Frequency of death

[77IM]

Wellllll... I've only had 2-3 deaths in the past couple of years, and only one of them stayed dead (the player wasn't happy with that character, and at level 3, nobody was super eager to shell out for a raise dead).

...Unless you count the TPK of 7 PCs with a cone of cold during the adventure's climactic final battle. Nobody rezzed them because, uh, nobody knew that they were in a cave fighting an overpowered mage. Whoops. They will never let me live that one down.

 

[S'mon]

Since I started 5e, and over the stretch of a half-dozen DMs, I've never seen a character death in any of the various campaigns I've been in.

In previous editions, we had lots and lots. And lots.

I'm not sure what changed. I guess, once you reach a high enough level, you're clear of insta-death from mass-damage and you, therefore, don't die from a sword wound but instead, die from failed death saves and you can usually get to a person before those death saves rack up.

Some DMs don't have monsters finish off fallen PCs even when it's the tactically optimal thing to do.
We call those DMs 'wusses'.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Stirges aren't very tough on paper....

Stirges are and have always been a serious threat.

Most gamers I know who've been playing since the 70's have at least one story to tell about stirges.

 

[Brotton Goodfellow]

I ran Tomb of Annihilation, and only 1 died. Currently I’m running Keep on the Borderlands, and have come close several times, even with a party full of fighters (3 out of 5).

 

[DND_Reborn]

I ran Tomb of Annihilation, and only 1 died. Currently I’m running Keep on the Borderlands, and have come close several times, even with a party full of fighters (3 out of 5).

We just finished KotBL with a party of 6-7. The first 3-4 levels we had some deaths, but since then it has been pretty tame. Our DM had to boost later encounters, though, because otherwise they would be WAY too easy...

 

[jgsugden]

In campaigns in whivh I play, PC death is extremely rare, espcially after level 4. Once revivify is available, we usually don't lose anyone in 5E.

In one shots or short adventures, death is more common. The DMs tend to play tougher and focus on more deadly challenges and less 'campaign ramifications' type challenges. I TPKed a group running through an Eberron short adventure in January. I TPKed a one shot where the PCs were attempting to rob an archmage in November. I TPKed another one shot over the summer where the PCs were a bunch of goblins competing (as a group against another set of goblins) to steal the most babies from a village.