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Pinjata
2019-08-12, 09:47 AM
Hey guys,

i often like to brainstorm around societal consequences of certain events. In this case - a global event (in Faerun) which causes all creatures, which were ressurected, to slowly start to lose life force. As things go, they will all be dead within 3 months.

Now, I'd assume only extremely powerful and influencial individuals got the privilige of having been the recipient of Ressurection. I'd think consequences would be similar to wealthiest people in our world starting to rapidly be on a path to death - there'd be massive market turmoil as well as massive bounties put forth for anyone, able to prevent this.

Second, scrying magic galore (would such flood of scrying spells have consequences?)

Thirdly, what is with liches, vampires and alike? I'd think these would start to die, too.

What sort of power imbalances would this cause?

What would have happened if this event took place?

mucat
2019-08-12, 10:51 AM
The answers to all your questions (including the one about whether undead are affected) really depend on why the resurrected folks are dying. The GM needs to answer that first (at least in their own mind) before working out the effects on society. And meanwhile, in-game, powerful characters and their allies will be trying to learn the answer as well.

In a world with powerful divination magic and knowledgable outsiders who will take your phone call, the world should soon understand the source and nature of this problem (or else they should soon understand that it's an utter mystery which even the gods themselves seem unable or unwilling to explain.) What happens next?

- Worldwide, an array of quite powerful and capable individuals set to work trying to fix the problem, if it is fixable. (Even if they're not greedy for longer life themselves, they will be trying to head off some of the other upheavals described below.) The swarm of high-level questors in pursuit of real or false leads will cause all sorts of fireworks and shenanigans.

Assuming that the problem is NOT fixable, or that it's uncertain whether it's fixable:

- Power vacuums everywhere. Monarchs and political players, high priests, archmages, and business tycoons all sport an above-average chance of having been resurrected at some point. If they are dead or known to be dying, someone has to take their place...and open fighting or cloak-and-dagger maneuvering for power will become ubiquitous. Heirs or seconds-in-command who have NOT been resurrected will start flexing their muscles even before their predecessors die, while also risking assassination targets from jealous rivals. Nations or institutions where resurrection is NOT common will take this opportunity to strike at their more vulnerable counterparts.

- If undead are NOT doomed to re-death, then a lot of powerful and morally unambiguous sorts are now tempted to become liches or vampires. Unless your campaign includes positive-energy equivalents of these creatures, there will be a power-shift toward evil, both because of the corrupting effect of undeath and because good-aligned individuals are more likely to accept death when their life force expires, while their evil counterparts worm their way out of this fate regardless of the cost to others. (That tendency already exists, but to have it happen to many powerful figures at once will be an upheaval.)

- Many people with ambitious long-term projects now need to complete them immediately, or pass them on to someone who can. Expect gambit pile-ups of monumental proportions as dozens of the world's top schemers all pull the triggers at once on plans that ought to have played out over decades.

- All these events destabilize economies and disrupt nations...and the ensuing panic snowballs to become a crisis of its own. "We have nothing to fear but fear itself...and that scares the hell out of me."

Pinjata
2019-08-13, 02:20 AM
Thanks for an extensive answer, @mucat. I never thought reason WHY is important. But I guess it is.

Here is an answer: There is a husk of a long-dead god lying in the South of the continent. A group of cultists managed to reignite his spark a few weeks ago. As this spark started to burn again, it had mentioned effect upon the world. A massive problem is, all other gods are barred from entering the setting. If allowed to reach full power, old god will shape a large part of the eorld in his like.

Quertus
2019-08-13, 05:52 AM
Thanks for an extensive answer, @mucat. I never thought reason WHY is important. But I guess it is.

Here is an answer: There is a husk of a long-dead god lying in the South of the continent. A group of cultists managed to reignite his spark a few weeks ago. As this spark started to burn again, it had mentioned effect upon the world. A massive problem is, all other gods are barred from entering the setting. If allowed to reach full power, old god will shape a large part of the eorld in his like.

