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I don't know if this counts, but I once ran a one shot and told everyone they were going to die, but the best death, as voted on by all the players, won a gift certificate from the sponsoring game shop.
It was a sci-fi horror setting. Everyone died and it was great fun. I had to fudge the rules but it was great fun. I would love to do it again!
PC's Name Eberk
Race Dwarf
Class Cleric
Level 1st
Circumstances of Death Burned to death by a black dragon's breath weapon in the first round of combat, right after opening the door
Setting (and Adventure Path, if you're using one) Homebrew
PC's Name Aramil
Race Elf
Class Sorcerer
Level 1st
Circumstances of Death Burned to death by a black dragon's breath weapon in the first round of combat, right after Eberk opened the door
Setting (and Adventure Path, if you're using one) Homebrew
Hey I didn't put that dragon there, it was in the module in the 3.5 Basic Set.
psionichamster
(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Roleplaying Game, Campaign Setting, Companion, Battles Case Subscriber)
None succeeded on the coup de gras saves save Da Cultist, although given that The Thing from beyond Time dealt enough damage to outright slay the poor cleric, not even that natural 20 saved his neck - literally as the beast gnawed his head off of his shoulders. Gate devices are wonderful things.
Da Pimp's paladin/diviner/arcane archer was swiftly decapitated in his sleep - death in absentia, but a legitimate death nonetheless. Which is ok, as you will see.
Zin Sernn's monk 9 was slain via coup de gras from an empowered maximized fire-damage shocking grasp at a caster level of 11. Or, in other words, over 150 points of fire damage with the campaign's house rule removing the damage cap. Yes, that's (11d6, maximized +50% of 11d6 - total using averaged damage of 85, x2) for the coup de gras for a staggering 170 points of fire damage.
Jade II's fighter 1 / elemental water sorcerer 7 / eldritch knight 1 was slain via coup de gras from an empowered maximized shocking grasp at a caster level of 11 resulting in a 170 hp electrical coup de gras.
Torsin's paladin 6 / diviner 3 (aspiring to become an eldritch knight) was decapitated by a brief return to the material plane by Labdaga the Twin, courtesy of a gate device used by the antagonist.
Max was on guard duty along with the five dolls - he was patrolling, but against that vicious Stealth DC of 50, he didn't stand a chance. Luckily, he was not on the Council's hit list. The dolls were having themselves a tea party in the cellar.
All five character deaths were dealt courtesy of Cassandra Slayn, a homebrewed antagonist. As she departed, she dropped a simulacrum device, creating a CR 10 simulacrum of herself. This much lesser version of herself was tasked to sneak around and set the cathedral's wooden interior on fire, then wait to ambush any heroes attempting to leave the upper floor.
The messy deaths of Our Heroes - all via the proscribed methods required to activate their signature items - resulted in their first true resurrections of the campaign by those items.
Location: Shrine of Aroden (safe house)
Adventure: optional encounter, The Infernal Syndrome, home brewed replacement
Catalyst: Complete and utter lack of security measures
Name: Torsin II
Classes: Paladin 6 / Diviner 4
Adventure: The Mother of Flies
Location: The Dusk Market, Goren One-Ear's hookah shop front for a pesh parlor
Catalyst: attracting Kruthe the Hammer's undivided attention
The Gory Details: Nothing much really - a confirmed critical hit followed by a failed saving throw against death from massive trauma against Kruthe's enchanted warhammer. 62 out of 100 hit points, yet still managed to fail that DC 15 save with a natural 3 d20 roll. Good times. ^_^
Name: Ceara
Classes: Assassin 8
Adventure: 4e Forgotten Realms ramble
Location: An Earthmote filled with randomly dangerous things said mote had picked up along the way
Catalyst: failure to respect the plantlife.
The Gory Details: The leader of a pack of Spellplagued ghouls made a break to escape through a portal guarded by an ambush vine. Despite looking at one point, as though it might be a TPK, the group managed to hang on and wipe out the vine and its many shoots along with the Spellplagued Commandant. In mechanical terms, they went from one encounter to the next without any kind of a break. Since both were resource eaters, they did well to get out with only one fatality.
