Pathfinder 2E Story: The Infamous TPK Module

Hello Everyone! This is a story from my Pathfinder game when we played the module Doomsday Dawn. I talk about the chapter "The Heroes of Undarin" which has a variety of scenarios, one of which is a surprise TPK game. Hope you guys enjoy!

"Sunshine Samba" by Chris Haugen

[PaizoInc]

Hi Puffin! Thanks for checking out the playtest module. During its run, the players really helped us out by stress-testing our systems and providing enough feedback to improve the final release of Pathfinder Second Edition.
If you'd like, we'd love to send you a PF2E Adventure Path to try out. I'm sure your entire party won't die as horribly this time ;)

[huntermccaskill]

"Hey guys, let's run a one-shot where you're all level 12!"
"Oh, awesome! What's it about?"
"Do you remember the show '1000 ways to Die'?"

[blackhawk]

How to get your players to play a TPK module:
"Last survivor gets twenty bucks, plus a cupcake if they don't do any PvP shenanigans."

[jgr]

there's something great about a TPK module:
create throw away disgustingly min-max'd characters; have it ran as a TTG, not a TTRPG; see who survives the longest.

[sunayama]

The Sword of Warning would have a field day with the TPK module.

[rnegadex]

"After that, the horde arrives!" Stop, stop! They're already dead!

Seriously, it's like whoever wrote the TPK module aspired to be a Mythbuster: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing!

[KaiserAfini]

The TPK module is an assault by the evil mastermind Otty Otterton. The mages are lead by Abserd in summoning forth the ultimate being to save the day: Chadwick Strongpants.

[maximiliannelson]

as someone who plays pathfinder and knows what all those things do
holy shit that's the most ridiculous enemy list I've ever seen, and I played Wrath of the Righteous where you have to fight the entire Abyss

[chunta]

The main reason Puffin wanted to do TPK module was to make that pun-guy die horrendously

[JustAUsername]

Honestly, if you assured me that my character wouldn't survive soon after creation, the only difference is I'd get silly with the naming with names like "Redd Shirt" or "Kanon Fodder"

[Catchek]

I cried at the moment you said: "Sometimes you have to show the player who is REALLY in charge of this game!"

[JasonBulmahn]

So, as the author of this particular part of the adventure, I have to say, it may seem sadistic, but it gave us a great deal of feedback about perceived versus actual break points in the system. Getting good feedback on that thought, required the characters to go in blind. You build and play a character differently if you know they are being set up to die. Glad to hear the group had a good time with much of the module though. That sea serpent TPK'd a number of parties according to our feedback... even if it wasn't the purple worm.

[pismodude]

1:35 "Each action is a 4 hour period of the day. So 2 of the actions we'll probably have to spend sleeping."
Getting 8 hours of sleep? Space dragons and beholders I can believe, but that shit is too unrealistic.

[truffeltroll]

3:00 drawing something in cube shape explains the "double all sides" stat stuff really well

[rock]

Suicide type missions are great for getting those friends who would rather play war games, and you're trying to convince them that pathfinder is a lot more focused on combat than d&d.

[youtubeuniversity]

Instead of a "TPK" game, just advertise it as a "Hold The Line" type deal. Be up front with "In this, your characters will die. Your goal is to survive as long as possible." Design around the idea.

[trevorp]

I was hoping lake monster would get swapped out for Aboleth with a "Hai guyz, howsit goin'?"

[scottydu]

Reminds me of D&D's "Apocalypse Stone" module. You fight several beholders and even a damned terrasque. Also the players get tricked into eating all of their loved ones in an evil bread made of souls.

[thexsoar]

If I ran a TPK module, the conversation would go something like this:
ME: Hey guys, I have a game ready.
PLAYERS: Oh, so just running another game then?
ME: It's a TPK module!
PLAYERS: Oh, so just running another game then?

[TreantBalewood]

Purple Worms can actually swim just fine, but they don't like it because it leaves them mostly blind (tremor sense)