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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 5472719" data-attributes="member: 8835">that was a side plot?  Sounds like the main event....Its good that you had your last paragrah.  That explains the parts your looking for.Starting the campaign, I might not even realize the monsters are driven by the lord.  The monsters were probably just stuff I did to instigate some player action.Once I came to the idea the Lord was behind it, I expect he'd be higher level than the monsters he manipulated (justifying his ability to do so).Also, since he's a Boss, he's likely to be higher level that the PCs, just because (at least at the start of the idea, I'm not going to keep re-statting him).from there, I've got to consider:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">how do the PCs find out about him, what clues do I need?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">How do I give the PCs a chance to not get themselves killed?</li> </ol>#1 means I need to drop in some relational clues for the monsters, and get the idea of how the lord behaves and his guards.  Even the martial law thing.#2 means, now that the PCs have a chance of finding out about the lord, I have to plan for that possibility.  I don't mind breaking a few eggs in a fight, but I don't want a TPK if I can avoid it in a reasonable fashion.  That means knowing what forces the lord has, in the even of a direct confrontation.  From there, I can give the PCs info on the strength of those forces (thereby clueing them in that they need to level up a bit first).Since the OP's question is "The PCs head in to the BBEG early, what do you do?"I've already statted or guesstimated their stats.  I'm not going to re-stat things.  If I think they're not ready, I'll try to have NPCs relay warnings (allies warn them, or known strong allies get defeated, indicating the challenge level). At some point, the PCs will be in the throne room, regardless of my best efforts to 'save" them.If my goal is to avoid a TPK, I have some options (not all are preferred):can the BBEG retreat?can the BBEG capture rather than TPK (thus the next session is a jailbreak)can the PCs retreat?Can the BBEG deny all charges and keep the scene combat-free?If the PCs can't legitimately beat the BBEG either through combat, tactics, politics or guile, I do not want to reward them for rushing to this stage.So, while I'll try to avoid killing them, the outcome of their survival must have a setback.  Perhaps through mis-information, the King still sides with the Lord, thus the PCs are now temporarily wanted until they can clear their name.Obviously, I can also just let a TPK happen.  And I'm not discounting that the party COULD find a way to win.  But if its going south, and they rushed it, I'll see if I can find a few outs to avoid the TPK.Note: I won't avoid a TPK for idiots.  Just for people who are trying to play the game, and misunderstood the situation.  It's a gut-call.One reason to avoid the TPK, is that in setting up this situation, my players and I have made an investment.  If they blow it, they'll blow the whole campaign, because I won't run another party through the exact same material, nor will I spawn in new NPCs to resume the quest as that seems too hokey.</blockquote>

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