Devil, Contract Devil (Phistophilus)With rust-colored skin and a jutting crown of ridge-like horns, this muscular devil is draped in lengthy contracts.Contract Devil (Phistophilus) CR 10Source Bestiary 3 pg. 76, Pathfinder #12: Crown of Fangs pg. 86
XP 9,600
LE Medium outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
Init +11; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see in darkness; Perception +26DefenseAC 25, touch 18, flat-footed 17 (+7 Dex, +1 dodge, +7 natural)
hp 136 (13d10+65)
Fort +9, Ref +15, Will +16
DR 10/good; Immune fire, mind-affecting effects, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10; SR 21OffenseSpeed 30 ft.
Melee binding contract (whip) +20/+15/+10 (1d4+7 plus bleed and grab), gore +11 (2d6+1)
Space 5 ft., Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with binding contract)
Special Attacks binding contract, bleed (1d6), impale (2d8+4)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 13th; concentration +19)
Constant—tongues
At will—bestow curse (DC 20), detect thoughts (DC 18), dimension door, erase, identify, major image (DC 19), produce flame, sending
3/day—arcane eye, break enchantment, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), hold person (DC 19), locate creature, mage’s private sanctum, scorching ray, silence (DC 18), vision
1/day—contact other plane, delayed blast fireball (DC 23), dismissal (DC 21), plane shift (DC 23), summon (level 4, 1d6 bearded devils or 1 bone devil 50%), symbol of pain (DC 21)StatisticsStr 17, Dex 25, Con 20, Int 24, Wis 23, Cha 22
Base Atk +13; CMB +16; CMD 34
Feats Alertness, Deceitful, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Mobility, Persuasive
Skills Bluff +26, Diplomacy +26, Disguise +8, Intimidate +26, Knowledge (arcana) +23, Knowledge (nobility) +20, Knowledge (planes) +23, Knowledge (religion) +23, Linguistics +20, Perception +26, Profession (scribe) +19, Sense Motive +26, Sleight of Hand +20, Spellcraft +20
Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Gnoll, Halfling, Ignan, Infernal, Orc, Sylvan, Terran, Undercommon; telepathy 100 ft., tongues
SQ infernal contract, infernal investmentEcologyEnvironment any (Hell)
Organization solitary, pair, or court (2–12)
Treasure standardSpecial AbilitiesBinding Contract (Su) All contract devils carry numerous lengthy contracts draped over their horns or within their numerous carrying cases. They can wield these contracts like whips, but deal lethal damage regardless of the armor bonus of their target. A contract devil modifies attack and damage rolls when using a binding contract by its Intelligence modifier, not its Strength modifier (this equates to a +7 bonus for most contract devils). Wounds created by a binding contract resemble horrifically deep paper cuts and cause 1d6 points of bleed damage. A contract devil can use its binding contract to disarm and trip foes as if the contract were a whip. If it is itself disarmed of the contract, the devil can rearm itself with a new contract as an immediate action.
Impale (Ex) As a swift action, a contract devil can impale an opponent grappled by its binding contract, dealing 2d8+4 points of piercing damage.
Infernal Contract (Su) As a full-round action, a contract devil can produce an infernal contract for a single living mortal creature. This contract can grant a wide range of abilities and effects, as detailed on the following page. To receive any of these bonuses, however, the mortal must sign its true name to the document of its own free will. Upon doing so, that mortal’s soul is sworn to the contract devil, condemning the soul to an eternity of servitude in Hell rather than whatever fate would naturally befall it upon the mortal’s death. Breaking a contract with a contract devil is difficult and dangerous (see the next page); as long as the infernal contract remains in effect, the victim cannot be restored to life after death save by a miracle or a wish. If a mortal is restored to life in this way, the contract devil immediately senses the development—it not only knows which soul has been restored to life, but also gains the benefits of a discern location spell targeted on the character or creature that restored the damned soul to life.
Infernal Investment (Su) As a subclause of all infernal contracts, a contract devil can use greater scrying at will upon any creature it has a contract with. The target creature always fails its save against the devil’s scrying attempt—this ability otherwise functions at caster level 20th.DescriptionA contract devil, also a called phistophilus, always appears handsome and confident, its chiseled features housing a perpetually smug grin. Contract devils have red skin and black hair and stand near 6-1/2 feet in height, not counting their horns. The thicket of horns around a contract devil’s body increases its height to 7 feet and its weight to 350 pounds.
They exist to keep track of the damned, to manage Hell’s endless ordinances, and, when time and opportunity permit, to coax mortals into damnation. Most phistophiluses spend their eternities in the various courts of Hell’s nine layers, particularly in the maze-like fortress-libraries where all infernal laws and oaths are recorded. Occasionally they serve similar roles on the Material Plane when summoned by particularly desperate, arrogant, or foolish mortals.
When one of the souls damned by a contract devil is restored to life (typically via powerful magic like a wish or miracle), the phistophilus immediately notices the transgression. Usually, the contract devil recruits the aid of more powerful allies to track down and punish such transgressors and to collect the escaped soul as quickly as possible.Infernal ContractsWhile numerous types of infernal contracts exist, the following two are those most often offered to mortals by contract devils.
Evil Wishes: Upon signing this contract, a mortal is granted three wishes, as per the spell. It must use these wishes within 24 hours of signing the contract—if it does not, the wishes are wasted but it remains bound to the contract nevertheless. While the mortal chooses the intention of the wishes, the contract devil decides upon the specifics, allowing for its own diabolical interpretation of the results should the mortal imprecisely phrase a wish.
