Total Party Kill via Red Dragon (alternate version)
Lucius - Paladin (lvl 7)
Inrina - Fighter (lvl 7)
Edgar - Fighter 4/Cleric 3 (lvl 7)
Darius - Druid (lvl 7)
Rothgar - Rogue (lvl 7)Setting: Verden (Custom Home Brew)
While travelling to the Dwarven run City of Xonar the party notices a large red dragon high overhead flying towards the mountains. They decide to travel towards the nearest city and find out more. They discovered the tale of Flametear the Horrible (suggested to be very tough and out of their league).
They bought supplies and made a tough over mountain trip (during mid winter to boot). They got to the volcanic area it was said that Flametear dwelt in after over a month of travel. After days of searching they found three likely caves. They then discussed how they would try and beat the dragon (a little late on the planning, I thought). They explored the crevices (with some poison gas and lava problems). The PC's reasoned that with some subterfuge they could 'get the drop' on the dragon and be able to gain the upper hand.
The dragon minced them. You should have seen the surprise on the player's face when the mature adult red dragon chose to throw a large spear across the cavern to nail the paladin. The dragon then quickly moved in, breathed and the laid a whooping all around and subdued everyone in just a few rounds.
** spoiler omitted **
Your players are going to develop a hate-love relationship with Flametear the Horrible. Enjoy it! :)
TPK
PC's Names: Django; Modron; Ian; Silk
Races: 1/2 elf; human; human; halfling
Classes: Cleric; fighter; sacred fist; rogue
Level: 15
Circumstances of Death: Travel cleric used Shadow Weave to pull off unexpected divinations and a teleport to a dead magic zone which happened to be the last encounter of the adventure. The rest of the party wasn't prepared for a fight.
The shade wizard was ready, and 4 rounds of save or die effects later saw the end of the campaign. Though they did save the weave before they died.
Adventure: Anauroch: The Empire of Shade
Character: Lakaar
Race: Half-orc
Class: Barbarian 3
Circumstance of death. Failed a balance check, followed by a failed swim check followed by another failed swim check followed by death by drowning. It was pretty funny actually.
Setting: Eberron Shadow's of the Last War module
Character: Trinite
Race: Elf
Class: Elf 1
Circumstance of death: Failed a poison save after being bitten by a giant crab spider
Module: B9 Castle Caldwell and Beyond (BECMI game)
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Character: Lakaar
Race: Half-orc
Class: Barbarian 3Circumstance of death. Failed a balance check, followed by a failed swim check followed by another failed swim check followed by death by drowning. It was pretty funny actually.
Setting: Eberron Shadow's of the Last War module
As a DM, I must admit that I looovve character deaths like this!
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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Adventure: L1 The Secret of Bone Hill (updated to 4th Ed)
Character: Larry
Race: Human
Class: Fighter 5
Killed by his opposite number (and a team-up other duplicates) in a specialized mirror of opposition. Finished off after he had already been dropped negative by an avernian eruption from a duplicate infernal warlock.
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Got me a TPK tonight; thus far the Pathfinder scenarios have been worth every penny I paid for 'em. :D
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PC's Name: Angel
Race: Human
Class: Druid
Level: 1
Circumstances of Death: Sneak-attacked (via flanking) by a fighter-rogue-thing with a flail.
Setting: Pathfinder Scenario 1 - Silent Tide
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PC's Name: Etharil
Race: Half-elf
Class: Scout
Level: 1
Circumstances of Death: Sneak-attacked (via flanking) by a fighter-rogue-thing with a flail.
Setting: Pathfinder Scenario 1 - Silent Tide
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PC's Name: Kain
Race: Dragonborn
Class: Ninja
Level: 1
Circumstances of Death: Sneak-attacked (via flanking) by a fighter-rogue-thing with a flail.
Setting: Pathfinder Scenario 1 - Silent Tide
Give me time, I have one pbp already going and one about to start.
Sooner or later, someone will die...
PC's Names: Aziz; Quibbly
Races: human; halfling
Classes: Swordsage; cleric
Level: 3
Circumstances of Death: Couldn't handle Drevoraz's 1d6+10 damage, and refused to parley.
Adventure: The Bullywug Gambit (3.5 Savage Tide set in Faerun)
In my current Homebrew campaign, Haru's Halfling Fighter 2, found himself on the business end of a fellow Halfling Villain's Battle Axe, and was killed most satisfactorily.
