Death. I didn't think it would be like this.

[mgshamster]

Step 1) Come up with a standard PC of at least 10th level. Any and all material allowed. Any alignment. Build not required. Just a concept.

Step 2) Describe his/her death.

Step 3) PCs soul goes to the Planes, but doesn't actually go to the afterlife they were supposed to go to.

Step 4) PC becomes a new level 1 PC using just Official/UA material (again, build not required, just a concept). Describe how they react and how (if) this changes them. May be same race/class or something completely new. But their memories stay the same.

Threnody can say one thing for certain. He's had the unpleasant experience of dying twice. He was left an orphan in a foreign land and raised in the art of the Shamisen a traditional three stringed instrument. Having no other connection to the people he put everything he had into the instrument and became its master.

This lead him to Aika. A beautiful woman who accepted him for who he was. And they traveled and became renowned adventurers and protectors. Until they sought an artifact of immense power. And in their quest Threnody came to a choice. One where he could take the artifact for himself or save his love. And he chose power.

This transformed him into an Undead Lich of immense power. His mind opened to new forms of power and song and his instrument became his indestructible phylactery. He knew there was a weakness but he could never figure out what it was. And in his grief he let the power consume him. He became known as the Dirge of Death. A wraith that would sweep into towns on a cloak of twilight and strum his instrument stealing the lives of its inhabitants.

He was challenged many times but never defeated. Until a couple came to challenge him later. In their battle he destroyed the Girl's lover. And approached her to end her. But before he could strike his final note she looked at him and saw his past. And knew. And in that moment she forgave him. And his instrument shattered.

He died again. But instead of being reunited with his love he came across the God of music, weeping.

Threnody would not be allowed to join the ranks of the dead. Instead his soul was cracked and he must seek absolution from all those he wronged. Thousands upon thousands of souls.

And he must start at the beginning.

Bard 20 --> Lich --> Bard 1

[pangoo209]

Jaune Scrywild, a level 10 wizard. He grew up learning magic and went around trying to learn as much magic as he could. He died when he attempted to learn new magics from the various dragons across the material plane.

After this, he is gifted a new power from Mystra, the forgotten realms goddess of magic. Due to his serious love and intrigue in magic, Mystra has given him a new life, along with the ability to cast spells from his own power, rather than others.

The idea of both a second chance and this new ability intrigue him, and he plans to use his powers to help people, rather than himself.

Wizard 10 -> Sorcerer 1

[Addaran]

Krovak Blazeclaw was a powerful sorcerer in the service of Tiamat. From a familly of leaders that made sure to bred only with the purest, he's one of the rare dragonborn with a (almost) pure red color. He's always used his authory to have a comfortable live, at the expances of the lower caste (less pure dragonborn, kobolds and human cultists). The only one higher up was the great red wyrm he served.

When a group of very high level adventurers attacked his mistress, he ended up dying while doing his duty. His soul went to Tiamat's layer of hell, sure it would be rewarded. Instead, he was just one of her infinite servants. From the worthless kobolds he used to boss around to the majestic dragons, they were all worthless to Tiamat and the only victims in her reach.

When Tiamat was summoned to the material plane, lots of souls escaped hell as well. The souls were forced into the various wounded servants and bodies that where on the battlefield. Most still fought with Tiamat, but not Korvak. He left Her there fighting, knowing there's no futur for him under a mistress without loyalty. It's only when he was far away that he realized his body was that of a lowly kobold.

Bahamut come to him during his first sleep, offering him a once-in-two lifetime chance to redeem himself. Krovak aggreed, if only to escape is fate. As he did good deed, he slowly came to realized what it was to be truely respected and to have a master that honnored his words.

Pretty fitting that the former tyrant is now the champion of the weak, a paladin of Bahamut.

Sorcerer 10 -> slave soul tormented for eternity -> Kobold Paladin 1

[StrikingViking]

As a sidenote, I notice how players never use Reincarnate on their own characters, just the other R spells that bring their characters back as they were.

I now return you to the regularly scheduled thread

[KorvinStarmast]

As a sidenote, I notice how players never use Reincarnate on their own characters, just the other R spells that bring their characters back as they were. We did that with some frequency, back in 1e days. "What, I'm a brown bear?"

