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Settling the Conflict: Total Party Wipes in D&D 5e

Written by Halfling Hannah in Tips & Tricks

TPK (Total Party Kill) is one of those concepts that all DMs know, even if they have never done it before. While the goal of a DM should NEVER be to kill the entire party, TPKs can happen to anyone for a variety of reasons, such as:

  • The DM creates an unbalanced encounter
  • The party goes into a fight unprepared
  • The party rolls really REALLY badly (happens more than you think)
  • Things just go wrong...

Sometimes, a TPK is no one’s fault. It is a combination of bad player rolls, great DM rolls, and unexpected difficulties. Is it really fair in those cases to kill the entire party?

If you are wondering whether or not you should let the party death stand, consider the following:

  • Was the encounter unfair or unbalanced?
  • Did the party feel like they had no other option but to fight?
  • Where their extenuating or unexpected circumstances, such as bad rolls at critical moments?
  • Will this TPK destroy your players’ trust in you as a DM?
  • Will this TPK make players quit your game?

Only once you have considered all of these factors should you decide if a TPK should stand.

Death in Dungeons & Dragons

The first question you need to ask yourself is this, “Do I want death to be a real possibility in my campaign?” Most DMs never consider the fact that they, are in fact, in charge of the world and have the option to exclude death from it.

If the purpose of your campaign is character development and your group is extremely attached to all the players and their stories, then you can exclude the death from your game and focus on the aspects you and your party enjoy. You are allowed to do this. Does this mean your world has no consequences and lacks challenging elements? Of course not!

If you choose to exclude the death element from your game, there are other ways to make encounters challenging and tense. Check out and try using some of these non-lethal methods.

What to Do If You Made a Mistake

What if the party is wiped because you, as the DM, didn’t do your homework? You accidentally made the encounter too difficult and killed everyone as a result. Whoops! What happens now? Well, you have a few options if you don’t want all those deaths on your conscience.

Also, to avoid having this happen, I highly recommend you check out my post of “Building Balanced Encounters.” This step by step guide will make sure you never accidentally kill your party.

Flashforward

Instead of letting the deaths stand, you can pull back and say something like this:

“As the last of you falls to the monster before you, eyes lifeless and still, your vision begins to pull back. You feel yourself being pulled out of the room, your vision blurs, when everything clears, you find yourself sitting in the darkened room of the soothsayer. All your friends around you, still alive, but shaken, just like you. You all look from one to another, confused, afraid. The old woman at the head of the table covers the crystal ball. ‘This is the fate that awaits you, adventurers, should you be careless. Walk carefully.'”

Of course, your party won’t remember ever going to a fortuneteller and you will have to do some backtracking, but it is a good way to undo the TPK while still maintaining reality.

It was Just a Dream

Some might think this is lame, but if you truly made a mistake and killed the party because you created an unbalanced encounter that the party felt they had to fight, then this can be a good option.

Basically, this happens just like it does in movies. After everyone dies, you pick one player (I would recommend the last player killed) and tell them:

“As the monster’s jaws close around you, you sit up, screaming. You flail your arms and look around, wildly. But all you see are your friends, sleeping around the campfire. You breathe hard trying to calm yourself. It was just a dream….just a dream.”

Other Alternatives to Death

Even if your party died because they were careless and reckless, it still doesn’t mean you have to let the TPK stand. If your party members are extremely attached to their characters or if the TPK will cause players to quit your party, it might be better to find alternatives to death.

TPW (Total Party Wipe) is a bit different from a TPK. With a TPW, the players all fall unconscious and you can find ways to keep them alive while still making them suffer the consequences of their actions. Below are some options:

Unconcious Until Healed

Sometimes, it is easiest to just say that everyone is unconscious. Have the party healer wake up and have to take the time to heal everyone. I would then make the party rest, giving them multiple levels of exhaustion from the failed fight.

If you are not using exhaustion in your games, you really should be. It is a great mechanic that is underused. If you want to know more about it and how to use if in your game, check out this article “Why You Should be Using Exhaustion“

Saved by an NPC

If you want to introduce a new friendly (or not so friendly) NPCs, when the party all falls unconscious they can found/rescued by NPCs. These NPCs can be friendly helpers, such as an old druid or cleric, or enemies, such as a group of kolbolds or grungs.

I like this option because it allows for role-playing opportunities that can even play into the plot of your story arch. Some options to get your thinking could be:

  • Powerful, but cranky, Druid or Wizard
  • A necromancer, who is very upset you aren’t actually dead
  • A monster society (Kolbolds, Grungs, or Goblins)
  • A crazy NPC who lives there
  • A scavenger that “cleans up” after monsters picking items off of dead adventurers

Saved by Their Patron

Another option to avoid killing the entire party is to have one party member’s deity or patron show up to save them for a “purpose.” This could be to advance the plot of the overall campaign or be a side quest.

For whatever reason, having a powerful patron show up and save the day could make for some awesome role-play and hooks.

Make a Deal

While deities can be great, I much prefer to offer players a much different option when they are on the brink of death. A deal with a Devil.

If you have never done this in your game before, I highly recommend giving it a try. Making deals can create really fun and interesting situations. If you want more information on exactly how to present deals from Devils to your players, check out this post “Making Deals with Devils.”

