Dragged Off to Hell: Difference between revisions
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== Tabletop Games ==
* A common plot device in any RPG with fantastic bend. Some ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' modules have this befalling the [[Big Bad]] of the story, half the time due to a botched attempt to summon something from the Nine Hells / The Abyss / what-have-you.
** In 4E, several Warlock powers (such as the epic-level Hurl Through Hell) have this effect. It's (usually) not final for the unfortunate target. But even a drop-by to a local Cthulhu might be unhealthy to the mind. In game terms, Hurl Through Hell does 10 to 70 points of damage to the victim - usually enough to kill him, but if it doesn't, he is returned to the mortal world, likely scared, but alive. The Warlock casting the spell can use a minor action to delay the victim's return for one combat round, but no more than three times, and using a minor action isn't always easy; it depends on a lot of factors.
** An Epic Level Spell mentioned in the Epic Level Handbook called ''Damnation'' is far more powerful. This not only sends the victim to Hell, it prevents him from trying to leave for twenty hours, convincing him that he is dead and has been sent to Hell as punishment for a life of sin. Even if he survives by the time the twenty hours expire, he has to find a way to escape on his own. Naturally, being an Epic Level Spell, this isn't easy to learn, much less cast. It has a Spellcraft DC of 97 which means, as far as Epic Spells go, seriously difficult to learn.
** There is an incredibly rare and powerful magical item (considered a minor artifact in most editions) called a ''Talisman of Pure Good'' which can inflict this fate upon an evil divine spellcaster. However, only the purest and most faithful of good divine spellcasters can actually use it. There is also a ''Talisman of Ultimate Evil'', a device that does the opposite. Both these devices can only be used a limited number of times, and if one appears in a module, it usually has two charges - at most - remaining.
* [[Exalted]] have this as the backstory of ''any and all'' [[Deal with the Devil|Green Sun Princes]]. Writing the details will necessitate several gallons of [[Brain Bleach]], but let's just say that it involves being eaten alive by demons and then having your body reconstituted with the essence of Hell.
* [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]] has several spells that cause this effect - mostly Chaos (specifically [[The Chessmaster|Tzeentchian]] spells) but also some like the Lore of Life spell ''The Dwellers Below'', which has the spirits of nature itself drag victims through the ground to an unknown, but definitely nasty, fate.
* The [[New World of Darkness]] book ''Inferno'' introduces Hell and its metaphysics to the setting. It's perfectly possible to open a gate to Hell... but when it pops open, everyone in the immediate vicinity has to fight not to get dragged in (and if they fail, there's no coming back). It also happens in a metaphysical sense, as everyone who looks on the mouth of Hell has to make a Morality check - not because they did anything wrong, but because [[Go Mad from the Revelation|they stared into the incarnation of all sin]], and that can screw with even saints.
== Theater ==
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