The books are not "pro-protagonist". They're pro plot. RJ decided on the ending well before much of the series was written, and so the series has focused on getting these characters ready for that ending, and they have survived. To explain this, RJ came up with the concept of ta'veren. But both that concept and the need to keep characters alive is voided with the LB.

With the Dark One increasing in strength, the Pattern is increasingly chaotic. That in itself is going to weaken any protection it might have offered to its chosen players.

For another, RJ is a war vet, and his experiences have very strongly guided the thematic elements of this series. I strongly doubt he would cheapen the LB by just having everyone survive.

The clearest indication that things will be different when it is the DO who's calling the shots was Verin's statement about how this war wasn't being fought on a level Rand (read: the readers) appreciated. The fights with the Foresaken, the battles for thrones and power... these were sideshows, not the true war. Which is why the survival of characters through those shouldn't be taken to mean they'll survive an assault on Shayol Ghul.