Physical Consequences

Finally, however you choose to avoid death, your players should still have consequences for the failure. Some of my favorite non-lethal consequences are:

  • Multiple points of exhaustion
  • Loss of limb
  • Scars
  • Temporary or permanent insanity characteristics (See this post for the insanity chart!)
  • Loss of magical weapons or armor
  • Loss of all items

After Life Adventures

If you want the TPK to stand but you also want to keep playing the same characters, why not have all the players wake up in the afterlife and have to fight their way back to the material plane?

Perhaps all your players find themselves in the 9 Hells or in the Feywild and they must fight, talk and think their way back home. This is a great way to keep the TPK if you feel like it should stay, but allow the players to continue to play the characters they love.

Allowing the players to play through the afterlife is a creative option that will provide incredible and new experiences for your players even after death.

Should You Ever Wipe the Party?

There is no right answer to this question. It is really up to you and will depend on your players and campaign. And don’t let any of the harsh DMs online tell you otherwise.

I, personally, do not like to kill the entire party. We are all working together to create an epic story, to just end it like that feels cheap. I would rather work around the situation with the options above than kill our story.

The point is, do what feels right with your group. Now you have options and ideas in case this situation comes up but, most importantly, feel confident that you can do whatever is right for your campaign.

After all, you are the DM.

Until next time,

May your game have advantage, my friends!

-Halfling Hannah

Want to support Halfling Hobbies? Buy from our Trinket Shop!

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  • Can Strahd Von Zarovich be Killed? D&D 5e
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DM’s Guide to Familiars

Written by Halfling Hannah in Tips & Tricks

Perhaps it is a classic black cat. Maybe an owl or a bat, but chances are high that at least one member of your party has a familiar. If you struggle with the difference between a familiar and a pet, what familiars can and cannot do, and how to use the “help” action, then you aren’t alone. Familiar’s can perform these basic actions:
  • Obey commands (any simple action that is not an attack)
  • Communicate telepathically if it is within 100 feet
  • See and hear through the familiar
  • Cast specific spells

What is a “Familiar?”

Players can choose the form of their familiar
D&D 3.5e defines familiars as “normal animals that gain new powers and become magical beasts when summoned by a sorcerer or wizard.” However, this changes a bit for 5e. However, D&D 5e defines a familiar as, “a spirit that takes the animal form you choose.” This definition doesn’t really change the function of a familiar, but it does change the flavor of the role play. Instead of finding an animal and binding a spirit to it, you now simply summon a spirit and make it look like an animal. Because the familiar is no longer a normal animal, recasting the spell allows you to change the appearance of the familiar. In 3.5e, whatever your familiar animal started as is what it stayed, making 5e familiars much more versatile. In a situation that requires dark-vision? Make your familiar an owl. Need a swimmer? Make your familiar a fish. Ect. This mechanic makes familiars less of a companion/sometimes useful alley into a swiss army knife of intelligence gathering. Which, admittedly, can get frustrating for DMs. Granted, the spell “Find Familiar” that allows players to do this does take one hour to cast, making this less of an option at times; however, this is seldom a deterrent.

Find Familiar Spell

You can find the spell itself at Roll20 here, but here are the basics:
  • 1 hour cast time (ritual)
  • Range: 10 feet
  • Components: 10 gold worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs which are consumed by the spell
  • Class: Wizard
  • When you cast the spell, you gain the service of a spirit in the form of an animal
  • The familiar acts independently of its master and rolls its own initiative
  • Familiars cannot attack
  • As long as the familiar is within 100 feet of its summoner, the player that summoned the familiar can see and hear through the familiar. This counts as an action. During this time, the summoner is considered both deaf and blind to your own senses.
  • The familiar can be dismissed to a pocket dimension (this costs an action). It can then be resummoned to any unoccupied space within 30 feet of the summoner.
  • The summoner can choose a new form for their familiar only by recasting the spell “Find Familiar”
  • Familiars can cast spells with a range of touch for the summoner. The familiar must use its reaction to do so and must be within 100 feet. If the spell requires an attack roll, the player will use their own modifier for the attack.
Looking for a way to make your wizard’s familiar a part of the party? Try giving them a personality! Here is a handy Random Familiar Personality Chart I made! Feel free to download it!

What Can Familiars Do?

I have seen players try to do a lot of crazy stuff with familiars. Some of it was pure genius, other times, it was pure chaos. The question becomes, what exactly can a familiar do? While I cannot address all possible situations, here are a few examples to help you make decisions in your own campaign.
Yes, A familiar can: NO, a familiar cannot:
Rub up against an enemy and cast inflict wounds Be summoned inside the body of an enemy
Speak telepathically to its master Speak telepathically to other members of the party
Cast a spell with a range of touch Cast any other ranged spell
Take the “help” action, this means a familiar can gnaw through ropes, get a set of keys, distract the guards, or do any other normal action the player can conceive. Attack directly in any way, shape or form. An attack is considered

Animal Companions vs Familiars

Having an animal companion is not the same as having a familiar.
Some classes and backgrounds (such as ranger and urchin) grant players animal companions. These companions are fundamentally different from a familiar in a few key ways.
  • They are actual animals, not just animal forms. This means that the animal companion dies when they reach 0 hit points, as opposed to simply disappearing.
  • Animal companions can attack. Unlike familiars, animal companions can take the “attack” action as well as any other help action. However, the animal has its own stats. This means that when it attacks, it uses its own attack stats, not its master’s, unlike the familiar that uses its master’s attack stats.
  • Unlike familiars, animal companions cannot cast any spells, communicate telepathically, or be used to hear and/or see for its master.
Animal companions are useful and can create amazing role-play opportunities, but they are not familiars and cannot be used as such. They are fundamentally different.

