Killer GM’s 2011 Return to the Tomb of Horrors Pathfinder Campaign
I can’t believe that it has been nearly 10 whole years since I last ran ‘Return to the Tomb of Horrors’ for my players. This, the greatest adventure ever written, carries with it the express purpose of annihilating every single player character that dares set foot in it. And I plan to achieve that purpose:-). There is nothing like seeing players clutching their precious character sheets, and praying to whatever Gawd they subscribe to, that their characters will survive until the next encounter, much less the end of the adventure. And of course, they WON’T:D
We will be starting on October 8 at 10:00 AM, and playing one session per month. I’ll be chronicling every twist, turn and scream for your reading delight. I will be using WoTC’s 3.5 revamp of the Tomb of Horrors by Bruce Cordell, and the 3.5 Conversion of Return to the Tomb of Horrors, available on EN World, and modifying them for the Pathfinder rules system. I would imagine that a few of the 3.5 rules will still persist during the campaign, especially regarding pit traps with poison spikes…
The following is the current list of characters slated to start:
Paladin 8, Rogue 8, Ranger 8, Cleric 8, Magus 8, Ninja 8, and one or two characters yet to be determined. I have 6 players on board, and possibly two more yet to join in, one probably in October, the other in November.
After extensive review of the 3.5 Tomb and Return to the Tomb adventures, it is clear that they are ideally designed for mid-level characters. High-level characters would easily evade most of the traps. While I could increase the DC on the traps to cater to higher level characters, that still wouldn’t prevent high level spellcasters from sidestepping much of the hazards of the place. Ultimately these adventures, (to quote from the Return to the Tomb adventure), mark a rare occurrence “where the players are actually afraid for their characters.” A mid level adventure best accomplishes that.
I have myself statted up two additional groups of player characters (8th & 9th level) for player use when an existing character departs the world of the living in a heinous fashion. When previously GM’ing this campaign, I have found that characters often get greased so fast, that the players can’t produce a new character quickly enough to get back into the game, and become frustrated. I’ve also arranged with the player whose home we are playing in, to allow players to scan and photocopy their character sheets for use with new characters, with a mere name change and re-rolled ability scores. Any character who perishes in MY Tomb of Horrors (assuming they aren’t raised) becomes permanent property of this Killer GM (that is, the character sheet goes into my Return to the Tomb of Horrors Boxed Set) as a permanent memento. And I already have a collection of past character sheets :D
The set up for this Return to the Tomb adventure is tied to the events of my 2001 and 2002 Return to the Tomb of Horrors campaigns (I have a thread here on Paizo’s journals on them). There were two survivors who crawled back to civilization from the failed 2001 campaign, and three who survived the 2002 campaign (which ended after the original Tomb, as the group was wiped out and did not go on to Moil). These shattered survivors brought with them tales of great wealth and wonderful magical goodies, that have lured numerous groups of adventurers to now try to make a dash to the tomb in hopes of getting rich.
The atmosphere is something like that of the 1999 movie, “The Mummy”, where you have several competing groups of adventurers preparing to leave in search of the tomb. In addition to the player characters, there are 3 other rival groups of adventurers. Two of the groups are good & neutral aligned alternate Player Character adventurers (I’ll call them ‘Group A’ & ‘Group B’), that I’ve rolled up for eventual player use in the place of existing player characters, if/(when) they buy the farm, though at the present, they are competing against the current group of player characters. The 3rd group, is a group of malevolent, evil aligned PCs that the players will also get to tangle with during the course of the adventure.
Lastly, it’s good to have you (fellow readers) along for the campaign. Enjoy the reading. Please feel free to comment. And Happy Halloween Everyone. The First game is in 8 days from today.
This looks like fun! Looking forward to it!
I think it will be fun. I hope it will last more than one or two sessions. I've never had a group of player characters make it to the second half of the adventure (Moil & Fortress of Conculsion). The adventure has the potential to be over in very quick and spactactular fashion, owing to TPKs and other horrendous ways of buying the farm.
It will be interesting to see how long this group elects to get put through the meatgrinder before they hang it up as a waste of time.
From what I'm hearing, this group might not make it past the first or maybe the second session. Good luck!
From what I'm hearing, this group might not make it past the first or maybe the second session. Good luck!
Is what you're hearing from Haru:)
So bookmarked. And hoping so hard that your players will have the thick-headedness to never give up.
And hoping so hard that your players will have the thick-headedness to never give up.
