Sometimes in Dungeons & Dragons the characters of the players die – it depends on the DM and the players whether death respects the tone of the game and advances the story. Death is one of the most variable parts of Dungeon and Dragon. After all, this popular board game takes place in worlds where there are various rebellion spells that are limited only by the power and desire of a nearby priest. After all, a true resurrection can bring a being back to life as long as its soul is free and ready, and has been dead for no more than 200 years. The game even has variable rules regarding death, allowing players to play a game where they have some chance of avoiding death, or where a failed die roll can kill the character where he is.
In my home game of Dungeons and Dragons, two players have lost their first character in the last two months. Every death was an opportunity not only to strengthen the tone of the game, but also to steer the story in unexpected directions. Because of the circumstances surrounding each death, the dead were also treated slightly differently – although both players could steer their characters in different ways and hopefully reach a conclusion.
The first death was caused by a small accident – the group was exploring a maze in the wilderness and came across a group of red hoods. The party wizard (who didn’t want to use his powers because of the role play) was cornered by two bloodthirsty creatures that looked like dwarves on the lawn and was eventually destroyed by a series of failed moves. To make death a little more attractive than being accidentally killed by evil lawn dwarves, I (DM) approached the player and offered him the choice to die here and now by choosing a mysterious box or by giving his character a better ending. He chose the latter option, and we worked together to develop a final for his character in which he was partially ceremoniously eaten by ghosts and then possessed by his wizard protector until halfway through the transformation – thus transforming his character into a malignant NPC for later use in the campaign. While other players thought the wizard was no good, the player could let his in-game character finish the game by spending all his money on luxurious party banquets and sending letters to many compatriots for the session, officially turning his character into an evil NPC.
In this case, the dice decide the fate of the character, but it is ultimately the player (and DM) who calls the last end of the character. By letting the player decide on the end of his character’s story, or at least have him enter data, you compensate for what could have been a pointless death of the character in a random collision. It also gave the player a more important influence on the campaign and fortunately gave DM a new toy that could be used in the future.
The second death is the more traditional death of Dungeons and Dragons. In the decisive battle against the main enemy, the thief was unfortunately torn to pieces by the villain’s henchmen. The circumstances of death were the collapse of the strategy – players had to take an important point away from the villain to put an end to the control of his followers, who were controlled by his mind. Thanks to the combination of an unsuccessful capture and multiple missed attacks, a single player could actually try to rip the villain out of his hands (well, technically, tentacles) so that the villain could use his followers to attack the game immediately.
Because the impostor’s death took place during a narrative battle, I (like DM) preferred to let the character die on the battlefield. As for the plot, the death of the character occurred at that time and since then. For a long time she reminded the villain of what she was capable of, and she had a touch of tragedy because of the villain’s last actions before the fight, when she spoke to the then uncontrollable accomplices and learned that removing the object would free her from the control of the enemy.
However, this does not mean that the impostor’s story ends on the battlefield. The player has chosen for the funeral of the figure (the funeral of a Viking with a fire started by a dragon) and has also seen with his own eyes how their death affected the members of the party. In addition, the character’s death also had a big impact on two major NPCs – which could be an interesting story for the future, which wouldn’t have happened if his character had lived. In this case, the player had less control over the final fate of the character, but she saw how the death of her hero affected the other characters and the whole story. And since this weekend is Halloween, a crook can have one last gig before he leaves for his last vacation.
Death in Dungeons and Dragons can be a powerful storytelling tool for both DM and characters. As death approaches, think about how you can use it to take the story forward (unlike shocking players), and work with your players on what they want to leave their character for a long time to come.d&d 5e character death rules,d&d death monster,d&d character death stories,d&d 5e alternate death rules,d&d character death meme,dnd party died,cbr dungeons and dragons,one-shots for new players,d&d sidekick,how to revive a dead dnd character,death table 5e,deaths 5e,dm killed my character,d&d character death rules,d&d death,how to not die in d&d,d&d coming back from the dead,dnd 5e death consequences
