Cantrips Ain't Easy + Demon Summoning for Dummies

I've already talked about this concept before, both in the Magic Cards post, which was more based on a way to put magical one-time use spells into a fantasy world, and then in the Freeform Curse generator, which was a bit more folkloric and a way to make a fantasy world feel a bit more "mythological" in its moral landscape. A lot of people include within their fantasy settings the concept of magic being more common- including to the point of most (if not everyone) learning a few basic magic spells (cantrips) in order to help with daily life. The reasoning behind this being that if low level magicians can cast weak magic with relatively little investment; then it makes sense most people would want to learn at least some magic given the extreme utility of some of the weaker spells- even spells like Prestidigitation or Light would have a profound impact on any society, especially one stuck in a anachronistic medieval morass of development.

However, both of these posts above illustrate something I think is interesting; a typical inversion of the fantasy trope of magic being weak for beginners, and strong for experts. Of course, it makes logical sense that magic should operate this way; a master wizard can throw fireballs, while an apprentice can only conjure a candle flame. This is obvious even, a common trope. But it doesn't necessarily have to be the case; and even if it exists for some forms of magic, it doesn't have to be that way for all of them.

Remember; magic doesn't necessarily follow real world skills, nor do all skills directly follow this correlation of low skill = small & simple and big skill = big & complicated. While it makes sense that an amateur carpenter can build a birdhouse but not a human-sized house; I wouldn't trust an amateur surgeon to make a small and delicate incision as opposed to say, amputating a limb. I think the closest analogy to magic when it comes to mundane skills would be demolitions and pyrotechnics. Any idiot can blow the shit out of something, since they just pile on the TNT- but only a master can say launch a human out of a cannon. After all, too little and they won't fly, too much and they'll explode. Controlling arcane power could very well be the same.

This also goes hand in hand with the concept of amateur magic, magic backlash, or unintentional side effects of magic creating various monsters, curses, or negative magic effects in a setting. When old farmer willow asks you to bring his dead crops back and you say the words, you're also going to bring back the skeletons of ancient warriors buried deep beneath the farm as well. They can hear the words under the soil just as well as the dead plants can. The same applies to lighting a candle instead of blowing up half the inn- the portal you open to the elemental plane of fire isn't so easy to shrink to the exact right size- as such, a "cantrip" or minor trick of magic is actually much more difficult to learn and master then a big and powerful spell. Most magic users spend decades of their life perfecting this fine art of control. Amateur wizards blow themselves up all the time, because they don't have this level of control. Cantrips are the sign of a powerful magician; not an amateur.

But moving away from just "magic" in the arcane sense, the stuff that wizard's use, let's focus more on the folkloric style of magic. The above really gave me an idea for magic being a serious problem; not because it's hard, but because it's way too easy for someone to fuck everything up. Like for example- anyone can summon a demon. Naturally, demons like it this way. If it was too difficult or required some high-end rituals and powers to do so; it would be too rare an occurrence. Oh no, demons make it very easy to call them, and for this reason, people often oblige.

"Ritual" magic in most TTRPGs tends to be a high end thing, often reserved for the Wizard or magic using class, due to being good set dressing to powerful and unique magic effects. However, the entire concept of a "ritual" is to be a set of steps and procedures that can be followed time and time again. This is the exact type of magic that is most likely to be spread far and wide, in shadowy alehouse corners and campfire conversations.
"If you sacrifice a living thing- like a chicken or a goat- and invoke the powers of darkness, you can make a demon come to you. They will serve your command or grant you a wish."
"Aren't demons dangerous?"
"Yeah- that's why you draw a circle of chalk at your feet. That means they can't hurt you- at least until you leave the circle..."

Demon Summoning for Dummies
In order to summon a demon, you need only know the steps. Different cultures and races may have their own steps or their very own demons they deal with- but for humans, this is the most common one.

Note: These steps are listed in this way so they can easily be disrupted. If a dark presence has formed- casting a Light spell can banish it and disrupt the ritual, so can coming in loudly and screaming into battle, or obviously saving the sacrifice before it or they are killed, etc.

1. It must be at night, or in a very dark place. Candles are used during rituals so as to not produce too much light.
   
2. A living thing is sacrificed and its blood is run over the ground or on an altar.
3. While the animal or person is bleeding out- the one who killed them must speak aloud and speak the name of a spirit to call them. For the sake of demons, simply saying "I call upon the darkness" is enough to call a random demon.
   
4. Everyone must be then be quiet and wait for a dark presence to form and speak.
   

Once these steps have been completed, a dark presence will appear. This presence will typically be a mass of shadows in the corner, or appear in a mirror or reflective pool of water. The presence is the spiritual form of the demon, which has not yet manifest fully into the living world. However, it can communicate and speak- its voice often carried by the rustle of wind in the trees or a groaning beneath the earth. Typically, the demon will ask what is willed of it- and several things can happen.

If the demon is significantly stronger then the individuals summoning it and it is being bid to do something very difficult, impossible, or against its nature- it will manifest and attack. Use HD or level of the caster x2 vs the demon's HD. If the demon's is still twice as high, it's just going to kill them for the arrogance for disturbing it. If the summoner is standing in a chalk or salt circle, the demon cannot attack them, but will still destroy or attack anyone else nearby out of spite.

If the demon is significantly stronger then the individuals summoning it, and is being bid to do something evil, malicious, or well within its purview of interest- then it will oblige the request. Demons are tricky, and prefer to leave the world a much worse place then they found it. Whatever request was given to them will be twisted and exaggerated to cause as much chaos and misery as possible. Often, demons will make the situation worse in an attempt to get the individuals to call them back again to continue the cycle.

If the demon is roughly equivalent then the individuals trying to summon it- it will listen to the request fairly and fulfill it or decline if it is too difficult. The demon is unlikely to want to get on the summoners bad side, but will absolutely still take advantage of any weakness or opportunity it can sense. This is still the most "fair" demonic interaction.

If the demon is significantly weaker then the individuals summoning it, and is being bid to do something very difficult, impossible, or against its nature- the demon will lie and make excuses, demanding more sacrifices or proclaiming itself to be the lord of hell itself, insulting the summoners and threatening them with their destruction, etc. The demon will lash out via curses or possessing nearby objects to fly, control nearby animals to attack, and so on.

If the demon is significantly weaker then the individuals summoning it, and is being bid to do something evil, malicious, or well within its purview of interest- the demon will be forced to manifest and become the servant & familiar of the person who summoned it. It is still not likely enough to be powerful enough to fulfill the request on its own and will assist the summoner as the "devil on their shoulder".

While the "strength" of the summoners could be literally based on the HD or level of the characters, there's also a greater component of spiritual strength. For example, an anointed priest could call upon a more powerful demon then a layman and have more guaranteed protection given their status. Human nobles with no special skills or powers are also likely considering "greater" then an average outlaw to the demonic forces due to their position in society- but this could just as easily be flipped on its head for calling upon spiritual forces like jaguar demons from the depths of the jungle hells- an entity like that would consider a fellow hunter or outdoorsman a far more equal to itself then a city slicker regardless of their wealth or social connections. Following these mechanics; a Cleric or Paladin should count as a level or two higher when compared to the HD of the demon. In addition, if your game has skills, then every rank or two of Arcana or Demonology should also count as a bonus +1 to your HD when summoning a devil. Your character may be a withered old man but if he has memorized the names and guises of a hundred dark ones you can bet he can command some sick ass demons.

Once a demon has "manifested", it has the appearance and powers of its statblock. Typically demons can do things like travel long distances quickly, transform, turn invisible, cast spells and curses, etc. It will use its abilities to fulfill requests as well as attack any foolish summoners who anger it.

It should also be noted that these mechanics, while known to you, are not necessarily known to the people of the setting. Only the ritual steps, and even those may be incomplete or rife with misinformation. As such, demonolgists and sorcerers can summon demons much more reliably and safely by calling upon demons who fit what they need for a given curse or summoning and that they can control. It's also pretty much designed to cause as much chaos as possible for weaker beings who use this ritual; which is the point. The more desperate and lowly something is, the more demonic forces can take advantage of it for their own ends. This also leads directly to fun story moments; bandits accidentally summoning an demonic prince of hell and getting gutted, or a powerful necromancer now having an annoying imp following them because they wanted to "gain more knowledge" and the idiotic thing just keeps stealing books for him and piling them on his bedsheets every night.

