Inspired by the discussion of when to retire a character, and idea occurred to me. Once a character is too old or otherwise ready to be retired, the player could choose a subclass that makes the character more vulnerable and creates a distinct possibility of death by game events.
The events that could get the character killed could include:
- being wounded in a battle (just like a hero)
- getting hit by an assassin
- losing an ordinary duel (much increased chance for death)
- getting tortured
- spending time in a dungeon
- getting hit by bandits
- random chance which increases by the age
The explanation would be that the character has gained some weakness, perhaps due to old age or some disease, or simply by the stress of burning the candle at both ends. What this option would provide is then a way for the player to make the death of his character more meaningful and more in synch with the actual in game interactions with the other players.
There would be many applications besides the wish to delete a character. Some could pick this subclass simply because they felt it to be a thrill to have a more vulnerable character. Some could choose this as rulers or other influential characters in order to make the game more rewarding for the infiltrators.
Instead of subclass, this could also be a box you could tick, or perhaps there could be a selection of boxes where you could determine which aspects of the game you would like to have an increased chance of getting your character killed. You could, for example, only add vulnerability to assassins.
Other than giving you more challenge, the feature would not gain you any other tangible benefit. It would be, at its essence, something that you give to the other players.
