Deal with a Devil

[ghendrickson]

My wizard is approaching the level where he can summon demons and devils through to the Material Plane, and I have no clue what to do. I know the true name of a Hezrou demon, and I love all the stuff about Faustian pacts and binding, but I don't know what I want to request from the creature for a part of my soul. Any ideas playgrounders?

By the way, the system is pathfinder and I just want some general ideas or maybe some personal examples, because who doesn't love deals with outsiders.

[legomaster00156]

Ok, here's how to not screw yourself on a deal with a devil.

1. Establish your goal in this contract. Do you want immortality? 9th-level spells? Riches? Women? Have a clear-cut, singular goal.
2. Write up a contract in legalese that will put a level 20 Lawyer to shame. I suggest looking at Open Source Wishes.
3. Summon a devil and make the contract.
4. Get screwed anyway and go to Hell, because seriously?

So, now that we've established that you WILL be screwed, find something worth getting screwed for. Immortality just isn't happening. However, Wishing for a Ring of Three Wishes (specifically, a fully-charged one) might be worth it.

[hymer]

I think this is an excellent opportunity for you to explore your character. What does s/he want bad enough to suffer eternal torment and damnation for?

[Honest Tiefling]

Firstly, every Faustian caster should know what they summon and how they bargain. See if you cannot work in a side-quest to ransack some cult's library or a similar quest so your party feels included and you get the information you need. If your DM feels as if you have earned the pact and have worked it into the character, they are more likely to help you achieve what you want. And including your party is never a bad idea.

Secondly, know your fiends! Don't make Faustian pacts with the Demons! They are the Chaotic Evil ones (Remember, Devil has an 'L' in it, like lawful.) Making a deal with a devil is foolhardy, but making a deal with a demon with a demon is just plain stupid unless your DM has changed something from the base game.

[ylvathrall]

There are two main directions you could go with this that might conceivably not be the worst idea this character has ever had. First, you could try to think of something that's valuable to the character, but a nearly worthless commodity to the devil you're dealing with. Maybe something like the services of weaker devils, or a secret that's only valuable in the context of other information that you already have and most people don't. If the devil thinks what you're getting is worthless, you might not be condemned to an eternity in Hell.

Second, come up with something so valuable that it's worth an eternity in Hell.

Either way, don't go off on a tangent. Keep your initial goal in mind, and don't take any other offers, no matter how tempting they sound. Also, I would actually recommend you not write a detailed contract unless you or your character or both are actually lawyers. Devils are the original rules lawyers; they are better at finding loopholes than you are at closing them. Keep the deal as simple as possible and you've got half a chance.

Also, while your character might think he has a chance of pulling this off in a way that doesn't end badly for him, you as a player should not be laboring under that delusion. It depends on the GM, of course, but in my opinion any story that derives its influence from Faust should not end well for the sucker making the deal. If your GM feels similarly, then you can safely assume that even the most careful deal with a devil will come back to bite you somehow. It might be worth it, depending on what you get out of it and how highly you value what you lose, but either way the cost will be higher than it initially appears. If you go into it knowing that, it's a lot less likely that you'll get upset when the price comes due.

[Lord Torath]

I'd recommend summoning Good outsiders, rather than Evil ones. The good ones are less likely to go back on their word (again, pending on how much they agree with what you're asking for, and how lawful they are), and are likely to be more forgiving. But if your wizard really wants to deal with a devil, you might be able to trade the name of the Hezrou (a type of demon, not a devil, don't make a deal with it!) to the devil.

As for what to wish for? Maybe a pet Great Wyrm (or whatever age category is the oldest and most powerful) Red Dragon? Or a quiver that will instantly produce whatever Arrow of Slaying you desire up to the number of attacks with a bow you are capable of making?

[Talyn]

Keep in mind that the devil has to be able to produce what you are asking for. Hezrou are fairly smart and tough, but they can't grant Wishes the way, say, a Pit Fiend can.

Really, though, what devils and demons can grant is wealth, power and knowledge. Want a scroll with a rare spell on it? Want a particular enemy dead? Need a pouch full of diamonds for that Rod of Resurrection you are making? The devil can do that.

A magical item that breaks the rules, though, or a legendary artifact? Your devil can't produce that.

[ylvathrall]

As for what to wish for? Maybe a pet Great Wyrm (or whatever age category is the oldest and most powerful) Red Dragon?

