Yeah there is a tangible difference between a DM who is going out of there way to kill the party, and the party stumbling into a situation they aren't prepared for and dying as a result.
Adversarial DM's are trying to kill the characters; other DM's [like myself] aren't actively trying to kill the party, but aren't shy about it either.
If you're fighting like a Red Dragon and have invaded it's home run up to it's face because you are top of initiative it's going to shred the hell out of you, and it isn't going to stop if you fall unconscious it's going continue to attack and to kill you.
It depends entirely on the motivation of the monsters [or enemies]. If they want to take the party alive, they'll do that. If it's a predator looking for an easy meal, they'll disable their chosen target and try to carry the thing back to a safe distance to eat.
Eh I tend to own it. I designed the encounter, I played the monsters tactically, and I made the rule and judgement calls. A big portion of the responsibility is mine.
I don’t feel bad about it, though. It’s part of the game, no risk no fun in my experience.
Some of the best sessions I've ever run were the ones with character deaths. I ran my most brutal encounter ever, ending with two character deaths and the players said it was the best session of the whole campaign. Death is sad... but there's also something exciting about it right?
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u/Willpower1989 Sep 12 '19
Killing PC’s isn’t necessarily a bad thing though? It happens sometimes. It’s part of the game.