When Familiars Go Too Far

There are times when players take familiars too far. In these cases, the overuse of a familiar can effective the overall gameplay in a negative way. Here are some examples I have seen and how to deal with them if they occur regularly in your own game.

Mapping Out the Dungeon

Since the summoner can look through the eyes of his/her familiar as long as it is within 100 feet, having the familiar map out the entire dungeon 100 feet at a time can be a problem. While I have no problem with players being cautious and using all the tools at their disposal, it is seldom entertaining for the other players who have to just sit and watch the wizard stare off into space for 10 minutes. There are a few ways around this.
  1. Ask the other players what they would like to do
While the wizard sits on the ground, staring into the dark, ask the rest of the party what they would like to do. I doubt you have an entire party that will wait patiently for him to finish up. There is probably at least one player that will go looking for trouble. Reward that player for looking around on his/her own with a neat trinket or an interesting item. When the others see this, you can bet they will start exploring on their own as well, making it less enticing to use the familiar constantly. 2. Use Magical Darkness or Kill the Familiar If you have an area you do not want the players to know about beforehand, then you can use magical darkness to prevent the familiar from exploring it. Alternatively, just before the familiar gets to the area you want to conceal, kill it. You can have a roper fall on it from the ceiling or a dark hand reach out and snatch it. However you want to do it, kill the familiar before it sees too much. Of course, the familiar isn’t really dead, it can be summoned again, which is why I don’t have a problem with this solution.

Conclusion

Familiars are an interesting and useful addition to D&D 5e, and many players are sure to use them. As the DM, they can be both a boon and a bane. As long as you know what they can and cannot do, you should be able to run your campaign with little interruption from these adorable companions. Until next time, May your game have advantage, my friends! -Halfling Hannah

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Check out our recent posts!

Understanding and Using Exhaustion in D&D 5e

Written by Halfling Hannah in Tips & Tricks

“Exhaustion” is one of the most underutilized mechanics in Dungeons & Dragons (right behind Inspiration). Most DMs either don’t know enough about it to use it in an effective way and others simply don’t care. But exhaustion can be a great way to make your D&D campaign feel more like real life. Exhaustion in D&D 5e is a special condition that imposes disadvantages on a creature based on how exhausted the creature is. While the PHB doesn’t specifically define “exhaustion” you can think of it as real-life exhaustion. Creatures can become exhausted because of spell effects, too little sleep, overexposure to the elements or grueling conditions without adequate rest. If one of these circumstances occurs, the creature takes one point of exhaustion. Creatures and players can take multiple points of exhaustion, increasing the negative consequences with each new point. If the player/creature does not recover from exhaustion before gaining a new point, then they move up a level and retain all the disadvantages of the previous levels.

Levels of Exhaustion

There are 6 levels of exhaustion that correspond to the number of exhaustion points a creature has:
  • Level 1: Disadvantage on ability checks
Creatures with one exhaustion point roll with disadvantage on all ability checks. This means you should have the player roll a d20 twice and take the lower number when rolling any ability check. If you are new to D&D and aren’t sure about when and how to roll, you can check out my complete guide on when to roll for a comprehensive explanation.
  • Level 2: Speed is halved
At two points of exhaustion, the creature moves at half speed when walking. This rule applies even to creatures who are in their favored terrain and normally would not have disadvantages to their walking speed.
  • Level 3: Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws
Three points of exhaustion require the players to roll with disadvantage on all attack rolls and saving throws. With the disadvantage to ability checks at level one, this means players will roll with a disadvantage at all times.
  • Level 4: Hit point maximum halved
Level four is where things start to get dire. Four exhaustion points lower a player’s maximum hit points by half. They cannot regain these hit points through magical means. This means the player is at half-life until they rest.
  • Level 5: Speed reduced to zero
Five points of exhaustion and the player/creature can no longer move at all. They will be forced to rely on the rest of the party to get them to safety.
  • Level 6: Death
If a player collects six exhaustion points at one time, then that player automatically dies. No death saves. However, this is extremely difficult to do and I have not killed a player because of exhaustion yet.

Curing Exhaustion

Thankfully for your party, exhaustion is extremely easy to cure. The player or creature simply needs to take one long rest to recover one point of exhaustion. This means that if a player has five levels of exhaustion, then they will need five long rests before they are fully recovered. In addition, the long rest must also include the consumption of food and water.

Why Exhaustion is Effective

I find it is rare that players ever reach higher than the third level in exhaustion points. Perhaps this is due to the fact that most DMs don’t use the mechanic to its fullest potential. Or, perhaps, most players are smart enough to take a rest when they need it. Exhaustion can be an extremely effective way to bring consequences to a hard adventuring lifestyle. Instead of viewing exhaustion as a punishment for players, DMs should start seeing it as another storytelling element, bringing grit and reality into the fantasy world of D&D. Normal people cannot fight constantly without rest. Bodies cannot be beaten to the point of unconsciousness, revived and beaten again without some negative effects. Yes, the world has magic that can heal the body, but can it heal the mind?
With the exception of greater restoration, magic is not a holistic solution. The mind needs healing as much as the body does in these situations. This is why exhaustion is important. It is a cue that lets the party know their characters need a break. Has the party been out adventuring for a week or two? A couple of points of exhaustion will remind them to visit a town, have a shopping day and relax. The benefit for the DM is a break from creating encounters and a chance to throw some more hooks the party’s way! Exhaustion is a reminder that the characters are meant to act like real individuals. It is a gentle, and sometimes not so gentle, reminder that everyone needs rest. Even half-orc barbarians.

