Path of the Infernal

It is often forgotten that devils are not born.
They are Made.
Devils do not reproduce like a mortal might, as like angels, devils exist beyond the mortal concepts of gender. They don’t create new life through physical means; a new devil only comes into being when a soul has either become sufficiently corrupted or claimed in a bargain. Even still, this effort rarely produces anything more significant than the lowly lemures counting themselves among the lowliest foot soldiers of hell, with no recollection of who or what they were before joining the ranks of Baator’s near limitless cannon fodder. It is not enough to just let one’s soul be taken. One must willingly offer it. It does not matter if you are good nor evil in the end; it only matters what you are willing to give in exchange for a devil’s power. Remember, while devils are often considered vile, wicked things, nearly all serve Asmodeus - and Asmodeus pictures himself to be the ultimate good standing between the rest of the multiverse and the Abyss below, even if his ruminations are steeped in ego and pride. We may never know for sure what Asmodeus’s true motivations are, but there is one thing we can say for certain: over the countless millennia he’s ruled Baator, he has never once hesitated to do whatever he believes is necessary to ensure the Abyss does not run wild across the Chromanexus.
Through some means between you and Gan, your character has gained knowledge of the secret ritual necessary to create a Stanley Cup. All but the lowliest devils have one, so- I have been informed it’s an Infernal Talisman, sorry. Nevertheless, you need one in order to be a devil of any variety beyond “basic”. Often, the knowledge is bartered to you by an existing archdevil with a vested interest in your changes, either believing you have the potential to be either a valuable asset or a worthy adversary. In any case, you’ve learned it and know what needs done to make the talisman.
To accomplish this task, you must craft a conjuration circle and within it, offer yourself as sacrifice. Yes, it will hurt. Yes, you will die. No, it does not matter if you consider yourself good or evil, the process is the same. But like a caterpillar into a butterfly, it is only a transformation. A metamorphosis. You will next awaken, crawling from the depths of the River Styx, baptized in your own blood and the fires of hell, reborn as either an archdevil or an infernal cambion based on just how much you’re willing to give up as part of this pact.

• Becoming an archdevil means abandoning whatever you once were in order to fully transform. You lose all racial traits from your original race (except your ability score improvements), and instead replace them with those traits granted by this path. In addition, you gain a 4th minor brand option (explained below), chosen immediately as part of your transformation.
• Becoming a cambion permits you to retain the essence of what you were while weaving in the power of hell to become something new. You do not gain any of the benefits listed under Infernal Aspect aside from the ability to execute Diabolical Deals, but otherwise gain access to the rest of this path’s features and traits. As part of becoming a cambion, you can choose to change your original race choice to tiefling for thematic purposes.

Congratulations soldier.
You just joined the Blood War.

Infernal Talisman (Echo)

Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
An Infernal Talisman is an ancient artifact the specifics of which no one’s fully sure of. These objects are inscribed with the true name of the devil they are associated with, and normally come at great cost to even just obtain (typically the ritual sacrifice of someone the creator truly loves and even then, the creator must already know the fiend’s true name). Your talisman is no exception, though at least in the beginning, you are the only one who knows of the talisman and what is written upon it. It is worth noting your true name is not necessarily the name you go by. This particular name, inscribed upon your talisman in the infernal tongue, is an inscription of everything you are. Consequently, guarding this knowledge (and the talisman it is inscribed upon) is often the first and most significant priority of any devil who wishes to remain free to make their own choices.
Your talisman can take any form you desire, provided it is no larger than a Small object. Oftentimes, it takes the form of a char-blackened bone taken from your mortal corpse, perhaps your petrified heart, or some other grim reminder of your mortal origins.
The talisman otherwise has no inherent properties or purpose to a creature other than yourself. To you, however, it is the source and locus of all your fiendish powers, putting further significance on making it exceptionally difficult to get a hold of. You are a creature of magic now, and as one, you no longer require an arcane focus to cast a spell you know. How exactly magic manifests in your vicinity is up to you, but consider that devils are often associated with the art of the ritual, and their magic reflects this. For example, most infernal spells take the form of spell circles where the spell is expected to emerge from, such as the ground around where a lightning bolt will strike, or in the sky where a meteor will appear and fall.
Your Infernal Talisman grants you the following Resonance traits:

