A swarm of enemies (not an enemy with the Swarm characteristic) can do the trick by causing the party to burn through AoEs in an attempt to thin the numbers. It might take the players a bit to understand the scope of the threat as their spells and abilities land but the enemies just keep on coming. It might take them longer to understand why it's happening and that it's their fault:
There are often a lot of people who are indirectly adversely affected by the actions of a party - people who had some investment or relationship with the vanquished over the party's adventures... and there are a lot of vanquished by the time they hit 20... and not just the BBEGs. Trash mobs galore with friends, families, overlords... all seeking satisfaction for their losses. That's enough for an army with the population of a capitol city to come hunting the party.
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
If you don't like the 'Hellrider' Idea then I got and idea; The mad Wizard Thazar-De has given the adventurers a chest but they must not open it until they have reached the closest Capital and they arrive and open the chest after they enjoy fine drink and food at a nearby inn. They hear weather like a Hurricane outside and they open the chest soon finding out in the chest was a Orb Of Dragonkind the Wizard Thazar-De used the Call Dragons feature before they were given the chest. Before they could even imagine getting as far away as they can from the Orb they feel a furious, radiant heat cover there bodies. By then 10 Ancient Red Dragons had been called to them and are hostile. The players are dead.
You could just put them against asmodeus’ avatar. Idk if the stat blocks on the dnd beyond sight but it is on dnd wiki. https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Asmodeus_(5e_Creature)
If you want them to suffer, can't you kill their loved ones?
Ooh! Make them kill their loved ones!
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Do all of them have ways of avoiding fall damage? If they don't all have it, then have the BBEG teleport them to 30,000 feet up. The party will have to decide who to cast feather fall on, and who to let die.
Set them traps which require a sacrifice - a chamber with a lever which slowly fills with magical acidic poison, which needs to be held manually to open a door. As the door opens, the chamber seals. If they don't lose one member, then they will all die.
a Swarm of Shadows. With the jump on them. that all have the Evasive ability.
a single goblin with a sword of soul-draining and a wish to be unkillable. one hit from the sword will kill them. The goblin is immortal but otherwise a goblin. Give it legendary resistances.
Give them a oneshot which seems related to the afterlife. Have them piece together that they are actually already dead, and that they are in their last adventure together.
I feel that the campaign is likely long over anyway, since the OP asked the question three years ago. But if you really want to kill them, the Lady of Pain can do it.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
(I think that's what the original DMG offered as a suggestion but not describing it as a slow death.)
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
A swarm of enemies (not an enemy with the Swarm characteristic) can do the trick by causing the party to burn through AoEs in an attempt to thin the numbers. It might take the players a bit to understand the scope of the threat as their spells and abilities land but the enemies just keep on coming. It might take them longer to understand why it's happening and that it's their fault:
There are often a lot of people who are indirectly adversely affected by the actions of a party - people who had some investment or relationship with the vanquished over the party's adventures... and there are a lot of vanquished by the time they hit 20... and not just the BBEGs. Trash mobs galore with friends, families, overlords... all seeking satisfaction for their losses. That's enough for an army with the population of a capitol city to come hunting the party.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
I recommend a cavalry of https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/645050-hellrider Hellriders.
If you don't like the 'Hellrider' Idea then I got and idea; The mad Wizard Thazar-De has given the adventurers a chest but they must not open it until they have reached the closest Capital and they arrive and open the chest after they enjoy fine drink and food at a nearby inn. They hear weather like a Hurricane outside and they open the chest soon finding out in the chest was a Orb Of Dragonkind the Wizard Thazar-De used the Call Dragons feature before they were given the chest. Before they could even imagine getting as far away as they can from the Orb they feel a furious, radiant heat cover there bodies. By then 10 Ancient Red Dragons had been called to them and are hostile. The players are dead.
Thats how I would handle it. : )
"A Jack Of All Trades is a master of none"
'That's why I hate Bards'
one way is to have them face off with two Kraken's or a Tarresque with maxed out hit points
You could just put them against asmodeus’ avatar. Idk if the stat blocks on the dnd beyond sight but it is on dnd wiki.
https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Asmodeus_(5e_Creature)
If you want them to suffer, can't you kill their loved ones?
Ooh! Make them kill their loved ones!
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Several very well placed fireballs and vampires. Maybe some time stops
I’m Purplyte. Silly little weirdo.
𝐷𝑂𝑁𝑇 𝑀𝐼𝑁𝐷 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐹𝑂𝑁𝑇.
𝐴𝐿𝑊𝐴𝑌𝑆 𝐵𝑂𝑅𝐸𝐷
𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑒 𝑎 𝑃𝑀. 𝑂𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑅𝑃!
I recommend killing them one at a time.
Do all of them have ways of avoiding fall damage? If they don't all have it, then have the BBEG teleport them to 30,000 feet up. The party will have to decide who to cast feather fall on, and who to let die.
Set them traps which require a sacrifice - a chamber with a lever which slowly fills with magical acidic poison, which needs to be held manually to open a door. As the door opens, the chamber seals. If they don't lose one member, then they will all die.
a Swarm of Shadows. With the jump on them. that all have the Evasive ability.
a single goblin with a sword of soul-draining and a wish to be unkillable. one hit from the sword will kill them. The goblin is immortal but otherwise a goblin. Give it legendary resistances.
Give them a oneshot which seems related to the afterlife. Have them piece together that they are actually already dead, and that they are in their last adventure together.
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
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There’s always the classic “rocks fall, everyone dies.” Or you could use an infinite hoard of Kobolds.
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I feel that the campaign is likely long over anyway, since the OP asked the question three years ago. But if you really want to kill them, the Lady of Pain can do it.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Let them retire to a quiet life―a slow death.
(I think that's what the original DMG offered as a suggestion but not describing it as a slow death.)
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Here is one for you that I came up with off the top of my head in fifteen minutes.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/encounters/cc90d8b6-3850-475b-aeda-ebb617139187
I hope I was able to help and that you found it useful.
XD
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.