Creative Uses for Exhaustion

Here are some of my favorite ways to use exhaustion in Dungeons & Dragons 5e. Feel free to steal these or use them as inspiration! (Speaking of Inspiration, that is another underutilized mechanic in D&D! If you want to know why you should be using inspiration and how to give it in a non-cheesy way, check out this post!)

Adventuring too Long

The elements are harsh and unforgiving. If the party stays in freezing or extremely hot temperatures for long periods of time, then give them a point of exhaustion per day of adventuring. In addition, if the party explores for several weeks without adequate shelter (just a campfire and bedroll) give each member a point of exhaustion every few days after the first week or so. Doing this will motivate players to seek shelter, stop at villages and towns along the way and spend some of that hard-earned gold.

Nightmares

Some of the things your party has seen cannot be easily forgotten. Some of them might even haunt their dreams. When the party takes a long rest, I have everyone who needs sleep roll percentile dice. This percentage roll is for nightmares. If the party has seen more negative than good during the day, then the likelihood of nightmares is higher (30% chance). However, if the party has had more positive experiences, then the chance is much lower (10%). (Normally, with an average adventuring day and a mix of good and bad I keep the chance at 20%.) If a player has a nightmare that night, then they do not get a long rest and they receive one point of exhaustion. This adds a lot of flavor and role-playing to the campaign and makes the horrors of adventuring life feel real.

Night on the Town

Some parties like to…well…party. After a long adventure with their bag of holding full of gold, players just want to have a night on the town. This can be a lot of fun and be filled with role-playing and laughter, but the next morning is always a pain. Drinking, carousing and fighting all take their toll. If your party wants to live it up, then they should be prepared for the hangover. Or in this case, one or two points of exhaustion.

Character Flaw

Insomnia and restlessness are common character flaws in real life, why not in fantasy life? If a player has witnessed or done something horrible, it might haunt them to the point of insomnia. Or, perhaps, an extremely intelligent character has a hard time “turning their brain off” and doesn’t sleep well regularly. You as the DM can impose their character flaws or simply suggest them to your players. Most players love to have quirky flaws. Not sleeping and fighting exhausted constantly might be a great challenge for some players! Exhaustion is a both fun and functional rule in D&D 5e. It can be used to punish foolish actions or to flavor role-play, it is up to you. But regardless of how you use it, I hope you use it more often in your games. Until next time, May your games have advantage, my friends! -Halfling Hannah

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Understanding Perception and Investigation in D&D 5e

Written by Halfling Hannah in Tips & Tricks

It never fails, your players are walking through town or hurriedly scanning through papers on a desk looking for something and you think, Shoot, is this a perception or an investigation check??

Some might not think it matters, but you better believe a player with proficiency in investigation and a -1 modifier in perception is going to care which one you pick!

The simple answer is this:

Perception is the player’s ability to spot and detect people or items, it has nothing to do with making intelligent decisions about those people or items.

Investigation is the player’s ability to put together clues and making deductions the others wouldn’t make.

But how exactly does this play out in your campaign? What about situations that fall somewhere in-between?

The Purpose of Perception

The essential purpose of perception is to allow the player to detect the presence or location of something. Perception is a skill that focuses on hearing, spotting or detecting.

This skill does not require intelligence, it requires awareness. This is why a player can have a very high perception, but a very low intelligence score and, thus, a low investigation modifier.

Some examples of good use of perception checks would be:

  • Looking for dangerous animals while walking through the woods
  • Listening for whispers in a dungeon
  • Trying to find a location in a city
  • Attempting to spot a hidden enemy
  • Catching a scent on the breeze
  • Listening for moving water
  • Spotting a specific herb or plant
  • Searching for a specific item, such as a hidden door or a key
  • Finding a hidden person or item

As you can see, most actions players want to accomplish will likely fall into the preception category. These actions all require very little intelligence to complete. Anyone can look for a key in a room or spot a lion in a jungle, as long as they are aware of their surroundings.

Awareness is a special skill on its own. It requires awareness to know your position in a city (a skill I personally do not have!). Players with proficiency in perception are constantly scanning the room and looking out of the corner of their eyes.

These players are aware of what is going on around them at all times, even if they don’t really put two-and-two together about what they see.

Sure, they might notice that the female bartender keeps looking toward the room behind the bar and that the male at table 3 has been gone for a while, but they won’t realize he is stealing from the safe while the bartender (his girlfriend) distracts the owner. That requires a different kind of skill.

To determine if players should roll a perception check ask yourself:

  • Are they attempting to hear, spot, or detect something?
  • Does this action rely on the awareness of the surroundings?
  • Are they attempting to merely perceive or find something, not determine a deeper, hidden message?

If the answer to these questions is “yes” then have the player roll a perception check.

Passive Perception vs Perception Checks

While a perception check is “active,” meaning, the players are asking you to do so something, there is another kind of perception.

