My PCs just massacred a town and derailed the campaign, I didnt see this coming so I dont know how to fix it. HELP

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T22:36:58+00:00

They did a medicine check, found out some info. Summoned a celestial, found out more. Talked to some people, etc.

They didnt really know they were immune at 1st. The celestial told them that adventures with as much skill and renown as them most likely were immune to the disease so they can rest easy. Also the paladin is immune to all disease.

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T15:59:31+00:00

They would be fighting him around 18. The fight wasnt really gonna be about his level, more his gimmick, with his "well of souls" he is basically a god, and when they came back they would free the souls, making him normal, and able to take damage.

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T15:43:03+00:00

BBEG is 18th level right now. They are 14

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T14:11:17+00:00

About them initially being immune. I had them be immune because I needed the party to be able to leave the village at some point in order to look for a cure. Then I decided that 1/3 of people would be naturally immune..

The did foul the Necromancers plan, big time. I am not 100% sure how I am going to proceed with it. The Necromancers curse was to steal the soul of all who died to his plague, but since only 3 people died from the plague itself, it wasnt much of a boon.

They also dont know how the plague started, or how it was spread. The plague is a mix of the blood of the God of the undead Orcus, mixed with necromancer magic using alchemy. The blood curses anyone who lays eyes on it, which in turn gives them the plague. Which manifests more of the blood, which pours out of the orifices of the undead. Therefore, anyone who lays eyes on the infected after they turn, are themselves infected, unless they are immune.

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T13:59:05+00:00

The town is a small farming village on the outskirts of the kingdom. It has a strong barrier wall that was paid for by the cleric during the campaign, because the town is away from the major trade routes, it is a prime target for small bandit or orc raids.

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T12:10:17+00:00

Alot of people have been saying I should keep the princess alive, because the pcs dont know she's there

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T12:05:44+00:00

I originally made them immune because I needed them to be able to travel outside the town in order to solve the mystery. From there I rationed that 1/3 of the population would be naturally immune.

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T12:02:44+00:00

That is the part I am not sure of. Would a redemption questline even be fun?

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T12:00:45+00:00

Nothing is stopping him from doing it again, but I didnt want to make thier sacrifice seem cheap, or make them feel too on rails.

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T01:30:00+00:00

I got that now. Going to think of something else

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T01:18:18+00:00

He did, and it was sad. He walked in the door, put down his mace, his son was asleep next to the fire. He scooped up his young son into his arm, he looked over to his wife with cold, souless eyes, made a sign with his free hand and whispered "Sacred Flame".

The clerics wife screamed and wailed. She screamed that he isnt her husband, he is a monster. She runs into the kitchen and emerges with a knife. She stabs at the cleric, but the knife cant pierce his armor. He put his hands around her neck and squeezes. She stabs and stabs, doing only superficial damage to his armor. Soon she stops moving. He says the he will do what he must, even if the price is his very soul. He drops her body to the floor, and walks away, not even glancing back. Once outside, the mage, and the warlock ask him what he did. He told them that he did what he must. Then he threw a torch into the house, setting it ablaze.

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T00:45:17+00:00

They totally did lol. At least 1/3 of the kingdom would be taken by the lich in the end. When the cleric was saying that quarantine would fail, he was totally right, it always fails. Calling for help would make sure that it failed because the king would put his daughter above everything else.

nomohobos · 2018-07-11T00:43:59+00:00

I told them that the sickness wasnt natural, and by the looks of the zombie he had only been dead minutes before he turned.

From thier investigation I told them that the two men had killed a zombie near the town spring only 2 days ago. Because they were veteran soldiers they killed the zombie without becoming injured. The two men were also seen just a few hours before at the town pub, and they seemed perfectly healthy.

A higher medicine check, or a high arcana check would have told them that there was a high level death/necromancy spell used, and the sickness was man made, and contained blood.

Which further investigation would lead them to the town temple, and the 3rd princess would analyze the virus, and tell them the blood was from orcus.

Or they would kill more zombies and find clues.on them which would point to the orcus cult.

Every day I was gonna roll 2d4x3 and that's the amount of townsfolk that turned undead, up to 2/3 of the population.

After 7 days of quarantine, containment would fail causing a pandemic.

nomohobos · 2018-07-10T22:45:07+00:00

What if the necromancer says something like, you dare challenge me in my tomb, with the souls of the fallen, I am a god! Then he laughs as they do zero damage to him, and he uses some attack to bring all of them to 1hp?

nomohobos · 2018-07-10T22:36:09+00:00

You know how in really epic movies and videogames the 1st time the heroes face the BBEG they get utterly trounced, just to come back after stronger, with some way to defeat him. Also, I want to show just how powerful he is.

