Most common cause of PC deaths

[Psion]

stupidity.

That one.

 

[the black knight]

Generally: stupidity.

Spoken like a true 'ha ha' DM.

 

[reveal]

The sudden stop at the end.

 

[reveal]

Spoken like a true 'ha ha' DM.

Actually, I'd say it's spoken like a true DM, period. Most DMs, including myself, don't go out of their way to kill PCs. I do my best not to kill them but, more often than not, they do something stupid (like try to run past a large creature even though they KNOW he has reach and they're low on HP) and die.

 

[Nifft]

Yes, 'stupidity'.

IMC, we've seen a few deaths from things like chasing after foes who have tactically retreated (as opposed to routed). The foes weren't trying to fight to the death, but when cornered... well, they suddenly got more dangerous.

-- N

 

[Nifft]

Just to clarify: it's usually not the player's stupidity directly. It's listening to another player who's urging a poor course of action. Listening to other players -- whose PCs are not in direct danger of death -- is the leading cause of death amongst my group.

And it's why I promise my little guys I'll never listen to any darn one, on the rare occasions when I get to play.

-- N

 

[ThirdWizard]

The sudden stop at the end.

"Player characters have a marvelous (and to the DM, vastly amusing) tendency to fall off things, generally from great heights and almost always onto hard surfaces. While the falling is harmless, the abrupt stop at the end tends to cause damage."

Best. Quote. Evar.

Just to clarify: it's usually not the player's stupidity directly. It's listening to another player who's urging a poor course of action. Listening to other players -- whose PCs are not in direct danger of death -- is the leading cause of death amongst my group.

First death in my current campaign was becuse the ranger wanted to negotiate with the ogre warlord, so she got them to walk right into the midst of a half dozen orcs, the ogre, and his druid advisor. They were 6th level and the ogre didin't feel like negotiating...

When an idea sounds stupid when you say it out loud, for heaven's sake don't follow through on it!

 

[GlassJaw]

Yeah, we need a choice for stupidity/players insistence to continue to march forward and kick in the door every opportunity they get even though they just got their butts handed to them in the previous battle.

 

[jeff37923]

Stupidity.
Players not thinking is the number one cause of PC death in my games.

 

[Hussar]

Yah, hp loss as a result of stupidity is generally the leading cause of death for 4 out of 5 DM's.

Even at higher levels, in my 3.5 games, the obscene amount of damage some of the baddies can pump out regularly can drop PC's alarmingly fast. Giants=very, very bad.

To be fair though, the last PC death in my current camp was the result of a failed save resulting in paralyzation followed by a coup de grace from the mummy on the unfortunate bard. Monte Cook is a bad, bad man sometimes.