I thought the objective here was to minimize how much danger the wizard was exposed to, not escalate it. I mean, making a deal with a devil is bad enough already. Having a crazily powerful red dragon trying to undermine your instructions all the time seems like it's going from bad to worse. Maybe aim for a golem instead?

[Red Fel]

Talking about Faustian pacts, and you didn't invite me? I'm hurt.

There are several ways to avoid screwing yourself over when dealing with cosmic powers, Good or Evil. The first one is do not deal with cosmic powers. There's an old curse, "May you gain the attention of people in high places." It's considered a curse because it's never a good idea.

But since some of us apparently skipped that lesson in school, it's on to the second rule of dealing with cosmic powers: Keep it short. Every opportunity a deal offers a power to interact with you is an opportunity to make the deal worse. Thus, asking for something finite, concrete and determinate is the best thing. Asking for something esoteric, such as "enlightenment," or extended in duration, such as "your continued support," is just asking for them to stick around, and that's exactly what you don't want. The longer they're around, the more they can make things hard for you, forcing you to pay them more just to make the problems stop.

Rule the third: Always, always get an escape clause. In essence, it allows you to return everything you've gained from the deal in exchange for whatever you lost for it. You'd be surprised how many cosmic powers will agree to such terms. The reason they'll agree to them is a little thing called the sunk cost fallacy. Basically, they know that the more you benefit from the deal, the less likely you are to give it all up, so they'll let you put that little clause in. And frankly, if you do call backsies, they'll probably see to it that you get your reset at the worst possible time - but it's still better than leaving a piece of your soul to a cosmic entity that uses such things as ping-pong balls.

So, let's run it down. Your Wizard is going to trade a piece of his soul for something discrete and determinate, and is going to include an escape clause. I'd suggest something simple, like a stronghold, a small fortune, or a few rare or unique magical devices or reagents. Little things that are hard to come by, but useful. It's very hard to get screwed over when your request is a simple one.

That said, I like Lord Torath's idea. You don't want to make a trade with a Hezrou. But trading the Hezrou's name to a Devil, perhaps a Logokron Devil (see if your DM will port them over), means that you aren't actually giving up anything (except for the safety of anonymity). Demons and Devils are at war, and Logokrons in particular enjoy learning the names of powerful beings. Note, however, that by making this trade, you will have earned the attention of both sides. Any Devil worth his salt will make it known who gave away a Demon's name, making you a target of Demons everywhere; at the same time, said Devil would gladly get into a series of extended trades to offer you "protection" from the very Demons they've set on your tail. Ironically, if you want to get into Faustian bargains, this is a pretty sure way to get started down that road.

[Thisguy_]

Everyone else's advice is good stuff for protecting yourself. Here's something to think about, though: what if your character slips up, with you knowing full well? What if you just want a good story? Perhaps you could go so far as to do something which seems foolhardy to a devil, but plan out what you expect to happen for maximum mitigation. (This will inevitably result in the plan being rendered useless by clever devil trickery, but will make for a good story.)

Another thought is to work in a detail to the pact permitting you to mitigate the consequences. Devils will trade your name out if you give away a Demon's true name. How about trade the true name for the power to escape notice in both the short and long term? The problem is phrasing. Most of the good **** you can get is going to be guarded by the lawful outsiders' thousand year old schemes. They see you coming, and they've thought about this before. So you need to as well.

That's the thing about humans: Their short lives do nothing to mitigate their accomplishments, because they're just that tenacious. This deal with a devil is FOR something. So don't manipulate the result so much as the cost. The means needs to help you achieve the end, but the acquisition of the means has a cost which, more importantly, must be mitigated.

You can always play the long game: ask not for immortality or eternal youth. Ask for a life extension, after you've gained the supernatural power of secrecy. And another. And another, all peppered throughout different places and possibly identities. Because if you're always you, they'll find you.

I could get into the power to mask your soul from those who'd seek you by it, but I'm already rambling.

[Radar]

That said, I like Lord Torath's idea. You don't want to make a trade with a Hezrou. But trading the Hezrou's name to a Devil, perhaps a Logokron Devil (see if your DM will port them over), means that you aren't actually giving up anything (except for the safety of anonymity). Demons and Devils are at war, and Logokrons in particular enjoy learning the names of powerful beings. Note, however, that by making this trade, you will have earned the attention of both sides. Any Devil worth his salt will make it known who gave away a Demon's name, making you a target of Demons everywhere; at the same time, said Devil would gladly get into a series of extended trades to offer you "protection" from the very Demons they've set on your tail. Ironically, if you want to get into Faustian bargains, this is a pretty sure way to get started down that road.

