PC Name: Hilo Shadowalker
Race: Kender
Class: Handler (thief)
Level: 15
Circumstances: Party chases priestess of Shar through underground catacombs and takes wrong turn. They find the current lair of the tarrasque and wake it up. Instead of running, they decided to fight the thing. Kender gets left arm ripped off by sharpness bite on 2nd round. Following round, the tarrasque gets another solid critical and I rule he's now even smaller than before and gets swallowed whole (based on idea that a T-rex can swallow whole, and the kender's getting attacked by something even bigger). Some acid damage kills kender in its stomach. Party wizard does favorite PC stunt of all time to try to save the little wretch and puts up Otiluke's Resilient Sphere, taunts the tarrasque, and gets it to swallow him whole. Uses old-school wand of conjuration to put up a prismatic sphere in its belly. When tarrasque is wished to death, erupts from stomach. Finds kender bones amidst gore.
Campaign: Homebrew Forgotten Realms, 2nd ed.
PC Name: Hilo Shadowalker
Race: Kender
Class: Handler (thief)
Level: 15
Circumstances: Party chases priestess of Shar through underground catacombs and takes wrong turn. They find the current lair of the tarrasque and wake it up. Instead of running, they decided to fight the thing. Kender gets left arm ripped off by sharpness bite on 2nd round. Following round, the tarrasque gets another solid critical and I rule he's now even smaller than before and gets swallowed whole (based on idea that a T-rex can swallow whole, and the kender's getting attacked by something even bigger). Some acid damage kills kender in its stomach. Party wizard does favorite PC stunt of all time to try to save the little wretch and puts up Otiluke's Resilient Sphere, taunts the tarrasque, and gets it to swallow him whole. Uses old-school wand of conjuration to put up a prismatic sphere in its belly. When tarrasque is wished to death, erupts from stomach. Finds kender bones amidst gore.Campaign: Homebrew Forgotten Realms, 2nd ed.
That...
Is SO gross!
But oh so very cool at the same time.
MMMMMMMMMMMM Ottilukes everlasting gob-stopper!
Priceless.
Bah, that IS gross... but inventive... We only ever blew up a Dire Toad by releasing a gust of wind into her deeper guts.... this is the BIG brother
Gross? Definitely. No doubt. As I recall, I kept the details of the GI tract to a minimum. I did let the kender try to escape, but he failed. Probably because he couldn't do a lot of slashing damage with that hoopak of his. Quite memorable, though. Luckily, all the gems and shields were available to offset the costs of a resurrection in those days. I gave the wizard extra XP for a creative means of dealing with something they weren't really intended to fight. The kender collected rings, and he had to pretty much restart his collection after he rolled lots of bad item saves. Ah, for the good old days . . .
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My biggest ever (26 yr gamer) single encounter party death (not counting one-night silly games that aren't in a campaign)
In my SCAP w/ AoW (modified homebrew) campaign the PCs, The Order of the Cockatrice, are in Bhal Hamatugn and trying to escape with Zenith Splintershield and an NPC of my design who is equally important to the PCs and stoping Vhalantru and the Cagewrights.
In the grand fight, gladiatorial challenge style, the PCs fight a Greater Ebon Aspect (like from AoW's TFoE) that is summoned by The Faceless One -- a Cagewright in this homebrew (it didn't make sense for Aushonna to be summoned) and at the same time Mangh Mictho. A CR 11+
The PCs:
Cleric of Pelor, 8
Bard, 8
Ranger, 7 xDIESx
Fighter-Barbarian, 3-2
Sorcerer 4 xDIESx
Sorcerer 4 xDIESx
Elven Hound ECL3 xDIESx
4 of 7
PC Name: Hawl Thistlebrook
Race: Halfling
Class: Druid
Level: 3
PC Name: Devil Trohs (spell it backwards)
Race: Human
Class: Wizard
Level: 3
The party's attention was split between some manes, a hell hound, and some hexblades. The druid's wolf had been fighting the hexblades alone for some time when the druid finally got freed up enough to go help. Failed a save vs. sassone leaf residue and took 15 damage plus weapon damage and died instantly. (The wolf, ironically, survived the fight, but was then just a normal wolf)
The wizard had been dropped unconscious for the second time in the fight. When the other characters moved to deal with threats that appeared more significant than the manes, the little demons ripped the prone, dying wizard to shreds.
