Creative ways to kill off PCs

[Kane0]

Just coming out of a discussion with my DM, we're a bit stumped on creative ways to implement threats to PCs, or at least bring over mechanics from prior editions.
To be clear we are looking for mechanics for killing PCs and NPCs. So far we have a list of:

1: HP Damage. Duh.
2: Max HP reduction (great for poisons/diseases/curses whittling you down over time)
3: Exhaustion levels (6 stage death spiral)
4: Target Death Saves directly (Three strikes and you're out!)
5: Attribute reduction (straight up from previous editions)
6: Prof bonus reduction (Emulates previous' edition energy drain nicely, also a handy death spiral)
7: Save or Bad Stuff (Save or Suck, Save or Lose, Save or Die)
8: Overhealing (explode when THP exceeds your max HP)
9: Reducing XP
10: Aging (in both directions)
11: Sap spell slots
12: Damage vulnerability (as in giving it to you temporarily)
13: Drowning/Choking

Does anybody have suggestions or conversions? As per 5e design, more simplicity is better but number crunching is fine so long as it isn't any worse than 3.x levels of recalculation.

Edit: Also some interesting defenses and counters
1: Adaptive armor (become resistant or immune to last damage type(s) that harmed you)
2: Spell Absorbtion (successful save against spell grants THP or bonus damage)
3: Spell Reflection (missed spell attacks get redirected at creature of choice)
4: Spell Stealing (can benefit from buffs cast by enemies within certain range)
5: Damage Reduction (reduce all damage taken by X)
6: Damage Reversal (damage heals it, healing damages it)
7: Retributive damage (ala Armor of Agathys)
8: Reaction defenses (reaction AC boost, invisibility, teleport swap with ally, etc)
9: Immunity to specific abilities (smites, sneak attacks, AoEs, etc)
10: Doesn't stay dead (reanimates/reincarnates after X time)
11. Deus ex magic item (either negates incoming or recovers from it)

[kraftcheese]

Overhealing by a leak of radiation from the Plane of Positive Energy, leading to either uncontrolled cellular mutation and death OR life-force combustion and death? (depending on the flavor you wanna go for)

I think in previous editions they followed a "double your max HP in extra energy and you're dead" kinda thing, so players would resort to stabbing themselves/each other to ensure they don't go over the threshold and undergo nuclear fusion or whatever.

[Magic Myrmidon]

There's mind control type stuff. Especially if you look at psionic-type stuff. For example, there was a power in 3.5 that planted a "seed" in someone's mind. Eventually, the person's personality would be completely changed into the personality of the person who planted the seed. You could implement that in many ways in 5e. Saves, HP reduction equals mind conversion instead of death. It's not "killing off" a character, in a physical sense, but I'd argue it could be worse than death.

Along those lines, I think there's the monster in 5e that causes an Int save or death.

[M Placeholder]

The effects of Elysium, Hades and the Plane of Shadow will take PC's out the game.

As for the monster that forces an Intellect save or you die, that would be the Intellect Devourer. Its got a challenge rating of 2, yet it can do that.

[Keltest]

The effects of Elysium, Hades and the Plane of Shadow will take PC's out the game.

As for the monster that forces an Intellect save or you die, that would be the Intellect Devourer. Its got a challenge rating of 2, yet it can do that.

It is not a particularly intimidating monster if you actually manage to locate it and step on it. Theyre dangerous because they can, for example, walk into your camp at night and eat your brain without the watchman seeing it.

[M Placeholder]

It is not a particularly intimidating monster if you actually manage to locate it and step on it. Theyre dangerous because they can, for example, walk into your camp at night and eat your brain without the watchman seeing it.

Then maybe lead the rest of the party to the underdark so the mindflayers can have a nice snack.

It can still reduce you to a gibbering wreck before you can kill it if you do locate it. And of course, there is the little matter of what likely produced it.

[Shining Wrath]

The redeeming feature on the Intellect Devourer, as it were, is that the initial attack has a 10' range, and the actual brain eating has a 5' range, and the ID has to be able to see the target (so, a tent wall is actually a good defense). But yeah, sneaky little critters that can cause a "save or die" are ridiculous at level 2. They do want to live so they can serve their masters, so there's that. A good DM is not sending a lone ID against a L1 party to eat the barbarian's brain and then die; their creators think of them as having value, and if the Mind Flayer gets involved that's absurd for a party under level 5 - at L5 it's still "deadly"

No creature in the MM attacks experience points but that doesn't mean your DM can't create one that does.

A super-powered Enlarge/Reduce - one that stacked with itself, say - could take a PC out of the campaign; either shrink them down to the point where they interact with the campaign on the molecular level and duel bacteria, or enlarge them to the point that they can no longer enter dungeons, buildings, cities, or inhabited areas and their food requirements are insatiable. The Imprisonment spell can take a PC and put them in a gem, which the BBEG then wears as jewelry. That's adding insult to injury. Both of these, I suppose, are still examples of "save or suck".

Looking at the character sheet, we've listed attacking ability scores, HP, XP, size, proficiency, and exhaustion level. Mental domination is another form of "save or lose". The last thing I can come up with is removing proficiency itself; "you are no longer proficient with martial weapons", "you are no longer proficient in stealth", or the biggie "you can no longer cast spells". Presuming a saving throw is allowed this is another form of "save or suck".

A not quite lethal form of the above would be a sudden reclassing; "you, wizard, have now lost all your skills and proficiencies as a wizard with the Sage background. You are now a Champion Fighter with the Folk Hero background. Choose your new skill proficiencies and languages". Now you've got a character built around Intelligence trying to survive by his brawn.

