Dark Sun: The Dwarf died! How do I resurrect him?

[Derren]

Since when did death become the most interesting way to fail?

Since the time when everything else nearly always just results into more adventuring for the party which makes them stronger and gets them loot.

See the OPs suggestion for example. Character dies? 1 1/2 Encounters worth of XP for everybody!

 

[Obryn]

Since the time when everything else nearly always just results into more adventuring for the party which makes them stronger and gets them loot.

See the OPs suggestion for example. Character dies? 1 1/2 Encounters worth of XP for everybody!

I don't understand - the OP starts a thread asking for help on how to do something... And at least two people have come in to tell him he's playing his elfgames wrong at this point.

Seriously, this place is going downhill.

-O

 

[Sunseeker]

I tend to follow the usual of: someone knows someone and that someone knows how to do something that is dangerous, possibly illegal and unholy. If your party can pay the price, the job can be done. If not....well, time to reroll.

 

[S'mon]

I would use the Primal Shaman with level 8 PHB Raise Dead ritual, but flavour it heavily Conan style and put the other PCs through hell trying to hold onto him. If they fail he still comes back... but wrong. I think it's Open Grave that has some suggestions for what happens when Raise Dead fails...

 

[Umbran]

IMHO you are doing it wrong.

Whats the point of playing when you can't fail?

Gentlemen,

This is not the "let us discuss how deadly a game should be" thread. To be honest, if you have no room in your heart for people playing in ways other than you would, *YOU* are the one "doing it wrong" as far as EN World is concerned.

We expect you to show respect for other styles of play, and allow threads about those styles proceed unmolested. If you're not going to help with the original question, please cease and desist. You won't get another warning.

 

[Stormonu]

I don't know if they carried this over to 4E Dark Sun, but in the old rules dwarves had "life quests" and there were dire consequences to leaving one's life work unfinished. Perhaps the mystic calls on this mission to bring back life to the dwarf, but in doing so also ressurected the fallen warriors, whose mission becomes to win that war they lost so long ago against an enemy now long dead.

Also, an evangion might have the ability to bring someone back - "we're off to see the Avangion of the fabled Green Mountain(s)."

Another idea perhaps, rather than bring the character back directly, have you considered introducing the dwarf's kinsman, who for all intents and purposes undergoes a ritual to "become" the former dwarf and finish his kinsman's life quest. You could use the same stats (the ritual doing a psionic transferance into the deceased's body?) but could have a slightly different personality (and he has to attempt to mimick the fallen's personality for the completion of the life quest to work?).

The latter would certainly bring an interesting wrinkle to dwarven society...

 

[Evenglare]

OP can I ask WHY you want to play Dark Sun if you wanted no fear of death and to disregard the whole premise of the intention of the campaign setting? I'm curious on why you wish to play what was obviously intended as a deadly setting. I understand you can play whatever you want, and how ever you want, but if you are going to ignore the flavor why play it at all? Why not play your own desert setting where divine magic comes in handy? Again, im not telling you, you are doing it wrong what I am saying is that you -are- ignoring some of the flavor that gives dark sun it's unique feel and I am curious why you are doing this.

 

[Obryn]

OP can I ask WHY you want to play Dark Sun if you wanted no fear of death and to disregard the whole premise of the intention of the campaign setting? I'm curious on why you wish to play what was obviously intended as a deadly setting. I understand you can play whatever you want, and how ever you want, but if you are going to ignore the flavor why play it at all? Why not play your own desert setting where divine magic comes in handy? Again, im not telling you, you are doing it wrong what I am saying is that you -are- ignoring some of the flavor that gives dark sun it's unique feel and I am curious why you are doing this.

Um... you are telling him he's doing it wrong, though. Just dancing around it and couching it in conditions. You're just telling him he's doing it wrong, and asking why.

Simply put, what's core to the setting for you isn't necessarily core to the setting for everyone. I'm about the biggest Dark Sun nerd you'll find; I still have all my 2e books from running it in the 90's, and have a 2+ year campaign going right now. Personally, I don't think the gritty-survival and death-at-every-corner are the true heart of Dark Sun. For me, it's heroes triumphing against an oppressive regime with a real chance to make the world better. It's about the optimism, hope, and promise of the setting rather than meat-grinding characters to powder.

-O

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Why should a Mystic with powerful spells at his disposal just help a random party of adventurers?
Just having a Resurrection ritual available outside of the vaults of a sorcerer king doesn't seem right.

One other thing the original DarkSun setting had besides high lethality was the concept that no 2 undead creatures were exactly the same.

The 4Ed version doesn't quite do this, but there's no reason your campaign couldn't have this reinstated. The ritual in question could be deemed dangerous because it is so chaotic. That is how it became forbidden, then "lost." Mr. Dwarf comes back as some kind of undead- presumably corporeal- perhaps some form of pre-published undead (like the 4Ed Vampire class), or do a bit of D.I.Y. Perhaps he has some negative side effect, like he needs to kill every day (Legend of the Seeker), or his appearance has a chance of killing those who knew him before death (American Being Human), etc.

And this applies to all of the other undead brought back by the ritual.

Such magic might well serve someone who wants to disrupt society.

 

[Cherno]

Thanks everyone for your comments & suggestions. I already made a map of the burial mount with altar where the ancient ritual will be performed, and a horde of minion skeletons to raise once it's finished.

As for the why, I'll just answer that I like the DS setting and I see no reason why I shouldn't change the game to suit my needs if I think it benefits me, the players, and the gameplay... In that order