DMs... Whats the best thing you have killed a character(s) with?

[Narcissistic_Martyr]

In my campaigns I have two rules, don't annoy the DM and don't do stupid things or your character will die. Unfortunately, my players tend to ignore the latter of the two and tend to die early on in the campaign and then get much more careful and clever.

One of my favorite ways I've killed a party is with "rocks fall, you all die." While usually "rocks fall, you all die" is reserved for the breaking of rule #1, this time it fell under rule #2. You see, the party was hunting an evil lich in his old crumbling castle to destroy him before he completes an ancient ritual to summon a powerful pit fiend (I know a bit cliche). When they found him and his lower level vampire minions performing a ritual in the deepest dungeons of the castle they decided to disrupt the ritual, but there was a magical barrier protecting the lich and the vampires from magical attacks. So, the cleric had a brilliant idea, use earthquake next to the ritual because I'd ruled for a long time that antimagic fields and the like don't stop physical effects caused by magic and a tremor is defintely a physical effect. So, they cast it and, did I mention it was an old crumbling castle?, rocks fell and killed everyone, including the lich since his phylactery was part of the ritual.

Another one is one of my favorite traps. It's a pit trap full of widely spaced spikes with shiny things at the bottom. When the party decides to investigate using feather fall or fly to get down there safely, a gelatinous cube falls on them. This automatically engulfs them and usually ends up killing some of the party (paralyzed people can't fly) if they have fly on or is usually total party wipe if they don't.

[Bekki]

Higher level party, fighting a lich... (2.5ed with lots of house rules)

Fighting's pretty crazy and the lich is kinda running out of spells... so the lich nukes the party and flys to his fall back position, luckily this drops the disgustingly high strength fighter that was giving me some problems dropped him to like -48 or something but he was (house rule) wearing a ring of regeneration so it would just be some time before he got back up...

and the party thought that they could just finish him off...

checking the spell list i see "Animate Dead" ....

A quick check in the necromancers blue book...

hmmm on one target it brings it back as a cool undead at half original HD (if not higher than casters level)

Liches Initiative!

RISE MY PET AND KILL THEM ALL!!! *movement phase fly away*

Party: "What???"

(slipped note to fighter you are at half hitpoints but will loose one per turn from the ring, kill the party)

Fighter drops the rest of the party except for the cleric that heals him to death??? Life???

Didnt matter as the party was trying to figure it out the lich came back with reinforcements.

Very evil...

Nice.

+1 Rep.

[Dunfalach]

Will I be terrible if I mention a non-D&D run in this, since it is the off-topic forum?

I played in a d20 superhero game, a few years back, where a number of people traded off DMing so that everyone's characters got chances to run. I set up as my first DM attempt a raid on a low-level school for superhero teens, using a villain team that I had themed off of magically altered enraged postal workers. The higher level enemies were actually dealt with pretty well. Unexpectedly even to me, it was the low-level trash mobs that got them. Namely, zombie postal workers, armed with mailboxes as clubs.

In a twist that turned out nastier than I had expected, I had given them level 4 duplication as their only real ability. I figured the duplication would be a cool surprise but their low level would make them nothing more than a longer fight than expected. It wasn't till I started to use them that I realized the implication of the power I had given them. The way duplication worked in that system is that your duplicates could have all the powers of the original, but one level lower. Which meant that six zombie postal workers with level 4 duplication powers in turn one could create six zombie postal workers with level 3 duplication powers. Who could create 6 zombie postal workers with level 2 duplication powers. Who could create 6 zombie postal workers without duplication powers. And due to a combination of bad rolls and the stunning effect of bludgeons in the system, the superhero teens couldn't knock off the zombie postal workers fast enough to stay ahead of the game, and the zombies kept getting stun or knockout results on the superheros. I didn't actually kill anyone, but it did take down all but maybe one member of the party before the remaining higher level enemy appeared and teleported the attackers away to return another day. Mostly because I had no plan prepared to cover the possibility of success.

[Vordax]

From a friends campaign (1st Edition). The party was chasing a wizard down a hallway. The wizard creates an illusion of a pit and "falls" in it, in an attempt to get away. The parties wizard decides to send a fireball down the pit.

Not really DM killing the party... but still humorous.

Vordax

[Xionanx]

A chest full of potions clearly labeled as "Cure Potions" which the party took at face value and placed in a bad with their other potions.. Nothing sucks more then being at deaths door, and reaching for a "Cure Potion" only to come back with bottle full of poison

[LupusVai]

I was in a session of a 1st Edition campaign once. I wasn't DMing, but after this session, I was convinced our DM was evil. All I have are four little words:

"Rocks fall. You die."

One player we knew turned up with a uber dwarf charcter which he said he'd rolled with a witness (but strangely no one in the group could recall him rolling it).. 18.00str (2nd edition Ad&D had a percentile after the stat for strength if you were lucky enough to have an 18 so 18.00 was as good as it got!) he also had 17 dex and 18 con and no other stat below 14. Several noises were made about the veracy of this character.

