bringing characters back to life

[punkorange]

How do you, as other DM's, look at bringing characters back through magical means vs. creating new characters.
Do you prefer your characters to do one or the other? I generally would just have characters start new characters, but one of my group members died last week. He could create a new character, but I think I would prefer him to come back this time. The story going on in the game is the best I've ever done as a DM I feel, and its the best my players have played in.
He is a cleric of corellion, and in high regards with corellion. I am thinking having corellion send him back because the group will need his help. I am thinking of allowing him to take levels in a half-celestial template class if he wants as well.

 

[Steel_Wind]

Well, as a general rule, I don't allow raise dead, resurrection or reincarnation of any kind.

Meta-gaming wise and for a number of reasons that have long been debated in a few dozen threads on ENworld, that's just the way I prefer it in my games. YMMV.

If you feel the meta-plot requires the dead PC to be bought back though - and you can do it in a way which makes sense - then that seems reasonable.

I am not sure how "against" you are raise dead, so this is highly campaign specific, but if you wish to persuade your players this is something rare, you might consider having the player of the dead character play a new character for a time, only to have the resurrection or possession or rescue of the dead PC transpire and effect or consume this new character.

The rarity of the event is underscored in that fashion.

I like the Celestial connection; however, it may be viewed by your other players as a "reward" for death. That's not a inference you want your players to draw, I would guess.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

As a DM, most of my enjoyment comes from RPing during the game. I don't take a lot of pleasure in the mechanical aspect of DMing. An aspect of this is that I tend to offer a lot of NPC relationships for PCs, as well as campaign-long development opportunities.

New PCs throw a wrench in the mix. All the previous NPC development goes out the window, and new PC development plotlines need to be created and threaded into the story. Likewise, villains and challenges that were previously relevent to the PCs lose their impact.

As a result, I prefer long-term PCs as much as possible. Do PCs die? Sometimes. But I try to balance the lethality so that there aren't so many PC deaths as so break the credibility of Deadly Threat, even when PCs come back from the grave.

 

[ender_wiggin]

When a PC dies, a multitude of things can happen. If my DMing is good (which I obviously aim for), then the player will be attached to that character and will do all things in his power to bring that PC back to life.

In the case, the player may take on the role of a cohort or another NPC and will roleplay that character until he either brings his old one back to life or he gives up. The intermediary character is usually much lower in level.

If the PC elects to create a new character, the new character begins with half experience, whereas if a character is brought back he is merely one level lower.

This should be enough incentive for both power gamers and roleplayers to try and get their old character back, which opens lots of plot options and creates other story devices. All a good thing. This is a game and I don't believe in *punishing* a player for having his character die. However, I do believe in punishing the *character* (usually in levels, sometimes in items too), and this makes the player work to keep his character alive.

 

[Tonguez]

An aspect of this is that I tend to offer a lot of NPC relationships for PCs, as well as campaign-long development opportunities.

New PCs throw a wrench in the mix. All the previous NPC development goes out the window, and new PC development plotlines need to be created and threaded into the story. Likewise, villains and challenges that were previously relevent to the PCs lose their impact.

I don't allow raise dead imc and if the players want to get a character back from the dead it requires a quest into the Underworld, fighting its various guardians and protections and then finally convincing the deceased and the Lords of the Dead to let the whole group go,

As to ongoing NPC relationships I also require that 1. PCs are part of an exisiting NPC group (it could be their family, their religious order or Mercenary Training Camp - whatever) and then any new characters are drawn from this group and most be known to the deceased

The result is that because the NPC group is already part of the campaign story the new PC is already tied in to the exisitng plots-hooks may know the NPCs independently and can quickly integrate

 

[the Jester]

I've done a variety of things over the years to make raising the dead more than just a spellcasting experience.

3e has a couple of great ways that it helps- mainly the material component of a true rez vs. the level loss from rez or RD. Still... *ponders* Needs something (imho) to make death scarier.

 

[Jdvn1]

Well, I think there are a couple issues here. Sure, death is a great plot hook and one that should be explored every once in a while. But if people keep dying, it also becomes a mechanical problem. A lot of GMs prefer to have some continuity in their games. I usually let people be Raised or whatever just because it's simpler and it keeps the game moving. If I think it fits into the flow of the game, though, I'll do an Underworld adventure of some sort.

 

[Ed Cha]

I try to avoid letting them make new characters. It just changes the story and is kinda weird. So they lose at least one or two levels.

Raise dead is possible, but not always readily available. There aren't that many high-level priests in my world.

 

[Silveras]

I've done a variety of things over the years to make raising the dead more than just a spellcasting experience.

3e has a couple of great ways that it helps- mainly the material component of a true rez vs. the level loss from rez or RD. Still... *ponders* Needs something (imho) to make death scarier.

I am considering the following:
For the gods to decide the scales are balanced, they require that those who bring back the dead give up some of their own life in payment.
Raise Dead "costs" a number of levels equal to the level of the returning character.
Resurrection costs the subject's level -5
True Resurrection costs the subject's level -10

The "cost" can be divided among those who seek the return of the deceased in any way they like.

And, quietly, for a good cause the gods waive the cost. Sometimes.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I tend to have no problem with either raise dead or new characters.

I keep trying to tell some of my older players that D&D 3rd ed is no longer like older editions where being raised from the dead isn't a consideration in moving through the adventures. It's just another useful spell. Heck, even the way XP works with lower level characters getting more experience than higher level ones helps to smooth things out.