D&D 5E D&D 5e death and consequences?

[Chocolategravy]

I'm wondering, judging by most of his posts, if he's here just to troll the forum. Guy doesn't even play the game.

It's like you haven't even HEARD of the game. You know these things called clerics that can get you back from the dead in under 6 seconds in the middle of combat at level 5 so you don't even miss your turn, literally no consequences... you know these things exist right? Pretty sure the troll here is you buddy.

 

[Sacrosanct]

It's like you haven't even HEARD of the game. You know these things called clerics that can get you back from the dead in under 6 seconds in the middle of combat at level 5 so you don't even miss your turn, literally no consequences... you know these things exist right? Pretty sure the troll here is you buddy.

Every time someone makes a comment about how you never play the game and therefore shouldn't be taken seriously? This is yet another example.

For instance, Revivify requires 300gp in diamonds to cast. Over dozens of play sessions, our PCs certainly have come across lots of gems, but not too many diamonds. Certainly not enough to be casting this spell every time someone dies.

Also, you have to have a 5th cleric in your party that has this spell prepared in the first place. That's not sure thing.

And thirdly, it only works if you've died in the last minute.

Fourthly, you better not have more PCs die than spell slots available, which can, and does, happen before your next long rest.

Fifthly, what happens when it's the cleric who goes down or is otherwise incapacitated?

So yeah, death is a very real (and permanent) thing in D&D, especially at lower levels. These are things you would know if you actually, you know, played the game.

Get a friggin clue.

Indeed...

And it just reiterates my earlier post. It seems to me you just joined this forum (last month) to troll it. I can't think of any other reason why any reasonable minded person would think to themselves, "You know what, I hate this game. I'm gonna go join an online forum just to complain about this game I don't like." Who does that?

 

[Doc_Klueless]

Revivify does carry some consequences though: It only brings the person back to 1 hp, has to be cast within the last minute, costs 300 gp and needs to take up one of the cleric's prepared spell slots.

Especially during an on-going battle. It's fairly easy for creatures to hit characters, so if that 1 hp dude makes a move, he's going down again quickly unless he can spend even more resources to keep on his feet. Which I guess the whole Hit Dice thingy might help with.

This might not be a steep price, but it is a price.

 

[Morrus]

I'm wondering, judging by most of his posts, if he's here just to troll the forum. Guy doesn't even play the game.

Sacrosanct, if you think somebody is trolling the forum, please report the post. Don't accuse them of it in the thread, because this then happens...

It's like you haven't even HEARD of the game. You know these things called clerics that can get you back from the dead in under 6 seconds in the middle of combat at level 5 so you don't even miss your turn, literally no consequences... you know these things exist right? Pretty sure the troll here is you buddy.

Bored of asking you to be civil, Chocolategravy. You clearly have no intention of doing as I ask, and the reported posts are making my phone ping too often when I have other things to be doing. The only reason I haven't asked you to leave yet is because you were responding to the above post. However, next valid post report and you're gone.

As it is, please neither of you respond to the other again.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

This...

It changes the dynamic for the rich and powerful too, nobles get raised pretty easy so common assassinations and things just don't happen like they did in the real world. Also think about how it is more likely that clerics would keep raising dead members of their clergy, so said organizations would have powerful members, the highest level people on the world are likely paladins and clerics.

Coupled with this...

One of the best little things to come out of 3pp 3e books was a little cult that felt anyone that was raised or resurrected was the most nefarious of undead. They had magic that could detect someone that was raised and their turning ability could work on them. I thought it was a great idea and I had my own god of death adopt the cult. I think it was in Touched by the Gods by Atlas.

Could lead to some awesome campaign stuff, if even just sideline/background/living world stuff.

Thanks for the ideas.

 

[Paraxis]

Spells that bring you back to life, who can cast them, and the cost.

Clone, 8th level, Wizard, 3,000 gp, instantly animates the clone back is a safe area.
Raise Dead, 5th level, Cleric/Bard/Paladin, 500 gp, and can't be used after 10 days. Need whole body to bring back.
Reincarnate, 5th level, Druid, 1,000 gp, can't be used after 10 days, get new body/race. A piece of body will work.
Resurrection, 7th level, Cleric & Bard, 1,000gp, can be dead up to 100 years. Only a small bit is needed.
Revivify, 3rd level, Cleric & Paladin, 300gp, can be dead up to a minute, need whole body basically.
True resurrection, 9th level, Cleric & Druid, 25,000 gp, can be dead up to two centuries don't need any bit of body at all.

