Creative Resurrection Payments

[Cyri'kazzen the Drow]

Hi all.

Several characters in my FR campaign bit the dust last week. There are several churches nearby that could help the group out. The alive members of the group don't have the funds necessary for raise dead/resurrection. Quests are pretty much out, except for minor ones, because the group is on a quest currently. What might be another creative payment in blood or deed?

I am looking for any ideas you can come up with or examples that you all have used. Thanks.

 

[Dinkeldog]

Magic items that the party holds. A temple could always find a use for another +1 sword.

Maybe they could stand guard duty over a planned ritual and defend the local priests from attacks by a rival priesthood.

 

[Enkhidu]

Don't be afraid to use the quest thing - after all, the temple has its own agenda to pursue...

You could always use the "we'll call on you later" method, and bind them to it through various magical means...

 

[Voadam]

Does any PC have the ability to craft items?

First born for the priesthood (beware deals with evil clerics).

Political marriages.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Quest, task, adventures all could be used. Also paying forward, paying as they go on at the price of no healing.

 

[Liolel]

If dealing with an evil church and you want to be really evil, the soul of the character raised would go to their god next time they die.

Or less evil as a dm if it happens with a good church conversion to churchs god.

Your players will hate you for either of those though.

 

[rbingham2000]

I like the "first born for the priesthood" idea, and if I'm not mistaken, it was common practice in the medieval age for noble families to give one of their kids to the clergy for training as a priest.

Of course, if they were unwise enough to pick an evil church for bringing their pals back, the evil church might want the kid for some horrible sacrificial rite to their dark god.

 

[demiurge1138]

The party could go from place to place, finding no charity, until they meet a devil with a contract; not a full-blown sell-your-soul contract, just one that will provide some small boon to the Hells. Until, of course, things start to get out of control, and the fiend gets them to sign more and more contracts.

Just an evil little suggestion.

Demiurge out.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

From a not-so-nice church: they must perform an assasination, a life for a life and all that.

 

[Tessarael]

A tax or percentage of income earned on their adventuring loot. Maybe first choice of a magic item found on their quest.

Information, anything useful for the priesthoods that the players know.

The ability to experiment on the characters. Test a new Reincarnate or Raise Dead spell. Or maybe check what the effects of a magical disease, magic item, etc are. The effects don't have to be bad, but you could do quirky stuff like have them grow a tentacle or something.

Blood price: for those that live, their bloodline and relatives will be cursed.

Other curses: "When the dead walk the earth, so too will their footsteps echo their past, with the death of each blade of grass." Interesting flavor. Maybe the church has reasons for wanting to do this.

Day-to-day requirements: e.g. Johnny Appleseed type of request for a Deity of Agriculture - "You must plant apple seeds wheresoever you go, until you depart this earth finally."

Temporary raising: characters are brought back to finish their quest, and must pay in one way or another by a set date, otherwise they die, permanently, and their souls are consumed.

Free raising: the church wishes to support the characters to finish their quest. Of course, such benificience expects future help, tithes, reverence, etc from the characters.

Demonic seed: a character is brought back, impregnated with a demon, devil, celestial or whatever, and must nurture it as their own child as it develops into adulthood.

A life for many deaths: Church of War or Death will bring the characters back, on the condition that they pay hundredfold for their deaths.

And so forth ...