D&D 5E Do you think 5e is deadly enough and do you finish off downed characters?

[Imaro]

So this just came up in another thread but I've seen the sentiment that 5e combat is too easy bandied about by quite a few on this site and I'm just curious how many think combat is or isn't too deadly and whether they finish off downed characters by attacking them when unconscious. I'm interested in the various reasoning for why one does or doesn't attack unconscious characters but I am especially interested in the thoughts of those that feel 5e combat is too easy but don't finish off downed characters and why that is.

 

[commandercrud]

Sometimes. Totally depends on context and if it's a beast or a monster or an NPC villain.

 

[Imaro]

Sometimes. Totally depends on context and if it's a beast or a monster or an NPC villain.

I don't do this but it does make alot of sense. I mainly stay away from it because this year I am introducing two new players to our group and so far 5e combat without finishing characters off has been deadly enough.

 

[Filthy Lucre]

No, it's not deadly enough; No, I don't "finish off" characters unless their is a very compelling reason for the NPC to take that action.

Using PF2e's wounded/dying rules would, however, completely solve any complaints about the lethality of 5e. (In a nut shell: failed death saves don't go away until you've healed to full HP.)

 

[MarkB]

I don't generally finish off downed characters, but it may happen if an opponent is left with nothing more useful to do on their turn.

Also, hungry animals will attempt to escape with a downed character rather than stand and fight.

 

[Monayuris]

I think 5E combat is too easy. There is too much easy access to healing via magic or special magical abilities. It is also easy to administer healing with ranged healing spells. I find combat lacking in tension. I'm rarely worried if my character will survive.

When I DM, I make significant changes to the rest mechanics to allow for some sense of attrition in order to ramp up tension in combat.

When I DM, I might have an intelligent foe strike a downed character (if it makes sense for them to do so).

Monsters with multi-attack will target all their attacks at one target. I declare the target of the multi-attack before rolling the attacks. Sometimes the first attack may down the PC, then the additional attacks will continue to hit. I've killed one or two PCs in this manner.

 

[ad_hoc]

Whether combat is too easy or not is mostly on the DM and how they run encounters.

This can include finishing off downed characters (which for me is something that is always an option I have) but goes much farther than that.

Whenever I've seen people give detailed examples about why the game is easy and describe combats they have had it's always been the DM who ran the enemy creatures and NPCs to give easy fights.

It's that and it's pacing issues. If there is no pressure on the PCs to accomplish their goals they're just going to long rest after every combat which makes them easy.

Again, it's all up to the DM. No RPG system can make combat difficult if the DM doesn't want it to be.

 

[Lyxen]

5e combat is designed like most games these days, to be entertaining, and therefore not a deadly challenge, and not a time when you get bored silly and booted out of the game for hours because your character is down. You can like it or not (We do, at our tables), but all the design is based around this.

After that, finish off downed characters depends on the adversaries, but there is always revivify, which partakes of the philosophy above.

 

[Imaro]

No, it's not deadly enough; No, I don't "finish off" characters unless their is a very compelling reason for the NPC to take that action.

Using PF2e's wounded/dying rules would, however, completely solve any complaints about the lethality of 5e. (In a nut shell: failed death saves don't go away until you've healed to full HP.)

What is more compelling than... I want this guy dead... if that's not the case is it the opposition's motivation that makes your combats less deadly?

 

[Filthy Lucre]

What is more compelling than... I want this guy dead... if that's not the case is it the opposition's motivation that makes your combats less deadly?

When someone is "down" they are in the process of dying. To the attacker they appear to be: unconscious/unresponsive/bleeding out. In a tense combat situation you'd have to be very emotionally compromised or very evil to go out of your way, during combat, to ensure that someone is dead, rather than continue to fight currently stable opponents.

In my games, most adversaries, while evil or bad, are not ultimately depraved. They value their own life over making sure that someone is dead.