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2 kills in a three day adventure loosely based on the Age of Worms.
Loreius the half-elf archer upset two wind warriors and they flew in and chopped him to pieces. His player rolled up a gnome sorcerer.
The following morning, his brother, Pantensus, met the business end of a 6th level barbarian with power attack and a greataxe. The Pathfinder barbarian rage abilities just took him into higher negatives. His player rolled up a black elf rogue.
PC's Name: TPK 5 member party
Level all lv 18
Circumstances of Death: balor death explosion half way up the tower resulting in the entire tower collapsing with fall damage and crushing damage.(tower is 80 feet in diameter, explosion 100 ft)
Setting Skullrot last of the shackled city ap
PC's Name: Sir Toren
Race: dragonborn
Class: paladin
Level: 4
Circumstances of Death: Party cleric assumed it was three death saves each time a character dropped, not 3 saves until he rests... Even after I announced to the group twice in the fight. Otherwise it could be credited to the enlarged duergar elite with double hammer strikes.
Adventure: Thunderspire Labyrinth
So many dead PC's of late...
PC's Name: Rulrad
Race: dwarf
Class: monk
Level: 2
Circumstances of Death: Vorag scout that was allowed to move around freely, crit with shortbow. The monk didn't try to grapple the scout once. Best part - he's been reincarnated as a kobold.
Adventure: Barrow of the Forgotten King using Pathfinder Beta
PC's Name: Midori
Race: Elf
Class: Bladesinger (Fighter/Mage/Druid)
Level: 4/4/1
Circumstances of Death: While trying to prevent the release of a Demon Lord, by a Liche and his drow companion. Challenged the drow to an honourable duel as she had killed an elf. Midori lost the duel fell unconcious, the dwarf cleric tried to prevent her body being taken away so the liche used spells. A maximised fireball and cloud kill (<6 level autokill) and Midori dies.
Adventure: 2ed AD&D
PC's Name: Rulrad
Race: kobold
Class: monk
Level: 2
Circumstances of Death: Bit by tomb spider (their poison makes you hurt from positive energy and healed by negative energy), and then recieved a cure mod from the cleric.
Adventure: Barrow of the Forgotten King using Pathfinder Beta
PC's Name: Rulrad
Race: kobold
Class: monk
Level: 2
Circumstances of Death: Bit by tomb spider (their poison makes you hurt from positive energy and healed by negative energy), and then recieved a cure mod from the cleric.
Adventure: Barrow of the Forgotten King using Pathfinder Beta
Rulrad I suppose is coming back as Darlur? ^_^ Sorry bugger just keeps on dying in amusing ways.
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PC's name: Belros
Race: Human reincarnated from dwarf to avoid the authorities
Class: Cleric of Clangeddin
Level: 7
Circumstances of Death: Half of the party decided to split and investigate past the Temple of Earth with its four large earth elementals. They eventually managed to awaken the High Priest Romag, who took control of the situation. Belros in full plate armour was the slowest one to run and so after a final unholy blight he was carried back for sacrifice. The rest fled a close TPK.
Adventure: The Temple of Elemental Evil Level One.
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TPK ALERT
Campaign: Legacy of Fire, Howl of the Carrion King
Setting: Golarion
PC Name: Aldradlon Starheart "Whisperwind"
Race: Wood Elf
Class: Ranger 2
PC Name: Zephdlon Kal El "Athraig"
Race: Grey Elf
Class: Wizard 2
PC Name: Ibrahim Ibn Jafar Ibn Imhotep
Race: Human
Class: Favored Soul of Imhotep
Cause of Death: Huge mamba snake. Wizard deciding a heavy crossbow was a better option than a 5th level wand of magic missile.
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PC's name: Finn the Axe
Race: Human
Class: Ulfen Barbarian
Level: 5
Circumstances of Death: Finn's only goal as a character was to finally get off Devil's Elbow where he had been shipwrecked. Heavily laden with equipment, he tried to jump over a small body of water. He knew the orca was in the water; he knew the orca was hungry. Into the water he went. Bad News: The orca ate him. Good News: As the well-fed orca swam out to see, Finn finally got off the island.
Adventure: Second Darkness: Children of the Void
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PC's name: Damarian
Race: Tiefling
Class: Ranger
Level: 2 (just 100 experience points short of Level 3)
Circumstances of Death: Famous last words: "Hey, I only need 100 more experience points to go up a level. Let's just wander the island until we find a random monster to kill." Two assassin vines worked together to pull Damarian apart. The assassin vines earned enough points to go up a level.
