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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Korgoth" data-source="post: 3819916" data-attributes="member: 49613">Are people really confused about what kind of mechanic "save or die" really is?  It isn't arbitrary, or just an opportunity for the DM to kill characters with a die roll instead of fiat.  It's the result of a number of decisions that culminate in a crucial roll.In the WWII miniatures game Flames of War, once your company loses over half of its platoons you have to make a Company Morale test to keep fighting.  If you blow the roll (usually a 4+ on 1d6, so a 50% chance) your remaining men withdraw and you lose.  It is essentially a save-or-die situation... but there was a lot leading up to that die roll.  If things had gone differently, you might not be making that roll at all.It's basically the same in D&D.  You sometimes have to make a save-or-die roll because of a decision that you, the player, have made.  Sometimes it is because of a bad decision (or series of them), but sometimes it is because of a good but risky decision, or merely a risky "win or lose big" decision.  It's pretty rare that a catoblepas walks up to you in the middle of town and gazes you.  It's more likely that you're "saving vs. catoblepas" because you decided to enter the Death Swamp.  Well, what did you expect?  They don't call it the Death Swamp because of the humidity.  That's the regular swamp.  The Death Swamp has stuff in it that kills you, hence the name.Likewise, remember how the lich used a save-or-die spell on you?  Well, do you also remember that you attacked a lich?  Most of this stuff turns out to be pretty self-explanatory.</blockquote>

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