Other PC death=Not fun

[Psychic Warrior]

I've had 2 PC deaths in my game (I'm the DM) and while both players were bummed that their characters got killed they immediately fell to making new characters before the body was even cold. I really appreciate players like that.

 

[Bagpuss]

I have played in a game once with no PC death and I had a lot more fun than I did with ones with it.

What was the the adventure? Did you brave the dreaded "Halls of Harsh Language", or do battle in the "Ice caves of the Nasty Chill", or worst of all attempt to leap the "Pit of of Certain Light Bruising and a Possible Slight Graze"?

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Look at the bright side: you get his stuff

My DM pretty much always destroys dead PCs stuff, granted my character would have buried it with him anyways as he was a Barbarian and he would need them for his next life.

Bagpuss: None of those, but I had a lot of fun.

Was I having badwrong fun?

 

[Bagpuss]

Generally with the ease of Raise Dead in 3rd Ed, when a PC dies its in a situation where you can't recover their body or their stuff. That or the rest of the party are too cheap to shell out for Raise Dead, or even if they pawn the characters stuff to pay for the spell.

Drowning, falling down bottomless pits, into lavaflows, etc. etc. Death from such things as swords and stuff is generally temporary (unless you are like me and decline raise spells).

Galeros: Glad you took my comment with the humour that was intended.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Bagpuss: None of those, but I had a lot of fun.

Was I having badwrong fun?

From the sound of it, PCs could have died, they just didn't. I think it's only natural that you'd feel better about that, because your group obviously played well and overcame the challenges and dangers.

The question is, would you have the same sense of fun and satisfaction if there had been no real danger of PC death?

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Bagpuss: At our current level we can not afford a Raise Dead, and the DM rips up character sheets anways, and even if he did not the other PC are all greedy and will not give up a copper for anyone else. This is not too much of a problem as the DM made some decent premade characters so that if someone dies then he lets us pick one that would be appropriate to the group at the time. The player whose PC died will be playing a Paladin.

Philotomy: Yes, I would still have fun if there was no risk of character death. Ideally for me the fun of the game is about the interactions between the PCs who have all become friends with each other. It kind of ruins RP for me if none of the original adventurers are even left.

 

[Endur]

Death is a Tragedy

Death is a Tragedy, so of course you should be sad when a pc dies.

 

[gizmo33]

Was I having badwrong fun?

No, if your DM is destroying equipment that your PC could have ghoulishly scavaged off the body, then he's the one having badwrong fun!

You could propose to your DM, instead of death, that when a character would have normally died in the game, he's reduced to 0 hp instead and the player is forced to compose a poem in honor of the creature that killed him, and read it aloud to the group.

 

[Henry]

Bagpuss: At our current level we can not afford a Raise Dead, and the DM rips up character sheets anways, and even if he did not the other PC are all greedy and will not give up a copper for anyone else. This is not too much of a problem as the DM made some decent premade characters so that if someone dies then he lets us pick one that would be appropriate to the group at the time. The player whose PC died will be playing a Paladin.

Philotomy: Yes, I would still have fun if there was no risk of character death. Ideally for me the fun of the game is about the interactions between the PCs who have all become friends with each other. It kind of ruins RP for me if none of the original adventurers are even left.

Differences in my play style:

I wouldn't rip up character sheets. Even beyond raise dead spells, there's reincarnations, either of which a holy man might perform if your group promised some favor to him in exchange for the return to life. Plus, some people like to keep characters they grew fond of, as a keepsake, or to run in another game in the future.

I could see running a game with no death, if it were substituted with for instance a debilitating defect, or a "miraculously clinging to life" rule that meant they couldn't be healed in-combat, but take at least 24 hours to get to the negative 10 state, and healable. If a whole party did something very foolish and were downed, then it's time for a new game.

There's nothing wrong with no character death, as long as your group's still having fun with it, but then, that's kind of an automatic assumption 'round these parts.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Philotomy: Yes, I would still have fun if there was no risk of character death.

Well, that's what counts. Does the rest of your group see it the same way? If so, then there's no problem. Count yourself lucky if that's the case -- I would think that finding a group that agrees to "PC death not allowed" would be difficult.