ME TOO :D
I'll be giving them the "pre-game pep talk" (imagine before a football game) to hype them up, and bolster their spirits, before I later UTTERLY SHATTER THEM MERCILESSLY :D
With regret, I had to postpone today's game until Next Saturday, October 15, due to 'group mechanics' issues... We'll try again next Saturday. ~KGM
With regret, I had to postpone today's game until Next Saturday, October 15, due to 'group mechanics' issues... We'll try again next Saturday. ~KGM
Drama! Drama! Drama!
With regret, I had to postpone today's game until Next Saturday, October 15, due to 'group mechanics' issues... We'll try again next Saturday. ~KGM
Is there any news to report? I found the KGM posts a few days ago, and after reading 1500+ posts of PC slaughter and mayhem (to my wife's annoyance at my lack of doing anything else all weekend :D ) I find myself relishing the prospect of reading how your most recent exploits in ToH proceeded.
Also: KGM, Turin, et al. - you guys have inspired me to get my own game up and running in a few months for my first time behind the monkey screen. I've had my eye on the Kingmaker AP for more than a year, but as I'll likely be running with a group of complete RPG newbs I think I should break them into the spirit of the game proper and run them through some Dungeon Crawl Classics modules first!
With regret, I had to postpone today's game until Next Saturday, October 15, due to 'group mechanics' issues... We'll try again next Saturday. ~KGMIs there any news to report? I found the KGM posts a few days ago, and after reading 1500+ posts of PC slaughter and mayhem (to my wife's annoyance at my lack of doing anything else all weekend :D ) I find myself relishing the prospect of reading how your most recent exploits in ToH proceeded.
Also: KGM, Turin, et al. - you guys have inspired me to get my own game up and running in a few months for my first time behind the monkey screen. I've had my eye on the Kingmaker AP for more than a year, but as I'll likely be running with a group of complete RPG newbs I think I should break them into the spirit of the game proper and run them through some Dungeon Crawl Classics modules first!
LOL. Glad you enjoyed the other threads. I had to delay the game yet again until this coming Saturday October 29, but we're definitely playing on Saturday the 29th. I'll get to work on the post in short order after we're through for the day. The potential for PC casualties is staggering, so I hope it will be a memorable day to report on.
Best of luck in getting your own slaughterfest up and running with your own group of victims... er players... The prospect of a group of NEW players is absolutely salivating to put it mildly, and you will be able to avoid the drama of some older players who started playing in 3rd edition, who whine the moment their characters encounter even slight difficulties. I'd start with the Dungeon Crawl Classics. How I envy you...
Regards, ~KGM
We're scheduled to play today. In the past few weeks, I've had to cancel multiple game sessions due to family situations of group member(s), and another bizarre departure as well...
Several players are out of town again this week also, but I'm running anyway, as the remaining group members are about to strangle me due to 3 months since the last game of not playing. Should have 3, maybe 4 players today. I'll likely have 1 or 2 play a second PC, to get the group to six characters. Anything less would be suicidal for them. They'll probably get greased anyway, but...
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
In today’s first session of the 2011 Return to the Tomb of Horrors campaign, there was a TPK, consisting of 6 Player Character fatalities.
Present today were the following characters: (note-the names given are my pet names for the Player Characters/PCs, and not what the Players call their characters).
“Fartacus“ (a 9th level Paladin character)
“Torch Bearer“ (a 8th level Fighter character) who’s hit rolls were +18/13 and averaged 24 HP of damage per hit
“Magic-User“ (a 9th level Wizard character)
“Sieve Irwin” (a 9th level Ranger character)
“Rotundus” (a 8th level Cleric character)
And “Biggles” (a returning 8th level Cleric Character)
The characters were assembled at the tavern, had the encounter with the Wights, and wiped the floor with them with no difficulty. The boys talked with Captain Payvin and the chief constable,and learned that they needed to find Desatysso to learn the possible location of the Tomb of Horrors.
The lads went to the general vicinity of Desatysso’s abode. They at length decided that they needed to go up the mountainside to the cliff face above the valley where Desatysso’s ruined house was located, and lacking mass flight capabilities, they opted to go up the tunnel in the side of the cliff.
I opted to do away with the scripted giants living in the upper cliff face, and I even spared the PCs the usual squashing that they are due from the giant boulder that comes rumbling down on top of them. In place of the giants, I put 3 NPCs. A 9th level Fighter (CR 10 with PC value gear), an 8th level Satyr Cleric (CR 8) with NPC value gear, and a 7th level Wizard (CR 6) with NPC value gear. I had an 8th level Rogue with NPC value gear on deck also, but didn’t end up using her. Seems a lot easier than a gang of giants with trolls in tow, right? Apparently not for my gaming group…
The PCs had triggered an alarm spell as they made their way up the winding mountain passageway. In the rounds afterward, the three villain NPCs spell’d up, and awaited their arrival. The cleric and fighter NPCs had maxed out the Use Magic Device skill, and had skill focus & magic aptitude feats to boot. The PCs arrived in the chamber, and several made really high Perception checks and successfully spotted the squares where the invisible NPCs were located as they waited for them.