[mgshamster]

Some ideas I've come up with, but haven't fully explored to create a good story:

1) Paladin. Resents being denied his reward for a lifetime of devotion. Believes the planes should now be his playground. LG Paladin --> NE Swashbuckler

2) "I was a ripe bastard in life. When I died, I discovered that I went to the lower planes instead of heaven. I was given a second chance on the planes, and I don't know why. This time, I'm going to ensure that my afterlife takes me to heaven." Which is the same concept Addaran wrote. :)

3) A fighter who fights because he has to, but resents it. When he dies, he discovers that he can't actually rest - but has to keep fighting. He complains, grabs his sword, and keeps going. No real personality change. Fighter --> Fighter

4) A wizard who dies and loses all his power. He becomes obsessed with finding it again, becoming a thief who steals magic from others. Wizard 20 --> Thief

[Astofel]

3) A fighter who fights because he has to, but resents it. When he dies, he discovers that he can't actually rest - but has to keep fighting. He complains, grabs his sword, and keeps going. No real personality change. Fighter --> Fighter


I find this one inspiring. Would you mind if I had a go at writing it up?

[mgshamster]

I find this one inspiring. Would you mind if I had a go at writing it up?

By all means!

[Astofel]

By all means!

Alrighty then.

Dren never wanted to hurt anyone. All he ever wanted was to live in peace on his farm, with his wife and two children. He never counted on gnoll raiders. Dren's farm was on the outskirts of civilization, so it was one of the first to be targeted. They came in the night, and without warning the fields were alight with flame. Dren rushed his family to the basement while he stood in the door, pitchfork in hand. He had no idea how long he spent there, fighting off gnoll after gnoll as their bodies piled up in front of him, but eventually dawn came. He had survived, and his family was safe.

Dren traveled to the city to warn them of the oncoming invasion. When they started looking for civilians to help fight, he joined up. After all, someone had to, and he'd already fought these monsters once. Dren was given a sword and taught how to use it. When the gnolls came, there was war. Dren fought to the best of his ability, killing more gnolls than he ever thought existed in the world. He was an immensely fast learner, and his skill did not go unnoticed. He was promoted to higher positions of leadership, and after the war he was asked to stay on and serve his country. He had to, you see. How else would he protect his family?

So it came about that Dren fought men instead of monsters. He proved to be equally as good at fighting both, and he rose still higher in rank. Nonetheless, he always closed his eyes before the finishing blow. One day, while he was away fighting, he received the news that the gnolls had returned, and had overrun his old farm. There were no survivors. He wept, but he continued fighting. What else was there left for him, now?

Dren rose to command of armies, and he led his nation to great victories. Armies trembled when they learned General Dren was leading the enemy force. Eventually, Dren met with a force that rivalled his own, with a general as skilled as he. The two generals met on the battlefield, and fought for hours. Finally, Dren felt his foe's blade slide between his ribs, and his lifeblood leaking out onto the ground. With his dying breath he was grateful that finally he didn't have to fight anymore, that he could see his family again.

He did not reawaken to his family. Instead, a towering figure stood over him, wearing gleaming armour.
"Welcome to Acheron," it said. "Now grab a sword, it's time for your work to continue." Dren sat, stunned, until another armoured figure prodded into action. Dren put on his armour, readied his weapon, and prepared to fight once more.
Because he had to.

Fighter 20 -> Fighter 1 (or epic, who knows)

Disclaimer: I don't actually know how armies work, I just wrote what I thought sounded cool :smalltongue:

[Hrugner]

Gretchen Fellon: human lore bard. A dedicated teacher and parent living an adventurous life spent traveling from port to port with her family and school doubling as crew. Having massed a colossal amount of information about the world, her ship become a welcome site at ports around the world, her ship grew to a small fleet of schools and libraries. In her 80s, the twice widowed accidental admiral remarried to a young prince of an island kingdom adding her fleet to his. Shortly after the wedding her fleet left the island for a fresh port and found themselves endlessly calmed and stranded in a magic barren reach of the sea. The crews stocks were supplemented heavily by magic and quickly ran to nothing. Gretchen recalled a ritual that wasn't magical in nature that could bring a creature with powers beyond magic that could be bartered with for assistance.

