The beating heart of a recently fallen angel

[Jack99]

My players will probably (depends on actions) soon need to acquire the beating heart of a recently fallen angel.

Now, what I would like is a couple of suggestion on what (preferably something doable for level 18-ish characters) could force or trick an angel of Pelor into falling from grace, because atm, I think I am going need a few good ideas to make this a memorable experience for my players.

In case it matters, I play 4e.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Wow. Talk about a difficult shopping list.

I think the best way of tripping up something so righteous would be to lure him/her into a Kobiyashi-maru scenario. A promise of a chance to perform an act of utter goodness that becomes an inescapeable choice between two evils. I will think of some specifics and post again later.

 

[Stoat]

The angel was set to guard some place of terrible evil -- a Balor's tomb, a necromancer's dark crypt, whatever. Over time, the evil of that place has warped the angel.

 

[Umbran]

Now, what I would like is a couple of suggestion on what (preferably something doable for level 18-ish characters) could force or trick an angel of Pelor into falling from grace, because atm, I think I am going need a few good ideas to make this a memorable experience for my players.

There are two classic routes for the fall of angels.

Envy: Pelor loves humans more than the angels.

Love: The Angel is immortal, and cannot share a life with mortals in a reasonable sense, but falls in love with a mortal.

 

[darjr]

I keep thinking of that STNG episode where that godlike being, a complete passivist, had a wife, of sorts. She was killed by aliens. In his shock and horror and anger he killed those aliens. He killed them all, every last one of them, every where.

I wish I knew how to work it into your plot.

 

[avin]

You could mix Stoat and Umbran suggestion: the angel guarding a terrible place is taunted by whispers from the dark. He refuses to listen. He knows the Path. Until he starts talking to himself and figures out that his god loves humans more than angels...

(There's a Neil Gaiman book where Lucifer go walk away the Silver City and the shadows talk to him...)

There's a Planescape fan made story named The Avenging Angel, maybe some inspiration can come from there.

 

[Nifft]

How much time is "recently"? For an Immortal, that could still be thousands or millions of years. (Maybe.)

"Let's go n00b-hunting in Hell!"

Cheers, -- N

 

[malraux]

My players will probably (depends on actions) soon need to acquire the beating heart of a recently fallen angel.
....
In case it matters, I play 4e.

Thanks in advance.

There are plenty of powers that give the prone condition. The players should just stock up on those.


More seriously, do the PCs need to cause an angel to fall or do they just need to find the fallen angel?

 

[MrMyth]

The Ultimate Sacrifice: If giving your life for the cause of justice is considered a valiant act, how much more so is it to give up your very soul?

Essentially, have a plot where an angel realizes the only way to stop something terrible from happening is by allying with an evil force, or committing an evil act itself - and slowly walks down the path from grace. Knowing, at the start, what it is giving up, and believing it to be worth it... and by the time it has 'fallen', either no longer realizing what it has left behind, or filled with sorrow and shame over all that it has lost.

This might involve the angel being confronted by a being that will inevitably become evil, but is currently an innocent, and being convinced the only recourse is to kill the innocent now, before they can cause harm in the future. Or perhaps the angel simply ends up forced to accept assistance from evil forces - if some servants of Zehir are casting a ritual that will blot out the sun, an angel of Pelor may be willing to accept assistance from Asmodeous in order to stop the ritual.

Either setting up a situation like this - or simply convincing the angel it is in such a situation - might be one way to force an angel to fall from grace.

 

[kitsune9]

Wow. Talk about a difficult shopping list.

I think the best way of tripping up something so righteous would be to lure him/her into a Kobiyashi-maru scenario.

I agree with Exploder here. The PC's will need to create a Catch-22 situation in order to bag a fallen angel.