I even took the gamble of not having the NPCs lambaste the PCs when they entered the room and began to move towards the NPCs who were about 90-100 feet away from them During this first round, I instead had the NPC wizard cast Haste on himself and his two comrades. The PCs moved forward, initially not wanting to assault three invisible NPCs, who as of yet had done them no harm. In the 2nd round after the PCs entered the room, they threw caution to the wind, and “Magic User” the PC Wiz 9, attempted to Fry one of the three NPCs present with a Maximized Scorching Ray. Unfortunately, he rolled a Nat’ 2 and Nat 4 on his Ranged Touch rolls, and missed mightily.
Initiatives were rolled.
Biggles went first, and moved up. The NPC fighter, Sir Sean then delayed his action. The PC Paladin Fartacus and Fighter Torch Bearer moved up towards the NPCs. When the last of the 3 NPC initiative came up, all three simultaneously used their Wands of Ice Storm (the fighter and cleric had to make Use Magic Device checks, which both made successfully). The PCs were pummeled by hail and frozen to the tune of 15 d6, taking a total of 55 out of a possible 90 HP damage, each. On the next round, Torch bearer got close enough to take 1 swing at the Satyr Cleric 8. He hit the Satyr for around 18-20 HP of damage. The Paladin Fartacus was about 20 feet away from the group (he had on heavy armor). The two PC clerics used Channel Energy to heal the group about 35 of the 55 HP they had lost.
In round 3, The NPC wizard popped off another Ice Storm to again soften up the PCs, putting them each at about 40 HP down each. On the other NPCs 3rd round action, the satyr cleric used her Dimensional Hop ability to take herself and the NPC fighter Sir Sean each forty feet, right in the midst of the Wizard PC, Ranger PC, and two Cleric PCs; and then defensively cast Hold Person on the PC Ranger as a standard action. The PC Ranger blew his Will Save, and was held. On his round 3 action, Sir Sean nailed the PC Wizard ‘Magic User’ and dropped him to Negative HP on his first attack, hit him again and killed him off with his 2nd attack for the round (I don’t give PCs a chance to heal up downed comrades), and Nat’ 1’d his third attack roll and wiffed mightily. In round 4, one of the two PC clerics again used selective channeling to heal some damage from the Ice Storms, while the other Dwarf Cleric used a Freedom of Movement to rid the PC Ranger of the Hold Person, though the PC Ranger’s initiative had already passed, so he couldn’t act that round. A more significant loss than might be expected. The PC Paladin then backtracked, so he could melee with NPC Sir Sean and the NPC satyr cleric. He moved enough to get one attack on the satyr cleric, and he hit the satyr for about 20 HP damage.
About this time, I considered inserting the NPC Rogue, that I had held out, but the demise of the PC wizard and a Held Ranger PC, would likely mean curtains for the PCs, so I chanced it to make things as close for the PCs as possible, and I kept the NPC Rogue out of the fray.
At this point, in round 4, the ground completely fell out from under the PCs. The PC paladin Fartacus as previously stated had moved back towards his comrades, to help deal with the NPC Cleric & Sir Sean, who had Dimensional Hopped over into the midst of the PC spell casters. Having charged and got one attack, the Paladin was now within a 5 foot step of Sir Sean as well as the satyr cleric. Sir Sean stepped up, and on his first attack, Critted Fartacus with a Nat 20 on a Power Attack. He did 84 HP, and dropped Fartacus in 1 swing (Fartacus already had taken about 30-40 HP from the ice storm that had not been healed at that point). Sir Sean’s second and hasted attacks went into the Dwarf Cleric Biggles, and one of those two was a critical hit also, and Biggles was greased most heinously. Now the fight was 3 vs. 3, and the Player(s) were quaking in their boots. I gave the PCs the option to sue for mercy or GTFO, but they strangely selected neither and opted to press on. This appeared to be in part due to the disappointment of having 2 to 1 odds at the beginning of the fight, and having let things deteriorate too far to where it was even odds. The PC Fighter Torch Bearer caught up to the NPC wizard, and scored a Critical Hit with his battle axe, and the NPC Wizard died on the spot.
