D&D 5E Disintegrations

[pukunui]

Hi all,

During the last session of one of my campaigns, the PCs ventured into the Underdark, where they encountered a beholder. They rather foolishly decided to engage it in combat. While they ultimately managed to defeat it, one of their number was sadly disintegrated in the process.

I now have two questions:

1) Did all of the PCs' magic items get disintegrated as well? Or are they lying on the ground, coated in the dust of their former wielder but otherwise fine?

2) Is resurrection good enough to restore a disintegrated person back to life or is true resurrection required?

Thanks in advance!

Jonathan

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Hi all,

During the last session of one of my campaigns, the PCs ventured into the Underdark, where they encountered a beholder. They rather foolishly decided to engage it in combat. While they ultimately managed to defeat it, one of their number was sadly disintegrated in the process.

I now have two questions:

1) Did all of the PCs' magic items get disintegrated as well? Or are they lying on the ground, coated in the dust of their former wielder but otherwise fine?

2) Is resurrection good enough to restore a disintegrated person back to life or is true resurrection required?

Thanks in advance!

Jonathan

Magic Items are explicitly unaffected, the non magical gear is gone though.

Edit nevermind resurrection is not good enough.

A disintegrated creature and everything it is wearing and carrying, except Magic Items, are reduced to a pile of fine gray dust. The creature can be restored to life only by means of a True Resurrection or a wish spell.

 

[pukunui]

[MENTION=6706188]MonsterEnvy[/MENTION]: Thanks. Out of curiosity, what is the source of the line you've quoted?

 

[jgsugden]

[MENTION=6706188]MonsterEnvy[/MENTION]: Thanks. Out of curiosity, what is the source of the line you've quoted?

The disintegrtion spell. While the beholder ability is not explicitly just like the spell, many DMs play it that way.

 

[pukunui]

Aha. Makes sense, I guess. The beholder does have a few wonky effects (like the petrification ray having a Dex save rather than a Con save).

 

[jayoungr]

I also accidentally disintegrated a PC last weekend (zombie beholder in Ravenloft). This happened in the Amber Temple, which is clearly suffused with all kinds of weird magical energy, so I'm thinking the PC may become a ghost until a more permanent solution can be found.

 

[jayoungr]

Sorry for the double post, but I just wanted to add that I'd welcome any suggestions for a permanent solution for the disintegrated PC. The player would like to get the character back, and I'd like to work with her on this. (This is for my DDAL season 4 Ravenloft campaign.)

 

[77IM]

Doesn't DDAL have special rules for having the Dark Powers bring people to life with a Dark Gift? That sounds like a really cool approach to me. If not, your DDAL options are somewhat limited, and Barovia hasn't got many spellcasters capable of casting even resurrection, let alone true resurrection. Although, if I recall correctly, one of the vestiges in the Amber Temple can grant the ability to resurrect people in some fashion... that would require (I think) another PC to take a Dark Gift. Mmmmmmm, love me some Dark Gifts...

 

[Oofta]

Sorry for the double post, but I just wanted to add that I'd welcome any suggestions for a permanent solution for the disintegrated PC. The player would like to get the character back, and I'd like to work with her on this. (This is for my DDAL season 4 Ravenloft campaign.)

About the only way to bring them back may be "The mysterious benefactor". For example they just show up next session with minor memory loss but with a strange tattoo and a feeling that at some point there's going to be a price to pay.

This can go several ways, anything from they're just living on borrowed time and will ultimately disintegrate again when they've accomplished their goal at the end of the campaign. Or maybe they need to do little things that seem inconsequential at the time. Give a stranger a copper piece or take a tapestry off a wall.

The mysterious benefactor does not need to be evil, they can just have motivations and goals that the group doesn't understand, and may never understand (particularly if the benefactor is an Arch Fey).

But this scenario is one of the reasons I don't care for the beholder zombie ... if you don't run a killer campaign I have a hard time justifying things that for a high level party would be an inconvenience that with a lower level party is PC ending.

 

[jayoungr]

Doesn't DDAL have special rules for having the Dark Powers bring people to life with a Dark Gift?

Yes, and I've considered that approach, but I'm not sure how long it should take. Is it instantaneous? Also, I assume it still works even if there's no body? And does the PC have to agree to be brought back? Because she's a cleric, and I don't think she would...