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Negotiating Contracts

Source Book of the Damned pg. 203
Not every devil is interested in entering into a contract. Most devils focus their energies on fulfilling orders from diabolical superiors, and others simply prefer not to waste time negotiating with mortals. If a remarkable mortal presents herself, though, a devil might be convinced to enter into a bargain.

At its most basic level, an infernal contract is a simple trade. The devil provides whatever the mortal requests (within the devil’s power) and in exchange receives the signee’s immortal soul, to be delivered to the devil at the moment of the mortal’s death.

Some devils, such as pit fiends, can grant wishes, effectively giving a mortal almost anything she desires. In the case of such powerful devils, the terms of a contract should be agreed upon between a player and the GM.

Less potent devils don’t have the power to grant wishes, but they can certainly still create more specific sorts of infernal contracts, such as the ones detailed at the end of this article. In all of these cases, the price is the same—the mortal signee’s soul, which is damned to Hell upon the mortal’s death.

At the GM’s discretion, a devil might accept some payment other than the signee’s soul. In any situation, what the devil gains should be significant and unique, such as a one-of-a-kind object or even an artifact. Alternatively, it might require the mortal to commit an act that’s certain to damn her soul, such as destroying a good or chaotic artifact, murdering 1,000 innocents, or turning traitor against family, nation, race, or religion.

Devils generally don’t enter into infernal contracts with evil creatures, as such creatures’ souls are already bound for evil-aligned planes. In any case, regardless of a mortal’s intentions or any potentially positive results, entering into an infernal contract is always a lawful and evil act.

Archives of Nethys

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Negotiating Contracts