Um, how is it that a) a dead god is sitting in the world, as opposed to on the Astral Plane where it belongs; b) said god spark is having (and able to have!) this particular effect; and c) how are the other gods barred from entry?

These questions should, among other things, help answer that very important question of whether undead are affected.

I see three possibilities: undead are affected, undead aren't affected, or undead don't appear to be affected (because they can't "sicken") but will "die" at the end nonetheless.

No matter what, none of my characters are effected, as none have been resurrected (and none that are undead are on FR). Why do I mention that? Well, because FR is full of crazy powerful PCs and NPCs.

Sure, there's a balance of power, the, what, "role of the mighty" or whatnot where Ed Greenwood says "please don't break my setting, or my crazy NPCs will come and get you"? But that just means that, when this undead god tries to wreck the setting, the setting might well try and wreck him back.

I imagine that just my PC's alone, or just a small fraction of the OP NPCs, could easily handle one half-dead god. I've lost count of just how many gods* my PC's have slain.

Although, to be completely fair, if my characters had been resurrected, they might well consider leaving the world, to save themselves. And - especially if it would weaken this half-dead god - to get the others to leave, too. Actually, it would be hilarious if that was all it would take to kill him, and this turned into a political campaign.

The biggest problem will be those who (come to) support this deity, or those who just want to take advantage of the chaos. In the MtG Phyrexian invasion, Urza is an example of the former; i forget the name of the example of the latter (something complicated that began with an M, maybe?)

Also to consider - especially if undead aren't or do not appear affected - are the clever undead / Necromancers who might oppose anyone who would stop this half-dead deity.

Heck, I even see a god of undead lying to people, saying that undead aren't affected, just to swell their ranks. Yes, secretly, they're quite desperate to see this threat slain, but openly they appear to oppose "the heroes". If they're a chess master, maybe they convince most of the Vampire Hunters to die killing this threat for them.

Anyway, that's the kind of games I can see being played: political evacuation, curb stomp the deity, or Urza's Saga.

* Admittedly, some of my best god slayers aren't in FR - let alone your particular copy of FR - at the moment

AdmiralCheez
2019-08-13, 07:47 AM
Is this the Tomb of Annihilation campaign by any chance? My group is running it at the moment, and it has pretty much the same premise - a mysterious curse is draining the life of anyone who had ever been resurrected until their souls are withered away to nothing. I'm not sure if the book has any information on the societal impacts of the majority of Faerun, as the party is whisked away to another continent entirely at the start, but it might have something in the early chapters. If you don't already have it, it might be worth reading a few chapters at a library or bookstore.

Pinjata
2019-08-13, 09:37 AM
Is this the Tomb of Annihilation campaign by any chance? My group is running it at the moment, and it has pretty much the same premise - a mysterious curse is draining the life of anyone who had ever been resurrected until their souls are withered away to nothing. I'm not sure if the book has any information on the societal impacts of the majority of Faerun, as the party is whisked away to another continent entirely at the start, but it might have something in the early chapters. If you don't already have it, it might be worth reading a few chapters at a library or bookstore.

Yes, this is where I got this idea from. As far as I know, module covers a lot of technical details, but societal affects are not covered amply.


Um, how is it that a) a dead god is sitting in the world, as opposed to on the Astral Plane where it belongs;
It is a fluke. God got killed long ago, far before Ao barred gods from entering Faerun or meddling in it too much. The presence of his husk in the world, enabled resparking.


b) how is it that said god spark is having (and able to have!) this particular effect;
Uhm, divine magic? It's a latent power, caused by mere fact of a Death god being reconstituted within a realm.


and c) how are the other gods barred from entry?
Prime diety Ao barred them from entering.



Well, because FR is full of crazy powerful PCs and NPCs.
Well, yes and no. And all of these have their hands full. Also, 5e had really nerfed powers of everyone - from adventurers to dragons to gods. Most of shennanigans are out of the picture in this scenario.


