How many PC deaths in your current campaign?

[barsoomcore]

Barsoom has a scorecard:

Hero vs. Villain Deaths

Currently at 15 Hero Deaths. Those aren't all PCs, however. PCs are currently at ELEVEN. That's over a span of three (or is it four?) years of gaming, nearly 100 game sessions, and ten to thirteen levels of progression.

For those interested (if you're reading my Story Hour "Barsoom Tales", SPOILER ALERT!):

• Maeve got gunned down by a drug dealer who just wanted to be left alone
• Doken got eaten by a leopard
• Elena shot herself in the head
• Etienne got killed by annoyed monks
• Arrafin got her brain sucked out (sort of, long story)
• The entire party (five of them at the time) got decapitated
• Nevid accidentally disintegrated himself

 

[Old One]

Barsoom has a scorecard:

Hero vs. Villain Deaths

Currently at 15 Hero Deaths. Those aren't all PCs, however. PCs are currently at ELEVEN. That's over a span of three (or is it four?) years of gaming, nearly 100 game sessions, and ten to thirteen levels of progression.

For those interested (if you're reading my Story Hour "Barsoom Tales", SPOILER ALERT!):

• Maeve got gunned down by a drug dealer who just wanted to be left alone
• Doken got eaten by a leopard
• Elena shot herself in the head
• Etienne got killed by annoyed monks
• Arrafin got her brain sucked out (sort of, long story)
• The entire party (five of them at the time) got decapitated
• Nevid accidentally disintegrated himself

Man...

I thought my players rolled bad !

~ Old One

 

[Jeb McDonald]

Currently DMing a Rappan Athuk game. The party is on level 3--just met up with the Rakshasa--who promptly killed the Cleric I was playing. Started with nine PCs and have had 7 deaths so far. I'm letting players bring in another PC starting one level lower than the average party level.
Normally, our group plays with very little character death, so I wanted to have a game where death was common. Got it with Rappan Athuk!

 

[Caspian Moon Prince]

I have 0 in the campaign I DM and the campaign I play in.

On a side note, I've never really understood the need for numerous PC deaths. I have heard some say that it helps keep them interested, and, without the higher chance of death, that they would get bored. I hardly ever have character deaths in any of my campaigns because I know how connected a player can get to a character. I most certanly do. I can still get that sense of excitement and thrill of the battle without having my character die numerous times.

Maybe it is a better sense of extension of disbelief, or more likely differing opinions on gaming...I'm not sure. I feel I would get bored in a high body count game because I wouldn't want to get connected to a character if they was just going to die. I just do not see it.

 

[notjer]

Hmmm what about 17 death? we have a really really bloody campaign... 3 has been resurrected. and later will a person be resurrected too, but still die hard game >.<

 

[hong]

Maybe it is a better sense of extension of disbelief, or more likely differing opinions on gaming...I'm not sure. I feel I would get bored in a high body count game because I wouldn't want to get connected to a character if they was just going to die. I just do not see it.

Some people like plenty of deaths. Some people don't. As long as noone starts talking like there's One True Way [tm] of playing, it's all good.

I'm up to 10 party deaths, including two cohort NPCs, in my 14th level campaign. Personally I think that's too high, but the players don't really seem to mind.

 

[Bigwilly]

Six

Homebrew campaign, PCs are now 11-12th level but started from 1st.

Elven fighter coup-de-graced by orcs in 2nd session - came back as a paladin (plot hook that never really came to anything)

Then none for a long time. Then:

Dwarf Wiz/Ftr - went toe-to-toe with frost giant. Giant still had an attack left when he went negative so finished him off (bit nasty of me that one)
Half-orc Monk - same player couple of sessions later. Smacked down by a pair of minotaur barbarians (player stupidity).
Dwarf Ftr/Sor/Bbn - went negative while raging - instant death (but had a free resurrection)
Dwarf Ftr/Clr - toe-to-toe with adult blue dragon - 'forgot' to heal himself (also had a free resurrection)
Human Clr - stepped between a pair of Babau (demons with sneak atack). Lost half his HP on first round and got critted on second (had a free resurrection but chose not to come back)

The last few have been about one per session but then I did give them all a free resurrection - already half of them have been used up.

Bigwilly

 

[scott-fs]

I answered 0, but I have planned for 3 over the next 3 or 4 weeks, as I prepare for the ultimate TPK!

In all seriousness, this current "campaign" has been running longer than it should be (in my mind it ended about 4 sessions ago), and I've only been running it to satisfy two players who feel the need to continue it.

So far a TPK hasn't occured because I'm having more fun torturing those two players in Ravenloft. The druid loses his animal companion, gets him back, loses him again, eventually will get him back, but this will end with the dog being assassinated by the PC rogue (the player wants to become an Assassin, so is the "price" he will pay). As a result, ideally the druid will attack the rogue for killing his animal companion, and hopefully they will kill each other. I just have to figure out a way to STK the Monk, and the druid if he survives.

STK means Strike/Shoot To Kill, and has officially become my motto for this campaign.

For the reason this campaign has gone 16 sessions without a PC death is because for much of the campaign, there were atleast 5 PCs (with a couple NPCs along with them). I used 3.0 adventures without upping the various challenges, so things were often much easier than normal.

 

[juampa81]

Mi two campaigns...

FR (Calimport, 6th level, started at 4th): No deaths
DL (Chronicles of the Lance, 7th level, started at 4th): 4 deaths

Other campaigns of the group...

GH (Temple of Elemental Evil, 5th level): 11 deaths
Homebrew Campaign (6th level): 10 deaths

 

[Morpheus]

2-One was eaten by a shark and the other was rended by a dire ape. Good times...Good times...