Babale
2012-09-25, 11:06 AM
I think D&D death is way too easy to overcome. A character who dies can come back in a few hours, completely healthy and ready to kick some ass. Well, frankly, that's boring. There's a few stories that manage to make D&D Resurrection exciting (With OOTS being one of them) but in most campaigns, once you have a cleric capable of raising, death is more of a minor inconvenience. Let's say that, in the next OotS strip, Roy is killed by Malak, who is then beaten off. Durkon then Resurrects him, and the party is down a few thousand gold. Is that exciting in any way whatsoever? Nope, which is why we know it probably won't happen. But that's literally what a death is like in most campaigns. So, what's the solution? Nobody likes to lose a character, so simply having no way of coming back, ever, doesn't make much sense in the D&D world. This thread is going to try to come up with a good compromise.
First of all, we need to kick out all the Raise Dead and Reincarnate chain of spells. The question is, what do we replace them with? I have a number of suggestions.
Gaming for Souls
A classic trope involves the recently deceased challenging Death for their soul. If a character dies, they may challenge the appropriate type of Outsider that comes calling to one of the following games (This may only be done once per skill per character, as Death will make sure to be ready next time):
*DCs should be modified based on optimization level.
1) A Musical Duel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDm_ZHyYTrg)
The player and Death make opposed Perform checks. Death has a bonus of +25 to Perform.
2) A Game of Chance
The player and Death both roll a d6. If the player wins, he may stay alive. If he looses or ties, he must move on. A particularly sneaky character may try to fudge the dice, making a Sleight of Hand roll. Death's Spot modifier is +20. If Death rolls a 6, the character can't beat that even by cheating; he must make a second Sleight of Hand check with a -15 Circumstance penalty to fudge both his and Death's dice.
3) Other Skill Checks
Pretty much any skill could be modified to work as a contest vs. Death. For example, a Ranger who maxed out Ride might outrun Death itself. A Rogue might Hide from Death when it comes calling. Knowledge (Religion) might find a loophole. Bluff might convince Death that the character shouldn't even be dead in the first place. If the player comes up with a creative use for a skill he can hit a DC of 25-30 in, let him cheat Death.
"You want to take me? Go ahead, try!"
So the dead PC is a Fighter who didn't max out any skills. The doomed soul stands there, waiting for Death to come for him. And it does; an Outsider of the appropriate alignment shows up. The Fighter smiles, draws his sword, and says: "You want me to come with you? Make me!"
The exact type of Outsider is up to the DM, but I would recommend going with one whose CR is roughly equal to the dead PC's level. If the PC manages to fight off Death, it will come back stronger next time; if the PC dies again, the collector will be more powerful (CR=1 1/4 times level, then 1 1/2, then 2, etc.) as the Outsider's boss sends more powerful collectors.
The downside is that if the PC is beaten in a fight, his soul isn't simply taken away; it is destroyed when it dies in combat. This means that he can never, ever be Raised.
I Come Back With a Little Help From My Friends
Not every character is badass enough to cheat death, and even those that are can't succeed every single time. So sometimes, your character will die. Does that mean it's game over? Not if the rest of the party decides to mount a rescue mission! If the PCs have Plane Shift or other similar spells, they can travel to whatever afterlife their ally went to and bring him back. Bringing a PC back from one of the Good afterlifes is usually a matter of finding someone with the proper authority, explaining why its important that the PC come back to life, and perhaps agreeing to perform a service on the material plane. Bringing a PC back from Hell is much harder, and usually involves fighting through the gates of Hell and either busting out or holding an authoritative demon/devil hostage and forcing him to release the PC.
Through the Gates of Hell
Some people are so badass that they can leave Hell on their own. A PC who succeeds on a DC 30 Will save (Allow substantial circumstance bonuses if the PC's unfinished business is important enough) retains his memories of the Material Plane in the afterlife, and may choose to attempt to escape. A high-level rogue might sneak out, a high level fighter might fight his way out, and a high-level bard might walk out while playing a song so beautiful no one dares stop him. Spellcasters may not cast any spells that allow Planeshifting while in the afterlife. Keep in mind that the dead PC will have no equipment at this point.
