When a PC markstheir last Hit Point, they must make a death move. Two of the threemoves give the player full control over whether their PC lives or dies:with Blaze of Glory, the player is accepting the PC’s death, and withAvoid Death, the player is defying the PC’s death. Risk It All comesdown to a dice roll—the PC has a nearly even chance of living ordying.

When a player isconsidering which death move to choose, make space for them to work andtalk through their decision. You might give them a moment to think byshifting focus to another PC, or keep focus on the dying PC to let theplayer take the reins of the story.

Character death isnot always satisfying in the moment, especially if the character’s causeof death isn’t directly tied to their personal story. But in a heroicfantasy adventure, death is always a possibility for characters tryingto change the world. Death moves give a fatally injured PC a chance for amemorable moment, whether it’s going out in a Blaze of Glory or RiskingIt All on a roll of the dice.

AvoidDeath

If a player iscertain they aren’t ready to say goodbye to their PC, this death moveensures the PC’s survival—though they have a chance of taking ascar andpermanently crossing out one of their Hope slots. If the character onlyhas one Hope slot remaining when they make this move and they gain ascar, the player must retire the character. Even so, that ending may bepreferable for players who would rather see their character give up theadventuring life than die.

Using this move,the PC stays unconscious until healed by an ally or until the party’snext long rest. Try to give the player chances to participate in play ifthe party isn’t able to heal their PC or finish a long rest in shortorder. You might invite them to temporarily control an NPC in themeantime or, for something more character focused, narrate a scene oftheir PC on the knife’s edge between life and death. On this precipice,they could be visited by the spirit of a departed loved one, receive avision of a disaster they need to avert, or encounter something elsethat keeps them involved in the story.

Even withoutgaining a scar, this move still comes with a cost: the current situationworsens, no matter the PC’s fate. Work with the player to determine howthat manifests. The situation might escalate as a new wave of enemiesapproaches or a countdown ticks down. Alternatively, the PC’s fall mightbe what turns the tide of battle in the enemy’s favor—they might seizean important item from the heroes or draw power from the character’ssuffering.

Risk ItAll

This is the movethat the GM has the least say in. The Duality Dice decide thecharacter’s fate, and with the exception of the 10th-level Resurrection spell (whichcan only be used once), that roll is final unless you provide anothermeans of resurrection in your story. If the player rolls withHope, help themdecide how to divide the value of the Hope Die between Hit Points and Stress to clear. You might remindthe player that if they choose to clear only a small number of HitPoints, they may be forced to make another death move after just onefurther blow.

Though it isimportant to reward your player if they roll with Hope by spotlightingthis moment when their PC defies death, it is just as important toreward your player if they roll with Fear and their character meets theirend. Let them have some final words with a friend or a memory thatplays as they fade from consciousness. This gives them a moment to saygoodbye to their character in a way that feels important andsatisfying.

Blaze ofGlory

If the playerdecides that their character will go out in a Blaze of Glory, work withthem to ensure that the one action they take is as meaningful aspossible without breaking the integrity of the story. When the seraphgoes out in a Blaze of Glory, you might rule that their final attack isfatal, even if the adversary had more HP left than a critical successcould possibly deal. But it might be a bad idea to let that same seraphshatter the barrier between the Mortal Realm andthe HallowsAbove to allow their god to walk freely among mortals.Consider the group’s agreements about tone established in your sessionzero when deciding the scale of action the Blaze of Glory canaccomplish.