D&D 5E (2014) My PCs are about to die...

[Uchawi]

It is better to burn out then to fade away.

 

[zicar]

So here is the setup: They were investigating the dungeons beneath an active slaughterhouse. This slaughter house was formerly the site of a prison which, in turn, was really a converted asylum. The dungeons are inhabited by a Blood Cult. Rather than clearing rooms as they went, the PCs proceeded right into the belly of the beast. They have retreated to a previous room where they have spiked the doors shut and are hoping to take a long rest. By not clearing rooms they have allowed their escape route to be cutoff.

Here is the breakdown of what they have fought so far this day. This is a party of 5 4th level PCs (bard, barbarian, druid, cleric, wizard). The bard and barbarian are at 3/4 HP everyone else is at full. The bard, wizard and cleric are almost down to cantrips, the druid has most spells left:

(1) gibbering mouther

(4) human guards

(2) human thugs, (8) mastiffs and (1) devil dog. It was after this fight that the retreated to their "safe room". The whole complex knows that they are there, not necessarily the exact location. I plan on allowing them to begin a long rest but then be awakened after an hour by voices and pounding noises. They will receive the benefit of a short rest. The safe room has four doors and there will be adversaries behind each one:

Door 1. 9 human acolytes
Door 2. 9 human cultists
Door 3. 1 human veteran, 1 human cult fanatic, 2 human guards
Door 4. 6 insane torture victims (half-strength berserkers with no armor of weapons other than their fists)

Obviously I had not intended this result, but the party was careless w/ regard to kicking in doors and using shatter/thunderwave spells to announce their presence. It's not a foregone conclusion that they will die but I want an interesting contingency vs. 'roll up new characters'. One is a 'capture and escape' scenario, the other would be the 'return as ghosts'. I haven't reviewed the "Fires of Hell" yet.

 

[Azurewraith]

Personally i would say have one lot of mobs enter the room then when the noise started then the rest pile in butcher the pcs and teach them a lesson. As for making them ghosts depends on your group if they would be cool like that best way to do it would be not to tell them just have them wake up on meat hooks or something and drop subtle hints that they are dead at certain points.

 

[mellored]

Turn them to ghost, but with a [sblock=plot twist]
they where alive the whole time[/sblock]

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Flamestrike]

So here is the setup: They were investigating the dungeons beneath an active slaughterhouse. This slaughter house was formerly the site of a prison which, in turn, was really a converted asylum. The dungeons are inhabited by a Blood Cult. Rather than clearing rooms as they went, the PCs proceeded right into the belly of the beast. They have retreated to a previous room where they have spiked the doors shut and are hoping to take a long rest. By not clearing rooms they have allowed their escape route to be cutoff.

Here is the breakdown of what they have fought so far this day. This is a party of 5 4th level PCs (bard, barbarian, druid, cleric, wizard). The bard and barbarian are at 3/4 HP everyone else is at full. The bard, wizard and cleric are almost down to cantrips, the druid has most spells left:

(1) gibbering mouther

(4) human guards

(2) human thugs, (8) mastiffs and (1) devil dog. It was after this fight that the retreated to their "safe room". The whole complex knows that they are there, not necessarily the exact location. I plan on allowing them to begin a long rest but then be awakened after an hour by voices and pounding noises. They will receive the benefit of a short rest. The safe room has four doors and there will be adversaries behind each one:

Door 1. 9 human acolytes
Door 2. 9 human cultists
Door 3. 1 human veteran, 1 human cult fanatic, 2 human guards
Door 4. 6 insane torture victims (half-strength berserkers with no armor of weapons other than their fists)

Obviously I had not intended this result, but the party was careless w/ regard to kicking in doors and using shatter/thunderwave spells to announce their presence. It's not a foregone conclusion that they will die but I want an interesting contingency vs. 'roll up new characters'. One is a 'capture and escape' scenario, the other would be the 'return as ghosts'. I haven't reviewed the "Fires of Hell" yet.

Its a slaughterhouse isnt it?

Sounds like a 'capture them to torture them later on and give them a chance to escape' moment.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Given the scenario, it seems the odds are stacked against them. I'd play it out and see what happens. Have the cultists capture them instead of kill them, though. Of course, if one or two PCs are killed, then so be it.