Sganarel the gnome Sorcerer

D&D 3.5. The party had been hunting hobgoblins in the Underdark since the beginning of the campaign. Now the adventurers were 9th/10th level, and finally reaching the dreaded Blood Brotherhood's headquarters, a monastery of hobgoblins monk-assassins...

The monastery was a dismal blockhaus with but a single opening, the red door on the second level. Nonetheless, the PCs used some magic to dig a hole into the wall at the base of the building. Unfortunately, they had not so well chosen their entrance, since they intruded into the Cave Trolls' stables. The combat began with fireballs, and the alarm was rung. At first the adventurers did well with clever tactics; but then they were inside the monastery, which had been expecting their arrival for days… (the result of a very unsubtle approach).

There was a long moment during which the PCs were easily slaying low level hobgoblins monks, with Sganarel behind casting a few spells here and there, but above all looking BORED. However, what the party didn't know was that the monks were gaining time for their leaders. Thus, two assassins, cloaked in invisibility and spider climbing the ceiling, carefully observed the PCs for three rounds, then fell upon them. With use of a True Strike spell they had an even easier time for backstabbing the intruders. Then, the fighter and Sganarel failed their saving throw against the hobgoblins' Death Attack. Next round, another PC failed his saving throw against a "Surrender!!" Command spell. The only one who escaped, was the (flying) wizard who was still distracting the cavern trolls outside of the monastery.

Sganarel could have survived. At some point during the fight he considered casting a Stoneskin spell on himself. But then, with a bored expression on his face, he contemptuously declared that such idiotic hobgoblins weren't worth wasting some good spells of his own. These words were his last ones. A few rounds later, a poisoned blade plunged into Sganarel's back, successfully reaching his heart...