The ritual worked, a young man dressed in finely made clothes of no clear origin appeared on the ship as if he'd always been there including two decades of memories with the fellow. Gretchen new he was there due to the ritual but could recall his birth and education along side knowing he'd just arrived. The deal he made with her was in no way fair, but there were no options. Gretchen's life, and all the knowledge she'd gathered in exchange for the life of her crew. She accepted.

Gretchen woke again as a spirit and saw the true cost of her bargain, the crew's memories were gone, the collected works in her libraries were burning, but the crew seemed impervious to the flames and to hunger, the fire filled the sails and the fleet began once again to move. Gretchen was pulled across the land into the body of an infant her knowledge was gone, but her impression of life remained. As her sense of self decayed, she attempted to repair her mind and make sense of the image she'd seen of the burning fleet. She brought the flame with her into the infant and spent her days as a fire genasi nomad mystic, wandering the world attempting to discover the knowledge that she can feel trapped away inside her head.

[Laserlight]

As a sidenote, I notice how players never use Reincarnate on their own characters, just the other R spells that bring their characters back as they were.

And that brings us to Colette. At the end of the last campaign, PC Aberthal sacrificed himself, ascended to godhood, and was able to grant spells. Colette had died of "Repeatedly saying Yes when the DM said Are you really sure?" about ten minutes earlier in game time. PC Mat asked if he could bring her back--and explicitly asked for a Reincarnate rather than Resurrect. She came back as a gnome (in a world which had no gnomes, just orcs, half orcs and humans), a fact which had her rather upset. I'm not sure if her gnomeness was a roll or if Mat selected it. Incidentally, Mat and Colette's players are husband and wife.

As I recall, Colette was a monk 8 druid 2. She carelessly got herself infected by a larval Great Old One and then didn't do anything about it until too late, so it would be arguable that she returned as a L1 GOOlock. Come to think of it, Mat might have decided on Reincarnate rather than Resurrect exactly to avoid her new body being infected; in that case, she'd probably be a swashbuckler.

[8wGremlin]

Sir Nylenthia du Bois. Paladin. Died whilst escaping from the ruined temple of asmodius, where they had just killed the tiefling high priest. Whilst fleeing the temple starts to collapse, rocks fall and killed him and his party.

Goes to the afterlife where he is told that a future event needed the tiefling high priest to live so that he would open a gateway to his domain where a celestial army could gate crash and kill asmodius.

He awakes and realises he is a 1st level tiefling cleric of Asmodius...the same one he killed, only younger. And has to live through its life and defeat himself in his paladin version so bringing the future event to fruition

[Mortis_Elrod]

In a world filled with random evils. No one is safe.


Sargon Alexander Khan was once a very devout Aasimar Paladin, committed to spending his life bringing justice and mercy to those who need it. A very friendly neighborhood paladin type. However near the end of his life, his holy guide told him something.

"Though your actions certainly helped people, nothing you did had any lasting effects. There's no structure to prevent it from happening again. Everything you did was for nothing."

Confronted with such knowledge Sargon forsook his god and his oath, and refused heaven and fell. He would not join the Planes until he made a permanent effect upon the world, one that could prevent random tragedies. For his service he would be granted a second life to do these things, even though he refused eternal peace. But he knew not how. He looked at himself, a shell of a former knight, not even his blade shined like it once did. Now it was black as the all consuming void, and it seemed to devour the light. It's power called to him and he knew what he must do.

"I shall change this world. Into a world that does break into chaos but instead provides order. No more raiding and rampaging creatures. No more archwizards creating dungeons and hiding away, drawing in the gullible. I will FORCE peace upon this world if i have to. I'll mold it; no crush it, into submission. By the sword in my hand, I shall conquer the land. I will decimate and decapitate any who questions this sword in my hand. "

And with that declaration the gods shunted him back into the material world. With nothing but his sword. He smiled. That's all i need.

