Worse Than Death
Introduction
Hello, Gentle Reader. Today I'm going to do something I never do: respond to the current events of the blogosphere. To be a part of the conversation, as it were. It's not that I don't write blog posts like this, mind you, it's just that they are sitting half-finished months after the topics they relate to have come and gone.
But I digress.
Today I am going to talk about Death, which was first brought up by Markus, and responded to by Sandro. They both make really good points about why PC death in OSR games is sometimes not ideal and propose some solutions. I want to take a slightly different approach to this because it has been on my mind lately as I tinker with a module I am writing. Specifically, I want to talk about fates worse than death, and why I think OSR modules and GMs should include more of them at their tables.
What Could Be Worse Than Death?
I know what some of you are thinking, Gentle Reader! How can anything be worse than losing a PC that you have potentially spent hours playing? Even many in the OSR don't like it as much as they might pretend. After all, look at Death and Dismemberment tables and you will see a mechanic that ultimately is meant to increase PC survivability versus death at 0 HP. The truth is, though, that death is a consequence that, while harsh, immediately goes away. I have a 3rd level Magic-User in an OD&D game that I have played for, oh, probably 20 sessions at this point. If he died, I would be sad, but would immediately roll up another MU and start amassing arcane power again. The question of if he survived, and if my new character would get any of his stuff, would be almost immediately resolved.
What if it wasn't that easy, though?
Fate Worse Than Death: Leaving Friends Behind
In Cairn, for those unfamiliar, if an attack deals more damage than your HP the excess is dealt to your Strength attribute. After which, you roll a Critical Damage Save which requires you to roll at or under your reduced Strength score. It is very common to fail this, and the default result is that your PC is overcome and ends up bleeding out on the floor. If your party survives, they can drag you away, but the important thing is that your PC is not dead and can't be written off as easily as someone who just dies at 0 HP. Sometimes monsters have special Critical Damage effects that do extra STR damage or leave nasty lingering afflictions, and of course you could have your STR reduced to 0 and instantly die, but it is far from common.
Critical Damage effects don't have to kill you, though. During the Cairn Second Edition West Marches Playtest, my PC and his party ended up in a really sticky situation. We had stumbled upon horrible monsters that pretty easily overcame some of our number but didn't kill them. Instead, they were dragged over, battered but not bleeding out, to be a snack for a horrible monstrosity. We had to decide between saving our own skins or risking them to save everyone. It was a much tougher decision.
Now, I know some of you will tell me that this isn't a new idea, and you would certainly be right. Anyone who has seen a PC paralyzed by a Ghoul before has likely been in a similar predicament. Death at a later time doesn't have to be the only option on the table, though.
Fate Worse Than Death: Hostage
Sometimes, instead of having enemies kill a downed PC, have them drag a PC away while their allies provide cover. That player gets to run a hireling, or an appropriate NPC, and the PC's fate is left undetermined. If you are lucky, your PC can be recovered that session. If not, the player loses their agency over that character until they can be recovered, if they can be uncovered at all.
What happens to them? It depends on who captured them. A bandit gang may ransom them to their party, while a Faction in a dungeon may try to use their captive as leverage to get the party to retrieve something in or even outside the Dungeon. If the party makes the wrong move, like attempting and botching a rescue attempt, that PC's life is likely forfeit. If that happens, its akin to the agony of slowly peeling the bandage away from your skin instead of ripping it off.
What needs to not happen? Sadistic GM BS. Don't have the PC grotesquely injured or have NPCs joke about the sort of "treatment" a PC got at the hands of their captives. I've heard enough horror stories to know that this happens sometimes, and I think it should absolutely be off the table if you want a hope of this situation landing well at the table.
Fate Worse Than Death: Devil's Bargain
Sometimes, a PC ends up captured and you don't have to rescue them. Instead, they are offered a choice by their captor: Do this thing for me, and I will let you go. Don't, and you die.
Now, some people might see this as a violation of player agency, but if a PC did something that put themselves in the situation they had a choice in the matter, and ultimately they do have a choice: accept or die. Mid-session, this can be tricky, as you have to switch from the lone captured PC and the rest of the party. If it happens around the end, you simply resolve the situation with the PC in private and then they start the next session having to live with the consequences of their choice.
In order for this to work best, there needs to be a sort of Sword of Damocles hanging over the head of the PC to encourage the PC to honor their bargain. That doesn't mean it should be impossible to circumvent the bargain, just that it should require clever thinking and sacrifice. I wouldn't get cutesy and try to make the PC a sleeper agent or something along those lines. I think this sort of thing works best when everyone understands the situation and can potentially help the PC either carry out the bargain or find a clever way out of it.
Fates Worse Than Death: Magical Afflictions
This one can fit into the previous category, but it doesn't have to. Your PC is going to turn into a zombie! They are now a Werewolf! They are slowly turning to stone! That last one you can have them be instantly turned if you want, but it becomes a sort of Hostage situation that requires a magical form of payment to remedy. I think it is more fun if you put a ticking clock in place and ask them what they are going to do about it.
Conclusion
All of these are consequences of making the wrong choice, and likely some bad luck thrown in as well, but they don't have the finality of death. They are worse. Instead of being able to grieve and/or accept the loss and move on, you're left with an unresolved situation. A situation that lingers, festers, and give you hope only to potentially snatch it away sessions later.
At least you have a chance, though, right?