Personally I would have went with "Granted, but they return with no memories whatsoever." So they come back to life but are essentially completely different people.
The wish was for them to be "alive and unharmed" so I'd waive the save vs death. I'll would ask for the survivor adventurer to tell how he would solve this, and the next session would start with him having just done that and rescuing his companions, so this way there's no play time lost with all of them unable to play.
A group of vengeance paladins with war domain clerics come by to hunt a group of demons that are causing chaos in the region. They talk to the one player and turn the party back with greater restoration because they can help them with the hunt. They leave the rest of town turned to stone as they do not have enough spell slots and can't save everyone. They tell you to join them at their local fort if you now seek vengeance for the greater good. New quest and the fort is their new town. Vengeance arc is starting...
Wave the save vs death of course, the deal was alive and unharmed, so them dying to it makes no sense. I think what i would do is work with the remaining player between sessions to figiure out what they are doing. Minimal rules or anything, just lay out the broad strokes of what they do and the adventure, or adventures, they go on to restore their freinds. Thwn, next session starts with a time skip, the party was frozen for weeks, month, maybe years, and they are restored by the now grizled partymember that wasnt, who has finally restored them through great effort. The party member might have a couple levels to show for all that they went through, maybe a scar or two. This would also be a great place for a new pc to come in as someone that the lone party member met and teamed up with.
If working out how to reverse the stone transformationItakes longer than between sessions, start the next session by saying it was retconned, and that the demon vanished immediately after the wish was made. Then they go back to town and everyone is very happy to see them, they might start another quest and everything keeps going very well. Wherever they go everything goes how they want it to, and everyone is very happy. Quests become more and more simple and easy but the rewards keep getting greater and greater. The king asks them to find his crown, which is hidden behind his throne, and for this great feat of heroics they all are made kings themselves! Also the pc who made the wish is acting strangely, too nice and without any former issues, and very much a pushover. (Obviously talk it over with the player) Over time the party should realize thay something is very wrong, and that things are far too good. They may try to tear things apart, look for the edges of the fake reality. In reality, the people turned to stone were still alive and concious, trapped inside a shared dream where they were meant to be ever placated and pampered. And of course same as before where the last remaining player ventures out to break their party free of the curse.
They shouldn’t have written themselves into this corner without an exit plan. The DM chose how to interpret the wish. Why choose an interpretation that they can’t handle?
I'm not sure I'd count "turned to stone" as "unharmed" or even "alive"
Personally I would have went with "Granted, but they return with no memories whatsoever."
So they come back to life but are essentially completely different people.
The wish was for them to be "alive and unharmed" so I'd waive the save vs death. I'll would ask for the survivor adventurer to tell how he would solve this, and the next session would start with him having just done that and rescuing his companions, so this way there's no play time lost with all of them unable to play.
A group of vengeance paladins with war domain clerics come by to hunt a group of demons that are causing chaos in the region. They talk to the one player and turn the party back with greater restoration because they can help them with the hunt. They leave the rest of town turned to stone as they do not have enough spell slots and can't save everyone. They tell you to join them at their local fort if you now seek vengeance for the greater good. New quest and the fort is their new town. Vengeance arc is starting...
Wave the save vs death of course, the deal was alive and unharmed, so them dying to it makes no sense.
I think what i would do is work with the remaining player between sessions to figiure out what they are doing. Minimal rules or anything, just lay out the broad strokes of what they do and the adventure, or adventures, they go on to restore their freinds.
Thwn, next session starts with a time skip, the party was frozen for weeks, month, maybe years, and they are restored by the now grizled partymember that wasnt, who has finally restored them through great effort. The party member might have a couple levels to show for all that they went through, maybe a scar or two. This would also be a great place for a new pc to come in as someone that the lone party member met and teamed up with.
If working out how to reverse the stone transformationItakes longer than between sessions, start the next session by saying it was retconned, and that the demon vanished immediately after the wish was made.
Then they go back to town and everyone is very happy to see them, they might start another quest and everything keeps going very well. Wherever they go everything goes how they want it to, and everyone is very happy. Quests become more and more simple and easy but the rewards keep getting greater and greater. The king asks them to find his crown, which is hidden behind his throne, and for this great feat of heroics they all are made kings themselves!
Also the pc who made the wish is acting strangely, too nice and without any former issues, and very much a pushover. (Obviously talk it over with the player)
Over time the party should realize thay something is very wrong, and that things are far too good. They may try to tear things apart, look for the edges of the fake reality.
In reality, the people turned to stone were still alive and concious, trapped inside a shared dream where they were meant to be ever placated and pampered. And of course same as before where the last remaining player ventures out to break their party free of the curse.
How does a game master even DO this without planning it in advance and already having a solution?!
I THOUGHT THAT SAID 'MAKE A WISH' AT FIRST AND I GOT CONSERNED
They shouldn’t have written themselves into this corner without an exit plan. The DM chose how to interpret the wish. Why choose an interpretation that they can’t handle?
Easier answer: Deck Of Many Things. Undo the fate. Just stack the deck for the players, and dont tell them. Easy out.