Both characters were being played by one person (Sexi Golem).
Name: Kibros Klingenfuchs
Class: Fighter 6 Rogue 2
Race Human
Circumstances: failed 3 consecutive Reflex Saves to a Drider's 3 Lightning Bolts (no use for Evasion)
Setting: Unspecified (The Scorpion's Throne)
Name: It's been a while...I can't really remember.
Race: Half-Ogre (I think.)
Class: Fighter (I think...if not fighter, barbarian.)
Level: 3rd or 4th
Circumstances: PCs are rescuing hostages from a few blackscale lizardfolk as well as their black dragon leader (medium...don't remember the exact age though). All of the PCs except the half-ogre in question focused on the blackscales, wanting to get the two remaining ones out of the picture before focusing on the dragon, while the half-ogre battled the dragon in close melee combat. Long story short, dragons can generally kill a single half-ogre when the other party members are helping little.
Setting: Eberron.
This was my first kill ever. I haven't had any since, actually. And this was a while ago. I guess PCs just never get killed in my adventures.
Setting: Shattered Gates of Slaughterguarde set in Faerun.
Sorry to go off-topic here, but can anyone point me to the "Shattered Gates.." adventure? I seem to be unable to find it - who publishes it, who wrote it?
Stefan
Name: Ferinas
Race: Human
Class: Scout
Level: 15th
Circumstances of Death: Bull rushed by an advanced Displacer Beast Pack Lord, down a pit, and into a Sphere of Anialation.
Sorry to go off-topic here, but can anyone point me to the "Shattered Gates.." adventure? I seem to be unable to find it - who publishes it, who wrote it?
Wizards of the Coast made it, Paizo doesn't seem to have it, but here's an Amazon link (English) and an Amazon link (German).
Sorry to go off-topic here, but can anyone point me to the "Shattered Gates.." adventure? I seem to be unable to find it - who publishes it, who wrote it?Wizards of the Coast made it, Paizo doesn't seem to have it, but here's an Amazon link (English) and an Amazon link (German).
Thanks for the pointers, Lilith. I never before heard of that one - seems to have passed me completely.
So, back to topic - even though I can´t contribute.
Stefan
PC's Name: Merridan
Race: Sun elf
Class: Warmage
Level 7
Circumstances of Death: After capturing and tying up Wyrmlord Stormcaller, the party entered the Ghostlord's lab. As they were moving to check the door Merridan wound up between an open pit and the wyrmlord. And with only another wizard behind her, Stormcaller decided to make a break for it. She bull rushed Merridan into the pit and fled. Merridan fell 70 feet onto a waiting gray ooze. He was quite confident about his chances of survival until his magic mithral shirt dissolved. He provoked as he tried to climb away and then his body dissolved.
Setting: Red Hand of Doom set in Faerun.
*sigh,* Having just read your spoiler, frankly all I can say is that sometimes it's just impossible for us to keep the cocky fools from killing themselves off.
Bless em
<Cos by the sound of things they probably need that +1 bonus>
PC's Names: Dumont; Yeskara: Les
Races: Elf; Half-orc; Human
Classs: Cleric; Fighter; Barbarian/Dragon Shaman
Levels: 5; 5; 1/4
Circumstances of Death: More hubris. The party deactivated a fiery portal only to come face to face with a large fang dragon. They happily rushed towards it resulting in the demise of one half of the party, and the complete stripping of two characters' gear to be allowed to leave.
(The second attempt to fight the dragon proved successful. Even with three characters with hardly any possessions, the dragon was fairly ineffective the second time. The difference? They stopped to formulate something close to a plan.)
