A novel approach to returning from the dead

[Greenfield]

We had a character die in today's game, and since we've made it hard for the dead to come back, he probably won't. At least, not in any normal way.

The character has claimed, in game, that his father was the god Jupiter. We had occasion to verify this when we received a visitation from Apollo/Helios (extremely rare occasion). The patron of oracles granted each of us the answer to a single question, as a boon.

This character had asked for verification of what his mother had always told him: He asked, "Are you my bother?", along with some explanatory text.

Because we share DM duty, and the current DM didn't know what the right answer should be, the answer came back as "Well, it's complicated". But he didn't say "no".

That character, and his back story, have been a major thread running through many of our adventures together.

After the character died I mentioned, "I have this idea in my head, this vision of Marcus standing, not in Hades realm, but on Olympus, being questioned about his claim of divine lineage." The player liked the idea, a fitting end to the tale.

Then we came up with another idea: Bringing the character back from the dead would be hard in our game, particularly when we're in the middle of the mess we have right now.

The player has a backup character to run, at least for a while. But it was suggested that he create a new character, from scratch, and that his back story be that he is/was Marcus, returned after passing his trials on Olympus.

He'd have a new class structure, and different stats, since he was reborn in a more idealized form, but the character would be created using all the same rules we use for creating any new character. He'll be a level or two down from where he was, naturally, and will have all new equipment, etc. (Our rule is, if a PC dies and isn't coming back, his wealth belongs to his family, or is buried with him. No looting of dead friends' bodies.) But he'd have a sort of continuity that would play well in story.

Thoughts? Good idea, bad idea, mad idea?

 

[Dandu]

And then it turns out that he was an IMPOSTOR!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I see only one problem: what happens when player #2 or #3 wants their PC to come back from the dead?

I mean, mechanically, it's a new PC- no issues there- but it has a patina of kewl on it from the get-go. How will you handle a return from beyond with similar aplomb? Especially one without a semi-divine backstory?

 

[Greenfield]

Well, first, it would take a good backstory to justify it.

Second, since all it is is story, it doesn't really matter very much, mechanically.

And third, I trust the players in my group not to abuse.

Then of course, there's Rule Zero, where the DM gets to cast "Dispel BS" on any unjustified use of the technique.

 

[kingius]

I like it. It reminds me of the Lord of the Rings, where Gandlaf is sent back as Gandalf the White to finish his task on Middle Earth.

 

[IstraRaugir]

In my games coming back from the dead is unusual but not unheard of and usually requires a challenge that the PC(s) must fulfill. ie.: a visionquest inside the deceased's mind, challenging death to a game of chess, starting a bet with an evil deity or simply being awesome enough that a deity steps in of his/her own accord. But coming back from the dead is no trivial matter: it leaves deep scars upon the body, mind and soul of the person in question.
Coming from this background you can easily see why I like this concept of yours. It puts a 'unique' twist on things and is tailored to the PC's background. But I would take a different path for his return. If he was judged on the Olympus there are a few generic outcomes: Either he falls short and is deemed a liar (off to tartarus he goes) or he really is of divine descent (and subsequently joins his family on Olympus after his death). The fact that he returns gives you an interesting option: perhaps the gods are not sure themselves and have sent him back to prove his divine ancestry.
If this is the case I would judge that the party simple encounters him a few days/weeks after his death. While still recognizable the ressurrection has changed him in body and mind (new stats rolled, perhaps even changed class). Far more importantly, because no mortal should have knowledge of the dealings on Olympus his memory has been erased. This opens up all kinds of roleplaying avenues and really throws a curveball to the party (after all their dead friend suddenly appears without memory). You could choose to let his memory gradually return or you could make things even more mysterious if one of his 'relatives' slipped him an item of unknown origin/use.
Just my 2 cents. As always the final choice should be between you and your player.

 

[Greenfield]

The background is a bit odd. We take turns DMing a single ongoing campaign, with each DM responsible for a part of the world of their choice. Because of this, the exact divine/nondivine status of the character isn't known (or up to ) any one of us. It has to be decided by consensus.

So, while the character believes what his mother had told him, it wasn't clear if she was simply making excuses for pregnancy while her husband was away, if she'd been visited by an angel or avatar of the deity, if it was some other deity or being pulling dirty tricks, or what. It might have just been a widowed woman's way of convincing her son that he was "special". We didn't know.

When, in game, the character got a chance to ask Apollo one question, he naturally asked the most important question he knew, the one that had defined his entire life: "Are you my half-brother? Are we related?"

The DM, not knowing what the official answer was supposed to be, just hemmed and hawed, then answered, "It's complicated".

The group laughed, and more or less seized upon that as the official word of god, or at least a god: The answer wasn't "no", which only left some version of "yes". By avatar, visitation, accident or whatever, he is related to the king of the gods. Maybe the old lech was drunk and didn't realize whose bed he was getting into, or maybe really did fancy her. We don't know, but by acclamation it was agreed that his character is a child of Zeus/Jupiter, by one means or another.

Doesn't mean that his wife knew about it, or that he acknowledged the child. So, in effect, it's Zeus/Jupiter who's on trial, not Marcus. And the judge is probably Hera.

In practical terms, it is a Gandalf moment. The player gets to redesign his character, explore other interpretations of the character concept. He can change classes, stats, feats or whatever he likes.

I imagine that "Cleric of Jupiter" is probably still on the list, somehow, though a Paladin of Freedom would also be a valid variant. (Zeus/Jupiter is a Chaotic Good deity, so his champion wouldn't be a conventional Paladin.)

We use the DMG point buy system for states, 32 point base, so "re-roll" is more like re-design. But it's all in fun. I think we'll enjoy seeing what he does with this, and how he plays it.

 

[Herobizkit]

I've been reading the Percy Jackson series of novels, and it is chock full of children Demigods from the Olympian mythos. Maybe reincarnation is a huge deal, or even a matter of fact, in your campaign world versus resurrection. Maybe ALL the PC's are descended from deities... or giants... or demons...

 

[Greenfield]

Maybe, maybe not. He's the only one to make the claim though, so he gets the brass ring in that regard.

One other PC was sired by an absentee father, and that's the Half-Satyr Bard, my character. His father, going by the obviously false name of Porteus, was visiting his mother's village and seduced the young Elf for a brief fling. He hasn't been seen or heard from since, though there are reports that he's known in the Unseelie courts, but no further information has come to light. Being of that bloodline, it's generally accepted that he is "a child of Pan", since the lord of the pipes is the origin of the line. No clue if he's any more closely related than that though.

The character has pretty much dedicated his life to not really caring about his father. Dad wasn't there for him, so why should he be there for dad? He has a curiosity, of course, but has done nothing to satisfy it.

Sounds like a quest or side mission just waiting to happen, doesn't it?

But as far as I know, everybody else is of known and acknowledged mortal parentage.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Sounds like a quest or side mission just waiting to happen, doesn't it?

Step thru a faerie ring of mushrooms...