Worried about Foxglove Manor and player deaths (obvious spoilers)

[bonebrah]

Conveniently for the time of year, we're coming up on Fodglove Manor part of ROTRL campaign. I'm very excited to run what essentially boils down to a haunted house and the reveal of the skinsaw murderer.

However, after reading through some of the haunts, I'm legitimately worried some of the PC's may die, possibly multiple or TPK if things go poorly. Some of the haunts are brutal.

What's the best route for a GM on this? I don't want to hand waive anything, but I also don't want player death to be of no consequence (although the haunts are hard to say th player made a dumb decision since they could be tough to identify and avoid).

What are some suggestion if the rolls go south and the group gets devastated?

[Jhaeman]

Let it happen. Scary places need to be scary. No one tells tales years later about "that time nothing really dangerous happened one session."

[Wiggz]

The main thing you have going for you is that the group doesn't have a clue how it is 'supposed' to go. If things start getting really rough, simply back off on the haunts - treat a few as if the group automatically made their saves and they just experience the visions.

[Latrecis]

Wiggz wrote:

The main thing you have going for you is that the group doesn't have a clue how it is 'supposed' to go. If things start getting really rough, simply back off on the haunts - treat a few as if the group automatically made their saves and they just experience the visions.

This is fantastic advice. You can also lower the DC of saving throws as well - though only if they get into serious trouble.

Only you know your group of course but check the mechanics again - for the real bad outcomes it takes multiple, stacked failures.

Also of note - this is where the game turns. Save or die structures start appearing more readily as the game goes on and higher level spells, etc. become common. See Jhaeman's comments above - such is the life of an adventurer.

[Skeld]

Wiggz and Latrecis are right.

Keep in mind that haunts don't exist to brutalize the PCs. They exist as a dangerous/dramatic method for conveying backstory. Misgivings has a really interesting backstory. As such, don't hesitate to lower the danger level if you feel liek you need to.

Also, a Knowledge (religion) check by a Cleric-type are the first Haunt should clue the players in on how to handle Haunts.

-Skeld

[Haladir]

All of the potentially-lethal haunts require failing at least two different saving throws before death occurs. And most of the nonlethal haunts mechanical effects are more inconvenient than anything else, and none last that long.

The haunts are there more as a means of conveying the history of the place than they are deathtraps.

One other thing I tend to do with haunts that can possibly kill with a death effect: If the PC fails all saving throws, they're at -5 hp and dying, rather than just dead.

Spoiler:

IIRC, the most deadly haunt is the one on the third floor: It can cause a character to throw herself out a window and over a 200-foot cliff. I recall that one requires four failures before death: Failure of the Will save (to be affected), failure of a Reflex save (to catch yourself sliding down the steep roof), failure of the weather vane to hit the character as she falls past (if it hits, it does damage but also stops the fall), and then failure of a DC 10 Climb check after the character is hanging onto the eave and dangling over the edge. That's a LOT of failure... but the PC doesn't know that!

If you don't want your PCs to die from any of those deadly effects, just add additional saving throw/skill check/attack rolls to the effect on-the-fly before the PC dies. If you do that, make sure that the situation becomes increasingly dire after a succession of failed checks.

[Tinalles]

In my game ...

Spoiler:

I eliminated the suicide haunt, as there was one very sensitive player in the group who had some bad history. I didn't want to serve up real-life trauma in the service of make-believe.

Other than that, my players were mostly annoyed at how few options they had for dealing with haunts. There's not a lot you can do about them, mechanically, as a player. It made them feel railroaded. So I think the experience was less enjoyable for them than it was for me.

[bonebrah]

Thanks for the input everybody. I think I'll just go with it and leave fate to the dice.

Haladir wrote:

All of the potentially-lethal haunts require failing at least two different saving throws before death occurs. And most of the nonlethal haunts mechanical effects are more inconvenient than anything else, and none last that long.

The haunts are there more as a means of conveying the history of the place than they are deathtraps.

One other thing I tend to do with haunts that can possibly kill with a death effect: If the PC fails all saving throws, they're at -5 hp and dying, rather than just dead.

** spoiler omitted **

FWIW, the suicide one and the one where a male character attacks a female character I'm also particularly concerned about. Our only female is a sorc and the barbarian (fits the criteria for this haunt), could 1-shot.