Eternal PCs

[Surzt and Gurzt]

How does one play a PC from beyond the grave? Not an undead or 'deathless', but a PC that can still exert influence from beyond? The current party I'm DMing has a great composition, but they are all very against being raised from the dead, each for their own reasons. If one happens to die, most players would like to continue to play their current characters, but death would get in the way of that.

My idea is when one of my PCs dies, have the dead PCs spirit possess their next character, allow them to play some race that would represent something that just wont stay down. Any suggestions for an elegant way to do this?

[GreenSerpent]

Look up the Risen Martyr prestige class in Book of Exalted Deeds and possibly homebrew it a little?

[Heatwizard]

GOASTS

If you don't want to give them the entire template at once, you can get 'em to take the savage progression class. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040117a) Let 'em skip the fifth level, though.

[Surzt and Gurzt]

GOASTS I read that as GOATS for like five seconds and it made way too much sense.

[Rubik]

GOASTS GHOSTS

If you don't want to give them the entire template at once, you can get 'em to take the savage progression class. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040117a) Let 'em skip the fifth level, though.Yeah, a few levels in ghost will give them the ability to possess others. Maybe let them trade a couple of levels for some ghost levels, then they can infiltrate the group as a spiritual presence.

Works even better if a new member of the group (warforged) comes in and the ghost player suddenly drops in and takes over his body.

Reminds me of Red vs Blue.

[edit]
I read that as GOATS for like five seconds and it made way too much sense.At least there's not an e at the end of it.

[Telonius]

Yeah, Ghostwalk is your go-to book for adventuring from beyond the grave. Note that the ghosts in there are not the same thing as the Ghost entry in the monster manual.

Another option: find a likely NPC, and use a variation on the Giant's "Champion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172910)" class. Your "Hero form" is the form of your deceased character.

[GoatBoy]

Play a binder, and ask your DM to let you homebrew your old character as a vestige (or re-fluff an existing one), and possess yourself.

[Heatwizard]

Yeah, Ghostwalk is your go-to book for adventuring from beyond the grave. Note that the ghosts in there are not the same thing as the Ghost entry in the monster manual.

I haven't really sat down with Ghostwalk long enough to look over it thoroughly, but I hear it's pretty mediocre.

[Telonius]

It is pretty mediocre, but I consider that a virtue for a "setting" book. Nothing too overpowered, nothing too underpowered, and it allows people to play a character concept that would be otherwise pretty unplayable.

[Feralventas]

I haven't really sat down with Ghostwalk long enough to look over it thoroughly, but I hear it's pretty mediocre.

It really is, but don't discount mediocrity just yet. Eidalon let's most fighter-types progress while improving utility at cost of damage. Eidoloncer does this for the 'casters, costing class features or metamagic for flavor. Both of these demand a gradual change in playstyle as the pc gathers more ghost powers, but do allow continuation without costly level adjustments for being undead.

[Surzt and Gurzt]

From ghostwalk I've got the idea to give the PCs a 'ghost' character who can hop between bodies, perhaps Warforged?

[Coidzor]

How does one play a PC from beyond the grave? Not an undead or 'deathless', but a PC that can still exert influence from beyond?

D&D afterlives are such that one's soul is either eaten by gribblies, made into an undead, eaten by fiends(or worse), or mindraped, mindwashed, and mindwiped by its patron deity. There's not a whole lot of wiggle room there by RAW.


My idea is when one of my PCs dies, have the dead PCs spirit possess their next character, allow them to play some race that would represent something that just wont stay down. Any suggestions for an elegant way to do this?

Nope. You're entirely in homebrew territory, mate. The only possession one can do is with Fiend of Possession and one has to be alive to do it.

[GreenSerpent]

Or Magic Jar.

Or if you wanted, find someone, use Mindrape to basically wipe their mind and copy your own over onto it before your body dies. Then just make sure that you transfer your magical powers over as well. There might be a way to do that.

[Chess435]

True Mind Switch would do the trick, but it's way up there in terms of power level.

