Trying to avoid a TPK


Advice


PCs are running through "Escape from Old Korvosa" and have gotten out of the Vivified Labyrinth with Orsini and some other NPCs in tow. They beat the reefclaw and were getting ready to sail the boat out. (If you're not familiar with this module,

Spoiler:
the Labyrinth is a dungeon under a luxurious mansion. Escaping back up through the mansion is a bad idea, because it's got rakshasas in it. But if you can beat one last guardian monster, there's a sea cave with a convenient boat.)

-- the key point is that, having just barely survived a rough dungeon, they're now at the escape route.

The party got attacked by some NPCs who've been stalking them for a while -- Bahor thought it would be funny to send these guys down after them -- but the PCs beat and subdued them fairly easily. So, ready to sail away...

But.

We've been playing with the Plot Twist cards, and the players have gotten really clever at using them. The rule is that if they play one, I can play one -- but I've been playing them pretty gently (and, honestly, sometimes I can't fit the card into the narrative, or forget altogether.) So this session I warned them that I'd be merciless, and they'd better be careful. They went ahead and played their cards anyway... so as the last action of the session, I hit them with the Broken card, played on the boat.

This was a great way to end the session. But now I'm in a box. I don't really want a TPK... well, I don't want it at this time, in this way. But the PCs are now trapped at the bottom of a dungeon, very low on cures and spells, with no exit except through the mansion above. Which still has four, count 'em, four rakshasas in it. Including both Bahor and his sister.

The party consists of six 7th level characters, but even throwing in Orsini (an NPC who's a couple of levels higher) there's no way they can survive a straight-up combat with these guys. The raks are intelligent and organized, two of them have character levels, and they know exactly where the PCs are and what they're doing. (If you know the module, you can guess how. If not, let's just say they've got either the PCs or the dungeon wired for sound.) So they're not going to charge in and get slaughtered. And taken together they're something like a CR 14 threat.

So how can I give the PCs an out without making it obvious?

One thought that occurred was to plant something helpful on the defeated NPCS (who are a roughly equivalent-level group of four NPCs, fighter / cleric / wizard / rogue). Maybe the NPC wizard could have a Teleport scroll? But that wouldn't work for the whole party...

Another possibility is for Bahor to come down and start taunting them, and then for his sister to take that moment to turn on him. I could do that. But it's kind of obvious.

Other suggestions?

Doug M.


I'm not familiar with plot cards, but "broken" is a specific term in Pathfinder. If the cards are using that term, the boat is still workable, it is just less effective at the task (-2 profession sailor) and could potentially require some extra effort on the part of the PCs to operate (bailing water out, jury rigging a workable rudder.) Don't just hand them a deus ex machina, but be receptive to any out of the box ideas they might have to limp the boat out and escape.


If there's not some way for them to make basic repairs to the boat, what about putting a Feather Token - Swan Boat on one of the defeated npc's? Perhaps it was the npc's getaway device?


How about this - the boat is broken, but they can use the pieces. Each character can use a broken piece of flotsam as a flotation device, with heavy armored characters needing the larger pieces.

The characters will have to swim out. Swim checks and Endurance checks for the cold water(assuming it is cold). They may want to rope themselves together to avoid getting seperated. They may want to strip off armor and put it on seperate pieces of flotsam that they bring with them.


Define "broken." And what level are the PCs.


Step 1: Have the wizard cast "make whole"
Step 2: Hop in the boat.

Of course he may not have the spell...In which case mending COULD be stretched to do the trick.

The Exchange

Chakfor wrote:

Step 1: Have the wizard cast "make whole"

Step 2: Hop in the boat.

Of course he may not have the spell...In which case mending COULD be stretched to do the trick.

Abandoned island... perhaps with or without provisions, spell books, items...

perhaps the ship has been wrecked by colanths... and the party must defeat them sans gear.. to get the gear back...

Sczarni

This would be a great time to use a chase encounter from the game mastery guide. either fix the boat or float on the pieces.

That could be a really fun way to get out, get some xp, but not die. Of course if they get caught in the chase...well, by then you'd have given them their chance to live.


Cartigan wrote:
Define "broken." And what level are the PCs.

Read the post, they are 7th.

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