Shaun: "Let's go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over."
Setup: The undead is attacking the city the players (five 5th level) are in. The players have hunkered down in a tavern (three floors) and barricaded as best they could the entrances with tables and chairs of the establishment though they never addressed the windows which are quite a few on the ground floor. The players joked that they were in a Shaun Of The Dead position and they just want to keep quiet and wait for it all to blow over. I know, not very heroic, but what can you do if they see the odds are against them and they want to save themselves.
Still careful of what you wish for because the DM may get ideas. I don't want to make it too easy on them hunkering down and I'd like to see how they react to an assault of zombies on the tavern. While I see a lot of Fireballs and Shatters being cast I still do not think it would be enough if I send the zombies into the tavern in waves (Call back to an old post-- I'm learning). There is an escape route from the tavern that I have in mind-- Third-floor windows on the right side players could jump across to the next building-- which the players have not discovered yet. Though, I'm hoping that will change with the assault of the zombies funneling the players up to the higher levels.
Question: I would like to be fair and as much as the players will need to work to stay alive I want to properly manage how the zombie starts the encounter I want to have them bust down the barricade and break through the windows. What I'm looking for is ideas, preferably within RAW, on how to run these types of actions attempts in breaking down the barricade and windows to make their way into the tavern. Also, any feedback on why this encounter may be a bad idea.
I think I'd give the barricades a lowish AC and hit points. The AC in this case really is just a proxy for how hard it has to be hit to realistically actually take some damage. Once a barricade hits 0 HP, a zombie arm busts through to the inside. Once enough barricades hit 0HP (I'm picturing multiple planks across the door), the horde starts to encroach and the players must either fight (using the bottle neck to their advantage), or retreat to a higher floor.
I'd be tempted to drop some hints about the windows to your players. After all, if they were physically in a room, the windows being a weak point would be much more obvious. If the zombies can just crash through the windows, you've kind of lost the tension I presume you are going for. I'd just say something like "the morning light is streaming through the large picture window to the East of the room", and leave the rest to them. If they don't figure it out from that, they deserve to be torn apart by a remorseless zombie hoard. If they board up the windows, you now have multiple points that could be the first incursion. You can shift the player's attention from window to window as more planks are destroyed. Drama!
Once they've retreated to the upper floor, I'd describe the windows and say "you can see the roof of the next building from the window on the West wall", and again leave it to them to ask if they can make the jump.
I'd be curious about the end-game here though. If you're describing true walking-dead type hoards, they must be cutting a pretty serious swath through your world. Are they being controlled by an intelligent force, and the player's goal is to destroy that force, at which point the zombies drop dead or at least stop working in concert?
Wait... is this the same group of players who also, when they found themselves in a pirate town, hid in the inn and refuse to go out and engage with anything or anyone in the town?
If so, I am sensing a pattern here, and not a very healthy one for a party of D&D characters. As you said, "not very heroic."
I would need to have a conversation with my players at this point, and express to them that they might need to find another DM if they are going to just hide in the inn and save their own skins. That is not what I expect D&D adventuring parties to do.
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I'd have the zombies make a Athletics check plus a perception check each day, take the aggregate check, and subtract a third of that from the barricade's HP (make a pool ), then when it comes to 0, have the zombies bust down the door's and windows, here's a little boxed text for it "As (high int/ bard character ) is recounting a quest done long ago, you laugh, remembering the good times", do something like this every day or so, then sometime during the read-aloud-text, "You hear the sound of splintering wood and the crash of breaking glass, your hearts sink as zombie pour in from the front room hungering for humanoid flesh, what do you do?", something like this could work, or have the tavern run out of supplies and the PCs need to make a supply run into the inner city, walking dead-style.
As Bio mentioned, if this is the same group that you mentioned a few weeks ago, they definitely haven't picked up on the "heroic" vibe yet :)
For this encounter, what are your goals? Are you trying to drain resources? Are you trying to show them the consequences of earlier inactions on their part? Or are you looking for a fun side-adventure?
An alternative to a long, prolonged combat is to run a skill challenge. You can narrate an action then let one of them narrate how the group will react and then roll the appropriate skill. You can start this with the ambush of the Winchester but expand it to an escape around/out of town. A complication could occur as they find other survivors, do they leave them to fend for themselves or do they stop and aid them? :)
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"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
I'd be curious about the end-game here though. If you're describing true walking-dead type hoards, they must be cutting a pretty serious swath through your world. Are they being controlled by an intelligent force, and the player's goal is to destroy that force, at which point the zombies drop dead or at least stop working in concert?