I imagine that just my PC's alone, or just a small fraction of the OP NPCs, could easily handle one half-dead god.
I'd say that is wrong assumption with new power nerf. Take stats of Tiamat, an actual god, statted by WotC. It has CR30. She can wreck several lvl 20 parties alone.


I've lost count of just how many gods* my PC's have slain.
With all due respect ... some incompetent DM had to be running those gods.

But I think, given all that has been said - that undead would be unaffected, if their soul has departed into other world.

Envyus
2019-08-13, 10:49 PM
On the undead. Liches are noted as both being affected and unaffected in Tomb of Annihilation. The Curse does not affect them personally, but it prevents them feeding souls to their phylacteries, meaning they will slowly decay and eventually turn into demiliches unless they find a solution. (Of course that is many years off for most of them.)

Quertus
2019-08-14, 05:19 AM
I'd say that is wrong assumption with new power nerf. Take stats of Tiamat, an actual god, statted by WotC. It has CR30. She can wreck several lvl 20 parties alone.


With all due respect ... some incompetent DM had to be running those gods.

I mean, it is with sadistic glee that I'll agree with you that most of my GMs have been incompetent in one way or another. However, on this particular issue, I'll have to side with my GMs: the gods being both incompetent and afraid of high-level characters matches the lore. GMs who run them otherwise are the ones whose competence should be in question.

That said, 5e is a whole new ball of wax. So, how would Tiamat fair against a level 80 party backed by a full Christmas tree of items? Or does 5e unrealistically stat its immortal liches as not still carrying the items that they had in earlier editions?

Pinjata
2019-08-14, 07:47 AM
I mean, it is with sadistic glee that I'll agree with you that most of my GMs have been incompetent in one way or another. However, on this particular issue, I'll have to side with my GMs: the gods being both incompetent and afraid of high-level characters matches the lore. GMs who run them otherwise are the ones whose competence should be in question.

That said, 5e is a whole new ball of wax. So, how would Tiamat fair against a level 80 party backed by a full Christmas tree of items? Or does 5e unrealistically stat its immortal liches as not still carrying the items that they had in earlier editions?

Yeah, I've seen from my 10-year long experience with D&D, what competence means. I've had quite a few cases of Tucker's Kobolds, when monsters were run by a competent DM. Might be a few goblins with an ingenious use of traps, rocks and clay pots of bees or God of War itself.

Tiamat would most probably be destroyed by such a party (or even a single such PC) and would have to reform in Hell again. But ... there was Second Sundering (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Second_Sundering) and Spellplague (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Spellplague). Most of Magic Item Christmas trees got blasted with Destroy Magic Epic spell - magical items are rare now, Very Powerful Magic items Exceptionally rare. And level cap is 20. 20 is powerful, very powerful, but I think Tiamat in this case, might destroy most of lvl 20 parties - with some effort on her side.

Liches are a good example. Magical powers of those items just went *poof* one sad day. So no more mr. Special Lich. Just Lich as rather scary high level opponent.

Quertus
2019-08-14, 11:22 AM
But ... there was Second Sundering (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Second_Sundering) and Spellplague (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Spellplague). Most of Magic Item Christmas trees got blasted with Destroy Magic Epic spell - magical items are rare now, Very Powerful Magic items Exceptionally rare. And level cap is 20.

OK, I can follow the "items (that were here at the time) were destroyed, so items are rare" logic. Of course, that doesn't prevent outside Christmas trees. But Level cap is 20? How does that work? Did all the liches get level drained?

xroads
2019-08-14, 11:47 AM
Thirdly, what is with liches, vampires and alike? I'd think these would start to die, too.



Like has been mentioned, it depends on what is causing the drain.

In the case of ToA, undead weren't effected. I can't remember the exact reason, but I suspect it has something to with...

...the lich Acererak having set the whole curse in motion. In the module, he's nourishing an undead, god-like, abomination. He probably made an exception for undead in the soul drain.

Cultist draining souls to resurrect the corpse of a dead god could very easily require the same exception.

Edit:

Also, I just remembered that the undead don't have souls to begin with. Or is that just a OotS thing? I can't remember if that's D&D's lore or not.