Don't forget the bard can also get access to Revivify through magic secrets ability. Thats three different classes that can rez a downed ally I would say most groups would have at least one of them. With this simple spell and 300gp gem stashed for just an occasion you most likely never need any other raise dead spell.

So looking at this bards are your best bet to get raised from the dead. I mean they don't normally have those fickle moral issues, and concepts of the afterlife. Their power to bring back the dead comes from mastery of arcane power not divine.

Think about how much a good tomb, or even fancy headstone and funeral might cost. Most people would rather spend the 1,000 gp to have the wandering minstrel play his bagpipes and raise the dead not wish them farewell.

Think about the price of full plate 1,500 gp. A duke or someone can pay to have 2 of his men in full plate or set aside some gems so that if 3 of his loved ones die they can be brought back.

 

[Crothian]

Think about the price of full plate 1,500 gp. A duke or someone can pay to have 2 of his men in full plate or set aside some gems so that if 3 of his loved ones die they can be brought back.

That's a new meaning for Life Insurance.

 

[redrick]

How about making the remaining living characters undergo a difficult quest to be able to get the dead characters back. Maybe an object for a temple or a special spell scroll, etc. What do you all think?

When reading the rules, I felt certain that this was the designers' intention. The diamond needed to perform serious resurrection magic is not only valuable, but also unique, not to mention that spellcasters capable of performing the ritual would also be quite rare. Otherwise, the cost would be set in gp and have a purely economic function. The DM can choose to handwave the acquisition of this rare and precious item at her discretion based on the nature of her game.

My question (one of legitimate inquiry, not skepticism) was, in practice, how likely are players to want undertake such a quest, with the afflicted player now playing a new character, and then return to the old character after completing the quest? (Assuming that you don't tell the player to just sit the next few sessions out and you'll call when the other players manage to pull off the resurrection. Which would be somewhat fiendish.)

If I leave my book at work over the weekend, I'll sit tight until I can get it back on Monday. But if I leave my book in another state and have to wait a week to get it back, I've already started a new book and moved on. Hell, there are plenty books that I've never finished for that very reason.

How have these sorts of things worked out in your campaigns?

 

[Thank Dog]

You control the acquisition of wealth. There is no expected amount of treasure or magical items in 5e. Therefore you can make gold, and by extension resurrection, as limited or not as you wish. 1,000gp under these circumstances can be either pocket change or a major lost resource. Personally, I will be going with the latter and I think that is enough of a negative consequence, especially if it means the party now has no further funds for a resurrection.

Then it becomes favours to the closest temple, and thus the deity of that temple. How do you feel about a paladin owing his resurrection to Bhaal?

 

[jrowland]

one thing DMs can do is to change the cost of the diamond:

Don't like "cheap" rez spells? Make them essentially bankrupt the party, ...How much does it cost to rez? everything.

with varying shades down: 1/2 party wealth, bankrupt a player, 1/2 player wealth, etc.

I personally do a two pronged approach:

First, the costassumes a flawless diamond of that price, so yeah, there are plenty of 300gp diamonds for revivify, but flawless are hard to come by, the tiny little buggers. Easy enough to have one made or to purchase, but you have to plan ahead.

Second, it has to be inscribed with magical runes sacred to a) The God/Demon/Entity's realm that the characters spirit is now inhabiting and b) The cleric performing such a service is no more than 1 alignment step away.

What this means is that a cleric can just rez on-the-fly Joe the MacGuffin when he dies unless they planned for it, but perhaps the Bishop at the church he intended can, so narratively things like NPC death can happen. Especially when the NPC is an enemy they want to question...no rez and torture for you unless your really prepared. It also means that PPCs have to plan ahead for death and resurrection and it becomes a limited resource: How much money/game time do they want to spend? Do they want to be 1 step away from the clerics alignment? and so on. I've found that many players choose to forget the insurance and look forward to a new PC.