My crew of bravos have gotten the attention of a demon.
The players have half helped half hindered the demons plans but also made her curious.
I would like demons to feel otherworldly cruel and uncaring, but I have a hard time figuring out how to slowly introduce her without it just being her showing up as a consequence of bad dice rolling and setting things ablaze.
Any help would be most appreciated.
It could always just happen during downtime, or if you want to be more formal with it, have the demon reaching out be an Entanglement
1 Like
As @Cochlearia said, I’d introduce her during downtime. Probably in a set of little scenes where we see each PC going about their daily life - just ask them to tell you what they’re doing and then when they’re describing interacting with friends, family, or playing cards at a bar or whatever, just pause them and narrate something around them that goes wrong.
- like in the card parlour, there’s a crack from the fireplace and the mantle staves in
- someone jostles you in the crowd at nightmarket, your pocket watch has been stolen. You reach out to grab the thief but they’ve already stepped into the road… and a carriage runs them over, killing them
- You witness a sweet slice-of-life scene between two lovers become an argument
Just make sure everything feels off kilter, as though suddenly anything could happen in that moment. Then if any of them makes any investigations about the source of the strangeness, you can tell them flat out “that sounds like demonic interference. Go find a witch or a spirit warden, but don’t come back here.”
3 Likes
The GM can introduce anything they want into the fiction at any time. You’re not limited to consequences from rolls or entanglements (those are extra).
I’d do a little thought about what this particular demon is, what its plans are, and what it’s like. What’s its vibe? How do its elemental nature and dark desire combine, and what personality comes out of that? What does it need? How would it introduce itself? Would it introduce itself – or would it just sit back and manipulate the pcs and their surroundings for its own enjoyment and the furtherance of its dark desire?
This could show up as unexpected events in downtime, or during a score (as consequences for rolls, or just because you deem that it’s the right moment). It could impact engagement rolls (a third party influencing what’s going on).
Whatever you choose, it’s key to let the players figure out what’s happening and take action.
I’d try to telegraph to the players that something seriously weird is afoot when the demon acts, and let them gather info to determine what’s going on.
1 Like
Once, I wanted to kill of a major NPC - a major plot adjustment, similar to your demonic introduction. So, I started a clock that I filled as an additional possible consequence at the end of a session. I rolled it out over several sessions, then killed him off when it was filled. The clock was just named after him, so it was vague, but they knew something was afoot. It helped me to drop-feed them information and build the suspense. And it was hella fun.