New PC or resurrection?

[Trandir]

It will be my choice ultimately but I would like some guidance.

Well due to poor luck and sloppy work of our healer my lv 9 magus died.

Now I got 2 options:
- get resurrected and continue the journey with him or
- join the group with a brand new one

I have always loved building characters so I'd love to try something new, but I am also a bit attached and used to the deceased PC. I do fear a bit about what my gear will be if I get resurrected since I unironically died due to a falling rock so everything I was carrying got turned into dust. Worth noting that I would have lower WBL than a regular lv 9 PC either way with a "rich" 28000 gp budget.

Sidenotes: this is a PF 1e game and the DM gives not a lot of loot. Most of it is either rolled or gear of hostile NPCs.

So any advice in the matter?

[fof3]

Worth having a word with the party and DM re continuing with a character with no equipment. Also worth thinking about they type of game you are playing. I changed characters a number of times in our last campaign, which did lead to me dropping out as the rest of the PCs were a tight group ... and then there was my PC. This will vary based on style of play and your group and DM though.

[Particle_Man]

Split the difference and go for reincarnation. You get the old personality/history with the party, and yet get the "new car smell" as you adjust to new racial stats and abilities! Who knows, the new race might even have abilities to compensate for your lack of WBL!

[aglondier]

You may need to have a quiet word on the side with your gm. I completely understand that he is running the game, but you are playing it, it's your game too. If your enjoyment of the game is at risk (or completely lacking) then something must be done.

I would suggest a "reincarnation ritual" that lets you do a bit of a retool on the character sheet, but still come back with most of your memory and personality intact...and since you are returning from "offstage" you have a kit at least comparable to the rest of the party...

[Remuko]

It will be my choice ultimately but I would like some guidance.

Well due to poor luck and sloppy work of our healer my lv 9 magus died.

Now I got 2 options:
- get resurrected and continue the journey with him or
- join the group with a brand new one

I have always loved building characters so I'd love to try something new, but I am also a bit attached and used to the deceased PC. I do fear a bit about what my gear will be if I get resurrected since I unironically died due to a falling rock so everything I was carrying got turned into dust. Worth noting that I would have lower WBL than a regular lv 9 PC either way with a "rich" 28000 gp budget.

Sidenotes: this is a PF 1e game and the DM gives not a lot of loot. Most of it is either rolled or gear of hostile NPCs.

So any advice in the matter?

Why would a falling rock turn your gear to dust? that doesnt make sense...

also not giving a lot of loot and what is given out is random? eesh, thats a red flag for me.

[Particle_Man]

Maybe pull a Gandalf and come back with less gear but also the half-celestial template (maybe even with wings!).

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

If the choice is bringing your old character back with zero gear and making a new one that does have some gear, definitely make a new one. I can understand the DM making the dead character's gear disappear if he's definitely not coming back to prevent it from inflating the party wealth, but making his gear go poof before you even decide whether he should be resurrected basically makes the decision for you.

For your new character, with that gear situation, I'd go make a Sorcerer with the False Priest (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer/archetypes/paizo-sorcerer-archetypes/razmiran-priest) archetype, Human for the favored class benefit. I'm a big fan of Bouncing Spell, especially with the Magical Lineage trait for a powerful signature spell like Blindness/Deafness or Hold Monster or Feeblemind. Max out UMD and start with a pile of divine wands with only a single charge remaining, which makes them 1/50th the price.

You would pay 15 gp x spell level x caster level for each wand. A Wand of Magic Vestment or Greater Magic Weapon at caster level 20th would be 900 gp. Flame Strike at caster level 15th would be 900 gp, but the DC would be low. I'd get Sleet Storm on a wand since there's no saving throw, and best of all it looks like PF Dispel Magic doesn't have the caster level cap of 3.5's so get one of those at caster level 20 for 900 gp as well. Pick up a cure spell, condition fixing spells, party buffs, etc. but otherwise get spells that don't allow saving throws and/or get a significant benefit from a high caster level.

[Trandir]

You may need to have a quiet word on the side with your gm. I completely understand that he is running the game, but you are playing it, it's your game too. If your enjoyment of the game is at risk (or completely lacking) then something must be done.


Wat. Did I missed something? My PC just died as they sometimes do. But the party is going to annoy the royal cleric as we often to to solve that. I do however have the option of just making a new character. And after some asking resurrecting with a complete rework of ability scores, race, class and feats is also an option.


Why would a falling rock turn your gear to dust? that doesnt make sense...

also not giving a lot of loot and what is given out is random? eesh, thats a red flag for me.

I may have exaggerated there to make the concept easy to understand. The gear still exists but is under a lot of rubbles and the party had to flea from the location. So while still there it is practically impossible to retrieve.



And little update after checking the inventory I left some stuff back at our base (+1 mithral armor, 2 lv 1 pearls of power, buffering cap, +1 longsword, cloak of resistance +1 and the mundane stuff). I did lose the belt of dexterity +2, ring of protection +1 and the blackblade. So I didn't lose too much.

