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<blockquote data-quote="IstraRaugir" data-source="post: 5573458" data-attributes="member: 6669195"><p>I'd say that the way undead are formed is highly dependent on the specific cosmology and deities of the campaign world.</p><p>There are of course the common natural causes such as strong emotions, unfinished business, lacking burial rites and particularly gruesome deaths. The important thing is that you remain consistent with your rulings but to think the system through beforehand. (If a agonizing death causes Wraith, what is keeping a village from being massacred everytime someone is trapped in a burning shed?)</p><p>Secondly you need to consider how existing mechanics figure into the story and what effect that would have on how undead are viewed. (People will be hesitant to attack a necromancer's army if they believe their loved ones trapped inside can still feel pain)</p><p>And finally it is important to construct a way for (dangerous) undead to be dealt with that is consistent with your system and the effect thereof: </p><p> </p><p>If zombies are raised due to lacking funeral rites is this a simple mechanic problem? (unburied zombies) Or is it because the person's spirit isn't appeased? (<em>"Damn it. I might be dead but I'm not leaving without my lucky snorkel."</em>)</p><p>Both systems can have profound effects on the game world: With the first the Dwarves are thrown into a crisis after a recent earthquake revealed that their honoured ancestors aren't exactly peacefull in their tombs. With the second the party may need the learn about their dead companion's culture because <em>their</em> burial rites are needed to bring him to rest.</p><p> </p><p>P.S.: Just to be the devil's advocate (or the rat-bastard DM) I would rule that cremation is generally successful but leads to incorporeal undead in rarer cases (and you'll be wishing he just animated his fleshy hitable corpse instead).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="IstraRaugir, post: 5573458, member: 6669195"] I'd say that the way undead are formed is highly dependent on the specific cosmology and deities of the campaign world. There are of course the common natural causes such as strong emotions, unfinished business, lacking burial rites and particularly gruesome deaths. The important thing is that you remain consistent with your rulings but to think the system through beforehand. (If a agonizing death causes Wraith, what is keeping a village from being massacred everytime someone is trapped in a burning shed?) Secondly you need to consider how existing mechanics figure into the story and what effect that would have on how undead are viewed. (People will be hesitant to attack a necromancer's army if they believe their loved ones trapped inside can still feel pain) And finally it is important to construct a way for (dangerous) undead to be dealt with that is consistent with your system and the effect thereof: If zombies are raised due to lacking funeral rites is this a simple mechanic problem? (unburied zombies) Or is it because the person's spirit isn't appeased? ([I]"Damn it. I might be dead but I'm not leaving without my lucky snorkel."[/I]) Both systems can have profound effects on the game world: With the first the Dwarves are thrown into a crisis after a recent earthquake revealed that their honoured ancestors aren't exactly peacefull in their tombs. With the second the party may need the learn about their dead companion's culture because [I]their[/I] burial rites are needed to bring him to rest. P.S.: Just to be the devil's advocate (or the rat-bastard DM) I would rule that cremation is generally successful but leads to incorporeal undead in rarer cases (and you'll be wishing he just animated his fleshy hitable corpse instead). [/QUOTE]
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