Setting (and Adventure Path, if you're using one): Shattered Gates of Slaughterguarde set in Faerun.
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2 more fall in SCAP w/ AoW
Ike Iverson has hired the assassins to axe The Order of the Cockatrice and the bad guys almost win. Skyler Krewis had to save the day. Even still, 2 of the 6 PCs (and the animal companion) fall.
Gargrim, Dwarf Babarian/3 Fighter/2
Hino, Elf Cleric of Pelor/6 Radiant Servant/2
-W. E. Ray
PC's Name: Simcha
Race: Human female, Shelzarian
Class: Fighter/Rogue
Level 2/6
Circumstances of Death:
Investigating in a frontier fortresstown for mysterious events concerning the local military leadership, the PCs noticed that the native thieves guild seemed strangely absent (all of a sudden).
"Gather Information" about them succeeded only in drawing the villain's unwanted attention, who immediately sent an assassin to deal with the crown's agents, to deliver a "warning"....
A few hous later, the group got an anonymous invite to the local steambaths by a "frightened informer" - "meet me there for information....and come unarmed" etc etc.
The players agreed (with much ensuing shenannigans as how to get weaponry inside ). As it was a seggregated bathhouse, Simcha (the only female) found herself bored to death waiting for the "informant" - at least the others had company.
After about an hour of bored and tiring waiting in the heat, she at last took the offer from an in-house servant for a relaxing massage.
Stretching out leisurely was about the last thing she did... the comely servant (aka the assassin) massaged professionally for three rounds, then proceeded to use a death/paralysis attack on her neck with a hairpin.
Simcha was drowned "like a kitten" in the adjoning cold basin helpless to struggle or even wiggle her toes....
The player is still angry about it *wicked grin*
Name: Mysterious Sorcerer
Race: Human
Class: Sorcerer
Level: 12
Circumstances of Death: Symbol of Death spell. Having reached the Black Spike pertruding into the ground, rising up from the earth like a black sore, the heroes entered into the bastion of evil to confront the Triad and to stop the rise of Tharizdun (Coolest 'God' ever!). It was in the penultimate level of the Black Spike that our heroes found the empty chambers of the Triad, and within it a multitude of killer traps, one of which was a Symbol of Death originally created by the Third. The Sorcerer NPC/PC was the closest to the triggered trap and so got to make the save first, failing. On the bright side, his death saved the others from having to make a save against the effects due to the high level of HP that all the characters have/had.
Setting: Generic D&D - Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Name: Mysterious Cleric
Race: Human
Class: Cleric
Level: 12
Circumstances of Death: Destruction spell. In the uppermost level of the Black Spike, our four heroes (now reduced to three, see above) meet a member of the Triad in all her glory, The Third. The might cleric of death and destruction lives up to her name in the first round when she casts a Destruction spell on the party's NPC/PC cleric, he fails, he dies, she cackles and the party suddenly become a lot more attentive to the danger that they face before them...
Setting: Generic D&D - Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Name: Callan
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Druid
Level: 13
Circumstances of Death: Slay Living spell. Upon seeing their comrade fall in short order, the remaining characters (a druid and a divine fighter) quicly try to get into melee with The Third, as she moves across the small chamber in order to get them to follow her across the dark altars that lie within. Fortunately, the characters are too savvy to get too close to the organic altars of evil, however after nearly half a minute, and with The Third bearing the scars of the fight she managed to get off a Slay Living spell upon the Druid, to which he succumbs, leaving Galatea, the Divine Fighter to keep up the good fight. (In the end, the last surviving character does indeed triumph over the evil Cleric, though it was a close thing. Galatea then left the vile place to return her three friends back to life, luckily the party had not too long ago discovered a Portable Hole, and so she made good use of it, as a morgue).
Setting: Generic D&D - Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Sorry, got the Sorcerer and the Cleric deaths the wrong way round, which would explain why the latter was unable to Raise Dead the former, due to the former dying after the latter.
