Author Topic: Worst PC death  (Read 15817 times)

malyss

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Worst PC death
« on: August 05, 2009, 04:33:29 PM »
Man, I sure am spending a lot time on this forum today... it's a good thing I don't have a ton of work to get done... oops.

What is the worst way a PC (your's or someone else's) has died?

My worst one was when a character I had been playing for 6 years and truly loved playing more than any other in all of my years was killed in the cheapest way ever: in their sleep by a basically random encounter.

This character of mine was not powerful. She was not the most effective at anything other than causing trouble and having really high knowledge checks (and I'm sorry, if I get a 37 on my knowledge check, I want to know what that demon has for breakfast on a Tuesday in June, not just that it is called a Retriever). When we had rolled stats, I had to choose between a character with an 18 in one stat and less than ideal numbers in other ones or a more balanced character. So she ended up with a 7 strength. She was an orphan who was raised on the streets as a thief, but she was going to grow up to be a powerful mage like both her parents were before they were killed. She had what is hardest to find in a character - personality. In all of my years, no other character meant so much and accomplished so much with so little. She was next to useless in combat having dipped in rogue and human paragon, and she seldom had very many actual combat spells, being a swiss-army mage. She did however save the party numerous times because she always ran away when she was going to die, being smart enough to realize when she was outmatched.

She had grown to level 12 without dying - the only original member of the party still left that hadn't died. She was travelling with her companions and their cohorts (their cohorts... not hers) and they were camped out. Normally, she would climb into her rope trick for the night, but everyone was worried that we should all be available in case we were attacked. Giving in and being nice enough to stay with everyone else, in danger, in case they needed her, she slept on the ground with everyone else. And the stupid shadow attacked her from within the earth sapping 7 points of strength...

No saving throw.
No listen.
No spot.
No chance.

I couldn't even raise her I was so crushed... what a cheap way to go. Everyone else got to die in combat against one of the big-bads, gloriously sacrificing themselves for the good of the party and the city. She dies in her sleep. Sheesh.

JonHook

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2009, 05:05:13 PM »
I'm usually a Keeper/GM, so I don't have that many character deaths.    :-\
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malyss

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #2 on: August 05, 2009, 05:13:22 PM »
So what about the one's who have died playing in your groups?

Sentinel

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #3 on: August 05, 2009, 05:35:12 PM »
Dude, ouch. Ability damage is really a big middle finger from DM. He's saying, "Even if this doesn't kill you, you'll spend 10 minutes recalculating bonuses and saves." A friend's barbarian once took 16 CHA damage. His charisma was 6. He was dead, but we had no idea why. Seriously, how does charisma damage kill someone? What a bullshit mechanic.

My only character death came in the latest 3.5 campaign I played. The death wasn't hard because I had a lot invested in it, but it was representative of the death of that campaign. The DM was a huge Dragonlance fan and very proud of his knowledge of the world. He had clearly written a campaign that in his mind was as epic as any tale from the books, and was determined to keep us chugging along the rails. He was the sort of guy who take control of my friend's kender at times because he believed the personalities of that race would act compulsively in ways he didn't care to explain to the player. In fact that player didn't even start with a kender. The DM decided to morph him with some kind of BS spell.

I could have cared less for his stupid story, and I designed a cleric to knock out combat as fast as possible. I chose metamagic feats and spells to buff abilities to insane levels (at times I could buff strength up to 36) and debuff enemies. I was usually quite drunk during our sessions (my cleric didn't carry a shield; instead his second hand held a glass of gin on the rocks) and spent most of my time making jokes (you know, "all aboard" and "choo choo").

Anyway, one night I came back to the table after a fridge run with drinks in hand to find we were in the third fight of the day. Whatever, no big deal. There were some kind of magical ogre warriors that had come out of nowhere and they were starting their surprise round attacks (naturally we didn't have a chance to spot them or rest after the previous encounter). They each get two attacks. I hear from behind the screen "Oh, critical... confirmed. And another critical. Next guy, critical and critical. *damage dice rolling* Well, they hit you for 85 points of damage." I was pretty wasted, so my first reaction was "Wait, what? Someone's hitting me?" Then I looked down at my sheet. The math took a while, but I was at -30something HP. I told everyone I was dead then ripped the character sheet in half.

It's entirely possible he rolled four natural 20s in a round. I don't believe he did, of course. Hell, he had previously shown off his loaded d20s. Either way, the guy was a douche. I rolled up a new character with a background and abilities even harder to fit into his canon, but the campaign lasted just one more session before breaking up.

It was a lame PC death, but in my mind it sticks out as the rotten cherry on a big shit sundae.

clockworkjoe

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #4 on: August 05, 2009, 10:47:11 PM »
First ever RPG - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - I play a mutant ninja raccoon biker. I open a trapped door which is rigged with C4. I blow up real gud.