Adventure: Second Darkness AP 14 on Devil's Elbow
PC's Name: Toopoe
Race: River Spirit Folk
Class: swashbuckler
Level: 6
Circumstances of Death: Swallowed whole by T-Rex
Adventure: Here be Monsters (3.5 Savage Tide set in Faerun)
PC's Names: Lysiira, Ovidious
Races: Elves
Classes: Druid, Cleric
Levels: 9
Circumstances of Death: Petrified by Medusa
Adventure: Pyramid of Shadows (4E)
PC Names: Ranco the Good, Lem the Tiny, Blood Claw the Brute
Races: Human, Halfling, Human
Character Levels: 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Causes of Death: Pathfinder Society Organized Play
Catalyst/Stories:
Ranco the Good died due to a max-damage critical from a mook with a spiked gauntlet, failing to stabilize and the inattentiveness of his fellow player characters.
Lem the Tiny and Blood Claw both died at the fangs and claws of a book ghast. Sadly, Blood Claw's player managed to persuade one or more of the other players to chip in for his raise dead. I almost had a TPK until the 3rd level Cleric did the ghast in...
Name: Alexite Marius Pandeloric
Race: Human
Classes/levels: Sorcerer (Infernal bloodline) 2
Adventure: Bastards of Erebus
Location: The sewers below Westcrown
Catalyst: Gelatinous cube.
The Gory Details: *smiles toothily* This is my favorite player death to date. The characters are in the sewers after having just pulled off a fairly successful home invasion with a bit of the old ultra violence. Things are a bit wacky and they're in a bit of a hurry to get somewhere ELSE. They turn through a slightly rubble-strewn corridor and into a service way. The corridor goes from 15x10 to 10x10. And starts getting... cleaner. The player observes this, has PC's start watching for signs of people/guards/Hellknights. So there's a Perception check for the PC's in front.
At this point, Alexite is in front with a loaded heavy crossbow and the fighter is next in line. The Rogue is behind the fighter and is the only one to make Perception. Now, for my part, I played up the "You see a shimmery translucent reflection of torchlight about 15 feet in front of you." She thought, perhaps from the description, that she was on approach to a will-o-wisp. Then the cube approached, initiative was rolled, and the Sorcerer got tapped. Failed fort save = crazy delicious. Engulf on the next round, fighter tries to pull the caster free and is paralyzed as well. The rogue calls a full evac and cuts the fighter's grip on the Sorcerer free. They bail, leaving Alexite to his gruesome fate. And he had half the haul of loot too!
Gods I love being me sometimes.
PC's Names: Grimfar; Grom
Races: half-orcs
Classes: barbarian/fighter; barbarian
Levels: 7
Circumstances of Death: After a very efficient confrontation with Olangru, the party began trashing the shrine to Demogorgon instead of healing up and regrouping. Just as Grom tried to knock over the golem, it awakened. Being enlarged for the fight with Olangru, they avoided being grappled by the golem, but it only took a few rounds of 4 attacks for 1d8+8 damage and the potential for 1d4 Con damage to add up.
Adventure: Here Be Monsters
Name: Adantai
Race: Human
Class: Monk 1
Circumstances: Death by Owlbear (critical hit)
Pathfinder Scenario 35, Voice In The Void
Slightly off-topic...
Name: 1st Mate (name unknown)
Race: Human
Class: NPC Sailor 2nd level
Circumstances:
The characters got attached to this hard-drinking, salty, NPC throughout a mystery adventure. They confront the vile Necromancer with several locals, the Captain, and the 1st Mate. As the Necromancer goes down, he spitefully fires his parting shot - Burning Hands - towards the locals. The 1st Mate catches the brunt of it and becomes a torch. The Characters are grief-stricken.
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PC's Name: Arkavor
Race: Tiefling Ghost
Class: Favored Soul
Level:10 (ish?)
Circumstances of Death: Destroying the vessel in which his demon father (Ochremeshk) was imprisoned. Because this vessel was to be a 2-4 session adventure hook, it exploded in a burst of dark "DM spite" magic killing him.
Setting: Ptolus mash-up
Thanks to the player's role playing ability this turned into the single best encounter ever. The 300 soundtrack in the background didn't hurt either.
