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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9088792" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/TaIrtGC.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />The PCs are now 17th level, meaning that the pure casting classes get access to 9th level spells. The book has a sidebar for how to handle several of them in play: Gate can be used to summon Elders beyond the limits for a mission, but with the drawback that they will leave play after the mission ends. True Resurrection can do the same thing in “summoning” an Elder who hasn’t already left for Heaven. Imprisonment can be used to bind a Horseman back to the Scroll of Seven Seals, but its casting time of 1 minute means that it can’t be deployed in conventional combat without a clever plan.And what of Wish, the most powerful spell in the game? Well, the book just says that it can perform one or more of the above abilities, which…is kind of a letdown. I mean, what happens when a PC tries to Wish for all the surviving humans on Earth to get transported to a new, safer planet or to travel back in time and warn Heaven about Wormwood? The spell is incredibly open-ended.After defending the Citadel, Michael will return and report on casualties back on Earth, along with the fact that the Antichrist is now a stronger monster known as the Beast who all the demons are now serving. During the next long rest, the Book of Souls will motion the party to return to the Garden of Eden. The Tree of Life’s vow of protection for the Woman and her Child is nearing its end, and it summoned the party here to safeguard the Garden from the Horseman of Famine. A giant spectral bowl appears in the sky, another prophetic sign that will take the form of lair actions as it pours all sorts of things onto the battlefield, from blasts of scorching fire to acidic blood that affects enemy and ally alike.Much like Conquest, Famine’s arrival is preceded by two waves of demons, and the Woman will aid the party via a single special ability such as Restore Faith before disappearing. Conversely the Tree of Life is in for the long haul, and while immobile it does have its own stats and Famine and the demons seek to kill it. In terms of mechanics the Tree of Life is a hardy creature with Legendary Resistance but no Legendary Actions, and primarily casts healing and battlefield control spells but possesses no inherent means of damaging enemies on its own. It is vulnerable to necrotic damage, a damage type that Famine and one of the demons (a Fallen Virtue, like the celestial of the same name but unleashes bursts of necrotic enemy and can reverse healing/damaging spells to do the opposite as a reaction) possess.In regards to Famine’s stats, they* are the spellcaster of the Four Horsemen, having up to 9th level spell slots with a preference for damaging and debilitating magic such as Blindness/Deafness, Blight, and Wall of Thorns. Famine has no standard default attacks, in which case it would rely on either Poison Spray or Thorn Whip Cantrips. Once again there’s some slight errors in the stat block, of being CR 24 but with a Proficiency Bonus of +7 instead of +8, and their 11 Dexterity has a +1 modifier. As a reaction Famine can automatically summon twig blights whenever they are damaged by a spell, which individually aren’t a threat to the players but I imagine if their numbers add up enough they can do some damage to the tree.*The book more or less says that this Horseman is nonbinary due to starvation affecting everyone. So what does that say about Conquest and War, who are male and female respectively?The plot presumes that the PCs save the Tree of Life, and once the Horseman is bound back into the scroll the Tree will offer the party the Talisman of the First Earth for safekeeping. Much like the Talisman of the First Sea, it summons a monster of legend, in this case the Behemoth. The book notes that whether or not the Tree of Life survives is actually not of consequence, as the world (and thus all life) will end anyway and the PCs will find the Talisman among the Tree’s desiccated remains. Which honestly is yet another letdown, as it really makes this chapter and the other ones fill a lot like Boss Rush filler.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/Dkq8qqT.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />The PCs are level 18, and they have one more Horseman to go. In this case, it is Death, aka the Horseman formerly known as Azrael. He is waiting for them at World’s End, and Sophia will want to accompany the party. But when the PCs arrive, Death is in fact using a skeletal double double known as the Avatar of Death, who is surrounded by a half-dozen shadowy canines (dire wolves) in an attempt to get the party to expend their best resources before the real fight. However, the PCs have their own ace up their sleeve: if a character has the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in their possession, only that character can make a DC 25 Persuasion check for the Horseman to voluntarily surrender and be absorbed back into the scroll. Even if the check fails, the shred of the old Azrael will have sentimental feelings and be unable to attack that PC if he fails a DC 25 Wisdom save, being forced to choose another target.When it comes to stats, the Horseman’s body double (Avatar of Death) is a pretty hefty foe all its own, a CR 18 creature with 189 hit points, a small amount of death-themed spells of limited use in actual combat (Speak with Dead, Gentle Repose) and two which are (Chill Touch and Circle of Death). The only major offensive feature is attacking with a Scythe of Death, along with legendary actions including a 3 action Reap that instakills anyone with 50 or less hit points. As for the Horseman himself, he alone among the four has a fly speed, has Legendary Resistance as well as Legendary Actions, more powerful death-themed spells such as Power Word Kill and Finger of Death, can make a ranged necrotic bolt spell that autohits anyone within 120 feet in addition to typical melee