D&D with checkpoints?!

[JRRNeiklot]

I use checkpoints. If there is a tpk, the game resets to the last checkpoint, which is back in town before character generation.

 

[S'mon]

Edit: Actually, my campaign did recently "revert to saved", but it wasn't because of a character death. Basically, I screwed up on time management at the end of a session, leaving us stuck in the middle of a combat that looked like lasting another hour or so (and at 11pm at night, when we all had work the next day). Rather than slog it out to the end, or ending the session in mid-combat, we instead agreed to revert the group back to a point a little before that encounter.

When this happens to me I just declare that the two sides became fatigued and broke off combat. Happens IRL all the time, and maps nicely to out of game events.

 

[herrozerro]

I dont know, to me it would seem to allow for more risk and more rewards.

 

[Omegaxicor]

I would just like to say that I am neutral on this matter (leaning towards no since starting this thread), everyone's responses indicate they feel I am on the player's side but their opinion is quite clear it does remove the risk of death and that eliminates the player's enjoyment (at least most on this thread)

I wonder if having a reason behind the revival would give more time to role-playing and less to worrying about death, I don't know but I do agree with most of the people here that death is an important mechanical effect that the players must avoid to the best of their ability, maybe the players need better teamwork and a realisation of when to back down and the tactics required when fighting defensively.

 

[DMKastmaria]

I wonder if having a reason behind the revival would give more time to role-playing and less to worrying about death, I don't know but I do agree with most of the people here that death is an important mechanical effect that the players must avoid to the best of their ability, maybe the players need better teamwork and a realisation of when to back down and the tactics required when fighting defensively.

Here's a thought. If your players are really keen on some sort of "cushion," give them a magic-item that will cast a Wish ( a more open-ended, pre-3e style Wish,) once per game week.

If the crap hits the fan, they can use the Wish. There's no guarantee that the crap will hit only once in any given week. And the players had better darn well save that Wish for something serious!

This way, the players have a little insurance that doesn't interfere with the feel of the game.

 

[Omegaxicor]

that's a great idea actually [MENTION=6678082]DMKastmaria[/MENTION] the main issue with that is if the person with the "Necklace of Time Jump" (for example) dies then the party is screwed, but if it activates automatically when they are beyond help then the person holding it dies but the party are winning and can revive him but time still loops, it stretches SoD as much as checkpoints...

but it is worth exploring (I have only just thought about them finding it), thanks

 

[herrozerro]

You could give them an omega 13!

 

[Omegaxicor]

You could give them an omega 13!

is it sad I understood that reference straight away

 

[timASW]

I played a campaign with something similar to checkpoints once.

The characters were all actually dead men in valhalla. Anyone whose familiar with Valhalla knows that part of the mythology is that you get to fight all day, feast all night and then come back the next day to do it again.

The way we worked it was almost highlander style. You had a base character level (4 in our case) and by beating other immortal beings, monsters, dead valhalla guys etc in one on one combat you could steal one of their levels if they were higher level then you, up to twice your base character level. You also gained XP as per normal.

If you were killed you lost a level and gave it to the one who killed you if they were lower then you. Built some great rivalries. Of course every morning everyone who got killed came back from the dead.

There was even a way to "lose" if you lost all your levels you were kicked out of valhalla and reborn on midgard (prime material) as a mortal.

Everyone had a blast with it.

 

[Omegaxicor]

after speaking with the players and discussing the suggestions presented here, we like the idea of having a weekly time jump but that it activates whenever the holding player dies, it can be passed from player to player, and they have no control over it.

I like the other ideas and I might use some of them but the players have decided