The PC Cleric and Ranger backed up five foot and prayed they could hold out until the PC Fighter got to them, which he did on the next round. He charged, but again strangely elected to go for the NPC cleric. (Ultimately, the PCs may have mainly been undone by their decisions to not target the NPC fighter, who did the bulk of the damage). He hit the satyr cleric and nearly dropped it, however at 16 HD (though only a 8th level cleric), the satyr cleric had around 175 HP at full, and still stayed up. This however again left the PC Fighter Torch Bearer within 5 feet of Sir Sean. [Do these guys ever learn???] Sir Sean stuck his full 5th round action into Torch Bearer, and killed his formidable ass. This left the fight at 2 vs. 2. Sir Sean was only down 28 HP out of about 120, and it was apparent to all that the remaining PCs couldn’t do enough damage to stop the NPC fighter.
The two remaining PCs were trapped against the ledge of the canyon, and a fall off equaled 20 d 6 of damage down the 1000 foot drop. In round 6, Sir Sean greased the PC Cleric Rotundus, and put his 3rd shot into the PC Ranger.
In Round 7, Sir Sean successfully Bull Rushed the PC Ranger off the edge of the Cliff, where he unhappily splattered all over the mountainside on his way to the afterlife.
That ended the encounter with a TPK.
Enter 6 new Player Characters. The new group then began the search for the tomb itself. They tangled with 3 Will-o-wisps (EL 9), and made short work of them. I’ll elaborate on the details of the new Pcs when I do the next post in December.
After defeating the Willowisps, we called it for the afternoon. See you in December. ~KGM
TPK? I approve of this start.
I particularly like that rather than attempt a parley with the pretty obviously prepared NPCs, they just waded in blasting. Clever stragety there, Doc.
TPK? I approve of this start.
I particularly like that rather than attempt a parley with the pretty obviously prepared NPCs, they just waded in blasting. Clever stragety there, Doc.
Yep. Gotta love my players. They never let me down:D
In the form of an update, I've had two sessions cancelled due to player problems. We're next scheduled for the 2nd session on Jan 14. I deeply regret the missed sessions.
Once ToH is concluded I'm either going to run Against the Giants (G1-2-3), Castle Greyhawk Ruins, or Maure Castle. Any recommendations?
The group is a Pathfinder group, so I'd run the 3.5 Maure and use the PF rule system. If I still played 1Ed (and I find myself remembering it more and more fondly of late...), then I'd use Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure.
Castle Greyhawk is probably a better fit for my group, as Maure is high level and dangerous, and they'd probably get crushed weekly...
Okay, maybe Maure would work perfectly for my group...
Uncle.
It would be great to read about a deadly campaign based on G 1-3. Unless the giant sub-type gets a true lift in the upcoming Giants Revisited supplement (PF campaign setting series), I need as much Killer GM (TM) inspiration as possible for when I run this classic for my players.
If you do end up running the 3.5 version of Maure Castle, there is a thread on that sub-forum here which suggests the true identity of "Y".
In the form of an update, I've had two sessions cancelled due to player problems. We're next scheduled for the 2nd session on Jan 14. I deeply regret the missed sessions.
Good glavin! They can't even get their act together outside the game?
I worry that this group may not be sufficient challenge for you.
In the form of an update, I've had two sessions cancelled due to player problems. We're next scheduled for the 2nd session on Jan 14. I deeply regret the missed sessions.Good glavin! They can't even get their act together outside the game?
I worry that this group may not be sufficient challenge for you.
They aren't, and the group is reeling at the moment, losing several players as of this evening due to personal/health issues. It appears that I will likely be putting Tomb of Horrors on ice for the time being, and going straight to Castle Greyhawk/Maure Castle or G1-2-3. Not at all what I wanted to do, but a dungeon crawl at the moment is probably more conducive to the players I've got remaining, than the slaughterfest that is the ToH. That said, I suspect we'll still see a lot of PC demises anyway. We'll see tomorrow if the remaining players want G1-2-3 or Greyhawk/Maure.
It would be great to read about a deadly campaign based on G 1-3. Unless the giant sub-type gets a true lift in the upcoming Giants Revisited supplement (PF campaign setting series), I need as much Killer GM (TM) inspiration as possible for when I run this classic for my players.
If you do end up running the 3.5 version of Maure Castle, there is a thread on that sub-forum here which suggests the true identity of "Y".
I have followed most of the threads on the Maure pages, but I have NEVER been able to piece together who "Y" is. I had guessed that it was Tharizdun, but would you (Bellona) please inform me who Y is so I can implement it in the game. Regards, KGM
Great News folks. The Tomb Campaign continues. The group has survived and we played yesterday. The post will be up in a moment!
