Dead Character Prevents Plot

Mechanimal · Dec 21, 2009

I've just run into a big wall, as far as my plot is concerned. Not in the sense that I have nowhere left to go, story-wise, but a character was killed, and I don't know a way to bring him back. I'll give a brief background of what's going on:

Okay, so I'm playing 'Scepter Tower of Spellgard' module, to lead into original material upon its finish. One of my players (dragonborn) brother is behind taking the tower, and I am thinking of making him a prominent bad guy after he robbed the party (this was a while back). Anyway, they've been giving him chase, and I'm thinking of ways to have him try to (maybe) enslave the oracle and such. It's all boiling down to this last (hopefully) epic battle. Anyway, the dragonborn character (party side) has died in a very close battle. Not a foolish defeat, or a wipeout. Everyone just made it through battle by a hair. He managed to fail his death saves, making it the only death, and very close at that.

It's right near the end, and I need some ideas to bring him back without giving the party the idea that they can do whatever they want and be ressurrected.

The tower is near a monastery, so some monks could play out a part in this, but I'm not sure how. The party can also carry the dragon to be ressurrected, but I don't know if they should be lugging around a huge dragonborn through a huge tower, pass catacombs, through much more, and finally back to the monastery. Maybe someone could bump into them. This seems like a big setback, and hope people have some ideas. Let me know if I've left anything out, or you'd like more details

Thanks!

concerro · Dec 21, 2009

Mechanimal said:
I've just run into a big wall, as far as my plot is concerned. Not in the sense that I have nowhere left to go, story-wise, but a character was killed, and I don't know a way to bring him back. I'll give a brief background of what's going on:

Okay, so I'm playing 'Scepter Tower of Spellgard' module, to lead into original material upon its finish. One of my players (dragonborn) brother is behind taking the tower, and I am thinking of making him a prominent bad guy after he robbed the party (this was a while back). Anyway, they've been giving him chase, and I'm thinking of ways to have him try to (maybe) enslave the oracle and such. It's all boiling down to this last (hopefully) epic battle. Anyway, the dragonborn character (party side) has died in a very close battle. Not a foolish defeat, or a wipeout. Everyone just made it through battle by a hair. He managed to fail his death saves, making it the only death, and very close at that.

It's right near the end, and I need some ideas to bring him back without giving the party the idea that they can do whatever they want and be ressurrected.

The tower is near a monastery, so some monks could play out a part in this, but I'm not sure how. The party can also carry the dragon to be ressurrected, but I don't know if they should be lugging around a huge dragonborn through a huge tower, pass catacombs, through much more, and finally back to the monastery. Maybe someone could bump into them. This seems like a big setback, and hope people have some ideas. Let me know if I've left anything out, or you'd like more details

Thanks!

Are they in enemy territory with no chance for any friendlies or at least neutral beings around?

the Jester · Dec 21, 2009

This is why having a "story" in a dnd game can often be problematic.

In my mind, the story is told after the game. It's the recounting of what happened. When you dm with a story in mind, you're asking for trouble: pc deaths or even just the pcs deciding to do the unexpected can suddenly "ruin" your storyline.

If the pcs don't have the ability to resurrect their buddy, I'd have him make a new pc. The brother of the dead guy might blame the rest of the party for his brother's death and hate them even more, and vice-versa.

It sounds like you don't want to cheapen death, and pulling a deus ex machina to raise the dead pc will definitely do this. It doesn't sound like there is much of an existing option for them. I would let it ride in my game.

Then again, I'm a notoriously highly lethal dm (though, so far in 4e, this has been far less true than in previous editions of the game!). If you are set on bringing the guy back, you might insert a raise dead scroll somewhere- that's prolly the easiest way to deal with it, as anyone can use it.

Good luck!

Mechanimal · Dec 21, 2009

I thought of a little something. Since the party is in search of an oracle to answer any question, that may tie in really well here. I'm thinking that I could have the oracle use her powers to control his body remotely, relaying a message to the party. Something like her being in danger of some ritual being complete by the evil (dragonborn) brother. She may have enough power to give him a temporary control of his body, until they can reach her. Is that pushing it? I don't want him to make another character at this point. We were missing one character in the party, and I feel that I didn't scale down the battle enough. So it wouldn't be fair to have him draw up a third character. The evil dragonborn was his first character who turned on the party.

