My group just got TPK'd by Nualia in the catacombs, having lost one PC to the Thassilonian trap, some terrible die rolls and she carved up the other two with 5 hp left. Also lost Shalelu Andosana to double-turncoat Orik Vankaskerkin, who turned back to Nualia's side when he saw which way the wind was blowing.
Do you think there's any way to continue the campaign with new PCs, or should I scrap it? I'm kinda down at the loss of all the plot threads & NPC relationships from the dead PCs. If I smash up Sandpoint with a goblin invasion that would make Book 2 un-runnable.
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Bear with me here -- I'm thinking out loud for you.
Sandpoint sent its "heroes" to Thistletop to deal with the goblin population once and for all. Days later, they haven't returned. Neither has Shalelu. Desperation grows in the town as they realize their adventurers might not have made it.
An urgent missive is sent to Mayor Groboras in Magnimar: "Our heroes are missing! The goblins are massing! Sandpoint is doomed!"
On the one hand, Mayor Groboras doesn't care much. On the other hand, having Sandpoint sacked would result in a loss of votes. So he puts word on the street looking for some adventurers to deal with "goblin trouble at Thistletop". They're warned that the last group of adventurers didn't make it, and there are signs that some humanoids are helping the goblins. A high-level ranger lost her life to them.
He sends off another disposable party of adventurers (though he's diplomatic enough not to call them that to their face).
This gives Nualia et al. an additional week at Thistletop to prepare.
I'd double the number of goblins at Thistletop, then give the PCs one extra level and perhaps 1/2 WBL gear. They'll tear through the goblins like tissue paper. The longshanks think the problem was dealt with with the last meddling PCs, and aren't expecting this new attack.
The treasure in Thistletop should get the group up to WBL, and they'll feel good having the extra level to obliterate Thistletop.
Does that work?
It makes note of nualia makeing sacrifices to lamashtu. Its possible she would keep the party alive as prisoners in the jail cells as future offerings.
Then its an escape scenario for the ones who were just unconscious at end. Could create a rescue party or give players a way of escaping. Maybe a triple crossing Orik who wants to escape with them?
And Lord Otter is absolutely right -- any PCs who survived the fight should still be alive for the rescue, as long as it's within a week or so.
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Could be a fun moment if you do a new party to encounter Nualia just as she is about to sacrafice one of the party as well.
Also story thoughts aside I ran into a tpk recently with my group and it can be a real mood killer for groups.So I would say see what your players want to do as well. Do they still want to play thier characters after that or do something diffrent?
And nobodyshom's home idea is great if they would like new characters. You can foreshadow thier encounters with the mayor later on.
Alternatively, the TPK'd party members aren't really dead-- they're now prisoners in Thistletop without any gear, cooling their heels until Nualia sacrifices them to Lamashtu for their insolence.
You can then run the escape from Thistletop akin to the jailbreak start of Way of the Wicked, or do a low-level throwback to the classic module In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords.
In that case, make the goblins very much overconfident that the PCs now pose little threat. The PCs have to escape their bonds, overpower some goblin guards and take their gear, and ultimately escape Thistletop so that they can lick their wounds and try again.