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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MG.0" data-source="post: 6705564" data-attributes="member: 6799436">I could not disagree with this more strongly. It can certainly make narrative sense for a character to die...what you mean is it doesn't fit your pre-determined narrative. Again, I've found players would rather play a game with a narrative where there is a real chance of failure than one in which every character can happily make it though the story despite acting like a total tool.Did I say anything about just inflicting random traps on characters à la 1st edition poisoned needles? No, it is best used in situations that make sense and add to the game narrative.This is why my players are recommended to either have a backup character that can be introduced, or they can control NPC's or hierlings for the remainder of the session. Nobody sits out unless they want to.Now you've gone over the top. You make it sound like I'm asking a guy to roll a DEX save to avoid cutting his throat while shaving. If characters wind up in a save or die situation, it is usually because they placed themseleves there as a calculated risk (if playing well) or out of carelessness (if not). Character death in D&D is only rarely permanent so your melodramatic exposition falls rather flat.  While I certainly don't allow resurrections at the corner drugstore in every little hamlet, going on a quest to restore a fallen comrade often leads to a lot of fun in my experience.Which is exactly what I was saying.Planned event? I don't railroad characters. They make choices and sometimes those choices lead them to bad ends. You are certainly making a lot of ungrounded assumptions about how I run my games. My players enjoy themselves. Yes, it sucks when a character dies, but it usually isn't the absoulte end and it can result in some fantastic unplanned stories. I often find the unintended consequences are the memorable ones. The carefully crafted DM plotlines and NPC's often fall victim to the greater enjoyment to be had from serendipitous chaos.</blockquote>

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