Other notable PC deaths (not worst and most of them were entertaining but whatevs)

Die in Azathoth powered nuclear reactor which is teleported to Azathoth's court
Fall off a zeppelin in midflight
Eaten by hag while trapped in the mud sorcerer's tomb (3E game - conversion of AD&D era dungeon magazine scenario - entire dungeon is teleport proof)


The thing is I'm almost always running games so I seldom die.

Nuncle

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2009, 07:12:39 PM »
     My most memorable PC death was when I was playing a wizard...about 3rd level if I remember. so he had maybe 12-15 hit points, max. He finds a magical ring in the dungeon. While the rest of the party  was sleeping he experiments with it, trying to get it to work.
     The DM says to me "Show me exactly how you are standing while you're doing this" I stand up and show him. I'm standing tall, with my arms straight and locked, but pointing downward at my feet. I then mentally invoke the ring. Which was a ring of Fireball casting.
     Can you say Ground Zero? :o
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Neberu

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2009, 12:26:45 AM »
Except the only problem is that a 0 in any stat other than CON doesn't kill you so those characters that died from STR loss or Cha loss shouldn't have died at all.

Quote
Ability Score Loss
Some attacks reduce the opponent’s score in one or more abilities. This loss can be temporary (ability damage) or permanent (ability drain).

While any loss is debilitating, losing all points in an ability score can be devastating.

Strength 0 means that the character cannot move at all. He lies helpless on the ground.
Dexterity 0 means that the character cannot move at all. He stands motionless, rigid, and helpless.
Constitution 0 means that the character is dead.
Intelligence 0 means that the character cannot think and is unconscious in a coma-like stupor, helpless.
Wisdom 0 means that the character is withdrawn into a deep sleep filled with nightmares, helpless.
Charisma 0 means that the character is withdrawn into a catatonic, coma-like stupor, helpless.

malyss

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2009, 08:15:56 AM »
It was 3.5 - I was pretty sure that killed you. Maybe it had to do with the particular monster - some monsters that reduce stats cause you to die and rise as undead. All I remember was my character was dead... it was kind of a death knell for the whole campaign since we stopped playing a session or two after that.

Neberu

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2009, 05:39:20 PM »
Oh yeah thats true, I forgot about the create spawn ability.

Quote
Create Spawn (Su)
Any humanoid reduced to Strength 0 by a shadow becomes a shadow under the control of its killer within 1d4 rounds.

codered

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #9 on: August 14, 2009, 01:15:31 PM »
I'm a 12th level fighter with great equipment and max hp ( we were playing a juiced up game)
I see a giant dog, we do a knowledge check it just a big dog that usually guards treasure.
I have the mage cast invisibility on me, and I start walking to the dog I make it to it some how. I let off one round of attacks on this dog  2 of them  are crits. I do massive amounts of damage upwards of 250 since I was power attacking with max power attack . And I had some magical equipment that gave me some extra dice to damage. The rest of my group hesitates one round I get off 2 more attacks. It then swallows me, my team runs away the dog digests me.


Come to find out It had 50 hp left.
Kenders Rock

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #10 on: August 16, 2009, 04:14:15 AM »
I'm a 12th level fighter with great equipment and max hp ( we were playing a juiced up game)
I see a giant dog, we do a knowledge check it just a big dog that usually guards treasure.
I have the mage cast invisibility on me, and I start walking to the dog I make it to it some how. I let off one round of attacks on this dog  2 of them  are crits. I do massive amounts of damage upwards of 250 since I was power attacking with max power attack . And I had some magical equipment that gave me some extra dice to damage. The rest of my group hesitates one round I get off 2 more attacks. It then swallows me, my team runs away the dog digests me.


Come to find out It had 50 hp left.

Its nice having a bloody value in 4.0 haha!

Sentinel

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #11 on: August 17, 2009, 03:04:41 AM »
Except the only problem is that a 0 in any stat other than CON doesn't kill you so those characters that died from STR loss or Cha loss shouldn't have died at all.

Hmm, never noticed the exact rules. Though if someone had strength permanently reduced to 0, wouldn't they be helpless forever?

Tadanori Oyama

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #12 on: August 17, 2009, 04:27:52 AM »
Except the only problem is that a 0 in any stat other than CON doesn't kill you so those characters that died from STR loss or Cha loss shouldn't have died at all.

Hmm, never noticed the exact rules. Though if someone had strength permanently reduced to 0, wouldn't they be helpless forever?

Rules say they just collapse, unable to lift themselves or move in any real way. Apparently they retain the muscle strength to breath.

Sentinel

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #13 on: August 18, 2009, 01:00:41 AM »
But if it's permanent, the character has to be carried around in a wheelbarrow until the party can afford a Restoration spell. So the few DMs who've killed players with ability damage were in the wrong, but the practical effects of Ability Drain aren't much different from death in a low-level game.

Maze

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Re: Worst PC death
« Reply #14 on: August 18, 2009, 10:04:10 AM »
Something about a mage being pushed around in a wheelbarrow throughout a game sounds awfully appealing...