I'm running a 5th edition game right now. We're 5 sessions in (of about 4 to 5 hours each) and there has been no character death.

In every other D&D game I've run continuously at least one character has died before this point, but it just isn't happening. The players keep using best tactics, and whenever a character actually does drop to 0 the damage hasn't been sufficient to kill them outright, and they end up making their saves.

However, the effort of making those saves has been nice and tense. Out of combat I've ruled those checks happen at one hour each, which has lead to some pretty cool "they may die at any time" / "it will be a tough night" / "I'm not sure if he'll make it" / "Maybe you should say some final words" segments where the other players are pacing back and forth in front of a hospital tent, so to speak.

Net win? So far, I think so. I'll kill one of them eventually - but, damn, 5e characters get a tonne of Hit Points.

//Panjumanju

Quote from: Panjumanju;815821I'm running a 5th edition game right now. We're 5 sessions in (of about 4 to 5 hours each) and there has been no character death.

In every other D&D game I've run continuously at least one character has died before this point, but it just isn't happening. The players keep using best tactics, and whenever a character actually does drop to 0 the damage hasn't been sufficient to kill them outright, and they end up making their saves.

However, the effort of making those saves has been nice and tense. Out of combat I've ruled those checks happen at one hour each, which has lead to some pretty cool "they may die at any time" / "it will be a tough night" / "I'm not sure if he'll make it" / "Maybe you should say some final words" segments where the other players are pacing back and forth in front of a hospital tent, so to speak.

I am confused; nobody has any healing available, no healer's kit, and they can't stabilize the 0HP character with a Medicine check, which is at least as easy as a death save (and would at least end the suspense)? I'm not even sure if there's any risk to a Medicine check; does a failure count as a failed death save or make the next death save harder? Or are you using some DMG option that I am unaware of?

We haven't lost anyone yet in our 5e game, and we're up to 3rd level (mostly). There have been a few death saves, but nobody has yet reached two failures.

I've gotten the distinct impression with the past few editions of D&D (since 3rd, at least) that the game designers really want character death to be uncommon at best. I've had a number of characters over the past few years who've been in situations which really should have punched their ticket but didn't; not because the DM was pulling punches, just because the RAW give players so many chances to avoid death.

I was kinda' hoping 5e would be a little better about that, but I wasn't really counting on it. Not that I think characters should be dying all the time due to random suck or anything, I just find it a little incredulous.

Quote from: woodsmoke;815829I've gotten the distinct impression with the past few editions of D&D (since 3rd, at least) that the game designers really want character death to be uncommon at best. I've had a number of characters over the past few years who've been in situations which really should have punched their ticket but didn't; not because the DM was pulling punches, just because the RAW give players so many chances to avoid death.

I was kinda' hoping 5e would be a little better about that, but I wasn't really counting on it. Not that I think characters should be dying all the time due to random suck or anything, I just find it a little incredulous.

well, you're in luck.  5e seems to have brought back more lethality than the past 2 editions.  Even with death saves, you still have a 45% chance of missing three before you make three.  1st level PCs easily drop in one hit like AD&D.  And any damage a dropped PC takes is an automatic failure.  We had a PC die the other day because he was attacked by an animal that just kept eating him before anyone could help

Killing players is easy. You just have to be ruthless. I am not usually so ruthless, because we're all learning and I like to be the Giving GM. However, I'll just leave this right here, and let it "inspire":

Falling Unconscious
If damage reduces you to 0 hit points and fails to kill you, you fall unconscious (see appendix A). This unconsciousness ends if you regain any hit points.
(D&D 5e Basic .pdf, August 2014. p. 76.)

Death Saving Throws
Damage at 0 Hit Points.
If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure. If the damage is from a critical hit, you suffer two failures instead. If the damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum, you suffer instant death.
(D&D 5e Basic .pdf, August 2014. p. 76.)

Unconscious
• An unconscious creature is incapacitated (see the condition), can't move or speak, and is unaware of its surroundings.
• The creature drops whatever it's holding and falls prone.
• The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
• Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the
attacker is within 5 feet of the creature.
(D&D 5e Basic .pdf, August 2014. p. 107.)

Quote from: rawma;815826I am confused; nobody has any healing available, no healer's kit, and they can't stabilize the 0HP character with a Medicine check, which is at least as easy as a death save (and would at least end the suspense)? I'm not even sure if there's any risk to a Medicine check; does a failure count as a failed death save or make the next death save harder? Or are you using some DMG option that I am unaware of?