This is from the campaign setting I'm using
Southeast of the Serpent Isles lies the horrifying region known as the Shadow Isles. Since its corruption during a magical tragedy, the Shadow Isles emit dangerous black mists that routinely threaten the people of Bilgewater. These black mists thicken and travel across the ocean, flooding the Serpent Isles with undead spirits hungry for victims. This event has become known as 'The Harrowing,' and the power of the Buhru is the only thing that can keep its might at bay.
I've already started with Shadows and then as people start dying their bodies are animated by the black mists that have a focal point on a dock from a dredged-up ship. I've already set up that outside of the tavern they could see through the windows that it is much chaos and people dying in the streets. It's these reanimated bodies that will make up the zombie horde.
The end goal really is for the players to stop the black mist by going to the ship and stop the focal point which is where the BBEG resides. The thought is that the player will go visit the main temple of the buhru people and they will learn that the senior member has been trapped by some mystical energy to which they can only be revived by eliminating the focal point. Once the focal point is eliminated then the black mist disappears and the animated bodies will be destroyed.
Wait... is this the same group of players who also, when they found themselves in a pirate town, hid in the inn and refuse to go out and engage with anything or anyone in the town?
If so, I am sensing a pattern here, and not a very healthy one for a party of D&D characters. As you said, "not very heroic."
I would need to have a conversation with my players at this point, and express to them that they might need to find another DM if they are going to just hide in the inn and save their own skins. That is not what I expect D&D adventuring parties to do.
Yep! And it was the same person, warlock, who suggested to hunker down at the inn to do the same in the tavern. Now I had an NPC (Commonor) who also said he's not leaving the tavern, but that was intended to create some drama and prompt the party to take on this threat. As I said the party decided to stay in the tavern cast a few "Leomund’s Tiny Hut" and take a long rest.
I should not have been surprised with this outcome but I won't lie and say that I'm not disappointed. The point of these upcoming sessions was the town comes under siege of the undead and they need to rise to the challenge and defeat the focal point (BBEG) to destroy the mystic energies that are causing all this havoc. I was hoping for some initiative since I've dropped some clues from the NPC who had seen the city dealt with similar situations in the past where they should go for more information.
I still have hope that in the next game they decide to be more proactive and that is where the zombie raid comes in to gently push them out of the tavern and on the streets trying to avoid the chaos and go search out the information on what could be done. Heck, they already have clues about a possible ship that could (IS INFACT) causing all these problems down at the docks.
This is the first game series of sessions where there was not a Patron giving them a quest to complete and maybe all that is needed is a more firm push (Railroad lite?) what they should be doing. I may talk to one of the players who is my sounding board when things do not seem to be working out and get his perspective on where the party is at and if he what he sees as the party action as being heroic, or if they feel they are a heroic group, then what I'm expecting them to do.
I'll admit it is a challenge when I get into this situation but I feel I have some responsibility to move the story along even when the party decides to 'camp' in a tavern so maybe I just need a bigger bat to hit them over the head with to get a clue across to them.
Is it only zombies? There are some floating undead who can travel through walls...
I've started with Shadows during the previous session so I was thinking of bringing them back into the raid possibly an easier way to bring down the barricade, but yeah I have been looking at alternatives to zombies.
As Bio mentioned, if this is the same group that you mentioned a few weeks ago, they definitely haven't picked up on the "heroic" vibe yet :)
For this encounter, what are your goals? Are you trying to drain resources? Are you trying to show them the consequences of earlier inactions on their part? Or are you looking for a fun side-adventure?
An alternative to a long, prolonged combat is to run a skill challenge. You can narrate an action then let one of them narrate how the group will react and then roll the appropriate skill. You can start this with the ambush of the Winchester but expand it to an escape around/out of town. A complication could occur as they find other survivors, do they leave them to fend for themselves or do they stop and aid them? :)
Yeah, it is the same group, but they are mine and I'm doing my best to give them adventures to have fun with. That said, my main goal of this encounter is to get them out of the tavern with some combat, peril of getting overrun, and a daring escape. I definitely do not want this as all-out stand-your-ground combat because as you said it will be long and get a little monotonous. I'd say a skill challenge may be a good idea once they get out of the tavern and work their way either to the temple or to the docs. (The two places I've dropped hints on where information can be found and where the cause of all this undead is coming from.)
First off, if they have turn undead take that into consideration.
