D&D 5E Need a safety net for 1st level characters -- it's complicated

[77IM]

I'd play with the Instant Death Threshold, since that's the real wrinkle. If you stay 1st level long enough, you are statistically likely to be killed instantly at some point; but at 3rd level and beyond, it becomes increasingly unlikely that a PC will be killed outright, ever.

Mathematically, I'm not sure what a good middle ground is. Maybe a threshold of -(Constitution score + 1/2 your hit points) or something, so that it starts off better and then scales up more gradually.

 

[Chaosmancer]

If you have a cleric dedicated to healing and enough potions of healing it will rarely be a problem.

I'm a fan of Critical Role run by Matt Mercer (look up on youtube or geek and sundry if you haven't heard of it, it is amazing) and he's been very clear that death is a real force and a real scare in his world. To the point where when a player gets downed the first reactions of the next several players are to figure out ways to get their ally back on their feet. Use an action to administer a potion, save your ally and then get them away from the danger zone if possible. It lets them get the feelings of intense combat.

I'd also advocate for just skipping to 3rd level. Makes so much more sense to me mechanically.

 

[Pssthpok]

Simple solution: just decide what you actually want: a gritty game, or a safety-netted game. You quite literally can't have both, OP.

 

[GSHamster]

Perhaps consider something like a PC cannot die in combat. If she would die, she is simply knocked unconscious. However, if this does happen to her, she suffers a significant injury (broken arm, fever, etc.) that cannot be magically healed. Or at least, can't be healed instantly, maybe magical healing reduces healing a broken arm from 6 weeks to 1 week.

That way you do get a certain amount of grittiness, but PCs don't outright die.

 

[MarkB]

Once the characters get a few levels under their belts, they will be able to interact with that world on it's terms, so that even though they avoid death like the plague, and it can be a big setback, it should still be an enjoyable setback (occasionally losing is part of the fun of playing).

For this particular campaign set in this world, conceptually and mechanically I want them starting off at 1st level and staying at low levels for a while. (I've slowed down advancement significantly.) I find low levels provide experiences that go away (or have to be forced by artificially inflating challenges) at higher levels. I want the players to get a good opportunity to really experience multiple adventures at each level before moving on.

These two paragraphs right here seem totally contradictory. In the first, you state that your game-world is one that the characters won't be able to interact with properly until they get a few levels under their belts, and in the second, you state an intention to not allow them to attain those levels for an extended period.

That just sounds like a really bad time for the players, as they spend ages living with characters who not only have very few options available to them, but are also so ineffectual with the options they do have that they hardly dare do anything more dangerous than crossing the street.

Also, in this campaign, there are both in-world and out-of-world reasons for not allowing a player to lose their character permanently.

It would definitely be beneficial to know what some of those reasons are. Can the characters still exist in the world as NPCs, or do they need to remain in the hands of the players? What happens if you have a turnover of players, or if someone decides they want to switch to a different character?

You've stated that a character cannot be lost permanently, but can one be lost for an extended period? Like, they lose a character, the player starts a new character, and then at some point when they're higher level, they attempt to get that person raised.

But overall, this does seem like a situation where you ought to make a choice - is there the possibility of real, permanent death in this campaign or isn't there? Go with one or the other and deal with the consequences - trying to do both is liable to be more trouble than it's worth.

 

[Wrathamon]

I agree with GSHamster ...

I would add that PCs cannot die in Combat until a threshold is hit of significant injuries, PC only has so much fate before time runs out.


Fate
Fate gives PCs a chance to survive in a gritty world, but fate isn't alway pretty. If a blow or failed save would kill a PC, Fate might intervene and the character may live, but at a cost. Roll on a Chart/Draw a Card that determines the mark fate has left. Physical attacks would leave physical injuries, magic might leave strange effects, and if it was more a mental blow maybe a psychosis is formed. Once a player's Fate has run out, Death will come knocking. A character saved by fate is unconscious for 1d4 hours and their mark cannot be cure with time or magic (or it requires very powerful magic). Only DM Rewards can remove them. Make quests or treasure rewards that remove a mark.
Fate can also be rewarded in the rarest of circumstances.

I would avoid magic item that resurrects. It can be stolen, lost, or feel like a huge bummer when it runs out of power. What it's gone?

If the fate concept doesn't fit your world ... but the next idea might be too crazy. Characters have 9 Lives... like cats. Each time they die, they are resurrected (random time after death). Each time they die, they may get a Boon or Bane.
Boons are special little quirks that might help the player, while banes may be negative. To avoid characters from killing themselves and getting awesome abilities you may say banes are doubled if you commit suicide.

 

[GX.Sigma]

Once the characters get a few levels under their belts, they will be able to interact with that world on it's terms, so that even though they avoid death like the plague, and it can be a big setback, it should still be an enjoyable setback (occasionally losing is part of the fun of playing).

Here's an enjoyable setback: Your character is dead. Make a new one.

Not an enjoyable setback: You spend 5000 gp and you're right as rain.

Also, in this campaign, there are both in-world and out-of-world reasons for not allowing a player to lose their character permanently.

Can you give an example of some of those reasons?

 

[Bawylie]

Scrap it. Start again. Figure out which of these priorities is more important.

Remember, you can't have everything.

 

[Gillywonka]

I like gritty better myself and its what i use. Why not let them raise from levels 1 and 2 as normal. That way they have a few HP behind them and arent quite as fragile. (Someone mentioned starting at 3rd level which is a good idea as well). With things being more gritty, players tend to think more and do things in a more 'common sense' manner. Even so, sometimes people die by their decisions. If this happens, so be it, such is life and time to roll a new PC. But if PCs keep dying, maybe the challenge is too hard... then again, it could be poor preparation and execution on the party's part. Certainly monitor and adjust as needed. But again, if PCs die because of assanine decisions, well, darwinian theory should kick in

Now with all that being said, if it cannot be that a party member is permanently dead, then your giving them script immunity it seems. No matter what they do, they know its essential to your story for them not to die, so, throw caution to the wind. What if they refuse to spend 5000 gp and would rather just roll a new PC? Is it possible to adjust your story? Or maybe cause their living is essential, dont go gritty (but you can still die in a non-gritty, so back to square 1). Or, maybe just focus on telling a good story and giving the players a good experience. Don't really focus on the gritty or death part. I mean it can still happen, but, the story must go on. (Seems there's a bit of catch 22 inherent with your set up, so maybe edit the set up)

 

[Rya.Reisender]

I just found the following section in the adventurer's league rules in the "Death" section:

Faction Charity.
If the character is of level 1 to 4 and
a member of a faction, the dead character’s body can
be returned to civilization and a patron from the faction
ensures that he or she receives a raise dead spell.
However, any character invoking this charity forfeits all
XP and rewards from that session (even those earned
prior to death during that session), and cannot replay
that episode or adventure with that character again.
Once a character reaches 5th level, this option is no
longer available.