Surprisingly, this fight against a CR 15 cleric, The Third, was way more challenging for them than the encounter against 4xOgre Fighter6, 2xIron Golem, and 2xRoper (In which there were no character casualties). Oh, and as for the encounter against a Beholder, they used Baleful Polymorph on the poor thing, and it failed both saves! Very shortly afterwards, the fight turned into a "Squash the Lizard" contest.
Name: Thak
Race: Human
Class: Monk/Ninja
Level: 5/4
Thak ghost-stepped into the forgotten shrine and delivered a flying kick to the closest of the spawn of Kyuss ambling through the hall. He was immediately coated with Kyuss worms, more than he could remove before one dug itself into his flesh. He was then grabbed by a mohrg and paralyzed by its tentacle. As Thak was ravaged by a mohrg, a green worm boring its way toward Thak's brain, the rest of the party fought bravely (though the scout fled in panic upon sight of the spawn).
The ranger fought his way toward Thak and cut the mohrg down, freeing the monk from its clutches. It was then that Bozal struck, peaking from behind a door and firing his enervating wand. Thak was largely forgotten as PCs hustled after the cleric, then had to face the Apostle of Kyuss.
When the scout regained his nerve and sped back to aid his companions, he met the hideous form of Thak, the reborn monk now a spawn of Kyuss, green worms dribbling from his gaping mouth as it staggered forward.
The scout tumbled past him, rejoined the group, and together they slew Thak a second time. He was eventually resurrected.
The scout tumbled past him, rejoined the group, and together they slew Thak a second time. He was eventually ressurected.
This wouldn't be restricted to d20 stuff would it ?
PC's Name: Zyx a.k.a Elise a.k.a Krudrut a.k.a. Dillane
Race: Changeling
Class: Rogue
Level: 6
Circumstances of Death: Beaten to a pulp in her sleep by a plant
Setting: On an abandon ship trapped in Journey's End in Savage Tides.
Name: Demet
Race: Human
Class: gestalt fighter/rogue
Level: 11
Adventure: Shackled City, Test of the Smoking Eye
Circumstances: miserably failed Fort save when Myaruk the lich cast slay living on him
PC's Names: Braigan; Barrak
Races: Elf; Dwarf
Classs: Rogue; cleric/fighter
Levels: 3; 2/1
The cultists released beast and Braigan and Barrak decided the best way to deal with a rampaging dire boar was to just stand there swinging. They were wrong.
Setting and Adventure Path: Age of Worms set in Faerun.
Name: It was a one off, so he prolly didn;t have one
Race: Human I think
Class/Level: Ftr/Sorc/Abjurant Champ 12
How he bit it: Failed his will save vs a prismatic spray from a Werewolf Sorceror. Rolled a 7- Transported to another plane. He was pissed, figured he had another invincible character. All the die rolls were in the open :)
Kill PCs is teh fun!!!!!!1111!1!11 Teach them to muck about in MY world.
Kill PCs is teh fun!!!!!!1111!1!11 Teach them to muck about in MY world.
lol, someone`s clearly a big fan of Elf Only Inn.
TPK
Names: Degan Calviet, Ivan Einhander, Lucan Stellan, Thuridyn Thunderhammer the Third
Races (respectively): Halfling, Human, Human, Dwarf
Classes (ditto): Rogue, Fighter 4/Ranger 1, Warlock, Fighter
Levels (ditto): 5, 5, 6, 6
Setting: Homebrew
CoD: In game- many, many lizardfolk, a crocodile animal companion, and a couple of Huge centipedes; Out of game- fatigue from playing too long, resulting in poorer DM descriptions and rushed scouting. I think I have a plan to save the game, however... hopefully, I'll have an entry in the "Bring 'em Back Alive" thread soon.
