To Kill or not to Kill... that is the question.

Killing characters... it is a subject likely to start a loud and opinionated discussion between any group of GMs, and quite a few players as well. As such, I will openly state that this post is only my opinion and although it has worked for me, it may not be what you or your group are looking for.

To start off, my view on character death has changed dramatically since I first began to play D&D. Originally, I hated the idea of a PC dying, and would go out of my way to assure that it didn't happen. This ranged from fudging die rolls, to having NPCs rescue the party when they got in over their heads. This was completely wrong, and in fact, completely unfair to my players.
By taking away the danger and the chance of failure, I also took away the heroism and power from their deeds. No adventure is as exciting if the PC's can expect a net to save them when they go overboard.

Since then, I have come to recognize the necessity of player deaths. The act of adventuring is a dangerous one, and it is only by allowing that danger to exist can the GM present an exciting adventure and a campaign world that is truly immersive. Now, I am not one of those GMs that attempts to kill their PC's, but I will roleplay the party's villains appropriately, and if that leads to a character death, then that is the way the world works. Not only is this approach a benefit to the believability of the campaign world, but it allows the rest of the group to opportunity to roleplay the loss of a valiant comrade, and the fallout of such a loss.

Now on to TPK's or total party kills. This is, to me, a somewhat harder issue to deal with. With a TPK the GM runs the almost certain risk of the campaign ending, as all of the protagonists are dead. My general feeling is that if the party gets themselves into a situation like this, I will let it happen, under much of the same reasoning I use with single character deaths above. However, a TPK situation can be a sign that the GM failed in his planning and made the adventure impossible for the players. In such a situation I will usually improv some sort of escape clause into the adventure, and if they party doesn't take it, then they have chosen their fate. If you are lucky, the players will choose to make characters who are connected with the dead heroes and seek to gain vengeance for their deaths... if not then you get to try out the next campaign you were working on.

Dealing with the topic of character death, I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to discuss resurrection. This is another hot button topic with many GMs. Some feel that the use of resurrection magics take away from the impact of player choice, and some feel that it is needed to be able to keep a stable group of characters together. I personally, take a more middle of the road stance on it. I feel that it should be offered, so that a player that is truly attached to their character has the option of continuing with that character, but I don't make it common place in my campaign world.

On Meaghana, resurrection is only available through a divine source. This limits the use of raise dead to the various churches of the world, usually requiring either a large donation or a quest to achieve the resurrection. In addition, when the ritual is cast the player gets the final choice as to whether the character comes back to life. This leaves the final decision in the player's hands, where it belongs. This allows the player to keep playing a favorite character, or allows their death to be a permanent fixture of the campaign. I have used this option for a long time, and I have found that I can trust the PCs to understand what is better for the game concerning their particular character.

Death can be a powerful storytelling tool, but it is the responsibility of the GM to make sure that it becomes neither overpowering or meaningless. A character's death at the right time can intensify your players interest in the campaign, but continual character deaths can leech all the fun and player commitment right out of the campaign world. So my advice is: Kill if you must, but kill with caution.