Drained, Slain...Undead?

[Tom Cashel]

What happens to PCs in your game who receive negative levels equal to their HD and end up slain? Do they stay dead? Do they come back as wights, spectres, something worse?

Do NPCs come back while PCs are left to their blissful slumbering doom?

Instruct me.

 

[shoplifter]

If was the result of an undead attack, hell yes they come back as undead!!

That, and they CAN'T be raised. No way, no how, at least short of a Miracle. Wish doesn't cut it for that kind of thing in my game.

If its the result of something else, I'll allow them to come back with a Raise Dead with a 2 level loss.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Shadow dragon's breath.

 

[shoplifter]

I suppose it'd depend on exactly HOW bad it was. I wouldn't have the PC/NPC come back as undead unless the SDragon has something about undead in its description. (I don't think it does......) If it did, then I likely would have the PC/NPC come back as a shadow.

 

[grimslade]

Drained to Death

IMHO, I don't think the source of negative energy drain matters. The PC should come back as an undead. A wight or spectre are fine. A vampire spawn linked to the Shadow Dragon might be a possibility. The character has been filled with negative energy; he/she should not just be another corpse. Maybe a wraith or shadow would be more fitting for a shadow dragon.

Grim

 

[Aeolius]

Back in 1e AD&D, if an energy drain spell took a PC below zero levels, they returned as a juju zombie.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Re: Drained to Death

he/she should not just be another corpse.

Yeah, that's what I think...

The funny thing is, they put the corpse in their portable hole about 15 sec. after death. I described the horrible grimace on its face and the staring tortured eyes as they folded up the extra-dimensional storage space (also filled with sundry barrels of water, firewood, huge amounts of rations, etc. etc.).

heh heh heh heh...

I can't wait until they open it again.

 

[Voadam]

Most drains will say in the description what happens if you kill with it, the default is the same type of undead or wights for most spells such as enervation (or am I misremembering that). Anyway, if it were my game I'd have them come back as undead, (I actually did that to a PC in my game, he now has the wight template I wrote for the Penumbra Bestiary).

What does the shadow dragon entry say? I only vaguely remember it from the 1e MMII.