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General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
How soon do you see warning signs of a TPK?
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<blockquote data-quote="MrMyth" data-source="post: 5196202" data-attributes="member: 61155"><p>The only times I've really seen an absolute warning was when the party was continuously taking damage, while not being able to make much progress on the enemy due to some tactic they couldn't find a way around. </p><p> </p><p>One that comes to mind was my very first 4E adventure when the game was being previewed, and the final monster of the dungeon was a black dragon. The dragon's ability to retreat in and out of clouds of darkness was just something we couldn't overcome - and the dragon's speed and ongoing acid damage made fleeing (through the entire rest of the dungeon) impossible.</p><p> </p><p>However, in many other cases, PCs simply being low on hp doesn't necessarily mean the end. I've seen a lot of times when several PCs are down or close to down, and they think it is all over - but they still have several rounds of fighting. And during those rounds, another PC might roll a 20 and stand back up. And by the time they go down, someone has gotten a healing potion into a friend. And just before they finally drop - the last monster falls. </p><p> </p><p>I suspect a lot of times when DMs 'foresee' a TPK and intentionally cushion things to avoid it, the party may well have been able to overcome that TPK on their own anyway. </p><p> </p><p>Note: All this is in regards to 4E. TPKs in 3rd Edition could be a lot more sudden and a lot more unpredictable, at least in my experience. In many cases, it might come down to the party - when you get in a rough spot, do you have the right tools to handle the enemy? If not, run or die could often be the only options on the table.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MrMyth, post: 5196202, member: 61155"] The only times I've really seen an absolute warning was when the party was continuously taking damage, while not being able to make much progress on the enemy due to some tactic they couldn't find a way around. One that comes to mind was my very first 4E adventure when the game was being previewed, and the final monster of the dungeon was a black dragon. The dragon's ability to retreat in and out of clouds of darkness was just something we couldn't overcome - and the dragon's speed and ongoing acid damage made fleeing (through the entire rest of the dungeon) impossible. However, in many other cases, PCs simply being low on hp doesn't necessarily mean the end. I've seen a lot of times when several PCs are down or close to down, and they think it is all over - but they still have several rounds of fighting. And during those rounds, another PC might roll a 20 and stand back up. And by the time they go down, someone has gotten a healing potion into a friend. And just before they finally drop - the last monster falls. I suspect a lot of times when DMs 'foresee' a TPK and intentionally cushion things to avoid it, the party may well have been able to overcome that TPK on their own anyway. Note: All this is in regards to 4E. TPKs in 3rd Edition could be a lot more sudden and a lot more unpredictable, at least in my experience. In many cases, it might come down to the party - when you get in a rough spot, do you have the right tools to handle the enemy? If not, run or die could often be the only options on the table. [/QUOTE]
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How soon do you see warning signs of a TPK?
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