Planning for a TPK (and the Orb of Souls)

[shilsen]

Have any of you ever had safety measures in place in case of a future TPK?

I started DMing again (we alternate DMs) for my group in December and after a couple of player changes I found myself with two experienced players, one who hadn't played since 1e and a total newbie to gaming of all kinds. Coupled with the group's relative rashness in combat and the fact that I roll my dice in the open, don't fudge and am generally good at challenging PCs with supposedly much weaker monsters, I figured that a TPK might happen at some point. So at an early point in the campaign I had the PCs finding a homebrew magical item called the Orb of Souls that would (a) provide them with a number of protections that might keep them alive longer and (b) give me a way to continue the campaign if a TPK happened.

As expected, the TPK did happen but at a suitably climactic point with the PCs taking out a BBEG and ensuring the safety of thousands of people with their deaths. And thanks to the Orb it's given me a way to continue the campaign and move from a heroic Greyhawk campaign to an evil Planescape one (both things I always wanted to try). It just occurred, so I haven't had a chance to find out how successful it'll be in the long run, but so far it's a lot better than if I just ended with a TPK.

So I'm curious - have any of you ever planned ahead for a TPK this way, and if so, what did you do to mitigate its effects? And how did that work out in the long run?

 

[shilsen]

Orb of Souls

And here's the item description, just in case someone ever wants to use it or some variation thereof:

Orb of Souls:
An Orb of Souls consists of two parts - (1) a small spherical (egg-sized) crystal globe, with tiny indentations around the sides, and a central section that has the ability to slide around (strong conjuration aura); (2) a foot-long ivory rod (strong transmutation and enchantment auras). When touched to each other, an opening appears in the top of the globe, which one end of the rod can fit into. Once the two parts are fitted together, spinning the rod makes the sliding section of the globe spin, and when it comes to a stop, one of the indentations glows for a moment. Activating takes a standard action, requires two hands (one holding globe and one spinning rod), and draws AoOs. The protections bestowed by an Orb are all at 20th caster lvl, for purposes of dispelling.

An Orb can be used thrice daily. Each use of the day lasts as follows: 1st - 1 hr; 2nd - 10 minutes; 3rd - 1 minute. Only an attuned creature can use an Orb. Any time an Orb remains within 60 ft of an intelligent, living creature for at least 12 hrs of a given day, the individual is attuned to it (and develops a tiny blue orb-shaped tattoo on a limb). An individual can only be attuned to one Orb at a time. If an attuned creature spends a period of 24 hours more than a mile from the Orb, the attunement ends (though it can be re-established) and the tattoo gradually disappears over time. When an Orb is activated, all attuned individuals within 60 ft attain the traits of a particular extraplanar creature, according to the following list. In the first few uses an individual will not know what traits it has attained except through trial and error, but after a few uses the individual is made mentally aware of what traits it is receiving. Most users will not notice that few of the uses provide the traits of a good creature, and those occur only very early in the Orb's use by a particular user. Most traits will be those belonging to evil outsiders, such as devils and demons.

Over time, the Orb develops a hold on the souls of its users. Under certain circumstances, the Orb can actually absorb the soul of a user. If all attuned users currently benefiting from a use of the Orb die but there are other living attuned creatures within a mile (but not currently benefiting from the Orb), the Orb instantly absorbs both body and soul of each dead user. If all attuned users currently benefiting from the Orb die and there are no other attuned users within a range of a mile, the Orb does not absorb the bodies but does absorb all the souls, and then promptly transports itself to the presence of its creator.

Origin:
Orbs are created by powerful evil outsiders from the Lower Planes such as demon lords or devilish rulers and deposited on the Prime Material Plane for the express purpose of gaining souls. The few Orbs in existence usually find their way into the possession of powerful individuals and adventurers, who benefit from their protection. When these individuals eventually die, the Orb returns to its creator, usually containing the souls of numerous powerful individuals. These souls are extremely valuable and may be used for arcane rituals, in trade between powerful evil planar creatures, to aid in the resurrections of deceased outsiders, etc. Legend says that there have been a couple of isolated cases where a soul was actually placed into the body of an evil outsider and later regained its memories, but whether this is fable or truth is difficult to say.

