It's not the death as much as the fixed value that's a problem in my mind (and possibly only there). 50 points to a 5th level character is like the wrath of God. 50 points to a 20th level barbarian is a flesh wound.
I'll probably just return to my old AD&D house rule, that massive damage kicks...
I'm a bit confused as to how the Spell Slot system interacts with the 10 minute rest.
Suppose, for the sake of argument, that a character can ready three first level spells, and they have three first level spell slots.
As I understand it, that character could prepare a Rote spell, a...