I like the idea as well. Why sacrifice your own soul, when you can sacrifice someone else? As for the devil spilling your name, you might want to include an NDA in the deal. Maybe attach to it an incentive of making this devil an exclusive buyer of other demonic true names you might find in the future available only if the secret is kept.

[ylvathrall]

I like the idea as well. Why sacrifice your own soul, when you can sacrifice someone else? As for the devil spilling your name, you might want to include an NDA in the deal. Maybe attach to it an incentive of making this devil an exclusive buyer of other demonic true names you might find in the future available only if the secret is kept.

The problem with this is that it makes the deal more complicated. It might seem like adding elaborate protections is a good idea, but it isn't worth it. Every time you interact with the devil, you're giving it more opportunities to ruin your life. Even taking the time to hammer out the terms of an NDA is giving the devil more chances to sucker you in to a less favorable deal.

Additionally, no amount of protective clauses will keep you safe. The devil has lots of practice with this sort of thing and the support of Hell's bureaucracy. It can figure out a way to get around any safeguard you put in place. Even if by some miracle (or, you know, the GM not actually being a devil) you come up with a deal that the devil can't exploit in any way, the devil won't take it. It's not in the business of giving people good deals, after all. From the devil's perspective, it's better to not make a deal at all than to make a deal that it can't exploit. If it doesn't make a deal, then eventually you might be desperate enough to make a bargain without taking the time to hunt down every little loophole first.

[Radar]

The problem with this is that it makes the deal more complicated. It might seem like adding elaborate protections is a good idea, but it isn't worth it. Every time you interact with the devil, you're giving it more opportunities to ruin your life. Even taking the time to hammer out the terms of an NDA is giving the devil more chances to sucker you in to a less favorable deal.

That's why I mentioned the incentive of exclusive trade. The whole NDA would pretty much be this: if our arrangement remains a secret, I'd be willing to sell you exclusively more true names of demons sometime later.

No legalese, clauses, fines or anything - just a simple incentive, which promises more power in the long run for a relatively small favor.

[ylvathrall]

That's why I mentioned the incentive of exclusive trade. The whole NDA would pretty much be this: if our arrangement remains a secret, I'd be willing to sell you exclusively more true names of demons sometime later.

No legalese, clauses, fines or anything - just a simple incentive, which promises more power in the long run for a relatively small favor.

Ah, but if you make the NDA clause that simple, it doesn't do much for you. If I were the devil (or the GM playing the devil, whichever), I would immediately start looking for loopholes in the definition of "secret." The OED definition of "secret" as a noun is "Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others." So I could, for example, tell people about it and add the addendum that it's meant to remain unknown by others, in which case I have kept it a secret; it's just a secret known by more people than you intended. I could talk to other devils who will figure out what happened whether I tell them or not, in which case I can say that I made a good faith effort to keep it secret but others figured it out without any action on my part. The fact that I knew they would figure it out is irrelevant.

Close those loopholes, and I start looking at what exactly I'm supposed to keep secret. Technically you only said that "our arrangement" has to be a secret, so anything else is fair game. I could, for example, tell high-ranking demons that you had the true name of a demon and exactly who you are, what you're capable of, and where they can find you. I didn't explicitly tell them that I bought the name from you or any of the conditions under which I did so, so our arrangement is still perfectly secret.

Finally, I look at the fact that there's no penalty or fine associated with me breaking this NDA. You didn't make it an obligation under the contract, so agreeing to the contract doesn't mean that I'm obligated to keep it a secret. At most, you offer me a reward for doing so, but that reward is of limited value. You might never learn another demon's true name, after all. Even if you do, it's possible that you would sell them to me regardless, especially if you're desperate. Which, hey, I happen to have a great way of making you desperate right here.

You see? You end up opening as many loopholes as you close. And if you take the time to make this NDA actually effective, that gives me time to fiddle with the main agreement, getting you to agree to something you didn't mean to or slipping loopholes and exceptions into it that I can exploit later.

[Radar]

You see? You end up opening as many loopholes as you close. And if you take the time to make this NDA actually effective, that gives me time to fiddle with the main agreement, getting you to agree to something you didn't mean to or slipping loopholes and exceptions into it that I can exploit later.

