Do you "save" the PCs?

[frog]

Been guilty of both saving and not saving them. Had an instance last night where a symbol of death was triggered and someone failed a save. He had 148 hp (less than 150 is death). We have a form of action points in the game that can be used to re-roll a bad roll although normally you have to declare before the roll. The DM allowed him to use the re-roll even though he hadn't declared.

It really depends on the situation. In this case, it would have pretty much ended the night on the first encounter (Savage Tide, 13th level group, our only cleric was the failed save). We are all there to have fun and blowing up everyone's night 5 minutes into it really isn't much fun for anyone.

 

[drothgery]

I'm not very good at judging how tough an encounter is going to be sometimes; I've had opponents in my PBPs open by hitting the PCs very hard, me deciding that I misjudged what the PCs could handle and quickly scaling back the enemy behind the scenes... and then a few rounds later it turning into a cakewalk.

 

[Hussar]

Depends entirely on the game. And I make it pretty known at the outset whether the gloves are off or not. In my World's Largest Dungeon campaign, it was no holds barred. You die when the dice gods decree. Twenty seven PC deaths later, my next campaign was a LOT more lenient. I allowed the PC to blow all his AP's to turn a lethal attack into Stable at -5. A TPK was about the only way anyone could die.

My current game allows the players to pretty much punch the I Win button at any time, so, dying is pretty much entirely up to them.

 

[Skallgrim]

I really, really try to have planned out, in every adventure (if not every single encounter) a "fate worse than death". If the PCs are gonna die, then instead, something even more annoying happens.

I had one player rashly provoke someone who was clearly way more powerful than they were, when it was made totally clear that this guy would brook no disagreement, and when the rest of the party was totally, totally, totally agreeable about following his orders. There was really just absolutely no way that this PC should have survived as anything but smoking boots.

So the wizard gives them the option of immediate death, or of performing a little 'service' for him. Cue the exact same quest that the wizard was going to offer them as "mighty heroes", but now the big reward was not dying instead of massive loot.

I ran Scourge of the Slave Lords back in the day, so "you wake up naked in chains" is always there in my tool chest too.

Given the existence of the Revenant race, I'm now totally set for any eventuality!

 

[Mr. Wilson]

It really depends on the situation. In the situation you described, I'm more prone to letting the characters twist in the wind.

If I screwed it up somehow (overmatched, gave them some bad info accidently, etc), then I have no problems saving the PCs somehow.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Let the dice fall where they may.

Genuine danger, up to and including the mortal kind, is a vital part of RPGs, as far as I am concerned.

 

[caudor]

I've pondered more...

At lower levels, I do tend to let the dice fall where they may and let them die. But a higher levels, I like to shake things up a little.

In some situations, I like to have the 'bad guy' keep players alive for his own villianous purposes: Using them as bargaining chips, attempting to turn them to the dark side, or simply keeping them prisoner as a trophy/amusement.

On one memorable occasion (the idea which I stole from Heroes of Horror), the players became vampires and turned out to be terrific adversaries for new characters.

Sometimes...death is the easy way out

 

[Ariosto]

I "leave them to cruel fate". That's what they want me to do. It's what gives the victories context.

I'm the referee. I volunteered for the job so that my friends could play a game. I'm not in the game. It's not my place to be partial, to use my power to rig an outcome. I will get my own turn to play, and someone else to referee.

So, if "a TPK or similar fate" is the consequence dictated by the rules of their game, then that is their fun and I have no reason to spoil my friends' fun.

If they wanted something like playing a video game with "cheat codes" on, then I expect they would tell me of any such rules. I might or might not be interested in running such a show, but I would not lie to them with false agreement.

 

[Vegepygmy]

The dice rolls are bad. The tactics have failed. The situation is grim. Yet, they won't run away. So what do you do?

I ask myself if there is some reasonable way they could survive (for example, they are actually worth more to the enemy alive than dead), and if there isn't, I kill them all.

 

[S'mon]

Cruel fate.