Creatures and Abilities (all optional):
All creatures give darkvision 60 ft. unless stated otherwise
Achaierai - SR 19
Angels - Low-light vision, immune to acid/cold/petrification, resist electricity 10 and fire 10, protective aura, giving +4 deflection bonus to AC and +4 resistance to saves, as well as a magic circle against evil, and a lesser globe of invulnerability, with radius 20 ft
Archon - Low-light vision, immune to electricity/petrification, +4 racial save vs. poison, aura of menace, magic circle against evil, tongues, greater teleport
Arrowhawk - Immune to acid/electricity/poison, resist cold 10 and fire 10
Azer - Immune to fire, vulnerability to cold, SR 13+class levels
Barghest - Scent, DR 5/magic
Chaos Beast - Immune to critical hits and transformation, SR 15
Couatl - Telepathy 60 ft., ethereal jaunt
Demon - Immune to electricity/poison, resist acid/cold/fire 10, telepathy 100 ft., summoning
Devil - Immune to fire/poison, resist acid/cold 10, see in darkness, telepathy 100 ft., summoning
Eladrin - Low-light vision, resist cold/fire 10, immune to electricity/petrification, tongues
Elemental - Immunities (poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning), not subject to criticals
Fiendish - DR 5/magic (or 10/magic for 12+ HD), resist cold/fire 5 (or 10 for 8+ HD)
Formian - Immunities (poison, petrification, cold) and resistances (fire/electric/sonic 10)
Genie (Djinni) - Immune to acid, telepathy 100 ft.
Genie (Efreeti) - Immune to fire, telepathy 100 ft., vulnerable to cold
Genie (Janni) - Resist fire 10, telepathy 100 ft.
Githyanki - SR = level + 5
Githzerai - SR = level + 5
Guardinal - Low-light vision, immunities (electric & petrification), resistances (acid/sonic 10), +4 save vs. poison, Speak with Animals at 8th lvl as free action
Half-Celestial - Immune to disease, resist acid/cold/electric 10, DR 5/magic (10/magic for HD 12+), +4 save vs. poison, SR = level +10
Half-Fiend - Immune to poison, resist acid/cold/electric 10, DR 5/magic (or 10/magic for HD 12+), SR = level + 10
Hell-hound - Immune to fire, scent, vulnerable to cold
Inevitable - Construct traits, DR 10/chaotic, fast healing 5, low-light vision
Invisible Stalker - Elemental traits, natural invisibility
Lillend - Poison immunity, resist fire 10
Magmin - DR 5/magic, elemental traits, immune to fire, vulnerable to cold
Mephit - DR 5/magic
Night Hag - DR 10/cold iron and magic, immune to fire/cold/sleep/fear, SR 25
Nightshade - Aversion to sunlight, DR 15/silver and magic, immune to cold, telepathy 100 ft., undead traits
Planetouched (Aasimar) - Resist acid/cold/electric 5
Planetouched (Tiefling) - Resist cold/electric/fire 5
Rakshasa - DR 15/good and piercing, SR 27 + level
Rast - Flight 60 ft. (good), immunity to fire, vulnerability to cold
Ravid - Flight 60 ft. (perfect), immunity to fire
Salamander - Heat (1d6 fire), immunity to fire, vulnerability to cold
Shadow Mastiff - Shadow blend, scent
Slaad - Fast healing 5, resist acid/cold/electric/fire 5, immune to sonic
Tojanida - Immune to acid & cold, resist electric/fire 10
Xill - SR 21, Planewalk
Xorn - DR 5/bludgeoning, immune to cold and fire, resist electricity 10, tremorsense 60 ft.
Yeth Hound - DR 10/silver, flight 60 ft. (good), scent

 

[Asmo]

This Orb of Souls sounds cool, but I´m to stupid so I have to ask: how does it work? I´ve read the description several times,but I fail to see how it could protect the party. I don´t see "humanoid" on the list. Do they choose what they are protected from?

Asmo

 

[shilsen]

This Orb of Souls sounds cool, but I´m to stupid so I have to ask: how does it work? I´ve read the description several times,but I fail to see how it could protect the party. I don´t see "humanoid" on the list. Do they choose what they are protected from?

Asmo

Sorry, I should have clarified. What happens is that if an attuned user activates it, the user and all other attuned individuals within 60 ft get one set of the listed traits for a period of time (1 hr, 10 minutes, or 1 minute, depending on no. of uses in the day). So, for example, one use might imbue everyone attuned to it with cold, electricity and fire resistance 5 (as tiefling have). A user cannot choose what effects come into play (it's completely random).

In practice, I used a shorter and modified list than the one I put up here, going with a set of 20 and having the player roll a d20.