Frontier Character Death and Retirement Rules¶
There are three death options. Once a player character hits 0 Hit Points, they have until their next turn to choose one of the following options:
| Death Option | Immediate Effect / Process | Resulting Effect |
|---|---|---|
| I Don't Want To Die | The PC is immediately stabilized at 0HP and returned to town. | PC is frightened of whatever caused their death. -2 to all d20 rolls until the next full level up. |
| Death Saving Throws | See Chapter 1 of the Player's Handbook for the rules. | Death of the PC allows you to make a new PC using 35% of the dead PC's session XP (rounded up). |
| Blaze of Glory | The dying PC may take an immediate turn outside of initiative order. All attack rolls hit and count as a Critical Hit. They then immediately die, and may not be resurrected or healed. | Death of the PC allows you to make a new PC using 25% of the dead PC's session XP (rounded up). |
Update — 05.07.2026
XP from a PC killed in combat may be used towards an existing player character that is below level 5.
Massive Damage / Instant Death¶
When a PC takes enough damage that it brings them passed 0 HP and their negative Max HP, they have 1 round to choose one of the following options:
- I Don't Want To Die: Same as above.
- Blaze of Glory: Same as above.
Retirement of a PC¶
A player may choose to retire a player character at any time. That PC then either returns east or becomes an NPC in town, either path means that PC is no longer playable. They are considered to be happy, healthy, and mostly safe wherever they chose to settle.
If a player chooses to retire a PC, they may make a new character at 50% of the retired PC's session XP (rounded up). This is called Inherited XP.