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"You belong to me now" - The art of demon binding AKA the Pokemon perplexity


smoelf

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I was recently inspired to return to my HERO system books, and started thinking about possible ways to design certain character concepts, but as usual ran into the road block of not being very experienced with these kind of systems, hence the bringing of my conundrum to you.

 

I had an idea of a character based around seeking out and binding demon-like creatures to the character as a sort of servants, but I am having trouble finding a good way to do it. I thought about Summon, Mind Control or Follower, but none of them seem to do the job quite well, as the build should include both the concept of actively seeking out or randomly meeting the demon, thus binding it through an active ritual, a duration that would likely be medium to long term but with the possibility of a particularly strong demon (or a weaker demon asked to act contrary to psychological profile) being able to break the bond, and the rare possibility of a bound demon developing a bond of loyalty with the character. 

 

Summon doesn't really include the aspect of seeking out and actively binding the demon before summoning them or it for a specific purpose (combat or message delivery etc.). Mind Control seems to only relate to individual actions (if I have read the description properly), which would make it a chore to continuously mind control one or more demons to follow the character around as well as directing them in combat. Follower also doesn't include the aspect of the binding, and also leaves out the possibility for them breaking the bond, although I imagine a few limitations would do the trick (6E102 states that follower are by nature loyal, so I imagine it would be possible to give it a limitation to make them "involuntary" as a starting point with the possibility to break the bond?).

 

As for the ritual itself, as far as I have read, a Transform would likely be the best option, perhaps accompanied by a series of skills challenges, but the question is what it should transform, and here I am really interested in your opinions. Since they would be useful in combat, the character should definitely pay character points for every demon under their control, at least in some capacity, so it would not be enough to use Transform to give the demon a "Complication: Must obey Character unless an EGO skill roll succeeds". Right now the most obvious choice would be the Follower perk with the proper limitations, but that creates some problems. Depending on how many points these demons are build on, the character might need to have a rather sizable portion of their characters point lie dormant in a Follower perk until they perform the ritual the first time, and what happens when they meet a stronger demon that they can bind? Could they bind the new demon and the pay the necessary character points for a better Follower perk, or should they upgrade their Follower perk before they are allowed to bind a stronger demon or another demon of equal cost? And if the demon break the bond, that is a wasted Follower perk until they can find a new demon to bind. It can easily end up being case of all-or-nothing with such a character, and maybe that is just the nature of such a concept, but I would prefer it to have sense of stability in power, if that is at all possible. 

 

Regarding the development of a bond of loyalty, it seems most likely that a regular Follower perk would do the job, while the development of such a bond would be a result of role play. In any case I am most concerned with how to build the capability for medium-long term temporary allies bound as a result of an active ritual. Anyway: Thoughts, ideas, opinions?

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In the end, reasoning from SFX tends to be the way that I figure out how to model a power. What are the demons, actually? Are they generally just a set of powers? When you say they can break out, how often does that realistically happen? Enough to make it an actual roll when you ask them to do something? Or when you ask them to do something they are opposed to? What are the limitations on how many demons you can bind? 

 

As to the point of acquiring new demons needing the character to have a pool of points available, yes, that seems reasonable. Unless you decide to construct the demons as something that you bind and then gradually have to learn how to control or employ correctly.

 

If demons come and go easily, I would go with something like a Perk: Demon Binder. If they are likely something a player keeps either forever or usually for a very long time then they need to build it as a follower or as a set of powers with the Physical Manifestation limitation. If it is somewhere in the middle, I would go with a combination of the perk, plus a transform, possibly with another perk per demon like Perk: Bound Demon. You will need to get some campaign limitations and rules in place for those perks, how they are acquired, how much they cost, how many demons can be controlled, what the methods are for escaping or breaking the transform. Then you have to think about people "curing" the transform, how that works, what the demons will want when freed, etc.

 

- E

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What you're describing is not a character build.  You are describing a campaign.  Many of the things you specify are campaign-related, not character-related.  There are ways to build a character who uses demons or monsters or whatever as his minions, and as far as his character background goes, these are creatures he has encountered and bound them to his will.  But the parts you're focused on, actually roleplaying out how he does that... that's not a character build.  That's an adventure arc.  That means going to your GM and telling him you want to roleplay fighting and capturing demons.

