D&D 5E Let 'em live or die?

[toucanbuzz]

While DMing today, a PC died today, 2nd level on the cusp of 3rd. It was partially good DM rolls, partially poor planning. The battle:

Spoiler

The PCs attacked a xvart lair then left to take a 1 hour short rest. Xvarts aren't stupid, and they regrouped the bulk of their forces in a central war room while directing a force to trail the PCs and block any escape. Rather than infiltrating the lair and taking it room-by-room, 5 2nd level PCs faced a very deadly encounter of 13 alert xvarts, 1 xvart warlock, and 1 giant tick. Given the PCs had killed a sacred whiptail centipede, destroyed the centipede hatchery, and insulted their deity, this wasn't a battle where prisoners were going to be taken. It wasn't a glorious death that anyone will write stories about.

I generally don't like pulling punches in my games and roll in full view. In doing so, I can't fudge away a character death when the dice do their thing. I'm not inclined to because if players catch on the DM is going to intervene every time death is near with a convenient plot device, it'll cheapen the experience. After all, why roll in combat when you know the DM won't really let you perish, perhaps because you wrote an awesome backstory that fits with the campaign?

Still, it stinks. I can tell she was bummed, and there's not many options for low-level characters. A few weeks ago, I pulled a DM intervention for another gamer whose character died at 1st level due to a really unfortunate random encounter roll. Thanks to befriending some fey, they quested and got hooked up with a druid reincarnate, and a hefty IOU. It was good times and in the past I've turned low-level death into a quest.

Should I intervene, again, though, with another convenient story plot device given I just did so? I've got ideas, but it feels contrived to do this twice in a row and so quickly.

 

[TheDelphian]

Well there is always reasons to take them alive. Sacrifices is first comes to mind.

Torture and revenge is another.

Maybe they need them to trade to replace what they killed. Underground slave traders etc.

Chances to escape whatever.

But it sounds like they screwed up so I would mostly likely run the fight offer some avenue for some to get away and otherwise kill them. Now this depends on the campaign most mine don't have a huge plot that revolves around the characters but are often a plot they become involved in. So Killingthem doesn't hurt the campaign.

 

[iserith]

It seems a bit unfair to refuse to contrive another scenario where the PC might be brought back into play. I would feel obligated, having done it once. This is partly why I don't do this in the first place. Either you can die in my games or you can't.

If death is going to be a thing, then I prefer to let the dice fall where they may and let the players know this. If I don't want it to be a thing, then I set that expectation as well, and death is no longer on the table in favor of other forms of failure.

 

[LordEntrails]

No, they be dead.

 

[FireLance]

Why would you need to pull another intervention? Since one PC has already been reincarnated, can't the other PCs seek help from the fey again? It might mean another quest and a bigger IOU, but you have already established who the PCs can approach for such help in-game.

 

[GSHamster]

I think you should discuss it with your players and see what they think. Maybe they would prefer a less lethal game all around, and you might be better off having characters be knocked unconscious rather than killed. Or maybe they'll make a group decision that the dice fall where they may, and dead is dead.

If you're going to fudge every death with a complicated contrivance, it's going to get silly quickly.

 

[IndigoTraveler]

FINISH THEM!

 

[Guest 6801328]

I think finding out somehow that the "dead" party member was captured alive and is going to be sacrificed...soon...might be appropriate.

EDIT: Get the player to roll up a new character, and then have that character be the one to bring the news to the party. If they pull of a successful rescue she can choose which character to keep playing.

 

[Khelon Testudo]

I think prisoners. IRL they could be ransomed off to their families, or maybe to the fey who's eye they've caught? The fey may be very cross to have been dragged into affairs with something like Xvarts. The PC's will have to earn the fey's forgiveness. I figure the fey are a bit like the mob. They give you favours, but then expect your service indefinitely to repay the debt.

 

[Maxperson]

While DMing today, a PC died today, 2nd level on the cusp of 3rd. It was partially good DM rolls, partially poor planning. The battle:

Spoiler

The PCs attacked a xvart lair then left to take a 1 hour short rest. Xvarts aren't stupid, and they regrouped the bulk of their forces in a central war room while directing a force to trail the PCs and block any escape. Rather than infiltrating the lair and taking it room-by-room, 5 2nd level PCs faced a very deadly encounter of 13 alert xvarts, 1 xvart warlock, and 1 giant tick. Given the PCs had killed a sacred whiptail centipede, destroyed the centipede hatchery, and insulted their deity, this wasn't a battle where prisoners were going to be taken. It wasn't a glorious death that anyone will write stories about.

I generally don't like pulling punches in my games and roll in full view. In doing so, I can't fudge away a character death when the dice do their thing. I'm not inclined to because if players catch on the DM is going to intervene every time death is near with a convenient plot device, it'll cheapen the experience. After all, why roll in combat when you know the DM won't really let you perish, perhaps because you wrote an awesome backstory that fits with the campaign?

Still, it stinks. I can tell she was bummed, and there's not many options for low-level characters. A few weeks ago, I pulled a DM intervention for another gamer whose character died at 1st level due to a really unfortunate random encounter roll. Thanks to befriending some fey, they quested and got hooked up with a druid reincarnate, and a hefty IOU. It was good times and in the past I've turned low-level death into a quest.

Should I intervene, again, though, with another convenient story plot device given I just did so? I've got ideas, but it feels contrived to do this twice in a row and so quickly.

I wouldn't, but only because it was partially bad battle planning. I don't mind intervening if really bad luck happens, but if the players do it to themselves...