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Name: Hurik Trollsbane
Race: Dorf
Class: Fighter 10
Setting: Frozen North (3.5 Homebrew)
Circumstances: Death by friendly-fire fireball. Characters were fighting to keep an ogre-mage and his minions from reopening a sealed Gate to the Abyss. The gate had strange effects on all spellcasting within a certain radius of the rune-pillar that was the focal key to keeping the gate shut. In this case, the Druid-Wizard cast a fireball that was unexpectedly widened and maximized. Hurik go boom splatter sizzle. Ogre mage escaped. This led to ...
Name: Can't remember!
Race: Elf
Class: Druid 5/Wizard 5
Setting: Frozen North (3.5 Homebrew)
Circumstances: Sacrificed by his own druidic circle to regrow the ancient coniferous (with highly flammable layers of pine and evergreen needles) forest he idiotically cast the aforementioned fireball into. He was rezzed with a pinecone as his heart to make sure he never again forgot his vows to protect that forest. He later gave his life in the final battle defeating the ogre-mage's orcish army laying siege to Silverload Mesa. Took a lightening bolt to the chest. Player retired the character after this second death, satisfied by his sacrifice.
Hurik has died a number of times, to the point that his patron god Moradin's gatekeepers were getting annoyed at seeing him so regularly. "Oh, you again."
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Name: Ranock Ulgothslayer
Race: Dorf
Class: Cleric 10
Setting: Frozen North (3.5 Homebrew)
Circumstances: Flash frozen by a young adult White Dragon after he failed his stealth roll trying to sneak up on the dragon as it guarded the path to a camp of snoozing frost giants. Thought the heavy snow and wind would help him on his attempt. Not when you roll a 2, however.
Dwarf.
Cleric.
in Scale mail.
Trying to MOVE SILENTLY.
Yeah, I didn't understand it either.
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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All of these are from STAP.
Name: Les Stroud
Race: human
Class: wizard 3
Serial sneak attacked by Lotus Dragon thieves. The party entered a room in which Lotus Dragon thieves had disguised themselves as sparring dummies (Hide take 20). Party blew Spot checks. The Lotus Dragons waited until the nice squishy wizard walked between 2 of them to spring the suprise round. 2 sneak attacks->won init->2 more sneak attacks->dead wizard.
Name: Les Stroud
Race: human
Class: wizard 9
Curbstomped by Olangru in his lair: charge->pounce->claw+skirmish->claw+skirmish->bite+skirmish. We had a large and powerful party so I had beefed up Olangru with some scout levels.
Name: Omonren
Race: human
Class: binder
Black pudding'ed. Party encountered a black pudding; druid wildshaped and charge-pounce-claw-claw-bite. POOF 4 black puddings. Binder rushed in to save druid. Druid survived; binder did not.
Name: Whisper
Race: human
Class: monk 11
Bull-rushed off the top of a pyramid in Golismorga by a kopru temple guardian; slid down the side through several patches of green slime mold. Mega Con damage. Unraisable due to instant decomposition of remains.
PC's Name: Flora
Race: Shifter
Class: Cleric (Avandra)
Level: 9
Circumstances of Death: Taken to negative Bloodied by multiple applications of Deathstorm by Kravak the Damned
Setting: Pyramid of Shadows
Requiem in pace.
PC's Name: Seram Zal
Race: Human
Class: Barbarian
Level: 8
Circumstances of Death: Mobbed by Fish-men of Dagon
Setting: Ashenport
PC's Name: Flora
Race: Shifter
Class: Cleric (Avandra)
Level: 9
Circumstances of Death: Taken to negative Bloodied by multiple applications of Deathstorm by Kravak the Damned
Setting: Pyramid of ShadowsRequiem in pace.
She went the way she wanted to go. Defiant to the last :) And may I put on record that it was an epic and awesome battle which her player enjoyed wholeheartedly.
Requiestat in pace (corrected the grammar!)
It was extremely fun from my side. I was really surprised that it was nearly a TPK.
That's what happens when you name a character after a margarine.
Cheers
May her fats stay unsaturated. Better than Stork at least.
PC's Name: Daniel
Race: Human
Class: Wiz 2/Rog 2
Level: 4
Circumstances of Death: Mauled by tiger after failed attempt to flank
Setting: Homebrew
PC's Name: Grallach
Race: Human
Class: Cavalier
Level: 5
Circumstances of Death: Stomped to death by a War Elephant.
