They Can't be Beholders! We're only 3rd Level!, Or When runs go really really wrong. Options

[Sendaz]

The title goes back to a long, long time ago when we were playing with a DM who had an 'established' world where pretty much anything could happen. Our junior party had taken the notion of exploring a cave system that the local dwarves were having problems with several somethings that were interrupting the mining operation and no real survivors of the altercations to provide clues. Our band on intrepid heroes of course went in, finding a large chamber with a few floating orb like shapes on the far end.

Our fearless leader rallied us with the cry of 'They Can't be Beholders! We're only 3rd Level!' reasoning in his mind they would be gas spores or something similiarly obnoxious but nothing out of our league. So we fired arrows, spells and closed to finish them off.

They were Beholders. (for those who never played AD&D, just substitute the term 'Mobile Organic Magical Heavy Weapons Platform' and you get the idea)

TPK. And not just killed, but killed in a dazzling array of ways including petrification, disintegration and other fun forms of death.

Now I am sure everyone of us has a tale of when a run went south in a truly spectacular fashion when your group may have bit off more than they can chew and not necessarily through any direct fault of their own beyond maybe not retreating/evacing sooner or even just not engaging in the first place and we'd like to hear these tales of misadventure if only to share a chuckle.