Envyus
2019-08-14, 06:39 PM
OK, I can follow the "items (that were here at the time) were destroyed, so items are rare" logic. Of course, that doesn't prevent outside Christmas trees. But Level cap is 20? How does that work? Did all the liches get level drained?

The default Lich is CR 21 and an 18th level caster.

Also a character in 5e can only attune to 3 magic items. (So it's hard to have a christmas tree.) Stats for PC's Cap at 20 unless specific magic allows it to be bypassed, and all stats cap at 30.

Telok
2019-08-15, 12:19 AM
It really depends on a couple things, mostly D&D edition and how much NPC hand waving plot magic you want to use.

If it's 1e through 3.x then you probably have some of the more powerful people throwing divinations around. Depending on PC power levels your party may be up there doing the same. Then it depends on the state of the magic mutually assured destruction as to if those powerful people deal with the issue themselves, or if they nab some random adventurers to do the dirty work. Either way look for the issue to be solved within a few weeks, perhaps two months, before the sufficently wealthy or powerful who actually died get resurrected or otherwise returned to activity again.

4e I can't speak to. We played for a year-ish and dropped it from boredom. I don't recall feeling like our PCs had a lot of agency or options beyond travelling places and doing hit point damage to things.

5e will depend on how special your NPCs are. The PCs are not quite as restricted as in 4e but there is a strong theme of keeping the PCs limited in scope and ability, so if the NPCs play by PC rules (spells available, few or weak magic items, need to make ability checks, etc.) then it could take months to figure out what's wrong and where to go. During that time a modest number of people will die whose deaths will cause local power struggles. A kingdom or three could end up with succession wars, a church or other non-nation power group could collapse. But they'll all be pretty localized as long as the event ends within a year or so. Mostly because PC style actors just won't have the power to affect life and politics on a wide enough scale to go beyond a single kingdom.

If your NPCs don't have PC limits then it's totally up to how much plot power, plot magic, plot items, etc., that you want to give them. Most likely the PCs end up riding the railroad at the speed of the plot train and arrive at the scripted time. Therefore the fallout is whatever you want because that's how important and powerful the NPCs are.

Possibly the most interesting outcome is that nobody makes the dc 30 check to figure out what's happening and the cult doesn't make the similar check to figure out how to complete the ritual, process, whatever is happening. So over a bunch of years more and more of the "powerful" people die off and an ever decreasing number of people survive the odds to get to high level. Weirdly, over the span of decades, once a few civil wars finish and a couple national borders move around a little, almost nothing has changed. The "high power" folk top out around 13th or 14th now, and there are fewer of them, but overall FR looks pretty much the same. The biggest change is that the areas ruled by powerful monsters like dragons are a little safer (for the dragons, less for anyone else) and anything run by liches falls apart. Of course this weird stasis is due more to the way the FR setting is written than to any real effects of the super-NPCs being alive or dead.

Quertus
2019-08-15, 05:20 AM
The default Lich is CR 21 and an 18th level caster.

Also a character in 5e can only attune to 3 magic items. (So it's hard to have a christmas tree.) Stats for PC's Cap at 20 unless specific magic allows it to be bypassed, and all stats cap at 30.

Only 3 items? That would make things very interesting for characters with more. (Sounds like a fun thought experiment for me to work on on my own time, tbh) So, unattuned items are just… inert? Does that mean that a character could carry around a whole bunch of sentient evil artifacts without worrying about them, so long as they keep 3 "good" items attuned?

Does an item that boosts a stat by default have the ability to bypass the "20” cap, or is "limit breaker" a distinct unique special quality?

I don't really care about the default Lich - I'm asking about the rich host of existing NPCs that proliferate the FR. If there was some level 30 Lich (is that high? Low? I have no idea what FR NPC stats look like), how does 5e FR explain how much weaker he got (magic, hit dice, etc)?

What about non-human beings with class levels? Are gods, dragons, giants, etc, able to have racial HD & abilities, plus 20 levels? Are they limited to stats of 20?

