Back from the Dead: Seeing the "Other Side"

[steeldragons]

I would not do the 'character knows when someone is fated to die' bit. D&D combat is far to swingy for that.

This is true. I was thinking either a "short/immediate" term premonition. Easy enough for me, as DM, if I know a character is low on HP and the next blow might take them down.

The other option was to have it be completely non-specific. Possibly some time (even days) ahead of any actual danger. Like a vision simply that the some servant of death is hanging out nearby a particular PC...but no sense of the why or how. The RBDM in me loves the idea of generating that sense of paranoia for the PC and/or the knowledge/desire for the resurrected PC to be "on guard"/looking for that heroic moment to save the potentially "doomed" character.

Some interesting things you could throw out:

* "You are my reaper" - Death has returned the character, realizing the character's profession will reap him more souls. The character is no longer allowed to show mercy to his opponents; he must kill them.

I like the concept, but I'm not sure about putting "role-playing demand", if you will, on the player...it kind of goes against the character's personality.

* "A soul for a soul" - In order to revive the character, someone else near and dear to the PC must take his place in the afterlife. The character must deal with the consequences of "trading places".

This is something to think about...I could see making this work...unbeknownst to the PCs.

* "When I die again, I'm not going back there". The character has seen his ultimate fate after death and has thankfully, been rescued from it. Now, the character either intents to fly right, or ensure he doesn't otherwise return to that miserable existence.

Doesn't really keep with the world's cosmology. But I like the idea. Besides, he was quite the "would-be hero/do-gooder" to begin with.

* "Life means nothing, I was happy there". If the character is left to dwell on his current existence, he becomes morose, perhaps suicidal, desiring to return to that peaceful afterlife. There is also the fear, perhaps, of doing something that will strip that reward away.

I like this a LOT. But again, the PC did not actually reach his "final resting place." If, by chance, the next PC to be raised does make it to his or her "greener pastures" then I would definitely incorporate this.

* "I have unfinished business". The death experience has jolted the character into fulfilling some task or duty before death returns to claim them. This business takes precedent to all other concerns.

Spot on. THis is already in play. The PC had in his background a desire to reclaim his family's ancestral "wrongly lost" barony. We had not even begun to go down that story path, but with his return, this is taking center stage in the PCs mind. Not a "geas" per se...but definitely a pull and urgency that was lackign before their death.

* "I am not who I was". The character didn't really return from the afterlife, instead some other soul has taken up residence. It doesn't have to be malicious, it could be an unquiet individual with some unfinished business or simply wasn't ready to move on and found a second chance at life.

It's a little late for this. But I would/will certainly use as a possibility in future raisings.

* "You've only a little time". The character has been returned to finish the quest, but will be recalled once again, after his goal has been completed. The character is literally living on borrowed time.

This I like as well. But, again, wouldn't want to take the character away from the player if he didn't desire it...but it warrants thought and might be possible/agreeable to the player...

* "You have given up your place". By returning, the character has given up his rightful place in the afterlife. Upon his next death, he is condemned to a bleak afterlife of non-existence.

Certainly a great motivation for NOT getting killed again. But, again, the cosmology/PCs time in the afterlife/underworld was not really fully achieved.

* "I see dead people". The character has an unusual connection to the spirit world. Undead sense something unusual about the character, and the character can sometimes sense their presence. In certain cases, he and undead may find they have an affinity, while other times his presence may drive them mad.

This, I believe, I am definitely using. I haven't had cause to just yet. But I'm inlcined to go with the latter...that certain undead can tell he has been to death and returned (mostly) "intact" whereas they are twisted shells of their former selves. Things like ghouls and wights and wraiths, I'm thinking, would want to rip the PC apart for that juicy "spark of life" they have been denied.

* "Death isn't what you think it is". The character has peered behind the curtain of the afterlife, and it has given him unusual understanding into the mortal world. He sees or knows things other do not, but he also knows terrible secrets that mortal minds were not meant to contain.

Definitely worth incorporating...I'm not sure how/where this might come into play...but I like it and had been thinking something along these lines.

Once a character dies that first time, does his or her body immediately go into limbo? Or, does it go straight to where ever his or her deity considers the afterlife? (Valhalla, Heaven, etc)

We had this question come up when a PC in our group was raised from the dead - was he in his deity's afterlife? (he was not an avid follower of this deity - more like, paid homage to the deity.) Was he in some sort of limbo? Was his soul controlled by the god of death? What happens to him in the afterlife? Does he even remember what happened?

