D&D General Poll: Have You Lost a Character to Ghouls.

[Dannyalcatraz]

Aleena, NOOOOO!

There’s got to be a thousand ways to die an ignominious death in D&D ...

• Strength drained by Shadows (”low-level“ monsters hit only by magic!)
• Pecked to stone by scary magic roosters (cockatrice)
• Putting your ear to a door to listen what’s beyond (ear seekers)
• Opening a chest (mimics!)
• Forgetting to use your mirror around corners (basilisks)
• Helping imprisoned maidens (Medusa’s)
• Find the source of singing in the dungeon (Harpies)
• Not noticing the algae growing on the ceiling (green slime)
• Poking the dead body (Russet mold)
• Looting the dead body (rot grubs)
• Looking at the dead body (bodak)
• Not noticing the squirming dead body (spawn of Kyuss)
• Thinking those were just bats (strirges)
• And most of all, stepping in the dungeon (trapper above, lurker below, piercers and pit traps)

PCS WHO DIED
(Jim Carroll "People Who Died")

Teddy getting drunk in a dungeon crawl
Fell in a pit full of Green Slime
Cathy was out scouting when she pulled the plug
Found 26 orcs raging out of their minds
Bobby got lycanthropy, bit by a rat
He took a silver bolt when he died
They were PCs of mine

Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

G-berg and Georgie went to harlots so rotten
They died of diseases that left them blood sodden
Sly in Darkenwood took an arrow in the head
Bobby mixed his potions on the night that he was wed
They were two PCs of mine
Two more friends that died

Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Mary took a dry dive from a castle wall
Bobby was ambushed by a wight in the tombs
Judy jumped in front of a Floating Brain
Eddie got et jumpin' past a cave fisher
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others
And I salute you brother

Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Herbie blew Tony from the starship lock
Tony thought his rage was just some crock
But Herbie sure gave Tony a real big shock
"Hey," Herbie said, "Tony, can you fly?"
But Tony couldn't fly, Tony died

Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Brian got busted on a smuggling rap
He beat the rap by rattin' out assassins
He said, "Hey, I know it's dangerous, but is sure beats prison."
But the next day he got offed by the same assassins

Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
Those are PCs who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

(Yes, I changed Eddie’s gender for the filk- not really room to explain how “Eddie” was a girl.)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Over the long term in our games the greatest cause of character death is "own party", which along with accidental or intentional PvP also includes self-inflicted deaths e.g. dying via getting caught in the fireball you just cast.

That’s a big category for my longest-lived gaming group, too. Fireballs also being a common common denominator.

 

[Helldritch]

I remember when a fire ball would fill its whole 33 500 cubic feet of space. Very often, the corridors were filled with fire, to the dismay of the young (now dead) wizard.

Or when that damned lightning bolt would hit rock and reflected back at the caster with full force...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

@Helldritch

Amen!

 

[Coroc]

Inspired by @Whizbang Dustyboots ruminating on the danger of ghouls, how many of you have lost a character to ghouls/ghasts and their paralysis?

RIP J'rrik Greysword, eaten by a pair of ghouls in 3e.

How could he have known there were two, did they eat him alive?

 

[Helldritch]

How could he have known there were two, did they eat him alive?

Yep, one bite at a time. One bite...

 

[Coroc]

No. Lost an ad&d cleric to a single kobold once though, but we don't talk about that...

ROFL

You mean the same as with the one who got killed by a giant rat and the one who fell prey to the stirge, not to mention the one who succumbed to the house cat?

We never are allowed to talk about them this is unfair ...

 

[Lanefan]

I remember when a fire ball would fill its whole 33 500 cubic feet of space. Very often, the corridors were filled with fire, to the dismay of the young (now dead) wizard.

Or when that damned lightning bolt would hit rock and reflected back at the caster with full force...

And I will never in my life have these spells work any other way but this!

Magic. High risk, high reward.

 

[Shiroiken]

I've lost several characters to ghouls. Mostly in prior editions, but my first 5E paladin got cut off from the party and killed by a trio of ghouls. I've also almost has a TPK when everyone but the elf was paralyzed.

 

[Ancalagon]

That’s a big category for my longest-lived gaming group, too. Fireballs also being a common common denominator.

2nd ed wild surge fireball - triple area, triple damage. My PC was burned to a crisp, offending mage out of the area...