D&D General How do you feel about Save or Die?

[Sacrosanct]

As I mentioned in the other thread, it's not so much save or die I like, but it's the atmosphere it creates that I like. Players being more cautious, not running into each encounter expecting to win or just attrition by hit point loss. Encounters feel different when one encounter is a traditional combat, another has poison, another causes aging, or another paralyzes you. Risks seemed greater, so when you overcome them, it seemed more heroic. PCs were scared of green slimes and rust monsters. Now they are annoyances.

 

[Umbran]

I find the increase in paranoia itself is only sometimes a benefit to the play experience, and rarely is it an overall benefit in light of the negative impacts of actually applying it.

Since this is based upon the play experience, it is different at each table. You do you. Me, I will apply it at rare-to-never frequency.

 

[Li Shenron]

I am ok with it, as long as it has some attached narrative.

I prefer save-or-suck however, it can be almost as scary without being permanent.

I am also ok with level drain and ability damage, even if permanent.

Now that I think about it, the only thing I am not ok with, is a game with only HP damage and no variety.

 

[ccs]

As a 1e DM & fan, I'm fine with Save or Die. Save or Suck as well.

And, much to the horror of some of my players, these things have been added to the 5e games I run.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

As a DM I disliked permanent level drain, so I began basing its length on the Constitution score of the target and the perceived corruptness (unholiness level) of the attacking undead/other. It's a way to still achieve permanent level drain but still bestows a gradated time-wise loss of level otherwise. I also added in special quests for special concoctions/remedies (not normally occurring ones) which would give the affected player an out in such cases, though these were tough and complex.

 

[Philip Benz]

Save or die has been part of D&D since its inception. It was never a "fun" thing to have happen to your character, but risking your (character's) life is part of what makes an adventure exciting. The best adventures are when you just barely succeed, and sometimes that's accompanied by a few player deaths.

Fortunately, Raise Dead spells have been there all along too, although that tends to be the appanage of higher-level characters. Sometimes you just have to admit death and roll up a new character. Personally, when that happens, I just roll with it, but some players get angry when their character dies. It's a situation that has to be dealt with delecately by DMs and other players alike.

I have to admit that I like the 4 levels of success you find in the current iteration of PF2. Save or die spells generally only inflict death on a critical failure (10 points below a save, or a natural "1") and have other, lesser effects on a simple failure, or even a successful saving throw. It gives more variety to outcomes and carries a lesser chance of insta-death.

 

[Rafael Martin]

I feel good about save vs die. If my character dies, then I will become a reverent spirit in search of vengeance. If I live then...I live.

 

[Coroc]

Only when it is something very very important, let us say hm, Gollum throws the one ring into the volcano and your halfling rogue tries to catch it. So i cannot vote for any option here, i would use it in 5e if the reward for the PCs justifies it.

 

[Slit518]

It seems a decent amount are favorable toward it.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

I like save-or-die when it's a mechanic of last resort, which can protect a character from otherwise-certain doom. If touching the orb with your bare hands will probably kill you, but the enemy is on your tail and you need to hurry, so you make that choice with full knowledge of the consequences, then a saving throw to avoid death is a good mechanic in that situation. If you choose to look straight at the medusa, to stop her immediately before she accomplishes her goal, then that's a good time for the save-or-die mechanic.

I don't like save-or-die when it can be forced on someone, without their consent, as a means of bypassing HP. That's just cheap.