LG Aasimar paladin -> LN/E Hexblade/Conqueror Paladin. Fallen Aasimar

[busterswd]

Treyth was a simple man, who loved nature and all its blessings. And in return, nature loved him back. It was rumored that the trees themselves bowed their heads to protect him from the arid summer sun and the chilly autumn rain, and that the wolves and the deer would set aside their constant rivalry to quench their thirst beside him. What was known beyond a doubt was that the very land itself would flourish with a frenzy of vitality in his wake. But whether it was the result of his tireless work to nurture it, or it was simply the land giving back to one who gave so much of his life for it, was never quite clear.

In his travels, he came across many incarnations of men and women. Some of them revered nature nearly as much as he; nature was grateful and gave back twice as much as it received. Others sought to take without giving back to the balance; nature was resilient, and would ultimately recover. But others left endless ruin in their path of flame and death, all for their misguided ambitions. These, Treyth could not forgive.

Treyth took up arms to protect his lifelong love, the mother of all living things. But Treyth was a simple man. He didn't possess vast knowledge meant for calling upon arcane mysteries. He didn't have years of military training to overcome others with sheer force. And he didn't possess the sheer magnetism of personality that some are born with to rally others to his side. All he had was determination, and endless love for his mother.

He fought. And even though the plants clung to his foes' limbs, the weather hindered all their senses, and the animals aided him in dispatching his legion of foes, there was only so much a simple man could do against an endless tide. He fell, never to rise again.

Or so he thought. He awoke in a grove, surrounded by so many of the flora and fauna that he'd fought so hard for. And while his ardor for them was as strong as ever, he was overcome by a new sensation: awareness. For the first time, he could FEEL them, he could read their deepest thoughts, and he could sense something greater than him growing ever stronger.

And he knew what had to be done.

(Fighter 10 ---> Druid 1)

[Quoxis]

Alrighty then.

Dren never wanted to hurt anyone. All he ever wanted was to live in peace on his farm, with his wife and two children. He never counted on gnoll raiders. Dren's farm was on the outskirts of civilization, so it was one of the first to be targeted. They came in the night, and without warning the fields were alight with flame. Dren rushed his family to the basement while he stood in the door, pitchfork in hand. He had no idea how long he spent there, fighting off gnoll after gnoll as their bodies piled up in front of him, but eventually dawn came. He had survived, and his family was safe.

Dren traveled to the city to warn them of the oncoming invasion. When they started looking for civilians to help fight, he joined up. After all, someone had to, and he'd already fought these monsters once. Dren was given a sword and taught how to use it. When the gnolls came, there was war. Dren fought to the best of his ability, killing more gnolls than he ever thought existed in the world. He was an immensely fast learner, and his skill did not go unnoticed. He was promoted to higher positions of leadership, and after the war he was asked to stay on and serve his country. He had to, you see. How else would he protect his family?

So it came about that Dren fought men instead of monsters. He proved to be equally as good at fighting both, and he rose still higher in rank. Nonetheless, he always closed his eyes before the finishing blow. One day, while he was away fighting, he received the news that the gnolls had returned, and had overrun his old farm. There were no survivors. He wept, but he continued fighting. What else was there left for him, now?

Dren rose to command of armies, and he led his nation to great victories. Armies trembled when they learned General Dren was leading the enemy force. Eventually, Dren met with a force that rivalled his own, with a general as skilled as he. The two generals met on the battlefield, and fought for hours. Finally, Dren felt his foe's blade slide between his ribs, and his lifeblood leaking out onto the ground. With his dying breath he was grateful that finally he didn't have to fight anymore, that he could see his family again.

He did not reawaken to his family. Instead, a towering figure stood over him, wearing gleaming armour.
"Welcome to Acheron," it said. "Now grab a sword, it's time for your work to continue." Dren sat, stunned, until another armoured figure prodded into action. Dren put on his armour, readied his weapon, and prepared to fight once more.
Because he had to.

Fighter 20 -> Fighter 1 (or epic, who knows)

Disclaimer: I don't actually know how armies work, I just wrote what I thought sounded cool :smalltongue:

"I never asked for this" - Adam Jensen, Deus Ex

[mgshamster]

"I never asked for this" - Adam Jensen, Deus Ex

When I came up with the concept, I was envisioning Achilles from Troy (Brad Pitt's character).

In the beginning, he was forced to fight a war for some King's glory, and he hated it. "Why don't you you kings fight your own battles?"

