NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MrMyth" data-source="post: 5276673" data-attributes="member: 61155">Oy, wish I could offer more information. The adventure was a Living Greyhawk mod, "Have Tome, Will Travel". I remember that the party was traveling across the Sheldomar looking for a number of important books of magic.  In this case, I seem to recall we knew that it could be found at this cabin, and possibly suspected something had happened to the owner. But no indication of exactly what. Our attempt to find out resulted in the rogue's death. Sure, he could have made his save - though as a rogue, his Fort save was poor, and he was pretty likely to fail.  Now, could the DM have provided information giving a 'heads-up' that a Bodak was inside? Having the cabin surrounded by animals that all apparently died of fright, or some such? Sure, he could. But the system doesn't indicate he should do so.  The plot could well have reasons why that wouldn't work (say, the Bodak is chained inside as a guardian.)  This idea that Save or Dies are 'fair' because the party has to screw up to face them just doesn't match with their presence in the game. Monsters have them, potentially with little warning that they have them until you are already making save. Many spellcasters have them. Poisonous creatures might have them.  Do you always walk around with dozens of high-level spell buffs designed to deflect any possible death saves? Sure, though that gets into the danger of PC vs DM 'one-upsmanship', and still leaves mid-level characters out of luck.  If Save or Dies were truly rare, and were confined to a small side-section of the rules, and included detailed instructions and guidance for DMs to prep players for them and 'give them a fighting chance'... that, I could go for.  But that's not how it is, and you can't blame the DM for not presenting the encounter 'right' when this is how the system presents it to him. </blockquote>

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