genshou
First Post
I house rule it, because I play tougher games in which PC mortality is very high, and the rate of character turnover would get kind of unrealistic at higher levels. How many 16th-level heroes are there running around out there, anyway?
Bringing back the dead follows variant rules based on those originally written by JD Wiker:
Being brought back from the dead is a trauma which inflicts a great deal of agony on the returned soul. Characters who are brought back suffer 1 negative level. Note that I said a negative level, not level loss. As with the negative level inflicted for using a weapon of opposed alignment, this never results in actual level loss. This negative level functions similarly to a magical disease. You must succeed at three simultaneous DC 15 Fortitude saving throws to remove it. It cannot be removed by magical means of removing negative levels (such as restoration).
If the target of a resurrection spell is 1st-level, or already has enough negative levels that another cannot be applied, they instead suffer “permanent” Constitution drain. The amount of drain depends on the power of the Heal enhancement* used to revive them:
Revive, Lesser: Con reduced to 1.
Revive: Con reduced to 3/4.
Revive: Greater: 1d4 Con drain.
Revive, Epic: 1 Con drain.
Every day, the afflicted makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15). Success restores 1 point of Constitution drain. This healing is separate from natural healing, so a character who was recently revived and has suffered temporary Con damage as well can heal both in the same day. Unlike negative levels inflicted by resurrection, magical means for removing ability drain function normally with regards to this drain.
*This system was designed for Elements of Magic rules. For core resurrection, treat Lesser Revive as raise dead or reincarnate, Revive as resurrection, Greater Revive as true resurrection or true reincarnate, and Epic Revive as wish, miracle, or any epic-level spell which raises the dead.
Bringing back the dead follows variant rules based on those originally written by JD Wiker:
Being brought back from the dead is a trauma which inflicts a great deal of agony on the returned soul. Characters who are brought back suffer 1 negative level. Note that I said a negative level, not level loss. As with the negative level inflicted for using a weapon of opposed alignment, this never results in actual level loss. This negative level functions similarly to a magical disease. You must succeed at three simultaneous DC 15 Fortitude saving throws to remove it. It cannot be removed by magical means of removing negative levels (such as restoration).
If the target of a resurrection spell is 1st-level, or already has enough negative levels that another cannot be applied, they instead suffer “permanent” Constitution drain. The amount of drain depends on the power of the Heal enhancement* used to revive them:
Revive, Lesser: Con reduced to 1.
Revive: Con reduced to 3/4.
Revive: Greater: 1d4 Con drain.
Revive, Epic: 1 Con drain.
Every day, the afflicted makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15). Success restores 1 point of Constitution drain. This healing is separate from natural healing, so a character who was recently revived and has suffered temporary Con damage as well can heal both in the same day. Unlike negative levels inflicted by resurrection, magical means for removing ability drain function normally with regards to this drain.
*This system was designed for Elements of Magic rules. For core resurrection, treat Lesser Revive as raise dead or reincarnate, Revive as resurrection, Greater Revive as true resurrection or true reincarnate, and Epic Revive as wish, miracle, or any epic-level spell which raises the dead.
