Help, I'm stuck

[OfRiceAndHen]

Ok, here's some back-history. Last session my PCs were part of an expedition to an ancient burial site and were witness to the rising of a powerful mummy lord after an inquisitive gnome read from a book he shouldn't have (think 'The Mummy'). So, they go into the main part of the underground catacombs to rescue some stranded archiologists. They come upon the mummy lord and get a terrible thrashing as they try to go toe-to-toe unsuccessfully.

However, they do manage to make it out alive, but are beaten back to the camp by the mummy (using Shifter-Swarm template (sand) from Libris Mortis) who used a tunnel through the ceiling of the catacombs. The mummy retrieves a staff already recovers by the team and heads back into the zigguraut-like ruins.

Now, the PCs decide to go back in through the hole in the ground, but find they cannot go back up once down. So, the paladin of the group jumps in and the others follow...

...Meanwhile, the mummy lord is awakening his undead army, ready to take over the world.

So here's the problem: The PCs can now only exit the ruins by going through the undead army AND the mummy lord, who almost killed them last time (designed the mummy to be a recurring villian, but needs a particular kind of alloy to get past his DR).

Do I just kill them and start over?
Rule-Zero a way for them to escape?
Take them prisoner?

Please, any thoughts, suggestions, or clarifying questions are much appreciated.

 

[Crothian]

You could have them find a stash of the metal the Mummy was gathering in hopes of destroying all the alloy that can hurt him. There could easily be a secret exit that they uncover or you can have a messenger of the gods come down to help them escape for a steep price.

But before you do anything like that, see what trhe players are going to do. start the session with no hope and see if they just throw themselves at the army and fight till they die. If they do that then TPK and start over. Only bail the players out if they realize they are in over their heads and start thinking about how to fix it.

Why can't they just climb out? And what level are they?

 

[dvvega]

You have obviously planned for them to flee the scene and have to hunt the mummy down later, however by stealing the staff you've triggered the "it's mine" syndrom in all adventurers.

So now you have a dilema. They're not meant to be down there now. They're meant to be running away. You have a couple of choices ...

1) kill them outright ... they didn't take your obvious exit (not best choice)
2) give them another means of escape - a secret tunnel perhaps, or the mummy is distracted while summoning his army to control/defeat the PCs - they can flee through the army. Just make sure the mummy lord is out of reach for now

Make it obvious that the esacape route is there ... make it as clear as possible that they should consider escaping ... if they ignore your warnings and suggestions, kill them.

D

 

[Crothian]

You could do the over confidant Mummy. Make the Mummy more powerful then you at first did. He captures them and then faces them all, letting the party do their best to kill him. After he proves to them that they have zero chance of defeating him. He lets them go to spreed the word of his coming. He also secretly casts a spell that lets him scry on the players with ease so he can now watch their movements. He knows they will go and tell people and they will try to put up defenses. THe Mummy will be able to watch what they are doing and learn the defenses through the PCs.

 

[Sparta Kerleon]

You mention stranded archeologists. Are they still alive? If so, one of them might be able to, oh, find a counter to whatever it was that the gnome read. (Yes, this is stealing further from The Mummy.) Or if they've been there long enough, they may know of a way out which was (e.g.) too dangerous to use before.

Alternately, items of anti-undead spells are not an entirely unreasonable thing to find in a burial site where powerful undead were trapped. Throwing one or two into parts of the catacombs your players haven't explored yet might not be amiss: I note 'Hide from Undead' especially.

Alternately again, the mummy lord could leave, heading to collect another power source -- which means that he'll grow noticeably in power before your players fight him again.

 

[Sledge]

you missed this bit on IRC. The staff that they "find" should be a fake.... possibly cursed horrendously.

 

[Steel_Wind]

Another way out. The part of the scenario that has yet to be exposed does not yet exist.

There is another way - there *was* always another way - and they were always meant to take it.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Slow death trap, (carnivorous dung beetles, scorpions, or the like) kill a few PCs, while the others find a way out.

The infamous 'Throw them into the Labrynth of Death!' routine, keep track of time, when they get out they find that the mummy has been busy.

Or...

*CRUNCH!* Game over!

The Auld Grump

 

[jgbrowning]

I'd suggest just killing them. They got their butt whipped the first time and they decide to go back without a way out? That qualifies as a reason to pull the gloves off and let them reap what they've sown.

Put simply, they should have known bettter. But if they're doing it all according to their character's types and histories, make real sure they go out with a heroic bang. Have them discover that something world-wide bad is going to happen and let them prevent it before they all die.

If you want to be nice....

joe b.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

They encounter a cobra who tells them 'Hi! I'm Nate, the talking snake, and this is the lever that holds the world together!'...

The Auld Grump, starting to run....