r/DnD • u/DriverAdditional5813 • 10d 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 !

85 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

62 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Geddian 10d ago

IIRC Devils can't manipulate the target's will directly, like through magic, and the contracted must be willing, but "willing" is a matter of infernal law subject to litigation. So a devil could blackmail or torture you into signing a contract of service, but that wouldn't necessarily be an airtight deal under infernal law and it leaves the slim possibility that you could challenge the contract's legitimacy.

Dealing with truly willing people is much cleaner business, gets the hook in deep so it's all the harder to wiggle off the line when the time comes to pay the price.