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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steverooo" data-source="post: 1368898" data-attributes="member: 9410">1) Unearthed Arcana's "Armor as DR" rule - Scale Mail (+4 AC) reduces four points of lethal damage to Subdual, and provides four points worth of damage reduction to that non-lethal damage, as well...  So a Fighter-1 who gets hit with a sword for 1D8+2, taking 6 HP of damage, takes two points of lethal damage, and four points of subdual, which the armor absorbs.  (Sorry, not sure if Shield Bonuses work the same way, or not).Were he lucky enough to find fullplate, he would have eight points of protection!  Since you won't have much magical damage, this will greatly help in keeping armored PCs alive!  (Also note that DR doesn't apply to fire, cold, acid, etc.  It is not Energy Resistance; so breath weapons, etc., are not reduced!)2) Nanorian Stones - Michael Moorcock, the author of the Elric saga, invented these magical heartstones, sometimes found in certain creatures from the lower planes, which had magical properties...  Among their reputed powers were the ability to grant wishes, and bring the dead back to life!In 1e, there was (IIRC) a 5% chance that any Balor with 101+ HP had one at its heart...  Not much help to PCs in a low-magic campaign, but if they found one in a treasure hoard, somewhere...Also, Bardic Knowledge might reveal where the great hero Cwm fell in battle against Scatha, and the PCs with a dead friend might quest to see if they can find one, there...3) The Amber Solution - Zelazney's Amber was supposed to be the "one true reality", which all the others were reflections of...  Travelling among the others, the Amberites sometimes met reflections of themselves, who were just (or pretty much) like them...So, if a PC is a "Child of Prophecy", or somesuch, and dies, you can pop up another version of them from elsewhere.  It's not really the best solution, but it might work.4) Catman! - The PCs are (unknown to them) all scions of the King of Cats, and each have nine lives.  At death, they disappear, reappearing (say) one week later, with no knowledge of what happened...5) I Dream of Djinni - A PC saves the life of a woman being abused by a thug in the marketplace.  Thereafter, she refuses to leave him, saying he has saved her life, and she has a "debt of honor" to repay.  Try as they might, the PCs can't seem to get rid of her...Actually, she is a Djinni Princess, and cannot leave until she has saved the life of "her" PC on three separate occasions.  After that, she will POOF!  She grants no other services, and saves all her magic for either defending herself, or her PC.  She does not engage in combat.6) We're Immortals - Highlander-style.  The PCs can die, but they come back after a few rounds, regenerating.  Unknown to them, there is a single way to kill each one of them, but it's never the same!  One may need his head taken off, another require piercing the base of his brain, another can only be drowned, another burned, one takes acid damage, another electrical, etc.  Whatever their weakness is, they don't regenerate from it...The best way to do this is NOT to tell the PCs about it, until one of them dies!  After that, when they get careless, let them face whatever it is that they are not immune to, and have to heal slowly.  Keep them guessing about why some things hurt and others don't!Not only does this keep them on their toes, but it also provides a reason for the group to be together...  They're all special, in their own way, and want to find out how and why...  Also, be sure to provide at least one NPC with the same power, and kill him off, at the appropriate time.  It should be done after the PCs begin realizing that each has a weakness, and that they can be hurt...  The NPC's death will come as quite a shock to them, and be a warning that any of them can die...7) The Contest - Once a year, a spellcaster with the ability to raise the dead holds some sort of competition, of the GM's choice...  It is a team event, and everyone who has a chance wants to enter!  The winner, of course, gets a raise dead, usable then or later.  This won't help, much, as it is only once/year, and even then, only one PC, and that's IF you manage to win!8) Change the Rules! - Death doesn't occur at -10 HP, it begins at -10 (at first level, as a minimum), but when HPs rise above 10, it takes a number of negative HPs equal to your full positive HPs to kill you...  You still pass out a zero, and you still bleed 1 HP/round, until stabilized.  You can still die, and will likely spend days being unconscious, but will die less often.9) Healing Plants - Make Profession:Herbalist more powerful, with a wealth of nearly magical healing plants that can be quested for... IF you know where to go looking!  Maybe they can't raise the dead, but they can heal those still clinging to life!  Donaldson had his Mirenna berries, Tolkien his Athelas, and I'm sure there are other examples.Also, certain plants (if used correctly) can produce other "magical" results...  Low-light vision from some extract of carrots, perhaps?  The ability to breathe at high altitudes, immunity to poisons, brewing cloves of Thurl for a tea that cures 1D4 HPs, etc.  There are several collections of such plants on the internet...</blockquote>

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