Adventure League death curse

[quark12000]

Am I missing something, or is this the stupidest idea ever? I don't get it.

[huttj509]

Context: https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/ToAPrimerv1.pdf

The Death Curse is in effect for Adventurer's League Season 7, affecting tiers 1 and 2 of play.

It's also, technically, no longer in effect, as one option to get rid of it was to wait until the Tier 3 adventures were released which was in Jan, as at that point in the "timeline" Acererak is considered defeated and the curse is lifted.

Edit: So it looks like the intent was to give 4 months at the end of 2017 an additional gravity to character death. More weight, and options to play risky with it. If your character died during those adventures you could either come in with a premade until Ace was dead, or wait until Jan and pick back up.

[Chugger]

Am I missing something, or is this the stupidest idea ever? I don't get it.

It was a risk. It wasn't stupid - the game has grown in popularity since (at least that's what people who know those who work at wotc say).

That you don't get it is perfectly okay. Not everyone has to like everything. Just don't play season seven or ToA. There's a crap-ton of other stuff, especially with all the new to fairly-new CCC modules.

[DnDegenerates]

I ran over 100hrs of adventures with the death curse in effect at various venues. I also attended multiple epics.

No one seemed to mind it and it did little to impact our games.

The two fellows I know who died had access to a free resurrection, as does anyone else in adventurers league, via the certificates from wotc from their extra life campaign.

[HolyDraconus]

Disintegration+ Death Curse= permanent lost character from what I seen.

[mephnick]

I like it when people sometimes have to face consequences for losing. #BringDeathBacktoDnD

[DnDegenerates]

Disintegration+ Death Curse= permanent lost character from what I seen.

This sounds like a good story. We'd have had a couple of jaws drop then a few good laughs.

Since the death curse is over, wouldn't true resurrection or wish still do the trick?

[HolyDraconus]

This sounds like a good story. We'd have had a couple of jaws drop then a few good laughs.

Since the death curse is over, wouldn't true resurrection or wish still do the trick?

Per the rules of AL, you can't wish for someone else unless they are at your table, in that session. Same for true resurrection. The absolute best thing I have found is through being a faction mentor and casting it. Which is... a lot harder than it should be. Of course, reincarnation this go around does not mention needing a body....

[LtPowers]

Just to clarify, the Death Curse isn't "over", per se. If you play a Tier 1 or 2 module from Season 7, or the ToA hardcover, you are still subject to the Death Curse. If you choose to "wait it out", you can no longer play any of those modules or the HC with that character.


Powers &8^]

[Kyrinthic]

So, just to be clear, this isnt AL only type thing. The death curse and the associated AL rules were inspired based on the Death Curse information in the Tomb of Annihilation hardcover book.

In general, AL tries to bring aspects from the official hardcover books into the current season, which can be tricky at times. Overall the book would make much less sense if you just leave the death curse out since it is central to the entire plot.

To accommodate such a game-changing thing, AL added the concept of surrogate characters to help people continue play, as well as the opt-out option after a certain time. This is another way for players to avoid having to interact with the death curse. Even so, the general opinion towards the curse in AL was negative, but not so much so that people were leaving in droves or anything.

[Kyrinthic]

This sounds like a good story. We'd have had a couple of jaws drop then a few good laughs.

Since the death curse is over, wouldn't true resurrection or wish still do the trick?

It would not. it is very specific that once the souls are devoured, not even a wish or divine intervention can bring the character back. This means even after the source of the curse is gone, the soul is still gone. That character is done, no coming back.

[Kyrinthic]

I ran over 100hrs of adventures with the death curse in effect at various venues. I also attended multiple epics.

No one seemed to mind it and it did little to impact our games.

The two fellows I know who died had access to a free resurrection, as does anyone else in adventurers league, via the certificates from wotc from their extra life campaign.

Just for the records, that doesnt work under the death curse. No form of magic brings you back from death until the curse is lifted.
It felt odd giving a free cert to allow a raise dead that wouldnt work during the season it was given away.

[DnDegenerates]

Just for the records, that doesnt work under the death curse. No form of magic brings you back from death until the curse is lifted.
It felt odd giving a free cert to allow a raise dead that wouldnt work during the season it was given away.

One died in a CCC T2 after the death curse was changed/after the charity cert was released, then twice again in t3 afterwards.

Yeah he died 3 times, his character is ridiculous.

Should he have technically have stayed dead then?

[Oerlaf]

I haven't played any of Season 7 adventures in AL, but I ran sessions of ToA for a party.

For me, the Death Curse is the worst thing that could ever happen in AL. The surrogates are suboptimal, and there is no "Starting At Higher Levels" thing in AL.

However, I would like to play ToA in a homebrew game where I could create a character of appropriate level should the former one fall.

[Kyrinthic]

One died in a CCC T2 after the death curse was changed/after the charity cert was released, then twice again in t3 afterwards.

Yeah he died 3 times, his character is ridiculous.

Should he have technically have stayed dead then?

The answer is, like so often with the death curse, maybe.

So, if you die in T1/T2 modules, you need to take a surrogate character or you are just gone. Surrogates have their own rules I wont go into.
Now as long as it wasnt before February that he died, he has the option to 'opt-out' of the death curse, effectively waiting until it is gone, but that means he cannot play any further CCC or T1/2 content from season 7. If he did this, he could then get raised.

As for the Tier 3 adventures, the death curse is only for T1/2, since thats where the hardcover is supposed to run, even if you can go slightly past it sometimes.

