OK, so my players have managed to break 'Rejoice for you are True'. To be precise, the psyker caused a phenomena which jammed all ranged weapons and fried/forced a reboot of all tech- Theodosia was caught in the effect. I ruled that his bionics seized and left him stunned and prone for a round, figuring that they were too far away from him to get there and break him in time. Unfortunately, the two closest characters were hivers, one of whom was carrying a great hammer, the other a club. They both got into CC and made repeated called shots to his head until it burst. They (and the party psyker) then quickly despatched the hired thugs (either forcing them to flee with fear aura or with more Hammertime thwacking), looted Orday and Theodosia and left before the Magistratum arrived.

Obviously, this presents me with something of a problem- how to carry on with Theodosia dead. My current plan is to have his body stolen from the morgue, and a record from his ocular implants downloaded by his superiors, who will be dealing with Shoal- sort of like Darth Tyranus and Darth Maul with the Trade Federation. However, I'm not totally happy with this solution, as it gives them no warning at the Alabaster Court, especially since they have no knowledge of the Serrated Query, and have only met one of its' operatives, whom they didn't speak with.

Part of me is tempted to swap out the Serrated Query for the Temple Tendency, and have Verence or maybe Krin the go-between, with Theodosia being the muscle lieutenant.

Ideas, anyone?

I'd have it so that the implants from mr.squish-head are implanted in a tech-servitor and a semi-resurection is made... once again, its a poor way to continue, but to me, it seems like you need to stop your party, power-playing... limit their effectiveness, or at teh very least I would have had some of the thugs tackle the players before hitting the guy in the head with a hammer... that is after all a very slow weapon to wield.

Well since he is already so heavily augmented have that be just a clone the real one is still out there. Then have a download of his occulars and now the PCs will be in a world of hurt. Also with them commiting...oh you know murder.. in the populated area of the hustle.. The arbites might be looking into that. There would be some interesting questions as to why they killed those people and why are they connected to the nobles? Them maybe having to mention the =][= and then havinjg a very very pissed off inquistor on their hands

The Problem:
The pc have the objective, the head villian is dead.

The solution:
The objective is not the objective, the head villian is not the head villian.

The Objective:
I do not remember what actually was on the data slate, but make it nothing more then a lot of data/entries/survey that make clear that some really mean thing is going on at the albaster court. Not the solution, but a solid clue

"Theo"
Theo was the chief killer, not the head man. Make a new "head villian". Make him show up where the module states Theo to be showing up. Give him a tatoo under his left eye. A special sign the "looting pc" will remember to have seen in the palm of the left hand of Theo. This will tipp them off.

Perhabs, this helps to save the adventure.

Now, keeping in mind I am getting ready to run our next leg of this in a few minutes, and have completely altered who is behind it (I am slowly gutting the SQ from all of PtU. I like them, but they don't fit into my campaign plans.)...

Isn't the real objective fingering the Serrated Querry and finding out what is happening to the missing people? The Inquisition's job is to root out heresy after all, not just kill one bad guy. Theo wasn't making all that Farcosia by himself. There's really no reason the adventure can't continue exactly as written, as long as Shoal gives them the Ambulon lead another way.

They you just need to beef up the threat at the temple in Ambulon to make up for Theo not being there (or not, let it be an easier fight, your call).

Gregorius, Aethel, thanks, those are particularly good ideas. In actual fact, I think I'll replace the SQ with the Temple Tendency- the 'monk' that accosts Shoal in the Alabaster Court will have an ownership tattoo with a symbol they recognise- that of House Verence. The same symbol will be worked into the grip of Theo's autopistol (which so far they haven't examined beyond noting that it's really nice, and loaded with manstoppers). As yet, they haven't linked Verence with the Choir, although they don't trust him- I threw in some possible links and suspicious details during the soiree, intending them to be red herrings. I can encourage them to follow them up now.

I can quite easily throw in another augmented killer from Verence's stable, or even a Temple Tendency arco-flagellant as security for the lab on Ambulon, should I feel the need to make them fight for it- I'll almost certainly be replacing the SQ operatives guarding it for TT.

The big question is, why are the TT producing farcosia? Is it just a means to an end (the recruitment of Scintillan nobles via drug-conditioning)? Is Verence one of those who believes psykers are an abomination? Is it actually sanctioned by the Chantry?

Finally, in defence of my players- they weren't power-gaming, just ridiculously lucky. I couldn't have saved Theo then without some ridiculously unbelievable deus ex machina

Well, amusingly, I will have to put my money where my mouth is now! My players just ALSO killed Theodosia early.

It was at the end of the night at the Alabaster court. My spook fiend Scum happened to have rolled Spasm as his random power. The PC's were sneaking down the side of the hive to talk with Shoal (sans guards) just as wall-walking Theodosia was running up it to kill Shoal. And the Scum has the brilliant idea to use Spasm. Now normally, just falling down isn't a big deal from this minor power. But when you are running horizontal up the side of a hive spire...

How could I resist? (And Theo legitimately failed his WP roll to resist besides.)

And Alasseo, just a tip, make sure if you replace the SQ, you have prepared the right modifications to the replies of the Oracle (an activity I went through when I changed the big bad.)

Theo died in my game when a Sister of Battle with a good vantage point gave him 2 rounds rapid with her holy bolter as he ran up a wall.

But I ran it pretty much as written and the players were ;ater suprised that they had gunned down one head villain without realising it. More nervewracking was when the Psyker went to the alabaster court and was declared "True!" - they had to rescue him from that with a covert infilatration.

SJE

Adding Temple Tendency is a major change. We all know why "you know who" was behind "you know what"...but "temple"?

Well....

Here is my reason why "Temple" is doing it

WARNING! HEAVY SPOILERS!!!!!

Okay...

Temple-T uses the drug to subvert the nobles and the influential society members into decadence....decadence the "pure, eager and faithfull" fractions of the ecclesiarchy can preach up against once it is "uncovered". And it will be uncovered once the spread is far enough. Perhaps the people will revolt? Perhaps the Ministorum will have more power in the end? After all, they are the only pillar of virtue left...
Oh! And the fact that they have to kill some pesky psykers along the way isn´t to bad, either.

The money is, of course, used to finance a puritan and stern fringe cult of the imperial creed that will later rally the people against those debauched nobles.

Gregorius- Thanks a lot- that plot is far better than I was coming up with. Mind you, the odds are my players won't pick up on much of it unless it happens to be given to them on a platter by the Oracle Ocular. I'm going to have to do a lot more work making sure the Oracle has some good lines to get them on the right track. Good job they're still a couple of sessions away from the Oracle (probably).

Actually, I probably won't have a direct link to Lord Verence, as it's quite possible that I'd like to use him in a later adventure. I can't really do that if he gets swept up into a purge very early in the campaign... Possibly have a deniable subordinate minor house allied to his House- that way the high level TT infiltrators of Calixis and the Lucid Court will stay intact.

Yes I too have almost run into this problem of my players almost killing him. Unfortanely the psyker in my group is very powerful (having a demon pact). I did have a chance to fix it though using some gear from the IH. Since he is connected to the SQ I gave him a hexagramic ward to lessen the effects of the psyker and allowed him to strap the melta bomb to the case and make his escape. I'm thinking of maybe beefing up his gear some more but I don't know yet.

Maybe from now on as you read through think more on how your PCs act and what their abilites are so that you can change gear if need be for villians that are needed later on in the adventure.