JiffyPopTart
Bree-Yark
Yes
Yes they can. As I mentioned (I think it was this thread) in my last session my 10th level druid went from full HP to dying in one hit despite me not casting spells and remaining hidden behind a building on the opposite edge of the map from the BBEG.
Can your character be lost instantly to fickle dice rolls though? The outcomes are the results of whole series of decisions you’ve made. Sure, random chance plays a role, but it is a secondary role to your own decisions. All of your actions are calculated risks (though I suppose maybe less calculated if your DM isn’t forthcoming with important information like DCs and potential consequences; that I could certainly see making deaths feel much more random).
I think it comes down to what we’re looking for from the game. You want to contribute to a narrative that the group constructs together. I want to exercise agency within a fictional space. The possibility of unexpected character death undermines your ability to construct a satisfying narrative, while the impossibility of the same undermines my sense of agency.
Yes they can. As I mentioned (I think it was this thread) in my last session my 10th level druid went from full HP to dying in one hit despite me not casting spells and remaining hidden behind a building on the opposite edge of the map from the BBEG.