Making Death Matter
The threat of death provides excitement and meaning to our choices as players. We should make it meaningful.
In tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons, the threat of death provides excitement and meaning to our choices as players. Yet meaningless death, sprung by a single trap or bad roll isn’t all that fun. Let’s look at how we make death a real but meaningful possibility.
Telegraph Danger
It’s not much of a story when a single trap kills a character. But the idea that any trap can be deadly is a powerful one. We can reinforce that idea before characters engage.
Use NPCs. The beloved farmer meets his fate with the poison darts. The party’s scribe succumbs to a mimic. The rescued hostage falls into a spiked pit trap. These can be shocking, intense reminders of danger, especially if our NPCs matter.
Describe Evidence. Mangled corpses, strange rumors, and dramatic environmental changes can telegraph the threat of death. We can emphasize what happened to the adventurers that came before (and drop their loot).
We can also use dramatic environmental shifts. Approaching the black dragon’s lair, the lively prairie turns to rotting swamp. Entering a medusa’s lair, sounds and movement cease and stone statues reveal themselves.
Use Rumors. Rumors in town describe the dangers of the quest ahead. The local blacksmith speaks of rusted weapons. The adventuring guild speaks of a cat that can be two places at once—and it’s killed a dozen of their own. When we create a mix of true and false rumors, we give the players an even more interesting challenge.
Make It Meaningful
By telegraphing danger, we show the players that the threat of death is real without forcing it upon them. If they wade into the danger (as adventurers often do), we need to be prepared for character death. We need to make it meaningful.
Mortally Wounded. Instead of dying, we can offer a mortally wounded state1. The character is effectively dead (can’t take actions) but gets to say their final words after the battle is done. Spice it up by making the player roll 1d6. On a 1-5, they’re mortally wounded. On a 6, they die instantly.
Died So They Could Live. When a character dies, we can give the party a boon. The dragon roasts the cleric but exposes itself to attacks with advantage for the next round. The beholder destroys the rogue but is now trapped in a tight spot. The paladin meets her fate at the hands of an owlbear but her god blesses the party with a healing pool.
One Last Thing. When a character is on death’s door, we can give them one final action. “Your character is mortally wounded but you can do one more thing before you die.” This is a powerful way to let players go out on their own terms. We should let them bend some rules, if needed.
When we focus on telegraphing the dangers of death, we show that the risk is real and give meaning to player choices. We can telegraph with rumors, evidence, or by sacrificing NPCs. When death does happen, we have mortal wounds, party boons, and one last thing to make it meaningful.
Game on.
- “Ask Dungeon Masters 3: Dael Kingsmill & BardicBroadcasts - Why DnD Is So Great”, a YouTube video by Questing Beast, 2021 March 2↩︎