 

Since you mentioned Pokemon, let's use that as the example.  It's easy enough to say "I want to play a Pokemon trainer, and I've got 10 Pokemon that I can use to do stuff with."  And you buy them as Followers, or as a Summon, or whatever.  That works just fine.  But if you want to start out as a guy with one Pokemon, and you want to roleplay through the "gotta catch 'em all" process, then that's not really something you can do with just your character build (I guess you can, but it's gonna be really inefficient).  Because you're going to need the GM to provide you with Pokemon to fight and catch.  You seem to be asking for the latter type of game as opposed to the former.

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At first brush, it sounds like a Variable Power Pool used only to Summon demons from a specific list of those that the character created or to bind them with the Transform ritual. It is really easy to abuse a construct like that, so maybe have a "must dismiss currently summoned demon" or the like in order to shift the VPP around. Developing the bond of loyalty is simply keeping track of which constructs you've bought up the Summon loyalty on. I would personally require a lot of in-game role playing to justify the purchase of increased loyalty for a given construct. A clever enough GM might even use something along the lines of a computer rpg loyalty system, wherein each demon has certain actions that it favors and others that it dislikes. 

 

Maybe I am oversimplifying the concept too much.

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I've done various "acquisition of things" processes like this through earning dedicated Experience Points. Completion of specific tasks, successful rolls with relevant Skills, expenditure of sufficient time for travel or training, money, Expendable Foci, etc. earns the character Experience Points which he can devote only toward gaining or increasing the particular thing he wants. In your case that could be buying Followers, increasing the Active Points in Summon, or whatever other mechanic you wish to use to simulate "binding" your demons.

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A lot of these concepts sound like they could be simulated without any actual summoning going on.  In other words: sending a message - Mind Link, Mind Scan, Telepathy, etc.  Grab items: Telekinesis.  To make them seem like summons, you could put extra time to start the power, add in gestures, and requires a skill roll ego roll to control the creature (every use/turn to simulate needing to control them for every new command).

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A lot of these concepts sound like they could be simulated without any actual summoning going on.  In other words: sending a message - Mind Link, Mind Scan, Telepathy, etc.  Grab items: Telekinesis.  To make them seem like summons, you could put extra time to start the power, add in gestures, and requires a skill roll ego roll to control the creature (every use/turn to simulate needing to control them for every new command).

And you can also add Physical Manifestation to make it possible for others to interfere with the demon as it tries to carry out it's tasks.

 

- E

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Let's look again and filter out the special effect of "demons"  (and substituting in a more generic term) And perhaps adding a little emphasis here and there.

 

I was recently inspired to return to my HERO system books, and started thinking about possible ways to design certain character concepts, but as usual ran into the road block of not being very experienced with these kind of systems, hence the bringing of my conundrum to you.

 

I had an idea of a character based around seeking out and binding demon-like creatures to the character as a sort of servants, but I am having trouble finding a good way to do it. I thought about Summon, Mind Control or Follower, but none of them seem to do the job quite well, as the build should include both the concept of actively seeking out or randomly meeting the demon, (creature) thus binding it through an active ritual (set of actions that create a bond), a duration that would likely be medium to long term but with the possibility of a particularly strong demon, (creature)(or a weaker demon, (creature) asked to act contrary to psychological profile) being able to break the bond, and the rare possibility of a bound demon, (creature) developing a bond of loyalty with the character. 

 

....

 

As for the ritual (set of actions that create a bond) itself, as far as I have read, a Transform would likely be the best option, perhaps accompanied by a series of skills challenges, but the question is what it should transform, and here I am really interested in your opinions. Since they would be useful in combat, the character should definitely pay character points for every demon under their control, at least in some capacity, so it would not be enough to use Transform to give the demon, (creature) a "Complication: Must obey Character unless an EGO skill roll succeeds". Right now the most obvious choice would be the Follower perk with the proper limitations, but that creates some problems. Depending on how many points these demons, (creatures) are build on, the character might need to have a rather sizable portion of their characters point lie dormant in a Follower perk until they perform the ritual (set of actions that create a bond) the first time, and what happens when they meet a stronger demon, (creature) that they can bind? Could they bind the new demon, (creature)and the pay the necessary character points for a better Follower perk, or should they upgrade their Follower perk before they are allowed to bind a stronger demon, (creature) or another demon, (creature) of equal cost? And if the demon, (creature) break the bond, that is a wasted Follower perk until they can find a new demon, (creature) to bind. It can easily end up being case of all-or-nothing with such a character, and maybe that is just the nature of such a concept, but I would prefer it to have sense of stability in power, if that is at all possible. 