You might also ask, "why the hell would anyone summon a demon in the first place?!" and that's a good question. There are actually a lot of reasons why. I dislike settings or cosmologies that have "deals with the devil" being a literal component of the world or setting- not only is it incredibly cliche at this point, but it doesn't make logical sense. Selling you soul to the devil is not always literal thing, it's a metaphor meaning doing evil or violating your own moral compass to accomplish something or take advantage of someone. Demons don't need you to hand over your soul to get one over on you, just summoning one and sacrificing a living thing and also fulfilling whatever crass or selfish desire or petty plan for revenge is enough to damn you anyway.

There are also a lot of situations where one would be desperate enough to summon a demon. Here's twenty examples.

Desperate Demonology Table - Roll 1d20
[1] Group of bandits are held up in a fort. They're under siege by the local lord's forces and are running out of food. They take the last scrawny chicken from the courtyard's coop and perform a ritual to try and negotiate a way out of here.

[2] An older prostitute in a city has lost much of her beauty over the last few years- and will soon not be able to attract enough clients to make her living. Instead of become destitute, she nabs an orphan off the street and is getting ready to sacrifice him in exchange for returning her youth.

[3] Someone in your family is going blind. The local healers cannot help, and the evil-racist church refuses due to their status as a mixed breed person. You decide to spite the church since they won't help you anyway- and slit the throat of a goat to see if darker forces can heal the ailment.

[4] Group of musicians performing at a local fair were stopped by a young and arrogant nobleman's son. He ordered all their instruments broken and laughed at them. Because of their status as lowly travellers, and the young son being out of reach for the law- the musicians circled their wagons and are now performing a ritual to get revenge on the arrogant noble.

[5] Pirates stuck at sea within a dead zone- no wind or currents. Totally unable to move for multiple days, they will surely die unless they do something. They pick the youngest cabin boy and move to have him drowned in the ocean at midnight to call upon the devils of the deep to let their ship sail again.

[6] Proactive village elders, disillusioned by their years or peace and prosperity under the local nature spirits who have protected them, are concerned about recent pillaging and bandit attacks. In order to protect their village; they perform a sacrifice of a pig to their local shrine- not realizing they've called something else this time; pretending to be the deity they've relied on for so long.

[7] Lazy, ignorant farmer's back is acting up again. He's not gonna take it this year. Takes his old horse out back with a knife and wants to sacrifice a demon of sloth to harvest and mill his grain for him.

[8] Kids at an orphanage have an extremely cruel and strict mistress who they can't stand anymore. They find an alleycat and decide to sacrifice it to call upon a demon to rid themselves of their mistress once and for all. Bonus points if the party stumbles onto the ritual and the kids falsely assume they are the demon sent to take care of the problem before the real demon shows up. Yes this is literally just copying the Skyrim quest, I still think it's pretty good.

[9] Blacksmith's son ran away from home, went missing, presumed dead and eaten by something in the mountain. The blacksmith is a patient and faithful man; but can't stand the loss anymore and decides to sacrifice an animal and call a demon to find or bring their son back. The blacksmith is aiming for a very powerful demon to accomplish this goal, and (correctly) believes he can control it by twisting its nose with his tongs. But he also (incorrectly) assumes the demon can actually bring his son back, and not just a revived soulless husk.

[10] Clever merchant has his grip on every local townshed and tradesman, gaining half his money through bonds and loans he's given without lifting a finger himself. Excessively greedy- the merchant buys a slave girl to sacrifice to summon a demon. Not for a favor, but to get some insider tips from his own kind.

[11] The local priest is preparing a sacrifice of an all white lamb to summon a powerful demon. The reason? To beat the shit out of him and get back the souls of some of his flock, who recently died in a plague, before they could be well enough to give their final confessions and cleanse themselves of sin.

[12] Insane wildwoman kills people in the woods and whispers dark names she learned as a child when she fell into a cave for three whole days and went insane and nearly died. The catch is every demon she summons is instead set loose- she doesn't ask any favors of them, merely creates them and moves on- reveling in spreading out the great darkness she once knew. 

[13] Dumbass wizard apprentice at wizard collage wants to summon a demon to punish fellow classmates for insulting and bullying him. The demons are very resentful as he doesn't allow them to kill his classmates- merely pranks and humiliates them before dispelling the demons before they can have any real fun. With his knowledge he can summon up to three demons before he conjures up something WAY too big for him to handle.

[14] The Storm King can create tornadoes and zephyrs at his will; such is his brightright of the divine desert royal bloodline. But in recent years, this gift has been fading in each successor to the throne until him, barely able to conjure a dust devil. Fearing his future son will not have this power at all and will become dethroned as a result; the king orders a dozen palace servants sacrificed in a bloody ritual to call upon all the hells for a worthy mate. The succubus he summons up will be the mother of the antichrist.

[15] Scholar, obsessed with completing his works on ancient history, wants to call up spirits of the dead to get first hand accounts of his lore. Sadly, demons catch wind of his bloodletting divination tricks and whisper to him in his sleep to sacrifice a life, his old messenger owl, so they have a gateway into our world.

[16] Cruel and paranoid warlord who managed to conquer four cities now obsessed with his three lieutenants, each in charge of another city, who may betray him at any moment and try to unite to rise up against him. He kills a captive soldier and summons a demon to spy on them and rely information; but with each day his paranoia only grows as the demons feed him lie after lie.

[17] Beggars in the city grate are usually content with their lot; but one night when the snow and rain got too much for them, they decided to take shelter in a storm drain. Their, they found dark writings on the wall and, putting their heads together to make out what they mean, they could only piece together the steps of a ritual to "grant happiness", but not actually what that means. They've tied the tails of seven rats together, and will crush them all with a great mallet tonight- summoning something far worse.

[18] Constantly ill and bedridden young lady, obsessed with romance novels and living in her own fantasy world. Needing a friend more then ever, she kills one of her songbirds and drizzles a ritual circle on her bedside table- hoping to get a "friendly" imp familiar as a companion.

[19] Temple priestess of the heathen "foreigner" religion is an expert at summoning up devils and creatures from other worlds from her many daily sacrifices and captives from slaver parties. However, one week from now is the equinox where she will have her heart removed to please the God of the sun and return the light back to the world. Until then, she is trying hard to secretly gain power over the many devils and demons the temple summons to fight her way out.

[20] Horrible, wealthy old man desires a young and beautiful bride- but she continually refuses his advances. One night, he pays local thugs to capture her and bring her back to his mansion- but not for what you think. He's going to kill her, summon a demon with her sacrifice, and demand the demon drag her soul straight to hell for slighting him.

Big Scary-Ass Demon Generator

All Big Scary-Ass Demons begin with;

• 9 HD
• AC of 17
• Cannot be Hit except by Magic weapons
• Bonus to Initiative
  
• Morale of 18
• +6 to Hit
  
• Two Attacks w/ Two Weapons
• If the Demon is ever disarmed; can just throw hellfire bolts as a blast from open hand(s). Deals 1d8 magic fire damage at range. Add spell damage bonus to this.
  
• Immunity to Fire
• Magic Resistance at 25%
• One Damned Soul who they are assigned to torment. The damned soul is carried by the Demon at all times, as it is a source of both constant amusement and a source of its sorcerous power. The damned soul can be invoked once every three rounds.
• Aura of Malevolence - PCs or Hirelings of levels 1 to 3, or any other living thing with HD of 3 or less, cannot stand in the presence of this being. They automatically fail morale checks and, if they can't flee, collapse catatonic from its presence.
• Casts Spells
  
• Alignment of True Evil
  

Damned Soul Invocation Rules
The Damned Soul is the demon's puppet and plaything. It is trapped in whatever the demon has trapped it inside and is helpless to stop it from extracting whatever it wants. Whenever the soul is invoked, the demon can choose any of the following effects. If unsure, just roll 1d4 to see what it does.

1. Lashes the soul with unbearable pain. It lets out an unholy gnashing scream; causing a morale check in Hirelings and Retainers.
2. Questions the soul for anything it knew in life. The demon can find out anything it wants and as much information as it wants; it can learn your language even though its been underground for ten eons by sucking it from this soul so it can taunt you.
   
3. Projects the soul into a temporary, partially-real body. The soul is under the total control of the demon, but may try to hint that it is helping it. This can be used for spying, or created at a distance to do something like pull a lever or stab someone in the back.
4. Drains the soul of its energy and feeds on hope. The demon is healed by 3d6 Hit Points.

