Hello, everyone, from St. Paul, Minnesota (GMT -6). I work day shift, so will most likely be posting evenings (19:00 to midnight CDT).

Like many of you, I got my start in D&D in the early 1980s, then got away from it at college and have recently returned thanks to PbP. How delightful to find that the world is still filled with nerds people similar to myself who still love to play!

Regarding death, I'm up for whatever. I agree with the "compromise" ideas. I think a few points into the negative sounds fair... 10 maybe too much. It's always a big risk at first level, especially for the thieves and MU's of the party, where one lucky poke from an enemy dagger can do you in. But I will happily defer to what the majority thinks. If I meet my demise early in the game, I will consider it an opportunity to end with a lengthy, melodramatic final post!

Okay, let's put the death issue up for a vote. In the event of a tie, I will provide the tie breaking vote.

Option 1 is the classic -10 = death, roll to stabilize each round rule. This is a pretty standard house rule.

Option 2 is the Three Strikes and Your out option (discussed above), cribbed from 4th edition D&D.

Option 3 is the Death Save rule from Rules Cyclopedia, which hasn't been discussed yet. In this version, when a character is reduced to 0 hit points or below in combat (or from death spells), he or she is not yet dead. He's unconscious and mortally wounded; if left untended, he will die. The character makes a death ray saving throw every the first round he/she drops to 0 or below, additional death ray saves if he/she incurs addition damage while mortally wounded, and another death ray saving throw every 10 minutes. If the character ever fails any of these rolls, they are dead. Mortally injured characters can be stabilized with a successful WIS check (-5 penalty) or administering a healing potion/spell (no check required).

Option 4 is Dead at 0. No saves. Nothing. Brutal. Merciless. Harsh. Keep those 6-siders at the ready! :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:04, Tue 13 Sept 2016.

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 28):

Rules Cyclopedia and I get along really well.  Friendly Mage is up for 3!

I vote for option 2.

I'll vote option 2.

I cast my vote for living forever. But if that is not possible, then option 2

OF those, I endorse option 2.

Looks like Aldara, Eoni, Sarah and Valthur have completed character sheets. Yhus is pretty close to being complete, just needs to purchase equipment. Marklin's sheet is blank.

Let me know if either of you need help getting your character squared away.

Thanks!

Shane

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 34):

Shane, my character sheet is now complete and ready for vetting...

As for the question of death threshold, Option 4 is the truest of spirit (page B6) and is my preference as stated, but failing that, Option 3 has my vote as officially sanctioned (RC), and the second tensest mechanic. (The uncertainty of both options gives a great feeling of risk to every encounter.)

Alright, I'll keep you in mind while I research lichdom.  Once I'm all settled in, I'll go make friends with a vampire - one of the cool ones, like Varney - and we can go from there!

Nothing to see, here.

Four of you like option 2 (Three Strikes method), one likes option 3 (Rules Cyclopedia) method and one likes option 4 (0=dead).

Group consensus has option 2 coming out on top, but was just thinking this doesn't necessarily have to be an all-or-nothing situation. What I mean by this, is I am fine with each player choosing their own death rule. This is relatively easy to keep track of and gives each of you some agency as far as how fragile your character might be with regards to death.

One thing I should note is I am the kind of DM who rolls everything in the open and does not fudge dice rolls. In face-to-face games I don't use a DM screen. The players see every dice roll I make. For this game, you will be able to see all my rolls in the dice log, none of which will be fudged (which is actually an option). I truly let the dice fall where they may.

At any rate, I am fine going with stated player preferences with regards to how we resolve death for their character. Everybody gets what they want for their character. Some characters are just a little bit more resilient than others.

Thoughts?

Character sheet looks good. Thanks!

***

Waiting on Marklin to complete his character sheet and we will begin shortly thereafter. I posted a Chapter 1 placeholder thread and will finish up the intro text and hopefully we will be underway soon!

Good luck all!

:)
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:57, Wed 14 Sept 2016.

I'm fine with folks staging their own death scenes.

 I am still here and will have my character sheet done ASAP TODAY! sorry for the delay.

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 37):

Thanks for the option of having it my own way, Shane, but we went into it as a vote with majority rule so I'm fine falling in line with Option 2.

What's wrong McFly? Chicken?  :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdjaKpT_vpU

Sorry. Been watching Back to the Future a lot lately. It's a comfort movie for me. :)

I updated the House Rules thread with the proposed Death rule for this game.

Similar to other death mechanics out there, character death should be relatively rare unless it is a TPK situation or another character cannot get to the mortally wounded character in time. In my experience, this rarely happens because the party mobilizes to make sure they take care of whomever goes down.

Using these types of rules makes it so character deaths typically occur due to save or die situations (which are common in earlier editions of D&D) or a party wipe.

Like our Pelorite friend, I'm going with Option II as well.  And for the record, I am chicken.  And self-interested, catty, vindictive, and sort of annoying.  Good thing this is a roleplaying game, though, where you get to act like an entirely different person!

Yhus: Please select a character portrait when you get a chance :)

Hope you guys don't mind me dropping you on the doorstep of adventure. I don't particularly care for long, drawn-out getting to know you tavern scenes in PbP to start off games. That's a good recipe to put a game to a quick end with a cast of six players.

Don't worry though, this adventure does feature roleplay opportunities :)

It was unique and I liked it.  I don't miss the standard tavern scene one bit.

 Tavern scenes are over done,overused,and otherwise best avoided. Now a starting scene in a Brothel, well, Marklin is all for that. :P

I hear ya.  Armed and dangerous adults, sharing drinks and getting ready to bound into dangerous situations without even knowing each other?  Pah!

  Sorry about the long winded post. But it seemed appropriate.

Your characters know each other, but the awkward getting to know you scene was handled off-camera. Besides, the best way to judge a man or woman's character is by observing their actions as opposed to their words. No better test of character to thrust them directly into a situation where they are forced to act.

:)