Hero Deaths

I like the player characters. I’m invested in their story. I want them to win, to succeed, and to defeat the villains. Because of this, I’m one of those DM’s who doesn’t like to kill his plyer’s characters.

That said, I’m willing to do it.

It’s just I like to give them a heroic end. I want them to have a glorious death, a moment in the sun, and a story worth the telling. I want them to feel like the enemy earned that characters death or at the least paid for it.

Because of this, I’m torn by one of the mechanics in Dungeons & Dragons; Death Saves. For those of you unfamiliar with this bit of game play. When a hero is reduced to zero or fewer hit points they fall unconscious and begin making Death Saves on their turn. They simply need to roll a ten or higher on a twenty sided dice. As long as they accomplish this they will be continue to be one of the living. However, if they fail this test three times then they die and will need to consider rolling a new character or finding a way for the party to bring them back through magic.

I understand this in theory. It gives the players a buffer so their characters don’t just die but also keeps the fear of death very real. It gives the rest of the party at least three rounds to do something to save their friend. They can heal them, bind their wounds, or end the fight. All of these conditions save the character giving them a second lease on life. With healing magic it even gets them back in the fight. They can help take down the big bad. These are all great things and let the players worry about death without living in terror of it.

The problem I have is that if a player fails three Death Saves they die. The character performs the equivalent of bleeding out on the floor. An act I don’t find particularly heroic.

Yes, there is a tension there. I’ve been at tables where everyone is trying to get to the point where they can heal that player after the second failed save. I’ve even been the cleric who’s had to choose between healing fighter who will drop if I don’t and healing the character who just failed his second Death Save. There is real tension there.

Still watching someone fail that final Death Save and silently bleed out just sticks in my craw. It never feels satisfying. It sucks the fun out of the game.

Sometimes it’s sad, sometimes dramatic, and sometimes they can be used for a call to action. Still there’s a moment where the game sort of stops because we couldn’t do anything about that. This hero who has had grand adventures has just died. Passed on into the night and is gone. It’s hardly epic or amazing.

When do players get their Boromir moment? That point where they take one arrow after another. That point where they have died several times over but keep fighting because it’s necessary. When do they get a moment like Kikuchiyo in Seven Samurai, Vasquez in Aliens, Tony Montana in Scarface, V in V for Vendetta, and most of the 300?

To be fair the Death Save does have one more part. If you roll a natural twenty then you get a restored to health and jump back into the game. I’ve seen this happen as well. It’s truly a great moment. It feels good. It’s not the same. That character lived.

My point here isn’t about the ones that lived. It’s about the ones who fell.

When I’m not playing D&D and someone dies, I like to give them one last action. I give the player bonuses, maximum damage, and tons of fun little boosts. They can’t save themselves but they get one last drive to turn the tide, save the day, or hold the wall.

Then they die.

One last chance at glory. One last moment to shine.

The problem is that with the Death Saves, I feel like I’m robbing the moment as well as enforcing it. If a player fails their third death save and I have them suddenly leap up and be epic after lying their bleeding for three rounds. It doesn’t feel epic. It feels silly.

I like to give them some last words, maybe let their eyes flicker open and time slows so they can whisper a brief phrase of encouragement to a nearby party member. It’s a quieter moment, a sadder moment. It feels good but not the same epic moment that the other way falls.

I’ve considered giving players a choice. Maybe let them think their way through. Possibly get one last shot off with a ranged weapon, spell, or maybe a good throw dagger.

I don’t know. I may never know.

What about you? Have you ever come up with a different way to show character death?