[5e] PC Death Thread

[crkrueger]

Not "near death" like Rob's example which was near in a sorta galactic sense, but actual PC DEATH, as in needing a Raise Dead.

Who, What, Where, When, How...
Ready, set, go...

[Exploderwizard]

None yet. We have only had three sessions of actual play so far.

[Simlasa]

None in our 5e games either, not even close really.
We haven't had a whole lot of combat though... a lone assassin/mage and some lizardmen.

[Blacky the Blackball]

In my first 5e group, who have hit 5th level by now (they started playing using the playtest rules) I've had one death - to a save-or-die poison trap, despite the character having advantage on the save - and I can't remember how many close calls. They took the body back to town and paid for the character to get raised.

In my second 5e group (who have been playing for a month and just reached 2nd level) we haven't had any deaths yet, but we've repeatedly had close calls with people on the floor and failing one or two of their death checks before being healed. In fact in the last fight of yesterday's game we had three characters all go down in the same fight with one of them only two damage away from being killed outright in a single critical hit from a hobgoblin (this was after they'd reached second level). That fight was fairly touch-and-go and they only just averted a TPK by using some good tactics.

[Bedrockbrendan]

Nevermind. Didn't see the 5E tag.

[Monster Manuel]

I've had one-a 2nd level paladin tried to take on an owlbear alone.

[Sacrosanct]

TPK: Mines of Phandelver in the very first cave with the goblins.  Hit us from multiple sides.

One death in the 1st episode of HotDQ.  Three people went down, but only one full death.


One death in my own Campaign I'm DMing.  Giant ants took out one PC and the rest were able to flee.


Lower level PCs in 5e are rough.  Just like AD&D.  And I don't mind at all

[Critias]

None yet, but we're only one session in.  Two of the three characters were down and making death saves, but that was as far as it got.  I think getting 2nd level (and some solid HP rolls, no less) will help be a bit of a buffer.

[Omega]

Recent online session.

Jannet playing her first, and possibly last halfling ranger. Kefra playing a human fighter and me playing a human warlock. All level 2.

Group was travelling through a swamp and was literally jumped by four Bullywugs and a pair of giant frogs. Me and Kefra have at it with the bullywugs while Jan was ganged up on by the frogs. She dropped one with an arrow before its fellow did a leap and succeeded in getting a bite. And swallowed her whole on the next round.

There wasnt a thing we could do about it as we were dealing with the bullywugs who were alot harder than we expected. 2 attacks a round for a CR 1/4 monster? Suffice to say by the time we cleared that up Jan was DOA from the stomach action and the darn frog was gone. Kefra and myself were pretty dinged up, but miraculously I hadn't been KOed or killed this time. Witch Bolt turned the tide.

Even if we'd been able to kill the frog and cut her out it wouldn't have done any good as not only weren't there any healing temples local that could raise dead. We didn't have the funds to pay for it had there been one. (Though lacking gold I'd have tried bargaining a raise for services.)

Next time we go in the swamp I'm getting and prepping Armour of Agathys first!

Bemusingly we were in the swamp looking for a local druid as an alternative for healing and reincarnation if it came to that. Short rests are vastly over-rated...

The group that I am DMing for on the other hand has not lost anyone yet. Though came close during a one-on-one duel.

[Old One Eye]

None yet.  Two PCs have gone down, but made their death saves.

[iandimitri]

We are four sessions into our 5E campaign. We started play with The Lost Mine of Phandelver. (There is a SPOILER for that adventure below in the details of the 1st character death we experienced.)

The 3rd level party had arrived at a ruined town and set about exploring a tower with a collapsed roof. The party entered the tower observing some dead giant spiders outside the tower that appeared to have been mauled by a beast.

Upon hearing "Who dares enter my lair?" the rash Gnome Barbarian charged up the crumbling stairway to confront the voice, coming face to face with a young green dragon.

The dragon poured his poisonous breath weapon upon the head of the gnome and down the stairway to the party members at the base of the stairs.

The poison gas was more than the poor Bard Mival Siannodel could take.

Mival's lungs burned and the searing pain and poison were more than his respiratory system could handle. Mival fell to the cold stone floor dead as his eyes melted from the poisons as well.

The rest of the party fled (including the gnome who had survived the fumes).

R.I.P. Mival

[Exploderwizard]

First permanent character death happened last night.

When the party is already wounded, tired, and low on resources, it is not the best time for a couple of characters to wander into an unexplored room in a haunted ruined mansion.

The rest of the party was still milling around in a ruined dining hall. A secret door had been located in the fireplace. The dwarven warlock and gnome wizard decided to go through the door and check things out while the rest of the party was still poking around the dining hall.

Bad idea.

Soon after entering the room (an art gallery), four animated suits of armor sprang to life and attacked the wandering fools. ( The players did know that this was supposedly a hauntedmansion).

The warlock beat a hasty retreat back to the dining hall. The gnome was not so fortunate on initiative (I was nice enough not to give the animated armor a surprise round) and was struck twice, one of those hits a crit-and sustained 19 points of damage. The poor gnome had only 6 hit points so she was pulped.

The rest of the party fought the armor in the dining hall. The warlock and the paladin were dropped to 0, and other party members were down to a handful of hit points before defeating the ghastly armor.

The party wisely decided to head back to the inn for a long rest after that.

[Necrozius]

None yet: the half-orc's racial resolute ability saved him three times so far in the Lost Mines of Phandelver from having to make Death Saving Throws. But my players have acknowledged how easily they can die (all three times were one-shots from full health: goblin archers, usually). Needless to say, they resort now to cleverness and guile instead of direct combat.

[estar]

Squirrel an elven wizard was killed by Glasstaff in the fifth or six session. Just gunned him down with Magic Missile. There is also has been three near TPKs two of which boiled down to everybody down and one PC rolling a natural 20 on a death save and was able to get up.

Last session, a 3rd level PC got taken down by three stirges during his watch. Luckily enough party members woke up to take them out and revive the fallen character.

Goblin can ambush
Zombie can save to come back at 1 hp.
Orcs get double moves.

In of themselves the extra abilities don't add much to the monsters however in the right circumstance they are devastating.

Basically a 5e party needs to be on their toes and be well prepared. If they get distracted or scattered around the locale. Things will go south fast in 5e.

[Omega]

Session last weekend ended with the first PC down. A rather irate villainess cultist nailed the groups sorcerer with hold and then proceeded to score two criticals on him next round and he went down instantly.

Made his first death save and if the groups paladin had not made a leaping save and diverted her attention she would have finished him off next round. As was the groups Wizard who was down to around 5 HP from kobold slingers before the dust cleared. Paladin got the Sorcerer back on his feet.

Exiting they very nearly walked right into the violet fungus theyd unknowingly missed on the way in.

The group is certainly learning to respect combats even with things so seemingly simple as a group of kobolds.