That is also the reason, why this part should not be a formal contract, but a simple statement on your part. This means that there are no loopholes: if you decide the devil or anyone else revealed the secret as you undestand it, no more name-trading.

Present it as an incentive: use whatever charisma skill you have to portray the situation so that you can only successfuly obtain new true names, if you won't be ever known as someone selling such names. Or anything along those lines. You can't win legalese battle with a devil - that's the point. You instead arrange the situation so that it will be benefitial to the devil to keep the deal secret anyway.

[King of Casuals]

I like the idea as well. Why sacrifice your own soul, when you can sacrifice someone else? As for the devil spilling your name, you might want to include an NDA in the deal. Maybe attach to it an incentive of making this devil an exclusive buyer of other demonic true names you might find in the future available only if the secret is kept.

Hi, GM of the game here, Id just like to clear up a few things.

First things first, idk if this matters but the Wizard in question is a chaotic neutral Dwarf and is currently level 6, and the earliest that he can cast Lesser planar binding is level 9, so he has some time to save up for anything he may need. He's also good at crafting magic items and I am very open to inventing new spells and magic items.

Next, he has a Story feat (a special feat that gives him a decent benefit, then has a goal that, when completed, gives him an even better benefit) called Damned, the goal of which is to sell your soul to an evil-aligned outsider, so while I would allow these trading the true name with a devil shenanigans, its kind of beside the point.

Here's the feat if you want to look at it: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/story-feats/damned-story

[sktarq]

One thing that I've found interesting if you have to sell your soul is adding a trade in/swapsies provision. You gain credit for every soul you corrupt to LE (assuming you deal with a Devil like a smart pactmaker) and/or every soul you sacrifice to hell. That way you can buy back your soul with LE actions (that can either then be negated afterward via atonements and good deeds) or go all in and gain positive credits that apply to your future devil form (possibly with retained memory) so that you get instant promotion from lemure status.

And as for a neat item to ask for: a portable soul extractor/binder. So that you have other souls to trade whenever you want another favor.

EDIT: Favorite clause I added later when I did this (at a cost of some soul gems) was that the devil and all devils who answered to this devil must include information my history and current condition as part of their contract with all mortals for 1000 years after my death or my soul is striped of its evil butt not its power and he'll looses all claim to it or allow any harm to come to it. Thus providing an incentive for them to treat me well as future advertising.

[Envyus]

My wizard is approaching the level where he can summon demons and devils through to the Material Plane, and I have no clue what to do. I know the true name of a Hezrou demon, and I love all the stuff about Faustian pacts and binding, but I don't know what I want to request from the creature for a part of my soul. Any ideas playgrounders?

By the way, the system is pathfinder and I just want some general ideas or maybe some personal examples, because who doesn't love deals with outsiders.

Well here is a fairly big thing you are overlooking. Hezrou are Demons and thus don't really give a **** about Faustain pacts. Sure you can make a deal with one to have it do a favor. But once it is out of the magic circle it will probably just ignore the bargain and rip your head off. Because it's a chaotic evil demon and has no need to keep any bargains it makes unless compelled to.

[ClockShock]

That is also the reason, why this part should not be a formal contract, but a simple statement on your part. This means that there are no loopholes: if you decide the devil or anyone else revealed the secret as you undestand it, no more name-trading.

Present it as an incentive: use whatever charisma skill you have to portray the situation so that you can only successfuly obtain new true names, if you won't be ever known as someone selling such names. Or anything along those lines. You can't win legalese battle with a devil - that's the point. You instead arrange the situation so that it will be benefitial to the devil to keep the deal secret anyway.

steinulfr also covered that off pretty well. The Devil will ignore the statement. It will screw you over. Before that happens there are two possibilities:
One - you do not learn the true name of another powerful being. Devil don't care.
Two - you do learn the true name of another powerful being. Devil still don't care, because you might offer the name to stop being screwed over. A second deal is made, and the Devil returns to screwing you over.

[Segev]

Do not forget, as well, that the planar binding spell can allow you to summon and bind these creatures to your service. Faustian pacts are all well and good, but there's something to be said for trading them a little bit of nothing for a few days of them doing your bidding. Feel free to try to take the time to earn their respect or make other bargains, but remember that you're a wizard. You can arrange it so you have the upper hand.