 

Regarding the development of a bond of loyalty, it seems most likely that a regular Follower perk would do the job, while the development of such a bond would be a result of role play. In any case I am most concerned with how to build the capability for medium-long term temporary allies bound as a result of an active ritual (set of actions that create a bond), Anyway: Thoughts, ideas, opinions?

 

Looks to me like a job for Animal Handler (demons) - or a Power Skill designed to work much like Animal Handler. Maybe both: a PRE Based Demon Handler Skill and an EGO based Command Demon Power Skill.

 

 

Note that "Dragon" already appears as an option in the categories under Animal Handler. The fact that the "rituals" with demons would differ from those with mundane beasts (using the right demonic Names, drawing sigils and using magic circles, offering incense, as opposed to looking or not looking the beast in the eyes, using muzzles leashes and cages, offering appropriate food) is a matter of special effects, although the differences are enough that Demon Handler should perhaps be treated as like Animal Handler but not counted as a category within Animal Handler. But again, if Animal Handler works on Dragons....

 

 

Also useful: Analyze Demon (good for bonus to the Demon Handler roll) and Striking Appearance vs. Demons (good for an automatic bonus to the Demon Handler roll and for the initial PRE attack probably needed when first meeting a demon to get it's attention in the first place. This might represent the innate "talent" a Demonologist needs to be considered by a Master for training in the field.) And of course appropriate Knowledge and Professional Skills. Eventually, a Reputation to add to that Striking Appearance.

 

 

As a balancing factor, perhaps limit the total number of Character Points worth of demons to some factor of EGO plus PRE.

 

 

Add a Cramming Skill Limited to: Only Knowledge of Specific Demons, and as the character gets to know a given demon invest points in a real KS for that demon. Or use Contact, where the demon's power level has an impact on the price. Either way, eventually shift these points to a Follower if the bond is developed to that (pardon the expression) point.

 

 

edit: If a given demon (either "any given demon" or just some in particular) have limited functions, then instead of Follower just a Power build with appropriate Limitations to simulate that demon may be appropriate.

 

edit again: It really might be helpful if you explain more about the nature of demons, their place in their world, and what specifically they CAN do for a demonologist.

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary suggests not asking how Lucius knows so much about demonology

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Awesome. Thanks a lot for the input. It's cool that HERO can do so many things, but also a bit overwhelming to wrap your head around. 

 

Regarding the nature of these demons, they are probably closer to spiritual creatures with the ability to physically manifest themselves in the world. They need that physical manifestation in order to interact with the physical realm, as in their spiritual state they can do nothing but move and observe with a reduced ability to communicate mentally. In that way they can respond to the call of the person who bound them. Usually, once bound, they would stick around in their spiritual state, and only manifest themselves once called to complete certain tasks. These tasks would often include assistance in combat, or perhaps travel longer distances to deliver messages or gather information. Even if they are bound they are not slavishly loyal. They have their own consciousness and can choose to withhold information or simply refuse to fights once called. If we are being a little reductionistic we could say that if they had a classic D&D alignment, they might get a roll to break the bond if asked to complete a task contrary to their alignment or they would get a bonus to win the roll, if such a roll was already needed. If a particular demon had an especially independent personality, it would be more likely to break the bond, even if the binding ritual(s) had succeeded in the first place.

 

You know, now that I have written it out in more detail, it actually makes a lot of sense to use the Summon power limited to a predefined group of bound demons (maybe as a VPP to give different advantages and limitations based on their personality. Some might be strong willed, while others might be devoted), and then require either a Transform spell or use of Animal Handling (Demon) (I really like that suggestion) to bind it and add it to that group. In addition other powers could be built with a physically manifested demon as special effect. The EGO roll involved in Summon would do fine with simulating the character's ability to control the demon, and then keep separate track of when a demon would have failed enough rolls or failed a roll to a sufficient degree to break the bond.

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You can be quite generic with a single summon power if you need to. Just something like:

 

Summon 200 point demon (or Class 1 / Category X / Type Z), with the Arrives Under Own Power (-1/2) to simulate that they must be in the area already.

 

Once they are there, transform or Demon Binding or whatever other method you choose can be used.

 

- E

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You can be quite generic with a single summon power if you need to. Just something like:

 

Summon 200 point demon (or Class 1 / Category X / Type Z), with the Arrives Under Own Power (-1/2) to simulate that they must be in the area already.

