We are just a few sessions into the game, with the party at level two and although no-one has died there has been a couple of close-run death saves to be rolled. I see my role l as a DM to present an adventure where the party just about scrapes through, without a TPK and ideally without a death that bins a character that the player is already invested in. However, death may happen and at low levels I can't imagine there's much way back from it. The party doesn't have access to Revivify and the higher level options such as Raise Dead and Reincarnate would likely be out of their price range too without some sort of deus ex machina from myself.
So, how do people tend to handle PC death at low levels. Re-roll and get over it? A machine from god? Pretend it never happened? Cheers for any advice?
If the player is kind of attached to the character in question, then death is just a plot hook to more story. Friendly NPCs or other, more opportunistic or predatory, interested factions may pay for the character to be raised from the dead, generally at some cost that the party has to then work off via via some side quest.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
I agree, a pc death is a plot hook for another adventure, whether its revenge, revival, or a proper funeral with a trip back to their homelands.
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" The Shadow Monarch is the ultimate expression of a "One Man Army" even in a team Setting his minions would act as meat shields for the allies while going on the Offensive, maybe in future version I will develop tactics and formations for the minions so the minions and party won't easily be decimated by random monsters or even the character's current enemies."
About two and a half years ago, when my group began our current campaign, my draconic sorcerer got killed about ninety minutes into the first session. I mean, he was first level, had a whopping eight whole hit points, and had an over-inflated sense of his own capabilities. So... yeah.
But! We did at least accomplish the mission we were sent on! (We had been sent to do a swap to find out who was selling dragon eggs on the black market).
The guy who had given us the job was apparently a member of the Zhentarim. So he arranged for a Raise Dead spell to be cast on me IF the rogue/assassin in our group would join the Zhentarim and do occasional errands for them.
As it turns out, those errands have developed into many of the central story arcs that have been driving our entire campaign.
So... yeah. Characters sometimes die. It's sad. As players we often invest a tremendous amount of effort, and care, and emotional connection into a character, so that death can really hit hard. As a DM, we have to balance the integrity of the gameplay and the narrative element of the character's own story line.
There are basically two ways of dealing with low level character death. The first is to give the character a glorious death. Let the character go out with a bang. Give the player the sense that the death was not in vain, and that their character will always live on in the bard's songs. Maybe their next character had a connection to the last one. A child avenging a fallen parent. A young upstart inspired by a bard's song. Maybe the new character was part of the group that killed that character, and who has changed sides and is looking to atone.
The other is to remember that the world in which these characters live is much bigger than the adventuring party. There are organizations out there that can raise the dead. There are factions who have agendas of their own and who could use daring new members. There are people who are willing to make deals, and to form alliances. And if those alliances are built on a life-and-death pact, so much the better. So give the party a connection.
It's as simple as dropping a fork in a tavern.
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Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
Thanks for the advice. I'm at least now decided that fudging a deus ex machina would be a bad idea in that circumstance. It would remove all peril from the campaign I think. So, deaths happen and I'll simply make any future deaths as meaningful in the short and long term as possible
No death is unimportant, even the death of an NPC can shake a party. My Sunday group is still trying to confirm the death of the man they had been trying to meet up with since session 1. Right now they are in the Evil Dead version of the 1st level of Hell.
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" The Shadow Monarch is the ultimate expression of a "One Man Army" even in a team Setting his minions would act as meat shields for the allies while going on the Offensive, maybe in future version I will develop tactics and formations for the minions so the minions and party won't easily be decimated by random monsters or even the character's current enemies."
Personally, bad luck, poor planning and stupidity always lead to PC deaths, and thats a good thing. In my campaigns, even super high level characters cant just undo death. They die, then they learn a lesson. And thats okay. If the player wants to still be a part of the adventure, then make another character with them and write it into the plot in a natural, organic way.
We are just a few sessions into the game, with the party at level two and although no-one has died there has been a couple of close-run death saves to be rolled. I see my role l as a DM to present an adventure where the party just about scrapes through, without a TPK and ideally without a death that bins a character that the player is already invested in. However, death may happen and at low levels I can't imagine there's much way back from it. The party doesn't have access to Revivify and the higher level options such as Raise Dead and Reincarnate would likely be out of their price range too without some sort of deus ex machina from myself.
So, how do people tend to handle PC death at low levels. Re-roll and get over it? A machine from god? Pretend it never happened? Cheers for any advice?
If the player is kind of attached to the character in question, then death is just a plot hook to more story. Friendly NPCs or other, more opportunistic or predatory, interested factions may pay for the character to be raised from the dead, generally at some cost that the party has to then work off via via some side quest.
I agree, a pc death is a plot hook for another adventure, whether its revenge, revival, or a proper funeral with a trip back to their homelands.
About two and a half years ago, when my group began our current campaign, my draconic sorcerer got killed about ninety minutes into the first session. I mean, he was first level, had a whopping eight whole hit points, and had an over-inflated sense of his own capabilities. So... yeah.
But! We did at least accomplish the mission we were sent on! (We had been sent to do a swap to find out who was selling dragon eggs on the black market).
The guy who had given us the job was apparently a member of the Zhentarim. So he arranged for a Raise Dead spell to be cast on me IF the rogue/assassin in our group would join the Zhentarim and do occasional errands for them.
As it turns out, those errands have developed into many of the central story arcs that have been driving our entire campaign.
So... yeah. Characters sometimes die. It's sad. As players we often invest a tremendous amount of effort, and care, and emotional connection into a character, so that death can really hit hard. As a DM, we have to balance the integrity of the gameplay and the narrative element of the character's own story line.
There are basically two ways of dealing with low level character death. The first is to give the character a glorious death. Let the character go out with a bang. Give the player the sense that the death was not in vain, and that their character will always live on in the bard's songs. Maybe their next character had a connection to the last one. A child avenging a fallen parent. A young upstart inspired by a bard's song. Maybe the new character was part of the group that killed that character, and who has changed sides and is looking to atone.
The other is to remember that the world in which these characters live is much bigger than the adventuring party. There are organizations out there that can raise the dead. There are factions who have agendas of their own and who could use daring new members. There are people who are willing to make deals, and to form alliances. And if those alliances are built on a life-and-death pact, so much the better. So give the party a connection.
It's as simple as dropping a fork in a tavern.
Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
Anzio Faro. Lvl 5 Prot. Aasimar Light Cleric.
Thanks for the advice. I'm at least now decided that fudging a deus ex machina would be a bad idea in that circumstance. It would remove all peril from the campaign I think. So, deaths happen and I'll simply make any future deaths as meaningful in the short and long term as possible
No death is unimportant, even the death of an NPC can shake a party. My Sunday group is still trying to confirm the death of the man they had been trying to meet up with since session 1. Right now they are in the Evil Dead version of the 1st level of Hell.
Personally, bad luck, poor planning and stupidity always lead to PC deaths, and thats a good thing. In my campaigns, even super high level characters cant just undo death. They die, then they learn a lesson. And thats okay. If the player wants to still be a part of the adventure, then make another character with them and write it into the plot in a natural, organic way.