Oh what a day. In yesterday’s second session of the 2011-12 Return to the Tomb of Horrors campaign, there were ELEVEN (11) Character fatalities, and a twelfth character was Imprisoned (9th level spell) which effectively equates to a PC fatality, bringing us to a total of Seventeen for the campaign after only two sessions.
After the unexpected departure of two group members from the group on Friday, it appeared Friday evening that this campaign was dead on the vine. Yesterday morning at the beginning of our scheduled game, I asked the remaining group members what they wanted to play in, and to my joy, they made us all happy by gleefully requesting to continue the current Tomb of Horrors campaign!!!
There were four player characters present yesterday. I reduced the severity of some of the encounters to account for the reduction from 6 characters down to 4. The characters present were (the names are my pet names for the characters):
“Meathead the 6th” Paladin 8 (returning for more punishment.)
“Bates the 3rd” Rogue 8 (also known as “Red Shirt #3)
“Duke Nuk’em” Sorcerer 8 (named after the video game)
And
“Doofus the 3rd” Ftr4/Pal4, (returning to the group for more punishment)
NOT present were any henchmen, hirelings, orc conscripts, or anything else that could potentially help the player characters survive this adventure. The players apparently didn’t think of those details. I felt like clapping my hands together and shouting HURRAY!
The gang began the afternoon journeying through the Vast Swamp in search of the Tomb of Horrors. They came up with their marching order, as well as their nighttime watch schedule. On the third night in the swamp, the adventure text stipulates that the Vampire Blaesing (of the Dim Triad) assumes gaseous form and drifts into the PCs campsite amongst the natural fogs and mists found in the swamp at night, and attempts to pick off sleeping characters (up to 3). On the first watch shift, Duke Nuk’em was taking watch, and Duke blew his perception check, but the Vampire Blaesing Nat’20’d his stealth check, and then quietly drained Bates the Red Shirt #3 [Casualty #1] while Duke was staring up at the moon or something akin to that. None of the other Pcs made perception checks to wake up (not that they logically would, but I wanted to give them a fighting chance, slim though it was…) Subsequently, Blaesing drained Meathead #6 The Paladin & Doofus the Fighter #3 [Casualties #2 &3] When Duke was ready to end his shift, he found that he had three dead companions…
Following the arrival of new characters (Meathead #7, Bates #4 And Doofus the Fighter #4) the group completed their journey to the site of the Tomb of Horrors. The group noted the presence of another party of adventurers (all future replacement characters for use as needed). The other group of would-be characters told the current PCs about Skull City, and how they might infiltrate the place. The current PCs managed to learn the password to get through the front gate and avoid the Greater Bone Golem (which disappointed me considerably, though it was about the only hazard they avoided today).
The characters made their way to the entrance to the Black Academy. They were clever enough to talk to Leon and the flunkie wizards present there without fighting them. The characters subsequently snuck into the Black Academy. And then the fun began en’masse.
The characters first explored the ‘Necro-hazard’ rooms near Drake’s study. After finishing there, they went into Drake’s personal areas. I used a different wizard in place of Drake, as Drake himself had been killed during my 2002 Return to the Tomb Campaign. In Drake’s stead, I used the female Elf Wizard who I’ve used several times as “Markessa” in 2011, and successfully terrorized my players with. The elf wizard was inside area 10, and had the door barred. The players tried to open the door, but upon finding that it was barred, they lost interest, and moved on, rather than forcing entry and catching the wizard unprepared. The characters then moved on over to Instructor N’gise’s area. Eventually they kicked in N’gise’s door and caught the Instructor laying on his cot, but by now, he was not asleep. N’gise said hello to the surprised player characters, before using a surprise action to fire a Disintegrate spell while still reclining on his cot! Unfortunately Doofis the Fighter made his saving throw, and did not receive 22d6 of damage. Initiatives were rolled, and the group charged the reclining instructor. The group did about 60 HP of damage to the instructor, though his Spirit Shroud robe ate most of the damage. On his action, the instructor figured he wasn’t going to fare well if he stuck around, and defensively cast Dimension Door and successfully got the hell out of dodge.
The characters explored some of the labs and the main lecture hall in the academy before the evil elf wizard finally caught up with them. All three significant wizards in this adventure (N’Gise, elf wizard, and Ferranifer) were all 11th level, and I ended up giving them all NPC value gear to keep each a CR 10 opponent (Ferranifer a CR 12 as she is a vampire), to account for having ONLY four 8th level player characters present and not 6 as before. I had originally intended to have the female Elf Wizard use Incense of Meditation (DC 30 Use Magic Device Check required) to maximize all spells, but ended up scrapping that idea to avoid being too heavy handed on the player characters.
