The Scarab Of Protection
In Shadowdark, the Scarab Of Protection does one thing worth remembering. When you would die, it grants a DC 18 Constitution check. Succeed, and death becomes unconsciousness. Fail, and the scarab did nothing but occupy an inventory slot.
Note the number. DC 18 is not a formality. Against a modest Constitution modifier you are looking at a roll that misses more often than it lands. The scarab is a coin flip weighted against you, not a shield. Players who treat it as a guaranteed second life have misread the item. It is a chance, and a slim one.
The failure mode is habitual activation. Fire it on every dropped hit point and you are gambling the one thing it protects against on scrapes that would not have killed you anyway. The check does not care whether the blow was trivial or lethal. It fires when you die, so the only question that matters is whether this death is one the table can afford to reverse.
At the table: When a character hits 0 and the scarab triggers, pause and state the stakes out loud before the roll. “This is the DC 18. Make it or you are down, not dead.” Then let the die decide.
Related
Daily field notes, weekly Issues. Follow @ItsAlrdyWritten or subscribe via RSS.