TPK last night - 1st one (sniff)

[RandomPrecision]

Sounds like it went a lot better than my last near-TPK. I was a level 1 PC rogue, and after some dropping of party members and enemies, it got down to me and a zombie. Our party was pretty unbalanced, because we only had three people, and the other two had some inclination to both be clerics. Anyway, as the sole survivor of our all-1st-level party, I fought this zombie for at least 4 rounds of constant missing by both of us until I began a streak of about 5 hits, all for exactly 1 damage (someone must have cursed my dice). The streak broke after that, but we had about 7-8 rounds of either missing of dealing 1 damage, and I got hit a few times by the zombie. Then, somewhere in there, I rolled a critical miss, and my weapon broke, so I grabbed a mace from a fallen cleric (the zombie missed his AoO), and we continued our uneventful fight until the zombie rolled a critical miss and fell over (since he didn't have a weapon). Then, fortuitously, I hit the prone zombie and did a decent amount of damage, which killed it. We didn't actually count the rounds, but we all estimate that I fought the zombie in solo combat for approximately 20-25 rounds, and when I was finally victorious, I had 1 hit point. It turns out that one of the clerics was only disabled and pretending to be dead, and the other managed to stabilize himself for a while, but the fact remains that our 1st level party's total hit points were negative, and a few numbers higher on one roll would have resulted in a 1st-level TPK.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Boy, did they. After the first went down it was maybe three rounds before it was over. Sort of a High Noon battle, but one side left their bullets at home.

There is an upside to a TPK, at least. When they see the odds stacked against them and win, they'll know just what they avoided and feel all the better for it. Victory can be so much sweeter when you know what it's like to really lose.

I havn't had a TPK in a looong time, though, because there's always one character now that specializes in surviving. When things start to look bad right now, the sorcerer pulls out the ol' scroll of Expedious Retreat and will be gone before the others start to hit the ground.

 

[WampusCat43]

There is an upside to a TPK, at least. When they see the odds stacked against them and win, they'll know just what they avoided and feel all the better for it. Victory can be so much sweeter when you know what it's like to really lose.

I havn't had a TPK in a looong time, though, because there's always one character now that specializes in surviving. When things start to look bad right now, the sorcerer pulls out the ol' scroll of Expedious Retreat and will be gone before the others start to hit the ground.

"Survivor - Faerun"

Only other good thing about it is I don't have to figure up the xp

 

[Christian]

I could've had a TPK last weekend, but most of the characters were smart enough to surrender. And the BBEG was ready and willing to accept surrenders ... I'd worked that possiblity into the encounter, as I knew it would be tough. It was tougher than I expected, because I underestimated the power of one of the enemies, and overestimated the daring of the PCs. They had the enemies on the run, had a chance to pursue onto favorable terrain & strike a minimally prepared foe--but they were out of cure spells, and decided to call it a night & bed down in the dungeon. Two short passages away from the BBEG HQ. Knowing of at least one surviving minion that knew they were in the dungeon. I think they somehow hoped to get through the night & replenish spells without being ambushed by prepped & regrouped BBEG's. Then my overpowered minion combined with some very lucky rolls did the rest. Anyone know what happens when a Horrid Ape lands all three attacks in a full attack, including one critical, and of course his bonus rend? Mince-meatshield pie, anyone?

So sad.

 

[MonsterMash]

TPK do happen and it looks like the party did make some serious mistakes there - no buffs, not necessarily having the tactics sorted, and bad luck seemed to play a part. If say the fighter or cleric had critted the thane instead of the cleric getting critted might have made a big difference.

Personally I take it as part of the game as a player or DM, after all without the challenge and risk the game would get pretty dull.

 

[reanjr]

For a fresh party, no problem. Just getting done with an adult black dragon, it's too much.

 

[reanjr]

Congratualtions!!! And don't worry, TPK's just get easier with time. You'll feel quite a bit less remorse on your second one. By the fifth or sixth, you won't feel a thing.

If the pc's didn't want to risk death, they shouldn't have gone into the fight.

Remember, DM's don't kill pc's... monster and traps (and sometimes other pc's) kill pc's.

R.A.

I do have to agree there. Just because monsters are there doesn't mean the PCs have to kill them.

And yes, it does get much easier. Even enjoyable.

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

I've found the middle levels to be a wasteland of needless deaths.

At this point, the PC's see their great power relative to the local region they're in and start believing their own PR. As a DM, to challenge them you have to present them with obstacles without obvious solutions and let them use their resources to overcome them. If they ever get sloppy and don't recognize the danger soon enough they can find themselves on 10hp, with a P.o.CLWs and adjacent to some bruiser giant with 15' reach.

Perhaps someone in need of anonymous lacky's has the ability to raise dead and is on cordial terms with the said monsters. Then again, perhaps an enemy of an enemy comes across the stripped corpses and figures that the PC's may be tough enough to be useful allies.

 

[WampusCat43]

For a fresh party, no problem. Just getting done with an adult black dragon, it's too much.

Oh, they were at full strength - the dragon had gotten away and ravaged Daggerford, now that he had the "Orb of Dragonbane" out of the way. The PC's were trying to finish the job after the death of the duke's son, an NPC that had travelled with them.

Perhaps someone in need of anonymous lacky's has the ability to raise dead and is on cordial terms with the said monsters. Then again, perhaps an enemy of an enemy comes across the stripped corpses and figures that the PC's may be tough enough to be useful allies.

I'm toying with the idea of having them wake up in the surrounding swamp, covered with cuts and mosquitoes, and stripped of their best gear. Pinned to the wizard's head is a note:
"Thanks for all the goodies. The 40,000 gold in the bag of holding was especially nice, and is now decorating my cave. Please come back when you have some more, and say hello to the duke for me."

- Adulabok the dragon

 

[Stalker0]

Oh, they were at full strength - the dragon had gotten away and ravaged Daggerford, now that he had the "Orb of Dragonbane" out of the way. The PC's were trying to finish the job after the death of the duke's son, an NPC that had travelled with them.




I'm toying with the idea of having them wake up in the surrounding swamp, covered with cuts and mosquitoes, and stripped of their best gear. Pinned to the wizard's head is a note:
"Thanks for all the goodies. The 40,000 gold in the bag of holding was especially nice, and is now decorating my cave. Please come back when you have some more, and say hello to the duke for me."

- Adulabok the dragon

In normal situations I wouldn't like that, but it could work in this situation. The players humiliated the dragon....but now the dragon gets teh last laugh. Certainly within some dragons personalities.