SoW: TPK last night

[unan oranis]

The tower was sinking into magma sea at an undisclosed rate of speed, but it was made obvious that there was no time for extended resting.

Hmm that does make a poor camping spot...

Like I said, we were expected, he knew who we were, and why we were there.

Tough situation. Even in hindsight it's pretty difficult to come up with creative ideas.

If he wasn't immune to fire, sinking the tower faster somehow might have been an option.

This is all making me want to check out SoW...

 

[Stumblewyk]

One great ritual that I love is the one to transfer HS's to the members of the party. It can be a lifesaver when used correctly. My warden with 14 surges never ran out of them at the Extended Rest. However, once we got this ritual it really helped our group.

We actually used the Rings of Brotherhood that I and the Wizard were wearing to even keep me at 2 surges. I really had 0, the rings let the wizard transfer me 2 or his 4 since we cleared a milestone.

If I'd have had more surges, I'd have used my Healer's Sash to send one to the Warden too. We were really trying to conserve resources. =/

 

[Arbanax]

I'd like to ask Stumblewyk What happens now? Does he and the party carry on with a new team (presumably one of the adventuring groups in Overlook?). My reason for asking is 2 fold. Firstly I think the possibility of death is a good one, otherwise know player would take the game seriously. But if, despite the parties best trys, they die, how do you pick up where you left off?

And secondly I am planning on running the scales of war adventure path, but I would love to know what happens in such a path, when a legitimate TPK occurs, how would peeps here pick up from that and still continue where the characters left off?

As it seems to me that one of the problems is players feel frustrated angry and upset after all their efforts, they're not seeing through the adventure with the characters they started with? I've no experience of this happening, as I am still a relatively new DM (or rather DM'd years ago under 1st ed, now back under 4th) so I've no experience of this happening and I'd love to know how others have handled this.

Ab

 

[Stumblewyk]

Well, I'm taking over the group for a little while and running Dark Sun with the 3 Dark Sun modules I have (Bloodsand Arena, Vault of Darom Madar, and Marauders of the Dune Sea), before we return to our other campaign (currently in H2: Thunderspire Labyrinth). I don't know what the DM of the SoW path is going to do when we get back around to him. My guess is, we'll be starting over from scratch, with new characters, and probably playing the Chaos Scar adventures, at least to start.

It's a weekly game, and I just don't have the time to run a self-written weekly game, or I'd just take over the DM chair relatively indefinitely. I'm not an enormous fan of published adventures. =/

 

[RigaMortus2]

I'd like to ask Stumblewyk What happens now? Does he and the party carry on with a new team (presumably one of the adventuring groups in Overlook?). My reason for asking is 2 fold. Firstly I think the possibility of death is a good one, otherwise know player would take the game seriously. But if, despite the parties best trys, they die, how do you pick up where you left off?

And secondly I am planning on running the scales of war adventure path, but I would love to know what happens in such a path, when a legitimate TPK occurs, how would peeps here pick up from that and still continue where the characters left off?

As it seems to me that one of the problems is players feel frustrated angry and upset after all their efforts, they're not seeing through the adventure with the characters they started with? I've no experience of this happening, as I am still a relatively new DM (or rather DM'd years ago under 1st ed, now back under 4th) so I've no experience of this happening and I'd love to know how others have handled this.

Ab

Very good questions, and ones I've struggled with from time to time...

One suggestion I have is to let the players create new characters, the same levels as the ones that died. These characters were doing missions/quests on their own (which will explain their levels). Then, they can be charged with finding a missing team (ie the TPK party) and get clues and pick up from where they left off.

 

[TerraDave]

SoW doesn't seem to get mentioned too often these days.

So, not to hijack, but do you like it?

 

[Stumblewyk]

Eh, it was all right. As far as a consistent narrative, from level 1 to 12 (as far as we got), it was good. No complaints, really. I just always prefer when my DM is coming up with something of his own, because he knows better what his players party looks like than some writer at Wizards (or a 3rd party publisher), but I understand that not every DM is up for that.

So, I guess what I'm saying is - if you're looking to take PCs from 1-30, and don't have the time, desire, or ability to write your own campaign arc, then you could do a hell of a lot worse than SoW.

 

[Herschel]

We're having fun with it and the group I play with is at level 9. I generally don't conserve dailies, and I play a Thaneborn Barbarian these days (and have trouble getting healed by the dwarf Shaman 'cause he generally doesn't see me. It's a curse thing). To give an example, I ended up spending a number of surges (down to two) in the first encounter of the day with a rage spent. I'm Strength, Int/Chr, so I don't have any "extra" surges anyway. It's looking like a 3-fight day but in encounter 2 (in the warehouse with teh catwalks) I was sitting with a +5 to-hit so I chose Thunderhooves Rage (Causticsouls love this rage) and action pointed right to Rage Strike, burning my 5th-level rage. Sure, I don't have a rage now if there's a third battle, but I'm better off burning dailies and conserving my already depleated healing. We knocked the "captain's" punk butt down. I'm down to one surge and minus 10 HP from full, but I can carry on.

You can't burn dailies if you're dead.

 

[Riastlin]

I'm currently running my party through the SOW. When a few of them died relatively early on I simply had the survivors retreat and recruit new allies in Overlook. At least through the portions of the path that I have read, there is usually a pretty easy way to get new characters into the game if need be. Obviously the method of introduction is likely to vary depending on where in the path you are.

As for enjoyment, we have had a pretty good time running it, though there are some problematic bits to it, especially in the first three modules.

 

[Klaus]

I just re-read the stats for Sarshan and wow, is that an unbalanced critter!

At will close blast 5 that causes ongoing acid 10 (save ends), first failed save = slowed + ongling 10, second fialed save = turned to goo (= petrified until Remove Affliction).

Plus aura 2 that causes ongoing 10 acid damage (save ends).

Unless you stockpiled on acid resistance, there's very little chance of a 12th-level party surviving him.