Do the PCs ever die in these playtest reports?

[Derren]

I do indeed mean "random" when I say "pointless".

If you don't want random deaths, stop using a random method to determine the outcome of actions (dice). If not, live (or die) with what the dice say.

 

[Fifth Element]

If you don't want random deaths, stop using a random method to determine the outcome of actions (dice). If not, live (or die) with what the dice say.

That's not what they're talking about.

 

[cwhs01]

If you don't want random deaths, stop using a random method to determine the outcome of actions (dice). If not, live (or die) with what the dice say.

This isn't a binary choice qauntum thingy. We can still use dice and still avoid most of the random deaths. Changing the critical hit mechanics is one way. adding an actionpoint mechanic is another. There are a lot of other ways of tweaking randomness without eliminating it.

Personally i'd like for most PC fatalities to be from stupid actions or long streaks of bad luck. And yes. I hate save-or-die spells. But i do like having the potential for a tpk in my games. I just don't like a "pointless" (though the definition of "pointless" is very YMMV) tpk.

But i guess if you really like your random deaths, change damage dice of longswords to d100. That should do it

 

[Dausuul]

If you don't want random deaths, stop using a random method to determine the outcome of actions (dice). If not, live (or die) with what the dice say.

The dice determine more than whether the PCs live or die. I want the dice to be involved, to a limited extent, in whether the PCs accomplish their mission, not so much in whether they get offed by a random orc in the process.

I've started to like the idea of E6's "death flag" mechanic (where the player can raise her character's "death flag" and get some hefty bonuses, but at the risk of opening herself up to actual death instead of just a knockout). I may start using that eventually in my games.

 

[WayneLigon]

We've seen a dozen or so playtest reports, and one thing that concerns me, is that not one (that I have seen) has ended in a death of a player or a TPK.

You know that a TPK only happens when you have some pretty grossly incompetant players or GMs, right? I have a feeling that this is not the case for the playtest groups.

It might simply have not happened, yet. I just got through with an Eberron game that went from 1-15th level and they had one PC death due to some incredibly bad luck.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Running away has always been a part of DnD and none of the playtesters really seems to do it.

Frequently, if you succeed in running away, your DM just handed it to you out of pity. Those 20' movement halflings, dwarves, gnomes and characters in medium - heavy armor aren't likely to outrun much in the monster manual.

Hopefully 4e will have a better chase/pursuit mechanic that makes running a slightly more valid tactic.

 

[Fenes]

My submarine was in a set of games like that, on the 'bad guys' side, and we kept winning over and over, so they kept giving away our position to the other side. So we started giving away false positions, then they started making up stuff, like we got a firing solution on the carrier of the battlegroup and they said something like the 'wounded destroyer' that we had killed an hour ago moved in the way and took the hit.

We ended up shooting a few of our own guys too, after they were dead and weren't even supposed to be in the area.

Despite being a pointless exercise, and a pointless underway, it was fun winning over and over as the bad guys.

I hate that stuff. In one exercise, our platoon was pitted against the other platoon of the company (as part of two combined arms forces, total 1 to 2 companies each). So, in the evening, our command APC set out to explore the terrain a bit, to scout for good firing positions, and lo and behold - there was the other command APC parked at a nice spot. We sneak in, and throw a "grenade" through the backdoor - they did not even lock the back door of the M113, much less have a guard up). Instead of requiring the other side to work from an improv command APC (which we were trained to) the refs did not count it as a loss even

 

[Hussar]

On the whole "running away" thing.

Does anyone actually ever run away? Maybe between 1st and 3rd level, but, after that? I've never seen a party run away. If this is a long tradition of D&D, it's one I've certainly missed out on.

 

[HeinorNY]

I want rules where character's death is really rare, but at the same time I want rules where players and their characters fear death everytime the roll initiative, open a dungeon door or sit at the game table.

Is it possible or is it really up to the guy behind the screen?

 

[Fenes]

I want rules where character's death is really rare, but at the same time I want rules where players and their characters fear death everytime the roll initiative, open a dungeon door or sit at the game table.

Is it possible or is it really up to the guy behind the screen?

It's up to the players, in my experience, to play as if their characters would fear death. No amount of rules will stop a player who has no problem with rolling up a new character per session.