[Radar]

steinulfr also covered that off pretty well. The Devil will ignore the statement. It will screw you over. Before that happens there are two possibilities:
One - you do not learn the true name of another powerful being. Devil don't care.
Two - you do learn the true name of another powerful being. Devil still don't care, because you might offer the name to stop being screwed over. A second deal is made, and the Devil returns to screwing you over.

It really depends. Devils don't srew anyone over for the sake of it: they do it for profit. Sure you can get screwed over, when dealing with a devil - it's pretty much the essence of the deal. But there is no saying that you can't make it at least a bit more profitable for the devil not to srew you over too much.

[ylvathrall]

It really depends. Devils don't srew anyone over for the sake of it: they do it for profit. Sure you can get screwed over, when dealing with a devil - it's pretty much the essence of the deal. But there is no saying that you can't make it at least a bit more profitable for the devil not to srew you over too much.

I have to disagree with you on this. For a devil, screwing you over is profit. First, souls are currency in the lower planes. Taking yours is, therefore, literally a direct profit. Second, getting screwed makes you desperate, and desperate people are good for a devil's business. If you're desperate you're more likely to want to make more deals, and you're more likely to make deals that you know are rigged against you. Sure, the game is rigged, but it's the only game in town, and if you're desperate and under time pressure you might make that deal even though you know it'll bite you in the end.

Third, and maybe most importantly, you're assuming that you will know the devil ripped you off, or went behind your back to pull the kinds of underhanded exploitative moves I've discussed thus far. That's a fallacious assumption. If the devil's doing its job right, you'll keep going back for more, and never even realize that most of the problems you're asking for its help surviving are actually its fault to begin with. The devil can move things around behind the scenes and ensure that you're always in a bad situation where you need to keep making bargains to survive, without you ever knowing that it was involved. So if you offer it a deal where it gets more profit by not working against you, it'll smile and agree and then find some way to continue hurting you so that you'll keep coming back for more. It gets the benefits of your reward since you don't know that it isn't keeping the spirit of the bargain, and it gets the direct profit and continued relationship it wants. This is what devils do. They're good at it.

[legomaster00156]

Basically: you can never offer a deal good enough that the devil doesn't know how to exploit it for further profit, because the devil has been exploiting deals for centuries.

[Silus]

Ok, here's how to not screw yourself on a deal with a devil.

1. Establish your goal in this contract. Do you want immortality? 9th-level spells? Riches? Women? Have a clear-cut, singular goal.
2. Write up a contract in legalese that will put a level 20 Lawyer to shame. I suggest looking at Open Source Wishes.
3. Summon a devil and make the contract.
4. Get screwed anyway and go to Hell, because seriously?

So, now that we've established that you WILL be screwed, find something worth getting screwed for. Immortality just isn't happening. However, Wishing for a Ring of Three Wishes (specifically, a fully-charged one) might be worth it.

Better yet, work in an iron-clad paradox. Like you sell your soul to Hell in exchange for going to Heaven or something like that.

[legomaster00156]

Better yet, work in an iron-clad paradox. Like you sell your soul to Hell in exchange for going to Heaven or something like that.

They'd probably just rip your soul apart and send the smaller part up to the angels or something. Head in a box, basically. They'd then turn the larger portion into an even more deformed lemure.

[Talyn]

Better yet, work in an iron-clad paradox. Like you sell your soul to Hell in exchange for going to Heaven or something like that.

Which brings me back to my initial point: you can only deal with the devil for things the devil can provide.

Although, if I was the devil in this circumstance, I'd have you sign on the dotted line, personally escort you to the nearest portal to Celestial or Ysgard, then walk through with you. Oops, I'm a devil, heavenly security is going to come and kick my scaly, pointy-tailed rear end, and they'll take you out too for having made the deal. Of course, when I get killed in Ysgard, I reform back in Hell. When you get killed in Ysgard, your soul comes to me as per our deal.

And I didn't even break the rules. Through my direct intervention, you got to go to heaven. I never said you'd get to stay there...

[ylvathrall]

Better yet, work in an iron-clad paradox. Like you sell your soul to Hell in exchange for going to Heaven or something like that.

The problem with this is that it assumes the devil's never seen this trick before. And the devil has seen every trick before.