I'd definitely describe the barricade breaking down and zombies breaking the windows a turn before they enter. Without that it can feel like monsters are just spawning on top of them without a chance to react and it can kind of feel like the DM is shifting the goalpost
Definitely give them an opportunity to prep/booby trap the area with what they have/ what they find. This gets players thinking creatively instead of just doing damage in combat and can be a nice change of pace.
Give them some flammable liquor in the bar and I guarantee they will find a way to set the place on fire, which will make the situation into a definite escape, and not a kill the the zombies scenario. (It will also let you have an escape scenario while avoiding having to explain and deal with a zombie hoard so big they couldn't just fight and kill them in your game)
You could put a lock box behind the bar so they have to choose between prep/escape time, and cash.
As I said the party decided to stay in the tavern cast a few "Leomund’s Tiny Hut" and take a long rest.
OK that isn't just "not heroic," it is downright cowardly. Let's all hide in this tavern and cast an impregnable magic fortress that only we can use, and screw everyone else not only in the town but also in the tavern.
I mean the obvious thing to do is have the BBEG just start winning. Put them on a clock that is like, there are so many days left and if you stay in there, Armageddon happens. But this is an IC solution to something that very much seems like an OOC problem. I would have a conversation with the group before doing this, and explain that if they don't want to be heroes, there isn't much point in playing these adventures.
Skip all of that BS about having the zombies damaging the building. Roll dice and pretend it matters, but just narrate the building being overwhelmed by weight of numbers. Describe the building actually creaking and groaning under their weight and describe boards popping loose and arms reaching through all over. Really get the tension amped up, then.... Set the building on fire and describe the billowing smoke and darkness, their eyes literally tearing from the soot and ash. Describe how they can smell the burning hair and rotting flesh of the ravening hoard of the undead who even now press through the weakening structure of the burning building, too taken with bloodlust to fear the flames in their need to feast on the heroes’ brains. Then... have a flaming awning collapse take a portion of the back wall with it, dropping burning wreckage on a group of Zeds to partially clear an escape rout they might fight their way through to anywhere the hell else. Actually describe the sunshine and fresh air they can feel pulling the ash from their burning lungs....
Then pray they’re heroic enough to not stay huddled in a burning tomb of certain death.
Every character I create always has a bedroll and blanket, a way to make fire, and two waterskin. Why? Because I have had characters freeze to death and die of dehydration. Is it a little meta? Yeah. Do I care? No. My characters are just thirsty and like to bundle up. 😒 They might need to be taught not to cower in buildings when the road to adventure is right outside.
Well, I haven't read most of the topic, because it's pretty likely everyone else has commented on ways to run destructible objects and such, so I will post this instead.
If you want the “heroes” *ahem* to really get the message, then give them all the gory details. Make the horror so real in their minds that they will remember it in their dreams.
Describe the mother with the exhausted expression and the little blond girl with the cornflower blue dress and the shiny ribbons in her hair. Describe the little girl dashing out from hiding to save her dolly that lies in the dirt and muck of the street. As the little girl runs out, her mother calls after her “CLARA!” Only a moment too late.... A pack of feral undead charge the little girl and the heroes can hear the most horrifying scream they ever have, so bad it chills their blood. It’s not like the screams in the movies, sorry “plays” they have seen with some vapid actress pretending to trip over her feet. This is like the screams a rabbit make as it’s being ripped apart by a bird of prey; only much worse. The scream cut suddenly short by a sick, wet noise and *KRACK* so loud it reverberates off the walls of the nearby buildings. The girl’s mother runs howling into the hungry fangs and dripping claws of the very same creatures she just watched eviscerating her little girl, too distraught to go on living.
And the blood, so much blood the heroes can smell the sweet coppery scent of it on the breeze. And in their feeding frenzy the mindless undead kick up such a cloud of dust, and the breeze carries that too. It darkens out the sun a bit and coats the heroes noses and mouths with the cloying taste of too dry earth mixed with death. The heroes push with their tongues, try to spit or blow out their noses. They try anything to get rid of the taste of that terrible dryness, but they can’t. And as the dust settles all over them the breeze again brings with it the sticky, metallic smell of fresh blood now mingled with the stench of feces from the woman’s corpse shitting itself as the muscles relaxed, or the zombies having ripped her open to gorge on her vittles, or both.