 

Once they are there, transform or Demon Binding or whatever other method you choose can be used.

 

- E

This may be a difference in editions. But in 5th there is a system under summoning to bind them to tasks with an ego roll.

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This may be a difference in editions. But in 5th there is a system under summoning to bind them to tasks with an ego roll.

That exists, but I was not sure if that met the requirement of the OP for "binding it through an active ritual".

 

- E

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You know, now that I have written it out in more detail, it actually makes a lot of sense to use the Summon power limited to a predefined group of bound demons (maybe as a VPP to give different advantages and limitations based on their personality. Some might be strong willed, while others might be devoted), and then require either a Transform spell or use of Animal Handling (Demon) (I really like that suggestion) to bind it and add it to that group. In addition other powers could be built with a physically manifested demon as special effect. The EGO roll involved in Summon would do fine with simulating the character's ability to control the demon, and then keep separate track of when a demon would have failed enough rolls or failed a roll to a sufficient degree to break the bond.

I think you're on the right track here. The Limited Class of Beings is "Demons I have already bound to me," and additions to that class are handled in-story. I like the idea of Animal Handler: Demons to "train" them over time, tho there's a certain amount of subjectivity in that process; using a Transform Power would be more mechanically objective if that's important to you and/or your GM. Don't forget you would need "Specific Being" if you want to Summon that particular demon named Chauncey who you've already been working on, rather than any random demon of Chauncey's class.

 

If that's the way you're going to go, then you might be able to get away with ignoring Amicability, et. al. as Advantages on the PC's Summoning build, and just make how agreeable/easy-to-control a given demon is a factor of the EGO and Complications on the demon's character sheet. This simplifies the Summon build, and can make it easier to personalize different demons. So when you initially bind a demon, it starts with a Psych Comp of "Hates You And Really Wants To Eat Your Entrails" that gives a bonus to its EGO Rolls to resist your commands. After you work on it for awhile, you remove that Comp so that it gets straight EGO Rolls, and maybe eventually even give it a new Psych Comp of "Loves You And Will Do Whatever You Ask." In 6ed, Complications don't affect character cost for purposes of Summoning, but you could easily house-rule something where it does, ie "Hates You" subtracts from its effective point cost for summoning purposes, while "Loves You" adds to it. Or if both GM and player are comfortable with it you could just handle that narratively, where the Summoning cost is the same but over time how much control you have can improve/degrade based on other factors external to the Summon itself. The latter sounds closer to the concept you're describing, but there's definitely increased room for abuse there so Use With Caution.

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You could treat it as a multi power, only to summon friendly spirits or those defeated in combat. Then give each slot a different creature with appropriate psychological disadvantages. Your ability to control their actions depends on their ego and psychology. At creation you set aside points for some future slots. You would then require in game earned points to buy off the creatures disadvantages which would increase your control. If you took the lesser no conscious control disadvantage the interactions between character and being would then be negotiated through role play rather than number crunching. It may be a bit low tech but as a gm it would be my preferred approach.

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It seems to me that demons are just the SFX of a class of NPCs. To rephrase the question in this light:

 

I had an idea of a character based around seeking out and binding NPCs to the character as a sort of servants, but I am having trouble finding a good way to do it. I thought about Summon, Mind Control or Follower, but none of them seem to do the job quite well, as the build should include both the concept of actively seeking out or randomly meeting the NPC, thus binding it through an active ritual [drinking together? giving a gift? getting married?], a duration that would likely be medium to long term but with the possibility of a particularly strong NPC (or a weaker NPC asked to act contrary to psychological profile) being able to break the bond, and the rare possibility of a bound NPC developing a bond of loyalty with the character. 

 

Normally, NPCs are sought out through roleplay and not managed through mechanics. For spirits, summon is a good way to get them in the same place you are, but now that they're here you still need a way to deal with them socially.

 

Mind Control is the classic way to force someone to your will, but is expensive and temporary. More typically you'd build a relationship based on commonality, or lacking that you need to find some leverage. There are four basic ways to get someone to act contrary to their psychological profile:

 

(1) threats or leverage, preferably exploiting Psych limitations. For a demon a threat could include something like the Spiritwrack spell in D&D, imprisonment, or some action contrary to their goals. Leverage could include non-mechanical coercion such as a Psych Lim or a True Name (which is probably a Phys Lim), gifts such as virgins blood or signing over your soul, possibly some connection like in Elric where your ancestors have made ancient pacts. In The Dying Earth, demons are trapped in pacts, and wizards bargain "indenture points" in exchange for tasks. If the demon wins back all its points it goes free. That sort of arrangement is pure roleplay, I see no need for or utility in a mechanical setup. One mechanic that seems apropos is Contact.

