Tests, Trials and Tributes - Hell's Price of Passage

When travelling the hells - gatekeeper devils and ferrymen are prone to demanding things to pass. While most devils are prone to receiving bribes devils on duty have specific orders and fees for mortals to pass. Trying to pass without permission sounds alarms and more devils are called. Illegal gatecrashers will be hunted by dedicated teams of devil prefects, trained monsters or even mercenary demons or other entities. Each such unlawful passage sends another group of hunters. If caught or better still if the gatecrashers surrender themselves to the diabolic court. The court will inflict a greater penalty or a additional penalty but if the crashers cooperate they may be shown some leniency.

If one team of hunters cannot arrest the escapees then another is sent. If that fails diabolic nobility will meet and debate how to stop the escapees possibly sending a large military force led by diabolic nobility or awaken some ancient primal evil entity or even even request the gods send something to punish them. Once the gods are defied some kind of demigod or divine monster will be sent and if that fails the gods will begin to kill family members, curse kingdoms and unleash disasters on their families and homelands. Surrendering to the gods mercy at this point means a quick death.

The fees of goods, moral tests and challenges are made to be unpleasant and to wear down the resistance of

Hunters are specialists who often carry chains and whips and like to howl fiercley and rage acros the land hunting their victim and harassing locals as to their prey's warehouse. When they have caught their victim and have them in chains they torment and humiliate them all the way back to their lord who sent the hunters or possibly the diabolic courthouse or possibly guild hall.

d12 Hunters of Hell

01 A greater Devil with a dozen minions

02 A greater devil riding a dragon
03 A unique greater devil with a score of lesser devils
04 A unique greater devil leading a dozen erinyes
05 A fallen noble of hell seeking atonement with a dozen devil followers
06 A pair of pit fiend siblings 
07 A pit fiend with a score of lesser devils or hellounds
08 A nighthag riding a nightmare with a d4 followers
09 A pack of spectral hounds led by a spectra devil
10 A score of mercenary lesser demons
11 A dozen mercenary lesser demons led by a greater demon
12 A greater mercenary daemon, slaad or fallen angel 

Costs of passage need to hurt somebody. Either the traveller or to make the traveller harm someone to degrade their moral status. Stuff that doesn't seem so bad should actually be worse. The devil testing the travellers will often show visions of the consequences of your choice. Devils will encourage you to justify your choice reminding you only chaos would randomly decide with no effort. Devil might also suggest you try to atone for your evil choices after you leave hell or to accept your fate and join hell. Atonement might include making holy quest to gain good gods forgiveness of find where in world tests effected and try to fix the problem.

Some requests act out scenarios seemingly in the real world. These could be a familiar place at home, a distant land, a dreamworld, alternate word or different time period. Whatever easiest for the game master but consequences affecting your campaign setting is more effective.

d10 Quick Cost of Passage Types
1 Sacrifice - some kind of victim or goods given to the gatekeeper*
2 Quest - may include transporting the person elsewhere just to fulfill the quest
3 Moral Dilemma - forcing the traveller to make a choice between two bad moral outcomes
4 Terrible Gamble - choices or gambles with all outcomes poor
5 Unholy Bargain - accept a the least worst outcome
6 Trial by might - battle for right to pass but foes might have own motivations
7 Defeat evil custom - strange custom forces unpleasant decision
8 Twisted love - diabolic twists of passion to torment through love
9 Lie for the Prize - forced to lie or deceive someone
10 Take on a burden - bear a terrible curse
*Body parts sacrificed are also parts of your soul, cannot be healed even if reincarnated will be missing body parts

