Total Party Kill -- How do you recover?

[thundershot]

Unfortuantely, that would break a constant in the same campaign for 15 years. The only other thing I could do is have an adventure that would lead to something happening to prevent resurrection. The bad thing is that my comfortable players would suddenly start blaming me personally for their characters dying...

Thanks!
Chris

 

[Ramien Meltides]

Wow, lots of responses to this thread

I'll try to summarize my responses.

1. Okay, I did attempt to 'fudge' the actions of the 1/2 Dragon Ogre in my example... he offered the last standing PC a chance to surrender, which was rebuffed. C'est la vie.

2. I'm not a big fan of NPC's saving the team's bacon, such as Deus Ex Machina, some powerful NPC resurrecting anyone, etc.

3. So far I think the best idea is to just let it happen if it does, allow for some time to reflect (Calmly!) and then try again with different characters. It's tough closing a chapter of your story when PC's die, but in my games, that does happen occasionally.

I think it might be a good idea to find a way to link the 'next' party to the 'previous' party in some way. "You killed my brother!" and all that

4. I'm committed to open rolling as my personal gaming style. I always use it when I DM and it's also the one I prefer to participate in as a player.

What I was hoping to find was some scenario suggestions in which a party could plausibly continue after a TPK. I enjoyed the response which described the party returning as undead... that's interesting!

The backup party is also a good idea... I might try that next time.

Stalkingblue's strategy of Ice Cream and friendship seems like the best recovery method, before working up a new party that is

I'll have to try and get ahold of Carpe DM and see what his "special plan" consists of... and share it here, if there's any interest?

 

[tburdett]

My players are going through Rappan Athuk 3 right now and very nearly suffered their first TPK. Not that it matters much, because 80% of the party is now undead.



*********RAPPAN ATHUK 3 SPOILERS************












*********RAPPAN ATHUK 3 SPOILERS************









I don't have the adventure right here in front of me, but on the level where Bofred has entombed (trapped) the 4 vampires there is a room trap that contains 40 wraiths.

The rogue entered the room and went to the very end. When he started back and saw all of the Wraiths popping out he didn't stop, he ran. All 40 wraiths followed him.

From this point on the party did everything wrong. Every single thing that they did was the wrong thing to do. The player controlling the Wizard made a really, really bad mistake and killed two of the other characters. One of the characters killed was the Cleric, and that pretty much sealed the parties fate.

"Sorry, I'm sorry, I thought that you would make your save!"

The only thing that prevented it from being a TPK was that the Druid decided that he'd seen enough and he ran for it. Wraiths are quick, but a scared and wildshaped druid is quicker.

"There's nothing I can do. You are going to die. I'll be back!"

The Wizard and the Master Samurai died trying to recover the bodies of the Rogue and the Cleric.

The druid is now trying to recruit new adventurers for a return to the deaded Rappan Athuk.

 

[thundershot]

If it ever happened to me... I'd likely have them make new characters who are sent to find these "great heroes" and see what happened to them. Or maybe they continue the other heroes mission, only to discover the "TRUE" fate of the other heroes, and end up having to fight them. Winner takes all. Maybe they're resurrected and geased, and the new party has to break the geas. Let the players sort it out after that...

Chris

 

[Jin Chi]

In one of our long-term campaigns (jeez....well over 12 years now and counting), we hit a particularly ugly snag around 5th level or so.

Halfway through a meal with the Drow queen of the city's underworld, my character remembered someone mentioning that Dark Elf Vampires usually poison their victims.

Quickly and subtlely grabbing for his mirror, he checked out their host. No reflection. Very very bad. Unsure just what to do about this unpleasant discovery said character finishes his meal and waits for an opportunity to share his thoughts with the rest of the party.

A few failed saving throws later, most of us are unconscious (um...poison.....not so good).... the rest are fighting vampires and unconsciousness.

They lose.

Faced with the possibility of TPK the DM (Dru Pagliassotti whom many of you might remember from her many years at About.com) gave us a choice. Death or vampirism.

We chose the latter and thus began a pathos filled saga of corruption and redemption. The bond these heroes shared runs pretty deep because of that experience.

Jaime

_______________________
Jaime T. Matthew

 

[Sammael99]

Approach to TPK

How do you handle TPK...

Mostly, it has been told above : there's not much you can do unless

a/ your TPK is/was planned
b/ you can get a deus ex machina in without it sounding unbelievable
c/ you're ready to seriously screw your campaign

In the half-dragon example above, for example, you could have decided that he was part of an order who had powerful clerics at his disposal and wouldn't mind a group of inconspicuous adventurers wrking for them. They raise them and geas them and get them performing a task that they will really hate doing. Fairly dramatic, but possibly very cool... That's if you use raise/resurrection rules as standard. IMC, that wouldn't work so easily !

Starting afresh with a link to what happened to the previous party is also a nice solution. It means the new party will have the opportunity to "avenge" the old party even though the players are the ones who really want to do it.

As for open rolling, I'll weigh in with you on this one. I was always a fudger DM. I've never had so much fun DMing D&D as since I started 3E and decided I would not fudge dice (I'm not actually open rolling because I don't want the players to metagame based on my dicerolls). Some combats are easier than expected, others are harder, some characters die, but my players know it and they act accordingly. I love the feeling of uncertainty, and so do the players. Am I wrong or did the players really love the second fight against the gnolls ? Don't you feel the party is a lot more involved and vibrant now they genuinely nearly died ?

What I do avoid at all costs is a situation where there is no alternative to an extremely difficult fight. Players should always remember that running away IS an option. In your first example, they should have fled when they realised they were no match for the critter. If they don't want to, they must face the music... In your second example, fleeing was a much more difficult option since it would have meant letting the rogue die... The probability of TPK becomes all the more likely...

 

[Larry Fitz]

In the Twin Crowns setting everyone (including the bad guys) gets five lives (and only five). That way GM's don't have to come up with some hokey reason why a 3rd level party is being Resurrected by a 16th level priest of a god none of them worship. Also attaining 16th or 18th level does not ensure party immortality. Characters who lose one of their "gifts" (as they are called) have their spirits travel to a shrine or Temple and raise there with a reformed body, but not their possessions (good reason to go back to the dungeon later). This is a very good system if you intend to use open rolling. Ordinarily characters who lose a gift also lose a level of experience, unless a resurrection is cast by the priest doing the raising, but the loss of one of your lives is permanent.

 

[rounser]

everyone (including the bad guys) gets five lives (and only five).

**affects Clint Eastwood intonation**
I know what you're thinking.
Did I die three times...or four?
Well, you've gotta ask yourself one question -
"Do I feel lucky?"
Well?
Do ya?
PUNK?

 

[dren]

They all wake up from a dream...and then they are told, they must choose their actions again more carefully by a two foot tall old dwarf-man in red vestments who speaks in riddles. They must be more cautious if they ever to defeat Venger...

 

[Darkness]

In the Twin Crowns setting ...

Heh. I first read that as "Twink Crowns..."