Because obviously the players will all want to encounter a version of Shelob that their characters can fend off. Besides, if you don’t put that NPC in one of the game sessions the party will come up with an excuse to steer the campaign in her direction anyway. The real question is: do you let the party gack Shelob early? I mean, sure, you can just say “that was her twin sister Lazy-Lob, and she would have been ten times worse than Shelob! Well done!”
But that seems a bit too pat.
Moe Lane
PS: I swear to God, this particular lens does wonders to make me tolerate RINGS OF POWER.
Instant TPK.
They’d have less chance than the dwarves in Mirkwood.
If you want to try to beard the child of fecking Ungoliant in its lair,
When you canonically *know* your character can’t kill her,
And you don’t have a blade forged by one of the finest smiths of the Noldor who still had the light of Valinor in his eyes,
And you don’t have a mithril shirt crafted by the best of the dwarves at the height of their power,
And you don’t have the blessing of being Illuvatar’s favored pawn,
Then you’re fricking dead, and you totally deserve it.
I’m not a killer GM. But if you’re determined to knowingly commit suicide, I will accommodate.
I, on the other hand, AM a killer GM and I couldn’t agree with Luke more. Any party that does this deserves their TPK (reread Luke’s comment if necessary) and I would make an example of them that would become the stuff of legend.