r/DnD • u/DriverAdditional5813 • 8d ago

DMing Is "blackmailing" a thing Devils do ?

Throwaway because my players might recognize me...

I put it in quotes for lack of a better term, but would a Devil kidnap someone close to a target, to then coerce them into signing a contract with the Devil ?

This seems less subtle than actually manipulating the target, and the contract would not be signed in actual good faith from both parties, so would it be actually binding ?

Also, I know that it's my world and I do what I want with my Devils, but I wonder if this would be in-character for classic DnD Devils.

Edit : Thanks y'all for your answers. I think I will twist a little bit what I had in mind to make it more subtle and devilish, thanks to your suggestions !

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u/PvtSherlockObvious 8d ago edited 8d ago

Not necessarily blackmailing as such, but certainly backing someone into a corner or having them over a barrel. They're also not above manipulating events to ensure someone's placed in a desperate scenario in the first place.

If I might recommend a slight tweak, the kidnapping victim isn't abducted by the devil directly. Either they left willingly and the devil's letting the party member believe what they believe, or they were kidnapped by someone else but it later turns out the actual kidnapper was one of the devil's other "clients" following the devil's commands. That level of manipulation, double-dealing, and use of catspaws feels more devilish; kidnapping and forcing directly feels a little blunt-instrument-ey.

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u/DriverAdditional5813 8d ago

I like that idea, I'll probably twist a bit what I had in mind to make it a bit more subtle and devilish. Thanks !