The Lantern Hall
Painting: an ancient lexicon open on a carved lectern in a dark chapel of books, glowing runes and symbols lifting off its pages like fireflies.
TermTabletop term

TPK

The death of every player character in a single encounter, ending the adventure (and often the campaign). Feared, joked about and occasionally engineered by devious Game Masters, it has an online equivalent in the raid wipe.

The death of every player character in a single encounter, ending the adventure (and often the campaign). Feared, joked about and occasionally engineered by devious Game Masters, it has an online equivalent in the raid wipe.

Quick answers

What does "TPK" mean?
The death of every player character in a single encounter, ending the adventure (and often the campaign). Feared, joked about and occasionally engineered by devious Game Masters, it has an online equivalent in the raid wipe.

Nearby in the archive

The party

General term

The group of player characters who adventure together, pooling complementary skills. Its fantasy prototype is the Fellowship of the Ring; its gaming form is the fighter, cleric, wizard and thief of early D&D, carried into computer RPGs and the holy trinity of MMOs.

Permadeath

Digital term1980

A rule under which a dead character is gone for good, with no reloading from a save. It is a defining trait of the Roguelikes, a feature of hardcore modes in games such as Diablo II, and a permanent risk for units in tactical games like Fire Emblem.

Tomb of Horrors

Adventure module1978

Gary Gygax's deliberately merciless dungeon of false doors, sphere-of-annihilation mouths and gloating riddles, built to humble players who boasted their characters could survive anything.

Raid

Digital term

A large-group challenge in an online game, typically a series of powerful bosses that require many players, careful planning and repeated attempts. Raiding guilds built schedules, voice chat and loot rules such as Dragon kill points around it.

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