[That_guy_there]

I dunno about letting them play their PCs from beyond if they're so against being raised. If they don't want to return "for their own reasons" then they really should make new characters and play them as such.

Just a suggestion though: If you do come up with a system of letting them influence from beyond, make sure it comes with the same "limits" that resurection magic does (Level Loss/ ect). Dying takes a toll. (Higher levels could see the elimination of the cost, but it should follow the way the game is set up).

[Namfuak]

My first question would be why, if their character's fluff says they would not want to be resurrected, and they care enough about it to prevent resurrection, they would not have a problem with any other sort of "almost but not quite" comeback. Besides, if they don't want to be resurrected, I'm guessing they are good-aligned, and somehow I just don't see forced possession as a permissible thing to do if you are good. Then again, I guess mind-control isn't forbidden, so maybe I'm off-base.

Why not just have them make the same character with a different name who joins the party, if they are dead set on playing exactly the same character? Heck, he could even have the same personality - "Burt the rogue dies. Dude comes up 'Hey guys, I'm Ernie, Burt's former roommate. He taught me all he knows about being a rogue, and I'm almost as good as him! I want to join you guys to fight evil and stuff, or fight good if that's your thing.'"

[Psyren]

A fun idea might be a "Geist"-style campaign; The PCs play ghosts, or spirits, and they have to hop into various avatars over the course of the adventure. Each session can have them leap into pre-made (or slightly customizable) characters with a range of classes and even prestige classes pre-selected. It's a great setup to allow players to try out classes they've never gotten to before.

They could write basic archetypes that they're interested in (e.g. "melee bruiser", "ranged striker", "summoner", " healer") and the DM would come up with builds that fit those classifications.

[Crasical]

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/druid/archetypes/paizo---druid-archetypes/reincarnated-druid

Lets you regenerate in a new body, Dr. Who style.

[Coidzor]

A fun idea might be a "Geist"-style campaign; The PCs play ghosts, or spirits, and they have to hop into various avatars over the course of the adventure. Each session can have them leap into pre-made (or slightly customizable) characters with a range of classes and even prestige classes pre-selected. It's a great setup to allow players to try out classes they've never gotten to before.

They could write basic archetypes that they're interested in (e.g. "melee bruiser", "ranged striker", "summoner", " healer") and the DM would come up with builds that fit those classifications.

That would be pretty nifty, yeah. One potential concern would be that you'd either have to work to avoid or actively embrace Scott Bakula (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Bakula) references/humor.

[Particle_Man]

Play a binder, and ask your DM to let you homebrew your old character as a vestige (or re-fluff an existing one), and possess yourself.

Along that line, the Eternal Blade prestige class in Tome of Battle might work.

But "influence from beyond the grave" does not have to be literal. What if the new PC found a diary of the old (dead) PC that talked about finding/stopping a great evil and realized that guy died and so someone else needs to actually find and stop the great evil?

[Rhatahema]

Well, if they die in a desert, they could always acquire the Dustform template (Sandstorm). Just look out for those bludgeoning weapons.

[Daftendirekt]

Reminds me of Red vs Blue.


He-gr-gr-grt!

Code word: dirtbag!

[Mr. Anon Omys]

I say play a caster who spent all of his downtime and spare cash on magic mouth and/or programmed image. The character may die, but his ridiculously complex and specific programmes will continue emulating his presence for months.

[Rubik]

Yeah, Ghostwalk is your go-to book for adventuring from beyond the grave. Note that the ghosts in there are not the same thing as the Ghost entry in the monster manual.

Another option: find a likely NPC, and use a variation on the Giant's "Champion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172910)" class. Your "Hero form" is the form of your deceased character.
Avoid Ghostwalk like the plague. Their version of ghosts is awful in so many ways.

[Laniius]

Another option is the Hellbred race. If I recall correctly, they are folks who got sent to some sort of hell but came back after horrible torture, either because they were just on the balance or they cut a deal with some other power. Think Spawn. They are like any other race though; they start at level 1 and have no exact memories of their past lives; they just know they're marked. Then there's the Petitioner race from pathfinder, http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/petitioner-cr-1 , same basic idea but they haven't "come back".