d100 Price of Passage

01 Sacrifice a item of clothing of the devils choice preferably magic first

02 Sacrifice a item or weapon of the devils choice preferably magic first
03 Sacrifice a small body part such as a nose, ear or finger, will not regenerate
04 Sacrifice a small body part such as a hand, eye, breast or genitals, will not regenerate
05 Sacrifice a limb like a arm or a leg, will not regenerate
06 Sacrifice one attribute point
07 Sacrifice ten percent of all your wealth including land and wealth at home
08 Sacrifice a soul which could be your own or a followers
09 Sacrifice your first born or next most available child
10 Sacrifice a tithe of 10% you make from now on
11 Assassinate a renegade or treasonous unique devil noble
12 Assassinate a band of renegade demons
13 Assassinate a band of adventurers who dared gatecrash one of hell's barriers
14 Promise to assassinate a human ruler in the mortal world
15 Kill a wizard and return any diabolic medallions and true names they have to hell
16 Perform action to interfere in the life of someone trying to cheat a contract with hell 
17 Beat up someone who stole from coffers of hell and take back the cash 
18 Burn down the home of someone by surprise at n ight, no reason given
19 Spend 100 cursed red gold pieces across some innocent backwater village
20 Steal poor box coin collection and tithings from a impoverished church
21 Asked if elderly family member or innocent child should be thrown into sulphur pit
22 Asked if town hall full of  elders meeting or a orphanage should be burned down
23 Choose fate of dead loved ones eternally burned in hellfire or tortured
24 Take baby from bed and give to devils or it will grow to be evil tyrant according to devils  
25 Choose one of three evil men to be taken by devils, a king, a warlord or a wizard
26 Asked to dispose of sack of puppies in well, if live grow into evil killer hellhounds
27 Offered a wish from a duke of hell, will be granted but terrible costs or can be refused
28 Must choose if terrible past crime is exposed possibly destabilizing a kingdom
29 Person tortured by devils should they be forgiven and reborn or tormented forever?
30 Given chance to bribe corrupt judge to free a innocent man or they will be executed
31 Three babies in three of six chests, travellers must pick which three chests to burn
32 Draw a chit from a cauldron to determine which maiden is to be fed to a dragon
33 Asked which of two ships should be sunk with very little observable differences 
34 Must take on a diabolic mutation d6 1-4=lesser 5-6=major
35 Draw a chit from one of six containers one does not have venomous snake or spider
36 Help orphan pick one of three doors to pass through, if child lives evil nature revealed 
37 Drink a soul tainting potion that if fail magic save will convert you to lawful evil
38 Choose to spare several innocent looking victims or a monster egg will appear and hatch
39 False evidence which will be planted incriminating three men or they can be killed now
40 Choose from two bound angels the good will be destroyed, the fallen one will be free
41 Release a ancient elder evil to stop another possibly worse one
42 Imprison ancient elder evil by binding into your body, gain major diabolic mutation 
43 A monster will be unleashed on earth if traveller chooses to continue
44 Offered lenses which make you see everything as wonderful and nice till the next test
45 Offered visions of the afterlife and spiritual evolution of who you kill till the next test
46 Any blood you spill till the next test spawns tiny creatures according to alignment
47 Kill a demon which has imprisoned a devil releasing the captive
48 Choose from two enchanted rods, evil one given to duke of hell or good one destroyed
49 Destroy a relic sought by alien evil wizard who is a enemy of hell
50 Accept a personal Imp familiar as a guide, if killed will be replaced
51 Battle a elder dragon to pass from the dragonspawn pits
52 Battle a evil titan to pass or they are released from torments
53 Battle a noble of hell and bodyguards to pass
54 Get past a evil god allied to powers of hell
55 Battle imprisoned evil giants to pass or they get released
56 Battle diabolice anti heroes in service to hell, long ago sold their souls
57 Battle band of demon mercenaries fighting to be free of contract
58 Battle deathknights riding knightmares who's souls were lost to hell
59 Battle spectres, wraiths, shadows and ghosts damned to torment in hell
60 Battle colossal monster of the infernal pit of kaiju proportions
61 Allow yourself to be tormented by devilish minions till scarred and unconscious
62 A wounded devil insists on wound being healed or they will die forever
63 Claim cursed dreadful relics each with a particular doom until next test
64 Be transformed into hideous being until next test
65 Nominate a loved one to enter into hells bondage as hostage to pass
66 Nominate a fallen foe to forgive and be released from hell
67 Charged by armoured enemies who turn out to be innocents in disguise
68 Accept a terrible lie or gossip about yourself to be spread at home while in hell
69 Must formally denounce a oath or allegiance to nation, lord, race or faith to pass
70 Must lose a battle and fight till you drop against champion of hell who will boast of deed
71 Forced to marry youths who are somewhat unwilling whose families owe hell
72 Sleep with attractive youths really siblings, friends spouses or close relatives transformed
73 Seduce attractive youth actually devil, dark faerie, hags or witches
74 Fornicate with incubi and succubi and conceive demon hybrid children to be given to hell
75 Denounce your true love revealed to you in vision by devils, lover left broken
76 Witches take your blood and seed to create a vile monster offspring to loose on world
77 Seduce unwilling, chaste or sworn to celibacy mortal chosen by devils
78 Visions of lover or loved one in great peril through a gateway must be ignored
79 Youth demands love and if spurned devil shows future where youth dies of broken heart 
80 Ruin the love between two people with false evidence of scandal
81 Asked to lie and present false evidence in a court to condemn a innocent man 
82 Asked to swear a oath to a good and kind king then betray him to enemies
83 Confronted by paladins who accuse you of evil which you must take credit for84 Bring a man false news his family are dead and fortune ruined sending him into despair
85 Deliver letter to king who is horrified by news and declares war on neighboring land
86 Distribute dungeon maps to adventurers actually gateways to trap them in hell
87 Distribute counterfeit hoard of wealth in a town that destroys community
88 Help a evil gang of smugglers get their huge addictive drug cargo past customs
89 Distribute plague carrying blankets to frontier tribes people and poison waterholes
90 Spread rumours of a gold rush or easy dungeons on frontier too poor city slums
91 Adopt a hellcat as a pet, confidant and adviser which will slowly try and twist traveller 
92 Gain a magical tattoo that can be used to call a devil or hellhound or imprisoned inside
93 Every battle or fight where you kill you must dedicate a slain soul to the hells
94 Devils require you to babysit a d4-1 screaming larvae each week
95 Hell requires you to raise a evil child as your own, welcome to try and change them
96 Given a seed to take home and plant that grows into a hellmouth gate
97 Given a hell weapon that is intelligent, cursed, effective and has a devils soul inside
98 Given a erinyes devil to use as a torturer, hunter of enemies and even a lover
99 Asked to carry a evil relic to mortal world and give to secret cult
100 Taught a truename to call a evil god for help you when you are in danger allowing them to come and go as they please after the call