He has no desire to fight for anyone else. In the movie, Achilles only fights for his own glory. But what if we strip that away, too? Then what does he fight for? Nothing, really.

So we have one of the best warriors in existence with no reason or desire to fight. But he does. Because he has to. Because people keep calling on him. And, well, he's the best. So he does.

He dies in his way, goes to the planes, discovers that he hasn't actually died, he's just with a group of people (like those written above) who must quest to redeem themselves. He grumbles, complains, says, "Fiiine. Let's go." He grabs his sword and keeps fighting. Because he has to. Because those in need have called on him once again.

[JAL_1138]

I thought of one. Human Wizard.



He'd had many names. Which one he started with wasn't important. Yet. The wizard took up the adventuring life young, seeking power, wealth, and glory without any particular ill intent but with a tremendous ego. One day his search for artifacts and ancient spells took him to the mouth of a long-disused mine. As he attempted to open the door beyond the entrance tunnel, he dislodged a bit of support for the roof, and the ceiling collapsed on him, crushing him beneath. His last thought, as the rubble piled upon him, was that this was an ignominous, insulting demise for a wizard of his caliber.

Perhaps it was his own ego that kept him from the Lower Planes. Some entity below might have the potential the young wizard might have, or feared his ambition. Or perhaps he had angered some dark god who placed a terrible curse upon him. At any rate, the wizard did not proceed to the next life, but reincarnated--his memories intact, but his spellbook buried beneath tons of rubble, and with a new body that had not yet been hones into a suitable vessel for arcane energies. The reborn wizard set about looking for ways to recapture his lost power. He thought he had found one in the vaults beneath an ancient keep, and managed to find his way inside--but the vault entrance slammed shut behind him, sealing him in. Thirst is a miserable way to die.

He found himself alive yet again, reborn once more--and again without his powers. After a decade adventuring, rebuilding his strength, this time he had taken take a more cautious approach, he thought; he wouldn't be brought low by a simple trap. Incorrectly, it turned out, when the floor of the latest fortress in which he sought artifacts of power gave way and the poisoned spikes killed him. At least it was quick this time.

Again he returned to life, born anew, starting from the beginning. Years later, a great artifact was within his grasp--but control over it would need to be wrested from the lich controlling it. Alas for the wizard, he failed, and the Sphere of Annihilation destroyed him.

Once more he found himself reincarnated, in spite of all reason. He spent years retraining his power, until he could claim with no exaggeration to be the finest mage in the country, excepting members of the Circle of Eight. This time he prepared thoroughly and sought his vengeance against the lich who had slain him. It was with great satisfaction that he flung the creature's phylactery into the very Sphere that had once consumed him. But his victory was short-lived--as was he--for when he leaned against an altar to recuperate from his wounds, a bolt of lightning shot forth and struck him down.

Time and time again he found himself returned to life, only for power to be snatched away from him the moment it was in his grasp. Burned to ash in magma. Dissolved by Green Slime. Consumed by Brown Mold. Killed by a cursed helm. Crushed beneath an animated statue. Slain by a cursed gemstone. Imprisoned and left to starve. Poisoned by noxious fumes. Drowned. Over and over and over again--the wizard's grip on sanity, never particularly strong to begin with, was shattered, and any shred of good was driven out of him, leaving him sadistic and cruel.

He recalled the lich who had wielded the Sphere of Annihilation. If he could become undead, he could gain power indefinitely, break the cycle of life and death in which he found himself trapped. Long did he search for the rituals needed. He made pacts with foul creatures from realms below, sacrificed the innocent, performed unspeakable deeds. But in the end he succeeded.

He planned a structure--a sepulchre, a tomb--in which he might reside in his undeath, a monument to his power and glory, and in which he might gather and guard the wealth and enchanted artifacts he discovered. Even better, he could lure the wielders of great magics and devices to himself, capturing their magic items, scrolls, spellbooks, and other valuables without so much as lifting a finger. Their very souls could fuel his eldritch might. He knew precisely how to defend this resting-place, drawing on dozens of lifetimes of experience.

And in time, the world would tremble at the mere mention of the name of Acererak and his Tomb of Horrors.