TPK at the Observatory

[Viconus]

I thought the 3rd floor fight in the observatory was a fair fight when I read it, but that was partly because there is a cleric in the party who could turn undead. The cleric is new to D and D, and had some unlucky rolls. Therefore, she used all 3 of her turn undead spells against the skeletons by the entrance, who could have been relatively easily defeated.

The zombies had a lot more hitpoints than the players (who, though second level, had something like 17, 14, 14, and 10 hp). It didn't help that the players didn't shop around Diamond Lake for healing potions. I would have had Filge surrender, but they players were all targeting the zombies, partly because Filge had cover. My players survived the Whispering Cairn, but not the observatory.

[Killer_GM]

I think the observatory is a very difficult encounter as written. I had a solid group, and their survival literally came down to the PC cleric turning several of the undead. Had he failed, I'd have had a potential TPK likewise. Gives me warm fuzzies just thinking about it...

[Steven Tindall]

low rolls happen. Make a new party and try again. Also in that adventure path when I played a cleric of vecna and controlled the undead it made the whole thing alot easier.
As for why a neutral cleric of vecna would want to help, easy kyuss is an upstart that needs to be put down or the church of vecna sent him as an agent to investigate these new forms of undead. Either way controlling the undead makes the AP much easier to survive.

[Viconus]

Steven Tindall wrote:

low rolls happen. Make a new party and try again. Also in that adventure path when I played a cleric of vecna and controlled the undead it made the whole thing alot easier.

As for why a neutral cleric of vecna would want to help, easy kyuss is an upstart that needs to be put down or the church of vecna sent him as an agent to investigate these new forms of undead. Either way controlling the undead makes the AP much easier to survive.

I was engaged in a little bit of hyperbole - I did a Deus Ex Machina (their first), so they're not dead, and that ship has sailed. That may be a good idea for any new character. Perhaps I could recommend Filge to a new player, if the players don't kill him?

[Mistral]

My party waltzed right trough them zombies. Filge got massacred by a well-placed critical hit, after which the zombies got chopped to pieces. Mind, they DID place some hard blows. Luckily my players had some healing potions left. But no casualties on their part.

The roll of the die...

[unforgivn]

My party had quite possibly the best fight against Filge possible. We use fumble rules, and Filge ghoul touched himself.

[wraithstrike]

This one is hard. One of the zombies(maybe the troglodyte) is pretty tough. My player suddenly starting getting high rolls, and nobody failed their saves against Filge's spells so they lucked out.

[BigJohn42]

My party is playing this using Pathfinder rules, and have access to Hero Points, but they're also shorthanded.

That having been said, the Observatory went just about perfectly for us... Filge & the Zombies got the Druid down to 2-3 HP, the Half-Orc had to use his Ferocity ability, and the Wizard was reduced to 0-level spells.... and it ended with Filge surrendering with 5 HP left.

[FallofCamelot]

unforgivn wrote:

My party had quite possibly the best fight against Filge possible. We use fumble rules, and Filge ghoul touched himself.

"...stop ghoul touching yourself, why are you ghoul touching yourself?"

[Phrennzyd1]

Our three man party - druid, cleric, mage - just ran this. Almost a TPK because I forgot to nerf it a bit for their 3-manness and relative newb group.

The bad - zombies have SO many hit points. And the DR is rough.

The saving grace - the druids animal companion rushed in and tripped Filge before the old boy could even react.

Then, when the necromancer tried to ray of enfeeble the wolf, he blew his concentration check for cast on the defensive. The wolf also made his save against a Scare spell, and that was the end of Filge in the battle.

The heroes were on the ropes fighting the zombies. They used the two Summon Mad Slasher tokens they had found in the Whispering Cairn (an idea I stole from Erik Mona himself). And the druid went down. But they made it, barely.

Also, zombies are too stupid for real tactics.

And, luckily for me as DM, Filge stabilized on his own, and will become a recurring NPC, if only so I can do his voice - think Orpheus from Venture Brothers. Good times.