Roleplaying reanimation

[Halaster]

Me and my fellow players have frequently wondered about this:
In a typical D&D game, characters can die, at any time, a few bad die rolls and you bite it big time. Well, no problem, let's get you to the nearest temple and shell out the gp for a reanimation.

So, how do you react to that, roleplaying-wise?
I mean, death is a pretty drastic experience. Just think of all the people brought back by modern medicine, who felt their lives were never quite the same afterwards, and they weren't even "dead" dead. And while I don't quite know what to make of the "tunnel of light" experience so often described in that context, I do know that D&D characters go to some kind of afterlife that's supposedly pleasant. And since the subject can refuse revival, why would they come back? How do you explain that?

Or is death and revival just another aspect of adventuring life to you?

[Kerrin]

I'd imagine different gaming groups would roleplay it in a wide variety of ways. Some characters might just treat it as a common thing in an adventuring life whereas other characters may have a lot more roleplay around such an occurance.

And, the world in which the characters reside would play a big part in determining how it'd play out.

[Amphetryon]

Some characters might just treat it as a common thing in an adventuring life whereas other characters may have a lot more roleplay around such an occurance.

Having Raise Dead as a 'common thing in an adventuring life' need not exclude it from being roleplayed extensively.

[Caphi]

It would depend on how often it happens, what dying actually feels like for your particular character in that particular setting, and how hardened the character is supposed to be. A grizzled solder who had "yep, died a few times... kinda chilly out there, so try not to do it too much, hear?" obviously has a certain kind of fortitude.

[comicshorse]

What were the characters experience in the after-life ? This will determine their reaction to dying.
For characters I've played the Cleric of Sune's after-life was pretty damn fantastic and only her feeling of duty to her goddess drew her back. Having seen the eternal reward that awaited her her faith was strengthened and she generally was a lot more happy ( and this was a character others had described as 'sickeningly cheerful ' to begin with).
On the other hand if you're after-life is a hell or a place in the wall of souls then I can see a certain depression, not to mention paranoia about not dying setting in. Perhaps this manifests as a sudden desire to find a good god to worship or an obsession with never dying ( lichehood beckons) to avoid that fate
A Warhammer character of mine main gaol in life was to avoid ever dying as he had sold his soul and knew exactly what sort of fate awaited him on the other side

[Gensh]

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, the default description of revival is that the character just wakes up. They feel weakened by the experience (represented by the loss of XP), but otherwise, they were just powernapping from their own perspective. At best, they can kind of remember that something happened after they went down, but beyond that, nothing (unless you're playing Ghostwalk).

With my old group, I was usually the DM and I always tried my best to keep the players alive just so I didn't have to worry about this sort of discussion, but the one time anyone died (it was a TPK, minus the monk), they just rez'd and went on their merry way. On the other hand when I was a player, I was the cleric, and since the group basically followed the classic tropes, I had so much plot armor that I actually evangelized my way out of two boss fights.

But shame on you, I thought this thread would be about zombies.

[Tengu_temp]

Are there any RPGs other than DND where resurrection can be done so easily, anyway? The only system I played where it exists at all is Earthdawn, and even there it can only be done in the form of expensive amulets/potions that can return only very recently deceased to life (we're talking minutes here), and a very powerful spell that has a chance not to work, costs the caster some of his lifeforce, and is epic level equivalent.

[Harris the Ford]

When my paladin of tyranny died and was brought back it went something like this (also this was before we knew about bein able to refuse revival)

* standing in a ready to strike pose *
"- and die! Hey wait, where am I?"
Kal (our rogue, my characters IC best friend) " Tyrius your back! I brought you back!"

" WHAT?! Dammit Kal I almost had him! 2 more minutes and I would've owned my very own section of the bronze citadel. The Wardens throat was in my hands, his guards lay dead at my feet, I...I...I would have been a prince! Bel himself commented on my ambition. And you brought me back back to do what, slay kobolds?!"

It was all fun and he eventually calmed down and vowed return to baator and earn his rightful spot atop the tower of skulls.

[Kylarra]

Are there any RPGs other than DND where resurrection can be done so easily, anyway? The only system I played where it exists at all is Earthdawn, and even there it can only be done in the form of expensive amulets/potions that can return only very recently deceased to life (we're talking minutes here), and a very powerful spell that has a chance not to work, costs the caster some of his lifeforce, and is epic level equivalent.

Paranoia


*brick*

I usually disallow ress type effects in my games, generally speaking.

[Kerrin]

Are there any RPGs other than DND where resurrection can be done so easily, anyway?

Car Wars had Gold Cross - basically if your character paid for it, when they died their clone could be woken up and pick up at the point in time when the last "update" to the clone had been made.

[Amphetryon]

Car Wars had Gold Cross - basically if your character paid for it, when they died their clone could be woken up and pick up at the point in time when the last "update" to the clone had been made.

While I suppose it is technically possible, I never new anyone to 'roleplay' Car Wars characters as much more than 'Driver 1/Gunner 0'.

[arrowhen]

When I was a kid our Car Wars sessions were full of roleplay, mostly of the "trash-talking over CB radio" variety.

[Kerrin]

Well, no problem, let's get you to the nearest temple and shell out the gp for a reanimation.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure many characters would want to be reanimanted. Reanimation isn't nearly the same thing as resurrection, is it?

While I suppose it is technically possible, I never new anyone to 'roleplay' Car Wars characters as much more than 'Driver 1/Gunner 0'.

We used to have some pretty colorful personalities for our drivers!

[Ajadea]

Reanimation?

Me: *blinkblink* (Is in a coffin, 6 feet under. Is now a vampire and aware of this) Guys! Guys! Down here! Wait a moment *Knowledge (religion)* *gaseous form* ^&%$, I'm stuck! %^#%$@#&^%$%# *pops out from the ground, materializes* Hi!

Resurrection? I just smash it. High-level people can bring back those who's heart has stopped. They have 10 minutes to start casting. Epic magic can do it. IF you summon the soul first, like with Planar Binding or something. And IF there is a good bit left of the body (about 1/20th of the body weight). And assuming they didn't die of old age or disintegrate or whatnot.

Oh yeah, and that one spell that lets you give some of your life to a dead dude and costs XP. Unless you just give them their life back altogether in exchange for dying yourself and being unable to be resurrected. Druidic reincarnate means that they will be born again. Somewhere on that plane. In the body of whichever child is born after the casting time ends. Race is variable. Which technically does not give back a life, so much as hijack one.

[Zaydos]

My answer to the death is cheap scenario of D&D is that you can only be brought back X amount of times. The greater the hero the higher X is (PCs have 3, NPC heroes 2, normal peasants 1 or 0; PCs who have saved the world and killed the big bad +1).

We didn't do much RP about the two people who did die. One new he was going to be brought back (they had a fund just for it), the other was being written out anyway and an NPC (he'd been a temporary PC for the adventure beforehand) and was rather attacked by the high priest of his order upon revival (the PCs did not have to pay for the True Resurrection spell, partially because he was a high ranking cleric of the priesthood they went to, partially because they came with money to have him revived and I rewarded the willingness to sacrifice in game for good RP with pointing out that his church should want him alive just as much and giving them better rep with the main healing priesthood).