D&D Basic Rules Souls & Spirits

[The_Duke]

Was there a discussion in the revised basic edition (editions compiled by Frank Mentzer--Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, Immortal) about the nature of souls and spirits and the paths they took after death? I can't seem to find it now. Is there a discussion elsewhere about this topic in the D&D multiverse (any editions)?

 

[the Jester]

The only thing I can recall on this was in the 1e Deities & Demigods.

 

[The_Duke]

Thanks! I'll check that right now!

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I would have thought the Immortals boxed set would have had something on it. Or at the least Wrath of the Immortals revised immortals rules would. Those two boxes are in storage so I can't verify.

 

[Alan Shutko]

I just scanned through the boxed sets and the Rules Cyclopedia, and I can't find any mention of it, beyond just "death as a well-deserved rest", etc. Might be there in Wrath of the Immortals, but i haven't checked that....

In old-school, at least, looks like it was completely up to you.

 

[BASHMAN]

Well, some entire civilizations on the verge of death ended up in hollow world-- but that didn't make the people of these nations immortal.

As for what can happen to a dead person, I think they deliberately did not want to go there, as the religious anti-D&D psychos with foaming jaws would have had real ammo from that.

 

[The_Duke]

Thanks for all the feedback! The information I was looking for was in the 1e Deities and Demigods book, in the introductory material. It specifies that there is a difference between a soul and a spirit. It does mention a few times that this is optional and that the DM should decide how they want to handle these facts in their games.

 

[Delta]

Thanks for all the feedback! The information I was looking for was in the 1e Deities and Demigods book, in the introductory material. It specifies that there is a difference between a soul and a spirit. It does mention a few times that this is optional and that the DM should decide how they want to handle these facts in their games.

You realize that's officially a different game system than the one you asked about ("editions compiled by Frank Mentzer--Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, Immortal"), right?

 

[M.L. Martin]

The "Voyages of the Princess Ark" column in DRAGON #180 (April 1992) addressed this for BEMCI D&D.

 

[Alan Shutko]

The "Voyages of the Princess Ark" column in DRAGON #180 (April 1992) addressed this for BEMCI D&D.

Good catch! I did check WotI and they didn't say anything, so this is the only answer!