Why not simply slaughter them?

[Crothian]

well, as DM you know everything. But the bad guys don't. So, you'd have to figure out what they know and how. And that would allow the PCs a chance to catch on someone is seeking info about them. Also, if the bad guys area big bad, there probalbt is also a big good. So, the big good could be protecting the PCs. Heck, another big bad could protect the PCs in hopes of using the PCs agins his enemies.

 

[reanjr]

If my players do something stupid, they die.

 

[jollyninja]

because it's far more fun to give them fates worse then death, plant cursed items in easily found locations and send the pc's false leads to get them there. a character in my L5R d20 campaign was only level 5 while the rest of the party was level 8 because his "cool new sword" had actually stolen 16000 xp from him, gave him 10 taint points and drained him of 6 permanent hp. it was a +3 vorpal sword with more unlockable abilities which was almost worth the price. it was planted by guess who? BBEG irritated with party. keep them alive for a few days so that their public execution can serve as an example to all why the BBEG should not be resisted. as for teleporting in and killing, teleporting in and stealing all their cool loot while letting them know you did it and there was nothing they could do about it is so much more infuriating to the forces of good. kill a player's character and they'll be miffed, take away the paladin's holy avenger, and the player will loose his mind with frustration. it's even worse the second time. lol. of course my players reffer to my game as painful, frustrating, and the best dnd game they have played in (really low standards i guess) and the standard post game quip is "thanks for the game, bastard" to which i smile and laugh every week.

 

[barsoomcore]

If I would be the leader of a powerfull organisation or party it would be on top of my list to consider, followed by an ambush by a buffed, powerful strike team.

Right, agreed. But that's not YOUR job. YOUR job is to provide as fun a game for your players as you can, while having as much fun as you can.

If everyone's having fun, you're doing it right.

Also I don't see the reason why such a powerfull, focused attack would seriously weaken the bad guys, they would mostly lose some spells which could be regained.

Why are you arguing AGAINST the ideas that people have provided? If you don't like them, don't use them, but what good does this do? If you want your NPCs to wipe out your party, go ahead, knock yourself out. If you think that your players will enjoy that, then it's even a good idea.

But if you think your players WON'T enjoy that, then you should consider other options. Because an unhappy group is unlikely to make YOU happy in turn, so be sure you're making the right decision.

But that's just my style. I try to make the world feel as unforgiving and realistic as possible, but this makes adventuring particularly dangerous...

And there's nothing wrong with that. Is it fun? Good for you. My caution is only based on my experiences with the people I've gamed with -- I've found that TPKs that the party is unable to predict or deal with in any way aren't considered much fun by most players, so I suspect your players will feel the same. At which point you have to ask yourself what's more important -- sticking to your style, or providing a fun game for your players. I don't say one choice or the other is better.

 

[shilsen]

If my players do something stupid, they die.

Jeez - that's harsh! Killing their PCs, I can understand, but whacking players for being stupid is a bit much.