Demon's Favorite Sin - Roll d8
[1] Lust (Has a second Damned Soul) The husband and mistress, or whore and customer.
[2] Sloth (Goes last in Initiative, Knows +2 spells) Ponders a lot, thinks little.
[3] Heresy (+25% Magic Resistance, Turn Undead / Rebuke used against it acts as though it was 2 HD higher) Its body is adorned in blasphemous brands and tattoos. Extra vulgar in speech.
[4] Envy (Can copy a Player's Roll the round after) This is a bit of a pathetic trait for something so powerful, and yet it cannot help but want what it doesn't have.
[5] Wrath (Gains one extra Attack each round, can use either Weapon) Loves a good fight. Doesn't necessarily want a fair fight.
[6] Gluttony (+1 HD, farts rancid gas in adjacent space once per combat. Deals 1d6 toxic gas damage and inflicts a random disease if you breathe it) Corpulent, bloated, horrible.
[7] Greed (Encumbers everyone in party) Magically grows and makes heavier all gold, gems, and other treasures the party may be carrying. Double encumbrance or apply Encumbrance penalty.
[8] Pride (Aura of Malevolence is boosted to 5th level or 5 HD) It is framed in a dull infernal light. The root of all sins, and perhaps the worst one of all.

Demon's Horrible Visage - Roll d10
[1] Smooth (+1 AC) Faceless, its face is just a smooth spot, or coated in spikes and horns.
[2] Snout (+1 To-Hit) Snorts like a pig.
[3] Goat (+1 HD, +25% Magic Resistance) Sometimes you just gotta go with the classics.
[4] Golden Mask (Deals +2 damage with spells) Touch of the arcane, emotionless.
[5] Cyclops (Resistance to Lightning) Unblinking and uncaring.
[6] Ghoulish (Invokes Damned Soul every other round instead, Alignment to Chaotic Evil) Even more inhumanely cruel then you might expect.
[7] Handsome Red Man (Commands 3d6 Imps, Alignment to Lawful Evil) The stereotypical demon face, meant to be more "approachable" and "charming".
[8] Pitch Black (Casts Darkness / Extinguishes Torch) Skin is dark with few features, dark black fur covers it, blood red lips, glowing eyes burn.
[9] Maw (Gains Swallow attack. Requires free hand or to be in flight. Save or be swallowed by the demon, taking 1d6+ Demon's HD in damage per round) Toothy beak.
[10] Lion (Deals +2 damage with attacks) Proud, wrathful, lustful. The lion has many elements that contribute to the demon's mystique.

Demon's Twisted Body Feature - Roll d8
[1] Wings (Flight) Creates the smell of stagnant air.
[2] Snake Penis (Bites for 1d6; save or die poison) No, really.
[3] Spiked Tail (Tail attack, deals 2d4 damage on hit) Armored with chitin, tipped with hate.
[4] Spines (+1 AC) It's body is like a porcupine- from Hell.
[5] Sigil (+1 To-Hit, +50% Speed) Its skin is branded with glowing demonic marks. Empowered.
[6] Body Mouth (+1 HD, +1 damage with attacks) Has a huge mouth on it stomach. No stats for this; but if you're dumb enough to climb inside it'll bite for like 2d10 or something.
[7] Fabrics (Add +2 damage to spells, its Hellfire Bolts also roll 1d10) Long colorful streams of fabric; they are tied to rings hanging on hooks in the devil's skin.
[8] White (Immunity changed to Cold) Devil from the deeper levels of hell. Its entire body is changed to be white or light blue for its icy home.

Demonic Arsenal - Roll d10 Twice
This demon has two weapons, one in each hand, and gets a separate attack for each every round. All of the weapons here count as magic.
[1] Black Chain (Deals 2d4, Save or destroys all non-Magic equipment) Rusted manacle.
[2] Cleaver (Deals 1d20) Huge butcher's knife for chopping MEAT.
[3] Brimstone Flail (Deals 2d8, Stunned for one round when hit- no save) Burning stone.
[4] Pitchfork (Deals 2d10, reach) The polearm of hell.
[5] Hellish Maraca (Deals 2d4 OR can be shaken to call 2d6 Imps OR change the local weather) The devil maraca rattles with the bones of the damned; noise it makes sounds like screams.
[6] Torture Hook (Deals 2d6+2, can be used to Invoke Damned Soul) Can stuff into the Soul's prison in order to extract even more from it, but requires an action.
[7] Iron Hammer (Deals 2d8, Can groundslam- save or be knocked prone) Huge hammer used to free the demons. Slams the ground to cause it to shake; save or fall down- takes a round to stand.
[8] Flaming Whip (Deals 2d6, can Entangle requires save to escape) Whip made of fire and ended like a snake's tongue. Can wrap around legs with a sear or scorch wooden poles it entangles.
[9] Occult Staff (Deals 2d8, Add +2 damage to spells) Long staff of black metal, headed by a very phallic looking carving.
[10] Tooth Sword (Deals 2d10+2, double damage on attack roll of 20) Appears almost like a living thing; a fleshy sword with teeth and a single unblinking red eye. It hungers for your flesh and blood, and is one of the "living swords" which make up the devil's most powerful weapons.

What is the Damned Soul Trapped in/on? - Roll d8
[1] Birdcage, tied around the demon's waist.
[2] Lantern, which gives off the dark glow of hellfire.
[3] Swallowed by a large, toothless snake- up to the neck. Squirms helplessly.
[4] Transformed into a baby, with an adult's head. Squirms impotently.
[5] Crucified. Flops around like an ornament.
[6] Tiny mummified full-body "shrunken head" effect. Arms stitched to side, legs motionless.
[7] Transformed into a book. You can't tell its a person, except for the cover of stretched skin.
[8] Trapped within an unbreakable glass prism. Force on the outside of it sheds different colored light inside, which torments the spirit in different ways.

Reward for Evil

When it comes to fantasy cosmologies, there is often a problem when it comes to characters who are evil. What is the reward for being evil?

In many settings, there are evil gods. But this contrasts, or is downright contradictory, to a traditional religious afterlife system of heaven and hell, or multiple heavens and hells. Especially in fantasy worlds where the afterlife is a proven, absolute "thing" that everybody knows about- why would ANYONE be evil or serve the dark gods if they will just end up in hell?

Sometimes, the dark gods will offer a worshiper a good or decent afterlife. This makes their evil moreso a service to the dark god in life to earn a reward after death- but this lacks the feeling that good people are rewarded and bad people are punished. The cosmology will be messy. Many people enjoy the thought of karmic justice in the universe, even if it doesn't exist. Fantasy worlds, which are often at least partially a form of escapism, can serve to fulfill this fantasy.

Second; reincarnation. The concept of being reborn into a higher or lower life form based on your deeds and virtue in life is simple, and positive. However, it comes with another problem; the individual is being punished for their actions in the next life, not the one they lived. They have no memories of their previous incarnation, and can almost be called a different person. It may even seem cruel.

Then; you have a combination of reincarnation and hell; where people are reborn into hell to suffer to clear their karmas or sin. This is a concept found in Jainist beliefs. Now, don't take me as criticizing a real world religion on this, but it follows the above problem, plus it doesn't truly explain the origins of devils. If Gods, animals, people, and so on are all souls of the same beings all the way down; why not have people turn into devils instead?

I've also seen the D&D explanation that people are actually reborn into devils, sometimes starting as a tiny soul-worm which has to work its way up the ranks to become a powerful demo, which I kind of like. Of course, this raises the first point of "how is this a punishment?". How is getting to become a powerful, immortal, magical demon creature in any way a punishment? You were evil in life, and then you become a creature that can do even more evil, but is driven towards it even more. The politics of devils may be very cutthroat or dystopian, but it seems to just encourage evil behavior then punish it.

So let's take this out a bit to its logical conclusion. There's no reason this can't work- in fact, I'd say it's the best solution to the issue.

Physical Reincarnation

When you die, you will be reborn into a new body. It will not be a mortal body; and you will remember everything about your past life. You are changing states, but are the same person. Death is still irrevocable- unless your spirit is powerful enough to carry on as a ghost or be resurrected. Some spirits and bodies can linger for hundreds, if not thousands of years before "passing on". In the grand scheme of time, these are merely intermediary stages.

