D&D 5E Getting your body back (reincarnation) ideas

[toucanbuzz]

Need ideas for this Saturday's game on an adventure for a reincarnated character to regain his original form.

RANGER player is fairly new to the game and our group. Unfortunately, early on, RANGER died at 2nd level when they ran afoul of a displacer beast, an unlucky day. Players are in a fey-heavy setting and through a series of adventures found a druid who reincarnated him from human to halfling. I'm not one to pull punches, and I feel when a door closes a window opens, or something like that. That's what led to the druid quest. Player has communicated to another player he's kinda bummed about it all. I let it be known if you want something, give it a whirl. If you're going on a quest to restore your form, this is a good place to do it.

So, quest ideas?

 

[Mecheon]

There are most certainly Fey who's thing is shapes and one's true shape. Additionally thinking on an impactful part from Transformers that involved one's soul being reshaped into their true shape, or a forge burning everything away until the singular truth of their form is all that remains

Smithing style Fey but there needs to be a quest about this and a period of introspection about why was someone is who they are.

 

[Lanefan]

Blimey, that's a tough one. And they're only second level? Yeah, unless you want to be awfully nice to these guys I think they might have to wait awhile. I'm impressed they could even get a reincarnation at that level, but in a Fey-based setting it does make sense.

That said, if you do want to be nice you could have them quest for a Wish (or an item with a Wish in it; or a Djinni bottle); or have them quest for a special permanent-effect potion of polymorph, or something like that.

@Mecheon - your idea about reforging the soul is absolutely brilliant, only for something slightly different: what an excellent in-fiction means of granting/forcing/achieving a change of alignment!

 

[MarkB]

Maybe tie it into his bloodline in some fashion. Nothing as jarring as genetics, but maybe his family need to make some form of symbolic sacrifice as part of whatever ritual or procedure you come up with.

 

[aco175]

Magic fey pool that lets you reshape your past. This way all the PCs can change feats or something. There also needs to be a quest to reach the pool and a series of tests to determine your worthiness.

 

[Quickleaf]

Need ideas for this Saturday's game on an adventure for a reincarnated character to regain his original form.

RANGER player is fairly new to the game and our group. Unfortunately, early on, RANGER died at 2nd level when they ran afoul of a displacer beast, an unlucky day. Players are in a fey-heavy setting and through a series of adventures found a druid who reincarnated him from human to halfling. I'm not one to pull punches, and I feel when a door closes a window opens, or something like that. That's what led to the druid quest. Player has communicated to another player he's kinda bummed about it all. I let it be known if you want something, give it a whirl. If you're going on a quest to restore your form, this is a good place to do it.

So, quest ideas?

These sorts of quests are best when strongly integrated to the PCs backstories. I know the player is new to your group/the game, but what was their backstory or background? And how did the ranger PC die - exactly - to the displacer beast? Was the displacer beast a random encounter or serving another creature? Basically, are there any interesting character details or past session details that we could use to hang a story about regaining his original form on?

Conversely, if the player hasn't really fleshed out any backstory, what about the other PCs? Why would this quest matter to them, after just meeting the guy? Is he secretly related to one of them? Does what at first seems like a "restore his original body" quest actually dovetail into the current main quest in some way? Did the manner of death really strike a chord with one or more of them?

With all of that in mind, I also recommend adding a twist for resurrection/reincarnation/restoration storylines – an unexpected cost or unanticipated side effect.

 

[toucanbuzz]

I'm impressed they could even get a reincarnation at that level, but in a Fey-based setting it does make sense.

I'm a sucker for low-level quests (albeit rarely!) to bring back a lost companion, especially if it was just bad dice like this time. I usually have something in mind, though this time it was all on the fly and permitted me to introduce several NPCs early, as well as foreshadow visions the druid had been having about converging kingdoms (the PCs want to settle the wilds that they are currently authorized to explore, a Paizo Kingmaker reboot). The PCs path was the only one he saw that didn't end in fire. It was darkness, an unknown, and he opted for the lesser evil. He also demanded concessions and a big IOU for the costs.

