I was thinking about the subject of lethality in the game and then it suddenly dawned on me that I have not seen one of my 1st level characters die in years. I HAVE seen some 1st level characters die recently, though they are in the minority. I do run a lethal game by my own reckoning but I haven't seen stupid players in quite some time. Also, we just cleared 1st level in Ernie Gygax's Hobby Shop Dungeon game (I'm a cleric, a support character as it were) and no player character died so far.

What about you? How long has it been since a 1st level character of yours died?

21st July 2013, Labyrinth Lord - my 3 hp Cleric-1 Melissa Tyrell was hit by a zombie. She died, but she got better. Praise be to the Holy Fire. :cool:

This is a 'die at 0 hp' campaign, so new PCs die a lot. We played yesterday and didn't lose a PC, but sadly the Holy Fire failed to Raise the guy who'd died the previous session who we'd painfully dragged back from the dungeon. Melissa is 4th level now and hasn't died since.

I mostly play AD&D and Next, and have only seen one level 1 PC die in the past several months?  Not mine at any rate.  Several close calls though.

QuoteHow long has it been since a 1st level D&D character of yours died?  

About 3 weeks.  It was C&C not D&D but, close enough.

I actually lost a 4e character once, which shocked me. But that was only due to the fact the DM did the application of poison and ongoing damage incorrectly... But I don't blame him, as 4e is stupid...

I loved Cradik Brightkiln, Paladin of Moradin. He will be missed.

Quote from: Arduin;705112About 3 weeks.  It was C&C not D&D but, close enough.

Yeah close enough, absolutely.

January playing in a PF E6 game, first level party, random encounter was a CR8 swarm of ants. TPK.

Quote from: Benoist;705116Yeah close enough, absolutely.

They did include one house rule that was around in 1st Ed. Max HP at 1st level.

No first levels but I had a 4th level Pathfinder character go out with a TPK a couple weeks back... and a 10th level last week in Tomb of Horrors but that doesn't really count because being a ToH pre-gen meant he was born to hang (or be torn apart by a gargoyle).

That I was playing?  Decades.

I've had a few 1st level PCs die in my recent D&D games.  The NYC one had probably five or six deaths over the campaign, partly because they tended to go in what I considered an under-strength party, and partly because we knew we had limited time because I'd be leaving, so they pushed harder than was prudent, but they knew the danger.

I don't remember the last time I played a D&D game that didn't start higher than 1st level. The current 4e game we're about to reprise for the last time started at 7th level.

The ACKS game I'm running started the PCs at 5th level.

Quote from: Kiero;705260I don't remember the last time I played a D&D game that didn't start higher than 1st level. The current 4e game we're about to reprise for the last time started at 7th level.

The ACKS game I'm running started the PCs at 5th level.

And I'd hate a game that didn't start at first level.  Gee, different people like different things!

(But ARE we different people?  QUICK -- Has anybody ever seen Kiero and Old Geezer in the same place at the same time?  Maybe they're the SAME PERSON!)

Also... I'm very, very sorry, Tavis, but "ACKS" is always and forever going to be "What Bill the Cat says multiple times."

Last time I played as a player. Luckily the rest of the group got the body to a temple. Eventually...

That was about a year ago. 3rd ed D&D.

Only happened once, as a teenager. AD&D 2nd edition. Was murdered by another PC. Only because the player was being a dick.

Otherwise, I tend to play things pretty cautious and strategize a lot. Because at 1st level, I picture my guy as the equivalent of the protagonist from Dragonslayer or Taran from The Prydain Chronicles.

my PCs went through a streak when they lost a lot of lower level characters.  Especially my online Steel Isle Game.   That crew had quite the kill ratio.  It was kind of the opposite of my current online Collegium game, in that I took a system built for social stuff and slow growth and low HP and ran a 160 session dungeon crawl game.

all I can say is, "ow".