Another explanation would be something like what happened to Alphonse Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist.
Dead Character Prevents Plot
- Thread starter Mechanimal
- Start date
I personally agree with Jester's sentiments and would advise just weaving this into the ongoing story and have events work out naturally without any GM interference.
However since you may prefer a different style, here are two ideas you might try to keep your plot intact.
1) Get him to play the brother. You seem to have not yet decided whether the brother would be evil or not. The player could take over this NPC brother, perhaps the oracle has redeemed him or convinced him that he must join the party in order to accomplish his goals. This way, most of the plot hooks and character relationships will still be intact, all you need to do is create a new evil villain for your series (perhaps someone who hired the brother to do his initial evil actions that the brother can now warn the group about).
2) Jump forwards in time. If resurrection is possible within your setting but just not convenient in the current scope of the adventure, then simply skip over the next few months. Start next session with a recap that the brother somehow managed to escape with the oracle, they got their colleague resurrected and now they're trying to track the brother down again.
However since you may prefer a different style, here are two ideas you might try to keep your plot intact.
1) Get him to play the brother. You seem to have not yet decided whether the brother would be evil or not. The player could take over this NPC brother, perhaps the oracle has redeemed him or convinced him that he must join the party in order to accomplish his goals. This way, most of the plot hooks and character relationships will still be intact, all you need to do is create a new evil villain for your series (perhaps someone who hired the brother to do his initial evil actions that the brother can now warn the group about).
2) Jump forwards in time. If resurrection is possible within your setting but just not convenient in the current scope of the adventure, then simply skip over the next few months. Start next session with a recap that the brother somehow managed to escape with the oracle, they got their colleague resurrected and now they're trying to track the brother down again.
Merkuri
Explorer
This might be a great roleplaying challenge for the player if he likes that sort of thing. You can allow him to play both the original warforged soul and the dead PC, switching back and forth as he sees fit (or at a roll, if you'd rather do it that way).
We had a somewhat similar scenario in a campaign we played a few years ago. The player in question was playing a really dumb orc PC who found an intelligent axe that could take control of the orc PC at will, since the orc's mental defenses were so low. This was actually an awesome thing for the player, since he liked the character but felt like the PC's low mental scores were hampering his ability to participate in "serious" RP scenarios. He did a spectacular job RPing the axe as a separate personality, and we could really tell when the axe was talking and when the orc was talking. The player had so much fun with that scenario.
i disagree with the sentiment of retconning anyone who cant take the death of his character needs a new game. my friend made a druid. first battle and his animal ate diseased meat and died. then another pc killed the guy. we really dont like his play style. so we made him role a new guy. he wanted bard but we made him roll an elf ranger. i allow some retconning. like taking back a spell that is pointless. sometimes if i get mad and kill someone by accident ill undo it but if they cant take the fight they need a new character or you need to give weaker opponants. but to your porblem if he absolutely wants to keep that character. you could have bahamut revive him. just a thought to make it harder he is stripped of being dragonborneuntil he goes and redoes the ritual maybe. just an idea
the Jester
Legend
No offense, but the things in bold would all be dealbreakers for me that would make me leave the table.
NOBODY should make a player's choices for him, especially in character generation. Retcons absolutely and completely ruin the game for me; they ensure that the dm is arbitrary and unfair (once you retcon one action, if you aren't willing to retcon other similar actions every time, you've lost you impartiality, and you have handed control of the game over to the pushiest of your players). And having a god step down a revive a pc just because he doesn't want to stay dead?
Again, no offense, but these things are playstyle choices that are absolutely anathema to me and my style. I want success to feel earned; if I know that, when I die, my god will just step in and bring me back- where's the earning? And if my buddy's god steps in to bring him back, and then my god won't- unless there is a strong in-game reason- then the dm is just playing favorites.
My advice is to stay absolutely away from that kind of stuff. It seriously damages the campaign's integrity, as well as the dm's, in my opinion.
okay first i said i didnt like ret conning especially a massive thing. but like
npc: says something important.
pc: i cast tongues on myself so I can understand him
dm: dude hes speaking common...
pc: oh then i dont do that.
that is what i was talking about. as for making him roll ranger. that wasnt as a dm that was a friend that saw his playstyle. and he is a beginner. who was trying to play classes that he shouldnt have been. he loves his ranger btw thanked all of us for making him do it.
as for god resurrecting he is the god of dragonborn. hello so theres ample reason add to that theres not a good way for the pc's to do it right now. it would be acceptable. im sorry if you dont like my playstyle i like to let my players have some fun instead of worrying about very decision
npc: says something important.
pc: i cast tongues on myself so I can understand him
dm: dude hes speaking common...
pc: oh then i dont do that.
that is what i was talking about. as for making him roll ranger. that wasnt as a dm that was a friend that saw his playstyle. and he is a beginner. who was trying to play classes that he shouldnt have been. he loves his ranger btw thanked all of us for making him do it.
as for god resurrecting he is the god of dragonborn. hello so theres ample reason add to that theres not a good way for the pc's to do it right now. it would be acceptable. im sorry if you dont like my playstyle i like to let my players have some fun instead of worrying about very decision
the Jester
Legend
Fair enough, but I'd hardly call that a retcon- more like a miscommunication. But yeah, that's a good example of something that I would allow.
I might advise a player that was new to the game to try a simpler character, but I still wouldn't force him to. It's the same principle as when the pc cleric dies and everyone really wants him to make another cleric "for the good of the group". What if dude wants to play something different- say, a fighter or other class with no healing? Despite the other players' cries of woe, I'd say let him do what he wants, it's his character, after all!
This makes it sound like any pc dragonborn who dies when the party can't easily raise him can expect to be resurrected by Bahamut. Can elves expect the same treatment from Carellon? What about npc dragonborn and elves? What about the bad guy they just killed? Under this reasoning, he'll be back in no time.
I don't like this approach, but that is- again- a playstyle preference issue.
No worries- I wouldn't like your game from the sound of things, but that doesn't make it wrong. It's just not a game that I personally would enjoy. You might find my game too restrictive and deadly for exactly the same reasons that I enjoy it that way: playstyle preference.
I certainly don't mean to sound like your game is badwrongfun! It's just not my type of fun. And, in threads like these, I give my opinion about what makes a good, fun game based on my experience and preferences, since those are the only experiences and preferences I've got.
the Jester
Legend
Oh sorry, I'm thinking 4e dragonborn, who can be any alignment.
Similar Threads
