D&D 5E Idea that will most players will hate, but I think addresses a mechanical issue in game

[Oofta]

I always discuss lethality during session 0. I've never been a killer DM since death is pretty final in my campaign world. A TPK is pretty much the end of the campaign.

Thing is, one of my players (an old schooler like me) chatted with me about this after a session a little while ago. He said it was quite fun to have an ongoing campaign with characters that had so much long term interactions with each other.

So I don't see a lot of downside to not being a killer DM. PC death is never totally off the table, but it's been a while that I've actually killed off a PC despite coming very close a few times.

It's not that I think my players are delicate flowers, but death just ends a story. I don't think that makes for a better game for me or my players.

 

[Vince_Snetterton]

I always discuss lethality during session 0. I've never been a killer DM since death is pretty final in my campaign world. A TPK is pretty much the end of the campaign.

Thing is, one of my players (an old schooler like me) chatted with me about this after a session a little while ago. He said it was quite fun to have an ongoing campaign with characters that had so much long term interactions with each other.

So I don't see a lot of downside to not being a killer DM. PC death is never totally off the table, but it's been a while that I've actually killed off a PC despite coming very close a few times.

It's not that I think my players are delicate flowers, but death just ends a story. I don't think that makes for a better game for me or my players.

I had a player quit because I had a set of Wolves (which have Pack Tactics) focus on him. This char never went into even Death Saves over about 5 sessions...not once. But he felt my game was "too hard".

The only chars I have ever killed in the past 3 years were 3 out of 6 char party in one session because the players came up with an idiotic plan. (Split the party 3 ways going into what clearly was a trap).

But I am considered a "Killer DM" because of that, and often, chars do go into Death Saves.

So yes, more and more, I see players that are indeed "delicate flowers". A good player can whip up a char in about 10 minutes, sans backstory. But then they will invest 4 days into said backstory, and get very upset when the char is on the verge of death.

 

[overgeeked]

I had a player quit because I had a set of Wolves (which have Pack Tactics) focus on him. This char never went into even Death Saves over about 5 sessions...not once. But he felt my game was "too hard".

The only chars I have ever killed in the past 3 years were 3 out of 6 char party in one session because the players came up with an idiotic plan. (Split the party 3 ways going into what clearly was a trap).

But I am considered a "Killer DM" because of that, and often, chars do go into Death Saves.

So yes, more and more, I see players that are indeed "delicate flowers". A good player can whip up a char in about 10 minutes, sans backstory. But then they will invest 4 days into said backstory, and get very upset when the char is on the verge of death.

Wow. A “killer DM“ for the heresy of actually having monsters who...gasp...attack the PCs. How...precious.

 

[Vince_Snetterton]

Wow. A “killer DM“ for the heresy of actually having monsters who...gasp...attack the PCs. How...precious.

Yeah, I know. How cruel of me to actually have the Wolves do what Wolves do, which is focus in a single target aka Pack Tactics.

 

[Undrave]

More’s the pity. Makes for an incredibly boring game when the PCs have infinite plot armor. When combined with the need for all the kewl powers and never failing at anything and never being challenged, it’s a wonder there’s still any game or dice left. Should just be a DM sitting there telling the players how amazing, perfect, and awesome they are. Makes the games where the dice are only used to determine how much the PC’s succeed by make a lot more sense.

There's games out there where the PCs never die. There's shows out there where nobody ever dies. They both manage to be entertaining.

 

[Minigiant]

So yes, more and more, I see players that are indeed "delicate flowers". A good player can whip up a char in about 10 minutes, sans backstory. But then they will invest 4 days into said backstory, and get very upset when the char is on the verge of death.

That is an exaggerated generalization of players. Some players like having a good narrative and an highly lethal game tends to have very poor narrative.

 

[GreyLord]

Do weight lifting...you ability to do other things increases tremendously.

People underestimate how BIG a difference strength makes to your ability to be mobile and able to do sports.

It helps in almost every arena of sports from endurance to speed to the ability for a ball player (Basketball, baseball, all do weights in upper levels because of this) to actually hit things or shoot things better.

TOO much weight is given onto dexterity (which, while good, can be almost useless without proper strength).

 

[Scars Unseen]

Do weight lifting...you ability to do other things increases tremendously.

People underestimate how BIG a difference strength makes to your ability to be mobile and able to do sports.

It helps in almost every arena of sports from endurance to speed to the ability for a ball player (Basketball, baseball, all do weights in upper levels because of this) to actually hit things or shoot things better.

TOO much weight is given onto dexterity (which, while good, can be almost useless without proper strength).

It's all too abstract for me to be bothered by those kind of inaccuracies. Honestly, if I was designing an RPG today, I wouldn't even track phys/ment stats like that. I'd just make the base assumption that every PC was generally competent in the things their character was designed around, and then have them take special traits where they were exceptionally so. So action oriented characters would be generally athletic, but then if a player wanted theirs to be known for being incredibly strong (e.g. Wulfgar from the Drizzt books), that would be something that could have a mechanical widget on their character sheet. Something like Fate's Aspects, but more specific and designed to be crunchier than Fate tends to be.

 

[Nefermandias]

There's games out there where the PCs never die. There's shows out there where nobody ever dies. They both manage to be entertaining.

That's our main point of disagreement. You guys seem to think of RPG as a show.

 

[Minigiant]

That's our main point of disagreement. You guys seem to think of RPG as a show.

A RPG can be a show or a crawl or a simulation or any combination of them. All interpretations are valid.

Issue is which ones do you support and the pros and cons of doing so. You can only get what you design for.