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Archives of Nethys

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Items / Infernal Contracts

Sample Contracts

Source Book of the Damned pg. 205
Though the denizens of Hell share many goals, their schemes are far from uniform. The infernal contracts they create vary widely in cost, effect, terms, and methods of escape. The following are contracts common to some of Hell’s bestknown inhabitants. Most reflect the power, influence, and predilections of the devil offering the contract. However, GMs should feel free to use these examples as guidelines for creating their own custom infernal contracts. Complexity, kp, and Research checks are further detailed under Researching Contracts.

The sample infernal contract stat blocks detailed below contain the following sections.

Contract Name: This is the name of the type of contract, potentially used by diabolic scholars and infernal barristers.

CR: This entry lists the challenge rating of the infernal contract. It is usually equal to the CR of the devil that most commonly creates it (as listed in the Devil entry), but in the case of unique contracts created by demigods such as archdevils, infernal dukes, and Queens of the Night, the infernal contract’s CR can vary (but is rarely over CR 20).

XP: This entry lists the experience points gained for reducing the contract to 0 kp.

Devil: This entry lists the type of devil that commonly creates the contract in question.

Creation Time: This entry lists how long it takes for a devil to create a contract and return to a mortal signee (assuming it doesn’t have the infernal contract special ability or the Infernal Legist feat).

Benefit: This is the benefit the contract grants the signee.

Payment: This lists an alternative payment the devil might accept in return for the contract’s benefit in lieu of a soul. Not all devils are open to alternative payments.

Description: This entry is a brief description of the style of the contract’s text.

Complexity: An infernal contract’s complexity is equal to 10 + twice the infernal contract’s CR. The number listed in this entry is the DC of the Linguistics check or other specialized skill checks required to reduce the contract’s kp.

Specialized Skills: This entry lists the skills other than Linguistics that can be used to research the contract. Using one of these specialized skills grants the researcher a +2 circumstance bonus on the check.

kp: This entry lists the contract’s maximum number of knowledge points. This is typically equal to the contract’s CR × 3.

Hidden Condition: This entry lists a hidden condition that the devil has slipped into the contract. If the signee reduces the contract’s kp to the value listed in parentheses in this entry, the hidden condition is revealed.

Termination Clause: This entry lists a flaw in the contract that could allow for an early termination of the contract. If the signee successfully exploits this loophole, she loses the benefit of the contract but regains her soul.

Unique Features: Some powerful devils add specific characteristics to their contracts, such as special magical protections. Such features are listed in this entry.

Pact of Blood-Taking   CR 5

XP 1,500
Devil bearded devil (barbazu)
Creation Time 2d6 months
Benefit Attacks made with melee weapons by the contracted mortal deal persistent wounds that cause 1 point of bleed damage. Bleeding caused by these infernal wounds can be stopped with a successful Heal check, but anyone attempting to magically heal a creature with an infernal wound must attempt a caster level check. Success indicates the healing works normally and stops all bleed effects on the victim. The DC of each of these checks is equal to 10 + the contracted mortal’s Strength modifier.
Payment The signee can no longer regain hit points through natural healing.

Research

Description Infernal contracts created by barbazus are typically inelegant and rife with references to ancient battles, bloodletting, and tactical maneuvers.
Complexity 20
Specialized Skills Knowledge (history), Knowledge (planes), Profession (soldier)
kp 15
Hidden Condition (6 kp) The barbazu becomes the owner of any weapon the contracted mortal finds. Once per year, the barbazu can appear and take the contracted mortal’s best weapon. The mortal must comply as though affected by dominate monster (no save; this effect bypasses normal immunities to mind-controlling effects).
Termination Clause (0 kp) The contract seems to assure that the barbazu will not kill the contracted mortal, but vague phrasing opens the door for a broader interpretation. If the contracted mortal is killed by any barbazu or by bleed damage, the contract is terminated.

Shadow Coin Bargain   CR 11

XP 12,800
Devil barbed devil (hamatula)
Creation Time 1d6 months
Benefit The contracted mortal gains the ability to speak with shadows (as per the spell stone tell, but with any shadow cast by a living creature) once per day. Additionally, he gains the see in darkness ability common to devilkind.
Payment Once per week, the contracted mortal must kill a sentient creature with a piercing weapon and leave a platinum coin in the victim’s mouth. If the mortal neglects to do this, his soul is damned to Hell upon his death.