People of a higher spiritual order will be revived as Devas, the higher forms of angelic superbeings. These are not the same as Gods, who are the powerful creators or preservers of the world. They are contrasted by the Dark Gods, Elder Gods, or perhaps Satans if you like this contrast. Devas are immortal, ageless spirits who attempt to guide the world and the beings in it towards higher levels of happiness and spiritual wholeness, as well as battle against the forces of darkness. Usually indirectly- such as in the form of all white animals. Devils are much more likely to appear in their full force- but that goes beyond the scope of this post.

People of a lower spiritual order will instead be revived as Devils. The demons, who live in the hell worlds. Contrary to what people believe, there are no mortal souls in hell- baring very few exceptions, like people who go exploring there, everything down here reincarnated as a devil. Also contrary to belief, no power can force a soul to come there either without its own choice or karmic imbalance. Innocents sacrificed do not have their souls sent to hell, devils simply enjoy seeing the torment of the beings on in the living world.

Devils are mismatched creatures, built of many conflicting, chaotic animal parts. They are powerful, and can become more powerful then mortals simply be being evil. Many devils built their entire mortal lives around being as evil as possible; to become the most powerful demon they can be. Many are even further seduced down this path because the least offensive demons remain as tiny imps and servants in the demon realms- what humiliation to be trapped as that!

Of course, they don't know any better.

Demons can ascend an infernal hierarchy through their deeds and karmas. Tricking mortals into sinning is the best, and some even attempt to claim ownership for the first few thousand years of the new demons "life" as their servant if they were the ones that offset their karma. Causing wanton destruction, confusion, and suffering are all good too- increasing the demon's strength and influence. 

Happiness

Of course, these demons constantly seeking more power and influence don't understand- none of this is making them any happier.

Even the most miserable humans can have a few moments of respite. The short-term satisfaction of indulging, an act of kindness given or received, or a sense of peace in a natural place. These pleasures, and several others, will happen from time to time to even the most evil of humans. But once you become a demon? That all changes.

You see, power doesn't make people happy. Neither does riches, nor fame. Peoples sense of what they want doesn't change once they become devils- none of them like the place where they are. That's why they try so hard to be summoned or open portals into the mortal world; hell is not so much a prison but a reflection of what they've become. Dead, barren lands filled with crumbling ruins to hollow ego, lakes of fire and bile, mass darkness and howling void. Demons would much rather live around clean lakes and fields of green grass, they don't understand that their domineering, arrogant ways are what causes this place to look like this.

Demons still have vices; satisfaction of vices is a very physical trait, to quench thirst or desire for sex are based on biological processes. Demons don't have these, but they still mentally desire these things. This means these acts can't actually satisfy them, because it is greedy, lust, or gluttony that inspires them forward. It is not a reward mechanism for a living thing to survive and reproduce, who merely exists as something they want more and more of, eternally needier the more they can satisfy it.

Many demons will try to become more and more powerful, not understanding what it means. The more powerful demons have the most enemies, the most to lose, and hunger for more and more. The weakest demons, the imps and little spirits of evil, can sometimes be spared a lashing whip from a superior, or to have their immortal body rendered apart by a rival. This isn't true kindness, just being passed over by being so insignificant. Even this tiny bit of peace is still something that makes the lesser demons ever so slightly better off then a greater one.

Humans, arrogant and blind, will disregard the spiritual matters of wisdom, kindness, and peace to focus on their own power and status do not know what lies at the end of that road. Everyone knows that forgiveness, freely given from the injuried, is a far greater force of justice then punishment; demons do not understand this, nor do they want it- that's why every slight against them is met with horrendous torture. Everyone knows that the more riches one gives, the more they truly have in the spirit- they have no attachment, and thus, don't need it. Demons don't understand this, which is why their mountain  of pillaged treasure feels worthless as dirt. Humans who try to build their afterlife towards evil are setting themselves up for failure, and they don't know it. The most egotistical, greedy, hungry men will become devils, and then these devils can climb the ranks to become greater demons, until eventually they can sit on the throne as the archviles.

At the peak of devil society are the most powerful demons, with masses of slaves, dark magic, riches plundered from the earth and below. And these devils live every day of their eternal life in spite towards everyone and everything else. Their own servants cannot be trusted, they are locked in eternal struggle with their rivals, their power and strength grants no joy beyond means to an end. Each and every one seeks ways to gain dominion over hell, and then the earth, not understanding that if they did, they would just be the most miserable person on it.

Cup Full of Demons

Cup Full of Demons - Magic Cup
Stats- It's a cup.

This is a magic cup full of demons. It smells faintly of brimstone. Any liquid put inside spoils; including water. If you leave the cup on a table and walk away or try to see inside the shadows of the cup, you will sometimes see little demons peaking out, but otherwise the cup appears empty.

Drinking directly from the cup when it appears empty and shaking it will cause you to "drink" down demons. The little bastards cry with glee when you do this, because it is precisely what they want. You gain 1d6x100 experience points each time you drink, but are possessed by the demon in question for an equal number of hours to your roll on the d6 above. Demons typically try to do things related to their sins, or will lie and cheat to decieve party members and pretend to still be you, to get others to drink from the cup. Also, each time you drink from the cup, your soul is stained and will be judged more harshly for the next life; as though imbibing the very essence of evil.

Secondly, the cup can be used as a magic focus in dark magic rituals, granting +1 to caster level if swished around and unleashing infernal power.

Finally; the cup is full of demons. If you turn it over and shake it, it will release tiny demons into the world, each with 1 hit point and dealing a maximum of 1 damage. These demons are not loyal to the cup's owner but are generally agreeable to those of evil alignment. You can keep shaking the cup as much as you want to create a hoard of these guys, but since they are eaten by rats and spiders it's unlikely you'll hasten the apocalypse very much by doing this.

Heaven's Riders

Catholic priests tirelessly feeding the poor and downtrodden. Police officers and soldiers fallen in the line of duty. Chivalric knights fighting for justice. Dogs jumping into burning buildings to save their masters. What do all these people have in common? They are considered heroes. And most also consider they have a one way ticket to heaven.

But people often criticize theology. The concept that a heaven and a hell can exist at the same time is a bit paradoxical. How could you be truly happy in heaven while there are souls suffering in hell, especially for people as righteous as these?

Ask any preacher or pastor. What happens to unbaptized children? They'll swear up and down that they go to heaven, even if they haven't accepted Jesus. Or even been a good person- they're babies after all! But that's not how it actually works. Why do you think evil satanists sacrifice children and virgins to the devil? Because it sends them straight to hell, even people who have committed no sin. What about Catholics who die just before confession- do they go to hell too, just for bad timing? What about Atheists, swayed by scientific reasoning but were otherwise good people- do they go to hell forever too? Is this really how God's love should work?

The truth is that the battle between good and evil is a battle. It's not something God can just sit back lazily and let it sort itself out. Battles need soldiers.

The Nature of Heaven

When people die and go to heaven, they are reborn in an ageless, flawless, perfect body. Imagine if you actually exercised and slept the amount that physicians recommend. Imagine if you did all that almond milk detox yoga shit. Imagine if you ate and drank nothing but the purest, freshest most natural ingredients. Imagine if you grew up free from stress or carcinogenic chemicals. That flawless, perfect body in heaven is that body. It's the body you would have had on Earth, if life wasn't so messy and full of unknowns.

This perfect body is ageless. You live in heaven with it until judgment day, when God's children will retake the Earth from Satan, and live on it peacefully forever. This perfect body, however, is irreplaceable. You only get one. More importantly, it is still human. Anything that can kill a human can kill this body. Of course, it is very strong, healthy, and eternally young- but it can die. So there is a risk that, if taken out of heaven, you can “die” again. And once that body dies, you'll be stuck as a spirit, never able to reclaim the Earth as a chosen one of God. Never able to enjoy the pleasures of sex or food ever again- never able to bear children and help repopulate the world after the rapture.

This is the risk that the Heaven's Riders must take, to save the souls of the innocent from Satan.

Heaven's Riders

These are the souls of heroes- who cannot sit idly by and let the souls of innocents suffer. They fight back against evil in the only way a mortal soul can- by stealing them back. Remember- God will win the fight in Good against Evil. But the assumption that he will win easily, handily, or constantly is a human invention. It is a feel-good belief, not a factual one. Remember, a third of all angels defected with Lucifer. The forces of hell are powerful- especially compared to a poor human.

