[House] Ted just isn't the same since he came back

[MagFlare]

Only the gods know what dark and perilous route a soul must follow as it travels from the land of the living to the land of the dead... and vice versa. Sometimes a passing soul is ambushed by a rogue idea. Occasionally its path takes it through a pocket of concentrated otherness. But whatever the reason, people who've tasted death tend to come back a little bit... different.

When a dead character is brought back to life, roll a percentile. This will determine what effects the character suffers from his return.

1-50: No effect. The character is brought back good as new (minus the level/Con loss, if appropriate).
51-59: Easy trip. The character is brought back good as new and doesn't suffer any level/Con loss, even if the spell calls for it.
60-62: Touched by Chaos. The character's alignment shifts one step toward Chaotic.
63-65: Touched by Good. The character's alignment shifts one step toward Good.
66-68: Touched by Law. The character's alignment shifts one step toward Lawful.
69-71: Touched by Evil. The character's alignment shifts one step toward Evil.
72-73: Bathed in Chaos. The character's alignment shifts one step toward Chaotic, plus he gains the ability to use Magic Circle Against Law 1/day (with a caster level equal to half the character's HD, rounded down).
74-75: Bathed in Good. The character's alignment shifts one step toward Good, plus he gains the ability to use Magic Circle Against Evil 1/day (with a caster level equal to half the character's HD, rounded down).
76-77: Bathed in Law. The character's alignment shifts one step toward Lawful, plus he gains the ability to use Magic Circle Against Chaos 1/day (with a caster level equal to half the character's HD, rounded down).
78-79: Bathed in Evil. The character's alignment shifts one step toward Evil, plus he gains the ability to use Magic Circle Against Good 1/day (with a caster level equal to half the character's HD, rounded down).
80-81: Tattered mind. The character permanently loses 1 point of Int.
82-83: Tattered will. The character permanently loses 1 point of Wis.
84-85: Tattered spirit. The character permanently loses 1 point of Cha.
86: Mind beyond the veil. The character permanently gains 1 point of Int.
87: Will beyond the veil. The character permanently gains 1 point of Wis.
88: Spirit beyond the veil. The character permanently gains 1 point of Cha.
89: Lord of the dead. The character gains the ability to use Speak with Dead 1/day and Animate Dead 1/day (with a caster level equal to half the character's HD, rounded down).
90: Baptised by air. The character gains the ability to use Gaseous Form 1/day (with a caster level equal to half the character's HD, rounded down).
91: Baptised by earth. The character gains the ability to use Stone Shape 1/day (with a caster level equal to half the character's HD, rounded down).
92: Baptised by fire. The character gains the ability to use Resist Energy (cold or fire only) 1/day (with a caster level equal to half the character's HD, rounded down).
93: Baptised by water. The character gains the ability to use Water Breathing 1/day (with a caster level equal to half the character's HD, rounded down).
94-96: Loss of memory. The character loses a skill rank in a class skill (DM's choice).
97: Someone else's memories. The character gains a skill rank in a non-class skill (DM's choice).
98: Torn from the web of magic. The character gains spell resistance equal to d12+10 but loses all spellcasting abilities, if any.
99: System shock. The character immediately ages enough to enter the next age category and suffers the appropriate penalties and bonuses. For example, a 55-year-old human would instantly become 70, lose 3 points of Str, Dex, and Con, and gain a point of Int, Wis, and Cha.
100: Wrong soul. The player must roll new Int, Wis, and Cha stats for the character, as well as a new alignment (use 2d4: 1 is Good/Lawful; 2-3 is Neutral; 4 is Evil/Chaotic). The character's class levels remain the same, although the new mental stats and alignment may mean that it'll be impossible to continue in those classes.

If a character who has gained any spell-like abilities during resurrection dies again, these abilities are lost.

[NullAshton]

Interesting if it's to replace the standard level loss for raise dead and reincarnation.

[Randomman413]

I like it. Very nice.

[Winged One]

...interesting...

[Lord Iames Osari]

Great nift, this variant rule has...

[martyboy74]

What hapens if it's touched/bather by an alignment that it already has? Does it move towards neutral? Does nothing happen?

[Gralamin]

huh, theres ~a 9% chance* paladins become expaladins, but its for a flavourful reason.

*Closer to 8.75

[martyboy74]

huh, theres ~a 9% chance* paladins become expaladins, but its for a flavourful reason.

*Closer to 8.75
You mean 12%, right? The touched/bathed in evil/chaos.

[Pegasos989]

You mean 12%, right? The touched/bathed in evil/chaos.

+3 from touched by evil
+3 from touched by chaos
+2 from bathed in chaos
+2 from bathed in evil
+0.9375 from wrong soul

so my calculations say 10.9375.


Anyways, nice system. I might add something like that to my games....

