Save... OR DIE!

[Ave Rage]

This is the first time I've ever spent two weeks on a character, getting pumped to play an awesome paladin of Torm and he goes down in one spell.

Rolled 1 + 'slay living' = good bye god child. Man that was a kick in the jimmy. The worst part about it was almost immediatly after I fell, the rest of the party finally got thier act together and slowly killed him. Also without a second to pause for my characters death, they leapt onto his coarpse like jakals. "I get his sword!" "I get his cloak!" None of them care enough to save a finger or go on a quest to bring him back so he's gone for good.

I told the GM if he wanted he could bring the dead character back as a villian. Maybe after being let down by his god (and those he fought with) he'll come back for vengence. Earlier in the day he failed to save a town from a demon so he was pretty bummed about that.

So, now that I don't want to care too much about the character I made a neutral Druid who is probably just going to hang back and sit in a tree while the others fight, only to swoop down and steal an item or two when the fighting is over.

I know I'm not the first so what I wanted to ask was what did you guys do to ensure that your guy doesn't go the 1st round ko route again? I already know about the luck domain but I dont want to play another cleric for a bit.

 

[BlackMoria]

Buy the 3.5E PHB.

Ok, just kidding....

Still, 3.5E is toning down the save or die spells, so my original statement above is one solution.

Otherwise, with the save or die stuff, you just gotta accept the fact that sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear eats you.

Or adventure with more considerate comrades who are inclined to cart your remains back to be raised.

Or buy Ghostwalk, and cart your own remains back...

 

[Darkness]

Buy the 3.5E PHB.

Ok, just kidding....

Still, 3.5E is toning down the save or die spells, so my original statement above is one solution.

Of course, depending on his exact level (and, more importantly, hit points), whether the game was 3.0 or 3.5 might not have made that much of a difference, IYKWIMAITYD.

 

[KingOfChaos]

So, now that I don't want to care too much about the character I made a neutral Druid who is probably just going to hang back and sit in a tree while the others fight, only to swoop down and steal an item or two when the fighting is over.

I wouldn't. I would play an incompetent druid who accidently calls down pillars of streaming flame down on the party's heads during combat, explaining later that "I was only trying to help and I am sure the hair will grow back, one day".

Only a slightly related note, I had my wizard slain by a Call Lightning spell in Nightfall's SL IRC campaign last week, so save or die spells aren't the only ones that kill

 

[Darkness]

Re: Re: Save... OR DIE!

I would play an incompetent druid who accidently calls down pillars of streaming flame down on the party's heads during combat, explaining later that "I was only trying to help and I am sure the hair will grow back, one day".

Hey, that's pretty cool, actually...
I don't think I'd allow someone to play a "revenge PC" in a supposedly cooperative campaign. But a PC who's not out for revenge, but instead just honestly incompetent, would be a perfectly acceptable new recruit for a group of soulless, powergaming looters.

 

[Ravellion]

Discuss, In character, what you want to happen if your character falls in combat.

"Men, we shall overcome great evil today if the gods let us. If, by any ill fortune on our part, any of us fall, I expect that we get back to a temple of your patron deity and restore you to life to fight again"

The probelm here was with your fellow players, only partly with the save or die spell.

Rav

 

[Ave Rage]

Re: Re: Re: Save... OR DIE!

Hey, that's pretty cool, actually...
I don't think I'd allow someone to play a "revenge PC" in a supposedly cooperative campaign. But a PC who's not out for revenge, but instead just honestly incompetent, would be a perfectly acceptable new recruit for a group of soulless, powergaming looters.

I figured my new druid would have been watching all of this taking place while in a tree somewhere and know exactly what the mentality of this group was. I wouldn't 'call lightning' on the fighter but I definantly wont tumble through five monsters to slap a heal on anyone either.

 

[Darkness]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Save... OR DIE!

Ok. As long as his main goal isn't the annihilation of the party (or at least those who killed your previous character), it's all good IMO.

 

[Urbannen]

There are only two things you can do to avoid insta-kill spells:

1) Improve your saves through feats and items. However, this in no way will protect you from rolling a 1. You roll a 1, you die.

2) Get your enemy before he gets you with your own insta-kill.

3) Superior divination magic and information gathering skills allow you to identify and eliminate insta-kill spellcasters before they strike. (Yeah, right!)

4) Magic spells like Spell Resistance and Death Magic. If you don't have the right spell, you still die though.

5) There's an item from MoF, some kind of tattered black cloak that absorbs death magic aimed at you. There must be other items that can protect you from death spells.

6) Potion of mirror image

Hey, that's more than 2 things!

Edit: thought of another way.

 

[Ave Rage]

There are only two things you can do to avoid insta-kill spells:

1) Improve your saves through feats and items. However, this in no way will protect you from rolling a 1. You roll a 1, you die.

2) Get your enemy before he gets you with your own insta-kill.

3) Superior divination magic and information gathering skills allow you to identify and eliminate insta-kill spellcasters before they strike. (Yeah, right!)


Edit: thought of another way.

I had +15 to fort, being a paladin with 20 charisma and a great constitution. So yeah, it was just a big fluke.

I was able to bring the death cleric down to 1/6th of his health in 2 swings of my greatsword. I guess my kills weren't insta-enough : /

So I guess the best defense is the Leadership feat and a lil' buddy cleric with a crystal ball, eh?