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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Charlaquin" data-source="post: 7288129" data-attributes="member: 6779196">I can think of at least one series where characters regularly die at times that traditional storytelling wisdom of the genre would indicate are not good for the story. You know the one I mean.  It still manages to tell a very compelling story. Characters dying at inopportune times can bring  those characters’ narrative arcs to an abrupt stop  without a satisfying conclusion yes, but whether or not that is a bad thing for the overarching narrative depends on what the writer does with that loss.One character dying does not end the story. It ends that character’s Story. And yes, it feels bad, and it’s a stupid, tragic waste of all the potential that character still had. Just like death in real life. The fact that character death can make us experience in microcosm the same emotions as death in real life makes it an incredibly powerful storytelling tool. Of course, you are free to reserve it for moments you deem narratively appropriate if you like, but I (and I think most DMs) prefer to let it happen organically. Part of the appeal of D&D is the semi-immergent nature of the stories we tell with it.As for consequences of death, I think the aforementioned loss of that character’s potential is consequence enough for character death. If you want to come back in with a new character, you are welcome to do so at the same level and experience as your characters who died - the game has taken enough from you without taking your leveling progress too. On the other hand, if you’re not ready to let that character go, there are options. This is a world of magic, after all. But, Resurrection should be an arduous process so as not to trivialize the loss associated with a character’s death. It’s not as simple as just running to the local temple and handing over the appropriate amount of gold. In a world where diamonds are 1-ups, the diamond trade is going to be very strictly controlled, most likely by the church of the setting’s god of death. If you want to undo the cutting of a character’s narrative thread, it’d better be damn well narratively justified. This is where I toss aside my notes for the main story and get to work on a sidequest.</blockquote>

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