Red Hand of Doom - I feel like a butcher...

[subrosas]

Just completed running this campaign last night, and I feel slightly sick... I have never had so many player character deaths in so few levels as I have running RHoD. Between levels 5-10, I had a total of ten PC deaths, including two near-party wipes (one survivor out of five players each time).

One occurred at the bridge, and another immediately following the climactic fight.

It's been traumatic - I'm afraid I'll never get the opportunity to run anything for this group again, as they believe I'm a sadist now.

What are other people's experiences? Was it just me?

 

[EricNoah]

We had one death. Which was remedied by the one magic item in the game that can cast raise dead one time.

But then, I let each player say "screw the rules" one time per session. They can use it to make a saving throw, or succeed at a critial hit, or just about anything they want that the rules don't easily support. I think there were at least 2-3 of those per session over a dozen sessions, and a few of those were probably life-saving events.

 

[hong]

High-level D&D gameplay can be pretty lethal if you play it strictly by the book. In one campaign, I think we were averaging 1 death every 2 sessions past 12th level.

I generally don't play it strictly by the book when I DM, because that degree of lethality is too mindbending for me. I'm a complete softy.

 

[mattcolville]

I had one character, a major PC with a lot of plot stuff revolving around him, die at the Bridge. He got chopped up by AoOs.

But that's ok, I had an NPC bad guy turn his dead body into a Vampire.

Another character got bull rushed off the bridge...and lived. Knights have a d12 for hp! Taking 15 dice of damage at 6th level and living is pretty epic. It ended up being fewer dice actually, as I gave him a 50% chance he'd fall in the river below (he rolled it and made it) which took 2 dice off the total.

 

[Talath]

I don't know why you feel like a butcher; buchers cut up the carcass of an animal after it's dead. You're more like the psychopath who preys on innocent girls and wears their skins from Silence of the Lamb.

 

[Reynard]

I had one character, a major PC with a lot of plot stuff revolving around him, die at the Bridge. He got chopped up by AoOs.

Reason #1 not to give important plot bits to the characters that don't take Tumble.

 

[Lancelot]

**** Possible SPOILERS ****


Subrosas, I know how you feel (...but have less guilt about it, personally)

My group lost 12 characters during the campaign, including a TPK in the "defend the city from siege" section. The four players each had 10-15 years of D&D experience, with an extremely good knowledge of the rules and solid characters. I ran the module as written (no modification of encounters) and let the dice fall where they may.

Fortunately, the general quality of the module dispelled any bad feelings around the carnage. They all enjoyed Red Hand (and I really enjoyed running it). I rate it as one of the best WotC modules ever, including 1st and 2nd edition. Many of the deaths were extremely humorous (...eaten by a hydra due to repeated failed Balance checks to run away, trying to grapple the Ghostlord with no Improved Grapple and a lousy modifier, captured by a minotaur with anger-management issues...).

I've begun to think that a lot of published modules require active "DM fiat" (fudging) to keep characters alive. Unless a party is truly optimized (uber-healing cleric, uber-frontline fighter, uber-blasty mage, etc...), I've noticed my group has a very hard time with the WotC mega-adventures. Expedition to Castle Ravenloft was similarly lethal. Go down some stairs and run into four hidden demons (who can teleport at will, have DR cold iron, and good spell resistance) with your 4x 8th level (injured, slightly depleted) characters? That's a paddlin'...

 

[Drowbane]

High-level D&D gameplay can be pretty lethal if you play it strictly by the book.
<snip>

Fixed that for ya mate

 

[EyeontheMountain]

I think Red Hand can be lethal, and I am kind of looking forward to the expeditions I intend to buy (All but Ravenloft, actually).

My party died at the end of the second part becasue they went back to fight the black dragon one too many times. He was hurt, they were hurt, buyt the Dragon had a few too many helpers still alive to make it a PC success.

Ahh, well. Now we are going through Shattered Gates to level up high enough to continue Red Hand.

 

[Thomas Percy]

I don't have any problem with RHoD. We started at 6th level.