Passive perception can be found at the bottom of the skills list on a player’s character sheet. (This number is 10 plus the player’s wisdom modifier)

Honestly, most DMs forget all about passive perception. I am as guilty as anyone, but it is a very useful mechanic. Passive perception is the level of awareness the player displays in general.

While walking through town, the woods, or sitting in a bar, passive perception lets the DM know how much each player would notice naturally. I like to use this mechanic to determine who would notice an NPC, an event, or unique items without prompting.

Great use of passive perception is to describe a room or situation in general, then tell the players with the highest passive perception, “In addition, you notice…” and give more revealing details to just those players with high passive perception.

The Purpose of Investigation

Unlike perception, the purpose of investigation is to make deductions and follow clues. While perception is awareness of the surrounding world, investigation seeks to discover the hidden message or ideas.

Investigation requires intelligence. Smart players will not simply search an entire room for a key, they will try to deduce where the person might place/hide the key based on what they know about them. This is a completely different skill.

Ask for an investigation check when players:

  • Try to piece together clues to discover something hidden
  • Attempt to understand what images, carvings, or items mean
  • Attempt to pinpoint locations of items based on what they know about the NPC
  • Look at tracks, scratches, or moved items and attempt to understand what that means about the creature or situation

As you can see, investigation goes far beyond the simple scouring of an area. It seeks to understand the details and meaning behind what is found. A great combination is a highly perceptive player who finds clues then turns them over to the investigative player who understands what they mean.

Just because you can find a clue, doesn’t mean you can understand it, that’s where investigation comes in. If players are just trying to find something, then it is NOT investigation, no matter how long they take to search for it.

Biggest Mistakes DMs Make

Often, DMs think that the difference between perception and investigation is simply how long the player wants to take to search. But this is NOT the case.

These are completely different skills for different types of players.

You can tell the difference based on how the player askes. If the player simply askes to search the room for something, ask for perception. On the other hand, if they are asking if they can tell why something is there, it is investigation.

Examples of Differences Between Perception and Investigation

To help you better determine if you should ask for a perception or an investigation check, I made this chart. You will see examples of what a player might say or ask sorted into either Perception or Investigation.


Perception
Awareness		Investigation
Intelligence
Can I search the room for a hidden door?I want to look at the bookcase and try to determine if any of the books are fake and might be levers to open a door.
I want to search the office for any papers or documentsLooking at the documents, can I tell who might be the secret contact or if they are involved in illegal activity?
I look around the bar, do I notice anything strange?Can I determine why the NPC is so upset?
As we are walking, I want to look out for a magical items shopI want to look at the building, can I tell how old it is or what kind of clientele they serve?
I want to look for tracksCan I tell how heavy the animal is based on its tracks?
Is there anything amiss in the room?Can I tell if these are scratch marks from the door or from something else?

If in doubt, simple ask, “Is this a basic task, or would this require intelligence and training?” If you follow this simple rule, you will likely make the right call, most of the time.

But remember, we all make mistakes. If you do botch a ruling, it can disrupt the flow of the game and make players upset. However, there is a correct way to deal with those situations that keep the game rolling, feel free to see my article on What to Do If You Miss a Call for tips on that.

Until next time,

May your game have advantage, my friends!

-Halfling Hannah

Want to support Halfling Hobbies? Buy from our Trinket Shop!

Check out our recent posts!

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The Right Way to Handle Character Death in D&D 5e

Written by Halfling Hannah in Tips & Tricks

If you have played Dungeons & Dragons for long, you have likely lost a character (a moment of silence, please). This is difficult as a player, but it is especially difficult as the DM. How are you, as the DM, supposed to lead your group through the loss of a player character? There are several “Do’s & Don’ts” when it comes to player character death, here are my top tips: Do
  • Let the player have his/her “last words” if possible
  • Have a funeral or celebration of the life of the character in-game
  • Allow the fallen character to write a letter or journal entry after the fact that the other players can find on his/her body
  • Celebrate the character OUTSIDE of the game
  • Keep the memory alive
Don’t
  • “Punish” the player for dying
  • Brush over his/her death
  • Bring in a new PC immediately
  • Blame the player (even if it was their fault)
  • Be afraid of PC death

Should Players Ever Die?

The first question you need to ask yourself is this, “Do I want death to be a real possibility in my campaign?” Most DMs never consider the fact that they, are in fact, in charge of the world and have the option to exclude death from it. If the purpose of your campaign is character development and your group is extremely attached to all the players and their stories, then you can exclude the death from your game and focus on the aspects you and your party enjoy. You are allowed to do this. Does this mean your world has no consequences and lacks challenging elements? Of course not! If you choose to exclude the death element from your game, there are other ways to make encounters challenging and tense. Try using some of these non-lethal methods!

Creating Challenge Without Death

Permanent Scars

When a player would normally die in combat, either from negative points or failed death saves, instead give that player a now permanent scar which they must deal with for the rest of the campaign. This can be as small as a scar down the face, to mental damage (see the insanity chart in my 5 Diseases post) to losing a limb or eye. These scars can add to the character’s development, make the game more challenging, but keep players alive without the fear of death.