Campaign Ender
PC's Names: Braigan; Barrak; Cyruss; Linus;
Races: Elf; Dwarf; Human; Human
Classs: Rogue; cleric/fighter; cleric; fighter
Levels: 3; 2/1; 4; 2 (vacationed for 3 sessions)
In the horseshoe cavern in 3FoE, the party could not tactically deal with the grimlock archers. Two forays (one killing Braegan and the next killing the others) left the two survivors abandoning the corpses and fleeing to the surface.
The group is made up of two relative newbies; one with about 5 years; and two guys that have been playing since the older editions. We decided that the AoW was just too tough for this group, and the campaign is over. One of the players is going to run Eberron and I still have my other 3 campaigns, including tonight's AoW.
Setting and Adventure Path: Age of Worms set in Faerun.
Name: I can't recall (she wasn't alive long enough to make much of an
imprssion)
Race: Kalashtar
Class/Level: Rogue 1
Campaign/Setting: Forgotten Forge, Eberron
Circumstances of Death: They made to the sewer where a warforged and two shifters. In the first round of combat the paladin was bull-rushed into the sewer, where she spent the rest of the combat (and almost died). Unfortunately, she was the only real melee combatant so the rest of the party (the now dead rogue and an artificer) was outmatched. It took a while but the shifters and the forged eventually hacked the rogue to peices and pushed her body into the sewer.
Name: Callan
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Druid
Level: 14
Circumstances of Death: In the final fight to save the multiverse by preventing the release of the God of Entropy and Destruction, Tharizdun. The party faced off against The Champion of Elemental Evil, Lareth the Beautiful (Fighter4/Ur-Priest10), Master Hedrack (Cleric14), an advanced Greater Barghest called Riu, and Imix, the Evil Elemental Prince of Fire.
A portal of darkness had been summoned, and all that was left was for the Orb of Oblivion to pass through it and sunder Tharizdun's prison, however brave Callan intercepted the Orb by opening up a Portable Hole and caught the Orb inside it. This only served to incense Lareth who used an ability to steal a spell from the party's sorcerer, Disintegrate. He then turned this spell upon Callan, and dutifully turned him to dust.
Setting: Generic D&D - Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Name: Mysterious Sorcerer
Race: Human
Class: Sorcerer
Level: 13
Circumstances of Death: With his friend turned to dust, the Sorcerer seemed ready to initiate a plan to foil the schemes of Tharizdun's chosen few. Fed up with the interference of these meddling humans and half-elves, Master Hedrack followed up with a Disintegrate spell of his own and turned it upon the party's sorcerer. Ashes to ashes, sorcerer's dust. Two PCs disintegrated in the same round.
Setting: Generic D&D - Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Name: Galateia
Race: Human
Class: Fighter
Level: 14
Circumstances of Death: In the final fight, the PCs desperately sought a way to destroy the Orb of Oblivion, so that it could not be used to free Tharizdun, to this end Galateia and Lareth The Champion of Elemental Evil began a tug of war over an open Portable Hole, within which lay the Orb. Using what few resources they had left, another party Druid (NPC/PC) named Kella threw a Heward's Handy Haversack into the Portable Hole and thus rendered a tear in the fabric of space and time, killing both Lareth and brave Galateia.
(This was not the end of Galateia however, as she wielded the might Sword of Answering, Fragarach, which had the capacity to cast a True Resurrection, and in doing so brought the lady back to life in time to see the Orb still heading towards the gate of Tharizdun's prison. She then gave chase after the Orb, and after a tense couple of rounds managed to destroy the artifact as it began to sunder the prison, with mere seconds to spare before His release, and the destruction of all, almost came to fruition).
Setting: Generic D&D - Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
Name: Kella (& Companion, Shatark)
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Druid
Level: 9
Circumstances of Death: Enraged by all of his plans being foiled, Master Hedrack kicked up the offensive attack, especially now that an ally of his, the Barghest known as Riu, had turned against him to aid the party. Master Hedrack positioning himself amongst a number of the remaining PCs, and brought down an empowered Flame Strike killing not only himself but also Kella and her panther companion, Shatark.