reaper scythe attacks, and his Legendary Actions include a single-target stun where he asks the target “have you lived a good life?” along with multi-target wing buffets and summoning beasts of shadow to attack the characters.Also, the Horseman of Death has abilities that are extra-deadly to undead, such as an aura that destroys all undead of CR 2 or lower, but honestly speaking those won’t come up in a typical campaign unless one of your PCs is making liberal use of Animate Dead and similar magic…which doesn’t sound very Christian to be honest.If for whatever reason the PCs waste several days before meeting with Death (the Book of Souls tells the party where he is waiting), he will get more Lair Actions to use in the fight that reflect the gradual disintegration of Earth and the cosmos, such as the sun exploding with the effects of a Sunburst spell that affects everyone in battle or the friggin moon falling on Earth and forcefully hurling all combatants into the void of space from the force of the impact. And if Wormwood is still alive and/or free, he will appear on the battlefield to start unlocking the celestial prison cells, releasing powerful archdemons that rise into the darkness and will reappear as additional waves of foes during the Battle of Armageddon.Once the PCs deal with Death by words or by force, the heat death of the universe comes around and the Physical Realm comes to a true, final end. The PCs end up in their own 1 on 1 scenes, even for the PCs who died during combat. Like the Consequence encounters in Chapter 2, these ones give rewards upon resolution, with all but two giving a unique magic item, and the remaining two allowing a PC to modify or remove their Eternal Trait in a roleplay scene with a vision of Azrael or the Woman. The magic items include a Scroll of Bittersweetness (can be eaten to permanently raise a mental ability score by 2, but are poisoned for 24 hours), Censer of Intercession (can cast Storm of Vengeance, but has to be ‘recharged’ by answering the prayers of mortals in need of guidance, including a random d8 table of sample results such as a widow worrying about feeding her children), Azrael’s Scythe of Death,* and a Gift of the Spirit (not a magic item but a spiritual boon in line with a moral virtue, such as a Gift of Understanding granting truesight out to 60 feet and either proficiency or expertise in Religion depending upon whether or not existing proficiency in that skill is possessed).*The Scythe has the same stats as the one in Azrael’s stat block. However, when wielded by a PC, if they would die they can choose to offer their soul as a vessel to the weapon, whereupon the PC becomes an Avatar of Death and uses that creature’s stat block, and the transformation is irreversible. Although a powerful creature, since the PC no longer has class levels or can level up its effectiveness really depends on their original class and build.The vision with Azrael is particularly sweet, where the PC is sitting with him next to a fireplace as the angel reads his favorite book, asking the character if he knows why Edmund is his favorite character. The reason is that he’s the only one who shows growth as a result of his actions, eventually redeeming himself in the story. And that is the path that Azrael is hoping for the PCs, too.Once they’re back at the Citadel (with or without Sophia depending on whether she died and wasn’t resurrection),* the PCs are tasked with restoring the three remaining seals as part of their next lampstand mission from God. God also warns the PCs that the Beast’s forces have seized Jerusalem. The last three seals are relatively simple; a spellcaster expending a spell slot corresponding to the seal number (5-7) does the job, but the book notes if the party has no qualifying characters…that this part can just be skipped, lol.*That brings up some questions about the immortal state of celestials in this setting.Once the Scroll is back to normal, the PCs are transported back to Heaven, mere seconds after Jesus announced that the party should be back before he reaches the door and people are still shocked about Wormwood’s betrayal. Even so, the events at the Citadel and elsewhere in the universe have already come to pass, and Jesus is sad for the lives lost. With everyone expecting Jesus to open the scrolls and use its powers for good, he hesitates and ponders the meaning of worthiness, asking the PCs what they think it means to be worthy. Just as the characters answer, Michael appears suddenly with news that the Beast’s forces have taken both Jerusalem and the nearby fortress of Tel Megiddo. This is the climactic crux of the war, where the PCs are summoned to a council of Archangels (they have the honors of attending due to their relationship with Azrael, who was once on the council himself) and battle plans are drawn out to prepare to take back Jerusalem.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/ZFPi6C5.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />What, did you think this Boss Rush was done because the Four Horsemen are gone? Think again! While the PCs rest and sleep before the big Battle of Armageddon, they are drawn into the nightmare realm of Babylon, Mother of Abominations. She is an enigma that draws power from the fears and doubts of mortals, and her domain is its very own Realm. A Dream Realm, if you will. Unlike most of the other fights in this campaign, a Total Party Kill here isn’t necessarily a Game Over. They will reawaken without any damage, but any Curses gained during this chapter stay with them as a long-term debuff but can be magically healed. Instead, the fight against Babylon here is more of a battle against one’s own worse nature.Before the PCs fight Babylon, they embark on a series of individual Dream Scene encounters from a 1d20 table forming a greater skill challenge. They must get a total of 7 successes, and failure during these encounters can take various forms but each has the DM give a private note handout of a question expressing some kind of doubt in relation to the encounter. For example, one