 

(2) presence attacks. This of course implies some leverage and is basically a mechanical adjunct to a roleplay situation, but if you want a mechanic behind threat or persuasion, it could be useful. It could be enhanced magically. You could pull all sorts of setting or personal factors into this sort of mechanic. Status or authority could be worth a bonus (head of the guild? initiate of the third circle? has completed the test of the three vices?) and agreements or pacts could factor in. A handshake means nothing mechanically but may translate to +6d6 PRE when you want the demon to do something. Note this could cut both ways, an incautious wizard could give the demon leverage over him.

 

(3) mind control. This is well defined and needs no comment.

 

(4) change their psychological profile. This last could be accomplished via Transform, to add a new Psych limitation to the NPC/creature. Maybe the binding ritual is sealed by some gift or bribe (blood or a soul is classic) and takes time, but the result is a Transform that imposes a Psych or Phys Lim on the demon. It is very apropos to the Dying Earth: the BODY of the Transform becomes indenture points, and when the demon earns them all back through services it goes free. Demons and wizards are always trying to trick and swindle one another, negotiate how many points a service is worth (often in fractions), and demons can occasionally refuse outright; a wizard can impose a penalty (negative points) for a refusal or botched job, but ultimately service is voluntary.

 

All of these except the Mind Control have a voluntary aspect, they are not puppet-slavery.

 

I am of the opinion that not everything needs to be represented mechanically, and mechanics need not all be in Hero terms. (indenture points are an example of a mechanical accounting that is not Hero, unless you tie it to Transform or something)

 

There remains the question: why does a demon allow itself to be bound? Can a wizard force the binding, and if they can, why bother with binding demons instead of just summoning and compelling them whenever you feel like it? You mentioned the demon being compelled against its nature. I think a key aspect of making this all work is to carefully define each demon's personality and/or nature. A random table could be used to assign traits or psych lims or whatever, or if there aren't too many demons you could create them all directly, or maybe there are classes of demon each with known characteristics. Whatever the case, you'll want to know what each demon wants (what can you offer it as a gift?), what it hates or dreads (what can you threaten it with), what its goals are, what its personality is. A lot of dying earth demons have interesting and distinctive personalities.

 

A possible motivation for demons is that they are unable to come into the real world physically without aid from a willing accomplice. They agree to serve a wizard because the wizard brings them here and lets them manifest. maybe they have goals, or maybe they are just bored in the spirit world and enjoy interacting in the physical world. A classic motivation is that demons want to do evil, but can only do evil through willing human accomplices, so the agreement is that the demon will serve the wizard as long as the wizard enables it to do evil. A "good" wizard might have to bribe the demon with evil concessions, even granting it one night off a month to do anything it wants, in exchange for accomplishing good/useful tasks. A demon might be loyal to an especially vile wizard, especially if the wizard is a half demon himself, or worships a demon god. Conversely a demon could be belligerent and sneaky with a good wizard, always misinterpreting and twisting tasks as much as possible. Maybe some demons are no more intelligent than dogs and easy to trick into service, and slavishly loyal as long as you let them have some fun, but not especially useful; while the Einstein-level demons are notoriously tricky and unsafe to deal with, very powerful and capable, but it ends up the demon is the one using the unwitting wizard, only pretending to "serve" as he weaves a web and traps him in the end. Only very powerful, clever, and/or foolish wizards mess with greater demons. But even then, the greater demon might be bribed with sufficient blood or whatever it is that it desires. It may be that while greater demons are evil, they may become fond of especially wicked humans as servants and pets and proteges, and develop genuine affection for them, even develop a measure of trust in them.

 

These are just examples. The more you develop the world, the easier it will be to define and play.

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It seems to me that demons are just the SFX of a class of NPCs. To rephrase the question in this light:

 

 

Normally, NPCs are sought out through roleplay and not managed through mechanics. For spirits, summon is a good way to get them in the same place you are, but now that they're here you still need a way to deal with them socially.

