How to avoid killing your player characters as GM

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by sjmdw45

My post (not the entire thread) was explicitly about hack and slash gaming, and any game that's about smallsword duels to first blood doesn't sound like...

Okay, but can you understand our confusion?

I had to follow a quote chain to realize why you thought I was addressing you. I quoted a post by Boomerang (who was neither quoting nor directly responding to anyone) and a post by johndallman (who quoted Colonel_Klink). When I followed the quote chain back a step, I noticed Colonel_Klink had quote both you and johndallman in his previous post.

Not a superlong quote chain, but still not 100% obvious. Plus, I made sure to say this immediately after quoting johndallman:

Originally Posted by Otaku

I noticed this bit, though, and it too seemed like good, general advice.

So yeah, I wasn't speaking about it for hack 'n slash games. Thinking about it, I think it is pretty much a YMMV kind of thing. In some games - or even specific encounters! - the death spiral won't apply because:

1. You - or someone else on your side - can easily restrain/finish off the target next turn.
2. You're losing HP very, very slowly while your foes are not (similar to above).
3. Even dropped to half move and half dodge, you are still well beyond your foe.
4. Your fighting style is such that neither the loss of HP nor the drawbacks from dropping below 1/3 HP is an issue.

There are probably other exceptions. It is just that, given the main topic of this thread, johndallman's advice seemed good "in general".