Using the power of Heaven, these brave men and women ride “horses” made of angelic metal and powered by prayer. They cannot reappear on Earth- they're still dead already. But they can risk their new, one-and-only true body in battle against the devil. They ride down from Heaven, through the twisting gates of purgatory and the veil, through the realms of the haunting, down past limbo, and then into the fires of hell. Some of them practice on the easier souls- the slip ups who tumble just down to the realms between heaven and hell. These are the easy saves, a good way to get your feet wet and practice with your awesome machine. But when it comes to actually raiding Hell, the training wheels come off and you'd better be ready.

They fly past a soul, holding out their hands and grasping it, snapping them from the clutches of damnation. Skidding over rocks at breakneck speeds- only the reaction speed of a perfect, flawless body and eyes that can see distant valleys could possible pilot this machine. Once the victim is in tow, they must return them to heaven. Do you think demons just let this shit fly? No way. They return in hot pursuit- out of hell, up limbo, through the realms of haunting, past the veil, up through the twisting gates of purgatory- and stop short right at the pearly gates of Heaven. They can't enter, of course, so once you return the soul to heaven, you're safe.

So it's a race on the way back too, and these devils are mean. They'll fire at you with advanced and primitive weapons, blazed with hell fire. They'll try to crash your ride, or even just steal the soul back with bloody chains of evil. If they corner you, you'll die again, and lose your true body for good. The Riders don't bring weapons with them- it's not in God's plan for mortals to destroy evil in that way, and besides, anything you bring along would just weigh you down and make it impossible to escape, especially with a soul in tow.

Of course, everyone knows God will win in the end. Peace on Earth will be restored one day, the wicked souls punished, demons banished to the abyss, and all the innocent will rejoice. But when will that day come? Nobody in heaven knows- not even the angels will say. How long will innocents suffer Satan's wrath? How long will unbaptized babies and tribal people born before the revelations of Christ suffer from hellfire? Even one day of torture would be too much- what about years? Centuries? Millennia? Any amount is an injustice. That is why we ride.

8 Dark Pacts

“Give your skin,

to save a life.

Clearest soul, peace of mind.”

“Save yourself,

rich as sin.

Empty eyes, pay the price.”

8 Dark Pacts

[1] The Nameless Dark Pact

Take at least eight shiny stones and place them in an oval on the grass. Set them out at dusk, so they capture the last light, and keep your mirror hidden under black cloth. Place the mirror in the center of the oval once night falls, it must be spotlessly clean. Take a pitcher of water from a well and pour it around in circles around the mirror without crossing over it, over and over, until a sucking sound is heard. Those who seek for curiosities sake, foolish as you are, must now force their gaze downwards and stay there until the morning comes. For those who wish to seal the pact, look up.

This Dark Pact is with a nameless being, it's only moniker is Foe of Reason. Once you have looked and gazed upon it, your mind is twisted but not broken. You will be able to see how the creature bends inwards on itself, its body angled away from you despite it pointed right at you. Its face will stare into yours, alien eyes without love of life or sense, and you will know its terms without a word. To refuse the pact is to have the creature find out what it wants through force- you will die on the spot with your brain gone from your skull. For this reason, those who do not wish to join this pact must not match the eyes of the being at all.

Once the Pact is accepted, its terms are simple. At the end of each day, you will forget everything you learned. You can remember everything from before the pact, and everything you learned each day, but as soon as the night falls again you lose all thought from that day- you don't even need to fall asleep, just as soon as the nameless sky returns it drains the thoughts straight from your head. You also lose -30% of your experience gained from this point on for player characters, and will be caught up to speed in universe or keep a journal to remind you of important details and events.

In exchange, those with this pact become sponges like their pact's writer- as in, they absorb everything. Each day, your eye for detail and knowledge skyrockets to dizzying heights. By studying fighting techniques and watching trained professionals, you can cram several months or years of training into just an hour or two; watching fighters train gives +2 to hit for the rest of the day. By taking a book from a shelf you can learn a basic spell or two and prepare it for casting later, even if you aren't an MU. You also pick up on tiny cues and investigative details, and can “cold read” anyone by picking up on tiny details- letting you get information such as where they live, their diet, their habits or occupation, or even their weaknesses in the case of monsters or if they are a vampire/werewolf and so on.

[2] Nature's Dark Pact

Take the skull of a man and the skull of any predator larger then a wolf. Crush them to dust and mix them in a fire made from oak wood. Burn them to ash and take them to a river- at dawn sprinkle them in the river and then walk up stream until night falls. Once the sun has set, you must find a dark clearing and stand at the edge, waiting for the spirit to appear.

The Nature's Dark Pact summons an old god, one of the first man found or created. It appears with the head of a man with glowing orange eyes that burn with a wildfire. It's body is that of a huge grizzly bear, with cubs latched onto its fur and nursing its teats. It is known as Hucalip, and offers its Pact bluntly and with little coercion. To accept the Pact, one must prostate themselves before this being and rub mud on their skin and clothes, becoming one with nature and filthy by their own hand.

The terms of the Pact are thus; you must sleep in the woods every night. Your body will ache without the comforts of home, and you are prohibited from bathing. Reduce your Charisma modifier by -1 after accepting this Pact. On top of this, you must only eat meat from living creatures- you must eat things you catch alive. Your body rapidly decomposes any fruit, grain, or agricultural products that you touch, making you a bad omen and forcing you to further live on the outskirts of society. Even if someone forces you to take a bath or eat civilized food, your body will become even more filthy and you will gain a nervous twitch or habit of picking your flesh in response to being “too clean” and “too civilized”. Even being forced into it, you cannot raise your Charisma modifier back up. Finally, you cannot have children anymore and become infertile- this ties into the power of the Pact.

In exchange for this Dark Pact- you will gain the strength and knowledge of nature. Firstly, you become an apt tracker regardless of your background, and can follow the smallest signs to find hidden places or track prey. Secondly; you cannot have children because you see the pointless, endless futility of life, and the self as it is a part of eternity. Feral children in the woods, spirits in the depths of nature with child like minds, and orphaned bear cubs and wolf pups will instead find solace in seeking you as their mother. Those who have joined this pact may either raise this children as their own, becoming their family, or may kill them. By bashing in the heads of these orphans and eating their brains, you gain +1 to your Constitution score without limit- but your modifier cannot exceed +4 from the power of this Pact alone.

[3] The Deathly Dark Pact

Go to a graveyard at midnight with a violin. Play the strings as fast and frantic as you can; you don't actually have to know how to play. Using an old, neglected violin is actually better for this. Whenever a string snaps, you'll hear the ground shiver underneath your feet. Keep playing. If the sun rises, come back to the same spot the next midnight continuously, every night, until all the strings are broken. If you miss even one night, the spell will be ended and the calling will not work. When the final string has broken, you will know you have woken the dead.

The dead come as a collective. They appear as little pale white faces, peaking up at you from the blades of grass and around the stones. They have no bodies anymore, and are jealous of life. They can give you great power, but it comes at a price. To accept the contract, one must cut their hand and give blood to the procession of the dead- the blood rejuvenates them enough so they can speak. When enough of them have drunk from your blood (1d6 damage), they will give you the title of Graver. Any number of people can join the pact once this ritual is complete if they are present- the dead are limitless in number, there are always more mouths thirsty for living blood.

This pact shall drain your soul. You feel the deaths of all beings around you who die. Once this pact is accepted- it takes a few days to acclimate to the tiny deaths of insects and vermin, constantly expiring just out of your sight, you will feel shivery and cold and pained and sad. But even once you are used to this, the deaths of greater beings only get more intense. Whenever anything as big as a rabbit dies nearby you, you are stunned for one round as you feel the waves of death creep over you. Whenever a person dies nearby you, you cough up blood- you take 1d4 damage from the internal harm caused by having death so close to your breast. This cost applies to anyone or who things who dies within about a stone's throw of you at the moment they are struck down. If something like a ageless sage, an annointed king, a demigod, etc. dies nearby you, save or die yourself- the death of greater beings then mere mortals is too great a sorrow for you to endure.

