I'm thinking of a TPK

[milo]

Just started running Rappan Athuk and there are multiple warnings to not go down the well. The party decided to go down the well first. They have been doing ok clearing out most of the passages and with the random encounters.

Spoiler

If they fight Zelkor while they are down there with his 2 Iron golems they will probably all die.

I was thinking about making it easier on them, but with the warnings it might make more sense to kill them so that they learn to follow warnings in Rappan Athuk,

 

[Loonook]

Just started running Rappan Athuk and there are multiple warnings to not go down the well. The party decided to go down the well first. They have been doing ok clearing out most of the passages and with the random encounters.

Spoiler

If they fight Zarkon while they are down there with his 2 Iron golems they will probably all die.

I was thinking about making it easier on them, but with the warnings it might make more sense to kill them so that they learn to follow warnings in Rappan Athuk,

So the players have been warned repeatedly not to do something, not to do something, NEVER DO THIS... And they did it anyways?

Crush them .

Slainte,

-Loonook.

 

[pming]

Hiya

Yeah, if they see all the warnings and all they say is "Hmmm...honestly, how hard can it be?" and head down 'blindly'...let the chips fall where they may. If they are *smart* and *capable* players, they should try and find out why there are so many warnings. In other words, do some recon; thief scouting, a couple of divination spells, perhaps a trip back to town/city to hit up the local sages to find out more info about the place. Then they may have found/discovered that there are [bad stuff down there]...and plan accordingly.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Fooly_Cooly]

I agree. If they just walk in to an area that they have repeatedly been told not to..its almost like they are testing you. Perhaps not tpk. Just drop them all and have someone manage to pull their sorry butts out. Maybe maim a char and have to pay for the regen spell

 

[DMKastmaria]

RA is meant to be dangerous. I wouldn't pull any punches at all!

 

[Alzrius]

I agree with the consensus. Rappan Athuk is meant to be an extremely difficult dungeon - a group that blithely ignores warnings in this regard deserves what they get.

 

[Holy Bovine]

Well if recent threads in general are any indication if you kill off the party you will immediately be accused of screwing the players over and being a Bad DM.

I personally perfer the term Badass DM but whatever.

Oh yeah Rappan Athuk is a meat grinder with a lethality level far in excess of any module I have encountered before (iirc there is a CR 10 encounter near the entrance to the dungeon although it isn't easy to get to) - TPKs should be par for the course in it.

 

[milo]

When I was a player in Rappan Athuk the thing that I had fun with was the threat of your character dying around any bend. I think I will run the Zelkor encounter as written if they happen to go into the room. Maybe they will pay attention to other warnings later in the dungeon, and it will add to the loot in the room when they go back with the next set of characters at higher level.

 

[The Red King]

Just remember to let them run if they figure out how to retreat. It will help them learn, AND keep the players happy.

 

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

I agree with most of the posters here. I'd not pull any punches in regards to difficulty and letting the dice fall where they may, but I'd allow them to retreat if they can reasonably do so somehow. A last ditch effort to run away!