I’m watching this interesting discussion series about D&D 5e with Adam Koebel, Mike Mearls, Matt Mercer, Matt Coleville, and JP McDaniel. They are focusing a lot on playing DnD while streaming. It’s the second part of a two part discussion and it is interesting.
Anyway, at about the twenty minute mark, or so, they go off on this long tangent about handling character death in a meaningful and interesting way. At one point, they even look to Mike Mearls to come up with some sort of mechanical way to help with making death meaningful.
Immediately, I jumped to the Last Breath move in Dungeon World.
I listened to the whole thing, yet, but Adam hadn’t brought it up by forty minutes in and I think he is being a good participant and staying on topic about this being a 5E discussion. I also am not bringing this up as a means to bash 5E. My son plays in a regular game and LOVES it.
More the point, I think you could port some version of Last Breath to virtually any RPG.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFbCxuvknWM
I especially like the spins that people like Jason Cordova and the Gauntleteers have put on it. Hell, check out the Beyond the Black Gates issue of Ray Otus’ Plundergrounds to get ideas on making death the beginning of even more adventures.
Anyway. It was interesting to me and had me wondering if you use a Last Breath style mechanic in any other non-Dungeon World games that you may play.
I use the DW carousing moves in my work 5ed game.
I have slid some of the overland journey rules into that game as well to give people a since of what they are contributing during those travel moments.
Eric Duncan Cool!
Matt Mercer uses a sort of reverse Last Breath where people bringing someone back “talk to them” during the ritual and roll. If the roll succeeds, the dead person heard the message and that’s one of the reasons s/he came back. A missed message like that made for really good storytelling once on critical role, so I recommend you check it out, it’s free everywhere.
As for porting last breath, I completely agree.
Adam Vass at World Champ Game Co has a dnd friendly zine of demonic exchanges to offer your players when they die – it’s sold out but they’re super cool and Very Grim: https://worldchampgame.co/store/deals-with-demons
worldchampgame.co – Deals With Demons
As a follow up I just used a defy danger type move in my 5ed work game today.
It was a glorious moment to have the player roll snake eyes. And took some great character play into a fabulous place where they have to deal with the consequences of losing a ritual to control the weather in the middle of a ley line storm.