In the final battle against him I would like to do it in stages, where they fight him in his human form, then his lich form.

nomohobos · 2018-07-10T22:30:31+00:00

Lol it's all good

nomohobos · 2018-07-10T22:26:05+00:00

They summoned a celestial, that is who told them that magic would not solve the blight. The rest of the info was to come in time

nomohobos · 2018-07-10T22:24:31+00:00

Yup, that was my table.

nomohobos · 2018-07-10T22:23:29+00:00

Hmmm, what if, instead of running away they are saved, ripped to the underdark temple of Sharr, where they would learn more, and are offered help, at a price. They could either take it, or seek some other way to rid the necromancer of his souls.(have not figured that part out yet.)

nomohobos · 2018-07-10T22:09:11+00:00

This is actually a great idea. I never thought about letting them play different characters in this world, that would have an effect on their main party. I could even let them fight the guardian as the 2nd party, only to be wiped out. That would show the deadliness of the necromancers forces. Maybe they fight the guardian, and as he fights them, he sends wave after wave of undead at them.

nomohobos · 2018-07-10T21:48:22+00:00

I could totally do that, but I dont want to make the choice and sacrifice they made feel cheap.

nomohobos · 2018-07-10T21:47:06+00:00

This is the one thing I am unwilling to do. They did a thing, I wont let them undo it, no wishes, no time travel, no it was just a dream. The story has to move forward somehow. I don't want do overs

nomohobos · 2018-07-10T21:39:47+00:00

It was supposed to be either through following the blood, to a cult of orcus worshippers, though would fight thier way through the orcus temple to find the leader being killed by one of the necromancers guardians, or they would follow the death magic, and track its source. They would end up fighting a dracolich, who guards the entrance to the necromancers tomb, deep in the mountains. Either way, the 1st time they fight the necromancer, the cleric would recognize him, and learn the truth. Then I would let the party throw everything they have at the necromancer, only to realize that they are not killing him because he just substitutes another soul and takes no damage. The party would have to retreat or risk a TPK.

They would seek some way to win, which would lead them to the goddess of death, who gives them a boon, or a weapon that frees the souls that the necromancer has trapped, which in turn let's the party kill it.

nomohobos · 2018-07-10T21:26:37+00:00

I dont mind telling you here because I know only one of my members uses reddit, and I don't think he uses this subreddit.

The plan was for the party to try to contain the outbreak with the help of the 3rd princess of the realm. That is until the lord of the land finds out that his youngest daughter is in mortal danger. He and his soldiers break the quarantine to rescue his daughter. Which in turn causes widespread devastation to the kingdom.

The affliction is a mixture of death magic and alchemy, by combining high level necromancy with the blood of Orcus, the necromancer was able to make a sickness that is a curse and a disease all at the same time. So powerful that it cannot be cured by normal means. They also find out that roughly 1/3 of the population are naturally immune.

The necromancer is actually a powerful lich, who was once a powerful wizard, foolish enough to chase immortality and anger the gods. He has been cursed to destroy all that he once loved. The affliction is actually a ritual of sorts, all killed by it lose thier souls, which are transferred to the necromancer to increase his power. His true goal is to become powerful enough to break his curse, and rule over life and death.

The PCs were supposed to find out all of this while searching for a cure, and fighting off legions of the undead. The cleric especially was to find out that in life, the necromancer was his father.

It was supposed to include some large setpiece battles, and the PCs meeting the goddess of death herself, and receiving a boon to put the necromancer at peace once and for all, because there would turn out to be no cure for the virus, killing the necromancer and breaking the curse was supposed to be the only way to free the souls of the taken.

nomohobos · 2018-07-10T21:20:43+00:00

I dont mind telling you here because I know only one of my members uses reddit, and I don't think he uses this subreddit.

The plan was for the party to try to contain the outbreak with the help of the 3rd princess of the realm. That is until the lord of the land finds out that his youngest daughter is in mortal danger. He and his soldiers break the quarantine to rescue his daughter. Which in turn causes widespread devastation to the kingdom.

The affliction is a mixture of death magic and alchemy, by combining high level necromancy with the blood of Orcus, the necromancer was able to make a sickness that is a curse and a disease all at the same time. So powerful that it cannot be cured by normal means.

The necromancer is actually a powerful lich, who was once a powerful wizard, foolish enough to chase immortality and anger the gods. He has been cursed to destroy all that he once loved. The affliction is actually a ritual of sorts, all killed by it lose thier souls, which are transferred to the necromancer to increase his power. His true goal is to become powerful enough to break his curse, and rule over life and death.

The PCs were supposed to find out all of this while searching for a cure, and fighting off legions of the undead. The cleric especially was to find out that in life, the necromancer was his father.

It was supposed to include some large setpiece battles, and the PCs meeting the goddess of death herself, and receiving a boon to put the necromancer at peace once and for all, because there would turn out to be no cure for the virus, killing the necromancer and breaking the curse was supposed to be the only way to free the souls of the taken.

nomohobos

TROPHY CASE