Underpowered Group Found BBEG

[Retreater]

My group has bypassed much of the dungeon. By sending out their scout, they found the most direct route to the villain but have avoided exploring much of the dungeon. As a result, they didn't encounter most of the side encounters (and thus did not have the opportunity to deal with them at all - whether by stealth, roleplay, combat, or other means). They have missed out on vital XP and magic items, and now are about two levels too low to deal with the dragon and poorly equipped.

Do you send them back up to "clear out" the dungeon and farm for XP and loot? Let them face the dragon underpowered (and possible TPK)? Handwave the XP and treasure to make them appropriately leveled to fight the dragon? Or something else?

I would normally handwave the XP, but in this case I'm running for a group of newer players, and I think they need to earn the XP (not just mechanically, but they need to learn their characters and how to deal with certain challenges).

What do you think?

 

[bedir than]

I think they should use your username.

Retreating is always an option. They should encounter the message of a dying man that makes it clear just how powerful the dragon is. Then they should run

 

[Satyrn]

My group has bypassed much of the dungeon. By sending out their scout, they found the most direct route to the villain but have avoided exploring much of the dungeon. As a result, they didn't encounter most of the side encounters (and thus did not have the opportunity to deal with them at all - whether by stealth, roleplay, combat, or other means). They have missed out on vital XP and magic items, and now are about two levels too low to deal with the dragon and poorly equipped.

Do you send them back up to "clear out" the dungeon and farm for XP and loot? Let them face the dragon underpowered (and possible TPK)? Handwave the XP and treasure to make them appropriately leveled to fight the dragon? Or something else?

I would normally handwave the XP, but in this case I'm running for a group of newer players, and I think they need to earn the XP (not just mechanically, but they need to learn their characters and how to deal with certain challenges).

What do you think?

I think you should flat out tell your players this. They ought to know that you've set up the game part of this RPG to rely on some amount of XP grinding before facing their target.

They'd probably enjoy the "farming" more if you give them some goals to accomplish, so that the grinding for XP has a veneer of purpose.

 

[ccs]

I would let them face the dragon if they wished.
If it came to a fight? I'd not pull any punches & roll my dice in the open.
If this results in dead characters or in a tpk? Then so be it. That's what happens when inexperienced/under equipped people fight dragons....

 

[the Jester]

I don't decide what the pcs do; the players do that. As the DM, it isn't my role. If they jump into a difficult encounter by bypassing a lot of encounters, then they will have to fight that encounter out while underpowered.

 

[Stalker0]

Honestly a few levels and magic items, unless the items give major bonuses against the dragon, shouldn’t be the difference between a win and a tpk.

Also they will be fresher than if they went through all that and didn’t rest.

 

[Blue]

Just make sure the scout brings back information that the dragon is really fearsome. You mentioned this is a newer group of players, hopefully they haven't picked up the "the DM wouldn't have put it here if we weren't meant to fight it" mentality yet. Make them afraid.

If they don't have a clue they aren't ready to face it yet, that's the DM's failing in inadequate descriptions. The players get their info from the DM, but it should include what the characters living in the world can get. And that something looks and feels way out of their weight class is part of that.

And if they take it on and don't retreat - well, if they pull it off against those odds that's what epic D&D stories are made of. I have a halfling bard with the hard-earned sobriquet of "Terror of Dragons" because of exactly that.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Generating new characters is one of the best parts of the game!

 

[Yaarel]

DMs need monster and encounter building tools to estimate how challenging an encounter will be.

At the same time, the game works better when mixing in overpowered and underpowered encounters. Sometimes the encounter is a cakewalk where players can show off. Sometimes the way to ‘win’ an encounter is to run away and hide.

The problem only happens when players have become accustomed to the assumption that they have a reasonable chance of winning *every* encounter.

 

[Retreater]

Just make sure the scout brings back information that the dragon is really fearsome. You mentioned this is a newer group of players, hopefully they haven't picked up the "the DM wouldn't have put it here if we weren't meant to fight it" mentality yet. Make them afraid.

If they don't have a clue they aren't ready to face it yet, that's the DM's failing in inadequate descriptions. The players get their info from the DM, but it should include what the characters living in the world can get. And that something looks and feels way out of their weight class is part of that.

And if they take it on and don't retreat - well, if they pull it off against those odds that's what epic D&D stories are made of. I have a halfling bard with the hard-earned sobriquet of "Terror of Dragons" because of exactly that.

I think they're suitably worried about the dragon because of their interactions with NPCs who won't deal with it.

My concern is that a character died in an encounter with orcs a couple sessions ago, and I don't think they are dealing with the permanence of death (at low level) all that well. (i.e. "There must be a way to bring the character back." "How long until he respawns?")