In return for your closeness to death, you now have sway over death. You can anoint any willing being with midnight oil and make them immune to death. They cannot die for 7 days. Once these 7 days are up, the being will now die the next time they take even a single point of hit point damage. You can also anoint yourself. Additionally, you gain the power to raise the undead by assembling a mostly complete skeleton of a dead creature- this skeleton becomes a 2 HD skeleton servant under your control, with abilities and intelligence similar to what it was like when it was alive. You may only have one skeleton servant at a time, and if the skeleton servant is slain its bones are shattered and cannot be raised from the dead a second time.

[4] The Bloody Dark Pact

Fill a bowl with leeches and let them starve. Once they are nearly dead, attach them to your body and let them drink deep. Lay on the floor in the darkness. It helps to use a clock to perform this ritual, but a water-clock or a helpful assistant can help keep the time- once per turn, you must pull off a leech and bite it in half, letting the juice and blood wash over you. Once you become delirious from the blood loss, and are starting to feel cold from the cooling blood all over you, you'll see it.

The being looks like a beautiful woman of your own race, but her head is replaced with that of a bleeding stump, with leeches pouring out. She is always inverted, levitating in the air, blood trickling on the floor beneath her. She calls herself the Queen of Bloody Mornings. Nobody else in the room will be able to see or hear her, but entity is not purely a hallucination, as a dark black stain will spill under where she levitates that will never ever wash out from the wood or stone. She will offer her terms persuasively, not mentioning the costs or drawbacks, and promising great power and riches for those who follow her. She is manipulative and is quite good at getting people to accept her pact- especially since they're lightheaded from blood loss. Those who deny her pact after summoning her will suffer her wrath- she will flood the room with burning hot black blood that causes whoever who is splashed or submerged by it to contract a nasty diease; welts and sores open up on your skin. This disease will kill if your Constitution is 8 or less, otherwise you will suffer from skin lesions and daily pain for about 3 years for your insolence.

The terms of the pact are ritual sacrifice- cruel and barbaric. Once every year, around the summer solstice, you must perform a ritual sacrifice of an intelligent, living being. The sacrifice must be prefaced by at least a week of torture- both psychological and physical, which primes the victim's blood to make it the most “delicious” for the Queen of Bloody Mornings. Finally, the sacrifice is made where the vicitm's blood is drained from them slowly, with the ritual master taking a sip for taste, and then allowing all the rest to spill out onto the altar and ground. Typically, the ritual is done with sharp knives and hooks, as to extract the most blood from the victim's body. The victim is supposed to die and the blood must remain trickling until the morning sun rises- so they must be killed in the middle of the night. Failing to perform this sacrifice on time or if it is interrupted and the victim saved; the pact-makers loses -1d4 Strength, Dexterity, AND Constitution as their life force is drained. Every year they successfully complete the ritual these all are restored by +1 point, as the Queen is slowly appeased. If this stat damage would cause you to drop to 0 in any stat, then you have displeased the Queen for the last time and your body slumps to the floor with your blood turning to stagnant water and flowing out of your now lifeless corpse.

In return for this violent pact- the pact-maker gains +1d8 Strength after the successful completion of the first ritual sacrifice, their body filled with supernatural strength. The Queen does not reward her servants for simply accepting her terms, only after feeding her are they rewarded. Secondly, as soon as the pact is accepted the pact-maker starts to receive dreams about blood and violence, and becomes strangely detached and unemphatic to their fellow living creatures. They gain an unnerving medical knowledge- both a combination of their torturous practices as well as supernaturally from the Queen, which makes them capable of healing many otherwise incurable diseases or wounds. Treat injuries too challenging to treat by first aid possible with first aid, injuries too extreme to be healed even in a temple or healer's workshop are now curable in the right conditions, and increase all healing done by the follower of the pact by +2, with both spells and healing items if applicable.

[5] The Creeping Dark Pact

This being cannot be summoned on its own. It comes from within oneself, when one has lost all hope. It is extremely rare for someone to have such a depressive, suicidal mindset for long enough to have this being summoned forth without the person having brought themselves out of their stupor or having killed themselves. Only those imprisoned for many decades, being like elves who can experience emotions deeper then human can understand, or those truly in otherworldly despair can chance this being. It may also be possible to induce this state through magic or drugs, but very few would ever volunteer to drop themselves into such unfathomable darkness.

The being is just a shadow. It offers itself as a comforting friend, and a way to escape. To acknowledge it at all is to accept its Pact.

Anyone who takes this Pact will be slowly consumed by darkness. They will at first begin losing weight, until they become bone thin, then the color from their skin and flesh, and then their hair will fall out, and then the light will fade from their eyes, until eventually they look like a husk. Then, they will begin to fade physically- their body becomes progressively more shade like. They may become translucent in the light, and start to weight so little that their footsteps don't even make noise or leave footprints. Later, they will only be able to manifest both physically and visually for a limited time each day; 1 in 6 chance each turn they disappear for a while. Finally, they will cease to exist totally, with spells that bring that dead back to life or can ask them questions will not work on them. Their souls seems missing- either destroyed, or gone someplace so far away not even the Gods can find them anymore. This process takes about 3 years, the person becoming progressively more withdrawn.

In addition to the advantages to stealth from being partially a shadow as above, this pact also grants the user powers over the unformed darkness. At first they can create shadows which are barely visible to others in dark corners or shadowy alcoves; almost-illusions. Later on they will learn how to make these shadows take form, creating temporary physical beings and objects in shadowy dark places- they can conjure any amount of HD of shadow beings, which can deal 1 damage on an attack, but can only exist in one “pool” of shadow and are banished by light. With mastery and time, the Creeping Darkness will allow the user to create more powerful beings and let them move out of the shadow- still harmed by light but capable of creating fully moving and animated shadow beings. These beings are formed by sculpting the darkness and the user will be drained of energy from using this ability- consider each being summoned as a -1 modifier to all d20 rolls for exhaustion without a turn of rest. At the later stages of the pact, using this power to its full potential will cause the user to wink out of reality for a while as though they are suffering from the fading of their pact- or potentially they wink out forever after one last powerful shadow was created, and with it, they cease to be.

[6] The Cruel Bow Pact

This ritual requires several rare ingredients and a bow and arrow. Gremlin's tooth powder dusting the fletching, a bowstring made from a pregnant sow's intestine, yew wood from a sacred tree, a bit of magic metal for the arrowhead, sharpened the day before. Then, the bow must be fired up in the air towards an isolated place in the trees or wilds by a shooter with at least +1 to hit with bows. Finally, the arrow will fall and a loud yelp will be heard, even if nobody was around. Then, walk to where the arrow landed in silence.

When the shooter and anyone else arrive; they will see a tribal looking man with rough stones for eyes and a necklace made of teeth. The man will have the arrow in his leg, and be angrily blaming you for firing an arrow at him. Then, he will demand you heal him. If you do heal him and let him leave, he disappears and the Pact is canceled, and you can never summon this being again. However if you respond correctly- by telling him that “you deserve it!” three times, he will drop the act and smile. He will tell you his name is Carcini, and is a spirit of suffering. He will also freely answer any questions about him or his pact- in life he was a mortal who was shot by a stray arrow and died painfully and slowly over three days- and now allows others to spread in his suffering.

Once you have accepted Carcini's pact, you must spread suffering. This is the cost of the pact- you must go out of your way to make other people suffer, and cannot extend good will to anyone, or else suffer the consequences. You can still heal people's injuries, but cannot give pain medicine and just do surgery directly and bloodily, for example. You cannot give to the poor unless you fully intend to steal it back later, you can't cast beneficial spells on others unless it is directly to put them into harms way just after, and so on. If you try to break this promise, even if you regret it, you will find that your efforts to help others are instead nullified somehow by bad luck or chance, and then you will be punished for it with misfortunes plaguing you for a while until the spirit is pleased.

In return for following the Pact of the Cruel Bow, you gain the following benefits. Firstly, all arrows you fire count as poisoned- any wound inflicted by your bow will cause infection, aggravated wounds, get stuck in a bone and require surgery, or will otherwise ruin somebody's day. Secondly, you learn the dark magic of curses. You can perform magic rituals to create bad events in the future- specifically aimed against specific individuals, but sometimes many people (including yourself) can get swept up into the negative events. An example ritual is to drown an effigy of your target by firelight- they may be caught in a tropical storm where they live, or automatically fail a saving throw and be dropped into a tank of rising water. This does not guarantee a death or ruin to someone; but it will be very hard to get out of it. Finally, the knowledge of how to perform these curses is not special to the holder of this pact, meaning those who learn it can teach it to others, but Carcini is likely to punish those who share his secret art without paying the price.

