This week - a very possible TPK

[just__al]

The campaign started out with the party being hired as guides and escorts for a sorceror to retrieve a "family heirloom". That heirloom turned out to be a staked vampire.

The sorceror unsteaked his father and got away. So did his father.

Fast forward to now. The party is hot on the heels of the vampire. They just dispatched the son (but he'll be back, probably before they even find the vampire) and then they are going after the vampire.

The party:

7th level wizard
7th level evoker
3rd level paladin / second level fighter / second level ranger (don't ask)
Pixie / Second level rogue (pixie built from savage species)
7th level ranger
7th level rogue
7th level cleric

The party found out that the vampire was a cleric and has an idea that he was pretty high level.

Specifically he's a cleric 11 / lifedrinker 2 (from BOVD). He used to hunt vampires until he became one and he's currently held up in the rather large training dungeon under the old temple he used to oversee (which has been razed)

If they go through with the attack, they are toast.

Any reason why they wouldn't be...

 

[Piratecat]

Sure, lots of reasons.

a. The vampire charms a wizard, who then uses illusion or transformation magic to make themselves look just like the vampire. The vamp escapes in mist form into sewage pipes, and he lets his newest best buddy to fight the group.

For extra fun, make the charmed wizard the son of the town mayor or a local noble.

b. This vampire presumably knows EVERYTHING about tracking vampires; it's what he did, of course. He'd have to be a moron to not be able to second-guess the PCs. Trapped coffins, double blinds, all sorts of things. He'll think of all the tricks that his former victims should have used, and he'll use them instead.

Okay, who's next with an idea?

 

[Zerakon]

c. They read this board.

 

[MarauderX]

Oh, I got one!

d) The vamp is in the middle/end of something magical, like a summoning, and can't fight but calls forth a few minions to hold off the party while he completes the ceremony. The vamp can't fight long due to his weakened condition, and once the party beats his minions and go to attack him, the vamp could just attack for one round then flee in gaseous form. Meanwhile, the summoning circle starts to call forth something else nasty for a few rounds, giving the PCs time to flee if they want. If they don't, throw something huge, hairy and brainless at them that may kill a few of the PCs but still defeat. Afterward, have the main vamp send rogue spawn out to hunt the PCs down every so often when things get boring.

 

[F5]

The BBEG used to hunt vampires. Use that in the party's favor, if (when) things go bad for them.

MAybe the BBEG has a kind of a death wish? He devoted himself to destroying vampires for so long, maybe part of him wants the PCs to succeed, and he pulls his punches somewhat. The vamp throwing the fight at the end could be unsatisfying, though. The players are gonna want a big, epic fight.

Another option; a vampire hunter makes some powerful enemies. Maybe after slogging through the vampires well-defended and devilishly clever lair, when they finally find your BBEG, he's already locked in combat with another vampire he knew from way back, with a grudge. Now the characters have to figure out what to do; do they let the vamps fight it out, and take out the winner while he's still weakened? Jump into the fray and take no prisoners? Decide that the enemy of their enemy is their friend? This way, it can still be a nasty boss fight, but some of the big guns will be pointed at someone else, giving your PCs more of a chance.

 

[Jeph]

Here's one: That Wouldn't Be Fun.

Think of something cinematic and cool instead. I like the ritual suggestion above, Don't Bother Me I'm Casting Big Magic is always fun. Heck, maybe he's just forging a magic item and can't fight or the creation process will go sour. But remember: killing off the entire party is never a good idea unless everyone would enjoy it.

Heck, that can be made universal: doing something that could potentially piss people off is never a good idea unless everyone would enjoy it.


--Jeff

 

[Lord Zardoz]

Let them try.

Players are like dogs that chase cars. They will chase down your vampire and try to kill it because they think that they probably should. If it comes down to a fight between your vampire and the players, then do not pull your punches.

But that does not mean that you need to destroy every one of your players. Mauling just one should do it. Here is what I would try.

Arrange to have the fight in a room about 15 foot wide, but much longer. Your party tanks will try to move into melee. When they do, have the Vampire trigger a porticullis type trap to split the room, and the vampire can use his mist form to the side with the weaker opposition. Then dispatch the unlucky bastard on the wrong side. Then have the Vampire 'turn' him into a minion, or at least begin to do so. And then have him just walk away.

Alternatively, you can have your Vampire just lure your players into a trap and deal with them indirectly. The vampire can just lure them into the lowest room, slam shut a sturdy portcullis, and begin to flood the room. The door should be very sturdy, able to let water pass through, and difficult to bypass.

Big Ass Door:
Break DC: 60
Lift DC: 40
Hardness: 20
HP: 80

To make things intresting, have your villian animate some stronger then usual zombies to fight the PC's as the room floods. PC's need air, zombies do not.

Your party should be able to defeat the Door and the zombies, albeit with great difficulty. It will also keep your players intrested in kicking your villians ass.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Kugar]

That's easy.


Being an ex-vamp hunter, your cleric knows that the only thing to gain by killing the PCs is a contant escalation in power until eventually some hot shots come by stong enough to give him the old sunlight slumberparty. A cunning enemy could:

1) Play possem / set up a fake 'death' scene like the feline reccommends.
2) Pretend to be really repentant and ask the party to help remove his curse. This has a nice schrodinger aspect.
3) Put someone else more "evil" in front of the PCs for a while.
4) Hide: Preferably somewhere really inconvienent for the party. Maybe room with a White Dragon for that nice cool refreshing in.
5) Make him weaker so the PCs have a chance?
6) Hostages: Plow through this village to get to me.
7) Misdirection: Come on this is the 5th ruined temple with an underground training complex we have been to this month!
8) Make him useful: You can try to destroy me but who else remembers the story of the doomsday devices set to go off next week.
9) Total twist: When they are getting their rears handed to them, hit the world with a comet or kill a god or have a more powerful more evil guy finish off your vampire.
10) Time travel: This gets messy. Best not to use it unless 100% needed.

Kugar

 

[Kae'Yoss]

You gave the answer yourself: Let his son be back! Make him a real problem for the players, but not a TPK - They have to fight him on his terms, which takes a lot of time. By the time they take down the son for good, the vampire got away - beyond their reach for now.

The son could also help his father get somewhere else, where the players can't follow, and they lose track of him. They then have to contend defeating the son - again.

In the following weeks, they'll scour the worlds for information on the whereabouts of the vampire, and when they finally pick up the track again, they'll find him in his new sanctum - but by then, they're powerful enough that this doesn't become a TPK!

 

[just__al]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.

My group rotates campaigns about every 3 or 4 months. I have exactly two sessions before we switch to someone elses campaign.

It was my original intention to pick this campaign up where we leave off as the players have gotten plenty of clues that they are clearly outmatched and weren't ready for this. However, they insist on marching to their doom and I think they'd actualy enjoy a really tough fight that they'll probably all die during.

Maybe I'll run a D20 modern campaign next year.