 

Mind Control is the classic way to force someone to your will, but is expensive and temporary. More typically you'd build a relationship based on commonality, or lacking that you need to find some leverage. There are four basic ways to get someone to act contrary to their psychological profile:

 

(1) threats or leverage, preferably exploiting Psych limitations. For a demon a threat could include something like the Spiritwrack spell in D&D, imprisonment, or some action contrary to their goals. Leverage could include non-mechanical coercion such as a Psych Lim or a True Name (which is probably a Phys Lim), gifts such as virgins blood or signing over your soul, possibly some connection like in Elric where your ancestors have made ancient pacts. In The Dying Earth, demons are trapped in pacts, and wizards bargain "indenture points" in exchange for tasks. If the demon wins back all its points it goes free. That sort of arrangement is pure roleplay, I see no need for or utility in a mechanical setup. One mechanic that seems apropos is Contact.

 

(2) presence attacks. This of course implies some leverage and is basically a mechanical adjunct to a roleplay situation, but if you want a mechanic behind threat or persuasion, it could be useful. It could be enhanced magically. You could pull all sorts of setting or personal factors into this sort of mechanic. Status or authority could be worth a bonus (head of the guild? initiate of the third circle? has completed the test of the three vices?) and agreements or pacts could factor in. A handshake means nothing mechanically but may translate to +6d6 PRE when you want the demon to do something. Note this could cut both ways, an incautious wizard could give the demon leverage over him.

 

(3) mind control. This is well defined and needs no comment.

 

(4) change their psychological profile. This last could be accomplished via Transform, to add a new Psych limitation to the NPC/creature. Maybe the binding ritual is sealed by some gift or bribe (blood or a soul is classic) and takes time, but the result is a Transform that imposes a Psych or Phys Lim on the demon. It is very apropos to the Dying Earth: the BODY of the Transform becomes indenture points, and when the demon earns them all back through services it goes free. Demons and wizards are always trying to trick and swindle one another, negotiate how many points a service is worth (often in fractions), and demons can occasionally refuse outright; a wizard can impose a penalty (negative points) for a refusal or botched job, but ultimately service is voluntary.

 

All of these except the Mind Control have a voluntary aspect, they are not puppet-slavery.

 

I am of the opinion that not everything needs to be represented mechanically, and mechanics need not all be in Hero terms. (indenture points are an example of a mechanical accounting that is not Hero, unless you tie it to Transform or something)

 

There remains the question: why does a demon allow itself to be bound? Can a wizard force the binding, and if they can, why bother with binding demons instead of just summoning and compelling them whenever you feel like it? You mentioned the demon being compelled against its nature. I think a key aspect of making this all work is to carefully define each demon's personality and/or nature. A random table could be used to assign traits or psych lims or whatever, or if there aren't too many demons you could create them all directly, or maybe there are classes of demon each with known characteristics. Whatever the case, you'll want to know what each demon wants (what can you offer it as a gift?), what it hates or dreads (what can you threaten it with), what its goals are, what its personality is. A lot of dying earth demons have interesting and distinctive personalities.

 

A possible motivation for demons is that they are unable to come into the real world physically without aid from a willing accomplice. They agree to serve a wizard because the wizard brings them here and lets them manifest. maybe they have goals, or maybe they are just bored in the spirit world and enjoy interacting in the physical world. A classic motivation is that demons want to do evil, but can only do evil through willing human accomplices, so the agreement is that the demon will serve the wizard as long as the wizard enables it to do evil. A "good" wizard might have to bribe the demon with evil concessions, even granting it one night off a month to do anything it wants, in exchange for accomplishing good/useful tasks. A demon might be loyal to an especially vile wizard, especially if the wizard is a half demon himself, or worships a demon god. Conversely a demon could be belligerent and sneaky with a good wizard, always misinterpreting and twisting tasks as much as possible. Maybe some demons are no more intelligent than dogs and easy to trick into service, and slavishly loyal as long as you let them have some fun, but not especially useful; while the Einstein-level demons are notoriously tricky and unsafe to deal with, very powerful and capable, but it ends up the demon is the one using the unwitting wizard, only pretending to "serve" as he weaves a web and traps him in the end. Only very powerful, clever, and/or foolish wizards mess with greater demons. But even then, the greater demon might be bribed with sufficient blood or whatever it is that it desires. It may be that while greater demons are evil, they may become fond of especially wicked humans as servants and pets and proteges, and develop genuine affection for them, even develop a measure of trust in them.

 

These are just examples. The more you develop the world, the easier it will be to define and play.

Again most of this is built into summoning rules.

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