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My TTRPG characters have a nasty habit of dying tragically right before we finish the campaign. I have only one character I ever managed to get to the end of a game and give them a happy ending. I need to stress that the characters in the graveyard were very strong and well equipped.

Magda: My Goliath fighter. She had a very high HP, AC, and CON. She got stabbed to death because we didn’t have time for a long rest before a mafia meeting. The friendly fire didn’t help.

Zerzies: A character I played in a friend’s homebrew system. Absurdly high constitution and skill with magic. Stabbed to death (again) by a monster hoard in the final battle. Used his last moments to take the hoard out with him then turned into a tree. (It’s too complicated to explain).

 The only character to make it to the end was a little human warlock named Whit. The campaign I made Whit for had elements of survival horror. He had very low AC and DC and a nasty habit of picking up cursed objects and exploring caves filled with apex predators. Luckily, the rest of the party were much better equipped and helped him stay in one piece. At first, they just helped him because he was the only party member that could read the Cursed Text that would advance the plot. After many bonding moments, he became too beloved by the party members, random NPCs, and even some villains for them to let him die.

Here's the opening paragraphs of a short story I wrote. I might post the whole thing to a separate long-form platform if anyone wants to read more.

Leopold was treating me differently. I didn't blame him, but it still stung. Most nights, when I came to visit Cal's 24 Hour Gas Station and Rest Stop, he greeted me with an exhausted but genuine smile. My table was always clean and ready for me. I asked him about how nursing school was. He helped me with my crossword puzzles. Sometimes I helped him study. It was honestly the highlight of my night. Tonight, he said a hurried hello and went to restock the drinks fridge. Then, he mopped the floor of the shop and the bathroom for as long as he possibly could. It couldn't have been that dirty. I helped scrub it just the other night. It was really the least I could do in exchange for the security tape. Lord, what a mess.

Not that Cal's 24 Hour Gas Station and Rest Stop was ever pristine. The owner, Cal, made sure it stayed in just good enough condition that the health inspectors couldn't shut it down. The booths were clean, but scratched and scuffed. Fluorescent lights buzzed. Day old coffee and fruity slurpy syrup competed to be the dominant aroma. There were nicer places I could pass my nights, and I could afford it. However, Cal gave me blanket permission to enter his establishment in exchange for a favor I did a while ago. Getting out of the house was worth it, even if it meant hanging out there. When Leopold started working the night shift, the whole deal just got sweeter.

I took a sip from my slushy and looked out into the parking lot, studying the assortment of big rigs and picnic tables lit by sickly street lights. A trucker leaned against his cab, smoking. Moths bashed themselves into the windows and light bulbs. I tried my crossword puzzle, but got bored after just a few clues. The word search was even more boring. Out the corner of my eye, Leopold was wiping down the windows of the refrigerators. His rag squeaked on the glass. In all the months he worked here, he never did that on his shift. Now he was just blatantly avoiding me.

Well, I could deal with that. I went back to my crossword and picked a clue at random.

'2. Across. Six letters, "embarrassed."'

I tried another.

'4. Down. Eight letters, A word meaning both cheerful and optimistic, and relating vigor and the color red.'