Just wanted to share my observations about something that happened this weekend at my Adult D&D session at the Library.
We are currently playing through B3: Lost City. The party went from the 4th to the 5th Tier. Three significant things happened this session.
The current configuration of the party are Half-Elf Cleric, Human Cleric, Elf Wizard, Human Warlock, and Kenku Rogue.
#1 - We started out on the 4th Tier, and the players had the misfortune to start out relatively early on running into a pack of six ghouls. The ghouls were allowed to pack attack at the end of the round, and two of them paralyzed one of the clerics. Now, since I ended initiative for the round, I got to choose myself again. I took attacks for four ghouls, but stayed my hand from gnawing to death the paralyzed cleric, in that I deferred my initiative for the last two. The other cleric turned them, and his friend was recovered. I pulled my punch, to give the player a chance to be recovered. (If not, I would have indeed gnawed him to death at that point.
#2 - They then came across a trapped corridor with a pit and pendulum -type trap that ran the length of the corridor (or at least it was established in play that way). At that point, the players had three routes they could take: down the hallway of death, through a secret door into a new batch of corridors, or down through a covered opening to the next level. The party decided to go down to the next level. But this is important: throughout, the Warlock advocated for going down the hallway of death instead.
When they descended, the Half-Elf Cleric touched a glowing robe and was possessed by a spirit with special knowledge and abilities, seeking revenge on his brother and the cult that had corrupted his brother. Interestingly, the Human Cleric cast Protection from Evil and Good on him, which gave him the opportunity to make a save at advantage to break the possession. The Half-Elf Cleric chose not to make the save and remains possessed by the spirit.
#3 - They went into the very next room, which was a kitchen/dining space and which had a giant constrictor snake, squeezing the life out of a humanoid. The party attracted the snake's attention by their actions. As the constrictor snake loosened its coils to prepare for action, a wooden rabbit mask fell off the now-deceased victims head. They Kenku Rogue sprang into action to steal it from the scene. This put her in range for the constrictor snake to attack her.
He hit with his bite, and she failed her save against being constricted. This took her down to 0 HP. Because I was last, I chose to go first again. Because she's at 0 HP, my attack is an automatic critical, which gives her two automatic fails on her Death Saves. Now, I had a choice. Do I give the initiative over to her or to one of the other players. She has a 50% straight up of failing her Death Save, resulting in her immediate death. I elected to pull my punch again, so that someone else could help her out first. I gave initiative to the Warlock. Instead of doing anything constructive himself or handing the initiative off to one of the clerics, he handed it right back to the dying player. Intentionally. Pretty much out of spite.
She failed her save, and then failed it again when she expended her Heroic Inspiration to get a reroll! So she died.
I've heard people say that it's too hard to die in 5E. But that just ain't true. The only times I've seen any or multiple PCs die has been 5E. And as a DM, I'm always happy to see them immobilized and in threat of death OR making Death Saves for whatever reason. Because what I want is the very threat of death and the tension that accompanies it. But I don't necessarily want to outright kill the PCs -- I always want to give them the chance to be rescued from the clutches of death. So I pull my punch. But it doesn't meant they can't or won't die.
Poor Kenku. Already dead and forgotten. But the question around the table was who was responsible for her death? Consensus was that it wasn't me, the DM. I'd pulled my punch and given them the chance. Some said the Kenku for being imprudent in her trying to snag the mask in the middle of a potential combat. But most blamed the Warlock and/or his player, after all, I'd given them the chance to fix the situation, but they thought he'd acted out of spite by returning initiative to her.
A memorable moment. Both an interesting mechanical result and an important moral choice to consider here. Reflect.
--LM
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