# How my entire 1st level party died in the Sunless Citadel



## turtle (Apr 16, 2002)

Finally my group switched from players option to 3e... our experiences....

I was a gnome wizard. The other party members were a halfling ranger, a human cleric and a half-orc rogue.

First, we found a ravine off the old road. We started climbing down. I missed my dexterity check and fell down the stairs. Luckily the cleric healed me. I color sprayed some rats which we killed.

Then we started going down the tiers to the bottom of the ravine. The rogue went down first and we followed. Before the final ravine the halfling decided to run down in the dark without any rope connecting him to anything. He fell down and went unconcious. The cleric got to him and healed him up before he died. We decided to climb out and go back to town.

On the way back to town we killed two wood-men things and luckily didn't die.

After resting up a few days we went back and made it down to the tower without incident. We managed to get past the trap in the first room without incident. In the second room, my curious gnome decided to push in a stone on the wall, revealing a secret door.

The shot ARROWS at the skeletons while they knocked me out. Finally, with the ranger at 2 HP, myself unconcious, and the cleric at 4 HP they managed to take down the skeletons. We rested ourselves up and healed as much as possible.

In the next hallway the halfling got nailed by a thrown  spear and was knocked unconscious. I color sprayed the goblins and we found meepo.

The first thing that happened was the rogue broke meepo's arm and the halfling kicked him in the stomach. I say "wait wait! maybe he can give us some information!" We get some information from Meepo. Then I say "Lets let him go". We argue about that then the rogue slits his throat.

Meepo told us there were skeletons in the coming rooms so we prepared and wiped out 5 without a problem (using clubs this time, not arrows!). 

Shortly thereafter we come into a room with five sarcophagi and a candle of ever--burning. 

I say "let's leave this room for later" 

The cleric says "i wanna open up these".

The rogue and I go outside the room and wait.

5 skeletons come out. The cleric roles 1 on his turn attempt. Next round the halfling and cleric are unconscious. The rogue and I high-tail it out of the dungeon.

I scramble up the wall of the ravine with the skeletons right behind me. I fail my check and fall to my death. The cleric and halfling are eaten by rats while unconscious. The rogue is never heard from again.


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## shilsen (Apr 16, 2002)

*Vengeance is mine, saith the kobold*



			
				turtle said:
			
		

> *The first thing that happened was the rogue broke meepo's arm and the halfling kicked him in the stomach. I say "wait wait! maybe he can give us some information!" We get some information from Meepo. Then I say "Lets let him go". We argue about that then the rogue slits his throat.
> *




You guys killed poor Meepo? No wonder you died!

Firstly, nice story. And secondly, sounds like you had to put up with a really dumb party, or they were playing really dumb PCs. Which was it?


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## JacktheRabbit (Apr 16, 2002)

Do the skeletons in the 5 sarcophagi wait until all 5 are opened before they get up and attack? If they don't then I fail to see how the party can get attacked by more than 1 since odds are the stone lids are two heavy to be lifted except by group effort one by one.

Unless of course the skeletons lift the lids themself and come out to attack.


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## Horacio (Apr 16, 2002)

You killed Meepo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You deserve to die!!!!!!!!!


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## turtle (Apr 17, 2002)

All our sessions are riddled with dumbness but that was the first TPK... a combination of stupidity and bad dice rolls... 

personally i didn't think the dungeon made sense... why would someone leave a slip of paper with the password for the skeletons just lying around? =-- in the room right before the skeletons at that! --=


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## turtle (Apr 17, 2002)

the skeletons all came out at once....


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## Plane Sailing (Apr 17, 2002)

One of the good things about that dungeon was the fact that some major threats could be overcome by negotiation rather than combat - which we found added to the fun of it immensely.

Cheers


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## shilsen (Apr 17, 2002)

turtle said:
			
		

> *personally i didn't think the dungeon made sense... why would someone leave a slip of paper with the password for the skeletons just lying around? =-- in the room right before the skeletons at that! --= *




That's not in the module (there is no password for the skeletons), so your DM must have added it. Citadel has some problems, but also has a lot of potential for enjoyment. My players had a blast with it.


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## Malachai_rose (Apr 18, 2002)

*wipeout...*

LOL, that was funny, sorry bout the party but it was just, well classic. My group lost 9 charcters going through the Citadel (we had 6 players) so I sympathize with your plight. While we didnt kill Meepo our thief did take a pot shot at him with a crossbow causing the lil bugger to book it. Needless to say we had to fight the kobolds... all of em, lol. As for a TPK, ouch. Only time we had that happen was Forge of Fury, hehe. Anyone that had been unlucky enough to survive the Citadel was quickly reunited with there friends in the first room with the chasm and rope bridge. Actually that was the last of the modules that group played  Did go through it with my current group though (Heroes of The Vilhon Reach) we faired much better. All in all funny read  thanks for posting it


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