Most common cause of PC deaths

[MonsterMash]

Usually HP loss especially at lower levels where a crit can be hugely dangerous

Of course stupidity often gets a party in those situations

 

[reveal]

Sorry, but you're flat-out wrong; it's simple ignorance of (and arrogance generated by) one's position as DM. If you're holding all the cards and sit on high, everything your PCs do may well look stupid to you. Come down from your mountain for five minutes and realize that.

I do, however, acknowledge that good players make bad choices, but that's not what I'm talking about here. I've seen way too many DMs with low self-esteem and scores to settle with the real world take it out on their players, laughing at them outright when they walk into the DM's 'I'll make them all pay for my miserable life' TPK scenario. Of course, they later play it off like the PCs had a chance to begin with and put it all down to player 'stupidity,' which is the kind of which ruins this game for a lot of people.

I never hesitate to take these guys to task for such power-DMing crap. I've even usurped many of their games for doing so, taking every last player with me as a result. You should see their faces when they realize their little world has crumbled beneath their feet.

How about this? Until you've gamed with the DM you're berating and know their actual style and how they play, and NOT infering something from a single quoted word, why don't you just keep your comments to yourself. You have no right to question how a person DMs unless you get some sort of description of how they're running their game.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Hubris.

At low levels, it's the hit point damage, although often that's in combination with a bad saving throw to resist a fireball or somesuch.

At high levels, bad planning more than anything else. I use save-or-dies sparingly (so long as the players do ) so it usually comes down to resource management -- hit points, healing spells, etc.

 

[MrFilthyIke]

Other: Stupid Players

 

[kolvar]

Suicide, the Ankh-Morpork way. Hubris (I won't die, becaue the GM won't let me) the second.

 

[Wraith Form]

Hmm, wonder why "STUPIDITY" isn't an option......




Later - D'OOOOOOOOOH. Filthy, dirty Ike.

 

[Kanegrundar]

I voted other. The main thing that gets PC's killed is stupidity. When the players don't think things through, they die.

Kane

 

[Endur]

Splitting the Party

Most common cause of PC deaths is when the party is split.

Second most common cause of PC deaths is when the party forgets to run and fights a monster they should not.

 

[Telaria]

Technically, it's HP loss.

More honestly, I've seen two major culprits. Stupidity (usually players, sometimes the DM who horribly miscalculates an encounter) or MMIII. For whatever reason, in the group I play with, it as an absolute given that roughly every other encounter with a creature from the third Monster Manual will result in a character death, or at least a dip into negaitve hit points.

Of course, the real trouble tends to be severe player stupidity ("My wizard with full spells prepared enters into melee!") combined with a creature from MMIII. :\

 

[Nighthawk]

From a game mechanics viewpoint, hp loss is the most common cause I have seen for PC death over the years.

From a non-game mechanics viewpoint, mistakes are the most common cause for PC death. This includes GMs and players. This is very subjective, however, and can provoke strong feelings about the matter.

I tend to dislike using words like "stupid." Such words are used far too often and can be seen as unfairly judgemental.

Both GMs and players should keep in mind that other folk reading what is posted is not necessarily the complete story.