Lots of questions. I think it's one of those "what answer is best for the player and your world?"

Well, yes, ok. I should have explained. In the settign of Orea, as I said, there is the goddess of death, Desri. She serves as the weaver of fate, the judgement of souls, prophecy. her symbol is a squiggly rune that is shaped like a "Y".

When a mortal dies in Orea, they go to "the Grey Lands", the "underworld" of Orea and the goddess' extraplanar domain. They travel down a fog filled river in a skiv for a time. The banks of the river, when one catches a glance through the ever-present fog and clouds, shows desolate shadow filled countryside to one side (the plane of Shadow or Shadowfell depending on your system). The other side of the river, essentially, abuts the Ethereal plane in most places. Those unclaimed or rejected spirits, spectres, ghosts, etc. exist there. No creature from either side is able to enter or cross the river of the dead.

Eventually, the river forks. The isle in the center is where the death goddess sits in eternal judgement of all of the souls floating down the river. This is where the person/soul deposits their coins (Orean custom involves the burial of some form of treasure with the body to pay this some say "tribute", some say "bribe" to the death goddess.).

Desri then looks at a soul's life and weighs their fate and deems which fork of the river the soul is to continue upon. One fork that leads to the "lower/wicked/evil planes" and one to the "higher/good planes."

Through the use of certain ritual and magic, the priests of the death goddess are able to "slow" a soul's passage down the river (only the highest/most powerful priests are able to arrest the soul's travel entirely...which is generally viewed as quite wicked to that order except for the most exceptional persons/souls).

So, the PC was basically kept/held at the Isle of Judgement. Unable to continue down either fork and unable to leave the river/skiv to get to either bank. Once a soul has been judged and passes down either fork of the river, returning them to Life is...significantly more difficult (i.e. Raise Dead won't do), if not impossible. His "Fate", according to the death goddess, was incomplete...thus he was permitted to return.

I suppose in game terms, the river is like a tributary or branch of the Astral plane, that draws the souls of Orea down it/gives them a means to reach the outer planes. The death goddess is the real "gateway" to one's eternal afterlife.

 

[NewJeffCT]

steeldragons - interesting concept. I like it. My XP awarding doesn't seem to be working this morning, or I'd award you some (not even getting the "spread around" message - just click on the thumb and nothing happens)

 

[LurkAway]

There should be away to tie those different concepts together. For example, while in the boat, he is visited by a ghost, which cannot enter the river but perhaps can communicate from the shore. Could the PC's soul somehow leave the boat and cross into the Ethereal and spend some time with the ghost, might explain the extended stay in limbo. Anyway, perhaps it's an ancestral spirit that conveyed a secret regarding the lost barony, and perhaps completing the mission requires further communication with ghosts at the barony location. So the new knowledge gives him a reason and means to revisit his life goal, and sort of explains the "I see dead people" gift. And you can throw in some conspiracy mystery, like how was the ghost at just the right time and place to meet the deceased PC -- did someone in the living world know about the dead hero and contacted the spirit to lead him on this mission for some ulterior motive -- something like that?

 

[Wednesday Boy]

The resurrected character could have learned of someone else in the afterlife who has information that the party wants. It would be up to the party to find that someone's remains so they could bring them back to life and get the information.

 

[steeldragons]

steeldragons - interesting concept. I like it. My XP awarding doesn't seem to be working this morning, or I'd award you some (not even getting the "spread around" message - just click on the thumb and nothing happens)

Yeah, no worries, NewJeffCT. It's been out all week, from what I understand.

Earlier today I was able to get in 2 XPing (in this thread, in fact) But after that, it just stopped again.

I take it this has something to do with the incredible slowness of the site, in general...noted by myself, anyway, since Monday evening (8 or 9 GMT+1).

I do hope they correct it soon.

But thanks and glad you like it.

Thanks, in fact, to all of the repliers. I hope to get you some XP when available.
Happy Friday all!
--SD

 

[Dice4Hire]

I agree this is a great opportunity to reveal part of the world (the afterlife) to the players and drop a major plot hook or two. Don't miss the chance.