NNescio
2019-08-15, 09:48 AM
Only 3 items? That would make things very interesting for characters with more. (Sounds like a fun thought experiment for me to work on on my own time, tbh) So, unattuned items are just… inert? Does that mean that a character could carry around a whole bunch of sentient evil artifacts without worrying about them, so long as they keep 3 "good" items attuned?

Not all magic items require attunement. The more powerful ones generally do, however, especially if it's something that that increases stats or confer some combat-useful 'passive' (like the 5e equivalent of miss chance).

Not being attuned to an magic item just means you can't benefit from its magical properties (by default, some exceptions do exist, including certain cursed items). Nothing in RAW says it's completely inert, so cursed ego items might still be a problem. Note that cursed items aren't really fleshed out in 5e though (the default ones are kinda anemic and IIRC don't auto-attune), so this is pretty much DM homebrew land.

(Also as a side note, the Artificer, [currently a class in 'beta-testing', so not fully official yet] has a capstone granting it the ability to attune up to six items instead of the normal three.)




Does an item that boosts a stat by default have the ability to bypass the "20” cap, or is "limit breaker" a distinct unique special quality?

The actual cap is 30 (RAW defines a range of possible ability scores, and 30 is the highest). Most methods of increasing stats, however, contain language saying they only work up to a maximum of 20. That's where the soft cap comes from (also adventurers are noted to have "scores as high as 20"). So, it mostly applies to PCs, since NPCs/monsters have predefined stats and don't usually 'grow'.

Generally, you can't increase stats above 20 using racial traits or class features (including ability score increases), but some contain a specific exemption, like the Barbarian's capstone which increases STR and CON by 4, to a maximum of 24.

(There are epic boons that a character can earn past ECL 20 though. These serve as 5e's [albeit somewhat anemic] equivalent of epic levels in earlier editions. Ability score increases can be chosen as an epic boon; in this case the maximum limit for stats is 30.)

Most magic items set an ability score to some defined minimum (can be above 20). Those that do provide a numerical increase will usually have specific language stating the new maximum. (e.g. Ioun Stone — +2, max 20, Hammer of Thunderbolts — +4, max 30). The manuals and tomes are notable exceptions though; these increase both the current and maximum ability score by +2 (and they don't require attunement either; these act as pseudo-consumables). They can also stack (if a creature rediscovers the tome/manual), but as noted the effective maximum is still 30, even if the tome/manual lack a clearly-defined static maximum.



I don't really care about the default Lich - I'm asking about the rich host of existing NPCs that proliferate the FR. If there was some level 30 Lich (is that high? Low? I have no idea what FR NPC stats look like), how does 5e FR explain how much weaker he got (magic, hit dice, etc)?

What about non-human beings with class levels? Are gods, dragons, giants, etc, able to have racial HD & abilities, plus 20 levels? Are they limited to stats of 20?

Monsters don't follow the 20 stat 'cap'. They still follow the hard cap of 30 though; even Tiamat's stats cap at 30. (By RAW one can argue that stats above 30 — even if possible — don't give additional bonuses anyway.)

NPCs generally don't have class levels (even if they do, class-derived ASIs usually can't raise a stat above 20, and the hard cap is still 30 no matter what). They have a stat block, which might have certain abilities similar to that of a PC's class (5th level wizard spellcasting, for example). DMs can custom-make NPCs with PC class levels, but this might cause some balance problems because 5e assumes PCs and NPCs are built differently (and follow different rules). This is very unlike 3.X.

Quertus
2019-08-15, 10:14 AM
NPCs generally don't have class levels (even if they do, class-derived ASIs usually can't raise a stat above 20, and the hard cap is still 30 no matter what). They have a stat block, which might have certain abilities similar to that of a PC's class (5th level wizard spellcasting, for example). DMs can custom-make NPCs with PC class levels, but this might cause some balance problems because 5e assumes PCs and NPCs are built differently (and follow different rules). This is very unlike 3.X.

