How many PC deaths do you see per session?

[EricNoah]

Deaths are pretty few and far between for my players -- I've always used some kind of mechanism that allows players some degree of control over their fates (hero points in AU etc.). They generally make good use of these to avoid lethal situations.

No one in my group is a dummy -- if they die it's most likely because I have misjudged the encounter, so I do my best to make sure PCs don't die unless it really is their own fault ... as long as it's logical and makes sense in the game.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Wow, I'm amazed by the low mortality rate!

IMX as both a player and DM, any time there's a combat about 25% of the party is liable to die. (1-3 PCs) Only the very skilled, very smart and very lucky have a reasonable chance of surviving in the long term, and a single mistake is usually one too many.

I voted 1 per session, which is probably about right, but if we're talking combat sessions only it would be 2 per session. (Typical party size 7 or 8, usually 2 deaths per combat)

The only exception is when the PCs secure a major tactical advantage before the battle.

 

[Arnwyn]

I voted "Other".

My group averages about 0.166 deaths per session.

 

[Arkham]

Currently I am averaging one PC death per session, with a
couple having none, and a couple having 2. One session I
managed to kill off two _and_ a cohort.

Generally I try not to snuff PCs, but our current game
is a very Gamist tromp through Undermountain. At only 1
death per session average, I don't think I'm trying hard
enough...

 

[snarfoogle]

Well, in my Call of Cthulhu and Paranoia games, it's 4+ deaths per session, but you already should guess that, right? In the D&D game, it's 1 per 4 sessions, though.

 

[Gez]

I haven't counted precisely, but I'd say it's around one death every dozen or couple dozen sessions.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

In the Sunless Citadel adventure path I'm currently running (halfway through Forge of Fury), we've had 1 PC death (greataxe crit from a charging orc) but numerous close calls.

In the 2 other long-running campaigns I'm involved in (as a player) (level 10-13), 1 death per session isn't unlikely. It's usually due to bad luck, lousy planning, or the late realization that we're in it waaay over our heads... The deaths I remember are:

Campaign 1
- Human Cleric is downed by the ally Frenzied Berserker (greataxe crit for ~80 points of damage while the cleric had 8)
- Frenzied Berserker is captured by the town militia and is put to death (for going loco on local guards)
-

Campaign 2
- Elven Wizard and Half-celestial bard die against a random encounter of air elementals
- Human Cleric dies at least every other session
- Human monk joins group, is killed in the surprise round of his first battle (mauled by dire lions)
- Half-orc ranger comes as a replacement, dies to a hydra, IIRC
- human fighter comes next, and succombs to an assassin's death attack

AR

 

[Lord Pendragon]

In the current game I play in, we've had 1 NPC death, and what should have been 1 PC death (there was some player fudging involved). That's in 13 sessions.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Are these lower level characters (under 5th) who are getting whacked?

Nope. Current campaign is at 15th level and going strong. Last session: 2 out of 7 PCs dead, 1 irretrievably. The session before saw no casualties despite a major battle (thank you, psionic disintegrate!), but the one before that took down 2 PCs out of 8, and before that 1 out of 7.

When they must generate new characters, are they started over at 5th (or current) level?

New characters start 1 level back from the highest level PC (and all PCs are "grandfathered" to within 1 level, whether they die or not).

How does the GM typically work the new character in, if in the middle of a dungeon or some other 'remote' place?

Most of our adventures don't take place in a dungeon environment, but the current crop has. The new characters had been turned to stone by a gargantuan demonic construct (some beastie from the Fiend Folio, don't recall the name) and were saved by Ruby Rays of Reversal. Lots of Ruby Rays of Reversal. And more all the time.

In this campaign, past characters were usually introduced as mercs or family friends recruited by our employer/accompanying NPC. Although we joined a druid and his ogrun bodyguard while on a dragon hunt, and found a "daring" 12th-level rogue and bard pair hiding in a burned out village they'd hoped to loot, only to have our arrival signal the return of the raiders.

When I GM, I'm usually running either military or espionage campaigns. New characters are introduced as either local allies or reinforcements sent by high command. Of course, none of them can be trusted, especially in those espionage campaign.

 

[random user]

28 sessions, 2 player deaths, both in the same encounter.

Perhaps not coincidentally, that session was messed up because two people were calling in remote since they were in NY for a convention (we live in CA) on a speakerphone. We set up the battlemat in a grid fashion and stated moves in a chess style fashion.

The monk moved away from the party and got spotted; failed his save on hold person, and got coup de graced the next round. It was possible to save him (one enemy was right next to him, the other was within a 5' step, one got stopped but not the other) but they failed to coordinate well enough, so down he went.

Later that combat, most of the bad guys were down, the evil BBEG was almost dead (he was raged and knew he would die when rage wore off so was about to leave the scene to get healed) and was about to flee, when the party decided to withdraw into the forest so they could web their foes (which they should have done in the first place :-/). One of the henchmen charged, critted, and I rolled 2 8's for long sword damage, and that killed off the fighter.

Luckily for the party, the barbarian wasn't suicidal and left the scene anyways, and the rest of the party (there were 6 now 4) were able to clean up the henchmen.

The second death came as a result of the first one (being down a monk from the second round on was problematic for them), and the first one probably could have been prevented if everyone was at the table.

We've since decided that teleconferencing is a bad idea. Now videoconferencing on the other hand...