Blackbrrd · Dec 21, 2009

Mechanimal said:
I've just run into a big wall, as far as my plot is concerned. Not in the sense that I have nowhere left to go, story-wise, but a character was killed, and I don't know a way to bring him back. I'll give a brief background of what's going on:

Okay, so I'm playing 'Scepter Tower of Spellgard' module, to lead into original material upon its finish. One of my players (dragonborn) brother is behind taking the tower, and I am thinking of making him a prominent bad guy after he robbed the party (this was a while back). Anyway, they've been giving him chase, and I'm thinking of ways to have him try to (maybe) enslave the oracle and such. It's all boiling down to this last (hopefully) epic battle. Anyway, the dragonborn character (party side) has died in a very close battle. Not a foolish defeat, or a wipeout. Everyone just made it through battle by a hair. He managed to fail his death saves, making it the only death, and very close at that.

It's right near the end, and I need some ideas to bring him back without giving the party the idea that they can do whatever they want and be ressurrected.

The tower is near a monastery, so some monks could play out a part in this, but I'm not sure how. The party can also carry the dragon to be ressurrected, but I don't know if they should be lugging around a huge dragonborn through a huge tower, pass catacombs, through much more, and finally back to the monastery. Maybe someone could bump into them. This seems like a big setback, and hope people have some ideas. Let me know if I've left anything out, or you'd like more details

Thanks!

That module really has a long-ass dungeon with no good way of backtracking once you are in. As a player of the module I felt we were trapped and were never gonna get out alive if the DM didn't keep us alive. Bad module design.

Regarding the dead character - if your party manages to actually drag him back to the monestary without getting killed, you should allow him to be ressurected. Have a few fights along the way to make it hard on the players - if they choose to go that route.

Btw, I really recommend the WotBS module series instead of teh dungeoncrawl's of annoyingness from wizards.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/war-bu...mmendation-war-burning-sky-campaign-saga.html

Mechanimal · Dec 21, 2009

Blackbrrd said:
That module really has a long-ass dungeon with no good way of backtracking once you are in. As a player of the module I felt we were trapped and were never gonna get out alive if the DM didn't keep us alive. Bad module design.

Regarding the dead character - if your party manages to actually drag him back to the monestary without getting killed, you should allow him to be ressurected. Have a few fights along the way to make it hard on the players - if they choose to go that route.

Btw, I really recommend the WotBS module series instead of teh dungeoncrawl's of annoyingness from wizards.
http://www.enworld.org/forum/war-bu...mmendation-war-burning-sky-campaign-saga.html

Oh, I wasn't planning on doing any modules after this. I just thought that the oracle would make a good point to lead into original material, seeing as she answers any question. That can easily create some good hooks from the characters' already made backgrounds.

Dannyalcatraz · Dec 21, 2009

Bring him back as some kind of undead...complete with all the powers and weaknesses.

Then he & the party can complete the adventure arc.

After that, the next (obvious) quest becomes how to rid him of the curse of unlife. As a DM, you have choices.

He cannot have the curse lifted without becoming truly dead and beyond the power of resurrection.
He can come back to life, but forevermore has certain traits commonly associated with the kind of undead he was...and if he hits -10HP again, INSTANTLY arises in his former undead state.
He can come back to life fully, without further complication, as himself.
He can come back to life fully, but has little to no recollection of his former life (the player can opt to partially or fully retrain his PC).
Deus ex machina- He plays a close relative of the fallen PC, who had been tailing the party for some time.
Deus ex machina- He plays an NPC of the appropriate level that you have handy...perhaps even one of the monks?

Each option has its own benefits and dramatic consequences.

For instance, if you go with the first one, your players have the decision of whether to have one of them come up with a new PC or welcome his undead form on their continuing adventures.

saethone · Dec 26, 2009

How close is the party to the oracle? You could totally work something in there - "how can We return our companion to life?"

Mechanimal · Dec 26, 2009

saethone said:
How close is the party to the oracle? You could totally work something in there - "how can We return our companion to life?"

Well, they're almost there, and will probably make it there next session. I was going to put my friend as a warforged that got froze by magic on the way. That, or he may somehow get his soul sent into them. I believe warforged are like vessels of some sort. That's the direction I'm trying to go with this.

saethone · Dec 26, 2009

Mechanimal said:
Well, they're almost there, and will probably make it there next session. I was going to put my friend as a warforged that got froze by magic on the way. That, or he may somehow get his soul sent into them. I believe warforged are like vessels of some sort. That's the direction I'm trying to go with this.

That could work if the player is willing to play a WF. Keep some things in mind though:

Why would the residents here (a shadar-kai commander and several shadow-gnomish denizens, and a disguised captured oni) have this random lifeless warforged sitting around?

How would the dragonborns soul be transferred to the warforge?

Why would the dragonborns soul be transferred?

Dead Character Prevents Plot

Mechanimal

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concerro

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the Jester

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Mechanimal

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Blackbrrd

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Mechanimal

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Dannyalcatraz

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saethone

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Mechanimal

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saethone

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