Plane Shifting Back from the Grave

[D.One]

I've been thinking about something I read on OotS.

What's to prevent some spellcaster from, after death, planeshifting back to the material world?

I've thought of a bunch of restrictions, in the line of "Ok, but your body is gone, so just your soul returns", and it can even be a "No, because I said so." situation, but I'm curious on how this can be handled...

[defiantdan]

the lack of material components. You require a tuning fork for the desired plane. The only place I've seen D&D mention a soul is in the fiendish codex. So based on that it doesn't seem like your soul has anything to cast verbal and somatic components with. Being a ghost and being a soul in another plane seem to be different things.

[Amphetryon]

In general, unless the Spellcaster became an Undead of some variety or other (or took on some template that wasn't an Undead but still required dying, I suppose), 3.P assumes that the Character no longer has ready access to the Class features she had when she was alive; this is particularly true if Material Components, a Spellbook, or a Holy Symbol were a regular requirement for the Spellcaster in question. Furthermore, 3.P assumes that the now-dead Character's spirit is in the hands of whichever deity or deities she prayed to - or are assigned the care of the dead - in the campaign world, and deities are notoriously difficult to defy in their native sphere of influence, particularly if the Spellcaster is without aforementioned necessary materials.

[Bronk]

Plus, once a character dies, they become a two hit die petitioner on whichever outer plane they end up on, and lose all their memories, which tends to put a damper on things.

In the Forgotten Realms, there is at least some time period where they hang out with their memories on the Fugue Plane for a while, but they are still prevented from leaving somehow.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

1) The deity/archfey/archdevil/demon god/Old One who claims their soul after death makes them into a petitioner/minion/breakfast.


2) The concept/Overpower who claims their soul after death makes them into an aligned outsider.


3) If they worshiped nothing in life and followed no path, they now are Bricks in the Wall of the Faithless/Shades wandering endlessly the Fields of Asphodel/Eaten by Amit the Devourer/Wights chewing on dust in Irkalla/Cast into the Fiery Pit or otherwise obliterated.




#3 can happen even if you worship though - no promises.

[Eldan]

Plus, once a character dies, they become a two hit die petitioner on whichever outer plane they end up on, and lose all their memories, which tends to put a damper on things.

In the Forgotten Realms, there is at least some time period where they hang out with their memories on the Fugue Plane for a while, but they are still prevented from leaving somehow.

Yeah, that. On death, the soul loses all powers and memories and becomes a generic spirit appropriate to the plane.

[Necroticplague]

Dead souls exist as petitioners, which have an ability (Planar Commitment) that makes them unable to leave the plane. Trying to do so (such as with Plane Shift), merely teleports them 100 miles in a random direction