76512390ag12
First Post
Could I ask how the *other* lower level adventures are? I have little interest in very high level D&D but lower level, yes.
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D&D 5E Let's Talk About Yawning Portal
The_Hanged_Man
Explorer
Killing a downed PC is easy in any edition. Well, in 2nd they are immediately dead at zero so it is a non-issue. In 3rd you die at -10 (or negative Con in Pathfinder) and one hit on a downed player is all generally it takes there.
What really separates 5e from older editions is how difficult it is to kill an upright PC. Anything short of triggering the instant death rule and the PC just goes to zero, and at high levels instant death is rare. I've seen it happened when players are critically hit by something like a Chasme, which reduces hp max, but once a PC hits 70-80+ HP they are pretty safe from instant death even when they are at low HP. Once they are at 100+ HP, instant death is extremely unlikely.
Compare this to 2nd and 3rd, where the threat of death is very real for even high level characters once they are at low HP. One solid non-critical hit is all it takes. Plus, there are massive damage rules which can kill a PC without even dropping them to 0 if they get hit hard enough. So, in general I find 5e much less deadly than 2nd or 3rd. I've seen PCs die in 5e, but they can often survive things that would kill their older edition ancestors outright.
76512390ag12
First Post
We had a lot of fun with this. After the first excursion into the steading, the players exploited one group of hill giants' stupidity by instigating dissent with them ("Y'know...you guys are way smarter than Nosnra. You could lead this tribe and have his treasure, and we can help you with that!") The party also took advantage of the hill giants feasting in the Great Hall, waiting until they had enjoyed a little too much ale. As a result, I made half the giants in the Great Hall drunk (poisoned condition) when the party attacked it. Good times.
Fortunately, G1 is short enough that playing a bunch of big dumb hill giants doesn't get too tiresome. Since G2 and G3 have more intelligent giants, I found it to be a nice change of pace to not have to think too hard with hill giants.
The ones in G2 and G3 can, however, be as smart as you want to make them*; giving you-as-DM a chance to have some fun as well.
Yes, this is how I handled it as well. IMC, the frost giants are cunning and predatory, setting up snares or various hunting traps and using the terrain to their advantage. Fire giants are military strategists that can coordinate tactics with ruthless efficiency (I fully expect G3 to be the most difficult for the players).
Lanefan
Victoria Rules
Probably not that many...but that alone doesn't justify removing it from the game.
How many players like losing to a three-move mate in chess? Probably not that many...but that alone doesn't justify removing it from the game.
I mean, how much more can the game be safety-netted before it doesn't reflect the game-world realities and dangers of adventuring at all? Level loss is gone, magic item breakage or loss is (mostly) gone, spellcasting has become easier and easier as the editions have gone along...and all because players found these things inconvenient. But in the game world these things also all make sense as reasonable risks undertaken by those brave enough (or foolish enough) to take on field adventuring as a career.
The rewards gained in return, of course, are obvious: your character gets rich while also getting better at what it does.
Lan-"reward without risk isn't much of a reward any more"-efan
jimmytheccomic
First Post
Well, that's going to vary table by table, obviously, it's a good thing to discuss in Session 0.
In terms of the Tomb game- there's a reason my table is making new characters for it, instead of dropping it into our main campaign! But, based on the reputation, I think my players will be disappointed if no one dies. We're having some drinks, I'm playing the "Mario Death" sound effect whenever a PC drops, everyone is expecting some kind of funny death story. A "Tomb of Horrors" diversion is sold to the group in a different way than my main campaign was sold to them, though, it's always good to make sure player communication is happening and everyone is clear on expectations.
76512390ag12
First Post
I think it does.
This is a game for having fun with your mates so the maximum fun option wins.
Plus.. you know how to tweak the game, or you can play 1e, or you can play an OSR that meets your needs.
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76512390ag12
First Post
Now that is a very good and appropriate way to engage with the need for "instant death"
Bravo
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The_Hanged_Man
Explorer
I imagine it depends on context for most. In an ongoing campaign, I doubt many (myself included) find it very enjoyable. Not exactly very good for continuity.
However, in a one-off "Deathtrap Dungeon" situation, where death is not only taken into account but expected, I think there is some enjoyment to be found.
Sword of Spirit
Legend
I don't know. But there are apparently a lot of video game gamers out there who like to challenge themselves by cranking the difficulty settings all the way up. It baffles me, because I play video games for the aesthetic, not the challenge. But I appear to be in a majority.
On the other hand, I like very challenging D&D games (maybe not for all of them, but for some of them).
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