Derailed Epic Experiences and Thoughts

[diaglo]

a counterplace to WizarDru's thread

my only experience with the Epic rules and play came about b/c a friend(who lives 1.5 hours drive one way away from me) asked me to play an NPC in a going away bash for a player in his long running campaign he'd promised an Epic adventure.

the PCs at the time weren't Epic. but due to a better job...yadda, yadda, yadda.

anyway. the DM upped the ante for all the current PCs. and had me play an NPC advisor/flunkie to some Evil Demigod the players met.

we went to another plane and yadda, yadda, yadda.

the big problem... the players had no clue about all the cool powers and abilities they had. they were absolutely overwhelmed. it was like watching 1st lvl character with more hps and a better chance to hit. then truly Epic/Heroic PCs.

i spent nearly 1 month building an Epic Level (ECL = 30th i was told) Blackguard Aasimar with nasty fiendish companion...for the occassion. and although the player said he had a good time afterwards ... it was just painful to watch.

the DM killed 4 out of 5 of them. my NPC left the other PC on the plane without a scratch to find his own way home....

 

[JoeGKushner]

I had a similar but not quite the same issue.

4-6 PC's of 8th-15th level move in on a necromancer's home. the necromancer is 10th level but knows they're coming. They fight they way through the castle to his main room. He's not there. Instead, in the main cavern, he's invisible and flying.

Boom. First fireball goes off. Party reacts poorly. One guy opening a trapped chest and failing his saving throw, getting paralyzed by the poison. Another mage cast some spell on himself, cleric cast some healing spells. No one else with ranged weapons.

Boom. Second fireball goes off. Wizard dead. Paralyzed guy dead. Cleric with no ranged offensive spells and no dispel magic, trying to use his sling. Other character, no ranged weapons.

Finger of Death on fighter. Rolls a 1 on save.

Cleric fireballed to death.

These were characters that had been warned to carry ranged weapons and to support each other in combat. They were warned that the mage favored certain spells and abilities.

They were so used to fighting trolls, ogres, hill giants and other brutes that they were wiped out in less than six rounds. Sad really.