Ceara refused to leave and took ongoing poison damage from the plants which she was unable to save against. Despite the rest of the group making good heal checks to stabilise her, and filling her up with resistance potions, the ongoing damage kept going and she failed three death saves. The rest of them are now trying to find a way to control the Earthmote so they can give her a decent burial and save the assorted people they've rescued along the way.
Name: Pax
Classes: Wiz 6, Human
Adventure: PFRPG/ Homebrew setting
Location: On a ship sheltering in a coral atoll
Catalyst: Over night Sauhagin attack
The Gory Details: Pax was standing the last watch, and saw grapnels being launched over the side of the ship. Raises the alarm, but then gets rushed by 3 Sauhagin, who proceed to poke him with thier tridents. He runs from that bunch, off the bridge, and onto the main deck, where he is confronted with MORE Sauhagin. He decides he wants to use his shiny new CLoak of the MAnta Ray, and dives overboard, into the storm tossed waters. In the dark. While the ship is under attack from SEA CREATURES.
In an admittedly valiant attempt to out-flank the S's, Pax swam UNDER the ship. In the dark. Runs into the "reserve force", 4 more S's, 2 shark, and their Druid leader, who has a shark pet. Pax runs, but it chased down and chomped on by the sharks. He manages to get 5' away and casts Fly on himself, but has to end his turn a bare few feet above the water's surface.
Yup, sharks leap from teh storm tossed waters, both hit, one crits, and Pax is just a bloody swirl and some bits of meat.
Snorter
(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Roleplaying Game, Campaign Setting, Companion, Modules Subscriber; GameMastery Superscriber)
Name: Rushforth
Race, Class: Warhorse
D&D 3.5 + PF mods
Adventure: Age of Worms, Chapter 5
Location: Greyhawk Arena
Catalyst: Uncanny archery
Not a PC, as such, but since everyone knew how hard this horse was, not to mention, being more intelligent than its owner, it feels like it. And in laying down it's life, it spared one of the actual PCs being riddled to death.
In a four-way battle, several of the teams had earlier attempted to sound out the others for the possibility of an alliance, but nothing had been agreed.
As the teams entered, the paladin called his warhorse, which raised a few eyebrows, and immediately challenged one of the opposing teams (all of whom were mounted desert raiders). Needless to say, they declined this generous offer, and all charged the opposite way, into a team of archers, making another attempt to demand an alliance vs the heavy infantry (the PCs and the fourth team).
The paladin got held up by team 4 sending their halberdiers charging in at supernatural speed, and the PCs got bogged down. The horse was clawed by a dire badger, and the paladin hit by flaming ball.
The next round saw all wounded PCs feel their cuts itch with necromatic infection, and the paladin cured himself while fighting on.
The elven archers, seing one of their number dropped, and others battered, gave in to the request for a truce, and they fired a volley into the other side of the arena, targetting what they saw as the most mobile opponent, the paladin's horse.
The dice were picked up, rolled, and the swathe of high teens stared back up at us. With their precise shot training, they easily avoided the intervening melee, and scored over twice as many hits as I could have hoped for. With nervous hands, I picked up the damage dice, and rolled over 40 damage for the volley, which, combined with the badger claws dropped it from full health to dead in less than 6 seconds.
The rider leapt from the saddle of the falling horse, into the middle of a brawl between the PCs and howling gnolls.
The upside was that the gnoll's leader was so incensed by the shooting of a horse, that he demanded a truce with the PCs, which took a while to be sealed, but when it did...
This was an epic battle, taking us around 6 hours total, split between sessions, since I redesigned and re-equipped three teams to better challenge the PCs. But it was worth it.
Name: Ouda Laley
Classes: Ranger/Barbarian 7
Adventure: 4e "Curses"
Location: Deep within the heart of a corrupt tree.
Catalyst: A very deadly surprise round.
