to convince his neighbors that hes using black magic to get better profit of the land, make them against him and kill him so i can collect the soul.

I need some ideas to collect more souls and do it faster. I hope you guys help me

I was thinking something like kidnap some kids and contract with their parents to get them back and with the kids to return em with their parents so i got double profit.

Thanks!

[Malphegor]

Is there a way to capture souls (perhaps in a gem or a small object)? I know there were spells for this in 3e, not sure if 5e has anything similar.

[Greywander]

What do you have to offer exactly?

If you can offer healing, go find sick and dying people and restore them in exchange for their soul.

If you have money, go to a big city, find some lowlifes, and offer them wealth (or drugs) in exchange for their souls.

Basically, find people who are at their weakest and most desperate and least able to refuse a tempting offer. Bring hope to the hopeless, and they will greedily eat it up.

If you want to play a more convoluted, and more evil game, then orchestrate the circumstances that lead to this level of desperation. Essentially, manufacture a problem so dire that a person would be willing to sell their soul to fix it. And then fix it. Don't be afraid to play the long game (depending on your character's lifespan). Focus on arranging as many contracts as you can, and don't worry about when they're going to drop. The souls will start pouring in as you get large numbers of contracts set up and they start dying on their own.

I think it's cool that your DM is going through the effort to roleplay this aspect of your character with you. Do be careful it doesn't distract from the other players' fun, though.

[Wildarm]

Well, manufacturing a crisis is the most sure fire way to fix things. You have 4th level spells and soon 5th level. Summon lesser/greater demons will unleash some pretty nasty beasts on the world. Beforehand lay the groundwork that doom is coming for the town. You have read the signs. Frame the conversation that devils have been misunderstood. They have always opposed the chaos of the Abyss and you can take care of these demons before they flay your wife and children in front of you before eating you alive.

Dream spell is fantastic for driving individuals insane.

Bestow Curse @5th level lasts 8 hours - You can scramble a creatures mind before it signs a deal.

[Ventruenox]

I'm guessing you went Fiend option instead of GOO? Pity. Between the telepathy and Phantasmal Force, no one can gaslight better. For fiend option, you can always use Command while presenting a contract and order them to "Sign!"

There is still the Friends/Mask of Many Faces combo to exploit. Mimic loved ones, betray a trust, then allow them to deal with you for revenge.

[Segev]

Your Imp's a Fiend, right? Subcontract! Sell power (level 1 fiend-pact warlockhood) for their souls. You can demonstrate how awesome being a warlock is.

[Damon_Tor]

For fiend option, you can always use Command while presenting a contract and order them to "Sign!"

I expect that wouldn't count. Just like in our world you can't drug someone then expect a contract they signed while under the effects of the drug to hold up on court. A contract for a soul is evil, but it's lawful evil, which means there are rules you've got to follow.

If you're serious about making this work and getting some big numbers, use the Amway model, and run a pyramid scheme, but with devils. Your goal is to hook other would-be warlocks up with their own patrons and familiars, but they have to give you every other soul they collect. Their contacts allow them (and encourage them) to recruit new warlocks as well, and they get 50% the souls collected by their subordinates as well.

It would look like a cult, but the structure of it would funnel an immense number of souls to your devil. And even better, when your familiar becomes a higher form of devil, he already has an army of subordinates ready to go.

[Greywander]

For fiend option, you can always use Command while presenting a contract and order them to "Sign!"

I expect that wouldn't count. Just like in our world you can't drug someone then expect a contract they signed while under the effects of the drug to hold up on court. A contract for a soul is evil, but it's lawful evil, which means there are rules you've got to follow.
I recently posted a character concept on these forums that was a devil (mechanically a tiefling) who got kicked out of Hell for a screw up. Lawful Evil, and, as a (former/quasi) devil, he be all for signing up people for contracts to get their souls (or anything else he can extort out of them). One aspect of this character, though, is that he'd likely eschew most mind-altering magic because a contract can't be binding if it isn't signed with free will. I can't just cast Suggestion to make people sign a contract. Things like Fear and illusions are probably okay, but Charm Person and Suggestion probably aren't.

But that's just how I would have played this kind of character. It just seems like a very large and easily exploitable loophole if devils can use magic to compel people to sign contracts with them.


If you're serious about making this work and getting some big numbers, use the Amway model, and run a pyramid scheme, but with devils. Your goal is to hook other would-be warlocks up with their own patrons and familiars, but they have to give you every other soul they collect. Their contacts allow them (and encourage them) to recruit new warlocks as well, and they get 50% the souls collected by their subordinates as well.

It would look like a cult, but the structure of it would funnel an immense number of souls to your devil. And even better, when your familiar becomes a higher form of devil, he already has an army of subordinates ready to go.
I almost mentioned something like this in my previous post, but I wasn't sure how to frame it. The idea of subcontracting and creating new warlocks is a good one, although I'm unclear if they would all share your patron or if they'd have different patrons. It seems like it would be more efficient to make your imp their patron so that he gets all the souls, not just half. But perhaps he's not powerful enough to hand out that kind of power.

One thing I might also be concerned about is making your imp too powerful to the point he no longer needs you.

[Damon_Tor]

One thing I might also be concerned about is making your imp too powerful to the point he no longer needs you.

Devils can't operate well on the mortal plane without a mortal as a proxy, even (perhaps especially) very powerful devils. It will always need you. And besides, your power will grow as well.

[Sigreid]

Seems to me sending your imp to harrass the neighbor and taunt him about how his neighbor made an excellent deal is a good way to convince the neighbor that evil forces are at work on behalf of the farmer...or get another contract...