Frick! TPK...

[Storminator]

We've been riding the edge of TPKs for a long time, and today it hit.

Chasing the kids that wandered away from camp (and into the haunted ruins...) we came upon the old amphitheater. There, one of the kids was turned to stone. We'd previously fought a medusa here, so a basilisk (as a high perception roll showed) wasn't much surprise. The 5 gargoyles were, but not the basilisk.

So the basilisk slows folks that attack it, and the gargoyles drop rocks that turn spots into difficult terrain in addition to damage. Oh yeah, and the basilisk turns you to stone!

Both our defenders get hit with the basilisk gaze before they dispatch the monster. I wrangled 1 bonus save (flubbed) and failed to wrangle the other (missed with Sacred Flame), and both defenders flubbed the saves to go petrified. No problem, we have Oil of Flesh Return! Who's carrying that? The paladin... who's now stone.

But we survive, out both of our tough guys. Neither were bloodied when they petrified, and the paladin even had some temp hp putting him over his normal quota. Then the ettin and the orcs attacked. Frick. No defenders, 2 guys playing new PCs, almost no daily powers left after the first fight. But our rogue is going to quisinart the ettin, then we'll wrap up the orcs! Except the ettin has double initiative, and gets a free attack (with a push 3 bonus) when you get into flank! So the rogue gets whacked hard and often (without getting many SAs) before we give up on killing the ettin first.

The other big problem was the 2nd little kid hiding under the Tenser's Floating Disc. If the bard player had a few more battles with this PC he might have been able to orchestrate his powers to get the kid AND himself AND the disk out of the flanking dance he was in, but with inexperience he didn't figure it out the first time, and took another round of pounding.

I used all my healing triggers, so did the bard, we popped a couple healing potions too, but all to no avail. TPK.

New campaign starts next session!

PS

 

[darjr]

I ran a darksun game, tpk'd twice. First time I had them wake up prisoners of elves who where going to sell them to the arena. They managed to get away, for a bit. Second time they woke up in the slavers pens waiting their turn in the arena.

A tpk doesn't have to end your campaign. Though I understand why a group would let it.

Cool story btw.

 

[Reaper Steve]

A tpk doesn't have to end your campaign.

I agree. While I haven't had to worry about a TPK, my plan, in case there is one, is to have all the players insert a quarter and hit continue.

In other words, I think this is where an analog game can take a lesson from a computer game. I'd reset the encounter that resulted in the TPK and have the group fight it again and then continue on.

I've invested too much time and energy in the campaign to have it end by something as silly as a TPK.

 

[darjr]

resetting the encounter wouldn't be my style, but I'm sympathetic about not dumping the campaign

 

[Storminator]

I agree. While I haven't had to worry about a TPK, my plan, in case there is one, is to have all the players insert a quarter and hit continue.

In other words, I think this is where an analog game can take a lesson from a computer game. I'd reset the encounter that resulted in the TPK and have the group fight it again and then continue on.

I've invested too much time and energy in the campaign to have it end by something as silly as a TPK.

Meh. Or we can get to the next campaign!

 

[Storminator]

I agree. While I haven't had to worry about a TPK, my plan, in case there is one, is to have all the players insert a quarter and hit continue.

In other words, I think this is where an analog game can take a lesson from a computer game. I'd reset the encounter that resulted in the TPK and have the group fight it again and then continue on.

I've invested too much time and energy in the campaign to have it end by something as silly as a TPK.

Meh. Or we can get to the next campaign!

PS

 

[Edwin_Su]

players make new characters

begin after making characters:
you are staying at a local inn there is a knock on the door a concerned villager.
He tels the players that a group of adventurers was sent out after some kids but that theu haven't heared anything from them since
pleading with the players to go and investigate

Encountering the monsters that are now slightly more challenging as they are equiped with nice magic items looted from bodies of dead adventurers ( players old characters)

 

[Infiniti2000]

I feel like I'm coming late to the party. What kids? Is this a published adventure or something? Is it Dark Sun as the first responder mentions?

 

[Nahat Anoj]

A tpk doesn't have to end your campaign. Though I understand why a group would let it.

Yeah, if the group wanted to continue on, maybe the DM would have it so the ettin took the PCs prisoner, knocking them into unconsciousness instead of killing them.