[MagFlare]

Thanks for the compliments, everyone. I was hoping nothing like this had ever been done before.


Interesting if it's to replace the standard level loss for raise dead and reincarnation.

Yeah, the idea is that it replaces the standard level loss.


What hapens if it's touched/bather by an alignment that it already has? Does it move towards neutral? Does nothing happen?

The ones who're already, say, Chaotic Good don't change at all if they get the "touched by Chaos" result. Those who get a "bathed in Chaos" result gain the spell-like ability, but that's it.

As for paladins becoming ex-paladins... well, that's a decent reason for them to put a "do not resurrect" clause in their wills. ;)

[NullAshton]

What if they travel to the certain plane that the Paladin's soul went to when he died, using Discern Location to figure that out? Maybe that would fix paladins not being touched or bathed by evil/chaos?

EDIT: And cast the ressurection there, of course.

[MagFlare]

What if they travel to the certain plane that the Paladin's soul went to when he died, using Discern Location to figure that out? Maybe that would fix paladins not being touched or bathed by evil/chaos?

That's a very good idea. If the players were clever enough to both a.) consider that option and b.) drop a sweet plot idea into the DM's lap like that, they deserve to be rewarded... or at least have the likelihood of punishment reduced.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Actually, I kinda think that paladins would be protected from that by the will of whatever deity they worshipped.

And this should be a result: "The god of death refuses to allow the character's soul back to the living realm. The spell fails, and not even a wish spell can bring the character back until and unless the god of death is persuaded to let the character's soul go."

[endoperez]

There are few minor things in there, like the fact the 100 - Wrong Soul should work as a Magic Jar effect, but it's mostly good.

Except that it doesn't work if the character in question has a personality, because too many of those affect or even totally change that. Something very similar to this could be used as a Random Plot Generator, with lots of OOC discussion bewteen GM and the resurrectee:
"So, Bob, your character went through a very Chaotic plane during his return from the dead, and could even have received power to defy Law."
"Wow, cool! But that doesn't really fit Ted. He's too lawful to do something like that. You know how he is, always working to the letter of the law. If he cared about people, and wasn't a Sorcerer, he'd have made a great Paladin."
"Yes, you've said that before. But hey, remember when the others complained when you wanted to sacrifice them in that pseudo-Aztec kingdom because they defiled the original sacrifice? You know, when Ted's alignment dropped to Evil. Well, what if this Chaotic thingy made your Ted to accept that there are SOME things more important than law? He could be Lawful Neutral again, and could channel, say, Lesser Confusion as a new second-level spell. "


However, in that case, things that have permanent effects that can permanantly ruin a character. That is 98, mainly. ("Hey, Bruce - you don't cast any spell any more! You're a commoner with a spell resistance now!"), but the permanent stat losses can also be evil. Having them be just hard-to-heal Ability damage should be enough (and would add a sub-plot).

98 could be replaced with "Wrong body", and the soul of the resurrectee would animate a nearby inanimate object (like a suit of armor) or a dead body.

[sakusha]

I think the possibility for role-playing is just amplified by these effects. Most of them have non-visible effects, so theoretically a character could 1) not know about their new power(s) or 2) not tell the players about the changes in their alignment / powers.

This would make for very interesting results coupled with my own rule idea regarding death and resurrection. *presses hands together and grins evilly* Eeexcellent! I should post that now. ;)

[MagFlare]

However, in that case, things that have permanent effects that can permanantly ruin a character.

The potential for massive character-ruining exists, yes. But not permanently. You may have suddenly discovered that your wizard can't cast spells anymore, or that your paladin is Lawful Neutral, or that you've lost a point from your primary spellcasting stat, but here's always a dragon hoard with a Ring of Three Wishes in it around somewhere that can undo the damage.

As far as the Wrong Soul = Magic Jar idea goes, it's a good one - but I'm equally fond of the idea that the player is now controlling an entirely separate character within his old character's body. As Rizumu said, there're some good roleplaying opportunities there. Of course, maybe I've just been watching too much Quantum Leap.

And the Wrong Body suggestion is a good one, although the mechanics would be difficult to work out...

Player: I wave hello to my teammates and thank them for bringing me back.
DM: You're an end table now. You don't have anything to wave with.


This would make for very interesting results coupled with my own rule idea regarding death and resurrection. *presses hands together and grins evilly* Eeexcellent! I should post that now. ;)

Yes you should.


And this should be a result: "The god of death refuses to allow the character's soul back to the living realm. The spell fails, and not even a wish spell can bring the character back until and unless the god of death is persuaded to let the character's soul go."

That is a good one - it's got a plot hook built right into it.

[NullAshton]

Wrong body, you reincarnate the wrong body. Or something. Just use the reincarnation rules.