D&D 5E It's so hard to die!

[Marc_C]

It is really hard for a DM to prepare and fight enemies well and many/most will just line them up in a kongo line and fight to the death

That can be a problem. For my part I like to use successive waves of enemies and attacks on different fronts. It makes the PCs job much more difficult. I was a wargamer before I was a DM.

 

[Retreater]

It is really hard for a DM to prepare and fight enemies well and many/most will just line them up in a kongo line and fight to the death

Typically, I don't even get the opportunity to try to save them.
They lose the first few turns of initiative and the party wallops on them. They get one round of action to try to do something cool. Then the rest of the party wallops on them. Then the second round starts, and by the time the enemy's second turn comes up, it's all over - or the party is just mopping up the dregs that are left.
That's a typical 5e combat for me.

 

[jasper]

Nitpick: the idiom is "kid gloves", because they were made from baby goat leather, and were supposed to be less damaging than bare fists. Has nothing to do with human children.

(In....

Innocent whistle. Jasper puts his hands behind his back.

 

[jasper]

This thread has been using "coup de grace" to refer to attacking a downed enemy. Melee attacks on unconscious foes are automatic crits, which inflict 2 failed death saves per hit.

If you have multiple attacks, or two creatures doing it, this is a guaranteed kill. ...

HA HA HA HA Five rolls under 10 the zero out pc was still on his second death save. I fireballed Zeal the flying what ever. Next round two rounds I was able to kill Zeal then his mate got up and killed the boss monster.

 

[Oofta]

I had that happen once. When a character was entangled and swallowed by a shambling mound, taken into a wall of thorns. He still didn't die.

But look at the amount of actions and effort it takes to drag away a PC's body. First, the PC must be dropped to 0. Then - unless the monster has a specific ability to let it grapple as a part of the attack action - that has to be done on another turn. Once it's grabbed the body on its next turn (provided it hits with its attack roll), it can then drag the body "maybe" 30 feet (but probably less because of its Strength score).

And no party is going to let that happen. 1 point of healing, and that's over. It just doesn't happen in practice very often, and even when it does (see my example above), it is far too easy to negate.

I've done it now and then. The monster that drags the PC off is not necessarily the one that dropped it. If they have multiple attacks, they can use one of the attacks to grapple.

 

[Krachek]

My gaming group and I decided to try a little experiment. We did this in both 5E and Pathfinder 2E.

The experiment was as follows: we would play through three medium/hard encounters or two normally (with a break for rest and healing in between each), except that my role was to try to die. I played a level 10 rogue in both scenarios. The other players were to play as normal. There were some stipulations: I couldn't do anything immediately obviously lethal in one shot, and I couldn't refuse healing. So basically I was to play very, very badly on purpose. Don't worry, everybody was on board with the experiment.

The results: I couldn't die in either system. It's really, really hard to die even when you're trying to if you have other characters around to heal you. I got close to zero hit points a few times but bounced right back up, and even unconscious three times, but still got right back up again.

To be fair, I think I probably got the bulk of the party's healing efforts, as they were enjoying foiling my attempts to die.

So both games are designed to keep you alive, it appears. That's not a crticism of any kind. It is what it is, and we like both systems just fine (and we're not looking for a more lethal system, we were just curious).

Anybody else had any observations like that? Or the opposite?

If they're within 5', it is actually TWO failed death saves, since it's an automatic critical hit.

if a troll just bite you down with its first attack, he can effectively kill you with the next two.
So it’s up to the DM.
For those who want more lethality, begin by remove Healing word from the game, it will start to make the thing more thrilling.

 

[Nefermandias]

if a troll just bite you down with its first attack, he can effectively kill you with the next two.
So it’s up to the DM.
For those who want more lethality, begin by remove Healing word from the game, it will start to make the thing more thrilling.

I don't think heading Word is the Culprit. It's just a first level spell that can be cast at a distance with a bonus action. Back in 4e, Healing Word used to be okay because healing were limited to healing surges anyway and death saves only reseted after a short rest. Yo-yo healing wasn't nearly as much of a problem as it is right now.
5e player's apparent immortality is caused by a combination of factors. Healing Word is the least offender.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Would you rather have the five minute workday?

 

[CleverNickName]

Would you rather have the five minute workday?

Compared to what?

 

[Nefermandias]

Would you rather have the five minute workday?

What? How is this related to what I just said?