Exterminate devils by Planar Binding

[Conradine]

Since a conjured creature stays death if killed, would be possible for a Wizard backed by a group of well armed and determined companions to depopulate Hell, one Bearded Devil at time?

[Glimbur]

You would draw attention. Also I think the Hells are infinite so it would be quite the job. Would be an interesting adventure seed.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Since a conjured creature stays death if killed, would be possible for a Wizard backed by a group of well armed and determined companions to depopulate Hell, one Bearded Devil at time?

The devil itself might die, but its essence returns to the Lower Planes, strengthening them and allowing them to churn out more fiends.

You'll have to destroy the Evil energy of the Lower Planes or convert it to something else (likely using magic) if you want to progress. Otherwise, you're just revving your engine and not actually getting anywhere.

[InvisibleBison]

If there are a finite number of devils, and you can kill them faster than they can reproduce, then yes, this is in theory possible, though it would probably take millions of years.

[Ajustusdaniel]

I think they used a lesser application of this theory in Tales of Wyre. It was aimed at demons rather than devils, and intended to strategically weaken a specific Demon Lord's position by depriving him of some of his more puissant minions, rather than an attempt to empty the Abyss entirely, but they summoned, bound, and destroyed a number of powerful demons in fairly short succession.

[Remuko]

With devils? Yeah theyre finite, its possible. You will destroy the multiverse if you ever come close to succeeding though. You're likely to be stopped by multiple deities if they exist in your setting. The devils are the only thing keeping the infinite hordes of the abyss in check, without them demons destroy literally everything.

[blackwindbears]

Yes* and I'd simplify it to depopulating hell of the devil's that have access to your particular material plane world. Here's how I would make the campaign:

1) Modify planar binding so that it requires a devil's (just regular name, not true name).

2) Eliminate the calling diagram thing

3) Here's the gameplay loop:
A) Adventure to find a text containing the names of devil's.
B) Call them
C) Kill them
D) repeat

Then decide what stats you want to use for your Lord's of Hell:

1) Fiendish Codex 2 - The aspect Mephistopheles is a good capstone

2) Book of Vile Darkness - Belial and Feirnia would make a good capstone

3) Dicefreaks' Gates of Hell - Download chapter 5 or maybe the dukes of hell chapter. The archdevils and lords of the nine will be too powerful. But, the amount of lore in that book is second to none. Hundreds of NPC stat-blocks that no one will ever use in a game. It's a beautiful creation. If you go this route read the entries first, then design the campaign around the final duke you choose.


It's easy to see what might motivate the players, maybe a devil killed the loved one of the wizard and he vowed vengeance. Frankly, you might dispense with planar binding entirely and use incantation magic described in Unearthed Arcana, but just for the devil calling.


*Depending on what material you reference killing a devil that has been called does different things. Core, it seems to say they die. FCII suggests they take 99 years to reform

[sleepyphoenixx]

Fiends only die for real if you kill them on their home plane.
Otherwise demons have their essence return to the Abyss to reform into a new demon while devils respawn in hell 99 years later, so at best you'll inconvenience them.

Also devils create more of themselves from the souls they get and new demons just spawn from the Abyss itself so that's another issue.

[satorian]

If you Imprison them, the amount of evil essence in the hells would be reduced for the length of the Imprisonment. So repeating spell traps of PB and Imprisonment could do a lot, especially if you coordinate with millions of spellcasters across the Primes to have tons of them.

Then the Abyss would take over and destroy the multiverse, so...

[Feantar]

You'd need to trap their soul and then, if you want to make this permanent, use it as a spell component (which obliterates it).

[Zanos]

Demons and Devils get reformed in the abyss/hell but usually devils will suffer demotions(and it takes 99 years), demons are badly warped by the experience of rejoining with the swirling chaos of the abyss and are almost always worse off for the experience. Other subtypes, including yugoloths, I think are free game.

Nothing prevents you from binding a bunch of fiends, knocking them unconscious, plane shifting to a secure location in the plane that they die for real on, and then butchering them. Well, other fiends might try to stop you. But those planes are quite large. You could also nearly kill them and then load them up with effects that deal damage over time, and then plane shift them offensively back to their home plane. Plane shift is always 5-500 miles off target so unless they're very lucky they will probably die unless they get immediate help. A bit less reliable is to just give the fiend a task that is completed by you casting something nasty on it, then dismissing it. It will automatically return to its home plane and then hopefully die, but it's more likely to be near help in that case if it goes back to exactly where it came from.

[Jack_Simth]

Easy answer? Use Flesh to Stone. Then sell them to anyone who wants somewhat scary statues. Alternately, use Flesh to Ice and let them melt, but then you can't sell them.
Same level as Planar Binding.
Doesn't kill, so no essence returning to their native plane.
Instant, so it doesn't "wear off" on it's own.

[the_tick_rules]

don't devils permanently die if slain in hell?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

don't devils permanently die if slain in hell?

Their memories and personalities do, but the elemental evil they're composed of just gets reabsorbed into the plane, leading to a mostly net neutral as far as multiversal evil is concerned.

[GrayDeath]

The devil itself might die, but its essence returns to the Lower Planes, strengthening them and allowing them to churn out more fiends.

You'll have to destroy the Evil energy of the Lower Planes or convert it to something else (likely using magic) if you want to progress. Otherwise, you're just revving your engine and not actually getting anywhere.

That.

So its quite hard.

Which is good, because

With devils? Yeah theyre finite, its possible. You will destroy the multiverse if you ever come close to succeeding though. You're likely to be stopped by multiple deities if they exist in your setting. The devils are the only thing keeping the infinite hordes of the abyss in check, without them demons destroy literally everything.

This.

There is a reason the Good Gods dont go out and fight Hell.

its the fact that Hell is the fiery hard-assed stone in the hole that connects the Universe as we (dont specifically like but) need it from the truly unlimited hordes of the Abyss.

Which is a statement in effectivity in Hells favour of a magnitude few think about.
The hells are large, yes, and growing. But their enemies are infinite.
And yet Dispater alone has kept them at bay for uncounted milennia by using suoperior troops, tactics and sheer willpower.


So, if you want to go and destroy SOME form of Evil, start with Demons. All other Evils will even want to help you. :)

[Crake]

A better solution is to bind fiends and then cast sanctify the wicked on them. That way you convert them away from evil, and they no longer are a part of the hell-engine. Get yourself a thought bottle to deal with that sacrifice component.

Edit: It also adds an extra layer of drama around protecting the diamonds while the fiends are being sanctified, and the potential danger of them all being released by attacks, creating a mass concentration of fiends.