Scars Unseen
Hero
I voted for the third option, which was close to what I go for. Players can die for any reason, but I do try to steer the results when the dice rolls decide to just pile on a player. Dying because the enemy gets a lucky shot is one thing; dying because every action you attempt fails spectacularly, leaving you feeling like an uncoordinated kid at a t-ball stand is another. So I may fudge some rolls, maybe steer the narrative in the player's favor if they keep catching bad breaks. But if it's just a normal encounter and a character's number happens to come up? Or especially if it was avoidable, and the player just made bad decisions? Yeah, sometimes you just die, and it isn't always dramatic.