FAILED.
EVERY.
SAVE.
Setting: Homebrew.
PC's Name: Saren
Race: Human
Class: Sorceror
Level: 1
Circumstances of Death: Mauled by zombie horde while ambushed in a village, died, was instantly raised by the aura causing the zombies to animate, and then promptly put down with a punch to the face by his monk friend.
Setting: Homebrew 4e campaign
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In a nice two part session I managed to score a whopping four kills. The umberhulk was the major player in the first round (killed three of four party members; my poor DMPC monk included) and one character (Sicilian) fled to get reinforcements from town.
When they got back (that'd be the beginning of round two) they had a massive battle (something like 15 or so assorted skeletons and zombies, a ghast, and the umberhulk) and managed to pull through without any casualties. Then they met the BBEG who promptly summoned a skeletal t-rex to lay the smack down.
T'was an epic night and fun was had by all. :D
--- Round One ---
PC's Name: Loki
Race: Human
Class: Fighter (Homebrew variant)
Level: 4
Circumstances of Death: Umberhulk mauling (it was the confusing gaze)
Setting: Tharkin's Tomb (Homebrew Adventure)
PC's Name: Nishikigoi
Race: Shifter
Class: Samurai (Homebrew variant)
Level: 4
Circumstances of Death: Umberhulk mauling (it was the confusing gaze)
Setting: Tharkin's Tomb (Homebrew Adventure)
PC's Name: The Boulder
Race: Human
Class: Monk (Homebrew variant)
Level: 4
Circumstances of Death: Umberhulk mauling (it was the confusing gaze)
Setting: Tharkin's Tomb (Homebrew Adventure)
--- Round Two ---
PC's Name: Sicilian the Sleeve
Race: Human
Class: Fighter (Homebrew variant)
Level: 4
Circumstances of Death: Skeletal t-rex
Setting: Tharkin's Tomb (Homebrew Adventure)
To exercise proper bragging rights from my Council of Thieves campaign:
Name: Jade II
Race: Human
Classes/levels: Fighter 1 / Sorcerer 5 (Water Elemental bloodline)
Adventure: What Lies in Dust
Location: B8 "The Nautica"
Catalyst: Full-round gore attacks and not moving far enough away
The Gory Details: Said aspiring Eldritch Knight had two flaming spheres merrily incinerating the undead triceratops. While only possessed of a dim intellect, the aforementioned spell is not subtle. A five foot adjustment and two gore attacks reduced the EK-to-be into a thoroughly perforated corpse. Posthumously, her spheres reduced it to ash immediately after that messy demise.
Name: Lord Mayor Aberian Arvanxi (NPC, but rather important)
Race: Human
Classes/levels: Peon 7th
Adventure: The Infernal Syndrome
Location: Outside of the entrance to the Nessian Spiral
Catalyst: 8 stirges and a flaming sphere
The Gory Details: His Honor was bound and manacled on the back of the torchbearer. The now former majordomo of Aberian's Folly saw the chance to resign in grand style - by sicc'ing her pack of 8 invisible stirges upon the helpless Lord Mayor of Westcrown. All 8 of them easily attached to the sorry sod, slurping his CON from 12 to 4. The instructions by the party? Toss the Lord Mayor into a flaming sphere, which then promptly dealt maximum damage to the man, killing him and the stirges in a hideous burning death. Due to the events immediately afterwards, the same sphere sat upon his corpse and incinerated it (and the "contract") to ash.
Name: Maximilian, humble torchbearer and carrier of loot, bearer of Mistah Mwangi (fetish doll from Delvehaven)
Race: Human
Classes/levels: Martial Artist 7
Adventure: The Infernal Syndrome
Location: Outside of the entrance to the Nessian Spiral
Catalyst: Two enervation spells totaling 7 negative levels from a certain re-specc'd hobbit sorcerer ...
The Gory Details: After the Lord Mayor's fiery death, poor Max forgot the adventuring maxim Never Split the Party. It was the hobbit's great pleasure to educate the big guy in the error of his ways in two consecutive rounds.
Name: Nidawi
Race: Elf
Class: Ranger
Level: 17
Location: A tampered-with Maze of Shadowy Terror in Arcanix
Circumstances of Death: Impaled to death by every one of the attacks of an ancient night twist. Death by tree.
Setting: Eberron