encounter has a PC standing at the trial of Jesus, where like with Peter the Apostle a person in the crowd will accuse the PC of knowing Jesus. The PC must succeed on a DC 21 Charisma save to overcome their own fear from the hostile crowd, or else deny knowing Jesus and getting a “Could I Have Done Any Better?” handout. One of these encounters calls back to the teenager in the church/synagogue way back at the beginning of the adventure, where the girl sees the PC and recognizes them. After some roleplay she reveals some general info about the Dream Realm and who Babylon is. This scene has no skill challenge and auto-succeeds.Personally speaking I think this shouldn’t be consigned to a random encounter; as it’s calling upon an important detail from way back in the first chapter, it should be something that is part of the default for story purposes.Once the PCs eventually succeed on 7 checks, they appear spread out across a stormy void, standing on floating stones with electrical clouds below them. In the middle is a platform where Babylon sits, a woman larger than a mountain.Babylon is a kind of <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PuzzleBoss" target="_blank">puzzle boss.</a> She has a particular ability, Armor of the Faithless, where any creature within 120 feet of her who has an in-character doubt, fear, or other uncertainty grants her immunity to all damage and other negative conditions from that creature until the end of the creature’s next turn. Additionally, she can use an ability called Manifest Doom on a creature within 120 feet where she creates an illusion tailored to reflect their worst fears and warped interpretations of their Bonds and Ideals. A creature can overcome this illusion via a DC 20 ability check in a manner that can be justified in-character. Additionally, she has two other offensive abilities that impose things that can trigger her Armor of the Faithless, such as an Eternal Doubt that is a kind of curse* or a damaging psychic attack that imposes the Frightened condition on a failed Intelligence save. Her Legendary Actions have her spill blood from a chalice, summoning Bloodfiends into battle.*For example, “nothing I do works; why should I keep trying?” gives the cursed character 1 level of permanent exhaustion.Okay, so unless the party has Eldritch Spear Warlocks or a Commando with some long-range artillery, Babylon more or less has Plot Armor against anyone who failed a prior encounter before battle or who got cursed or frightened by her. So how do the PCs overcome this? Well magical spells that can heal curses can work, but otherwise the book has a sidebar that suggests having a PC go through another Dream Scene when she Manifests Doom, and a successful check to escape can be used as inspiration for PCs overcoming this. So basically, DM Fiat.If the PCs defeat Babylon, they will gain her Cup of Iniquity as a treasure. This item is actually a corrupted imposter of the Holy Grail, created from inaccurate expectations that the mere clay cup used during the Last Supper was a priceless golden chalice. By default, the Cup can summon Bloodfiends when the attuned user spends a spell slot, but the Bloodfiends have no loyalty to the caster and will attack indiscriminately. If a good-aligned character attunes to the Cup, it transforms into the Cup of Blessing (and back again if an evil character then attunes to it). The Cup of Blessing looks like a more humble clay cup, and it can enchant liquids poured into it to cast either Greater Restoration or Heroes’ Feast for up to 6 creatures once per day, and as an action the user can present the cup to someone and force them to kneel prone out of respect if they fail a Wisdom save.Once the PCs exit the dream, victorious or defeated, they will have leveled up to 20th just as the forces of Heaven are ready to take back Jerusalem.Thoughts So Far: Overall, I’m not a fan of these chapters. They’re too brief and too repetitive, basically being single set-piece battles (plus or minus a smaller combat encounter or two) one right after another. Babylon in particular comes out of nowhere, having virtually no buildup besides an optional Consequence way back in Chapter 2. The fact that failing to protect the Tree of Life has no real consequences, and that Babylon’s curses can be removed by magic blunts the consequences of defeat against her. Although chances are the PCs won’t have much downtime to commit too many spell slots in removing all the Curses at once.The encounter with Death is pretty cool, and I feel that it is a very strong moment for roleplay as the PCs fight someone who was basically their shining light for the first half of the campaign. However, the Persuasion check touches on a personal pet peeve of mine.In this adventure, the Four Horsemen are Lawful Neutral. While they’ve been Biblically retconned to be tools of the Antichrist rather than being deliberately unleashed by Jesus into the world, they are what I see as a problematic trend I touched upon two posts ago regarding genocide and Thanos-level crimes against reality. Now, I can see the argument that the Four Horsemen are but slaves to prophecy, and this is a rather strong point in that Azrael didn’t want to become the Horseman of Death in the first place.However, when a character can talk the Horseman of Death into voluntarily abandoning their duty, not with magic or a similar change in cosmic foundation, this shows that the Horsemen (or at least Azrael) are more than automations. They can reason, they can listen to others and take in new information, and alter their decision-making based on that input. In other words, a free-willed creature.While I can’t be too hard on this book, given that it is aware of and tries to avert other instances of God-sanctioned mass slaughter into being the Devil’s work, it’s still something I wanted to raise and criticize in this particular chapter.Join us next time as we finish up this adventure in Chapter 11: the Battle of Armageddon and Chapter 12: the Dragon!</blockquote>

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