I accidentally made my students cry in D&D club /u/Magical_Librarian DnD: Roll for Initiative!

So for context, I am the librarian at an elementary/Jr high school. I run a tabletop club for grades 5 and up, and we typically get 4-7 players coming a week. I am fairly new to 5e because Pathfinder is my go to system, but 5e is an easier one for new players to understand. We are currently in the second chapter of Hoard of the Dragon Queen where the players are hired to gather information on the cultists and their camp. They did a smart thing last week, and knocked out one of the stragglers to interrogate him. Guy blabbed everything he knew after a successful intimidation check via the bard playing bad music. Including the ambush point of the Rear Guard for the camp. Rogue and cleric scouted it out, found it easy thanks to the description from captured guy. I describe the scene of the gully with steep hills on either side covered in rocks and boulders. Many hiding spots for the unseen ambush. Most of the group agrees that they need to avoid it and find another way. Most of them. Two wanted to go and see the ambushers. The bard and our ancient gnome sorcerer. Please trust me when I say I tried to discourage them from doing this. Their friends were telling them to stop too but they didn’t listen. The sorcerer more because he wasn’t really attached and was just doing it for lols. So they walk through most of this valley without an issue, no signs of enemies. This was me trying to give them a last chance and turn back. Reasoning was that the cultists saw their friends 50+feet outside the opening of the valley watching and didn’t want to spring the trap so they wouldn’t expect it if they followed. Then the two began to climb up the hills to search for the cultists. This is when I am forced to reveal them by springing their trap; boulders rolling down the hill risking 2d12 damage to these lvl 2 players. The bard saves and takes goes to half health, the sorcerer with 7hp takes a full 14 dmg because he has -1 dex and rolled a bad save. The cultists reveal themselves. And as I place the guard, 2 acolytes, and 6 cultists, the boys faces fall. They are bummed, the realization of what they did dawning on them as they begin to move. I can’t do anything in the rules, and even after bending the rules to allow the bard a chance to talk their way out he rolls badly and fails. So I decide to make this as epic as possible. I encourage him to try escape. He rolls a 20 for initiative and goes first. The bard is determined to save his friend and scoops up the unconscious and battered body of the old gnome over his shoulder. He’s running at half speed now and I describe him leaping across the boulders towards safety. An acolyte fires off a sacred flame and scorches his opposite shoulder already battered and dislocated from the tumbling rocks. Another flame sparks towards him but he just dodges away from it A cultist runs up and slashes with his sword but it goes wide as the rest advance. He runs further, using double movement to try get to safety but his enemies are starting to cut him off. Two more sacred flames burst to life around him but he’s expecting them now and nimble dodges away from them both. A cultist heads him of and slashes at his side. He shifts his friend underneath his arm to shift the weight better as he clutches his side. The other students gathered around are cheering them on, hyping him up. Hands are in the air, woops of joy as he dodges most of what’s coming his way. Still determined to escape, he runs full tilt. Right past another cultist, who cuts upwards across his back. And I say “You fall to your knees as your vision begins to fade, nearly to freedom. And ass you collapse to your side, consciousness fading, you never let go of your Gnome.”

Even the student who wasn’t attached to his character teared up. I’m just happy I was able to turn it around to something exciting rather than dismal.

So for context, I am the librarian at an elementary/Jr high school. I run a tabletop club for grades 5 and up, and we typically get 4-7 players coming a week. I am fairly new to 5e because Pathfinder is my go to system, but 5e is an easier one for new players to understand. We are currently in the second chapter of Hoard of the Dragon Queen where the players are hired to gather information on the cultists and their camp. They did a smart thing last week, and knocked out one of the stragglers to interrogate him. Guy blabbed everything he knew after a successful intimidation check via the bard playing bad music. Including the ambush point of the Rear Guard for the camp. Rogue and cleric scouted it out, found it easy thanks to the description from captured guy. I describe the scene of the gully with steep hills on either side covered in rocks and boulders. Many hiding spots for the unseen ambush. Most of the group agrees that they need to avoid it and find another way. Most of them. Two wanted to go and see the ambushers. The bard and our ancient gnome sorcerer. Please trust me when I say I tried to discourage them from doing this. Their friends were telling them to stop too but they didn’t listen. The sorcerer more because he wasn’t really attached and was just doing it for lols. So they walk through most of this valley without an issue, no signs of enemies. This was me trying to give them a last chance and turn back. Reasoning was that the cultists saw their friends 50+feet outside the opening of the valley watching and didn’t want to spring the trap so they wouldn’t expect it if they followed. Then the two began to climb up the hills to search for the cultists. This is when I am forced to reveal them by springing their trap; boulders rolling down the hill risking 2d12 damage to these lvl 2 players. The bard saves and takes goes to half health, the sorcerer with 7hp takes a full 14 dmg because he has -1 dex and rolled a bad save. The cultists reveal themselves. And as I place the guard, 2 acolytes, and 6 cultists, the boys faces fall. They are bummed, the realization of what they did dawning on them as they begin to move. I can’t do anything in the rules, and even after bending the rules to allow the bard a chance to talk their way out he rolls badly and fails. So I decide to make this as epic as possible. I encourage him to try escape. He rolls a 20 for initiative and goes first. The bard is determined to save his friend and scoops up the unconscious and battered body of the old gnome over his shoulder. He’s running at half speed now and I describe him leaping across the boulders towards safety. An acolyte fires off a sacred flame and scorches his opposite shoulder already battered and dislocated from the tumbling rocks. Another flame sparks towards him but he just dodges away from it A cultist runs up and slashes with his sword but it goes wide as the rest advance. He runs further, using double movement to try get to safety but his enemies are starting to cut him off. Two more sacred flames burst to life around him but he’s expecting them now and nimble dodges away from them both. A cultist heads him of and slashes at his side. He shifts his friend underneath his arm to shift the weight better as he clutches his side. The other students gathered around are cheering them on, hyping him up. Hands are in the air, woops of joy as he dodges most of what’s coming his way. Still determined to escape, he runs full tilt. Right past another cultist, who cuts upwards across his back. And I say “You fall to your knees as your vision begins to fade, nearly to freedom. And ass you collapse to your side, consciousness fading, you never let go of your Gnome.”

Even the student who wasn’t attached to his character teared up. I’m just happy I was able to turn it around to something exciting rather than dismal.