Are you a killer DM?

[Grishnak]

I personally wouldn't get much enjoyment out of knowing I wont die as I'm the hero. The guarentee that you will die at some point makes you consider your choices more closely and learn from the mistakes.
When I DM'd last I rolled infront of the group and was unlucky enough to kill 1 char twice in a night with critical hits and high damage dealt.

 

[bwgwl]

I personally wouldn't get much enjoyment out of knowing I wont die as I'm the hero. The guarentee that you will die at some point makes you consider your choices more closely and learn from the mistakes.

different tastes, that's all. i personally wouldn't get much enjoyment knowing my character could die at any minute.

i want the PCs to take chances, do highly cinematic things, and generally dive head-first into any challenge they encounter, instead of spending half the session working out the optimal strategy.

like i said, i run my games like action movies. highly cinematic and not as so realistic as others prefer.

 

[megamania]

I've killed off about 12 PCs in one group in the past year. Mostly their overconfidence.

In my other two campaigns I have killed about 3 total. A lot of it has to do with the players and their style.

Role players tend to survive better than roll players I find.

 

[ForceUser]

0 PC kills in 18+ years DMing.

How boring

I picked (0-2) kills, but not because I consider myself a softie. Instead, it's because my players are smart enough not to get in over their heads most of the time. Sometimes fate just catches up with them though. I never - ever! - flub die rolls to save characters from bad luck or stupidity. Death is part of the game.

 

[Nifft]

I don't try to keep the players alive or kill them -- I try to run the world as it would sensibly act.

We've had somewhere around 3-5 PC deaths, and only one from "player stupidity".

-- Nifft

 

[Liolel]

I picked 0-2 kills because I'm a new dm. Running the forge of fury for 1 session I haven't killed anyone but there was a nasty battle with the leader of the first level who ...

spolier for forge of fury



was an orge and made nasty use of his reach to fight behind orcs and wolfs for most of the battle. He delt a lot of damage but thanks to a cleric the fighter survived. Do to the party entering through the chimmy he never had a chance to get at the socercoer who socercer who slowly killed him.

 

[Endur]

I agree. Cinematic adventures are awesome.

I do think PCs should die on occassion for story purposes and if they do something very foolish, but I usually leave an out for the PC. "Are you really sure you want to do this? Yes, ok, lose 2/3 of your hit points. Are you sure you want to do it again? Ok, now you are dead."

I have killed 1 PC in 2003, none in 2002, and 1 PC in 2001. The 1 PC in 2003 fought a monster who was too big and refused to flee after the rest of the party was fleeing and the character had already lost more than half of the PC's hit points. The player in 2001 wanted her character to die (she wanted a new PC).

different tastes, that's all. i personally wouldn't get much enjoyment knowing my character could die at any minute.

i want the PCs to take chances, do highly cinematic things, and generally dive head-first into any challenge they encounter, instead of spending half the session working out the optimal strategy.

like i said, i run my games like action movies. highly cinematic and not as so realistic as others prefer.

 

[Sejs]

I'm pretty much the same boat as Nifft - I don't pull punches, but by the same token, I'm not needlessly out for blood. I do my best to run the world in a manner that makes the most sense in any given situation, given the individuals and dynamics involved. I tell my players flat out at the begining of a campaign: here's how I run things; if you get in mortal combat and die, I will not pull the blow and fiat you to just unconsciousness unless I feel that your death was due to a grevious mistake on my part. Ressurection magics are generally not available, and certainly not common. If you die due to a random attack of stupidity.. and everyone gets 'em from time to time.. I'll be glad to talk to you after the session to discuss the circumstances around the character's death. Here's a pamphlet with the house rules I run with.

Seems to have worked well so far. Most of the players I've run for have said that they prefered to have it laid out straight for them before play started.

 

[Mark Chance]

i could say the same to you. i wouldn't want to play in a game where three out of seven PCs die in one session.

Well, to my credit, I didn't want to run a game in which three out of seven PCs died in one session.

 

[UrathDM]

I dunno... what would this be ?

I am a logical-consequences sort of DM. I frequently "pull punches" when the dice seem to be going against the PCs, and I have been known to fudge the HP of the monsters when the PCs are having too easy a time.

Most deaths in my campaigns have turned into total party kills.

I have run with three groups, and their experiences are dissimilar.

Group 1: Many deaths, 3-5 per year over 10 years.

Group 2: Some deaths, 3-5 in 6 months, a repeating pattern over 2 years.

Group 3: 0 deaths over 2 years (should count as 6 months, though - chat based game, very slow).

Some are because the PCs meta-game think. Group 2 members tell themselves, and each other, that I would not throw something at them that they could not handle. Despite the fact that I say, flat out, not to think that way because that is exactly what I would do.

Others are because the PCs have a win or die mentality (retreat is never considered). I think that Group 1 plays too many computer games ... they act like once they begin an encounter, it is win or die; and they often act like having a cleared some rooms, the opponents will not move back into them.