My party has reached the level where instant death effects are showing up. I really hate having a player lose a level (or a character) because of one bad roll. I'm considering a house rule where the target drops to -1 hit points instead. Or maybe in should be -3 or -5 or -7.... The idea, of course, is that it's still seriously scary to have happen but gives the character (or the monster!) some hope of pulling through. What do people think?
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Please comment on a house rule
- Thread starter MTR
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trentonjoe
Explorer
I think dropping them to -1 on a death effect is fine. I would also work something in so they couldn't get cured immediately though.
JackRasityr
First Post
Well, I guess I'm less compassionate in the life/death regards. Even at higher levels, there has to be a goodly amount of fatal threats to the party, or else it leaves them to become too cocky and "lazy" in the role-playing department. It gets boring for a DM when the party's 13th level Wizard becomes overly cocky and indiscriminately whizzes fireballs around like a 12-year-old does with spitballs.
So, I say that the fatal rolls of the game must be left in, for the sake of keeping players on their toes. If they get themselves in a situation where such rolls are required, then they either had it coming, or it is something that is, unfortunately, unavoidable.
And if a high-level character does die because of this, then it was just meant to be. (And if they cry, don't poke fun at them until after they leave the room.
)
So, I say that the fatal rolls of the game must be left in, for the sake of keeping players on their toes. If they get themselves in a situation where such rolls are required, then they either had it coming, or it is something that is, unfortunately, unavoidable.
And if a high-level character does die because of this, then it was just meant to be. (And if they cry, don't poke fun at them until after they leave the room.
)
dvvega
Explorer
Since I use a "one round of grace" rule, dropping them to -10 would be a good option if you don't want instant death.
What is "one round of grace"?
Essentially your party cleric has 1 round to save your life, the round you normally "die" on. If say a fireball hit and took you from 5 to -30 and the party cleric could get to you and cast something that took you above -10 then you're alive.
So using this and dropping people to -10 on an instant death effect would work ... however personally, you die ... you die.
What is "one round of grace"?
Essentially your party cleric has 1 round to save your life, the round you normally "die" on. If say a fireball hit and took you from 5 to -30 and the party cleric could get to you and cast something that took you above -10 then you're alive.
So using this and dropping people to -10 on an instant death effect would work ... however personally, you die ... you die.
Thanks for all the ideas.
JackRasityr, if it was a situation where I felt it was their fault that would be one thing. But what about things like beholders or mages with Finger of Death or Implosion or.... Just opening a door, seeing a beholder and getting turned into a little pile of ash - what's a player supposed to do? Now if a player sees a horde of demons and leaps into the middle of it "so I can get lots of Cleave attacks," that's another matter.
dvvega. I like that idea. My party fought giants for the first time recently and boy can those guys dish out damage! The PCs are only 9th level but already both they and their foes can do enough damage to blow right through the 10 hit points you get before dying.
JackRasityr, if it was a situation where I felt it was their fault that would be one thing. But what about things like beholders or mages with Finger of Death or Implosion or.... Just opening a door, seeing a beholder and getting turned into a little pile of ash - what's a player supposed to do? Now if a player sees a horde of demons and leaps into the middle of it "so I can get lots of Cleave attacks," that's another matter.
dvvega. I like that idea. My party fought giants for the first time recently and boy can those guys dish out damage! The PCs are only 9th level but already both they and their foes can do enough damage to blow right through the 10 hit points you get before dying.
We've only had one PC die due to instant death effects so far (massive damage forced a DC 15 fort save, which the paladin failed). Typically, it hasn't been much of a problem (the ruinous combats with dozens of enemies has been much more of a problem, at least for the PCs). Particularly because the paladins have pretty good saves as is, and the two psychic warriors are polyed into trolls, thus giving them a grotesque Con bonus to their Fort save.
By 7th, the wizard (or 8th for the sorceror) can cast Polymorph Other, so unless you've house ruled that out, as long as they're not wandering around town the front-liners can be big and beefy (helps if you use the optional "damage required to force insta-death save changes by size category" rule). Of course, then when their now Troll or Stone Giant fighter gets hit with the Will saves for mind effects, the party is headed for the hurt locker...
Other apparently common house rules to help with the dying problem are to change Death's Door from -10 to - (10 + level, or 10 + (level*2), or Con + Level; the list goes on and on). We actually use the 10 + level rule, and so far it's worked pretty well. More heroic if you have a bit more buffer between knocked down and dead as you go up in level, eh?
By 7th, the wizard (or 8th for the sorceror) can cast Polymorph Other, so unless you've house ruled that out, as long as they're not wandering around town the front-liners can be big and beefy (helps if you use the optional "damage required to force insta-death save changes by size category" rule). Of course, then when their now Troll or Stone Giant fighter gets hit with the Will saves for mind effects, the party is headed for the hurt locker...
Other apparently common house rules to help with the dying problem are to change Death's Door from -10 to - (10 + level, or 10 + (level*2), or Con + Level; the list goes on and on). We actually use the 10 + level rule, and so far it's worked pretty well. More heroic if you have a bit more buffer between knocked down and dead as you go up in level, eh?
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