If the DM causes a dungeon tunnel to collapse on you, and just says, "Ha! You're dead!" then he's a fucking asshole. Now Forcecage, if I keep things like that in the game, will not be a life ending effect. It will suck, but it will be a Wizard's temporary solution to a really pissed off problem, at best.
Good call. Common opinion I've seen over the years is the same, really.
.. but by 'trapped in a dungeon' I mean any number of movement-limiting situations.
How will the Savager deal with a huge pitfall?
What about a whirlwind?
How about a dragon's gut?
I see it not as a DM/Player issue (unless someone 'pulls a Gygax' and indeed does simply kill a PC without allowing reaction or save) but rather as a limited options dilemma.
When a certain situation occurs, what can the class give a PC to get out of that situation or defeat it?
Just something to think about. Specifically as a warrior, it's fine, but form time to time I ponder "What else could a class allow a character to do beyond the expected routine?"
Like psionics?
Hmm.. I mean more of a universally applied stamina concept. Not something anyone can deplete from another character or ever regain other than by natural brief rest, but essentially that any powerful ability a character has uses 1 stamina no matter what it is and yet many abilities are free to use as many times as they wish. Controlling this amount keeps combat within X expected rounds (such as 10 rounds) before a character's stamina runs out.
Weaker abilities (and normal attacks) don't decrease stamina.
The stamina pool would be, say, equal to CON score, but adding level to that would make combat be able to run longer as characters advance, which is good.
I suppose that yes in ways like pee-syonics but as far as subtracting multiple points from a pool, no.
More of a count down until a character can't use their best stuff as often. Prevents lockdown tactics, encourages wise use of options, and keeps anyone from being The Hero for too long before relying on others.