The Gory Details: As his party battled valiently near the Tree of Life, Ouda bravely and foolishly entered into the passage in the tree that led down into its very depths, in an attempt to purify it while his comrades had the corrupt plants occupied. Upon reaching the bottom of the passageway, he discovered a large cavernous, chamber filled with a vile ichor that was pumped out by a massive, beating, and corrupt heart. Ouda spotted the enemies hidden in the mire, but not those hidden in the rocks to the sides of the cavern, and as he valiently stepped forward, the parasites sprung their ambush, hitting him with four, well placed daggers, and ending his life.
Having wrapped up the corrupt plants on the surface, his comrades travelled down into the depths to try to free the heart from its corruption...there may be more entries soon...
Name: Torsin
Race: Half-Elf
Classes/levels: Paladin 6 / Wizard 4
Adventure: Mother of Flies
Location: east side of the Caretaker's House outside Walcourt
Catalyst: Failed saving throw at the worst possible time
The Gory Details: In spite of needing to roll only a 10 or better, Torsin failed the Fortitude saving throw against Sandor the Strange and his trusty disintegrate. Unfortunately for Torsin, the failed saving throw was against a confirmed critical hit with the aforementioned disintegrate. Needless to say, 48d6 yielded 208 points of damage, dusting the paladin.
PC Name: Sifus
Race: halfling
Class: rogue/ranger/some prestige class or other
Level: 13
Circumstances of Death: Crit by a tail slap for 16d6+58
Adventure: City of Broken Idols
Campaign: Savage Tide
PC Name: Mirros
Race: dwarf
Class: fighter
Level: 12
Circumstances of Death: Symbol of death
Adventure: City of Broken Idols
Campaign: Savage Tide
Hmm, I did not know this thread existed. Time to cross-post my STAP deaths :D
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10/2009:
Name: Rokugo Yuri, Female Water Spiritfolk
Class/Level: Binder 3|Rogue 2/Telepath 1
Name: Rin Gold, Male Human
Class/Level: Ardent 3|Nomad 3
Catalyst: Ambush attack in Lotus Guildhall Training Room, "There Is No Honor" Part IV
Yuri bombed all her perception checks when entering the Training Room and didn't notice the Lotus thieves dressed as training dummies, and took several crossbow bolts in the back while examining Rowyn's throne. Then they rolled 20 for initiative and finished her off the next round.
The rest of the group ran in to rescue her, half of the six thieves engaged them while the other half remained still and disguised, then sneak attacked the party healer Rin to death when he followed them in.
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3/2010:
Name: Dresylaer, Blind Male Killoren
Class/Level: Bard|Favored Soul 6
Catalyst: Maw of the Mother-of-All, "Sea Wyvern's Wake" Part V
Dres's 11 CON, blindness, and meager AC proved fatal when his constant conjuring of DR-ignoring Spiritual Weapons became as annoying as the six attacks per round of the Summoner's Eidolon. Unfortunately for Dres, the Eidolon had about twice as much HP and double the AC as him; The Mother-of-All ported itself just behind him and proceeded to lay into him with Bite-Claw-Claw and the pummeling of its young. Dres was saved by the healer Faelyn once, but the second assault was simply too much. He perished only moments before Avander, his drinking buddy and Duskling Barbarian|Totemist, pulverized the plant monster into oblivion.
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6/2010:
Name: Hantei Yasumoto, Male Human
Class/Level: Scout|Swordsage 9
Catalyst: Infamous Seven Sidequest - Burbalarg the Elder Shambling Mound, "Tides of Dread"
The group decided to chase down and slay some of the Infamous Seven before the pirate attack, and Burbalarg was the final of the four they planned to kill. Unfortunately, Yasumoto one too many times provoked the shambler's ire, and the Infamous Beast snatched him up and squeezed the life from him.
Yasumoto refused both the Mysterious Voice's offer of "another chance" and party cleric Lazarus's requests to be brought back to life. Sadly, this marks the passing of the final party member who has been with the group since Chapter One (even if he wasn't there for all of it); the others have either died or been swapped out.
My group has bad luck with big mean plants, apparently.
Four kills between two sessions. The first three happened in the first, and the final happened in the second.
Had a TPK of a sort on the second session (the one with Grantz), but as all the other PCs were rendered unconscious and I didn't want to wait for all the players to roll up new characters, I had the bandits dispose of their 'bodies' which were then found by Grantz' player's new character.