The little girl in the blue dress left forgotten by the hoard now twitches with the first stirrings of unlife. Soon, she too is risen and in her hunger turns again to feast from her mother’s breast as she once did not long ago. But now, instead of a babe’s suckle, her gnashing teeth rip ragged, sopping chunks of too-red flesh from her mother’s corpse. Streaks of blood around her mouth drawing the heroes attention to the rhythmic sound of the “little girl’s” chewing. As the heroes stand there transfixed by the horrid tableau they hear a frantic noise to the side. They turn in time to see the head of a young man above a fence. The man is running, his long, brown hair streaming behind him and a shaggy beard reaching out ahead of his pointy chin as if it to was trying to run away from whatever horror was chasing the man before he suddenly went down, followed by a wet, popping sound and his head lobbed over the fence to land only meters away, and they realize they have no idea what the rest of him looked like.
As they slink down an alley looking for another place to hide the see an old couple on their porch, sharing a last bottle of wine and dancing to a tune from a music box as they await the end they know they can never outrun. The old woman with gray hair curled tight to her head and a flowered sundress, and her husband with the watery eyes and wearing a green sweater she obviously must have knit for him. The music they are dancing to sounds vaguely like something the heroes remember from their childhood. On the wind the heroes can even smell the sweet fruity wine the couple is drinking before it is replaced by the cloying, omnipresent taste of dust. And nearby they can see another pack of slavering abominations cautiously coming closer, drawn by the sounds of tinkling music and heartfelt laughter, the man must have said something charming, or funny, or both....
How do you cower in a tavern while Gran and Pop-pop are out there about to get eaten? Especially after you’ve seen the horrors that befell the others...? Right now they don’t want to risk their skins for some nameless, faceless NPCs. So give them names and faces the players will never forget.
My players better never have their characters cower in a Tiny Hut while the people around them are being slaughtered. I will not make sure they "have a chance" against the bad guys. The world would just burn around them, and when they come out, good luck finding food, water, shelter, or anything else.
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
If the party doesn't want to be proactive, make turtling result in an automatic fail condition. Like give them a time limit to actually hunt down and stop the BBEG before they activate the artifact that will kill and reanimate everything in a five mile radius, which includes the party. Or things like that.
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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.
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Shaun: "Let's go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over."
Setup: The undead is attacking the city the players (five 5th level) are in. The players have hunkered down in a tavern (three floors) and barricaded as best they could the entrances with tables and chairs of the establishment though they never addressed the windows which are quite a few on the ground floor. The players joked that they were in a Shaun Of The Dead position and they just want to keep quiet and wait for it all to blow over. I know, not very heroic, but what can you do if they see the odds are against them and they want to save themselves.
Still careful of what you wish for because the DM may get ideas. I don't want to make it too easy on them hunkering down and I'd like to see how they react to an assault of zombies on the tavern. While I see a lot of Fireballs and Shatters being cast I still do not think it would be enough if I send the zombies into the tavern in waves (Call back to an old post-- I'm learning). There is an escape route from the tavern that I have in mind-- Third-floor windows on the right side players could jump across to the next building-- which the players have not discovered yet. Though, I'm hoping that will change with the assault of the zombies funneling the players up to the higher levels.
Question: I would like to be fair and as much as the players will need to work to stay alive I want to properly manage how the zombie starts the encounter I want to have them bust down the barricade and break through the windows. What I'm looking for is ideas, preferably within RAW, on how to run these types of actions attempts in breaking down the barricade and windows to make their way into the tavern. Also, any feedback on why this encounter may be a bad idea.
You’ve got red on you.
I would probably use the rules for Objects to represent the Zombies breaking into the Winchester.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/running-the-game#Objects
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I think I'd give the barricades a lowish AC and hit points. The AC in this case really is just a proxy for how hard it has to be hit to realistically actually take some damage. Once a barricade hits 0 HP, a zombie arm busts through to the inside. Once enough barricades hit 0HP (I'm picturing multiple planks across the door), the horde starts to encroach and the players must either fight (using the bottle neck to their advantage), or retreat to a higher floor.
I'd be tempted to drop some hints about the windows to your players. After all, if they were physically in a room, the windows being a weak point would be much more obvious. If the zombies can just crash through the windows, you've kind of lost the tension I presume you are going for. I'd just say something like "the morning light is streaming through the large picture window to the East of the room", and leave the rest to them. If they don't figure it out from that, they deserve to be torn apart by a remorseless zombie hoard. If they board up the windows, you now have multiple points that could be the first incursion. You can shift the player's attention from window to window as more planks are destroyed. Drama!
Once they've retreated to the upper floor, I'd describe the windows and say "you can see the roof of the next building from the window on the West wall", and again leave it to them to ask if they can make the jump.
