Editing Non Armor Defenses (section)

=== The problem ===
{{anchor|Save or Die}}{{anchor|Save or Lose}}{{anchor|Save or Suck}}
One common complaint in a lot of systems is that conditions tend to be rather fatal or completely debilitating, like blindness or losing all non-movement actions. This effects are typically known as "Save or Die", "Save or Lose", and/or "Save or Suck" in order of descending lethality/nastiness with no clear line of division (aside from spells that do cause outright death clearly being the first name). Among the systems this problem exists in are several editions of ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', ''[[Exalted]]'', and ''[[Call of Cthulhu]]''.

Ultimately, the issue isn't in saving throws themselves, but in the ease of obtaining effects that cause instant death or incapacitation and how they are no easier to make than effects that merely deal damage. Later ''D&D'' editions dance around this issue by putting these abilities, in the hands of NPCs, at high levels. It's why you don't see any mage NPCs in 5e slinging sleep spells, even though that is the '''god''' spell at low levels. In a PC's hands, it's [[OP|overpowered]] and able to end encounters in a single cast, but nobody cares since the NPCs are NPCs; but if an NPC slept an entire party in one go… yeah, the PCs would be ''pissed'' (but only pissed off on NPC, not at GM; after all, NPC can cast same spells as PC's can).

That is generally the problem with Save or Suck spells. When players use them, they're great, but when an NPC uses them, they feel horrible. Either way, they're overpowered.