[7] World Forgers' Dark Pact

To summon the World Forger's takes creating a world of your own. You must isolate a small location, such as a garden or castle, and remake everything in your image. Your favorite things, your pets, you own art style and paint everywhere. The place must be a sanctum and contain both sentimental and monetary value; an average of 25,000 coins must be spent on the location. Then, the creator must be unsatisfied with the project, or at least pretend to be to all onlookers and invited guests. They must seem to “want more”. Only then will they be visited.

The World Forgers appear as the subject's own race and ethnicity. They are an amiable sort, and interested in extended their offer to anyone of creative mind and driven determination; hence why so no expense must be spared to create your haven- that way the Forgers know you are serious. They are a collective of powerful spirits, and allow beings to join them willingly, on the conditions that they worn will lead to ruin and excommunication if they are not followed.

The World Forgers must leave. They are not to stay in a single world, nor use their powers frivolously. Their goal is to create worlds, not change the ones that exist. From that end, they give only three days to leave your world and leave with them- enough time to say your goodbyes. If you refuse to go on that day, you will be punished; your abilities will be stripped and your body will change into that of a gray approximation of what you were before. Humanoids become two legged gray beings with no identifiable facial features or sex, quadrupeds become gray beasts with no fur or markings or muzzle types to differentiate between predator or prey. This punishment is irreversible to all forms of magic, except perhaps the mercy of the divine.

In return for leaving with them, the World Forgers grant the user the ability to fly, to change their form (as they themselves are form-shifters), and the ability to change and create the world. This change is very tactile; plants are woven from their hands onto the ground, animals are pulled and preened to change their shapes permanently (and their offspring carry these traits), and as such this limits that amount of the world that you can change in your short time allotted- you may be able to build a small fort, renovate a cove, or sculpt out a cave within a few days of work. Additionally, anyone blessed with by the World Forgers becomes ageless, though they are not immortal and can be killed by a blade as any other living creature. All these powers are removed for those who do not leave with them on their journey of infinite creation.

[8] Gleaming Dark Pact

To call her forth, go to a crossroads while dressed in nothing but your most private nightgown or sleepware. No one else must approach the crossroads. If anyone else crosses one of the two central roads- your ritual is spoiled and you will have to start again. Hiring bandits to stop people from getting too close is a tactic. You must take a handful of fresh snow and cradle it in your hands, and say “I wish this was cold as coin.” over and over again. As the snow melts, you must continue to hold it and speaking until it melts away completely, and only then may you get a new handful of snow. Because of this and the time of year required for it to snow- it can be very cold and is often done at night to avoid travelers crossing the road- every hour you do this roll two six sided die. The first die will be a 1 in 6 chance for you to be noticed. The second will be a 1 in 6 chance to get hypothermia. After you are noticed, you will approached only after another two hours of chanting.

She is known as the Spring Wind Spirit. It is a feminine ghostly image of a blowing sundress- with a sunhat floating just above- her body, if she has one at all in her spirit form, is totally invisible. The smell of cinnamon and other exotic spices from far away lands follow her. She represents the trade wind, and the sudden boost to all businesses and trades the moment the winter ends- the mountain passes melt open and the ships sail through what was once impassable ice. The Spring Wind Spirit will gladly accept a pact with anyone, she giggles as you and her conspire together, though she expects you to fully uphold your end of the bargain. It is a transnational relationship.

The Spring Wind Spirit demands the pact-makers to abide by one rule; scam your heart out. Every one who follows this pact is expected to extort as much money as possible from others- selling bogus potions, overpriced normal goods, services that never come, shoddy gadgets, and the bait and switch- fill a crate with cheap linen and replace just the top layer with a bit of silk and so on. The Spring Wind Spirit pockets 50% of all the money, with the pact-maker getting to keep the other half. There's no actual direct cost to those joining this pact, except the cost to your reputation and no-doubt the soon to be angry mob at your heels. You also cannot accept this pact without the intention to scam; the Spring Wind Spirit knows a cheat when she sees one and will be quick to punish those who do not try to turn a profit with her; curses that rapidly cause misfortune to drain the coffers of the offender, followed by a gust of wind to crash down their house before breaking off the relationship is common.

As business partners, the Spring Wind Spirit will grant her pact-maker two useful abilities. The first is a bit of glamour- the magic of illusion and changed perceptions. They can make anything gleam. By holding an object in the palm, a box, or a bag even a bit of charcoal will appear to catch the light just right and shine. This is most useful in tricking others with a scam, but can be used on a reflective mirror or even an especially bright outfit to dazzle an enemy- this grants a surprise round in combat, or a good chance to escape. The second ability is the power of the winds. The pact-maker can subtly wiggle their toes to control the winds; letting them change the course of ships or blow banners in just the right way. The most powerful ability of this though is the power of secrets- the wind blows secret whispered words from the mouths of other people nearby to the ears of the pact-maker on a 1 in 3 chance. By using these powers, the shrewd pact-maker is expected to steal and scam as much as possible. Finally; it should be noted here that out of all of the dark pacts- this one is the lightest and is indeed the only one that can be broken. The Spring Wind Spirit takes a liking to those who make a healthy profit with her and is willing to let them go... only after the 'debt' is repaid to the spirit for her knowledge and secret winds. The debt is always so massive that no amount of wealth the person can earn, with or without her help, would ever be able to repay it. She has the last laugh, as she will take the souls of those who followed her pact to become her invisible, spying, whispering winds.

Familiars = Stands

I was watching Jojo's Bizzare Adventure recently. This came to mind.

Art @Rowena Morill

Familiars = Stands

Sometimes, Wizards bind their souls to demons. Perhaps in this hypothetical setting, magic can only be cast by supernatural beings, and as such it is required to have a familiar to cast spells. Maybe the magic of a familiar spirit is the only kind of magic that is available to humans, beyond pesudo-works such as Alchemy. Perhaps Wizards don't have familiars, but you decree that your Warlocks do instead. Perhaps Wizards don't need familiars, but having one is a seductive power boost.

When a Magician binds a demon to themselves; it appears to them. Only those with familiars can see other familiars. Familiars can only be damaged by other familiars, or by “magic” weapons. Familiars can be Turned, but only if the Cleric knows one is present. To those not with a familiar spirit, the demon is invisible. The “attacks” of the familiar appear as spontaneous wounds on the victim's flesh, but it is truly the work of the demon perched invisibly on the Wizards shoulder.

Finally; nobody can get rid of a familiar, and everyone can only have one. Once you have it, you have it, and that's that. The familiar is banished if the user dies, except in the cases of suicide. Exceptionally forceful or ambitious demons will sometimes manipulate fate to make their user kill themselves, so they can be free, but by doing so lose access to the mental and spiritual energy that allowed them to manifest. As such, they trick their user only to kill themselves with a cursed blade they can reside in, or within a circle of standing stones that become their home, and so on. 

Familiar Stats

• All Familiars start with AC 10 and a To-Hit bonus of +0
• Any damage taken to the familiar go to its user.
• Familiars can move or pick up small objects, like books or keys. What most people believe a levitation or floating spell is actually a familiar carrying the object to its master
• Familiars cannot be seen except with True Sight or by anyone else with a Familiar
• Familiars can only be harmed by magic weapons
• Familiars feed off their user's mental strength and are primarily manifested by it. Add the user's Intelligence modifier to the Familiars To-Hit and AC
• Familiars are demons; they can be Turned.
• Familiars have a maximum range from their user, which is based on their power level.

Familiar Power Levels

Not all familiars are equal. Each familiar has a different level of power, represented by their size.

Imps are about as big as housecats to small dogs, and are the weakest and most common type of familiar. They deal 1d4 damage on a hit. Their maximum range is equal to a whole valley. Those with imp familiars often send them to spy on foes, or to deliver secret messages.

Devils are about as big as a human. They deal 1d6 damage on a hit. These include the ranks of succubi and incubi. Their maximum range is within a few rooms or a small forest clearing.

Danavas are about as big as an ogre. They deal 1d8 damage on a hit, and have a maximum range of one pace away from their user. Mostly, this means the master has to touch a target to harm them.

Familiar Powers

Familiars may have special powers. These are like signature spells, and if luck would have it the Wizard's new free magical ability could give them a serious edge over the competition, those once again it is the familiar doing the work.

