Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ShotgunSaint 09-21-07, 02:04 PM	Okay, so we've recently started a low-level gestalt game. We made the grave mistake of doing some work with Mephistopheles, and now we have to make it back through to Mephistar in order to collect payment. The writ we received before our work began protected us from the biting cold, but now we want to get back through Cania to collect our rather sizable reward, and the writ has expired since the contract has been fulfilled. I don't know why we didn't see this coming, we've all been dealing with fiends for years, lol. So I'm a Warlock/Ranger 3 with maxed out UMD. My partner's a Tiefling Wizard/Monk 2. We'll have another PC in the party (at least) next time we attempt this, but I don't know what classes they will be. With luck, a Rogue/Cleric, but that's up to the other player(s). Anyway, what I've got so far is that we'll each need 12th level scrolls of resist energy to get us resistance of 30 for 2 hours. Given the location of the portal we know of, that should be enough to get us through to meet with him. Other than that, I'm at a loss. Even with average damage every round, we're still taking 5 points each round, which is a lot of damage in the 2 hours or so it'll take us to get there (it is 10d6 per round isn't it?). Any ideas?
Squidfriend 09-21-07, 07:22 PM	Dude, how did you get there in the first place? And on what terms are you no with the locals? I'm no expert, but if you can live through the 3d10 cold damage and avoid the Lord of the seventh and his cronies, you'll be fine.
_Nova_ 09-22-07, 10:32 AM	Lord of the seventh??? CANIA??? man I think Mephistopheles would take offense :P and I dont know either...about surviving in Cania at such low levels... How did you ended up there? Were you guys invited by Mephisto or any other high ranked devils? Do you have a signed right of passage and proper papers to actually be in here? Else...at such low levels...Baator's police will get you soon, if the cold itself doesnt Cania aint the best touristic spot around
ShotgunSaint 09-24-07, 10:18 AM	Lord of the seventh??? CANIA??? man I think Mephistopheles would take offense :P and I dont know either...about surviving in Cania at such low levels... How did you ended up there? Were you guys invited by Mephisto or any other high ranked devils? Do you have a signed right of passage and proper papers to actually be in here? Else...at such low levels...Baator's police will get you soon, if the cold itself doesnt Cania aint the best touristic spot around Yes, we were a bunch of nobodies living in the Cage, and were just recruited to do some obviously menial task for Mephistopheles. We were given a writ of passage that protected us from the cold of the layer, but that has expired since we fulfilled the terms of the agreement. Now we have to get back with no protection so we can collect our payment. And the damage for exposure in Cania is 10d6 per minute with no save... and that's our main problem. The denizens we can run away from and bluff, for the most part. The cold... well, it's not so persuadable :)
vegetalss4 09-26-07, 03:52 PM	dont do it. keep the contract be higher levels then you can. OR you could sing an other contract with Mephistopheles about being able to go there. maybe for doing an other job (be carefull you are at a large risk of being trapped in a devil's servise) thats my idea but i belive you just should do nothing
Andorxor 09-28-07, 04:00 AM	Hire something with the cold subtype,like a ice mephit and send it to collect your payment.
Arscura 09-28-07, 09:10 AM	Hire something with the cold subtype,like a ice mephit and send it to collect your payment. That won't return ;) I am with the others... So to say in your campaign style: 'You acted like a bunch of clueless sods from the Prime. What happened with you? Did the Hammerheads rattle your brains a few too many times for your petty crimes or did you stare into the Ladies' Gaze and lost your wits? Really, you first ought to think before your rattle your bone box and take on a contract with some abashai, or what was it? You are barmier than a Chaosman. Take my advice and either see an Advocate or Guvner to see if something can be done or leave the contract as it is.' (pure RP, no offense meant) Hammerheads = Harmonium Chaosman = Xiaositects Guvner = Fraternity of Order. The last one governs laws, they may see a mistake in Mephistopheles one, like: 'The contract isn't over, because it states a payment. Thus the contract is valid untill the payment and should not be nullified. With enough belief in this it should be active again.' As such again you can travel on Cania with protection again... problem is, you are a bit stuck when he gives the payment, which will probalby cause Mephistopheles to either grin and probably make you do another thing. Spinning you into his web of lies. Would give you your reward though. This is strictly taken that your DM follows the Planescape setting with the 'belief is power' idea behind it.
