How do you handle death?

[Jack99]

Greetings all.

I have a new campaign starting on friday. During the last campaign the group played, it became very evident that the players have fairly strong and differnt opinions on the effects of dying, ie how much of a penalty there should be for biting the big one.

Some players thought there should be virtually no penalty, aside from the actual cost of the spell. Others thought we should do it "by the book" and yet others thought that my suggestion, which was sort of a xp-debt system known from online games.

It's kinda funny, because we have played together since the beginning, and I always thought of us as roleplayers first and foremost, even though combat is a must too, but lately, it seems that there is a growing concern regarding stuff like class balance and contribution to combats etc.

Anyway, enough rambling. I would like to know how you guys handle the death part in DnD. Do they get free ressurections with no level penalty, do they just pay the 5k+ price. Do you do something completely different?

Personally I thought going by the book was sort of odd, that no matter how much xp you have, you get bumped down to the halfway point between your current level and the level below. Maybe it should be a random (or fixed) percentage of the xp needed to level that you lose. I have been thinking, that if players died and got a rez, they would lose 1d4x10% of the total needed for next level. So if a player dies at level 3 (where you need 3000 for level 4), they would lose 1d4x300 xp. Some would lose a level, some wouldnt, but all would suffer the same setback, within the variation of the dice.

Any thoughts or brilliant ideas on how to do it?

 

[Rhun]

I've houseruled it in most of the campaigns I've run. I stopped doing the experience penalty for the sheer sake of time and simplicity. Instead the PC suffers a permanent -1 to his CON score (in addition to the cost of the raise dead/resurrection). In my campaigns, death is supposed to be hard on the character, and not something that can be done over and over without penalty.

 

[Phlebas]

I definitely wouldn't do a dice dependent penalty - thats rubbing salt in open wounds

 

[Jack99]

Thanks for the quick feedback.

Regarding the penalty to Con suggestion, both my players and myself regards that as virtually worse than losing a level.

Regarding the random factor, you have a good point. Maybe it should just be a flat 30% of xp needed for next level loss instead. That way, you will still lose quite a bit of xp, setting you back compared to those who lived, but you could still keep your level if you earned some xp in that level.

What are your thoughts on XP debt? The reason why I like it so much, is that the character doesnt lose anything right away, but it still sets him back in the long run, thus making it a penalty without taking anything away directly, ie no need to change the stuff on the character sheet..

 

[lottrbacchus]

I've houseruled it in most of the campaigns I've run. I stopped doing the experience penalty for the sheer sake of time and simplicity. Instead the PC suffers a permanent -1 to his CON score (in addition to the cost of the raise dead/resurrection). In my campaigns, death is supposed to be hard on the character, and not something that can be done over and over without penalty.

We do exactly the same thing. Seems to work.

 

[Destil]

Stolen from Pirate Cat's house rules: The character comes back with one negative level which can not be removed until they do X. X can be tailored to fit the needs of the game, from as simple as "Gain 100xCurrent Level XP" to "Preform some major quest for the god returning you to life".

 

[lottrbacchus]

Stolen from Pirate Cat's house rules: The character comes back with one negative level which can not be removed until they do X. X can be tailored to fit the needs of the game, from as simple as "Gain 100xCurrent Level XP" to "Preform some major quest for the god returning you to life".

I think it boils down to- how much do you want overcoming death to complicate the flow of the game? IMC, we're all for the 'one-time permanent penalty and get on with it' branch and it works for us. Others might want extra tasks or experience formulas to allow the dedeathed to catch back up. Whichever way fits the game/players/dm best is the way to go.

 

[Rhun]

Regarding the penalty to Con suggestion, both my players and myself regards that as virtually worse than losing a level.

I agree. In many ways it is worse than losing a level. But that is the whole point...character death should not be taken with a grain of salt. I mean, if characters can continually rush into combat, regardless of the circumstances, knowing that the party cleric can raise them, they quickly lose their fear of death. 5000gp is not much of a penalty at higher levels (nor is the experience hit, since the PC will gain the experience back quickly being a level behind his companions).

 

[Cameron]

Greetings all.

I have a new campaign starting on friday. During the last campaign the group played, it became very evident that the players have fairly strong and differnt opinions on the effects of dying, ie how much of a penalty there should be for biting the big one.

Some players thought there should be virtually no penalty, aside from the actual cost of the spell. Others thought we should do it "by the book" and yet others thought that my suggestion, which was sort of a xp-debt system known from online games.

It's kinda funny, because we have played together since the beginning, and I always thought of us as roleplayers first and foremost, even though combat is a must too, but lately, it seems that there is a growing concern regarding stuff like class balance and contribution to combats etc.

Anyway, enough rambling. I would like to know how you guys handle the death part in DnD. Do they get free ressurections with no level penalty, do they just pay the 5k+ price. Do you do something completely different?

Personally I thought going by the book was sort of odd, that no matter how much xp you have, you get bumped down to the halfway point between your current level and the level below. Maybe it should be a random (or fixed) percentage of the xp needed to level that you lose. I have been thinking, that if players died and got a rez, they would lose 1d4x10% of the total needed for next level. So if a player dies at level 3 (where you need 3000 for level 4), they would lose 1d4x300 xp. Some would lose a level, some wouldnt, but all would suffer the same setback, within the variation of the dice.

Any thoughts or brilliant ideas on how to do it?

I don't usually allow ressurection or raise dead or reincarnation or anything like that. The only exceptions are things like divine intervention or someone casting wish for everything to go back to a specific point in time (e.g., just before the particular combat began). If those things happen, it is generally for free (although it hasn't really happened yet in any of my games; it is just that rare). This is to encourage my players to take their characters more seriously.

If I do allow them, my rule of thumb is that you lose your (pre-dead level - 1) x 1000 in xp. If this is enough to make you lose a level (and it should), you lose a level. This means that if you were near to leveling before you died, you aren't penalised more than someone who just made a level (which is the standard rule). At level 1, you lose 2 Con instead as per normal.

 

[lottrbacchus]

I agree. In many ways it is worse than losing a level. But that is the whole point...character death should not be taken with a grain of salt. I mean, if characters can continually rush into combat, regardless of the circumstances, knowing that the party cleric can raise them, they quickly lose their fear of death. 5000gp is not much of a penalty at higher levels (nor is the experience hit, since the PC will gain the experience back quickly being a level behind his companions).

Oh, I seem to have scanned this wrong. I thought he meant that losing a point of Con was worse, therefore the BEST penalty to use! I guess I'm lucky that the main player I discuss rules with is also a DM, so we try to find a way that makes sense from both perspectives.