A Final Note
Cheating death in any of the ways presented above is pretty much guaranteed to get a Marut mad at you. Someone who cheats death repeatedly just might wish he was already dead.
First of all, we need to kick out all the Raise Dead and Reincarnate chain of spells. The question is, what do we replace them with? I have a number of suggestions.
Gaming for Souls
A classic trope involves the recently deceased challenging Death for their soul. If a character dies, they may challenge the appropriate type of Outsider that comes calling to one of the following games (This may only be done once per skill per character, as Death will make sure to be ready next time):
*DCs should be modified based on optimization level.
1) A Musical Duel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDm_ZHyYTrg)
The player and Death make opposed Perform checks. Death has a bonus of +25 to Perform.
2) A Game of Chance
The player and Death both roll a d6. If the player wins, he may stay alive. If he looses or ties, he must move on. A particularly sneaky character may try to fudge the dice, making a Sleight of Hand roll. Death's Spot modifier is +20. If Death rolls a 6, the character can't beat that even by cheating; he must make a second Sleight of Hand check with a -15 Circumstance penalty to fudge both his and Death's dice.
3) Other Skill Checks
Pretty much any skill could be modified to work as a contest vs. Death. For example, a Ranger who maxed out Ride might outrun Death itself. A Rogue might Hide from Death when it comes calling. Knowledge (Religion) might find a loophole. Bluff might convince Death that the character shouldn't even be dead in the first place. If the player comes up with a creative use for a skill he can hit a DC of 25-30 in, let him cheat Death.
"You want to take me? Go ahead, try!"
So the dead PC is a Fighter who didn't max out any skills. The doomed soul stands there, waiting for Death to come for him. And it does; an Outsider of the appropriate alignment shows up. The Fighter smiles, draws his sword, and says: "You want me to come with you? Make me!"
The exact type of Outsider is up to the DM, but I would recommend going with one whose CR is roughly equal to the dead PC's level. If the PC manages to fight off Death, it will come back stronger next time; if the PC dies again, the collector will be more powerful (CR=1 1/4 times level, then 1 1/2, then 2, etc.) as the Outsider's boss sends more powerful collectors.
The downside is that if the PC is beaten in a fight, his soul isn't simply taken away; it is destroyed when it dies in combat. This means that he can never, ever be Raised.
I Come Back With a Little Help From My Friends
Not every character is badass enough to cheat death, and even those that are can't succeed every single time. So sometimes, your character will die. Does that mean it's game over? Not if the rest of the party decides to mount a rescue mission! If the PCs have Plane Shift or other similar spells, they can travel to whatever afterlife their ally went to and bring him back. Bringing a PC back from one of the Good afterlifes is usually a matter of finding someone with the proper authority, explaining why its important that the PC come back to life, and perhaps agreeing to perform a service on the material plane. Bringing a PC back from Hell is much harder, and usually involves fighting through the gates of Hell and either busting out or holding an authoritative demon/devil hostage and forcing him to release the PC.
Through the Gates of Hell
Some people are so badass that they can leave Hell on their own. A PC who succeeds on a DC 30 Will save (Allow substantial circumstance bonuses if the PC's unfinished business is important enough) retains his memories of the Material Plane in the afterlife, and may choose to attempt to escape. A high-level rogue might sneak out, a high level fighter might fight his way out, and a high-level bard might walk out while playing a song so beautiful no one dares stop him. Spellcasters may not cast any spells that allow Planeshifting while in the afterlife. Keep in mind that the dead PC will have no equipment at this point.
A Final Note
Cheating death in any of the ways presented above is pretty much guaranteed to get a Marut mad at you. Someone who cheats death repeatedly just might wish he was already dead.