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PC's Name: Ludvik
Race: Human
Class: Barbarian
Level: 3
Circumstances of Death: Took first watch and was strangled to death by killer vines that got the drop on him.
Setting: Generic Adventure Setting™
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PC's Name: V (player couldn't think of a name)
Race: Human
Class: Sorcerer
Level: 3
Circumstances of Death: Caught a crossbow bolt with his throat after being backed into a corner by a group of bandits.
Setting: Generic Adventure Setting™
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PC's Name: Vada
Race: Human
Class: Druid
Level: 3
Circumstances of Death: Three melee fighters and a group of archers ganged up on her and promptly brought her (and her wolf) down.
Setting: Generic Adventure Setting™
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PC's Name: Grantz le Death
Race: Human
Class: Fighter
Level: 3
Circumstances of Death: Slain with his back to the enemy after trying to retreat from a badly lost battle.
Setting: Generic Adventure Setting™
Name: Rushforth
Race, Class: Warhorse
D&D 3.5 + PF mods
Adventure: Age of Worms, Chapter 5
Location: Greyhawk Arena
Catalyst: Uncanny archeryThis was an epic battle, taking us around 6 hours total, split between sessions, since I redesigned and re-equipped three teams to better challenge the PCs. But it was worth it.
Absolutely! Well worth all that time prepping and running. Thanks Snorter.
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Names: Jade II, Torsin II
Race: Humans, Advanced template applied
Classes/Levels:
- Jade: Fighter 1 / Sorcerer 7 / Eldritch Knight 2
- Torsin: Paladin 6 / Diviner 4
Adventure: The Thrice-Damned Prince
Location: The Ghivel Townhouse, room T4
Catalyst: Failing DC 22 Fortitude saving throws against petrification.
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Names: Jade II, Da Cultist
Race: Humans, Advanced template applied
Classes/Levels:
- Jade: Fighter 1 / Sorcerer 7 / Eldritch Knight 2
- Da Cultist: Cloistered Cleric 11
Adventure: The Thrice-Damned Prince
Location: The Ghivel Townhouse, room T4
Catalyst: Failing DC 22 Fortitude saving throws against petrification.
Edited for correct character deaths.
PC Names: Quatro; Allard Farche; Esme; Lady Penelo
Races: Human (?!?!?); Dwarf; Human; Human
Classes: Incarnist; Fighter; Witch; Priest
Levels: 8; 8; 8; 9
Circumstances of Death: A wide assortment of undead-related maladies, ranging from spell damage from a ghast sorceror, to the negative energy necrosis brought about by some advanced Necrosis Carnexi, to vast, VAST amounts of sneak attack and vile damage from an undead rogue/assassin. A real smorgasboard of ultimately fatal shenanigans :) :) :)
Adventure: Memories of Orcus' Reign
Campaign: Something Rotten in Nyron
Cheers,
Colin
Name: Gene Syn, Male Human
Class/Level: Psion|Wilder 10
Catalyst: Brain Collector Scion and Yellow Mold, Tlaloc's Crater, "The Lightless Depths" Part IV (Savage Tide Chapter 6)
Gene proved himself too annoying to the Brain Collector - his spells kept piercing its SR, constantly harming it. But even worse, he was right next to Lazarus for most of the fight, and Lazarus was annoying it equally by dispelling its Greater Invisibility and resisting its Telekinesis attacks. So when those tactics failed the Neh-thalggu went on the direct offensive, blasting them both with Cones of Cold, badly wounding Lazarus but knocking the not-quite-as-sturdy Gene down to 2 HP.
The next round, before fleeing, the Brain Collector dispelled Gene's levitate, causing him to fall; he fumbled the save there and took the full 10 damage from the fall, bringing him to -8, but what really killed him was the one-point-short Fort save versus the pile of Yellow Mold he'd been levitating over. The -4 CON from the infection pushed him over the mortal brink.
The Brain Collector died in the next round as it attempted to flee, and Lazarus was able to use Breath of Life to revive Gene rather swiftly, then Restoration and Remove Disease to undo the harm wrought by the mold.