So, all the NPC liches, gods, Dragon Wizards, and whatnot floating around in FR… they now just have arbitrary stat blocks instead of class levels? This makes it really hard to guess what effect "the mighty" would have on events.

Of course, this is 5e, and the god predates 5e. So, the answer is, it dies to an army of orcs / swarm of mosquitos / whatever that its pre bounded accuracy experience tells it are not a threat. Problem solved.

NNescio
2019-08-15, 11:34 AM
So, all the NPC liches, gods, Dragon Wizards, and whatnot floating around in FR… they now just have arbitrary stat blocks instead of class levels? This makes it really hard to guess what effect "the mighty" would have on events.

Yep.

Well, sorta, since most of them don't even have statblocks published yet. (Since... well, having a statblock means the PCs are expected to be able to fight it [i.e. it has stats, you can kill it]. Moreso in 5e since statblocks there are supposed to only [mostly] describe in-combat capabilities, with out-of-combat stuff being vaguely defined in the semi-fluff text. Beholders, for example, can't even choose to Disintegrate a wall while in combat — they have to roll for a random ray. But 'out-of-combat'-ish they are noted to be able to dig lairs with the Disintegrate ray. I guess this is supposed to be an abstraction of the chaotic conditions of combat.)

It's supposed to make it easier for DMs to run NPCs and monsters (instead of needing to consult lists and tables elsewhere), but yeah, simulationism and verisimilitude took a hit.



Of course, this is 5e, and the god predates 5e. So, the answer is, it dies to an army of orcs / swarm of mosquitos / whatever that its pre bounded accuracy experience tells it are not a threat. Problem solved.

Not if it has "Damage Immunity: Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks". And most of the 'epic' (>20) CR ones do.

Friv
2019-08-15, 06:10 PM
So, all the NPC liches, gods, Dragon Wizards, and whatnot floating around in FR… they now just have arbitrary stat blocks instead of class levels? This makes it really hard to guess what effect "the mighty" would have on events.

Of course, this is 5e, and the god predates 5e. So, the answer is, it dies to an army of orcs / swarm of mosquitos / whatever that its pre bounded accuracy experience tells it are not a threat. Problem solved.

I do love the idea of a god wandering in with a Basic D&D character sheet and having to interact with the universe using 5e rules. "Haha," the god cries, "I have an AC of -5 and 100 HP, and the ambient universe heals me 10 HP per 1-minute round. Nothing can stop me wait wait what are you doing" and the humans laugh and say, "This guy's got a negative AC! Come on, everyone, punch him to death!"

Envyus
2019-08-15, 10:58 PM
Well, sorta, since most of them don't even have statblocks published yet. (Since... well, having a statblock means the PCs are expected to be able to fight it [i.e. it has stats, you can kill it]. Moreso in 5e since statblocks there are supposed to only [mostly] describe in-combat capabilities, with out-of-combat stuff being vaguely defined in the semi-fluff text. Beholders, for example, can't even choose to Disintegrate a wall while in combat — they have to roll for a random ray. But 'out-of-combat'-ish they are noted to be able to dig lairs with the Disintegrate ray. I guess this is supposed to be an abstraction of the chaotic conditions of combat.)

This is explicitly the case.


As described in the Monster Manual, a beholder’s use of its eye rays in combat is random, governed by die rolls instead of by choice. This rule is an abstraction, designed to keep the beholder’s opponents unsure of what rays will be coming next (and, not incidentally, to prevent the monster from using its most lethal eye rays at every opportunity). The rule also makes the creature easier to run.

In the safety of its lair, outside the view of any would-be enemies, a beholder can use any of its eye rays whenever it wants to. Many of them serve as tools.



It's supposed to make it easier for DMs to run NPCs and monsters (instead of needing to consult lists and tables elsewhere), but yeah, simulationism and verisimilitude took a hit.



