All PC dead, what to do?

[Thomas Percy]

We have serious crisis on the session, because
all my 7th-level PCs were murdered in their sleep
by single Rog4 killer.

She sneaked to each single-person room,
took 20 on Open Lock check,
next non of the PC succedded on Listen -10 check,
then she delivered coup de grace (automatically critical hit, Fort DC10+4d6+2 to survive),
and no one succedded.
All the same as written in adventure module I ran.

I'm not happy, my players too.
What to do?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

This can either be a problem or an opportunity.

Question:

1) Was the Rogue a PC or an NPC?

If the Rogue was a PC, you'll probably have to negotiate some kind of peace between the players.

If the Rogue was an NPC, you can have the players roll up new PCs and go on a Manhunt...think of it kind of like how Scotland Yard chased Jack the Ripper. It may even be possible to get the module back on track afterwards.

It may even be yet another adventure to get the original party raised from the dead...

Observation & Suggestion:

I don't know about your play style as a DM, but I suspect you do all of your dice rolls in the open.

Yet one of the biggest advantages to rolling behind the screen is the ability to fudge rolls. I'm not talking about cheating the players out of victories to be spiteful or play favorites- I'm talking about ignoring dice rolls for the sake of the overall storyline and fun of all involved.

In this situation, if you kept the info of the difficulty of the die roll they needed a secret, you could have fudged to have one of the PCs fail (just barely) and wake up after taking a lot of damage...making a lot of noise- and the others woud have a chance to hear the results...rescuing the endangered PC, possibly getting the slain ones raised.

If, in the future, you are faced with the same type of situation, have the players make a roll against an unknown DC (that is, you don't tell them their target to beat). When you have all of their rolls, then you tell them the results.

The only thing you have to be sure to do is make sure that the ones who "successfuly save" roll over the same "target number," even if it is falsely low.

 

[Asmo]

Man, that´s brutal, what adventure module is this?

Asmo

 

[Slife]

Quick recovery - It was all a dream. Now, one of the characters wakes up from a nightmare where they're all killed in their sleep, only to see a shadowy figure with a knife.

 

[Thomas Percy]

Was the Rogue a PC or an NPC?.

NPC, very weak at my standards, low pointbuy, no equipement, she was nobody.

female Human Rog4; HD 4d8+4; hp 26; Init
+3; Spd 30 ft.; AC 16 (+3 Dex, +3 masterwork studded
leather), touch 13, flat-footed 13; BAB/Grap
+3/+4; Atk +7 melee (1d6, masterwork rapier,18–20);
AL NE; SV Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +1; Str 12, Dex 16,
Con 13, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10.
Skills: Climb +8 (7 ranks +1 Str), Disable Device
+7 (7 ranks), Hide +12 (7 ranks +3 Dex +2 feat),
Listen +7 (7 ranks), Move Silently +12 (7 ranks +3
Dex +2 feat), Open Locks +10 (7 ranks +3 Dex),
Search +7 (7 ranks), Spot +7 (7 ranks), Tumble +10
(7 ranks +3 Dex); Feats: Stealthy, Weapon Finesse
Possessions: Masterwork rapier (I REMOVED, CHANGED TO SHORT SWORD), masterwork studded leather (I REMOVED), thieves’ tools, 27 gp.

but I suspect you do all of your dice rolls in the open..

I used a screen, but I was not sure of rules, so I asked my players to help me. They opened PHB, read aloud, and I done what they read.

Quick recovery - It was all a dream.

Well, I consider it, but it looks like not rpg.

 

[Crothian]

How many listen checks were failed? Assuming 5 players:

5 listen checks to hear lock being picked
5 listen checks to hear door being opened
5 listen checks to hear rogue sneak to first PC
4 listen checks to hear first PC die
4 listen checks to hear rogue sneak to second PC
3 listen checks to hear second PC die
3 listen checks to hear rogue sneak to third PC
2 listen checks to hear third PC die
2 listen checks to hear rogue sneak to 4th PC
1 listen checks to hear 4th PC die
1 listen check to rogue sneak to 5th PC
then the 5th PC dies

I think there should be plenty of chances for PCs to hear the rogue.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

While I would hate to have this happen to one of my characters, and wouldn't do it to a group of PCs, I love the idea! This is exactly how that sort of thing should go down. Which is why you really need to consider the possible consequences before you run it.

 

[Thomas Percy]

How many listen checks were failed? Assuming 5 players:

5 listen checks to hear lock being picked
5 listen checks to hear door being opened
5 listen checks to hear rogue sneak to first PC
4 listen checks to hear first PC die
4 listen checks to hear rogue sneak to second PC
3 listen checks to hear second PC die
3 listen checks to hear rogue sneak to third PC
2 listen checks to hear third PC die
2 listen checks to hear rogue sneak to 4th PC
1 listen checks to hear 4th PC die
1 listen check to rogue sneak to 5th PC
then the 5th PC dies

I think there should be plenty of chances for PCs to hear the rogue.

There were three PCs.
Everyone has a room for one person only (as in module).
Everyone failed Listen to hear "sneak to sleeping PC" check only.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

We have serious crisis on the session, because
all my 7th-level PCs were murdered in their sleep
by single Rog4 killer.

She sneaked to each single-person room,
took 20 on Open Lock check,
next non of the PC succedded on Listen -10 check,
then she delivered coup de grace (automatically critical hit, Fort DC10+4d6+2 to survive),
and no one succedded.
All the same as written in adventure module I ran.

I'm not happy, my players too.
What to do?

You can't take 20 if there's a penalty for failure, like someone waking up. The rogue couldn't get into the room.

How did the rogue do 4d6+2 damage? 2d6 from sneak attack, 1d6 from a regular weapon ... was the rogue wielding a flaming weapon? As a 4th-level NPC?

 

[Thomas Percy]

You can't take 20 if there's a penalty for failure, like someone waking up.

I think You're wrong, but it doesn't matters because the killer has Open Lock +10 and the DC was 10.

How did the rogue do 4d6+2 damage? 2d6 from sneak attack, 1d6 from a regular weapon ... was the rogue wielding a flaming weapon? As a 4th-level NPC?

Coup de grace = critical hit, so sneak 2d6 + crit from short sword 2d6 plus Str bonus.