Out of Action

Another option is to require the party to recuperate after any encounter in which a party member is knocked unconscious. The time required would vary based on how many were injured and the extent of their injuries. For players that would normally have died, I would recommend a week of recuperation AND the limitation of a skill. For example, if the wizard would have been killed in the fight, I would explain that the damage they received makes it impossible for them to physically withstand the casting of spells of 3 level or higher until they are fully recuperated (about one week). This can apply to all classes in different ways, a torn rotator cuff prevents the barbarian from swinging his great-sword. A leg cast makes the rogue roll with disadvantage on stealth checks. Or a concussion prevents the cleric from using divine magic. This way of playing actually makes fights more challenging, as a simple “cure-wounds-and-keep-going” isn’t going to cut it. All encounters will carry consequences, but especially those in which players could have been killed.

When to Use Death in Your Campaign

If you still want to use death as a real and present threat in your campaign, then it needs to be real and present. Whether you choose to use death or not is not the issue, it is whether or not you are consistent with whatever you decide to do. If players can die in your campaign, then they need to know that this is the case. Players need to understand that death is a real option and then you need to stick to your guns. This does NOT mean that you come out the gate swinging and kill a PC immediately just to prove that you are serious. But it does mean that if a player would die according to the rule, then that player should die. No exceptions. Not even for your favorite PCs.

When Should PCs Die?

The PHB (Player’s Handbook) states that a player dies when they take damage in ONE HIT equal to 2x their total max HP or when players fail 3 death saves after falling unconscious. Players can also be instantly killed by spells, such as Power Word Kill, or events, such as a rock slide or falling building.

Do’s and Don’ts of Player Death

If this is the way you are running your campaign, then players are sure to die at some point. When this happens, it is important that you, the DM, handle this correctly. A poorly handled death can lead to feelings of frustration, anger, and even players leaving your game. To avoid this and make the experience one that brings the group together instead of tearing them apart, you should start by following this simple list of do’s and don’ts.

Do: Let the player have his/her “last words” (if possible)

If at all possible in the circumstance, let the player have a few “last words” for the other players to remember him/her by. In some instances, it might be appropriate for a “final conversation” if the player is dying of a disease or spell effect the other players cannot stop. Last words give a sense of finality to the scene. They also allow the player to say what they have been meaning to say but never did. One of the biggest struggles players face is regretting what their character didn’t say. A great way to avoid this is to give the player the ability to bring their life to a close with a few last words.

Do: Allow the character to write a letter or journal entry after they have been killed for the others to find

Some DMs might scoff at this idea and its lack of continuity, but hear me out. Allowing the player to have some time to think about what their character might have said to the party and writing it out is an excellent way to help the player move on. Sometimes, players get stuck on characters and it can be difficult to let them go. A letter or journal entry allows the player to grieve, express feelings they might not have otherwise, and get a sense of closure. The letter could even contain a will written in case of an accident while adventuring, leading the party to the player’s hometown and unknown backstory. There are lots of ways to do this without feeling forced. I like to have the player read the letter in their character’s voice after it is discovered. This leads to laughs, tears, and touching moments that otherwise would have been covered up by the sadness of loss. Give it a try! You might be surprised how well it is received.

Do: Have a funeral or celebration of life

Some DMs avoid letting players have full funerals or parties in memory of their fallen comrades because they think it might be awkward. However, it is necessary. Funerals can be as formal or informal as your party wants. It can be as simple as meeting at a favorite tavern for drinks to collaborating with town leadership to institute a new holiday in memory of the fallen hero. Let your group decide, but don’t rush them. Tell the group that the next session will be a funeral for the dead PC and ask them to come up with ideas for what they want to do. Then, buy drinks, make some comfort food and sit down at the table and just celebrate an awesome character.

Do: Celebrate the character OUTSIDE of the game

During the game, emotions can run high, especially when the death of a character that was loving and painstakingly crafted is on the line. After the session when the player dies, if possible, ask everyone to go out for drinks, or ice cream, or a Sonic run and just sit, relax away from the table and decompress. Removing yourselves from the table reminds everyone that it is just a game and, no matter what happens in the game, you are all still friends who love each other. During this time, if appropriate, it can be fun to start brainstorming new character ideas and possible connections to the other players. Just get into a different environment and have some fun to lessen the tension.

Do: Keep the memory alive

While it isn’t good to fixate on a dead character, keeping his/her memory alive is good for the group. You, as the DM, can do this in a variety of ways, such as:
  • Continuing the quest or storyline the PC was on
  • Using the PC’s background in the main storyline
  • Having NPCs remember the PC and give the party gifts in his/her honor
  • Having a town/city declare him/her their patron hero and erecting a statue in their honor
However, you choose to do it, keeping the memory of the character alive in fun and creative ways will make it feel like they are still a part of the ongoing story.

Don’t: Punish a player for dying

I know many DMs will reduce the level at which the player’s new character begins. If the player died, and their character was at level 10, then their new character must begin at level 8 or 9. I understand the idea behind this is to make players really think before taking unnecessary risks. And if you want to do this to ensure your players aren’t just killing off characters they don’t like, then go for it. However, I have found, in my experience, that most players don’t intend to die and punishing them for something they tried to avoid is just adding salt to the wound. I prefer to let my players roll new characters at the same level as the rest of the party to facilitate an easy transition.

Don’t: Brush over the player’s death

The absolute worst thing you can do as a DM is to brush over a character’s death. But most all of us have seen it done. DM: “The rest of the party sees Bolrin lying on the ground, covered in blood. Dead. Knowing there is nothing you can do, you all continue on down the hall and…” This leaves the player feeling like their character didn’t matter and not knowing quite what to do. Also, DO NOT hand them a PHB and tell them to “go roll a new character real quick.” I know you spent a long time creating this encounter, DM, but show some respect! Honestly, after a player’s death, I end the session as soon as I can so we can all decompress and mourn together. NEVER tell a player to just roll a new character and jump right back in.