Anyways, his brother was the GM and let him play the character for a few weeks gathering wealth loot and levels. Then on one dungeon crawl when this uber dwarf went into a room on his own. The GM (his brother) declares the roof colapses you die (much to everyones amusment). Uber Dwarf complains and moans for about the next two hours about how it was unfair that he didnt get a saving throw. Eventually his brother the GM gives in and allows him to make a saving throw. Which he of course makes. Ok so you only take half damage, so thats 1000hp damage. You die!

His next character was rolled in front of the group.hehehe

What we learned was the GM was an evil git (revenge being a dish best served cold) and he hadn't really let his brother get away with this dubiously rolled uber dwarf like we at first thought.

[Tholar]

This was not in pen and paper D&D, but in an old text only online D&D called a M.U.D.

I was the god of justice, a truly undeserving title especially considering what I did.

I took Tiamat from her normal resting place, forced her to go to sleep, and placed her in the temple square (where all the players would hang out and regen)

I placed a sign on her saying, "sleeping dragon, do not wake"

Then I just waited.......

Sure enough, somebody woke her up. She wiped the entire room and any adjacent room, in one breath!

Somewhere around 40 people died instantly. I was laughing so hard I cried. Then I spent 3 hours with angry players, restoring equipment. I had forgotten that her breath destroys everything, and I mean everything in a room.

[MustangMan94]

Ohh heavens were to begin....

#5: In a recent adventure I ran I can across a particular stubborn
player (Cleric). No matter how hard I tried he didn't want anything to
do with the group. I finally got the bright idea to introduce him to
his god. After 20 minutes of back and forth I finally convinced him
that if he helped the party out that I (GOD) would protect him and give
him my blessing. A few session down the road while the party was
discussing how to get down a cliff to reach the cave entrance the cleric
jumps off screaming, "My god will protect me!" Needless to say I let
him fall to his death.

#4: In one adventure I had the PC's chasing a wizard who was trying to
send himself back in time (using some modified house rules). When the
PC's finally made it to the wizard the spell was activated sending them
all back in time. To keep a long story short, Fighter meets his past
self, freaks out thinking it was an illusion created by the Wizard,
kills himself there by killing him.

#3: In this on I wasn't DM but it is note worthy none the less. My
first adventure I play my friend who was DM'ing had been working on this
quest for a good month. Unknowing to me him and another friend had
decided not to give the world a name because, "Who's honestly going to
ask that!" Well I sit down for the first time ever playing and what's
the first thing I ask. You guessed it , "What's this world called were
on?" Needless to say there was a bright flash of light, I'm dead, no
chance of Rez nothing. It was only after that I was told why.

#2: In one adventure the hidden access tunnel to a keep was in a Grain
Factory. PC's go in can't see anything until the fighter gets the
bright idea to light a torch. Gaming session ends in a large explosion
killing everyone and half the city.

#1: My personal favorite! In a mid level adventure I had been DM'ing
for a few months with a good group of friends I introduced a NPC
hireling that was a friendly Kobold with multiple personality disorder
(I thought he'd bring some humor to the party and I was WRONG). A few
sessions after meeting them the players had met his 3 personalities:
1. a wanna be hero, 2 a coward, and 3 a depressed/suicidal. After
getting sick of waiting on the kobold because he couldn't move as fast
as the rest of the group it was decided that the Barbarian would put the
little guy in his back pack. He cleared out his pack of everything
except a few "just in cases". One of those items being a couple potions
of Alchemist Fire. I would re-roll the kobolds personality once per day
and chances had it he came up depressed 3 days in a row. After warning
the party about it a few times thinking they would catch on, the Kobold
decides riding in his little carrying pack that he is going to ignite
the alchemist fire. After a few failed will saves~! It was priceless
to see the players face when walking down the path without warning,
"There's a loud explosion roll reflex saves." All failed except on
lucky rogue~!

Oh and good DM can't leave out the Gazebo of Doom~!

Sorry about the formating and spelling I'm on my phone~!

[Cam_Neely]

Sorry about the formating and spelling I'm on my phone~!

+1 for this. The rest was great, but this part made me laugh

[Maelphistez]

Kobolds. I'm famous in my groups for my kobold killings.

The first time a group of characters meets a pile of 1/2 HD kobolds, they usually underestimate the horror these guys can dish out. Usually goes something like this:

Me: Dozens of kobolds rush you from out of the darkness.
Fighter: Haha! I rush into their midst and use my Great Cleave!
*rolls*
Me: Your devastating Cleave attack annihilates the first rank of kobolds leaving 10 bloody corpses in a circle around you. The remaining kobolds (make morale check) are crazed by the slaughter and a dozen of them leap onto you seeking to drag you to the floor.
*rolls attack of opportunity and then overbearing attacks*
Me: You successfully fend off one of the kobolds, but the rest manage to drag you to the floor where they begin biting and scratching you in close quarters combat.
.
.
.
Fighters can normally stagger to their feet a few times only to have the process repeated over and over. More squishy types normally go down and stay down. After that happens once, parties normally have a much greater respect for the swarm attacks and tend to fight a bit more defensively.

