What to do and where to start after a TOTAL PARTY KILL?

[Klaudius Rex]

Medusa's are not very nice. they hold a lot of scorn, but to your credit, the book allows for some parlay...maybe this is an option for the new players...

 

[Nytmare]

they were all turned to stone by the medusa. essentially, its still a total party kill, since there is no one who can possibly bring them back...

The next party could be a group of medusa hunters with absolutely no interest in the other story line at all. Just a roving gang who scour the country hunting down medusae and saving bestoned adventurers.

 

[Klaudius Rex]

The next party could be a group of medusa hunters with absolutely no interest in the other story line at all. Just a roving gang who scour the country hunting down medusae and saving bestoned adventurers.

Funny.
I do appriciate the help.

I never considered a roving gang of medusa hunters exploring a remote part of the jungle to save bestoned adventures!

Either way, im just wondering if i should even have the next adventuring party face the medusa again? Not because i think they cant win, but because the element of surprise will be lost. I could put the medusa elsewhere, maybe later in the adventure. Someone in the comments above recommended "not killing her off screen" and i think thats a good point.

I was just wondering if i should have the next battle with new characters face the medusa/boss that connects part A of the adventure to part B of the adventure? Or should i just skip the medusa for now, and just proceed with allowing access to part B of the adventure, and reintroduce her at a later point?

 

[Maxperson]

When a party TPKs in my game, whatever the end goal of the bad guys is happens. If the bad guys were Zhentil Keep trying to take over all of the Heartlands, then the next group comes into play with the Heartlands being under the domination of Zhentil Keep. Then the party can either pursue a different goal , or try and undo the results of the last campaign. By not starting the prior campaign over at some point, it gives both a sense of consequence to the PCs actions, and a sense of importance to the PCs themselves.

 

[Klaudius Rex]

When a party TPKs in my game, whatever the end goal of the bad guys is happens. If the bad guys were Zhentil Keep trying to take over all of the Heartlands, then the next group comes into play with the Heartlands being under the domination of Zhentil Keep. Then the party can either pursue a different goal , or try and undo the results of the last campaign. By not starting the prior campaign over at some point, it gives both a sense of consequence to the PCs actions, and a sense of importance to the PCs themselves.

so do you just end the game right there and start anew?

what would you recommend happen when the group is playing a prewritten campaign module like Tomb of Annhilation? the same thing? just close the book, and say, "sorry, you lost." No more raise dead/resurrection spells from this point on in all my future Forgotten Realms games?

 

[Maxperson]

so do you just end the game right there and start anew?

what would you recommend happen when the group is playing a prewritten campaign module like Tomb of Annhilation? the same thing? just close the book, and say, "sorry, you lost." No more raise dead/resurrection spells from this point on in all my future Forgotten Realms games?

Sure. I have no problem with doing that. I recently(two or three years ago) ran a campaign in the Realms where if the PCs failed, the gods would be cut off from Toril forever. Had they failed, divine classes and magic would have been gone. I rarely run things with that kind of scope due to that chance of failure, but when I do, the players really enjoy the chance that if they fail catastrophe happens. It creates a very real and strong sense that they are what matters to the game world.

Alternatively, if you want, the new PCs can go about the game with no resurrection until they are high enough level to undertake an epic quest to undo the effects. I would also leave revivify in the game since it's not really raising the dead, so much as restarting life in a manner similar to CPR.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

I had a TPK right after picking up 5e. The group decided to play relatives who were out looking for the Party and find out Who, What, Where, When and How they died. The campaign started as one thing but totally changed and headed off in a better more interesting direction.

We've since decided that the best thing that happened to the game was the TPK.

 

[AmerginLiath]

If they were all turned to stone by a Medusa, the easiest “fix” would be for some powerful third party to mysteriously come fix that...in return for the party promising to do something for him once all this business on Chult is done. TPK solved *and* next campaign determined!

 

[Imaculata]

I would have the medusa still be there, but this time the party is warned of the medusa by an npc, who advises that they sneak past the medusa at night.

You still have all the suspense of the medusa, and you get to confront your players with the statues of their previous characters. Will they attempt to free their previous characters of the curse? Maybe they seek the help of someone who can lift the curse?

 

[Keravath]

The medusa is a relatively minor encounter in ToA though they are one of the creatures who know the location of Omu.

However, I was wondering how a TPK happened unless everyone looked at the medusa and everyone failed their saving throws. In general, I've found that once the first character starts turning to stone (or even just has to make a saving throw) the rest tend to avert their eyes and try to come up with ways to deal with it without looking at it. I've played several encounters with basilisks that have a similar effect.

Anyway, since the characters aren't actually dead ... it is possible that an NPC like Artus Cimber or perhaps one of the guides from Port Nyanzaru (depending on character alignment and goals) might come along and free them from the petrification, perhaps in exchange for some service (a number of the guides have personal quests that could be used).