Alternate Deaths: Killing PCs without dealing direct damage

[MarauderX]

Has anyone had a PC die via non-damage attacks/spells? I was thinking of nasty threats to PCs that might end their lives in ways different from getting blown up or hacked apart, and thought it would make for good discussion as well as feed me and others for creating encounters. I am a fan of using any 'alternate' rules I can to make encounters deadlier, and hope to hear some great horror stories.

For our group: From an opening into a hillside where a goblin hideout is thought to be came a bunch of stirges - Con damage galore. Not too big of a deal for a 3rd level party of four, but the stirges managed to bring one PC 1 Con point away from killing him.

 

[LGodamus]

Drowning can be serious danger ...even at high levels.....

For one high level group I DMed for they fought an ancient red dragon whose favored tactic was to grapple a PC then move with them into a large lava pool....submerge and then pin them.....even if they were protected against the heat they still had to beat a grapple check to have a chance to swim to the surface.....plus even though the lava was deep enough that the dragon could keep its head up...it wouldnt have mattered cause there arent many PCs that can hold their breath longer than a dragon