The elf wizard was using Greater/Improved Invisibility (4th level spell) and waiting for the group. When they came to within range to possibly spot the elf wizard, all four did not successfully spot her. She used her surprise action to cast Circle of Death (6th level), rolled 26 Hit Dice on 11d4, and targeted Bates, Duke Nuk’em and Doofus the Fighter (as Meathead’s Fortitude save was through the roof). ALL THREE characters failed their saving throws AND DIED ON THE SPOT, [Casualties #4, 5 & 6].
Immediately after all three hit the floor stone dead, poor Meathead #7 (who was completely oblivious to his peril) decided to CHECK THE PULSE OF THE SORCERER CHARACTER, rather than make a perception or skill check, or take any other action to save his bacon. On the next round, he was confronted with a Symbol of Sleep spell, and blew his will save and went for a nap, before being Coup de’ Gras’d on the next round [Casualty #7] by the Elf Wizard. TPK. End of Story.
Next, newly arriving player characters: Meathead #8, Bates/Red Shirt #5, Duke Nuk’em #2 And Doofus #5 Arrived on the scene at Black Academy area # 2, to continue the action. They went down the opposite hallway to avoid the elf wizard, and made their way around to area 14, where they knew that they could petition for admission to the black academy.
Bates/Redshirt the Rogue had the first try with the statue to petition for admittance. Bates did not think to use the skill “Use Magic Device” to trick the statue that he was an Evil Wizard. He just put his hands into the skeleton machine, blew his fortitude save, and had his sould ripped out [Casualty #8] and added to Acererak’s phylactery in the Fortress of Conclusion.
Next round, Duke Nuk’em tried his luck with the statue. Duke was an arcane caster, but was not evil in alignment. As Duke had maxed out his Use Magic Device skill, he tried to BS the statue into thinking he was evil. He blew his UMD check, failed his save, and had his sould ripped out [Casualty #9] and added to Acererak’s phylactery in the Fortress of conclusion.
Newly arriving character Duke Nuk’em #3 Then tried to UMD on the statue to fake his alignment, and lucked out and made his skill check.
That allowed the characters to get back into the catacombs area. The group found some of the traps and fell victim to some. The group succumbed to the temptation to take the gem eyes, and the Petrifaction Gas trap turned Bates/Red Shirt#6 and Duke Nuk’em #3 to stone [Casualties # 10 & 11]. Both rolled low percentile rolls (which indicated that they did not have their feet firmly planted at the time they were both turned to stone), and both petrified characters fell over and shattered into pieces on the floor.
New characters Bates/Red Shirt #?7And Duke Nuk’em #4 Arrived and the group continued the search in the catacombs to try find the entrance for the tomb of horrors. Bates/Red shirt #7 Failed to detect an Imprisonment (9th level spell) magical trap, and upon failing his save was imprisoned within the earth [effectively a casualty, as the group can't recover him].
New character Bates/Red Shirt #8 Arrived, and the group decided to open Ferranifer’s catacomb entrance, and when we left off for the day, had just entered Ferranifer’s crypt. Wow. Bates died 5 times today!
So join me next session (assuming there is one), and see our lame-brained player characters get evicerated by Ferranifer straight out of the gate. They still haven’t found the entrance to the tomb proper, and when they do, they will continue to get greased at record pace. Seventeen (effectively eighteen) in only two sessions is a record even for me. See you all in February.
If you do end up running the 3.5 version of Maure Castle, there is a thread on that sub-forum here which suggests the true identity of "Y".
I have followed most of the threads on the Maure pages, but I have NEVER been able to piece together who "Y" is. I had guessed that it was Tharizdun, but would you (Bellona) please inform me who Y is so I can implement it in the game. Regards, KGM
This was the conclusion reached by one researcher:
Of course, some posters support the Tharizdun option.
11? 17 in 2 sessions?
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
How I chortle in my joy.
You should put one of these sessions on Youtube one day so I can see how you keep em coming back. I have only met one player I could be that merciless to and still have him come back, but he is an old school player. Anyone else would suddenly start having "other obligations".
You should put one of these sessions on Youtube one day so I can see how you keep em coming back. I have only met one player I could be that merciless to and still have him come back, but he is an old school player. Anyone else would suddenly start having "other obligations".
