Help?

[Moe Ronalds]

I'm planning for my campaign to eventually take on a much darker tone. I want a lot to be hinging on whether or not the characters succeed, but I also want some bad stuff to happen to them. One of these bad things, will be for all the heroes of a higher level than them to be whiped out by the main villains of the campaign. My problem though is that I can't think of any way for this to happen all at once. Any advice?

Also, would it be too harsh for me to give the villains a powerful (VERY powerful) nuclear weapon (possible in my campaign world, albeit extremely difficult), and put the PCs in a situation where they have to decide which continent will be reduced to pixie dust? The effects of this would include a very large wave of anger and hatred from the general public, as well as a great feeling of guilt on their part. (Not to mention one less continent).

 

[Knightmare]

I call this the old Justice League routine.

A “Call to arms” for all the heroes is sent out. They are called to one place to combine forces to discuss or take action against your villains. During this collective they are all kill by your villains.

Here some ways to tie it to your character.

1. Can they keep a secret?
Give them invites to the collective. If they boast about it in traven or two along the way. The villains claim they herd the rumors from loudmouths at said bar and acted first.

2. Can they find the true meaning of what they are doing?
Have the villains try to obtain part of the material to make the weapon to kill all the heroes from you players.

3. Can they make it on time without getting sidetracked?
Certain key locations were left unguarded due to the late arrival of the characters. By them arriving late, there was not enough man power to properly guard against your villains.

Is this the type of things your looking for?

Knightmare.

 

[Nifft]

Killing a bunch of heros all at once? Coordinated attack by suicide bombers! ("The Kamikazi Kobold Kommandos!")

Of course, the suicide squad members could do something more interesting than just blow up. They could become a Hellgate, allowing a very VERY powerful entity to reach through their body once and pull the hero into Hell, killing the minion and trapping the hero. They could each become a Sphere of Anihilation. They could pop with a sick, wet, meaty "ploof" and infect the heros with the Wyrmbone Plague, which causes both a moral flaw (pride, greed, gluttony, jealousy, sloth, anger, etc.) and a transformation into an evil dragon.

-- Nifft, fond of the "ploof"

 

[Moe Ronalds]

Alright, thanks! I think I'll go with "The old Justice League routine", except I'll have the players be given the wrong arrival time, so that the heroes get there just in time to see everyone else fallen in the "First Great Kaboom" but to be outside the range of the massive attack. By the time this happens the characters will have been fighting the villains for a while.

Once the other heroes are gone, rumor will spread about a band of adventurers that didn't die, and the PCs will suddenly find themselves being treated like epic heroes for a while, until the "Second Great Kaboom", when they're forced to choose which continent to destroy, after which a huge wave of hate will be sent to them from their once adoring fans.


After which the "Third Great Kaboom" will occur when my players have me lynched.