Ornum 09-28-07, 09:21 AM	The last one governs laws, they may see a mistake in Mephistopheles one, like: 'The contract isn't over, because it states a payment. Thus the contract is valid untill the payment and should not be nullified. With enough belief in this it should be active again.' As such again you can travel on Cania with protection again... problem is, you are a bit stuck when he gives the payment, which will probalby cause Mephistopheles to either grin and probably make you do another thing. Spinning you into his web of lies. Would give you your reward though. This is strictly taken that your DM follows the Planescape setting with the 'belief is power' idea behind it. As a DM, this is probably what I would do. First, make them think the contract no longer protects them, then they find what they think is a loophole because they haven't been paid yet, then have the contract re-establish its protection clause, only to quit again as soon as they are paid by Mephistopheles, forcing them to possibly take on yet another task for the Lord of the Eighth. It's all part of his plan of further ensnaring them, of course. Sure, it's a bit cheap, but I would think that Mephistopheles is quite capable of using such simple tactics if the PC's can be so easily duped.
Igfig 09-28-07, 09:23 AM	I guess you're using a house-ruled version of Cania, since in the Manual of the Planes Cania deals only 3d10 per round. That said, I think your best bet is the spell Attune Form, from the Spell Compendium. It will protect you for 24 hours.
ShotgunSaint 09-28-07, 01:58 PM	I guess you're using a house-ruled version of Cania, since in the Manual of the Planes Cania deals only 3d10 per round. That said, I think your best bet is the spell Attune Form, from the Spell Compendium. It will protect you for 24 hours. Ooh, I'll have to look at that one. Using the DM's books against him! But no, in the Fiendish Codex II it lists Cania's cold damage as 10d6 per minute, which is kinda harsh. What level spell is that?
Igfig 10-02-07, 12:50 PM	Oh hey, so it is. Huh. But I believe it's Clr 3, Drd 3, Sor/Wiz 4. I could be a tad off, but it's in that ballpark.
Andorxor 10-02-07, 03:27 PM	You need a lawyer.Buy a "contact planes" and ask for a Kolyarut to collect the payment.
Wight_Chocolate 10-02-07, 07:04 PM	The trick to surviving Cania (or indeed, any inhospitable plane) is to leave as quickly as possible. As soon as you step through that gate, turn right around and step back out again. Congratulations, you have now survived Cania and can boast of as much without pinging any sort of falsehood-detecting magic. Seriously though, I'd just let it go. Even if you make it and collect your reward, from that point on there's nothing at all stopping Mephistopheles from grinding your immortal souls into a metaphorical cheese grater for getting on his nerves. And getting on Mephistopheles' nerves ranks about as high as "drawing breath" in the big list of things that are really easy to do.
ShotgunSaint 10-02-07, 09:22 PM	Actually, from what we gathered (and from what my drunk DM told me after we realized we were screwed), was that if we managed to make it back, he'd honor the contract (obviously, since he's LE), and that he'd probably be fairly impressed. Being a warlock, I'm dying to get into that Hellfire Warlock prestige class, and this is the man I need to impress in order to do it, lol. I had thought about going back to the area in Sigil in which we were recruited, and trying to get back into his service, using bluff or diplomacy as needed. One of those writs offering employment is what kept us safe the first time.
setekh 10-03-07, 07:12 AM	You need a lawyer.Buy a "contact planes" and ask for a Kolyarut to collect the payment. I think this is your best bet -Assuming of course that the Kolyarut will help you (I could easily see it saying that no law breaking has been made, as you haven't actually been refused the reward or anything?)
Calmar 10-04-07, 02:48 PM	Could anyone explain a greenie like me how such a contract can protect you from harmful planar environments? That sound really cool, but I'd think this thing would automatically work until the deal is done, wouldn't it? :)
ShotgunSaint 10-05-07, 08:49 AM	Could anyone explain a greenie like me how such a contract can protect you from harmful planar environments? That sound really cool, but I'd think this thing would automatically work until the deal is done, wouldn't it? :) Well, it says in Fiendish Codex II that such writs granting work protect you from the biting cold in Cania and some of them even keep the nasty devils away. And no, that was the devilish twist in the contract... how we were tricked... the contract was fulfilled, which cancelled the writ.