So, while I've yet to suffer a TPK, I know it can happen. Then again, death can be an interesting thing to play around with if you're the GM. So I'm trying to make a list of "useful ways to die", IE things that can turn a TPK into an adventure hook. Thse are the main ideas I've come up with for the moment, and I'm wondering if anybody has used/suffered other ideas with the same premise:
-The kidnapper: the players where stabilized/revived by the enemy who want to extract information/items/something from them
-The zombie game: The party is revived as zombies (still with their souls) so that they can perform a service for a cleric/necromancer/alchemist.
-The zombie trap: The party is revived as zombies (still with their souls) by an incompetent cleric/necromancer/alchemist that wanted minions.
-The land of the dead: The souls of the whole party end up in the same plane after death. SOme powerful/werid/mysterious force has drawn their souls there.
Any other ideas? Or are these ideas be just too aberrant to the majority of players?
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(Cringing as I type)
-The Dream: If some abysmally unlucky dice rolls happened early on in the encounter (maybe a couple PC's took more damage than you would have expected and die one or two rounds in), play up the futility of it all, until the bad guy's real plan (this encounter was a diversion) to blow up the King's castle comes to fruition right before the group. TPK happens. Everyone wakes up to find that their most recent day was a premonition as similar events begin happening all over again. And there is precious little time before the King's castle explodes again!
Nice. I propose an alternative to the dream as well:
-Dream manipulator: Similar to the dream, but instead of a premonition, it's a creature/sorcerer/wizard that is attempting to tamper with their memories in their sleep. They wake up and must slay the interloper!
-The fiend: An outsider (a night hag, a devil, a shadow fiend) captures the souls of the PCs on their way to their final reward, and makes a bargain with them to be returned to life. It's going to be costly, but hey, it's an option...
I've just got to say, these arent necessarily "intentional" plot hook ideas; I basically just want a bunch of possible "get oout of jail free" cards for the GM that doesnt feel like rewarding huge mistakes (example: insulting an emperor in front of his armies, trying to intimidate a king, level 1 characters charging a dragon, etc.). I definitly dont want to punish bad rolls, but I dont want to baby the players either. I think this is a nice alternative in case something VERY unfortunate happens.
-The parasite: A weird parasitic organism invested their body after death. The creature is somehow keeping you alive, but it is slowly trying to possess you. You must find a way to extract it without dying again.
Little note: I know this can horribly derail strict campaign, but I tend to prefer a more non-linear approach. i think it could work, but not in an adventure path. Maybe latter I'll do I thread about my ideas for "random encounters".
Other note: part of this is inspired by the dungeon world mechanic that if you die, there is a chance to bargain with death to be brought back to life (for a price).
Keep in mind the alternative of just letting your players roll up new characters, or taking some time to ask them how they want to proceed after the death(s).
I've watched some GMs try to turn a character (or entire party) death into a plot hook and receive a very cold or hurt response from the player(s) in question.
People get attached to their PCs and often will need a little while before they're ready to move on with the game.
Just make sure you've got a good idea of the tone and/or response or your player group, in regards to the death(s), before you try anything.
@ Lamontius: That was my main concern with the idea. I dont want to schock people too much.
At the very least, I think 2 things mitigate the trouble:
-They still get to keep their original characters (except zombies/souls or something)
-It's the whole party who dies; I would never think of resurecting "by force" a character who had done a noble sacrifice and would prefer to stay dead.
But I probably would have to mention it to players. I dont want to kill players willy-nilly, but the game still has a "simulationist" base that I would like to include; all actions have consequences, and sometimes they are unpleasant. I guess it would depend on the tone of the campaign as well; I would be more likely to do it to a group of mercenary types than a group of close-knit friends.
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Last time I had a tpk I was fortunate in that the party was fighting an entity that had really pissed off the Goddess of the Afterlife. In recognition of their willingness to sacrifice their lives for her cause (even if that was not the main motivation) the Goddess agreed to resurrect them -- of course she also required them to maintain usefulness to her, but that's a different story. Over the last couple of years (real time) the party has slowly shifted to being more and more aligned with her, including a number of characters that actively worship her. Some of this through character shifts, some through players bringing in new characters when old ones die/are retired.
Worked out really well for me, but then I was also lucky that there was an easy out at the time.
-The Haunting: The cultists responsible for the PC's death botch a necromantic ritual, and instead of zombies, the party rises as ghostly, incorporeal versions of themselves. They are now permanently incorporeal, need no sleep/nourishment, and anyone who could channel positive before death now channels negative energy (which heals the PC's). Spontaneous/Learned Cure spells are now Inflict spells, and positive energy harms them. The cultists are in for some payback...
Let me clarify: can this include suicide missions to save the party?
(Aka turning helm of brilliance into nuclear bomb)
No, I would include that under "sacrifice for the greater good". I would not do this if the players chose to die. (IE accidental suicide yes, purposeful suicide no)
An evil deity brings you back, casts Geas on you, and forces you to do something bad. Party/character has multiple options from that point.
1) Try to find a way to free themselves
2) Play along and embrace evilness
3) Double cross deity, selling your soul to another evil/good deity.
4) More options I am too lazy to think of
OR, land of the dead style,
They died because Death wanted them to die, because it needs them to actually do something for it. (Actually part of a game I want to run for my players)
I actually had to run this at 1 point, and it worked rather well-
The Petitioner-
Each character's soul is transported to the realm appropriate for their alignment, and turned into a Petitioner.
http://paizo.com/PRD/additionalMonsters/petitioner.html
They then have to survive until a group of npcs can revive them.