[Zerryzerry]

Wait, at lvl 9 you had 3 low rank magic items?
Damn, my lvl 3 chars usually have more (in terms of quantity).

[Trandir]

Wait, at lvl 9 you had 3 low rank magic items?
Damn, my lvl 3 chars usually have more (in terms of quantity).

Due to constant poor decision, DM giving loot in the form of monster corpses that have the bad habit of rotting, rolling loot via the damn random tables, and just sheer misfortune we are poor. Like really poor.

I belive our rogue has: hadband of vast intellect +2, bag of holding, +1 dagger, amulet of natural armor+1 and ring of protection +1. lv 9 also. I am just waiting for the moment our DM realises we will die cause we got garbage gear.

[King of Nowhere]

it's a bit hard to give advice about this personal choice without knowing your personality and your level of involvement with this character.
Ultimately, when my character died, I simply asked myself this: did I play enough with this guy? or do I want to play him more?
And for me it was the second option.
perhaps just ask yourself this same question.


Wait, at lvl 9 you had 3 low rank magic items?
Damn, my lvl 3 chars usually have more (in terms of quantity).

I also tend to give and expect much more loot, but that's mostly a matter of style. It is perfectly possible to play a low-loot campaign, provided everything is rebalanced around it. I wouldn't consider it a DM failing, unless he was also expecting the characters to have access to stuff they could not access without loot

[MR_Anderson]

I don’t really see why the decision is up to you. I mean, your part of the decision is to accept/refuse the resurrection or reincarnation, if you can even make the choice.

The real decision is up to the party members, on what they want to do to have you returned, unless the DM/GM decides he is going to provide another means of returning your character.

Bringing a character back is usually not the players choice, so if you play a horrible character that the DM/GM and players don’t like, or you are evil, unless there’s a benefit your character is not likely to come back.

I’ve seen characters forcibly brought back against their will multiple times, turned into science/magic experiments, or made into slaves/undead.

As a DM, I would first ask the party what they planned on doing.

[Trandir]

I don’t really see why the decision is up to you.

I was asked what I wanted to do and those seemed the best options. But I am a bit unsure about what to do.

[Firebug]

I did lose the belt of dexterity +2, ring of protection +1 and the blackblade. So I didn't lose too much.Well, if the Blackblade was destroyed, you can recreate it at 200gp x 9 = 1800gp. Or if it wasn't destroyed, and you can get within a mile of it, you can summon it back since you are level 9. Most likely, its unbroken because it probably has 1 Arcana Pool so it's unbreakable.

That said, if you were getting a little bored of the character, maybe doing a bit of a twist? Say Phantom Blade (https://aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Spiritualist%20Pha ntom%20Blade) Spiritualist?

[Trandir]

Well, if the Blackblade was destroyed, you can recreate it at 200gp x 9 = 1800gp. Or if it wasn't destroyed, and you can get within a mile of it, you can summon it back since you are level 9. Most likely, its unbroken because it probably has 1 Arcana Pool so it's unbreakable.

That said, if you were getting a little bored of the character, maybe doing a bit of a twist? Say Phantom Blade (https://aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Spiritualist%20Pha ntom%20Blade) Spiritualist?

Fun fact: as the name suggests unbreakable makes the black blade impossible to break but it does absolutely nothing to prevent damage and avoid the destruction of the blade.

Anyway no my PC died in a dungeon in the capital of the evil king BBEG. We won't get within 1 mile of the sword

[Crake]

Wat. Did I missed something? My PC just died as they sometimes do. But the party is going to annoy the royal cleric as we often to to solve that. I do however have the option of just making a new character. And after some asking resurrecting with a complete rework of ability scores, race, class and feats is also an option.

If your body is unrecoverable, how are they getting the body for raise dead, or a body part for resurrection/reincarnate? Note that the body part for resurrection has to have been a part of you at the time of death, so you can't have preemptively given a hair or something to party members to resurrect you with.

[Trandir]

If your body is unrecoverable, how are they getting the body for raise dead, or a body part for resurrection/reincarnate? Note that the body part for resurrection has to have been a part of you at the time of death, so you can't have preemptively given a hair or something to party members to resurrect you with.

They won't. That is why we need to annoy the royal mage and not a random cleric in some town. True resurrection

[MR_Anderson]

I was asked what I wanted to do and those seemed the best options. But I am a bit unsure about what to do.

Well, if you are being asked, I would have a discussion with the other players openly, and see if they intended to play it out that way. Getting group buy in make playing together feel like a team thing, unlike what some D&D groups can be of a group of people that might stab each other in the back.


They won't. That is why we need to annoy the royal mage and not a random cleric in some town. True resurrection

This would place it in the hands of the other players, as there is a cost or debt to be paid for your return.

If you are being asked, don’t bite the hook, wait and see what what the party and DM want to do. Otherwise it is like someone walking into a car dealership and saying I really want that car, how much is it?

I have a good group that I play with, the most they’ll charge is 10% on cost for services. rendered.