PC's Name: Donaar K'baab
Race: Dragonborn
Class: Paladin
Level: 10
Circumstances of Death: Taken to negative Bloodied value by the necromancer's aura of death
Setting: Points of Light
PC's Name: Tira Duskmeadow
Race: Eladrin
Class: Warlock (Fey Pact)
Level: 10
Circumstances of Death: Failed 3 death saves after being taken down by necromantic attacks
Setting: Points of Light
PC's Name: Minus
Race: Gnome
Class: Chaos Sorcerer
Level: 10
Circumstances of Death: Failed 3 death saves after being taken down by necromantic attacks
Setting: Points of Light
PC's Name: Fargrim
Race: Dwarf
Class: Fighter
Level: 10
Circumstances of Death: Taken to negative Bloodied value by the necromancer's aura of death
Setting: Points of Light
PC's Name: Stefalin
Race: Human
Class: Wizard
Level: 10
Circumstances of Death: Failed 3 death saves after being taken down by necromantic attacks
Setting: Points of Light
It was the most bizarre fight of the campaign. The 2 other party members both recovered from unconsciousness with natural 20s and took down the necromancer.
PC's Name: Shamanilla
Race: Human (Dragonblood)
Class: Dragon Disciple (Maztican Rain Serpent Totem)
Level: 11
Circumstances of Death: Chained Avasculate and Vile Chain Lightning on top of previous wounds. Courtesy of Admiral Monkamuck's lich.
Setting: Deserted Maztican village, Savage Tide in Forgotten Realms with hints of Varnhold Vanishing.
PC's Name: Sam Greenhand
Race: Gnome
Class: Wizard 1 Rogue 10 - Crossbow Sniper & poisons expert
Level: 11
Circumstances of Death: Chained Avasculate and Vile Chain Lightning on top of previous wounds. Courtesy of Admiral Monkamuck's lich.
Setting: Deserted Maztican village, Savage Tide in Forgotten Realms with hints of Varnhold Vanishing.
Both revived by homebrew Action Point stabilise rule. The kills count though.
Names: Maximilian of Varisia, Fmughwa the Deathgorger
Races: Human (Varisian), Advanced 14 HD Gargantuan Bombardier Beetle
Classes: Meat Shield 11, big honkin' bug that pukes acid
Catalyst: Advanced 22 HD Cyclops Revenant being in melee proximity for 4 rounds too many
Setting: trek from Council of Thieves to what will be an upgunned Kingmaker
Digest Edition details: An advanced 22 hit die revenant spent two months slogging along the bottom of the Inner Sea in order to attempt to avenge itself against four of the PCs - and the poor DMPC meat shield. Fmughwa was shredded first - then Max - then Fmughwa again after a PC had the bright idea of resuscitating the beetle adjacent to the big bad that just killed it. Being a revenant at nearly full hp adjacent to a murderer that has an insufficient quantity of hit points to survive another major hit saw the poor bug packed off to Groetus' Roach Motel in the Sky twice in a three-round span. The torchbearer / meat shield is very, very tired of waking up dead...
PC's Name- Lady Navita d'Dennith
Race - Human
Class - Cleric of the soverign host(life and war domain)
Level - 5th
Circumstances of Death, The valient lady Navita dies when the party's psion/wizard/theif didn't take the hint and opened a bound,locked AND trapped door. Inside was a very hungery cave troll. The parties mage firballed, the parties psion energy blasted and the party motley (the one that opened the door) summoned a astral construct, all from a safe distance leaving the lady to take multiple claw/claw/rend and bites. She stood her ground the was out and down to -15 in the second round, the psion took off while the party mage grapped his great axe and charged( the mage has a 15str and the heroics spell so he can sub as a fighter for a round or two) The motley hit the troll to -7 but they have regen of 8 so he was still up the wizard scored a confirmed crit for 36 points of damage, end of troll but also the end of the Lady Navita d'orien.
Setting (and Adventure Path, if you're using one)eberron city of thaliost, the PC's are trying to stop the arch bisop from killing all the rebels useing kenku so that it can't be traced back to him or the church. I love LE bad guys that cloak their evilness inside of all things good.