Don’t: Bring in a new PC immediately

After a PC death, you will likely want to get the player back into the action as soon as possible. But immediately throwing a new PC into the party after a loss is always a bad idea. First of all, the player who lost their character needs time to create and become familiar with a new one. Especially at higher levels, this can be incredibly difficult. Whereas they had loads of time to gradually understand the class mechanics while leveling up in the previous character, they now have to try and understand all the mechanics at once with a new build. Players should be allowed to take as much time as they need to come up with a complete character and understand their new features and abilities. The next problem with immediately inserting a new character into the mix is that it always feels forced. I much prefer to have the player there, enjoying the story, but wait for a natural feeling moment to introduce them to the party. This may take a few sessions, but it is always worth it for a natural feel it creates. I also find that the other players are excited to find out where the new character is, so they are much more likely to pick up on hooks and talk to strangers. Just make sure all your players know what is going on.

Don’t: Play the blame game

Player deaths are difficult, and all players react differently to them. One way your players might react is to blame you or others for their death. This is understandable. They are upset and looking for someone to blame. However, you must resist the temptation to blame the player for their death, even if it is clearly their own fault. Grief is not logical, and you will not win a logical argument with an angry player. The best thing to do in this situation is to tell the player that you are truly sorry their character died and that you only wanted to give your friends the best possible experience. Don’t shift blame, don’t get defensive, just listen to their frustrations and remind them that you are doing the best you can. Then go out for drinks. It really does help 🙂

Don’t: Be afraid of PC death

If you want to run a campaign in which death is a real consequence, then tell your players and don’t be afraid when it happens. If you are afraid of what will happen or what your players might do if you “kill off” their character, then you will start acting defensively and likely make the situation worse. When a player character dies, then that player has an opportunity to explore new classes and backgrounds. What’s so bad about that? There is no reason for you or your players to fear death in Dungeons & Dragons.
Only through death can your players be true heroes
Adventuring is a tough life filled with dangers. Not everyone gets to be the hero, most are forgotten in history. This is what makes adventuring so fun! So, keep fighting dragons and creating deadly encounters! It is the only way your players will become heroes, even if some of them must fall. Until next time, May your game have advantage, my friends! -Halfling Hannah

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Top Tips for Managing Time in Dungeons and Dragons

Written by Halfling Hannah in Tips & Tricks

The Dungeon Master’s Guide offers tons of helpful world and encounter building content; however, as a new DM, the one thing the DMG didn’t teach me was how to manage and track the in-game passage of time.

Often, players would ask me how long they had been traveling or what time it was, and I would just have to guess. And when it came to timed encounters, I didn’t have a clue. 

If you find yourself struggling with managing and tracking time in your Dungeons & Dragons campaign, you aren’t alone. Here are the top tips and tricks to make you a time master!

To effectively track and manage time in D&D, you need to:

  • Mark the passage of time both verbally and physically
  • Know how long actions take to perform
  • Use tools, such as timers, color indicators or charts

If you are running a timed encounter, be sure to:

  • Be clear that time is limited
  • Count in real-life minutes or in-game rounds
  • Give cues verbally and physically that time has passed

Time in Dungeons & Dragons

It is assumed that in any D&D setting a day consists of 24 hours but it can be difficult to keep track of how long all of their actions are taking. Here is a helpful break down of the time it takes to perform certain actions:

ActionTime Required
Short Rest1 hour
Long Rest8 hours
Exploration: enough time to search a few rooms in a dungeon or visit 3 shopsInvestigation Roll:
15 or lower: 1 hour
16 or higher: 30 mins
Basic Dungeon Actions: This would be actions like walking stealthily down a long corridor, searching 1 room, talking/planning, buffing before entering a room, etc.10 minutes
Traveling: Given it is well-maintained roads and they are traveling at a normal pace, players should be able to travel to a moderate distance in this time8 hours (more or less depending on how far the destination is)
Walking: 24 miles in 8 hours
Horse at a moderate pace: 30 miles in 8 hours
Horse at a fast past: 50 miles in 8 hours (but this would give the players a point of exhaustion)

I like to share this time designation with my players to keep everyone on the same page. If players chose to explore or investigate rooms, they should have a clear idea of how long that action will take in order to manage their own time wisely. 

Players often don’t realize how long their actions take, and making it clear by giving everyone this chart at the beginning of the game will go a long way in managing time effectively. 

Marking the Passage of Time

Make it part of the Narrative

For regular gameplay (that is, encounters that are not being timed) I like to simply mark the passage of time narratively. Depending on when players wake up, I describe the sun’s position on the horizon, as well as the weather. 

A few hours later, I include in whatever description I am giving that the players hear the bells marking the 10th hour in the distance. Around noon someone’s tummy always starts to grumble, marking lunchtime (I like to have everyone roll a constitution check for this and lowest roller is the grumbly one!). 

Around mid-afternoon, I will draw the player’s attention to the fact that the sun is in the western sky. And at dusk, they get a similar description as at dawn. If my players want to stay out late, I mark the evening hours by which shops are open (goods and wares being the first to close, and bars being the last at 3 am).