In the old days, had a low-level character killed by shadow magic, again bad dice, and let them discover this sucked his soul to a night hag storage facility on a messed up outer plane. They rescued the soul using guile before it could be sold.

 

[toucanbuzz]

There are most certainly Fey who's thing is shapes and one's true shape. Additionally thinking on an impactful part from Transformers that involved one's soul being reshaped into their true shape, or a forge burning everything away until the singular truth of their form is all that remains

Smithing style Fey but there needs to be a quest about this and a period of introspection about why was someone is who they are.

Interesting! The PCs are currently at a fey feast due to having "befriended" (it's hard to say how fey operate) some minor ones and have met the Queen of the Summer Court. While the fey often speak in confusing riddle-like talk, I think at least one of my players understands they exist in the "is" and "is not." For the fey, they don't die when they die. Instead, they start over, and this can make them seem cruel when they deal with creatures of the "Second World" who don't start over. The fey don't see a problem because for them death isn't real.

With that said, I could see a smith-like fey who custom molds new bodies when a fey loses their current one. And, I like the idea of introspection. It would allow the player to RP what it was about his old form (he was a ranger in his 40s who was finally beginning to find a purpose in his life that he'd previously lacked) that makes him need it so badly.

Maybe tie it into his bloodline in some fashion. Nothing as jarring as genetics, but maybe his family need to make some form of symbolic sacrifice as part of whatever ritual or procedure you come up with.

If building (hah) on the smith idea, something to recall his prior form. Gives the other PCs something to do.

 

[Eltab]

The PCs have to bring a token of the old body, if they cannot bring the whole. Don't be gross ...
Clipping fingernails / toenails or cutting its hair (bring back a wig if female) or shaving off a beard / mustache (if male) would work.
Flaying off some skin to return with a tattoo / birthmark would be too icky for me but might indicate earnestness - and unique identity - to others.

 

[toucanbuzz]

These sorts of quests are best when strongly integrated to the PCs backstories. I know the player is new to your group/the game, but what was their backstory or background? And how did the ranger PC die - exactly - to the displacer beast? Was the displacer beast a random encounter or serving another creature? Basically, are there any interesting character details or past session details that we could use to hang a story about regaining his original form on?

Being a Kingmaker campaign, the party was tightly-knit during character creation. After all, they have ambitions to form their own barony, and that requires unity. So, losing anyone is rough at this point, and the tightness of the bonds has meant any one of them would take an arrow for the other.

The backstory is complex but involves unity behind the idea one of their own is a bastard of a duchal bloodline that mysteriously vanished about 12 years ago, leaving their country without its King and ruling duchy. It has been ruled by a regent since, and it's hard to press his claim since (1) he'd be assassinated pretty quickly, (2) he doesn't have hard proof, and (3) all other known bastards vanished as well, casting doubt on anyone who says they're a bastard. So, instead of pressing a claim, they worked up an opportunity to forge their own path. The Ranger never had a family, and now he sees a chance to leave a legacy, a place where maybe the rules can be a bit different.

The beast was a random encounter and it ripped his guts out because that's what they do. I turned it into a local legend (the "nightmare beast" because it is never where it is supposed to be), hated by the "good" fey they encountered as the creatures were so vile they had to be driven from fey realms. I have also dropped the possibility they could do something with its hide one day as a grizzled trapper they had done a big favor for skinned the thing while they were off exploring and told them he heard big wizards in the big city can do wonders with things like this.

Did the manner of death really strike a chord with one or more of them?

It sucked, really. The battle was chaotic, messy, and a close call. The player was bummed, off table. However, it's been leading to some great real-life unity. The rest of the players are genuinely concerned with getting him back. We all know he could have simply rolled up a character, jumped back into the game, and at no cost. Instead, they took a 1,000gp IOU, are in debt to a druid who demanded concessions if they settle the lands, and they're happy about it! When one of my other gamers reached out on behalf of the new guy, I said we're in the right place for something like this: a quest to find your original form.

How that happens, working on it!