Question: can npcs die in sekiro?
Answer: Dragonrot（竜咳，Dragon Cough） in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice affects the NPCs by making them sick, which prevents progression of their Quests. ... Each time you die and respawn at a Sculptor's Idol, the player has a chance to receive a Rot Essence item, which means the NPC associated with that Rot Essence now has Dragonrot.