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Old 10-19-2012, 07:30 PM   #101
Jason
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Boston, MA
Default Re: Customizing the Revelations Cycle

Well, we finished it off. Highlights reel for those following from home:

Giving the PCs agency in how Khalid responds to Malphas: The PCs finally tried to appeal to Khalid's sense of faith -- rather than his sense of logic -- to suggest that the Apocalypse might not need to come right now. That gave him just enough of a push to tell Malphas to screw off. I wanted there to be a confrontation at Magog's prison, however, so the next day, Kobal came by disguised as (male) Gabriel, telling Khalid that this whole thing has been a test from Allah, and he did ever so well! But now they should kill the ancient evil before someone else has a chance to free it! Khalid SO wanted to believe that Gabriel had been part of some big long con that he gave the location of the prison, and then sent the PCs there, much as in the book.

Determining whether Magog escapes: At the prison, I decided that everyone would have three turns each to act before Khalid showed up with Gabriel. The demons needed to strike the prison's seal five times between them to break it and unleash Magog. Only one of the PCs was smart enough to do everything in her power to block them from the seal (including some very clever use of Corporeal Shields). The rest, however, were too excited for a fight scene, so the demons cleared the smart one out of the way with resonances and Possession and finally broke through right before the Archangels arrived to mess up their party. Magog escaped, a bunch more Archangels showed up, Dominic was ******, and the PCs had their chance to explain what the hell Khalid was up to.

Determining whether Khalid would Fall: I had been keeping a running tally on two lists. One list was all the stuff that would make Khalid likely to Fall. (Did he tell Malphas where to find Magog? Did the PCs actively attack him or his followers, reinforcing his sense that the Host was against him?) The other was all the stuff that would make Khalid likely to humbly rejoin the Host. (Did any of the PCs demonstrate their faith in his orders by getting killed in battle? Did all of the PCs vouch for his potential to do right? And so on.) In the end, the two lists were tied. Khalid rejoined the Host humbly but uneasily.

Playing the 5th Trumpet (or lack thereof): I dug some of the ideas posed in the book and in this thread (like letting players play Archangels), but in the end, this turned out to be the "parlor scene" of the mystery, where the PCs got to present their findings to the Seraphim Council and argue that the Apocalypse was contrived by manipulative demons. And it worked! The PCs still had the task of persuading the Demonic Princes not to go to war, though, emboldened as they were by the ostensible Fall of the Malakim. So, Nisroc, Angel of Spies, pulled them aside for a covert op behind enemy lines, guided by Azrael, the Grigori Archangel of Death himself, who still owed them a boon.

Going to Hell: I really wish we'd spent more time on this part, as infiltrating Hell feels like it should've been harder. The players seemed happy enough, though, and through Uzal, they did indeed have an ally willing to break the rules and help them get directly to the Lower Hells by following him to his Heart. The PCs helped Maximillian escape while Kobal had to face Azrael, an unexpectedly-appearing legion of angels of Death, and Khalid -- summoned at the last moment by the PCs. The PCs got the Malakite (still an angel, if a bit crazy around the edges) to Michael, who paraded him in front of the Princes at their corporeal meeting spot, and publicly mocked Malphas and Kobal for getting beaten by a bunch of lowly servitors. Good times.

The aftermath in summary: After averting the Apocalypse, the PCs can basically join whatever Archangel they want now, and most will be getting distinctions. Khalid is still missing (which seemed a fitting complication considering being "tied" between my lists above). Magog is now free, and will be a pain in the arse soon. Malphas and Kobal are not very popular right now, and Uzal may be on the fast track to getting a Principality of his own to make the two of them chafe even more. (Would Lucifer let anybody else have a Word like Rebellion or Defiance, I wonder?) And, probably most significantly, Dominic has decreed that the Grigori have served their sentence, and are invited to rejoin the Host if they so choose.

I'm still open to feedback -- especially if you have any ideas for how in the world to keep things exciting AFTER you've averted the apocalypse -- so feel free to chime in. Beyond that, though, that's about all I had to say on my efforts to customize the Revelations Cycle. If you're considering running these adventures yourself yourself, I hope this thread helps spark some ideas. Whatever the case, thanks for reading, and thanks especially for all the input along the way.
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Old 10-19-2012, 08:07 PM   #102
Archangel Beth
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Default Re: Customizing the Revelations Cycle

That sounds like a really awesome session/campaign!
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Old 10-19-2012, 11:25 PM   #103
Jason
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Boston, MA
Default Re: Customizing the Revelations Cycle

Thanks! It was my first time running a multi-part adventure from supplements, now that I think about it, so thanks to SJG for publishing stuff that actually made me want to try that for a change.
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