I'd be curious about the end-game here though. If you're describing true walking-dead type hoards, they must be cutting a pretty serious swath through your world. Are they being controlled by an intelligent force, and the player's goal is to destroy that force, at which point the zombies drop dead or at least stop working in concert?
Wait... is this the same group of players who also, when they found themselves in a pirate town, hid in the inn and refuse to go out and engage with anything or anyone in the town?
If so, I am sensing a pattern here, and not a very healthy one for a party of D&D characters. As you said, "not very heroic."
I would need to have a conversation with my players at this point, and express to them that they might need to find another DM if they are going to just hide in the inn and save their own skins. That is not what I expect D&D adventuring parties to do.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Is it only zombies? There are some floating undead who can travel through walls...
I'd have the zombies make a Athletics check plus a perception check each day, take the aggregate check, and subtract a third of that from the barricade's HP (make a pool ), then when it comes to 0, have the zombies bust down the door's and windows, here's a little boxed text for it "As (high int/ bard character ) is recounting a quest done long ago, you laugh, remembering the good times", do something like this every day or so, then sometime during the read-aloud-text, "You hear the sound of splintering wood and the crash of breaking glass, your hearts sink as zombie pour in from the front room hungering for humanoid flesh, what do you do?", something like this could work, or have the tavern run out of supplies and the PCs need to make a supply run into the inner city, walking dead-style.
Mystic v3 should be official, nuff said.
The simple answer,
a stealth check every hour to not draw attention,
start tracking rations until they are able to shop/hunt again.
It doesn't blow over.
Then yeah once the hoard is attracted the object rules linked above are a good start for destruction of barricades.
Edit: obviously on a nat 1 stealth Queen starts playing
As Bio mentioned, if this is the same group that you mentioned a few weeks ago, they definitely haven't picked up on the "heroic" vibe yet :)
For this encounter, what are your goals? Are you trying to drain resources? Are you trying to show them the consequences of earlier inactions on their part? Or are you looking for a fun side-adventure?
An alternative to a long, prolonged combat is to run a skill challenge. You can narrate an action then let one of them narrate how the group will react and then roll the appropriate skill. You can start this with the ambush of the Winchester but expand it to an escape around/out of town. A complication could occur as they find other survivors, do they leave them to fend for themselves or do they stop and aid them? :)
"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
This is from the campaign setting I'm using
I've already started with Shadows and then as people start dying their bodies are animated by the black mists that have a focal point on a dock from a dredged-up ship. I've already set up that outside of the tavern they could see through the windows that it is much chaos and people dying in the streets. It's these reanimated bodies that will make up the zombie horde.
The end goal really is for the players to stop the black mist by going to the ship and stop the focal point which is where the BBEG resides. The thought is that the player will go visit the main temple of the buhru people and they will learn that the senior member has been trapped by some mystical energy to which they can only be revived by eliminating the focal point. Once the focal point is eliminated then the black mist disappears and the animated bodies will be destroyed.
Yep! And it was the same person, warlock, who suggested to hunker down at the inn to do the same in the tavern. Now I had an NPC (Commonor) who also said he's not leaving the tavern, but that was intended to create some drama and prompt the party to take on this threat. As I said the party decided to stay in the tavern cast a few "Leomund’s Tiny Hut" and take a long rest.
I should not have been surprised with this outcome but I won't lie and say that I'm not disappointed. The point of these upcoming sessions was the town comes under siege of the undead and they need to rise to the challenge and defeat the focal point (BBEG) to destroy the mystic energies that are causing all this havoc. I was hoping for some initiative since I've dropped some clues from the NPC who had seen the city dealt with similar situations in the past where they should go for more information.
I still have hope that in the next game they decide to be more proactive and that is where the zombie raid comes in to gently push them out of the tavern and on the streets trying to avoid the chaos and go search out the information on what could be done. Heck, they already have clues about a possible ship that could (IS INFACT) causing all these problems down at the docks.
This is the first game series of sessions where there was not a Patron giving them a quest to complete and maybe all that is needed is a more firm push (Railroad lite?) what they should be doing. I may talk to one of the players who is my sounding board when things do not seem to be working out and get his perspective on where the party is at and if he what he sees as the party action as being heroic, or if they feel they are a heroic group, then what I'm expecting them to do.
I'll admit it is a challenge when I get into this situation but I feel I have some responsibility to move the story along even when the party decides to 'camp' in a tavern so maybe I just need a bigger bat to hit them over the head with to get a clue across to them.