I've been blessed with a few Die Hards, who really like to play, and who can deal with adversity. Gotta Love 'em. They're what the game is all about! That said, after the ToH is completed (or they finally give up), I'll probably have the next adventure be something less lethal than the current one. Even the most hard core players need a break from time to time... I'll float the idea of the YouTube, but as at least 1 of my players has a security clearance (for his employment), I don't know if the group will agree to being Video'd. But I'll try.
It looks like the only thing your PC's kill is trees with all these new characters they have to draft each game :-)
Don't mention it to the Sierra Club...
This is my new favorite thread to read. KG, you're my hero. I'm starting up a Pathfinder game myself, with a brand new party. I've only met 2 of the players once before, and of the others I have interested, I have never met, but two of them have RSVP'd for the PC gen session. But I too am planning on throwing ToH into the campaign, we'll see how a level 1 party handles the Tomb. But I'm going at it from a different angle. My world is the 3.5 Greyhawk World had a group of adventurers become new Demigods and Deities, and this caused a massive "God's War". this God's War lasted for an unknown amount of time, anywhere from a couple of centuries, to a millennium. It ended with the death of all the 3.5 books God's, Minus Moradin, who had played a more defensive role than the others. And Vecna's hand and eye are somewhere. So The God's War ended with a massive transformation of the world(think Dragon Lance, or the Noah's Flood in level of change). So there won't be anything really in the ToH, but it should scare the players a lot, and make them question my sanity, as they should. But the story is going to surround Acererak's Vestige, as he tries to take over a villain. This will allow me to have Acererak running around free, trying to cause Evil to rise to power throughout the world. Or I may toss Acererak onto a PC, it depends on what characters are made. I have a Cleric of Roe(NG), and an Elven Boomerang Ranger so far. Haven't heard from the others what they plan on making. I'll post a seperate thread, maybe, and post a link here if anyone wants to read about it. We'll see.
Adeptus, glad you enjoy the thread. If you want more of the same, I have several other threads from years past here on the campaign journals section. One thread (the largest) is from my 2006-07 Age of Worms campaign. Another is from two prior (2001 & 2002) Return to the Tomb of Horrors campaigns. another is the Styes & Weavers, and yet another is my recent 2011 Campaign Classics campaign. All are examples of my humorous, yet heavy handed approach to the game. Ultimately, I am a product of 1st Edition D&D, and my current approach to the game is similar to what it was 25+ years aso, in the 'Hack-n-Slash' days of 1st edition.
Regarding your pending game and group; YOU TOO can be a killer GM if you desire to be. A few suggestions to consider in setting up your own game of a similar flavor.
First, if you demolish your player's characters ALL THE TIME, your players won't stick around long. Some weeks, you have to let up on them to a degree. KNOWING WHEN TO GO EASY, AND HOW MUCH IS THE KEY. Simply remaining impartial and applying the natural consequences of a characters' actions will help immensely, and in the long run will make your game better overall. If players know that you're going to let their characters off the hook when it counts, they are much more apt to do foolish things during the game, because they assume there are no severe consequences for foolish actions, because there haven't been before. GM's who frequently let players off the hook in tough situations, create a kind of dependency among their players, who quickly become accustomed to not having to calculate risk in their thinking during the game. I have had players like that join my group after playing under "Nice" GMs previously. These players were pretty astounded when I greased their characters on the first session they played under me.
If you can GM using a slightly 'heavy handed', yet fair, humorous and respectful way, I think players will often actually enjoy the "Adversarial GM" approach. That becomes in effect my role-playing schtick' to the game. My players have fun and keep coming back because they understand that I treat them respectfully (even if I demolish their characters), I use enough well timed humor to entertain them and allow them to have fun, and that the established rules of the game ALWAYS prevail. I may try to obliterate their characters with sadistic glee, but I do it completely IN accordance with the rules, and I tell them so. I don't give players encounters that are 5 CR's or more above the average character party level, so the harshness of the encounter is always tempered with what is fair and gives them a reasonable chance for success and survival.
Rest assured, your players will ultimately appreciate you for a little sincere and honest cruelty, and will be thankful that you are their GM:) They may not tell you so, but rest assured, their 'Tears of JOY' will prove it:D
Thanks! I'll look for them, and take them into consideration, maybe gleam an idea or two from them. My First campaign was 3.5 Gestalt, and I ended up, I would say raping, but you can't rape the willing, a PC to unconsciousness, and then sacrificed him to Lolth, while in the background, the Party was fighting the drow guards, as Lolth Sucked up(I even gave the Player some Will saves to change destinations during the scene) the PC's soul. The result was I had to move the location from the house we where gaming in, to a gaming store, so that 3 more people could join in, because they kept hearing all the gruesome details of the humiliations of the player characters. Gotta Love Masochism.