In order to generate a familiar power, roll on the Cavegirl Gifted tables. Once for Aspect and once for Methods. Then, roll a 1d12 to see its damage/effect die size and then another 1d12 on the range if applicable. This isn't a perfect method but could get you close to something a random stand-power generator might be.

Side Notes

You could easily fit this concept of Familiars or “stands” into your game as a supplemental magic system. If you're one of those people with a hypothetical “you don't level up but get more powerful by stuff in the world” sort of guys, then this concept would work well as a side method of advancement for Wizardly characters. I would probably say getting bound to a familiar means you get +1d6 hit points, since Familiars are just an extra target for you to take damage from.

Nine Tables of Hell

What is the environment of this section of hell like? - 1d10

[1] Fire, molten rock, burning brimstone. Pretty normal.

[2] Freezing rains and winds, forever-sticking mud in your boots. Swampy.

[3] Clearly designed for punishments; orderly sections, demons on rotation. Artificial barriers.

[4] Steps to a demon lord's palace. Protesters flayed, calmly stand up to protest some more.

[5] Humongous pillar stretching into the black, ashy sky above. Holds up the surface world?

[6] Flying skulls laugh evilly, pushed along by blistering winds over the salt flats.

[7] The floor is moving. Giant beetles are the hills, crawling over and eating anyone who falls down.

[8] Green trees and plants, everything is painted razorblades.

[9] The forest of suicides. Those who kill themselves become trees here in hell. Moaning trees.

[10] Tall bony demons walk on stilts, pluck souls up in their beaks, throw them down off the nearest cliffs. Hilly terrain of sharpened stones and seemingly bottomless ravines.

What is this Damned Soul being punished for? - d10

[1] Lust

[2] Gluttony

[3] Greed

[4] Sloth

[5] Wrath

[6] Envy

[7] Pride

[8] Wearing mixed fabrics, being left handed, etc. Ridiculously unfair orthodox sins.

[9] Being a terrible Father/Mother In-Law. Majority of hell's population.

[10] Evil deeds of a past life- ironic punishments don't work for this incarnation. Has no clown phobia, yet being harried by demon clowns.

What are the Demon's doing on their break? - d8

[1] Smoking.

[2] Gossiping with a giant stone face that is chewing on a sinner; they laugh softly over the screams.

[3] Picking through a stack of beautiful paintings, then smashing them.

[4] Swimming in lava. There is a rope swing made of some lady's innards. She's tied up above.

[5] Affixing black metal armor to themselves, welding it to their skin.

[6] Torturing “for fun”. The damned soul is a volunteer; getting a break from his preordained, much worse torture for this easy and casual finger breaking and anus ripping stuff.

[7] Drawing lines in the sand and discussing hell geopolitics. Eavesdrop for 1d4 rumors.

[8] Torturing, eating, and molesting dogs. Absolutely horrific, but you'll notice the dogs aren't real. They're automatons; everybody knows dogs always go to heaven. They wish they had a real dog.

What's the Hellish Kitchen's Special? - d12

[1] Jellied Baby Souls. It's a rare delicacy, because only a few babies end up here.

[2] Any normal dish, à la mode. The topping is molten lava.

[3] Flail-Snail Escargot. They're still alive, of course.

[4] Evil Jam. Dark purple, flavor tastes like miasma and wasted time. Served on bleeding-bread.

[5] Ale, fermented in a barrel with the heads of several punished brewers.

[6] Pixie dust. Stolen from a paraplegic girl who wanted one chance to fly.

[7] Wizard ganglion, served on his own staff. Slow roasted to get that wood-smoked flavor.

[8] Journal of a youth, read to expose their failed dreams. Laughs of spite are the main course.

[9] Ulcer of the damned. Scratched daily for a few eons, it's perfectly ripe now.

[10] Water. There's basically none of it in hell, save the occasional snowball.

[11] Elf ears.

[12] Looks like a normal tavern special. But cooked, prepared, and made by devils.

What did the Greed Demon just drop on the ground? - d10

[1] Key to one of the Hell vaults. Incredibly valuable, but the guards and traps are still there.

[2] Smaller Greed Demon. It's the first one's compound interest, so it's still growing.

[3] Gold coin wrapped in silver coin wrapped in copper coin wrapped in bear shit.

[4] Stowaway mimic. Small, portable design like jewelry box or medicine flask.

[5] Burning Ruby. It burns for years, even outside of hell. Submerge in ice water for a few months.

[6] Vile wind chime. When shook, worst imaginable smell blows in. Demons will trade for this.

[7] Handful of copper scarabs. They burrow under skin and turn you into an immobile statue; typical punishment for metal workers who cheat their customers.

[8] Soul of a banker. It immediately tries to lend advice and guidance, and charges by the penny. It's charging interest on every word; in a few days will demand ridiculous first payment for the loan.

[9] Bag of Witholding. Anything placed within requires several summoned lawyer demons and days of litigation to get back out. The demon gets to keep anything left in when you die, expect tricks.

[10] Dyed rope with multiple knots from some primitive culture's money system. Demons still trying to find proper exchange rate between it and hell-currency.

How are these Damned Souls planning to escape? - d6

[1] Digging up. Small collection of shovels and a single, rotten 20 ft ladder. It's not going well.

[2] Collecting hell coins and luxuries to trade with a major demon for safe passage out of here.

[3] Being so evil they can be promoted into demons. Very likely to attack you.

[4] Prayers sent to realms above. They travel by post, will take quite a while.

[5] Seeking nirvana to escape the cycle of death and rebirth. Hard to meditate with birds eating your organs all the time.

[6] Growing a garden in a hidden nook, a few blades of grass and a stumpy squash is all they have to show for their “grow a huge vine and climb out” plan.

How are these Damned Souls being tortured? - d12

[1] Giant cat is playing with them, it's claws are frozen ice, chills so they can't run away.

[2] Little dollies go “play with me” while making more of themselves out of people skin.

[3] Crushed flat by huge demon, stacked on burning shelves. Not a punishment, just storage.

[4] Melted by ultra-hot fire. Their bodies pool together, faces and memories start to intermingle.

[5] Giant eyeball watches them from above, criticizing every action.

[6] Lightning bolt strikes person, they get fat and run. As soon as they slim down, struck again.

[7] Great geysers of boiling piss. Also, poop hail.

[8] Huge rolling stone constantly chases them. Also has their mother's face or some shit.

[9] Demons paint their body team colors; throw some limbs around to score points.

[10] Leaky bags of drugs put inside skin; sneak across border to purgatory. Always busted.

[11] Endless waiting room “to be sent to your punishment”. As soon as one gets clever and figures it out, they are put on a bandsaw that slices them from groin to head. Just to spite them.

[12] Bored demons poking at someone in boiling tar with a pitchfork. They'll let you take over if you want, but won't compensate you. They wished they paid more attention in devil school.

What is this Demon's weapon made out of? - d8

[1] Dark Soulstuff. Souls that last hope so many times they lost all semblance of being.

[2] Steel forged in the fiery furnaces of hell itself. Look cruel and dirty but very strong.

[3] Bones and ligaments. It still bleeds.

[4] Demon horn and scales. Acts as an Unholy weapon, turning lawful/angels on a successful strike.

[5] Wood from the roots of the world. Very strong, can be stuck in stone to make rock indestructible.

[6] Dwarf weapon, fallen from an underground kingdom above. Notches mark promises broken.

[7] Stolen angelic weapon. Kept filthy and used as sex toy; its spirit must constantly be broken for the demons to be able to successfully use it.

[8] Soul of a sinful warrior, crushed and molten, made into the shape of a sword. His face is etched onto the flat of the blade, stuck in an endless scream of pain and battle.

The Devil himself flies overhead! What does he decree? - d6

[1] For 10 decades only, super sale at Hell Emporium! It's just an illusion from Mammon.

[2] He screams the name of the most sinful party member. Hell's forces descend on you.

[3] Babbles and pukes green slime, which rains down. If it touches you, holes open up on your flesh.

[4] He doesn't say anything; just draws a giant dick in the sky with his black contrail.

[5] Challenges the demon prince of this level of hell to show who is the boss. He will win.

[6] He's turned over a new leaf, ready to save the damned and make demons good- wishes to rejoin heaven instead of fight. 1 in 10 chance he's actually not joking.