I wouldn't say that. It probably works better now then in a lot of older cases.

erikun
2019-08-16, 11:03 AM
Here is an answer: There is a husk of a long-dead god lying in the South of the continent. A group of cultists managed to reignite his spark a few weeks ago. As this spark started to burn again, it had mentioned effect upon the world. A massive problem is, all other gods are barred from entering the setting. If allowed to reach full power, old god will shape a large part of the eorld in his like.
What is to stop some characters (specifically, a large number of very high level characters) from dumping the most cataclysmic things they can upon the cult and the reviving god? I mean, if every single Lich in the world is going to vanish within three months, and every one has 20th level spellcasting abilities + hundreds or thousands of years to hoard magic relics + Evil alignment and no regards to the lives of others, what's preventing them all from dumping basically everything they have and recreating Karsus's Folly (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Karsus%27s_Folly) on the approximate area? Lawful Evil undead are not exactly known for caring what they leave behind to future generations, and if they're basically guaranteed that their unlife will be wiped out if this is to continue, then I doubt that characters like one of the rulers of Thay (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Szass_Tam) is just going to kick back and stay within his borders.

LibraryOgre
2019-08-16, 02:47 PM
So, I'd start with "How long does it take to figure out who is dying?" Like, if they have 3 months to live, how long does it take to figure out the common thread between them, especially as many won't communicate with each other?

Once they DO figure out WHO is dying, what are they going to do about it? Some are gonna find ways to avoid it. Some are going to try to fight it. Some might decide to do nothing.

Once those questions are answered, you start looking at personalities. What is King Bob gonna do? Queen Anna? Chuck, who got raised because his brother was an adventurer, but that brother is now off fighting demons on the Outer Planes?

(Interesting note: According to Cormyr: A Novel, being raised from the dead disqualifies someone from being King of Cormyr)

xroads
2019-08-16, 04:04 PM
(Interesting note: According to Cormyr: A Novel, being raised from the dead disqualifies someone from being King of Cormyr)

That's also a rule for dead royals in the Girl Genius web-comic series. The idea being that virtual immortality isn't exactly fair to the descendants. :amused:

"But dad, you've been dead twice already! When do I get to be king?"

Quertus
2019-08-17, 06:29 AM
So, I'd start with "How long does it take to figure out who is dying?" Like, if they have 3 months to live, how long does it take to figure out the common thread between them, especially as many won't communicate with each other?

And, is there anything to keep the answer from being, "they knew 6 months ago, when using Divinations to determine upcoming threats"?

Telok
2019-08-17, 03:04 PM
And, is there anything to keep the answer from being, "they knew 6 months ago, when using Divinations to determine upcoming threats"?

The lack of definition in post 3e NPCs. Literally the npcs ability to discover information is totally undefined, and thus becomes 100% DM fiat. You simply can't arrive at an answer through referencing printed material, you are forced to guess.

Envyus
2019-08-17, 10:45 PM
That's also a rule for dead royals in the Girl Genius web-comic series. The idea being that virtual immortality isn't exactly fair to the descendants. :amused:

"But dad, you've been dead twice already! When do I get to be king?"

I know in Cormyr it's illegal to resurrect the king because of possible succession issues.

Pinjata
2019-08-23, 08:11 AM
What is to stop some characters (specifically, a large number of very high level characters) from dumping the most cataclysmic things they can upon the cult and the reviving god? I mean, if every single Lich in the world is going to vanish within three months, and every one has 20th level spellcasting abilities + hundreds or thousands of years to hoard magic relics + Evil alignment and no regards to the lives of others, what's preventing them all from dumping basically everything they have and recreating Karsus's Folly (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Karsus%27s_Folly) on the approximate area? Lawful Evil undead are not exactly known for caring what they leave behind to future generations, and if they're basically guaranteed that their unlife will be wiped out if this is to continue, then I doubt that characters like one of the rulers of Thay (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Szass_Tam) is just going to kick back and stay within his borders.
OMG this. IMO, sooo this. The arcane Hurricane Katrina, that would start to cluster over the place, where this is happening, could mean a far greater threat, then the event itself. Awesome idea and analysis.