[Spoiler] Concerned about a TPK


Kingmaker


Hi,
I'm alittle bit concerned about Vordakai's Tomb. My group headed straigth into the tomb after Varnhold didn't response anymore (they had their 2 years anniversary, invited Varnhold and they didnt sho up).

After they found Varnhold empty and fought against the spriggans (when two characters died) they resurected them and headed towards the centauren.
From there they directly headed toward the tomb.
I'm a little bit concerned as the Sprigans already killed two of them that the tomb will be a TPK.

The group is now 8th level and consist of:
Witch
Figther (Sword & Shield)
Alchemist (Melee)
Sorc/Ninja/Arcane Trickster
Cleric (Buff, Heal, Trip)
We used 4d6 (drop lowest) so they are all ~ 30 Points-buy

Does anyone have exoerience with a 8th level grp entering this dungeon?


Greetings, fellow traveller.

No first-hand experience here, but my general take on KM as a GM is this: it's a sandbox-style game (at least in concept).
By now they should know, that withdrawing from an encounter is an option to be considered.
Having 5 PCs with a ~30 points-buy is definitely above what the devs had in mind when designing the AP (standard is 4 PCs on a 15 points-buy).

Your style of GMing dictates how the PCs fare (to a certain degree). If you want them to spare the experience of a TPK, drop hints what they are in for.
Deny them entry to the tomb. Drop them hints, they need some kind of key and have them go on a side quest to get that key, hopefully letting them gain enough XP to level up.
Have 4 cyclops zombies wait for them in the first chamber - see how they fare (remember to use their special ability!*evilgrin*). If they fare badly but still press on - well, too bad. If they get it and they retreat give them a hook what to do before they try the tomb again.

But again, if they go for the tomb without preparation, they act foolishly... and maybe die.
On the other hand, they might surprise you!

Seriously, you know them best and know best as what you see yourself in the role of GM as. If you have presented them with easy encounters so far the TPK would be seen as a serious disruption by the PCs. If you've played on the grim and hostile environment the Stolen Lands are described as, the PCs should be prepared for death (as you've shown them in the encounters with the Spriggans.

To come back to what I've written above: deny them entry, stress the gloomy atmosphere, the mystery and dark tales which still exist in fragments or rumors and see what your PCs do about it.

Ruyan.


I have to agree. With 5 PCs and better attributes a level or two below recommended will not automatically cause problems.
According to the adventure they are supposed to be 9th level for the tomb and Vordakai, gaining 10th level as they end the adventure. So 8th level should be fine for entering the tomb. Check how much XP they need to level again; if they can't gain 9th before Vordakai, throw in a few more zombies - perhaps two or three as guards outside (Location X), and another that just comes out of the tomb as they cross the river; with two more waiting at W5; run as one encounter.
I'm also thinking about something for W9, but too many Zombies get boring, and there might already be too many, so lets see what else there is.
A pair of Abyssal Wolves at W1. After the Soul Eater failed to handle the party, Vordakai decided to summon this mated pair of wolves to stop them.
W9 Black Pudding and Flesh Golem. I just don't like the idea of a lich not having a single golem. So here it is.

If the players power through the extra encounters, they shouldn't have trouble with the rest of the tomb, and should probably have enough XP to level.

Do they have enough treasure? There's a lot of treasure at the end, but they might at this point be a bit low, especially for a five person party, making things a bit harder than their level suggests. Maybe they could stumble upon another cave complex (and maybe even confuse it with the tomb) and get some XP and treasure there.

In general I wouldn't be worried, but after they lost two a bit earlier, I can see that there might be problems in party and character builds.


Kill 'em all if they are so reckless as to stroll into the tomb unprepared. Having such massive ability score arrays makes up for a LOT in the way of "insufficient gear". In combination with the fifth person, they'll do a lot better than one might suspect.

As is they are already on par or slightly ahead of the curve for this chapter.

Scarab Sages

We aren't to this point in the story yet, but I don't expect any players to die to the spriggans, unless they separate and get unlucky. I am under the impression the spriggans should not be a difficult encounter from reading through the module. So if your group is dying to the spriggans, that might be simple bad fortune or it could be players who don't necessarily form a solid "gestalt" if you will.

If the players are not the type to be extremely efficient and resourceful in combat, you might consider some of Old Drake's suggestions about letting them level and making sure they have appropriate treasure. We don't have enough info to judge the skill level of the players in question, so only the GM can answer that.


The spriggans are holed up in a fortified tower, fighting behind cover. they can be quite a hard nut to crack if the PCs aren't clever about their tactics.


First evening is over, no dead yet. :)

Summary:
The Souleater disabled the parties witch within 3 rounds, for her sake the sorc landed a crit shocking grasp in the 3rd round so the mob left the witch allone and attacked the sorc. (the group cleric healed the wis dmg next day)

The Cyclops Zombie did what he should do, moderate damage and scares the hell out of the group. :) (Together with the general mood of the area it works fine)

The wyverns hit them unprepared midway on the lake (foalding boat), they landed a bad hit on the witch, which halfs her con.
After a few hard rounds they also managed to defeat them.

In the tomb itself, it seems that they are very ccarefull (regular detect magic/evil. perception etc.)

I removed the giant eel from the water trap, but the Water together with really bad swim rolls and the both zombies did the rest.
They managed to escape, but they're low on ressources now.

Two levels to go - let's see how it works out :)

Seems a very hard dungeon, but not a 100% TPK


Tryn wrote:


We used 4d6 (drop lowest) so they are all ~ 30 Points-buy

Does anyone have experience with a 8th level grp entering this dungeon?

30-point buy (3.5 Ed) is equal to 18-point buy Pathfinder. With one extra PC but one less level they are well-within the expected range for the module, so really it all comes down to play style. Do your PCs normally struggle with CR-equivalent challenges, do okay, or have a tendency to steamroller them? Expect them to do the same here.

The only point of concern is that V's lair is probably the first (possibly second, depending on how they handled the Stag Lord's Fort) time in this AP where the party enters an extended, significantly-dangerous situation. If they treat it like the one-a-day encounters they've had so far they could easily get killed.

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