Making time a normal part of the storytelling experience adds to the emersion of the game and gives players markers for their day. 

Physical Markers: 

Although the storytelling method is my favorite, it is sometimes not possible. If the party is adventuring underground or in a dungeon, they need other ways to mark the passage of time. 

Adventuring in the Underdark has its own set of difficulties (if you are running a game that is currently in the Underdark, there are some important aspects you might be missing, make sure to check out my post of things DMs often miss while running Underdark Adventures)

Time is one of those. Players often don’t know how long they have been adventuring or what time it is on the surface. In these instances, I like to use the party’s exhaustion level, hunger and actions (using the chart above) as a rough guide. This generally gives a rough idea, though the party won’t know for sure until they get above ground again.

Some DMs like to use physical tokens or marks to show players the time of day or passing of hours. This can be a really helpful way to remind your players to be mindful of the time if they are engaging activities that require them to be mindful of time. 

You could use sun position pictures and paper clip them to your DM screen so players always know a rough estimation of the time. (all of these photos are copyright free, so feel free to download and use them!) Or, if you are the artist type, you can always draw your own!

Another option is to use tokens as markers, placing them on the table at different times of the day. For physical markers during time encounters, see below!

Running Timed Missions

When to Run Timed Mission

Occasionally, players will face time constraints on what they need to accomplish. This could happen when the party needs to stop a plot, save an NPC, or acquire an item that is only in an attainable position for a certain amount of time.

Not every mission should be timed. Timed missions are designed to create a sense of urgency because it is pass/fail scenario. With most encounters, players will arrive “just in time” regardless of if they rushed to the scene or if they took their sweet time searching every room. Because players are accustomed to more flexible encounters, you will need to be very clear when time plays a part in the encounter.

If you do not make it clear that time is a factor, then players will feel cheated when they arrive at the encounter too late. Likewise, if you do not make it clear why the encounter is timed, then players will simply feel rushed and will be frustrated. 

In a timed mission, there are three relevant stages of success:

  1. Early enough to easily interrupt the proceedings without time pressure or collateral damage
  2. Just in time to interrupt the final outcome of the proceedings, but likely not in time to prevent casualties or damage
  3. Too late, the effects of the encounter are in full swing

This approach to timed encounters requires you to know how long the ritual/event will take and track all the actions of players as even a 10-minute delay can make the difference between getting there just in time or too late. 

If you prefer a stance with a little more flexibility, you might try a two-degree approach: 

  1. The ritual (or whatever) is in the final stages, but there is enough time to fight (this means players have minutes or up to x amount of hours to get there to prevent the end result)
  2. There is a risk that the ritual is finished unless the battle is won really fast (players have x number of rounds to finish the fight before it is too late)

This approach tends to be more forgiving and flexible, allowing players time to do what they need to or solve puzzles and still arrive in enough time to save the day. It also ensures there isn’t a complete failure option.

It can be very disheartening to players to arrive so late that all they can do is watch while ancient horrors are unleashed in their hometown. To avoid the “we don’t even get a chance to stop it?! That’s not fair!” conversation, there are a few ways you can clearly track time for your players.

The Colored Ring Approach 

For the colored rings approach, you can use bottle caps, milk rings, pipe cleaners, or anything else you have on hand!

For both of these options, you will want to mark the passage of time in a way that players can visually see. Some DMs use colored rings that they put on the table, going from green to red. Each color category has 3 rings before it moves on to the next one. 

For example, if players have 2 hours to find the hag and stop the ritual, then you would break this up into about 13 minutes per ring. After the first 13 minutes (in real life or game, it is up to you) place one green ring on the table. After another 13 minutes, place another one and so on until you run out of rings. As time runs out the colors move from green to yellow to red, visually queuing players to move more quickly.

Once players get down to the final red ring, they will know they need to book it to make it in time. This is a great option for encounters that have a hard and fast time limit. However, if you want something more flexible, you can do the same thing but with just three rings. A green, yellow and red.

Simply start with the green ring on the table, as time progresses, place the yellow ring on the table, then finally the red ring. This can be whenever you feel like players are wasting time or need to move faster. I like to use this approach even when I am not running timed encounters just to get my players thinking about the time they are wasting.

Physical Timer

For this approach, you can use an hourglass, alarm clock, phone timer or kitchen timer (although hourglasses are a personal favorite of mine!)

Another option is to set a physical timer on the board. I personally love the look and ambiguity of a sand timer. It fits with the fantasy world feel. But you can also use a phone, an alarm clock, or a kitchen timer, whatever you have on hand. Set the timer with the time limit and let the players manage their time. But be ready for things to get…intense…as the time starts running out.

Consequences

Finally, if you are going to run a timed encounter, then you need to stick to the time you set and the consequences that follow. No matter how long you spent putting together that amazing encounter, you have to be prepared to scrap it.

If the players don’t arrive in time, then they fail. If you are not okay with this, then you probably shouldn’t run a true timed encounter, and that is okay too!

You don’t have to run timed encounters to create tension and a sense of urgency. You can just as easily do that with visions from deities, scrying spells, or your descriptions.

Always do what fits your campaign and style as a DM. But if you give it a try, these tips are sure to help! 

If you want more tips and tricks, be sure to check out my recent posts below! If you have any questions or comments, just Cast Sending!

Until next time,

May your game have advantage, my friends!

-Halfling Hannah 

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