Getting a good Threat Level!

[ShadowImmor]

I am currently running a game for a few players in RL, and in the game, the players (Unbeknownst to them) are the only creatures in the world without a Fate. This is going to be a story point later on, and in similar vein to Kingdoms of Amalur, they are the only characters with true freedom. However, because of this, their characters are the only ones that can fix the world at the end of the campaign, and as such, I can't really have them die.

The difficulty I have is that to be able to save the world you have to fulfil certain prophecies, (which the players don't know about, but I will drop hints about over the coming sessions), and the PCs are the only characters who don't have to, but also the only ones who can (everyone else in the world is Fated to fail at fulfilling the prophecies) and the BBEG doesn't know this.

However, if a character dies, then their new character will not have completed the prophecies and therefor not be eligible to finish the campaign appropriately.

My only though, as, due to a sub story I'm planning on doing, the reason the players come together is because the "souls" of their characters are friends and have worked together before, and are now reincarnated in this body. (Essentially they will have dreams/visions about other characters played by the other players in games I've run) and it's the "soul" (Player) that matters, but that almost feels a bit cheap...

So, what I'm asking is how can I keep a good threat level of actual danger to the players so they think they COULD die, without actually having too much of a risk of killing one or more of them? (I don't like to fudge rolls if I can avoid it)

[DragonBaneDM]

Forgive me if you’ve explained this already, I’m still waking up and I read sort of fast. Are spells like revivify and resurrection not possible? The first comes online fairly quickly, and trying to get the second from a church/wandering celestial makes for a fun side quest.

Also, it’s sorta tough to kill a mid-level+ 5E character if they’re alongside their party/you’re not specifically gunning for it.

Use kobold.club. Throw them some easy and medium encounters while new folks learn the game and everyone gets comfy with their new character’s playstyle. Then you can try cranking it up to Hard for a chapter Boss.

Build your traps and puzzles to confuse and prevent passage, not to outright murder. There’s a ton of articles out there about building engaging traps vs deadly traps.

After level 5 or so, I think your party will really impress you with how tough they’ve become.

[ShadowImmor]

Resurrection is possible, but it's not accessible straight away, and the party cleverly has no Cleric :P There is a Druid, but not a full Healer Class. This is my first time running 5e, so I'm not really aware exactly how tough characters get, but I do want them to FEEL in danger. At low levels I'm worried since this is aiming to be a dangerous feeling campaign, I want the players to feel the risk of combat and try to avoid it if they can.

Druids, unfortunately do not get Revivify so full on Rezzing magic is not going to be readily available to the party.

[Tanarii]

Build your encounters and adventuring days based on party level and DMG guidelines, using no more than Hard encounters. There's almost no chance any PCs will die if they face no more than Hard encounters, and no more than a single adventuring day's worth of encounters. (That's intentional btw.)

The suggestion above to stick to Medium and Easy in Tier 1 if you want to be doubly sure and they are newer (or careless) players isn't bad either.

Edit: don't forget that things like the enemies ambushing the PCs or having hugely favorable tactical terrain increases the difficulty of an encounter by one level.

[Lunali]

You could change the prophecies so they all have to be fulfilled but not necessarily by the same people. If the players have already heard the prophecies, let them find an original copy that got mistranslated.

Other options, make any particularly deadly encounters be against enemies that would prefer to capture their opponents for whatever reason. If someone goes unconscious, focus attacks on the people still posing a threat instead of finishing the job and if the players don't seem to know, make sure they are aware that anyone can make a medicine check to stabilize someone. You could also have them preemptively make friends with a cleric capable of casting some form of revival or just add revivify and maybe raise dead to the druid spell list.

[strangebloke]

In general, I would say that never letting your characters die is a bad policy. Tension is what makes combat fun, and combat being scary and difficult is a huge way to host player creativity.

If the players aren't having trouble running through the dungeon, smashing everything, they won't think to scout, sneak, find a peaceful solution.... Plus, as a GM, running monsters is a lot less fun if you're intentionally soft balling your players.

My advice is: kill 'em. Rather, be willing to do that. Design encounters such that they shouldn't die, but make them hard enough that death is possible if they aren't careful. Be clear that you're not fudging rules or rolls.

If a character death derails your story... Well, there's tons of meddling deities and such. Have the character visit he'll, see that brother from their backstory who died, etc etc. They come back but they've got this nasty curse now that they can't quite shake. Make it memorable.

[Maelynn]

If a character death derails your story... Well, there's tons of meddling deities and such. Have the character visit he'll, see that brother from their backstory who died, etc etc. They come back but they've got this nasty curse now that they can't quite shake. Make it memorable.

You could add a geas into it, make the character who died 'pay' for being resurrected (and make it a special/powerful/godly variety that isn't easily dismissed with a Remove Curse...). Then you could have the assignment vary from something side-questy to something that will help you as a DM to steer the party in a certain direction.

Not sure if the party has a Paladin, who could learn Command, but there's also Charm Person (available to Druid and others). That could have them sway the fight in their favour. And if you find them using that too often, even on the easier fights, then the enemies just succeed on their save.