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

[Andras]

The group I'm with has been playing together since 2017. We haven't had a single character death in that time frame. We've had multiple 1-18/20 campaigns, and are currently at 14th in this one. We've had characters get knocked down to 0 and start making death saves, but none have actually died. If it happens, it happens, but so far it hasn't.

 

[payn]

option 1

When I was running PF1 for decade with the APs, I used hero points so I could take the gloves off. I think I averaged about 4-6 deaths over an entire campaign amongst the entire party.

 

[mamba]

I do not really want it more deadly (and have been playing with a pretty low mortality rate since 1e), I want it less superheroic. If most things can be overcome by a spell, then there is not much to challenge players with outside of combat... in combat I can always throw more at them if that is the goal, I'd want to be able to challenge them outside combat more

 

[Imaro]

I do not really want it more deadly (and have been playing with a pretty low mortality rate since 1e), I want it less superheroic. If most things can be overcome by a spell, then there is not much to challenge players with outside of combat... in combat I can always throw more at them if that is the goal, I'd want to be able to challenge them outside combat more

Outside of magic what other ways would you want PC's to deal with challenges. I think skills are a given but what other ways in D&D would be less superheroic?

 

[pukunui]

When I was running PF1 for decade with the APs, I used hero points so I could take the gloves off. I think I averaged about 4-6 deaths over an entire campaign amongst the entire party.

I've had a few near-TPKs* over the years, including with 5e. My highest kill count in a 5e campaign was with Tomb of Annihilation. I think I killed 8 PCs in total in my first run-through of the adventure, with the majority of deaths taking place in Omu. A giant crocodile** got one PC, the King of Feathers got another, his velociraptor minions took a third, and then some others died to various traps (including the one I mentioned above who lasted less than an hour). We also had another near-TPK when the players foolishly decided to attack the Red Wizards before the latter could betray them. I think two PCs survived that encounter.

Interestingly, no PCs died in the eponymous tomb itself. One PC was petrified, yes, but that's technically reversible, and the player chose to play a hag-created clone of the same PC anyway.



*Whenever it looks like a TPK is going to happen, one player inevitably has their PC escape while the rest perish.
**I think pretty much every time a giant crocodile has appeared in one of my 5e games, it has killed a PC. They are surprisingly lethal!

 

[Maxperson]

Let me say these answers have been interesting and insightful. They also are making me wonder... what exactly is meant when people claim 5e isn't lethal enough or is easy mode...

It's harder for me to find the challenge point where death is a risk that could happen a time or two during the campaign. Other editions were much more challenging at the default level.

 

[mamba]

Outside of magic what other ways would you want PC's to deal with challenges. I think skills are a given but what other ways in D&D would be less superheroic?

figure things out the hard way, plan for things... yes skills too, or finding someone who can help you instead of getting everything handed on a silver platter by a spell

 

[sevenbastard]

In my 5e game on average one PC would die every 6 sessions or so. That fealt about right. In a one shot I expect half the party to die.

 

[Chaltab]

This poll is just disconnected from how I run games. There is no ideal level of PC death; it happens when dice & player choices determine it.

 

[Clint_L]

I don't even know how to answer that poll. I don't have a ratio of character deaths/level or something. There's luck, and there's player decisions, so death is always a possibility, but I plan games with the intent that the player characters should be able to survive.