Hellbound

The pit of Hell waits for your damned soul.

Catalyst

The hellbound corruption typically takes hold as the result of an infernal contract with a diabolic patron or your fiendish blood. Your soul goes to Hell when you die, though you can be raised from the dead normally.

PROGRESSION

Your diabolic patron’s portfolio determines what makes your corruption progress. When an opportunity to carry out a significant action that matches the devil’s portfolio comes up, you are tempted to take it. The action might include oppressing people using your authority or tempting someone closer to lawful evil. You must succeed at a Will save (DC = 15 + your manifestation level) or succumb to temptation and perform the action. What counts as significant is up to the GM. Usually, an act that wouldn’t harm anyone doesn’t count.

If something prevents you from performing this act, the GM chooses a time over the next week when you’re compelled to further the cause of lawful evil.

Corruption Stage 1: The first time you perform a significant act that matches the devil’s portfolio (either willingly or because you failed your save), your alignment shifts one step toward lawful evil (toward evil first, if you aren’t yet evil). Any attempt to raise you from the dead requires a successful caster level check (DC = 15 + double your manifestation level).

Corruption Stage 2: The second time you perform such an act, your alignment shifts to lawful evil.

Corruption Stage 3: The third time you perform such an act, your contract comes due or you become a thrall to Hell—a living devil under the GM’s control.

Removing the Corruption

Gaining release requires destroying your patron, retrieving the payment, and atoning.

Manifestations

The following are manifestations of the hellbound corruption.

Darkest Desires

Your dark patron offers to grant you wishes to tempt you.

Prerequisite(s): Manifestation level 9th.

Gift: You can use limited wish once per day as a spell-like ability. It can’t duplicate a spell requiring a material component costing more than 1,000 gp. Each time you get more or less what you wished for (GM’s discretion), you must succeed at a Will save or your corruption progresses to the next stage.

Stain: Wishes you make from this manifestation’s gift or your own spells are granted by your patron and interpreted from a devil’s perspective. The patron always tries to twist your wish away from your intent and to its own dark ends.

Special: Upon receiving this manifestation, you must take both the gift and the stain, even with the useful corruption or vile corruption variants.

Devil’s Horns

Horns grow upon your brow.

Gift: You gain a gore attack that deals 1d4 points of damage if your size is Medium (1d3 if Small). These horns appear in any form you take, so you still retain this gore attack in any form you assume with a polymorph effect.

Stain: You gain horns that can’t be hidden by magic, but can be hidden by mundane means. Anyone who sees the horns recognizes them as unnatural. If someone leaves a loophole in an agreement with you that would allow you to gain an advantage, you must exploit it. This typically counts as an act that might progress your corruption.

Special: Upon receiving this manifestation, you must take both the gift and the stain, even with the useful corruption or vile corruption variants.

Devil’s Mark

You have the mark of a fiend on your body.

Gift: You gain a 1st-level sorcerer/wizard or witch spell of your choice as a spell-like ability usable a number of times per day equal to your manifestation level. It must not have a casting time longer than 1 standard action or a material or focus component costing more than 1 gp.

Stain: Your devil’s mark manifests on your body. It can’t be hidden by magic, but can be hidden by clothing or other mundane means. Anyone who sees the mark automatically recognizes it as unnatural.

Diabolical Servitor

You fraternize with devils who answer your call for aid.

Prerequisite(s): Manifestation level 2nd.

Gift: Once per day as a spell-like ability, you can summon a lawful evil outsider, as summon monster II with a duration of 1 minute per manifestation level. At manifestation level 4th, you can use summon monster III, but summon an accuser devil. At manifestation level 6th, you can use summon monster IV this way. At manifestation level 8th, you can use summon monster V this way.

Stain: You see lies and pain behind every exchange, even when it isn’t there. You take a –4 penalty on Perception and Sense Motive checks except for those made against devils.

Fiendish Tutelage

You learn secrets best kept from mortal minds.

Gift: You gain Infernal as a bonus language and a +2 bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks to interact with devils. When you acquire this gift, choose two Knowledge skills. You can attempt checks with them untrained. At manifestation level 3rd, the bonuses double.

Stain: Effects that vary based on your alignment treat you as lawful evil or your true alignment, whichever is worse.

Murky Futures

You can call upon Hell for clues about how to avoid your fate.

Gift: Once per day, you can call upon the knowledge of Hell with 10 minutes of meditation. You gain the benefit of guidance, with a duration of 24 hours or until discharged. At higher manifestation levels, you can choose to gain the benefit of a different divination spell at the end of your meditation instead: augury at manifestation level 2nd, divination at manifestation level 4th, or contact other plane at manifestation level 6th (to consult Asmodeus or an intermediate deity).

Stain: Increase the DCs of Constitution checks you attempt to stabilize while dying, Heal checks targeting you, and caster level checks required for conjuration (healing) spells to benefit you by 2 (the DC increase applies on the caster level check required to raise you from the dead at corruption stage 1). At manifestation level 3rd, the DCs increase by 4 instead. Your soul flees immediately on death, so you can’t be revived by breath of life, the gift of life domain power, or any similar ability.

Passage through the Pit

The maw of Hell yawns wide to welcome you.

Prerequisite(s): Manifestation level 3rd.

Gift: You can step through Hell to reach other places once per hour. As a full-round action, you can choose a direction, then teleport 2d10 × 5 feet away in that direction (or the nearest safe, unoccupied location). You can use this ability once per minute at manifestation level 6th, and at will at manifestation level 8th.

Stain: You register as lawful evil as well as your own alignment to effects that reveal alignments. This alignment aura is strong, as if you were a lawful evil cleric. You are treated as an extraplanar lawful evil outsider with the devil subtype by abjurations that protect against such creatures.

Serpent’s Tongue

You gain the persuasive power of a master deceiver.

Prerequisite(s): Manifestation level 3rd, fiendish tutelage*.

Gift: You gain a +2 bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks. Once per day when you succeed at a Bluff or Diplomacy check against a creature, you can attempt to influence it as if using suggestion with a caster level equal to your character level and a duration of 1 minute per level. At manifestation level 6th, the bonuses increase to +4.

Stain: Your tongue takes on a serpentlike fork that can’t be hidden by magic, though you can attempt a Disguise check to conceal it. Attempt one Disguise check per interaction, opposed by your opponent’s Perception. Your devil tongue rebels when you work against infernal interests. When you attempt to cast a spell for a chaotic or good cause (as determined by the GM), you have a 20% spell failure chance if it has a verbal components and a –5 penalty on concentration checks if it has a thought component (Occult Adventures 144) .

Tenuous Soul

Your soul feels the constant and increasing pull of Hell.

Gift: You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against emotion and fear spells and effects. You are immune to spells and effects that would trap or destroy your soul except those employed by a devil. At manifestation level 3rd, the bonuses increase to +4.

Stain: You take a –2 penalty on saving throws against spells and effects that would possess you or control your actions. At manifestation level 3rd, the penalty changes to –4.