[MaxWilson]

Just coming out of a discussion with my DM, we're a bit stumped on creative ways to implement threats to PCs, or at least bring over mechanics from prior editions.
To be clear we are looking for mechanics for killing PCs and NPCs. So far we have a list of:

1: HP Damage. Duh.
2: Max HP reduction (great for poisons/diseases/curses whittling you down over time)
3: Exhaustion levels (6 stage death spiral)
4: Target Death Saves directly (Three strikes and you're out!)
5: Attribute reduction (straight up from previous editions)
6: Prof bonus reduction (Emulates previous' edition energy drain nicely, also a handy death spiral)
7: Save or Bad Stuff (Save or Suck, Save or Lose, Save or Die)

Does anybody have suggestions or conversions? As per 5e design, more simplicity is better but number crunching is fine so long as it isn't any worse than 3.x levels of recalculation.

7b. Magic Jar.

[Kane0]

Thanks for the input guys! I've added a few of those suggestions above.

My DM is also looking for interesting defenses and counters as well, he'll take whatever he can get :smallbiggrin:

[rlc]

Items as defense always make sense. There are already some that set a certain ability score to something, which are counters to the save or suck/die things, and more can be created to protect from other things. The party can also quest for cures to other things, or a senzu bean type of thing.

[Kane0]

Items as defense always make sense. There are already some that set a certain ability score to something, which are counters to the save or suck/die things, and more can be created to protect from other things. The party can also quest for cures to other things, or a senzu bean type of thing.

Very true, will add.

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_medium/11112/111126230/3595729-2145507491-where.jpg

[Laserlight]

Not exactly "Killing", but some years ago my "gutter thief fought his way up to frontier baron" character received an auditor, sent by the king. And the captain of the auditor's escort was a nobleman who was tall, dark, handsome, and rich--and my character's wife's old flame. And at the same time, I had to deal with goblin raids on the main road, and I also had to deal with the outraged merchants who relied on the road being open. And there were a couple other things brewing as well. You can threaten the characters with things other than "death".

[Battlebooze]

Railroading your PC's into awful situations with only one true solution.

Favoring your girlfriend/wife/boyfriend/significant other in cheesy ways.

Randomly changing your house rules to fit your equally arbitrary moods.

Not letting the players have any fun and/or agency in the story.


These will kill those PC's dead dead dead.

[AbyssStalker]

Feeble-mind will probably make a wizard wish he were dead, being turned into a vampire spawn, falling into an infinite abyss, or a conclave of evil sandmen that won't stop casting dream on your character.

Also counter-spell on an enemy spell-caster, when one turns off your emergency escape (teleport, etc.) when you need it most you are in for a world of hurt.

I suppose something akin to Neville's remembrall from Harry Potter would probably be an effective defense if it were changed into something like a moronball, where instead of letting you know when you forget something, it lets you know you are about to do something very idiotic and dangerous. I mean PC stupidity is the leading cause of death in PCs, be it a creative death or not.

A high level enemy that has been polymorphed into something weak for an extended amount of time can also catch PCs off guard, beating the snot out of a puppy only for it to turn into a marilith, older dragon or some such is a bad way to end your day.

[Itsjustsoup.com]

Situational/Undeveloped Character Skill Focus Death.

Indiana Jones Style Trap Erupts!

Drops Multiple boulders, each bigger than the LAST. Stopping one makes the ones behind it shatter it.

They move 60 feet a round, and the only way out is


Acrobatics 25
Over some short standing stones, that when hit crash to the ground.

Running through a room as spikes shoot from the wall (attack roll +save vs slow poison)

A Willful miasma in the next room that just makes you stand there and admire it (will save)


Failing any one will get you crushed by BALLS

The Acrobatics takes out the Mage and the Clerics
The Attack roll + poison takes out the thieves
The miasma Stand and watch save takes out the warriors.

Balls aplenty for everyone!

[MaxWilson]

Creative way to kill off PCs: any of the diseases listed here (http://www.lastgaspgrimoire.com/does-this-look-infected/). Won't work in a party with healers, but if your party is all Rogues, Fighters, and Wizards, they can look forward to something like this:


You wholeheartedly believe that tiny men with the faces of carrion birds pull themselves from your yellow blisters to whisper the secrets of the cosmos to you.

Day Two: They teach you a random 9th Level Spell. When you cast it you don't realise that nothing happened, that you were mumbling gibberish, you believe yourself all-powerful. They promise you so much more.

Day Three: Your companions must die, they know too much, the carrion told you so.

[endur]

A red button on a doomsday device and not enough time to get out of the blast radius.

[Laserlight]

A red button on a doomsday device and not enough time to get out of the blast radius.

My experience has been that if you put out a big red button labeled "DO NOT PUSH UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES", players will fight each other for the opportunity to push it.

[supergoji18]

Give them a Genie in a Bottle who will give them a free wish, and hire a lawyer to interpret the wish. I'm sure he or she will easily find loopholes in the wording.

On a more serious note, you could always go the tomb of horrors route and just trap every 5 feet of the next dungeon and curse every treasure they find.

Bag of Devouring and Dust of Sneezing and Choking is always fun, especially since Identify reveals them to be their normal non-lethal versions of themselves, so they will never see it coming.

[JackPhoenix]

Spread the rumor and then let the characters find an extremely powerful artifact: The Head of Vecna (http://www.blindpanic.com/humor/vecna.htm)