how I killed my party: KotS spoilers

[Obryn]

Why didn't you call it a capture?

Hobgoblins bandage the dying, put them in the cells, plan to either (a) get them sacrificed to Orcus or (b) sell them into slavery.

Party then get to plan and execute an escape attempt from the jail cells (which are next to the torture chamber) and proceed from there.

This fits with the hobgoblins desires and storytelling imperatives

(This is exactly what happened when I last ran the game)

Cheers

This is precisely how I ran the Irontooth encounter - and it was a good thing, too, since it was a total wipe. Only one of the PCs died, and that was from the side-effects of a friendly fire Acid Arrow.

The existences of Kalarel (who needs sacrifices) and the Bloodreavers (who pay for slaves) make capturing the party a very smart choice for almost any group of creatures in the adventure.

-O

 

[Nebulous]

Yeah, my group will get to the hob encounters eventually, but they'll be a solid 2nd level by then, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem unless the encounters condense...in which case, yes, that will be a problem. But i'm going to reinforce the whole slaver aspect as well, so i'll be sure to turn a TPK into "captured" if that comes up.

 

[Keenath]

I think it's mainly the fact that it's so easy to draw two simultaneous fights in that room, and the fact that two on-level fights in 4e are a single fight FOUR levels higher, which makes a moderately tough fight into an impossible one.

Capture isn't a bad idea there; in my case I would've just told them up front that they didn't think they could win against those odds. Then it's up to them to run or get slaughtered.