Random idea for high-lethality D&D campaigns: Character death unlocks new classes and races.
Random idea for high-lethality D&D campaigns: Character death unlocks new classes and races. Maybe useful in “special snowflake” campaigns where no one reads your carefully crafted setting material. Instead you roll it out piecemeal as PCs bite the dust. “I really want to play a saurian warlock…sure, I’ll take a drink of that mystery potion.”
Someone probably thought of this before.
That is great!
ReplyDeleteInstant +1 for the inclusion of a Mok.
ReplyDeletePicture is from my 5e Anomalous Subsurface Environment player document. That only got used once.
ReplyDeleterelated idea i've been mulling over. a series of one-shots / micro-campaigns that introduce new complexities to the group. just based on time and defined story arcs. not character death. although in your idea character death is a sort of measure of time as well.
ReplyDeleteanyway, my idea is likely colored by at least half my GMing experience being for my kids and their peers.
Paul C If you're running a game involving one of those, could you be said to be running a Mok?
ReplyDeleteOoo, can I borrow this one? Not for Rad Astra, but something else entirely. Edit: the rule, I mean. The pic is nice too. #ookla!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about this in relation to gaming with kids. Lessening the trauma of character death.
ReplyDeleteThe Facebook d&d game that wizards ran for a while as 4e launched had something like this - progressing a character to either death or max level let you restart with a piece of gear, but every so many unlocked new races/classes. Eventually you could make a fire genasi warlord or whatever
ReplyDeleteRogue Legacy had an effectively similar mechanic - on death you could spend your money, which let you unlock a new class or two as well as other upgrades
Great idea!
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of doing this but only because I made my default campaign too boring. It's the opposite of a snowflake? So now when people die I let them pick shit like ratman and sharkman and we come up with how that makes sense together.
ReplyDeleteGus L had unlockable PC classes on the HMS Apollyon - when we rescued the Merrowmen or helped sneak Draugr spies into Sterntown, those classes became playable. You had to wait for your current PC to die, of course...
ReplyDeleteGus is like the Simpsons of D&D. "Gus did it!"
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of doing this with my DWIMMERMARS game. The initial PCs are all Earthmen on a far-flung Barsoom-like Planet. As those PCs die off, they are replaced by native "Tellurians," with new species and types being "unlocked" as the PCs meet and interact with them.
ReplyDeletegregory blair do you ever find players being reckless so they can "level up" into something weird and new?
ReplyDeleteJay Exonauts they haven't died enough to get the hint yet, so far it's been mostly guest stars and whatnot. I told them what kind of world it was upfront so they are hella careful and deliberate.
ReplyDeleteAnd lucky. Like, incredibly lucky somehow.
Brendan did unlockable races/classes in his Pahvelorn game for when we finally encountered them. I like this idea of tying them to death. Communicates something about the game you want to play.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. There was an RPG on kickstarter, I think it was near the end of 2016 where the way you level up was to die. This reminds me of that.
ReplyDeleteMoe Tousignant Yeah! That's Phoenix: Dawn Command. Played a one shot, definitely encourages you to value mission success over your life. It was a lot of fun, really gorgeous distinctive art, too.
ReplyDeleteI kinda like the idea that there are tiers of classes that get progressively weirder/rarer. First death gets you tier two classes, second death unlocks tier three classes, etc . . . Five deaths in it's "Jesus, dude, you play a dragon hatchling or something." :)
ReplyDeleteOr a roach man with four arms.
ReplyDeleteTier one is shit eating slave. "I think I'll get killed pretty quick here."
ReplyDelete