If you want tragic moments, let your PCs use a reaction to intercept damage someone adjacent to them would take before OR after the damage roll is made.
For extra fun, it does work on AoE effects like fireball to take double the damage and shield with their body If people ever want that tragic moment, it gives them the agency to do it themselves. As DM I'm not the one making them step in front, they just have the option to do it directly themselves. It's a moment of acknowledgement for tragedy and drama that we can all agree to!
— Gabe is Hans Dulla. Dimension 20: Shriek Week (@GabeJamesGames) August 16, 2021
Stuff like this is great. I’d love to give players a handful of actions like this that *every* character can do, or at least encourage them to TRY stuff. Gosh…..Id love to just hand people a list of like "Hey here's 6 extra actions you can do for little bonus narrative bits or mechanical value and how they work!"
— Gabe is Hans Dulla. Dimension 20: Shriek Week (@GabeJamesGames) August 16, 2021
Love that!
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) August 16, 2021