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

[Micah Sweet]

The characters don't know this.

I don't see how that's relevant to their (and my) feelings on the matter.

 

[sophotek_bliss]

The answer to that is simple, and twofold:

1) Death is the least interesting consequence a character can suffer.
2) Players, in general, can be invested and motivated by things other than the simple eradication of their characters - threats to those things can create tension, even if the PC themselves are not threatened.



So, by that logic, what's the point of professional sports? The Olympics? Playing pool? All physical challenges that are unlikely to kill anyone.

I mean if your game is a "slice of life" game or your PCs are participating in fantasy Olympics, sure. But if they're playing dungeon delving people or purposely getting into harm's way or attempting to do whatever heroic thing that heroes are attempting to do, then death is and should be a possible and realistic thing, in my opinion.

 

[DarkCrisis]

The characters don't know this.

They aren't real and have no actual feelings, so I'm not really worried if the character is enjoying playing the Safe Version of D&D.

 

[Deset Gled]

So, by that logic, what's the point of professional sports? The Olympics? Playing pool? All physical challenges that are unlikely to kill anyone.

I'm sure you're aware of this (we may have had this conversation before? I know I've posted this quote on ENworld before), but Ernest Hemingway disagrees with you:

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.”

 

[Umbran]

But if they're playing dungeon delving people or purposely getting into harm's way or attempting to do whatever heroic thing that heroes are attempting to do, then death is and should be a possible and realistic thing, in my opinion.

You said you didn't understand. So, honest question - do you actually want to understand? If yes, then this should not be about your opinions.

I'll proceed as if you want to understand, but just fumbled trying to frame a question.

Death is "realistic"? Perhaps? But honestly, we could argue 'til we are blue in the face over what counts as "realistic" in a genre that is all about deviating from reality. So, that direction isn't apt to be fruitful. I can then best express this as saying that, for a lot of folks, this form of "realism" is honestly just not a high priority.

 

[Umbran]

I'm sure you're aware of this (we may have had this conversation before? I know I've posted this quote on ENworld before), but Ernest Hemingway disagrees with you:

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.”

Um, Hemingway does not strike me as a healthy choice of philosophical or life models.

 

[Micah Sweet]

You said you didn't understand. So, honest question - do you actually want to understand? If yes, then this should not be about your opinions.

I'll proceed as if you want to understand, but just fumbled trying to frame a question.

Death is "realistic"? Perhaps? But honestly, we could argue 'til we are blue in the face over what counts as "realistic" in a genre that is all about deviating from reality. So, that direction isn't apt to be fruitful. I can then best express this as saying that, for a lot of folks, this form of "realism" is honestly just not a high priority.

A genre about deviated from reality in specific ways, not in any and every way depending on what's convenient for you at the time. At least, not in fantasy I enjoy.

 

[Older Beholder]

My 2 cents on the subject is that I don't fully understand the sentiment that death shouldn't be present in the story. The absence of potential PC death actually removes a vast amount of the game's difficulty, not to mention that it essentially removes all of the tension the GM can summon. What is the point of literally any kind of physical challenge if the players are aware that their characters can't die?

For some people, the fun of a roleplaying game is in roleplaying a character. Anything else is secondary.
It’s not about winning, the level of difficulty or other aspects of competitiveness.

Creating a character, telling that characters story and exploring a world with friends is where the fun is at.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

For some people, the fun of a roleplaying game is in roleplaying a character. Anything else is secondary.
It’s not about winning, the level of difficulty or other aspects of competitiveness.

Creating a character, telling that characters story and exploring a world with friends is where the fun is at.

Sure. But if we are using complex rules and maps to track positions in combat then one would hope some sort of defeat is possible and victory is not inevitable regardless of what the players do, or it all seems very pointless. Now defeat doesn’t always need to mean death, but in some situations it is a plausible outcome of it.

 

[Vaalingrade]

They aren't real and have no actual feelings, so I'm not really worried if the character is enjoying playing the Safe Version of D&D.

Then why was your post focused on 'the heroes' knowing 'they could just stand there and not die', then?

Because that's in character knowledge and actions you're couching this on.

Or did we suddenly stop talking about a roleplaying game?