A simple way of making low-level adventures more survivable?

[Szatany]

I always use this rule, and it worked like charm:

1st level players get 5 fate points (like in warhammer). Whenever you would die, he can spend a fate point to survive the effect instead, and is safe from it if possible (attacker loses interest, if he felt into lava he drifts into a stone, etc.). Whenever a character gains level, he loses one fate point if he has any left. Gods protect weak heroes but more powerful ones must take care of themselves.

 

[Planeswalker Maloran]

I like to give first-level characters hit points equal to their max die result + their Constitution score, rather than modifier. It doesn't make a whole lot of difference at high levels, but makes low levels vastly more survivable. I apply the same rule to NPCs, too, so a bloke with Str 14 and a knife can't one-shot your average commoner any more.

Or give them x4 hit points at 1st level much like they already get x4 skill points. Might also be worth rolling 4 dice, rather than giving them 4x the max die result, to make it a little less potent and more random.

 

[Slapzilla]

It is vital to the survival of low level encounters that the DM refrains from doing hp damage. What would be a bigger pain, getting killed by an orc commoner with a spear, or failing a save vs sleep and waking up nekkid, tied to a river rock in the middle of nowhere with the pixies laughing at you? One scenario provides a problem to overcome and the other requires you to get a whole new character. How many times do you go to the well before you lose interest. A Dex drain poison on a 1-3 level Rogue, Ranger or Monk knocks them out for a bit without killing them. A Con drain is dangerous to anyone. Can't haul that purdy armor you just bought around too good with your Str drained, can you? Blind the Ranger in the middle of the haunted woods--in a magic world it ain't permenant and the other PCs will help him/her! Curse the Rogue with noisy flatulence--now there's a problem to solve! Take them prisoner and break the sorcerer's finger--cast now, punk! Sell them to the Drow/Dark Inqusitors/Gladiators--just give them a chance to get out of it.
I ain't saying to not threaten character death, but threaten it specifically, and if they take up the challenge specifically, so be it. Never kill them with a random roll. Let the dice do the talking when they decide to defend the broken gate against the horror that lurks for just long enough for the innocents to escape. That is the action that drives interest in the game. Players don't get (nearly as) mad when their characters die that way.
The simple way to make low-level encounters more survivable relies on the DM to be creative. If you can't do that, don't DM. Just my very strongly held opinion.

 

[Thondor]

Two suggestions:

Give some opponents
poor weapons: they suffer a -1 attack and -1 to damage. Also the weapon is so badly made that when max damage is rolled (ie 8 on d8) there is a 50% chance that the weapon breaks on impact and is rendered useless. When the weapon breaks it deals half-damage, unless it is a ranged weapon launcher (crossbow, bow,sling) in wich case it does no damage and the launcher breaks.

No enemy Crits
As the DMG says crits generally benefit the opponents more then the PCs. You can eliminate crits altogether or only let PC's crit.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

I do a few things in my game:
1) Action Points (5+charisma modifier, don't roll d6, fixed bonus of +5, can be used to reduce damage from one source or added to AC against 1 attack in addition to the normal ways they can be spent).
2) Characters only die at hit dice plus constitution score negative HP.
3) PCs get a second wind (like in star wars saga edition)
4) Heal Skill can actually be used to heal HP.

The first one is really the biggest in preventing random PC death at low levels from critical hits, or other powerful attacks.

I think a key can be not to make the opponents of the PCs overly well equiped, don't give your orcs great axes or other two handed weapons, just give them short spears or scimitars and light shields. Like wise give them hide or leather armor instead of chain or scale.

 

[Phlebas]

It is vital to the survival of low level encounters that the DM refrains from doing hp damage. What would be a bigger pain, getting killed by an orc commoner with a spear, or failing a save vs sleep and waking up nekkid, tied to a river rock in the middle of nowhere with the pixies laughing at you? One scenario provides a problem to overcome and the other requires you to get a whole new character. How many times do you go to the well before you lose interest. A Dex drain poison on a 1-3 level Rogue, Ranger or Monk knocks them out for a bit without killing them. A Con drain is dangerous to anyone. Can't haul that purdy armor you just bought around too good with your Str drained, can you? Blind the Ranger in the middle of the haunted woods--in a magic world it ain't permenant and the other PCs will help him/her! Curse the Rogue with noisy flatulence--now there's a problem to solve! Take them prisoner and break the sorcerer's finger--cast now, punk! Sell them to the Drow/Dark Inqusitors/Gladiators--just give them a chance to get out of it.
I ain't saying to not threaten character death, but threaten it specifically, and if they take up the challenge specifically, so be it. Never kill them with a random roll. Let the dice do the talking when they decide to defend the broken gate against the horror that lurks for just long enough for the innocents to escape. That is the action that drives interest in the game. Players don't get (nearly as) mad when their characters die that way.
The simple way to make low-level encounters more survivable relies on the DM to be creative. If you can't do that, don't DM. Just my very strongly held opinion.

in support of Slap

there's a reason for kobolds, dogs, Small vermin and rats being in the MM - thats to challenge 1st level characters

1000xp could be earned clearing out an infested house as a prequel to the adventure proper and then you don't have to change any rules......

 

[milo]

Look at baldur's gate pc and playstation version for a little bit of influence. First encounter in both is rats. I also give neg your con until death. Even a first level wizard with a con of 12 takes 17 points of damage to be killed outright with that setup. A barbarian with a con of 16 takes 31 points to be killed in one hit. I like the idea of the heal skill actually being able to heal some damage too. Only once per encounter or something. The roll determines the healing DC 15 for 1 point, DC 20 for D2+1, DC 25 for D4+1, DC 30 for D8+1. That almost even makes it useful to take above 15 total skill.