Whether or not death is a possible outcome is 100% a preference thing, not some kind of mandatory element that spoils the game if removed.
I agree that it is a preference thing, but given the number of players at the table - at least a few (and likely the majority) will desire the default mode of the game. At a minimum: making such a rule change clear beforehand would be expected.
I agree that it is a preference thing, but given the number of players at the table - at least a few (and likely the majority) will desire the default mode of the game. At a minimum: making such a rule change clear beforehand would be expected.
Which is why my first post in the thread suggested the OP talk it over with their players to learn their preference.
Personally, I think he should die. If the characters think of a way to get past this then coodos to them, but here's the thing if you write in a way for them take that down you strip the players of their autonomy. D&D tries to be realistic (Even though it's fantasy) in these types of things at least to me. If you make a major mistake in reality there is no easy shortcut out of it, and if you there is then there's something not being said there. To conclude, let the players deal with it. Maybe write in a helping hand to guide the character back to life, but don't make it easy. They need their actions to affect their stories.
Aftermath: I talked to the player out of game, they were prepared to have the character die but wanted to keep him alive. He started the next session at 9 hp, quickly lost 4, and then went into extreme survival mode. He made it through a boss fight by essentially hiding the whole time and then the party went on a desperate endurance run through the day, night, and into the next day to get to the closest temple for help.
They moved so fast they didn't bother to do a short rest and identify the remove curse scroll they got from killing the big bad (lol). Now they need to put down a mad treant in return for the priest at the temple they went to removing the curse.
I’d let it play out. Perhaps the character will have a glorious death with 9 hit points against the boss... or maybe the PC will die ingloriously.
The reality is this isn’t some random fluke that will lead to the PC’s potential death. It is a clear and obvious consequence of a series of actions the player took and decisions the player made.
Games are all about choices. If your choices in game don’t matter, it is not a good game.
I usually preface my games with a disclaimer that PC death is on the table and that I don’t fudge, fiat or change the game to prevent it from happening. I clearly communicate this to my players ahead of time.
5. You also warned them ahead of time about dangerous creatures they can't defeat.
Yeah... it sounds like you are ok to kill off his character here. Death is part of the game! In combat, if death is not a possibility, then there is no risk. If there is no risk, there is no challenge. If there is no challenge, then the combats could get boring.
You can tell the bard player doesn't fear death or he wouldn't have done what he did. It sound like he's calling your bluff as a DM. I've played in games where the DM was a pushover and the players would run headlong into situations because they knew the DM would bail them out. Don't be that DM. ;)
You really don't even owe the guy an explanation as he clearly brought this on himself.
Sounds like a good solution, and oddly similar to something that happened in one of my games recently. The wizard looted a spell book including, remove curse and several other spells, but never actually opened it. Several sessions and in game days later the party have a mummy to deal with and it starts rotting one of her companions, another session and a couple of in game days after this a 3rd party member suggests checking what is in the spell book. Until the 3rd player stepped in I was considering including someone who would remove, or at least slow the curse for an exorbitant fee, or some other method of saving the character at a cost.
In your situation speaking to the players is how I would have handled it too, if the party want crazy antics like that to regularly be in the game then dm saves the day might be a good idea, if some degree of peril and consequence is important to the party then taking "I regret nothing" at their word and making the cure difficult or outright unavailable is entirely fair.
Personally, I think he should die. If the characters think of a way to get past this then coodos to them, but here's the thing if you write in a way for them take that down you strip the players of their autonomy. D&D tries to be realistic (Even though it's fantasy) in these types of things at least to me. If you make a major mistake in reality there is no easy shortcut out of it, and if you there is then there's something not being said there. To conclude, let the players deal with it. Maybe write in a helping hand to guide the character back to life, but don't make it easy. They need their actions to affect their stories.
Aftermath: I talked to the player out of game, they were prepared to have the character die but wanted to keep him alive. He started the next session at 9 hp, quickly lost 4, and then went into extreme survival mode. He made it through a boss fight by essentially hiding the whole time and then the party went on a desperate endurance run through the day, night, and into the next day to get to the closest temple for help.
They moved so fast they didn't bother to do a short rest and identify the remove curse scroll they got from killing the big bad (lol). Now they need to put down a mad treant in return for the priest at the temple they went to removing the curse.
Good times were had by all.
Let the bard character die and let him play as a zombie/ghul whoes soul will be trapped in that body as long as they do not kill the boss ;)
I’d let it play out. Perhaps the character will have a glorious death with 9 hit points against the boss... or maybe the PC will die ingloriously.
The reality is this isn’t some random fluke that will lead to the PC’s potential death. It is a clear and obvious consequence of a series of actions the player took and decisions the player made.
Games are all about choices. If your choices in game don’t matter, it is not a good game.
I usually preface my games with a disclaimer that PC death is on the table and that I don’t fudge, fiat or change the game to prevent it from happening. I clearly communicate this to my players ahead of time.
That’s epic!
It takes a lot of skill to survive with 5 hp at that level. :)
So let's go down the list.
1. He jumped on the mummy's back.
2. On it's back, he stabbed it.
3. He never moved away from it.
4. Yells "I regret nothing!" before stabbing it.
5. You also warned them ahead of time about dangerous creatures they can't defeat.
Yeah... it sounds like you are ok to kill off his character here. Death is part of the game! In combat, if death is not a possibility, then there is no risk. If there is no risk, there is no challenge. If there is no challenge, then the combats could get boring.
You can tell the bard player doesn't fear death or he wouldn't have done what he did. It sound like he's calling your bluff as a DM. I've played in games where the DM was a pushover and the players would run headlong into situations because they knew the DM would bail them out. Don't be that DM. ;)
You really don't even owe the guy an explanation as he clearly brought this on himself.
Sounds like a good solution, and oddly similar to something that happened in one of my games recently. The wizard looted a spell book including, remove curse and several other spells, but never actually opened it. Several sessions and in game days later the party have a mummy to deal with and it starts rotting one of her companions, another session and a couple of in game days after this a 3rd party member suggests checking what is in the spell book. Until the 3rd player stepped in I was considering including someone who would remove, or at least slow the curse for an exorbitant fee, or some other method of saving the character at a cost.
In your situation speaking to the players is how I would have handled it too, if the party want crazy antics like that to regularly be in the game then dm saves the day might be a good idea, if some degree of peril and consequence is important to the party then taking "I regret nothing" at their word and making the cure difficult or outright unavailable is entirely fair.
The answer to both questions is yes.