D&D General How Often Should a PC Die in D&D 5e?

[Deset Gled]

PC deaths should be based on bad luck and bad decisions, not character level.

So I picked "multiple per character level," guessing that's how often some PCs can make bad decisions.

I generally agree with this idea. But I will posit that decisions can be risky/deadly without being bad, per se. Just as the DM has some control over how difficult encounters are, players have some control over how much risk they want to take. It's perfectly fine for one group to rush into battle where another would prep first or negotiate.

All that being said, I like my games at least a little risky. I'm okay if death never happens in a game, but the opportunity for death should present itself often.

 

[delericho]

I feel that unless a character dies during creation, the game is far too easy.

More seriously, a max of 1-2 character deaths per campaign feels about right (barring a TPK) - enough to pose a real threat, but not so many that you're constantly dealing with the fallout.

 

[Horwath]

Depending on how many beers are drank during session.
Like IRL, people take dumb actions with their PCs with more beer

 

[Zardnaar]

Depending on how many beers are drank during session.
Like IRL, people take dumb actions with their PCs with more beer

PC death/beer, PC death/beer, PC death/beer....... Hmmmnn

 

[greymist]

I have no preference for PC death frequency. Voted every 2 to 3 levels as that seems what I expect on average. As an old-schooler, I don't provide plot armour to the PCs if they die, they die. They usually have access to raise dead and the like, but at a cost.

 

[Shadowdweller00]

Whenever a PC does something sufficiently stupid.

 

[Shiroiken]

Had a campaign go to level 18 with about 6-7 character deaths, so I went with 2-3. However, this was not how it actually played out. We had a couple of deaths at low level, then one around level 5, and the rest occurring at higher level. That campaign regularly used deadly encounters, however, so it was outside the typical encounter guidelines.

 

[Minigiant]

If you fight from level 1 to level 5, at least 75% of the party have experienced being at 0 HP.

Revivify comes no faster than level 5.

So if 75% of them have been downed, there is a percentage of them who didn't make it back up.

THEN clone Revivify comes online, the deadliness can increase. 50% the party can die and come back in the next 3 levels.

THEN at high levels, death is common

So.by level 8, every PC should have died once. 90% of them being revived or resurrected.

1 death at level 6.
1 deaths at level 8
1 deaths at level 9
1 deaths at level 10
2 deaths at level 11
2 deaths at level 12

 

[CreamCloud0]

i voted never, but more because i would prefer a game system where the frequency of death is not directly correlated with the difficulty of the game. just because your group is facing insane difficulty challenges does not mean that death needs be a consequence for failure, sure they can loose, frequently at that, but that doesn't mean they need actually die.

 

[aco175]

I see death more when we start a new campaign and the PCs are level 1-4, but the players still are fresh from playing PCs at level 12-14. The players are still thinking the characters are all powerful, but the stats say otherwise and they walk into something. Then they are all, my 2nd level PC does not have 500gp diamond. I may have a temple who keeps 500gp diamonds on hand, but sells them to you for 1,500 if you worship that god, or 2,500 if you do not.