D&D 5E How often do characters die in your campaigns?

[Grogg of the North]

I don't go out of my way to kill characters. I want you to feel challenged and threatened by the obstacles put forth but, I won't place you in a scenario where "Well, you should have known to run" is my answer.

However, I cannot save you from yourself. If you decide to run off down the dungeon hallway with only 5 HP left and find a monster ... well, nature takes its course.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Today's session had two PC deaths (out of a party of 4) but they were level 2, split up (1 and 3) and encountered a CR 7 foe they were never meant to fight now. They came close to pulling it off, but in the end one died from massive damage (he was already at 0, about to make his first death save, when he go caught in a fireball for more than his maximum HP--insta-death) and the other from failed death saves. The other two were defeated and made their death saves, so eventually regained consciousness--in captivity.

I gave the players two choices:

1. You are prisoners and can try to escape.
2. You can call it quits and make up a new party-it will be a TPK.

They choose option 1. We spend the rest of the session with the last two PCs managing their escape with the other captives, freeing the castle lord, and overthrowing the invading force (so to say). One new PC will be taking over an NPC that helped them, and the other player will be making a new PC for the next session.

This was a perfect example of players doing something stupid--they were warned away, but didn't listen, pushed too far, and paid for it.

 

[Radaceus]

about half of our campaigns end in TPK, the other half retired due to partial TPKs.
along the way are the many silly decisions, like a paladin staying behind with Nanny Pu'pu because she was worried about being robbed, the rest of the party in a hurry to solve the curse told him was a fool and left him...
And then the critical fails...nothing like the multiclass rogue not finding that delayed blast fireball trap!