I've started with Shadows during the previous session so I was thinking of bringing them back into the raid possibly an easier way to bring down the barricade, but yeah I have been looking at alternatives to zombies.
Yeah, it is the same group, but they are mine and I'm doing my best to give them adventures to have fun with. That said, my main goal of this encounter is to get them out of the tavern with some combat, peril of getting overrun, and a daring escape. I definitely do not want this as all-out stand-your-ground combat because as you said it will be long and get a little monotonous. I'd say a skill challenge may be a good idea once they get out of the tavern and work their way either to the temple or to the docs. (The two places I've dropped hints on where information can be found and where the cause of all this undead is coming from.)
First off, if they have turn undead take that into consideration.
I'd definitely describe the barricade breaking down and zombies breaking the windows a turn before they enter. Without that it can feel like monsters are just spawning on top of them without a chance to react and it can kind of feel like the DM is shifting the goalpost
Definitely give them an opportunity to prep/booby trap the area with what they have/ what they find. This gets players thinking creatively instead of just doing damage in combat and can be a nice change of pace.
Give them some flammable liquor in the bar and I guarantee they will find a way to set the place on fire, which will make the situation into a definite escape, and not a kill the the zombies scenario. (It will also let you have an escape scenario while avoiding having to explain and deal with a zombie hoard so big they couldn't just fight and kill them in your game)
You could put a lock box behind the bar so they have to choose between prep/escape time, and cash.
OK that isn't just "not heroic," it is downright cowardly. Let's all hide in this tavern and cast an impregnable magic fortress that only we can use, and screw everyone else not only in the town but also in the tavern.
I mean the obvious thing to do is have the BBEG just start winning. Put them on a clock that is like, there are so many days left and if you stay in there, Armageddon happens. But this is an IC solution to something that very much seems like an OOC problem. I would have a conversation with the group before doing this, and explain that if they don't want to be heroes, there isn't much point in playing these adventures.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Skip all of that BS about having the zombies damaging the building. Roll dice and pretend it matters, but just narrate the building being overwhelmed by weight of numbers. Describe the building actually creaking and groaning under their weight and describe boards popping loose and arms reaching through all over. Really get the tension amped up, then.... Set the building on fire and describe the billowing smoke and darkness, their eyes literally tearing from the soot and ash. Describe how they can smell the burning hair and rotting flesh of the ravening hoard of the undead who even now press through the weakening structure of the burning building, too taken with bloodlust to fear the flames in their need to feast on the heroes’ brains. Then... have a flaming awning collapse take a portion of the back wall with it, dropping burning wreckage on a group of Zeds to partially clear an escape rout they might fight their way through to anywhere the hell else. Actually describe the sunshine and fresh air they can feel pulling the ash from their burning lungs....
Then pray they’re heroic enough to not stay huddled in a burning tomb of certain death.
Every character I create always has a bedroll and blanket, a way to make fire, and two waterskin. Why? Because I have had characters freeze to death and die of dehydration. Is it a little meta? Yeah. Do I care? No. My characters are just thirsty and like to bundle up. 😒 They might need to be taught not to cower in buildings when the road to adventure is right outside.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
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Well, I haven't read most of the topic, because it's pretty likely everyone else has commented on ways to run destructible objects and such, so I will post this instead.
...bard ally or magical jukebox...enough said...
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zlgqHeKZVoI&ved=2ahUKEwjsocnFr9bvAhWXaCsKHXJTBtsQo7QBMAJ6BAgDEAE&usg=AOvVaw3X3zZnBWyRRP3aS9OPmwuH
If you want the “heroes” *ahem* to really get the message, then give them all the gory details. Make the horror so real in their minds that they will remember it in their dreams.
How do you cower in a tavern while Gran and Pop-pop are out there about to get eaten? Especially after you’ve seen the horrors that befell the others...? Right now they don’t want to risk their skins for some nameless, faceless NPCs. So give them names and faces the players will never forget.
Edits: Typos
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
My players better never have their characters cower in a Tiny Hut while the people around them are being slaughtered. I will not make sure they "have a chance" against the bad guys. The world would just burn around them, and when they come out, good luck finding food, water, shelter, or anything else.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
If the party doesn't want to be proactive, make turtling result in an automatic fail condition. Like give them a time limit to actually hunt down and stop the BBEG before they activate the artifact that will kill and reanimate everything in a five mile radius, which includes the party. Or things like that.
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.