After the battle was over, Riu rewarded himself by devouring Master Hedrack's soul, and even went as far as to eat a part of the fallen Prince of Elemental Evil (as elementals souls and bodies are the one and the same). Unknown by the party, he had also eaten Kella's soul and so she was unable to return from death. Riu also went as far as licking up a few of the ashes from the disintegrated Druid and Sorcerer, but to no avail. Still you can't blame a Barghest for trying ;-)
Setting: Generic D&D - Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
PC's Name: Merridan
Race: Sun elf
Class: Warmage
Level 8
Circumstances of Death: Ahh, silly warmages. The party was attacked by a blue dragon while on a ledge in the mountains. The dragon kept his distance and dropped spells and breath weapons on the party. The warmage mounted the sole offense against the dragon, dealing around 50 points of damage per round. Needless to say, it didn't take long for the dragon to snatch him up and fly him away. I was feelin generous and gave the party the opportunity to leave in order to get the body back after the dragon took Merridan's gear. They thought arrows were a better response, so the dragon threw Merridan at them from 80 feet up.... Splat!
Setting: Red Hand of Doom set in Faerun.
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3 more fall in my SCAP w/ AoW modified homebrew. The PCs are starting "The Demonscar Legacy," pushed way back in the timeline of the campaign. APL is 8.5
Gnolls by The Headless Demon dropped 2:
Hino, Elf Cleric of Pelor/7, Radiant Servant/2
In-Shereamah, Elf Ranger/8, Paladin of Bahamut/2
The Hill Giants at the entrance of Vapak's Voice blasted another:
BimpNottin, Gnome Sorcerer/6
-W. E. Ray
PC's Names: Lian and Dumont
Race: Sun elf and Moon elf
Class: Wizard and Cleric
Level 5 and 5
Circumstances of Death: On a whim, the party camped in the dungeon. A mezzoloth was sent on guard rounds late in the rest period. Despite finding the party at rest, it met with a quickly organized resistance. It fled out of sight and attempted to summon another of its kind. Failing that, it dropped a cloudkilled and waited. A couple of failed saves gave the mezzoloth enough encouragement to rejoin the fight. Despite the loss of the elves, a couple of x3 crits made short work of the yugoloth, however, too late to prevent the deaths.
Setting: Shattered Gates of Slaughterguarde set in Faerun.
PC's Name - Kaylee
Race - Human
Class - Cleric (Pelor)
Level - 12-ish
Circumstances of Death - Beheading courtesy of a mature adult black dragon
Setting - Home Brew Age of Worms
Earlier
PC's Name - Delta
Race - Tiefling
Class - Sorcerer
Level - 7th
Circumstances of Death - fell down a 120ft shaft on the way to recover a famous heroes remains. failed Ref save to catch self, 3 failed Ref saves by fellows to catch her on the way down (she was climbing last.)
Setting - Homebrew. Using adventure from Dungeon Mag.
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CAMPAIGN: SCAP w/ AoW (modified homebrew)
PC: In-Shereamah, Ran/7 Pal of Bahamut/2
(N)PC: Alek Tercival: Pal of Bahamut/10
Fighting in The Demonskar Legacy, the last battle in my modified version is against a cabal of Asmodeus's priests. A Barbed Devil Rog/3 Blk/3 named Zamnaster the Cruel punished Alek after Alek Smited and Criticled him for 74HPs in Round 1. Unfortunately, Zamnaster still had some left over and dropped Alek to -17HP.
And then Nabthatoron shows up in this mega Devils vs Demons fight with the PC group, Order of the Cockatrice in the middle. In-shereamah got pincered by the Glabrezu to -4 HP and Nabthatoron quickly moved on to the next PC. Well our healer brought In-Shereamah back up to 26HP and the fool stood up, giving Nabthatoron an AoO. It was enough to drop In-Shereamah to below -10.
