How often would you like to die?

[FireLance]

Okay, the title was just for effect. The real question is: how often should a character get dropped to 0 hit points or less? Assume an average character run by an average player, in a campaign of average difficulty.

There are some subjective terms up there (e.g. "adventure", "campaign arc") but define them as you like and pick the one that is closest to your preference.

 

[Lanefan]

I intentionally read the question as "how often should EACH character..." and voted accordingly.

In my game death is at -10 with possible unconsciousness at or below 0; and if they don't each get to 0 at some point during most normal adventures it's not much of a challenge*. I certainly don't expect them each to die during an adventure, but usually one or two of them will.

* - occasionally there'll be a diplomatic or stealth-based adventure that doesn't involve much risk of physical damage at all unless they really take it sideways.

Lanefan

 

[grimslade]

I'd prefer to die only the one time. Multiple deaths seems a bit cruel.

Average number of drops? A reckless player or character could go down every encounter including social or skill challenges. A careful tactician may never go below bloodied. A healer might yo-yo multiple times in a nasty combat. I don't think there is an average to be found for this.

 

[Tovec]

To OP: Null/None of the above

How often should characters get below 0? Aka Dying? My answer: Null because it varies based on the game, the DM, the session and the campaign.

How often should players need to roll up a new character? Aka DEAD. My answer: None of the above as I feel this is again a varied choice AND in my games players may expect their characters to die perhaps once or twice but possibly more or less than that too.

No offense but it feels you should really ask what you want, 0 doesn't represent anything to me. It is like asking how often should characters expect to hit "bloodied" or half HP. It certainly doesn't address the question you asked in the title; which is how often should they die.

 

[Libramarian]

Are we talking about deaths or drops? I'm going to assume deaths.

I think each player should have a couple PCs die early in the campaign, which hurt but not overly much, because it's in the early going and your characters don't have many levels and story/setting connections yet.

And then a couple deaths later in the campaign that are surprising but not too punitive, because you have access to raise dead so you can keep playing the character at some moderate cost.

And then one death later in the campaign that really hurts. You go too far into the negatives to be raised, or you get disintegrated or something, and the ashes are scattered, so your character is over forever, and you have to make a new one at first level, effectively losing like 100k XP.

 

[Serendipity]

I said once per adventure but the fact is is that my preference is dictated by things not based on temporal frequency - playstyle, frequency of combat encounters, character level, type of adventure, type of campaign, etc etc.

 

[Sunseeker]

As often as is necessary, as often as is fitting. I know its vague, but that's the best way I can phrase it. The game shouldn't assume how often you should die, some parties may play like super heroes and never die(or keep coming back from the dead), and some players may be monoxide who drop like flies.

 

[Lanefan]

... and some players may be monoxide who drop like flies.

I think you mean some characters; as if the players are dropping like flies there's a bigger problem.

Lan-"I have killed hundreds of characters but have yet to kill a player"-efan

 

[Dice4Hire]

Drop below 0 but be revived?

At least half the party in each adventure, or perhaps one character multiple times. It changes the combat game and hte partty ahs to adjust things. I think it adds tothe game.

Actually die?

Possibly to probably 1 character per campaign arc. Adventuring is deadly nad people do die. Of course ,there should be a way to bring htem back most times, but maybe one a tier it should be forever.

Assuming a group of 5-6 characters.

 

[CM]

Bah, I took the thread title as the poll question and responded "once per tier" for death.

If I had read the poll question, I would've answered "once per adventure" instead.