• Creator (Fiend). Your creature type becomes Fiend (Devil). The exact changes to your appearance are at your discretion, but devils commonly adapt various animalistic features in line with the traits they have developed (even if purely aesthetic) like red or blue skin, horns, bat-like wings, or cloven hooves.
• History (Symbol of Power). There are few creatures who do not recognize an Infernal Talisman for what it does, even if they are not immediately familiar with what it is. A creature aware of your talisman may stop at nothing to try and obtain it, for better or worse.
• Property (Language, Unbreakable). There are many who believe it is in fact devils that were the first to invent language, doing so as a means of communicating with and between other species and races. The only evidence of this is most devils’ innate understanding of all other languages. You can read, speak, and understand any language.
Your Infernal Talisman is immune to all damage and cannot be broken by any means as long as you are alive. While you are dead, the Talisman can only be broken by taking 20 points or more of radiant damage from the same source while inside hallowed grounds.
• Quirk (Covetous). They say that money is the root of all evil. Whether or not that’s true, there is no question that great wealth attracts great power. Hoard magic is evidence enough of that. You find yourself obsessed with material wealth, and will go great lengths to secure more of it.

As you count yourself among those who have willingly chosen to become a fiend, you have gained some of their more common traits as a result of becoming one.

• Fiendish Blessing. Having emerged from the River Styx, you have been reconstructed by the Chromanexus itself as something far more than your run-of-the-mill mortal. The presence of the Spark has further marked you with potential few other devils will ever enjoy. Choose one of the following options to determine how this ultimately manifests in you:
  • Choose one: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. Your Armor Class includes this modifier (minimum 1, maximum 4).
  • You gain a +4 bonus to your Spell Attack Modifier.
• Born for War. You gain the benefits of a Helm of Devil Command. If your spell save DC is higher than the item’s, use it instead.
• Devil Sign. Choose one of the following options:
  • You gain a flying speed of 60 ft.
  • Your speed is increased by 20 ft. This may effect any speed you have.
• Devil Sight. Your eyes have been adapted to the oppressive darkness of Baator. You gain darkvision out to 120 feet if you don’t already have it, and magical darkness no longer impedes your vision.
• Hellish Armaments. As a bonus action on your turn, you can conjure a Hellfire Weapon of your choice to your hands. If you attempt to conjure a second weapon with this feature, the first one vanishes completely. A ranged weapon summoned by this trait magically creates ammunition when none is provided. Ammunition created this way vanishes as soon as it hits or misses.
• Hellish Rebuke. You learn the hellish rebuke spell, and may cast it once per day at a level equal to your proficiency bonus. Once you have used this trait, you cannot use it again until you have completed a short or a long rest (you may still use spell slots to cast the spell normally).
• Indentured Servitude. A creature that knows your true name has advantage on Charisma checks made against you, and you have disadvantage on checks and saving throws made to resist their instructions or commands. If the creature holds an infernal talisman (either your own or one created with your name inscribed on it), you automatically fail instead. You are still welcome to warp and twist the commands to your discretion, potentially turning an order you find displeasing to your advantage, but outright defiance is an impossibility.
At any time, you can cast the word of recall spell. When you do so, you appear in a space within 30 feet of your infernal talisman.
• Infernal Constitution. Regardless of what part of hell you are ultimately stuck in, it is all a miserable, hostile, virulent place. You gain immunity to fire and poison damage, in addition to the poisoned condition.
• Primal Weapons. There is no such thing as a devil without a weapon. Before there were swords and shields, there was tooth and nail. You gain the following natural weapons, which may be used to perform an unarmed strike:
  • Bite. Your teeth are elongated and sharp, hardened sufficiently to pierce flesh, bone, and even armor if needed. On a successful hit, you deal 2d6 piercing damage to the target.
  • Claws. You gain a set of sharpened claws or talons sharp enough to rend and tear through even the thickest hides. On a successful hit, you deal 2d8 slashing damage to the target. Your claws are considered to be coated in adamantine for the purposes of overcoming resistances. If you use your claws to strike an object and hit, the attack is considered a critical hit.
• Silver Tongue. You have advantage on Charisma checks made against creatures that do not have the Fiend creature type. You are immune to effects, magical or otherwise, that can detect whether you are or have spoken a lie.
  

