Killed lately?

[loki44]

I've killed far more PCs under 3e rules than I did under 1e or 2e.

Are you sure you're not just getting older, less tolerant, and more crotchety?

 

[Maliki]

I don't think so, I have killed PCs in every edition ot D&D. Its usually just a matter of bad rolls on thier part, or good rolls on mine.

 

[Psion]

You can be a king
Or a little street sweeper
But sooner or later
You dance with the reaper...

 

[loki44]

So it looks like, so far, people are attributing PC deaths to bad luck, stupidity and megalomaniacal DMing rather than the various editions of D&D themselves, no?

 

[Crothian]

yes, it is less lethal becasue we have the Challenge Rating system. Before you had to guess what would be appropriate challenge, now with each monster rated it is easier to determine. Also, it is easier to raise a character from death.

 

[The Shaman]

I haven't killed anyone lately, but I think I'm about to.

In our tabletop Modern game one of the adventurers is about to succumb to mummy rot, unless something really dramatic happens when we get together tonight.

In our PbP Modern game, the legionnaires (4 PCs and 6 NPCs) are outnumbered six-to-one by the ALN moujahiddine - and the insurgents just moved a machine gun into position, so the paratroopers are now outgunned as well, for the first time in this engagement. The legionnaires' air support is still about twenty-five combat rounds away, so I'm pretty sure we're going to see a few fatalities before all is said and done.

 

[Yeoman]

OK, maybe I need to revisit my theory. Stupidity knows no edition bounds.

I swear it's the only universal constant.

 

[AIM-54]

I think it's mostly a DM thing. I admit my experience is fairly limited as my 2E experiences were rarely long lasting enough that this was ever a issue. I've always been averse to killing characters right off the bat, but I do prefer to let the dice fall where they may.

With my current group, I've run into the phenomenon of refusing to kill characters except at dramatic/story appropriate times, which kinda rubs me the wrong way. I think ensuring a relatively lethal setting is vital to keeping the game exciting. YMMV, of course.

 

[loki44]

With my current group, I've run into the phenomenon of refusing to kill characters except at dramatic/story appropriate times, which kinda rubs me the wrong way.

Okay, you're the DM right? So what is this "phenomenon" and why is it out of your control?

 

[AIM-54]

Okay, you're the DM right? So what is this "phenomenon" and why is it out of your control?

Hmmm, I seem to have caused confusion with my initial comments (which were from the GM chair) and my second comment (as I am not the DM of my current group).

Were I the DM, I assure you, this 'phenomenon' would not be an issue. It hasn't ever been an issue for my character, but when it has occurred, I feel like it's made the situation less dangerous. I've felt that it doesn't matter what my character does, he'll come out on top, because the DM won't kill him, unless it's story appropriate, even if I do something idiotic that probably warrants lethal consequences.

I apologize for the lack of clarity in my initial post.