Gentle Repose and Resurrection Power

[Prestidigitalis]

Gentle Repose quintuples the time a creature can be dead and still be affected by "Raise Dead or a similar ritual".

By RAW, the Resurrection power (Warpriest Utility) would not count because it is not a ritual. But I think it only makes sense to allow it, as the power is clearly intended to be a standin for the Raise Dead ritual -- it's even the same level (8).

Resurrection is a very nice power -- it's even free, unlike the ritual -- but because you can only use it for creatures dead within the last 24 hours, and only at the end of an extended rest, it basically means "If more than one of your comrades died in the last encounter, you get to pick one of them to revive. The others stay dead. Best Regards, The Management."

Gentle Repose fixes that, if allowed.

 

[the Jester]

Is there a question here or are you just commenting on the differences between the two?

 

[GRStrayton]

Gentle Repose fixes that, if allowed.

I allow it in my games.

 

[Prestidigitalis]

Is there a question here or are you just commenting on the differences between the two?

I guess I never did come out and say it, did I?

The implied question is, does it seem reasonable to allow Gentle Repose to extend the shelf life of a corpse for the purpose of using the Resurrection power?

 

[Bold or Stupid]

If it came up i'd allow it.

 

[True_Blue]

I think it seems reasonable to allow it.

For people who have Warpriests casting Resurrection, or a caster who casts Raise Dead, how do people die in your campaign? Is the only way for someone to be dead for good is for the healer who can cast these spells to die?

If the healer were to go down, it probably would be cost efficient to just have a Raise Dead ritual scroll or two. Either a different PC could try to cast it, or you could pay someone to use the scroll for you, and then once the healer is up, they would be able to cast the required spells to bring back the people.

 

[Prestidigitalis]

For people who have Warpriests casting Resurrection, or a caster who casts Raise Dead, how do people die in your campaign? Is the only way for someone to be dead for good is for the healer who can cast these spells to die?

The campaigns I play in (all the same group, but different DMs), there is no raising of the dead, period. Occasionally a PC who falls will rise again because of some special circumstances and without intervention from the PCs, e.g. the death occurs in a temple dedicated to a God of Life.

 

[Stumblewyk]

Gentle Repose fixes that, if allowed.

I...want to allow it. But I don't think I would if it ever came up. They (Raise Dead and Resurrection) clearly are defined differently - one is a spell power the other is a ritual.

Gentle repose specifically refers to functioning to extend the length of time a body is viable to be raised.

I'm inclined to say that Resurrection only functions for 24 hours because after that the Spirit has been separated from the Body for too long for the Cleric to summon it back without the aid of a ritual. Raise Dead doesn't care about how separate the Spirit and Body are. It makes the call, and if the Spirit is willing, it returns to the still viable body.

I know it's a matter of semantics and personal preference, but I like the idea that while the Cleric has to expend nothing but the use of the power to Resurrect you, other resources need to be used to employ a ritual, and therefore Gentle Repose doesn't work on corpse for the purposes of Resurrection.

 

[fba827]

The implied question is, does it seem reasonable to allow Gentle Repose to extend the shelf life of a corpse for the purpose of using the Resurrection power?

Personally, I don't think it is not unreasonable. But at the same time, I would not make it a one-answer-fits-all-campaigns answer. Rather, I would see it as a per-campaign decision where the defining factors are the assumptions of the magic/afterlife involved.

* Is the raise dead ritual calling back a dead spirit from the after life?
* And is resurrection doing the same OR is resurrection calling back a spirit that has not completely left the mortal plane yet?
* If the spirit immediately goes to the afterlife upon death and either is pulling the spirit from the spirit world, does the length it has been there make it proportionately more difficult to call back, in which case a stronger ritual might be necessary than the warpriest thing that is less powerful than the ritual (as is evidenced by more limitations)

And so on..

 

[Shin Okada]

Personally, I will not allow it. For 3 reasons,

1) By RAW, those two doesn't work as a combo.

2) Resurrection is a power and free and already strong comparing to Raise Dead ritual in some aspect. There is no need for making Resurrection even stronger.

3) If Gentle Repose is available. That means the party have some way to use Rituals (your game is not ignoring rituals). Nothing prevents them from actually using Gentle Repose and Raise Dead rituals when really needed. So there is no need for fixing.