Long ago when level 10 was an as yet unrealized dream and level 3 was where most of our games happened I created a way for PCs to recover from TPK.

When the party died and game night was almost over anyway, we had what was to become a tradition: post-game analysis. I learned that I had not given enough clues and what happened was mostly the result of bad DMing. During the week I came up with this:

Goinard, the Goblin Druid. She was a level 3 druid and a 0 level goblin dual class under the AD&D rules, and she resided in a grotto where a spring-fed pond emptied into a tiny brook that meandered through a gully.

She was disposed to helping those in need, but would not allow ironmongery in her cave. The spring was a very powerful source of healing water: each vial would heal 1d8 HP if poured on a wound. Soaking in the pool would only heal 1d8 HP per day, but a fresh corpse would come to life after 24 hours in the pond.

Goinard had found and recovered the bodies, and made a big show of it being her magic that healed. The spring itself she never revealed. She never charged for her services, but often suggested items that would make good gifts the next time the party passed through.