Infernal Slave: A mortal can negotiate with a contract devil for the lifelong service of a devil. The mortal chooses any type of devil (except for a contract devil) of a CR equal to or less than its own character level at the time of the bargain. Upon signing the contract, the mortal’s infernal slave appears and is bound to do the mortal no harm and follow its orders for as long as it lives. Although the devil must obey its master’s commands, many devils delight in corrupting the intentions of these orders in all manner of cruel or mischievous ways.Breaking an Infernal ContractAn agreement with a contract devil can only be broken in two ways. When a contract is signed, a second copy manifests; one copy is retained by the devil and the other is given to the mortal. Mortals are free to do whatever they please with the lengthy, obviously evil documents, while contract devils typically keep active contracts with them at all times. Should both copies of a contract be destroyed, any effects caused by the contract are canceled or reversed and the mortal’s soul goes to its normal place of rest after death and can be resurrected as normal. Merely absconding with both copies of the contract is not enough to break the contract—as long as both copies exist, the signer’s soul remains forever damned.
Alternatively, a second mortal might be allowed to adopt the terms of a contract—with its soul replacing that of the original contract signer after death. The mortal who seeks to pay the debt of another must contact the contract devil who holds the relevant contract. The contract devil has a choice of whether or not to allow one mortal to pay another’s debt, but values religious and good-aligned souls over others. Shrewd manipulators, contract devils often only agree to allow one mortal to pay another’s debt in return for some service or proof of worth. If a contract devil agrees to accept another soul in payment, the original contract signer retains all of the benefits of the contract, but is released from damnation and may be resurrected as normal. The new signer, however, receives no benefits, cannot be returned to life upon dying, and spends an eternity in Hell after death.Creatures in "Devil" CategorySource Pathfinder RPG Bestiary pg. 72
Masters of corruption and despoilers of purity, devils seek to destroy all things good and drag mortal souls back with them to the depths of Hell.
As the most numerous fiendish occupants of Hell, the various forms of devils are well catalogued by diabolists. Most are known by two names: an evocative title given to the fiends by commoners and folklore, and an obscure, ancient designation spoken by the servants of Hell and those who would seek to deal with the damned.
Born from the foulest of mortal souls—their personalities and memories long since scoured by millennia of torment—would-be devils rise from the masses of suffering souls as lemures, revolting beings of mindless evil potentiality. Only through continued centuries of torture or by the edicts of more powerful devils do these least of devilkind rise to become deadlier fiends, graduating through a pain-wracked metamorphosis dictated by their masters or the infernal whims of Hell's semi-sentient layers. While fiendish lords wield transformation into greater or lesser forms as both prize and punishment, some devils spontaneously rise from particularly evil souls long trapped upon an infernal layer. Thus, although the various diabolical breeds possess recognizable abilities and hold generalized rankings in the great infernal hierarchy, a devil's type alone does not always correspond to a specific tenure of torment or place in the infernal chain of command.
Devils fill the nine layers of Hell, though certain fiends are more common on specific layers than others, their specialized duties or fealty to individual archdevils drawing them to one torturous domain more than others. Although the various types of devils tend to specialize in unique forms of depravity or temptation, the hierarchies of Hell are not without flexibility for uncommon individual talents. Thus, particularly watchful hamatulas might join the ranks of Phlegethon's bone devil inquisitors, while veteran barbazus might serve among the pit fiends of Nessus.
Beyond the pits of Hell, devils often travel to the Material Plane at the summons of evil spellcasters. Quick to bargain and willing to serve mortals to assure their damnation, devils ever obey the letter of their agreements, but serve the whims of Hell foremost. Thus, even the least of devilkind might come to the Material Plane intent on further corrupting souls, cleverly escaping the bonds of their contracts to indulge their own plots, or to further the unspeakable goals of the archdevils of Hell. The Ranks of Devilkind Diabolists speak often of the rankings of Hell, the distinctions made between devils that distinguish the foot soldiers from the commanders of Hell's armies. While such divisions mean little to most mortals—a devil being a deadly foe in any incarnation—the hierarchies and nuances of Hell's society carry distinctions vital to the survival of any who would commune with devils. What distinguishes a breed of devils above or below others is more than a matter of brawn, with several cunning types of fiend holding priority over their fundamentally stronger brethren. While a devil's station does not mean it can instantly command every other devil of inferior standing, it does imply which fiends might serve their brethren or hold influence over others.
Below these are the devil races themselves, from the lordly and malevolent pit fiends all the way down to the lowly, malformed lemure. The Infernal Hierarchy Listed here, from the absolute weakest devils to the lords of Hell, is the most basic hierarchy of the infernal realm's best-known denizens.
Least Devils: imps, lemures
Lesser Devils: bearded devils (barbazus), erinyes, barbed devils (hamatulas), bone devils (osyluths)
Greater Devils: horned devils (cornugons), ice devils (gelugons), pit fiends Devil SubtypeDevils are lawful evil outsiders that hail from the plane of Hell. Devils possess a particular suite of traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry). - Immunity to fire and poison.
- Resistance to acid 10 and cold 10.
- See in Darkness (Su) Some devils can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created by a deeper darkness spell.
- Summon (Sp) Devils share the ability to summon others of their kind, typically another of their type or a small number of less-powerful devils.
- Telepathy.
- Except when otherwise noted, devils speak Celestial, Draconic, and Infernal.
- A devil's natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as lawful and evil for the purpose of resolving damage reduction.
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