So if he opted out, he might be ok, but I dont know how he finished up T2 to get to T3 if he opted out, unless he ran an earlier season adventure to do so. If he died in the middle of the CCC mod, he would have had to take a surrogate to complete the adventure at the very least, he could not be raised during the adventure.

[quark12000]

I started TOA without knowing about this, and now my character is under the curse. Dumb, dumb idea, Wizards.

[quark12000]

I ran over 100hrs of adventures with the death curse in effect at various venues. I also attended multiple epics.

No one seemed to mind it and it did little to impact our games.

The two fellows I know who died had access to a free resurrection, as does anyone else in adventurers league, via the certificates from wotc from their extra life campaign.

From what I understand, you can't get resurrected in any way during the curse. I think.

[Requilac]

Here is a relevant link for you all explaining how the AL Death Curse works below. There is no way for a character affected by the death curse to be revived, even if the gods themselves try to. Actually, there is exactly one way around it, by performing the Rite of Stolen Life*. Anything else shall fail.

https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/ToAPrimerv1.pdf

By imprisoning a humanoid and bringining it to the hag in Mabala, she can kill it and siphon out its soul to impart it to someone else and revive them.

[LtPowers]

I started TOA without knowing about this, and now my character is under the curse. Dumb, dumb idea, Wizards.

You can release your character from the Curse; you just can't play any Season 7 content below Tier 3 if you do so.


Powers &8^]

[quark12000]

You can release your character from the Curse; you just can't play any Season 7 content below Tier 3 if you do so.


Powers &8^]

He's already started. So, I guess I'll have to just cut him loose.

[sithlordnergal]

Honestly, the only issue I have with the death curse are the surrogates. Were it not for the fact that WoTC apparently has 0 concept of optimization, it would be fine. But the death curse itself is neat, as it adds a bit more danger.

[Asmotherion]

I'm not familiar with Adventure League, since we don't get events were I live.

If I understand it correctly, the death curse means, if you loose your character, he's dead for good. So, practically, D&D as it used to be, and how I play it most of the time.

I really like the fact that they included something to make players remember their own mortality. You don't think you can do just about everything now that you can "just be raised in case you die", so you have to be a bit more realistic about your role playing; This is were you can tell bravery from cowardice in a simulated reality. Otherwise everyone is a galant hero.

The problem with it is, how much can you trust a DM you probably don't know with the life of your Character. It's diferent with your DM, the DM you know and Trust, and diferent with a DM you've probably met 2-3 times, probably think he's "meh compared to the DM at my table, but I want to be part of this, so I'll play along", and he proves to be incompetant in making a balanced encounter, or forgets to include a viral information that would have prevented your character from dieing.

So, I'm all for this Death Curse, but on a mature player table, were you won't see 18year olds crying "that's not fair" or 30 year olds replying to them "in your face", 'cause that's just boring and sad to witness for the rest of the participants.

[LtPowers]

He's already started. So, I guess I'll have to just cut him loose.

So you can keep playing those adventures and try not to die, or you can quit and release him from the Curse.

But even if you do die while the Curse is active, you can play the rest of the session with a surrogate, then "wait it out" and release your original character from the Curse and have him resurrected.


Powers &8^]

[quark12000]

So you can keep playing those adventures and try not to die, or you can quit and release him from the Curse.

But even if you do die while the Curse is active, you can play the rest of the session with a surrogate, then "wait it out" and release your original character from the Curse and have him resurrected.


Powers &8^]

I just don't like the fact that I started playing this adventure without this information. And as a cleric, one would think he would be informed about no resurrection.

[Requilac]

I just don't like the fact that I started playing this adventure without this information. And as a cleric, one would think he would be informed about no resurrection.

Your DM didn't tell you? That is rather weird. Did they tell you anything about meat grinder mode either?

[quark12000]

Your DM didn't tell you? That is rather weird. Did they tell you anything about meat grinder mode either?

Nope, I have no idea what that is. It's an online game, but a little heads up would have been nice.

[LtPowers]

Nope, I have no idea what that is. It's an online game, but a little heads up would have been nice.

Yeah, I'll agree with that. Meat Grinder mode is only available to characters currently under the Death Curse; it increases your XP and gold gain by 10%, at the expense of Death Saving Throws being harder. (Need a 15 instead of a 10 on the die.)


Powers &8^]

[Requilac]

Nope, I have no idea what that is. It's an online game, but a little heads up would have been nice.

Maybe this document could be of use to you. This details all of the special information you need to know about any special rules for AL season 7.

https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/ToAPrimerv1.pdf

[Snowbluff]

Dying? Totally fine, rarely. You know what's really busted? You can't heal HP drain. ****ing awful.

[quark12000]

Maybe this document could be of use to you. This details all of the special information you need to know about any special rules for AL season 7.

https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/ToAPrimerv1.pdf

Yeah, great. Still would have been nice to know before I started.

[romanwas]

:smallannoyed:

[saeval]

We just finished Tomb of Annihilation. I loved the death curse. I understand people potentially being upset if they are not playing that storyline and still being subjected to it though. It kinda feels like the biggest fish you could possibly be attempting to fry, and that it should be being addressed before most other published material.

Someone dying and then learning about it for the first time, is a cruddy way for you to be informed of it.

That being said, it made me enjoy my own table much more. Folks tended to not bulldoze every scenario, cause the consequences were real. It also made my insanely heroic "I'll fend them off" moments have that much more zest, as I was truly playing with fire.