[Whargoul]

Enemy drow wizard was alerted to the party. Drow casts Rope Trick and hides. As party slowly approaches, the drow prepares 4 Delayed Blast Fireballs to drop on the group from above.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM

There was a near party wipe, and much laughter ensued. At least one person died, but party eventually defeated the encounter. Fun was had by all.

[coopercoop2003]

This is a great thread.

1- The ranger in a low level party decided to go hunting. Cause he was getting sick of dry rations. He tracks down a huge buck. The range gets as close as he can nocks an arrow takes aim and fires. He rolls and hits.. Now roll damage.. a “1” the buck gets nicked by the arrow see the ranger and charges. After a few rounds of fight and terrible rolls on the rangers part. The Ranger runs away with 2 hit points. He gets back to the party and makes up some story about being attack by a horde of kobolds.


2- a party of levels 15s enter a cave in a swamp the cave is over grown in vines and other things. But the cave is also the lair of the deadly “ Choker Monk”. With its reach and staying out of reach using the vines on the ceiling of the cave the Choker Monk beats them all down. 1 pc tried to run but could not out run the beast..

[Nospheratus]

I was running a campaign in the Underdark and the characters were still on they way there.

At some point they arrive at a giant's encampment that was near a HUGE lake. This was already underground. They avoid fighting and get through safely. They were so well received that the giants even asked them something and warned them about something else. The giants asked them to destroy a group of kuo-toa's and their shrine to the evil god of the lake - a kraken !!

The kuo-toas were settled in a couple small islands nearby and they weren't many. The party dispatched them quite easily, until they arrived at a room that was apparently the shrine they were looking for. There was a pool in the room, and there was a strange colored light coming from below. Everyone except the cleric (in FP) decided to swim down, obviously the barbarian went first, as usual in that group! (The barbarian always went head first into everything without fear! )

Down they found some strange guy that tried to kill them, but failed. Before he died though, he uttered a few words, and the cave wall opened and revealed an exit to the lake, but protected by a force barrier so that the cave wasn't flooded. That didn't prevent for the kraken to arrive a couple rounds after.

The barbarian and the monk got eaten by the kraken. The ultimate magus teleported out with the ranger and the abjurant champion by using a scroll of teleport, but rolling a caster level check. Well, lets just say it didn't go so well! Mishap - they got teleported to a random location relatively nearby and the location was the middle of the lake! The ultimate magus was able to cast fly, not before the abjurant champion - clad in plate - went down and disappeared in the water. The ranger and the ultimate magus teleported to the city (successfully this time ) and the cleric was stuck in the island!

So, only half party wipe, but **** funny

[TiranBlade]

Plane of a billion kobolds, eventually there will be nat 20's.

Ok seriously, I think it was the 7 level 20 assassins on one level 18 character(me).

[Spisey]

Never fight Vecna with a party member missing his right hand....

Said fighter "attaches" vecna's hand,

party wipe by fighters hand inevitable!

[TiranBlade]

Never fight Vecna with a party member missing his right hand....

Said fighter "attaches" vecna's hand,

party wipe by fighters hand inevitable!

Or Worse Vecna does a projected possession on the hand and it commences to fight the party, and well size does help in avoiding attacks >.<.

[deadmanet]

The funniest thing? ME!!!

Sorry for forgeting some of the details here, been a looooong time since I've played PnP(think this was like 10 years ago?), but short version:

2 other pcs and myself, an elven ranger.
Nasty ogre boss at end of dungeon.
2 party members between me and ogre

ogre
1 2


me

Called multi-shot ogre's eyes.(bet you can guess where this is headed)
/roll d20 to hit *1, critical fail
/roll d20 for critical result *1(dm's rules)
You notch two arrows and let them go..............












Both party members suddenly have an arrow sticking through their skulls.


Man, where they furious with me.

[Mecholi22]

Party got greedy at the end of a dungeon and rogue picked a lock on chest that had all kinds of dont open warning on it. Inside the chest was portal to a lvl of the underworld, they got pulled in which had a more than happy to see them tarrasque waiting for them.
Btw I was tired and they wanted push their luck..lol

[Zigana]

Part stumbles upon a few choice weapons. An axe in particular stands out. NPC in the group states that it appears to be a dwarven thrower of some mighty hero or other. The sole dwarf in the party grabs it in excitement to test it out. Turns out, it's a cursed item and no one was able to discern this before he grabbed it. He takes aim and throws--and proceeds to fly across the room, hits the wall head first, and dies. It was a dwarven thrower--you know, it throws dwarves!

[Mecholi22]

Part stumbles upon a few choice weapons. An axe in particular stands out. NPC in the group states that it appears to be a dwarven thrower of some mighty hero or other. The sole dwarf in the party grabs it in excitement to test it out. Turns out, it's a cursed item and no one was able to discern this before he grabbed it. He takes aim and throws--and proceeds to fly across the room, hits the wall head first, and dies. It was a dwarven thrower--you know, it throws dwarves!

Lmao +1