-W. E. Ray
My first PC kill with my current gaming group. Was about 3 years ago.
PC Name: Basil Thornwood
Race: Elf
Class: Rogue
Level: 1
Circumstances: The party has been asked to retrieve a ship that was stolen by pirates. These particular pirates were lead by a man of great strength named Randal the Axe, a 5th level fighter who fought with an ogre's greataxe. The party boarded the ship and defeated many of the pirates on their way to the captain's cabin, who they all thought was asleep. Randal tricked them, however, and charged out of his room when they opened the door. He was surrounded by the party, and Basil went to sneak attack him in the back. Randal retaliated and scored a critical hit on the poor rogue, who took around 50 damage from the attack and was reduced to a fine red mist.
Looking back, I probably shouldn't have sent a level 5 fighter after a bunch of level 1's, even if there was six of them...
Campaign: A campaign that has become infamous in our group, as it was one our first one together. It is now called simply the "Don Juanito" campaign. It was set in a homebrew, rather nondescript world.
...
Looking back, I probably shouldn't have sent a level 5 fighter after a bunch of level 1's, even if there was six of them...
Well, a Greataxe critical would have most likely obliterated any of the PCs, regardless of the level of the wielder. Of course, he may not have confirmed the critical if he wasn't level 5... (I've seen an Orc Barbarian 1 down a 4th level Cleric with a well-rolled Greataxe critical. Didn't kill him though, just dropped him ~40 points and into the negatives. Greataxes crits are just nasty things that can decide combats very quickly.)
PC Name: Mikeneko
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Ranger
Level: 1Cause of Death: Charging into a warren of kobolds armed with a glaive and screaming a challenge.
Glad to hear that even now the little scaly chihuahua's with a trap fetish still score PK's now and again. ^_^
Name: Erebor Hith
Race: Sky Elf
Class: Bard
Level: 7th
World: Homebrew
Story: The Red Hand of Doom
Circumstances: Against the better judgment of all the smart players, somehow the party decided to forge on into the Blackfens swamp in the dead of night to find a companion of theirs who had been captured days before (the minotaur actually).
The party got ambushed by two greenspawn razor-fiends and the bard pretty much stood there and took it even though she had the best defense of any character in the group save the pixie warmage. Still not entirely sure what she was thinking by casting heroism on the knight when he was doing fine and she was getting turned into fish food...
*sigh*
This was the 1st fatality in this campaign.
Name: Dink
Race: Pixie
Class: Warmage
Level: 6th
World: Homebrew
Story: The Red Hand of Doom
Circumstances: Due to a practical joke played by the rogue and an over-reaction of an outburst from the warlock, the party had to face some pretty stiff opposition when trying to assault Wyrmlord Saarvith's HQ in the ruins of Rhest. (At least the party thought to stake out the area and wait until the dragon was away before starting their infiltration attempt.)
While the party was fighting the ogres, the pixie was going to try to fly inside and liberate their friend and ally, the captured minotaur Buliwyf and flew to the opposite side of the town hall. After nuking some ogre reinforcements, she saw Knurklenack's ettin come bounding out to reinforce the ogres. Little did our intrepid pixie know that the minotaur had easily been charmed and told the torturer everything he knew about the party. (She also didn't see Buliwyf come charging down the opposite flight of stairs, take a few steps and then hew Avarthel the Druid in twain with a single crit of his great axe.)
Long story short, Knurklenack was mind-controlling the ettin (which I'd advanced with 2 levels of fighter and cold-iron morningstars). When the pixie flew around a blind corner and fired off some scorching rays, the controller was able to see the originating point of the beams and let loose with a readied attack. It took the rest of the party a couple rounds to realize that they weren't hearing any explosions and screams of death from inside before the cleric found a sizable dent in the side of the wall where it appeared a very large butterfly had been cratered with one blow.
The pixie's player is now paranoid about launching attacks without first assaying the field in spite of the fact that she's perpetually invisible. I consider this a hard-learned lesson.