Few things are more tragic inDungeons & Dragonsthan having to say goodbye to your character, or another player’s character, far too soon because they died during combat or in some other way. Even worse is if that death was an instant kill and was near impossible to avoid.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: Tips For Incorporating Magic Into A Modern Setting
While there’s a certain amount of information you should keep to yourself or not act on to avoid meta-gaming, there are still moments when common sense should kick in to avoid any insta-kill deaths. After all, most of the time, there are preventative measures that you’re able to take to prevent insta-kills.
1Beholder’s Abilities
Fighting a Beholder is, generally, incredibly dangerous, but for the most part, it won’t result in an instant death unless the beholder happens to whip out two abilities: The Death Ray and Disintegrate Ray. Both rays require a DC 16 Dexterity save, so if you’re going into a fight with a Beholder, you might want to consider finding a way to boost your Dex saves.
If you fail the save for the Death Ray, you’ll be looking at 10d10 worth of damage, and a failure for the Disintegrate Ray results in 10d8 damage. If your HP is reduced to zero by either of these rays, you’re just instantly dead.
2Intellect Devourer
The Intellect Devourer doesn’t have a high Challenge Rating at only three, but they have an extremely dangerous ability. The Intellect Devourer’s Body Snatcher ability is exceedingly dangerous because it will consume the host’s brain and take control.
However, the host has to have their brain restored within one round (likely of the Intellect Devourer vacating the premises), or the body will die. The host’s brain can only be restored through a wish spell, which will result in an instant kill for characters who don’t have access to the wish spell.
3Taking Your HP As Excess Damage
If you take double your health as damage, you’re just dead. There are no death-saving throws; you’re just immediately wiped off the plane of the living. One moment you’re readily fighting, and the next, you’ve gone to meet whatever deity of death awaits you.
If you’re at full health it has to be double your HP and if you’ve been knocked down again, the excess damage has to be equal to your total HP. If you happen to find yourself in a fight where this is even a remote possibility, you and your party should probably book it.
4Mind Flayer’s Extract Brain
Mind Flayers are a classic enemy in Dungeons & Dragons, and for good reason - they don’t seem to be too scary with a seven CR, but they have some wickedly cruel abilities for a Dungeon Master to weaponize. The Mind Flayer’s Extract Brain ability takes an incapacitated humanoid and deals 10d10 piercing damage.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: Tips For A Sci-Fi Game
Should your health points be reduced to zero by this skill, the Mind Flayer sucks out your brain and eats it. Without a brain, you can’t really survive, so unless somebody has a handy-dandy wish spell, you are dead with no hope of return.
5Vampire Bite
You don’t technically die if a vampire bite reduces your health to zero, though you do linger somewhere in between. There is no death-saving throw, and there is no helping you. If a vampire’s bite kills you, you will rise again the following night as one of their spawns and under their control. If a vampire spawn bites you and your health is reduced to zero, you will die but won’t come back resurrected.
This is theoretically a great way to add to your character arc oreven become a Dhampirif the Dungeon Master allows for it. However, if this isn’t a path you’d like to go down, you should really attempt to avoid it at all costs.
6Falling Off A Cliff
This is probably one of the easiest things to avoid in Dungeons & Dragons. Just don’t get too close to any cliffs or super high points, and you probably will never fall enough that you’ll end up needing to take damage. If you do need to get to the edge of a super high point, like a cliff, don’t throw yourself off of it with the expectation that you’ll easily hit a “safe” area below.
Chances are that if you’re not careful, you’re going to end up dying, and nobody will be able to get to you in time. Fall damage is calculated by 1d6 for every 10 feet fallen, up to 20d6 (or up to 120 HP), and for most players, this will result in an instant death for their characters.
7Shadow Strength Drain
Despite only having a 1/2 challenge rating, the Shadow isone of the game’s scariest enemiesbecause it has an insta-kill ability. This might not be too challenging for the high-level characters who have a high Strength, but if you don’t have a high strength, then the Shadow’s Strength Drain is absolute nightmare fuel.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: Tips To Homebrew A Class
If your Strength is reduced to zero while trying to fight a Shadow, you will immediately die, and there will be no helping you. Probably best not to leave the low Strength characters in the back for this fight.
8Exhaustion Points
All you have to do is take a nap, but for those of you who are determined, you can, in fact, die from exhaustion. There are six levels of exhaustion you can take, with the sixth resulting in your death. No death saves, no healing, just instant death because if you refuse to sleep, the universe will make you sleep.
If you can avoid this fate, do so because it is a slow and cruel march towards an instant death. If you happen to be cursed and can no longer sleep, you better run to the nearest cleric to try and get it removed. It’s probably one of the cruelest curses a Dungeon Master could use in your game,but not the worst curse.
9Power Word Kill And Disintegrate
You better hope you can roll the saves for these spells because if you don’t, it is horrifying. Should these spells reduce you to zero hit points, you’re gone; there’s no coming back. In most cases, there won’t even be a body for your soul to return to, so you better whip out that new character sheet and start planning now.
There really isn’t much that you’re able to do to prepare for this situation or even to avoid it aside from hoping the dice treat you well, so it’s best to avoid fights where these can happen altogether if possible.
10Petrification
Although petrification won’t kill you, your character is as good as dead. Plus, if you get knocked over while petrified, and the statue shatters, you better hope that whoever wants to return you to life is excellent at puzzles because there’s no hope of return from that point.
Technically you can’t die while petrified, but as soon as you turn back, if you’ve failed all your saving throws (or you’re in pieces), then you’re pretty much instantly dead. It’s, admittedly, a very brutal way to go and one you should try to avoid for yourself and help others avoid.