We haven't lost anyone yet in our 5e game, and we're up to 3rd level (mostly). There have been a few death saves, but nobody has yet reached two failures.

In this case there were no healer's kits - they were on their own in the wilderness, and all the characters had run out of their healing spells from the battle and needed to wait until the next day to get them back.

Also, I'm not using the skill system; it never occurred to me that Medicine could have stabilised a dying character. I was however giving the player advantages as other characters were tending to his wounds, keeping him hydrated et al. In this case the suspense was a good thing; the players enjoyed it.

I'm still mildly concerned that once you pass a few levels it's very difficult to kill a character, though.

//Panjumanju

Something to keep in mind. Any hit on a downed character is an automatic critical and counts as two failed death saves.

Things like a pair of kobolds or a single Bullywug can be a real terror as they can in one turn finish off any character down.

Quote from: Panjumanju;815833In this case there were no healer's kits - they were on their own in the wilderness, and all the characters had run out of their healing spells from the battle and needed to wait until the next day to get them back.

Also, I'm not using the skill system; it never occurred to me that Medicine could have stabilised a dying character. I was however giving the player advantages as other characters were tending to his wounds, keeping him hydrated et al. In this case the suspense was a good thing; the players enjoyed it.

I suppose if you want that kind of suspense then you have to restrict medicine and healer's kits. You weren't far from killing a PC if they were out of healing and had one down.

QuoteI'm still mildly concerned that once you pass a few levels it's very difficult to kill a character, though.

Opponents should do more damage, and get more area attacks which will include a missed death save for anyone at 0 HP. Without being gratuitously vicious, it's still possible to continue attacking characters who go down: if the opponents suspect the character is faking, or if they are so numerous that some have no better action to take, or if the opponent is such that eating the defeated character is a major priority.

While Moon Druids are pretty tough to do any real harm to, I've had little difficulty snuffing characters.

I've been running Hoard of the Dragon Queen, along with my own adventures. The party is level 6 (just made it to the flying castle), and there have been at least 8 character deaths.

It can happen, but the monsters have to sort of gang up on characters. You try spreading things around even, and yeah, nobody's going to drop.

I generally don't have monsters strike at downed characters, but in a world where every other adventurer has healing powers, and where even the slightest power can make a near death charater hop up and start swinging with full force, intelligent monsters should totally swing at downed characters.

Quote from: Doom;815840I generally don't have monsters strike at downed characters, but in a world where every other adventurer has healing powers, and where even the slightest power can make a near death charater hop up and start swinging with full force, intelligent monsters should totally swing at downed characters.

I hadn't even thought of that. I guess I'm still thinking in terms of old house rules where characters who went down could be healed but at significant cost per point negative; and now cure wounds scales up with spell slot level much faster, which can bring a downed character pretty far up.

Of the three games I play in... 5e, Pathfinder and DCC... 5e is far less deadly so far.
Over the past month our DCC game had 3 deaths (not counting zero lvls), Pathfinder had 4 (followed by too easily obtained resurrections for all) and 5e had none at all. Not the same Players/GMs... and the DCC group is pretty reckless.

We have had a number of PCs reduced to 0 in our 5e game, but only one death since we started... and that was because that PC was off alone somewhere.

Quote from: Panjumanju;815821I'm running a 5th edition game right now. We're 5 sessions in (of about 4 to 5 hours each) and there has been no character death.

In every other D&D game I've run continuously at least one character has died before this point, but it just isn't happening. The players keep using best tactics, and whenever a character actually does drop to 0 the damage hasn't been sufficient to kill them outright, and they end up making their saves.

However, the effort of making those saves has been nice and tense. Out of combat I've ruled those checks happen at one hour each, which has lead to some pretty cool "they may die at any time" / "it will be a tough night" / "I'm not sure if he'll make it" / "Maybe you should say some final words" segments where the other players are pacing back and forth in front of a hospital tent, so to speak.

Net win? So far, I think so. I'll kill one of them eventually - but, damn, 5e characters get a tonne of Hit Points.

//Panjumanju

Are you supposed to be killing X number of characters per a X number of sessions?

Quote from: Sommerjon;815856Are you supposed to be killing X number of characters per a X number of sessions?

I kinda wondered that too. But just assumed he was dismayed that no one was going down and staying down. Sounds like they are going down though.

It seems to me that you are getting the best possible outcome, the suspense of death being always around the corner without the hassle of making new characters and aborting no longer relevant plot threads.

Nothing like Call of Cthulhu and Cthulhu's 'eats 1d6 Investigators per round.'

Hahahahah!