Ability Score Improvement

You may increase your Strength, Intelligence, or Charisma score by 2, or increase two of these scores by 1.

Infernal Aspect

You are a true devil, and the Spark you carry has unlocked the inherent potential to become as great a fiend as the Nine themselves.

The First Sign

When you first join this path, your size immediately increases to Large (refer to Character Size for more general rules on over- or undersized characters). The damage of your natural weapons already reflect this change. An archdevil is typically anywhere between 8 and 15 feet tall, and may weigh anywhere between 500 and 2,000 points.
Additionally, you gain the ability to perform a Diabolical Deal (read more here) with the strength of a Lesser Devil. If you are a cambion, you are required to either perform the deal in Baator or within a summoning circle inscribed with your true name. The Contract Form taken for the deal is at your discretion. Souls you claim appear as soul coins in your inventory, freshly minted from Minauros.

A character following the Path of the Infernal is permitted to replace the results of their weekly Downtime check with souls. In other words, when you perform your Downtime Abbey roll, instead of logging Chromatite earned in your Memorable Moments, you log Soul Coins you've earned in your down time. The specifics of how you came to claim the souls within these coins is intentionally left vague to RP at your own discretion, and the contents of any deals or bargains you may have made with such NPCs are assumed to be so negligible as to not need direct or immediate attention to the exchange beyond what you wish to RP.

The Second Sign

After you have claimed your 100th soul (either through the use of your Hellish Armament feature or executing Diabolical Deals), you gain an archfiend’s improved vigor and regenerative abilities. At the beginning of each of your turns, you recover hit points equal to your character level. If you take cold or radiant damage, this effect is suppressed until the end of your next turn.
If you are reduced to 0 hit points, you are still knocked unconscious and make death saving throws as normal. If you are stabilized, you regain consciousness as soon as this property has healed you back to full health. Failing three death saves does not kill you, but you otherwise remain unconscious for the next 1d4 hours.
If an effect would kill you while you are on any plane other than Baator, you do not die. Instead, you are resurrected 1d6 days later in Avernus, emerging from the River Styx with no precise recollection of who, how, or when you died. This effect does not occur if you are already in Baator when you die (though you may still be resurrected by other creatures). In this case, you are simply dead.
Your power has also increased. When making a Diabolical Deal, you may do so with the strength of a Greater Devil.

The Third Sign

After having claimed 10,000 souls, you gain the strength of a true archfiend. When making a Diabolical Deal, you may offer anything an Archdevil can offer. Additionally, you gain the Blessing of Stygian Descent as listed on the Blessings & Charms list, which does not count against your number of received blessings.

• If you choose to offer a blessing or charm, you may offer anything from the Blessings & Charms list and ignore its prerequisites.
• For the purposes of this deal, if the target requests valuable information that can’t be acquired by other means, you may learn the information as if by the effects of the legend lore spell. The extent of what you may learn is entirely based on what the target offers you in exchange for the deal, rather than your own familiarity with the subject. You must still ping a staff member to confirm what information is available or learned.

If you undergo Rejuvenation, these traits persist even after your level has been reset.

Brands

Surrendering Infernal Power

One does not simply give up the power and form of a devil. While it is a rarity among devil-kind to wish to return to mortality, it is not entirely unheard of. It is as simple as convincing someone to willingly cast a Wish spell in order to recreate and return you to your mortal body. Once this is done you lose your infernal powers and become a mortal once more. Well, of course there is one small hiccup of course in that your soul is still imprisoned within the Vault of Souls in Nessus. While it is not exactly impossible to get into the Vault as a few powerful devils possess back doors for reaching it, getting out is another thing entirely. If you truly wish to give up the powers of Baator and return to your original form you will need the assistance of a powerful devil in order to enter the Vault of Souls and escape with your soul.