In this case, for instance, your paradox is not ironclad. If I were the devil in question, my immediate responses would include:

1. Plane shift your damned soul to Heaven every now and then for the more warlike residents to use as target practice. Some Good types still enjoy violence, after all, and it wouldn't be Heaven if you couldn't do what makes you happy.
2. Establish a club called Heaven in Hell, where devils can go to have fun. You get to spend your time there too, but you won't be enjoying it.
3. Let you go to Heaven, for a while. You didn't say that you got to stay, and the interlude of happiness will make the crushing despair to follow even sweeter.
4. Trap your soul in a magic item, and then have an archdevil wear it when he goes to Heaven for negotiations. You'll be there, inches away from people who could help you, and unable to communicate with them in any way. And then, having seen Heaven, you get to come back to Hell.

Those are just the ones I thought of in about a minute, by the way. There are lots more, I'm sure. And I'm not a devil, although some people might argue that point.

You will not beat Hell at rules lawyering. I've been trying to make this point all along, but maybe I haven't been stating it clearly enough. It isn't going to happen. That is their game, and they are better at it than anyone else. You can try, you might even think you won, but in some way or another Hell will always win these contests. Unless your GM is an exceptionally kind person, I suppose, but how likely is that?

[Radar]

I have to disagree with you on this. For a devil, screwing you over is profit. First, souls are currency in the lower planes. Taking yours is, therefore, literally a direct profit. Second, getting screwed makes you desperate, and desperate people are good for a devil's business. If you're desperate you're more likely to want to make more deals, and you're more likely to make deals that you know are rigged against you. Sure, the game is rigged, but it's the only game in town, and if you're desperate and under time pressure you might make that deal even though you know it'll bite you in the end.

Third, and maybe most importantly, you're assuming that you will know the devil ripped you off, or went behind your back to pull the kinds of underhanded exploitative moves I've discussed thus far. That's a fallacious assumption. If the devil's doing its job right, you'll keep going back for more, and never even realize that most of the problems you're asking for its help surviving are actually its fault to begin with. The devil can move things around behind the scenes and ensure that you're always in a bad situation where you need to keep making bargains to survive, without you ever knowing that it was involved. So if you offer it a deal where it gets more profit by not working against you, it'll smile and agree and then find some way to continue hurting you so that you'll keep coming back for more. It gets the benefits of your reward since you don't know that it isn't keeping the spirit of the bargain, and it gets the direct profit and continued relationship it wants. This is what devils do. They're good at it.

And you keep assuming that in case of a problem, the best possible solution is to go to the very devil most likely responsible for the additional trouble. That's the thing: there is more then one power- and soul-hungry entity willing to buy things from you. It's not the only game in town at all. The whole incentive assumes you don't care, if the devil in question was the one to spill the beans. Once the secret is out, possible future sales are also out.

Additionaly, I can make an argument that by making the deal short and simple, you are giving the devil free pass to screw you over in whatever way he (or she) sees fit, since there is no contract prohibiting him from doing so. Even more: a devil can screw you over even if you didn't do a deal with him at all, because why not? There is nothing preventing them from being proactive in soul aquisition.

Yes, you'll lose in the end whatever you do - I fully agree with that. It's just that I don't agree with the notion that a short deal would prevent or discourage the devil from actively working to undermine you. They don't need contracts for that.

[Silus]

You will not beat Hell at rules lawyering. I've been trying to make this point all along, but maybe I haven't been stating it clearly enough. It isn't going to happen. That is their game, and they are better at it than anyone else. You can try, you might even think you won, but in some way or another Hell will always win these contests. Unless your GM is an exceptionally kind person, I suppose, but how likely is that?

While I agree with you that you can't beat a Devil's rules lawyering, I'm still compelled to try, if only so I can thumb my nose at them.

Thought experiment: Sell your soul for a Deity/DM/Revision level wish (assuming Hell can rock a wish like that). Like one that rewrites reality with no stipulations. Then use said wish to wish your soul back.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

You will not beat Hell at rules lawyering.

While I like this sentiment myself and would absolutely play it like this as a DM, there is a lot of precedent in myths for pretty much the opposite being true. The moral of the story often appears to be "just do it, you'll find a way to get out of being punished".

The cathedral (of all things) of Cologne/Köln (Germany) was supposedly finished on time with help from the devil. In exchange the devil would get the first soul that would enter the new church after opening. But instead of letting the bishop walk in as the devil was somehow expecting, the people chased a wolf into the cathedral. Haha, stupid devil! We only doomed a puppy! There are still wolf-ornaments all around the entrance to remember this local legend by.