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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kiznit" data-source="post: 4579484" data-attributes="member: 3994">TPKs happen.It's not something that either side of the DM's screen wants to happen, but it is an occasional occurrence that is built into the mechanics of the system. If you're a group that strives to follow the rules as written, than in a way it's an inevitability, because sometimes the dice just roll that way.I think it's okay to occasionally loosen the rules as a DM in order to prevent it if you see it coming - giving the a PC an extra out-of-turn action, knocking off some hitpoints off of a monster or whatever - just like it's okay to hand-wave the results of a TPK with some sort of plot-twist ("You all wake up in a dingy prison cell", "You wake up being cared for by some passing elves, but stripped of your possessions" or the like), as long as it's not an obvious deus ex machina and doesn't become a habit.All things considered, I actually look forward to the big huge "might-be-TPK" fights, because they tend to be really fun session-cappers and campaign high-points, and so nervousness rarely plays into it. I'm aware that some encounters are extremely deadly, but so are the players - and as a DM I think it's important to make it clear to my players that a very challenging encounter is coming up - so they've signed up for it, and they know the risks, which means I certainly don't need to feel too guilty about it if it happens.If you're nervous about an encounter being a TPK, that might be a sign that your players aren't okay with the occasional PC death. If that's the way of it, it may be worth changing the campaign style to be a little less deadly.</blockquote>

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