Pathfinder 1E What should i do ?

[Yazh]

We play a homebrew campaign an my player are near to be dead, during a dungeon they fight some creature that a pnj has advised them not to, they won, twice because they did it again. One of them also activate an unknown mechanism spotted as very dangerous and It will lead to drastic consequences. Due to that action they can't retreat without losing the quest but they are nearly dead, the risk of tpk is big, because of the choices of one member. What should I do ?
(Sorry if there is a lot of English faults, it's not my maternal language.)

 

[HippyCraig]

All choices have consequences, let thing happen as they unfold. If the tpk then the next campaign you can have years progress and make the world into a different place based on their failure and have them live in this new world they created

 

[nevin]

you are the DM. If it's a new group and you don't want to kill them then have them wake up somewhere near at a camp missing gear. I'd have some other higher level adventuring party, find em take choice items and leave them in a safe place while they finish the Quest and take the loot and recognition. That way they understand pushing is going to have serious consequences. Other options are a non good planar entity shows up and makes a bargain for thier service or maybe even a soul or two. (make sure that service is a full adventure on it's own. Maybe a demon needs his heart back from a high level cleric or Wizard. Or if that doesn't fit your campaign have em wake up in a village healing as the party that took their stuff took mercy on them and dropped them off on the way to the next one.

Just make it scary, and very difficult to resolve.

I once early in my DM'ing, nearly killed a 5th level party (a combination of party stupidity and things they could't counter. bad DM) and I had a Dragon show up magically imprison them, heal them, torture them. (trying to find her eggs that had been stolen), eventually she decided they probably weren't responsible but to hedge her bets she pretended to put a Curse and a "dragon Mark" on them so she could find them anywhere and told them they'd be dead in a week from the curse if the eggs weren't found.

 

[Wolf72]

Sometimes TPK are fun. We had one that ended a level 13-14 group, the bad rolls and ego led decisions were spectacular and funny. But then again, my group was (and still are? now just more?) older.