D&D 5E What Level was your 1st Character Death in 5e?

[Todd Roybark]

I am curious to know what level your 1st character died at. Now by death, I am not referring to death saves.

For me:

Campaign 1: Death at 2nd level. 2 crits back to back from zombies and insta death. No deaths since then, but death saves are not uncommon. Party is currently 8th level. 6 players.

Campaign 2: No deaths, currently 5th level. Admittedly someone was petrified, they got better. 5 players.

Campaign 3: 3 deaths. 8 players. Earliest death at 4th level, Piercer and near max damage on a tumble down the Darkening Stairs.
2 deaths at level 10. Same battle, One Encounter (5 minute adventuring day, players executed an ambush).

5e characters are hardy, only Three *deaths happened due to failing Death Saves. The other deaths were from Massive Damage, proper resting is an important part of a balanced adventuring day.

*(Sorry corrected to the correct number, ' fraid I mistyped before)

So what is in your cemetery?

 

[Seramus]

I killed a player during the first attack of the first combat of the first game, in what was supposed to be a tutorial fight. Does that count?

 

[ccs]

6th lv.
Mk V. was an UA Warforged fighter (Eldritch Knight) with the Nobel (+3 retainers) background in the early days of 5e that bore a suspicious resemblance to Iron Man.
He was created to protect a Rock Gnome enclave during the Tyranny of Dragons.
In the field he was accompanied by a loyal pit crew - a trio of gnome engineers who took notes on his performance, did maintenance on him & were constantly tinkering with & trying to upgrade his systems (hence him being an Eldritch Knight).
His (temporary) end came when his head was stomped flat by a Dragon Cult ogre.
Unable to repair such damage in the field the gnomes hauled him home to their lab & I introduced a new character.

 

[Enrico Poli1]

TPK by Kobolds in the very first combat we tried in 5e (HotDQ)

 

[Shiroiken]

My first death was in Out of the Abyss when our level 1 Wild Mage accidentally cast Fireball on the party resulting in 4 of 6 PC deaths (the roll was low, and the 2 survivors were the barbarian and fighter who both made their save).

My first PC kill was during a Lost Mines of Phandelver tutorial game. The party decided to take on the dragon at level 2 because (as the 4E player said) "the adventure wouldn't have it if we couldn't kill it." The only survivor was said 4E player, only because they were outside of the breath weapon attack and decided that running wasn't a bad idea after all.

 

[Fanaelialae]

I was playing a paladin who was around 6th level. The party was overwhelmed by a group of gnolls, and he chose to hold them off while the party escaped. He might have made it out, but remained one more round so that the ranger's bear could make it out. Two (un)lucky crits later and he was dead.

 

[Oofta]

First game session, my level 1 elven monk was on the receiving end of a critical hit and died on the spot. The curse continues.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

I have one player that always dies at 1st level. His characters rarely make it to 2nd, even when the other characters are already at 2nd or even 3rd level. He's a sport about it though.

 

[aco175]

Fighter died at first level by a crit by a goblin. He was all. "I have 12 HP and a stupid goblin killed me." Not much lately since I find that after a few levels you get a lot harder to kill unless the DM is trying. My group is not adverse to running away, but it takes a lot to get to that point. I think they were 3rd level when they ran from the dragon in LMoP. This was after half the party went below HP and the casters were out of spells. I did have the dragonfly off to rest for a bit before coming back, so I guess I let them get away. The dragon was below half himself and took a crit and was thinking about its own survival.

 

[Sacrosanct]

First death chronologically was ToD, level 8 monk. The warlock who was giving cover with his darkness spell decided to just take off on his turn, exposing me to over a dozen archers all with poison arrows.

The quickest death was CoS, a level one fighter. Got surprised by a shambling mound in the party's first encounter and literally ripped in half.