Research

Description Infernal contracts created by hamatulas typically contain references to accounting principles, mathematics, and slow deaths.
Complexity 32
Specialized Skills Appraise, Knowledge (planes), Profession (clerk)

kp 33
Hidden Condition (12 kp) Once per month, the hamatula can appear before the contracted mortal and collect a debt in gold equal to 100 gp × the mortal’s Hit Dice. If the devil does not collect, the debt carries over to the next month, and the next month, and so on—likely without the mortal’s knowledge. The hamatula can erase the debt by taking one or more of the mortal’s appendages, digits, or similar bodily features, resulting in 2d6 points of ability drain to an ability score of the devil’s choice.
Termination Clause (0 kp) The contract is not for a mortal soul, but calls literally for “a priceless item with the contracted mortal’s name and blood.” If the mortal finds a priceless item, bleeds over it (taking an amount of damage equal to half his maximum hit points), gives it his name, and then destroys it in a fire, the contract ends.

Vow of Heartrime  CR 13

XP 25,600
Devil ice devil (gelugon)
Creation Time 1d8 days
Benefit The contracted mortal stops showing signs of aging and gains immunity to cold damage. Additionally, she can survive indefinitely on 1 gallon of water per day, as long as it is frozen—this replaces her need to eat and drink.
Payment As a sacrifice of warmth, the area within 5 feet of the contracted mortal is always 10 degrees colder than the surrounding area. The mortal’s body is unpleasantly cold to the touch. Any liquid in the mortal’s possession, no matter how well insulated, freezes in 1 minute. This includes potions and other liquid gear; consuming a frozen potion takes 1 minute of uninterrupted work.

Research

Description Infernal contracts created by a gelugon are exceedingly complex, referencing cunning extraplanar generals, natural violence, and obscure predators.
Complexity 36
Specialized Skills Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (nobility), Knowledge (planes)
kp 39
Hidden Condition (25 kp) One year after the contract is signed, the ice devil can collect the mortal signee’s heart. The mortal survives this painful extraction, but from then on she is healed by negative energy and harmed by positive energy as if she were an undead creature. The ice devil keeps the heart safe (within its own chest, some say). Not having a heart neither aids nor hinders the mortal, but if the infernal contract is terminated while the mortal’s heart is missing, the mortal dies instantly.
Termination Clause (0 kp) A beautifully written but deliberately obtuse clause likens the contracted mortal’s existence to living, melting snow. The mortal can take advantage of this by arranging for the creation of a simulacrum. During the casting of the simulacrum spell, the contracted mortal must wound herself and bleed over the simulacrum until she falls unconscious. The mortal takes 1d4 points of Constitution drain and falls unconscious for 2d6 hours, during which time the simulacrum must be destroyed with fire. However, the simulacrum refuses to obey its creator and attempts to escape. If the simulacrum is destroyed before the contracted mortal awakes, the contract is considered to be fulfilled.

Unique Features

This contract can be destroyed only by sacred fire, such as that created by the spell from a good caster.

Curse of the Ever-Soul   CR 20

XP 307,200
Devil pit fiend
Creation Time 1 hour
Benefit The contracted mortal gains 1,000 years of life, can speak and understand any language, and permanently gains the effects of speak with animals.
Payment The signee must deliver 100 sentient mortal lives, sacrificed in rituals to Asmodeus or a demigod residing in Hell. These souls need not be paid before the contract is signed, but must be paid within 1 year of the signing; otherwise, the payment becomes the signee’s mortal soul.

Research

Description Infernal contracts created by pit fiends are among the most elaborate in existence, referencing deities, souls, and half-comprehensible cosmic truths.
Complexity 50
Specialized Skills Knowledge (planes), Knowledge (religion)
kp 60
Hidden Condition (20 kp) Once per year, the pit fiend can instantly transport the signing mortal to its side across any distance, even across planar boundaries, as if conjuring the mortal via a gate spell. The pit fiend can command the mortal to perform one service for it, which the mortal cannot deny and must attempt to complete to the best of her abilities (regardless of any immunities). After 24 hours or upon the completion of the task, the mortal returns to wherever she was teleported from.
Termination Clause (0 kp) The contract is exacting in defining the signee’s nature and home world. If the mortal were to place her soul into the body of another humanoid not native to her world, the terms of the contract would remain effective over her body, not her soul. Any soul within the mortal’s original body is damned upon that body’s death. The mortal could potentially reclaim her body after a soul within it is taken in this manner. Of course, tricking another’s soul into damnation in this way is an evil act.