[Crake]

They won't. That is why we need to annoy the royal mage and not a random cleric in some town. True resurrection

If you're paying for a true resurrection, why not instead purchase a wish to wish back your body/items, and then pay for a regular raise dead?

[aglondier]

If you're paying for a true resurrection, why not instead purchase a wish to wish back your body/items, and then pay for a regular raise dead?

Lesser wish would be sufficient, I would think.

[Crake]

Lesser wish would be sufficient, I would think.

Transporting creatures is a specified safe use of wish, it is not for limited wish, so you'd be doing an unsafe limited wish (if such a thing is even possible).

[aglondier]

Transporting creatures is a specified safe use of wish, it is not for limited wish, so you'd be doing an unsafe limited wish (if such a thing is even possible).

It's not a creature, it's an inanimate lump of meat and bones. Plus the gear.

[MR_Anderson]

It's not a creature, it's an inanimate lump of meat and bones. Plus the gear.

Exactly, no further harm can be done with a limited wish if worded properly.

[Crake]

It's not a creature, it's an inanimate lump of meat and bones. Plus the gear.

That'd debatable, considering raise dead targets "Dead creature touched".


Exactly, no further harm can be done with a limited wish if worded properly.

That depends on how creative the DM is, and how you word your wish.

[TheFamilarRaven]

I'm kind of surprised that the DM in question doesn't seem to give you a lot of gear, as you claim, but you still have enough gold to buy the diamond for true resurrection? Unless the royal cleric is chucking that in for free as well?

Even though using miracle->limited wish (to retrieve body, if allowed)->resurrection->restoration (and Make Whole to restore your destroyed gear) is cheaper, that's still over 10,000 gold worth of diamonds and/or diamond dust that this NPC seems to just have on hand ready to use to undue your demise. I guess having a high level caster on call balances out the lack of gear.

Though I wonder why this high level caster isn't busy doing something of grand importance to the kingdom. It seems like if they have the time to sit around court and perform cleric services they should probably be out with the adventuring party ensuring threats to the kingdom are taken care of.

I mean, assuming all of the above services are free then I'd say go for resurrection. You have a character that's (presumably) partly invested in the current story. Better that this character come back, rather than shoehorn in a new adventurer.

[Trandir]

I'm kind of surprised that the DM in question doesn't seem to give you a lot of gear, as you claim, but you still have enough gold to buy the diamond for true resurrection? Unless the royal cleric is chucking that in for free as well?

Even though using miracle->limited wish (to retrieve body, if allowed)->resurrection->restoration (and Make Whole to restore your destroyed gear) is cheaper, that's still over 10,000 gold worth of diamonds and/or diamond dust that this NPC seems to just have on hand ready to use to undue your demise. I guess having a high level caster on call balances out the lack of gear.

Though I wonder why this high level caster isn't busy doing something of grand importance to the kingdom. It seems like if they have the time to sit around court and perform cleric services they should probably be out with the adventuring party ensuring threats to the kingdom are taken care of.

I mean, assuming all of the above services are free then I'd say go for resurrection. You have a character that's (presumably) partly invested in the current story. Better that this character come back, rather than shoehorn in a new adventurer.

The DM gives really poor rewards and we kind of "waste" what we get (like that time we gave about 40k gp to the war effort by putting together our "gear savings"). Still the king sent us around doing stuff and he kind of funds whatever the royal mage has to do. I died on the quest to save his daughter and he is a nice person so ye NPC free labour.

I still don't get exactly what the purpose of limited wish is in this plan. Can you explain its purpose?

Honestly? No idea. My best guess is that everyone in this kingdom is either dumb or incompetent so they use the PCs as kind of guides. We are 6 PCs that just got to lv 9 and the royal mage is a lv 20 cleric iirc. But he doesn't do the shenanigans you would expect from a high level PC.

The service is most likely free, or paid in services to the crown.

[Crake]

I still don't get exactly what the purpose of limited wish is in this plan. Can you explain its purpose?

They are claiming limited wish could recover your body/gear. I however, posit that you must use the transport creatures clause of the ACTUAL wish spell, not just limited wish, as it is a clearly defined, safe wish that your DM should have no issue with. Recovering a dead body isn't within the safe functions of limited wish, so your DM might not be so happy to use it.

[Trandir]

They are claiming limited wish could recover your body/gear. I however, posit that you must use the transport creatures clause of the ACTUAL wish spell, not just limited wish, as it is a clearly defined, safe wish that your DM should have no issue with. Recovering a dead body isn't within the safe functions of limited wish, so your DM might not be so happy to use it.

but limited wish has only a limited ammount of uses which do not include teleporting stuff. So you would have to copy a spell, but miracle already does that.

[Crake]

but limited wish has only a limited ammount of uses which do not include teleporting stuff. So you would have to copy a spell, but miracle already does that.

Correct, but there's no spell that I'm aware of that would allow you to recover a body in such a way, bar wish itself, which specifies it can transport characters from anywhere to anywhere else.