I've been blessed with a few Die Hards, who really like to play, and who can deal with adversity. Gotta Love 'em. They're what the game is all about! That said, after the ToH is completed (or they finally give up), I'll probably have the next adventure be something less lethal than the current one. Even the most hard core players need a break from time to time... I'll float the idea of the YouTube, but as at least 1 of my players has a security clearance (for his employment), I don't know if the group will agree to being Video'd. But I'll try.You should put one of these sessions on Youtube one day so I can see how you keep em coming back. I have only met one player I could be that merciless to and still have him come back, but he is an old school player. Anyone else would suddenly start having "other obligations".
I had a clearance when I was in the military. Being on video is ok, unless he rather just not let anyone know he plays "nerd games". I understand that too though.
That Age of Worms campaign journal is a classic, mostly because of the way he recounts the sessions. It is so funny, especially when the PC's make a decision that makes you go WTF, and then they die.
That Age of Worms campaign journal is a classic, mostly because of the way he recounts the sessions. It is so funny, especially when the PC's make a decision that makes you go WTF, and then they die.
I suspect the latter is true, that the player is thinking what would be the reaction of players, rather than a serious threat to any clearance.
I agree that part of the humor is the poor decisions made by some players in Age of Worms. Admittedly, I did attempt to inject a little additional humor by my colorful way of recounting the game sessions, but they happened just as I described them. The key really is to sell your players on a high-lethality, yet humorous "1st Edition" style of game. If they can be persuaded to play d&d, the way it was meant to be played, then you've got a good chance to pull the game off. Not that you should have to 'sell' your players on this type of a game, but with the short attention span, 'what's in it for me' generation of young players we have in this hobby; you do what it takes to pull the game off...
Incidentally, good to see you on the thread again, Concerro. Hope life's treating you well. ~KGM
Honestly, here I have been, trying not to spend as much time as I used to on all the various forums that I frequent...and you had to go and resurrect the Tomb! Curse thee Killer GM! Now I need to read this thread, consider me along for the ride. Nice to see you guys.
BBEG: Big Bad Evil Genius?
Also, I've been giving your mutant PC phenomenon a thought, and realized that one of my favorite spells from one of my favorite classes would take care of it. Turin/Allen player character would be a Druid, and whenever a pc dies, you Reincarnate them. Only a Miracle or Wish could undo the race change, which the caster would of said spell would stop casting the required spell required to bring them back, because of the xp loss associated with wish and miracle(Don't know if they still have those in Pathfinder, we'll see.)
There is no XP loss with spells in PF.
I am always impressed that Sir Al of N manages to round up a passle of suckers ... er, "players", to belly up to the table only to die often and repeatedly.
Then again, if you're going to have a Turin/Allen NPC available to provide reincarnation spells, be sure to have the charming hobbit sporting a pair of filet knives, a tome entitled "How to Serve Man" on the nearby shelf (or hanging from his belt) and a shockingly in-depth knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos.
It wouldn't be right otherwise.
Then again, if you're going to have a Turin/Allen NPC available to provide reincarnation spells, be sure to have the charming hobbit sporting a pair of filet knives, a tome entitled "How to Serve Man" on the nearby shelf (or hanging from his belt) and a shockingly in-depth knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos.It wouldn't be right otherwise.
Delightful as always Turin:)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Horror on the Orient Express racked up a single-sessioln body count of 15 with appalling ease. By the time it was concluded, the only survivors were from the train's crew and stewards. Dozens and dozens of dead and/or permanently insane. Good times!
I have become soft in my old age but recently my players made the mistake of drawing from a deck of many things. Two PC deaths just from drawing cards, they gave me that "can't you fix this DM" puppy dog look. I let them know it was not gonna happen, they tempted fate - and lost.
Looking forward to the next ToH session KGM, though I forsee less death this time around I mean how do you top 11 kills in one session!? I have run Cthulhu games with less character death.
Deck of Many Things always ends badly for me, as a DM. They never pull any of the bad cards, and they more often then not draw on the free wish cards. I have at best managed to catch a player in his wish, when he asked his XP to be 10,000; instead of asking for a raise of 10,000xp.
The first time I used the deck it was all in my player's favor. Each time it gets worse for them. The last time a player died, but another player got a wish and used it to reverse the death so it ended up a no-win no-loss situation. I figure the next time the players will be solely on the losing end.