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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ruleslawyer" data-source="post: 1097124" data-attributes="member: 1757">So basically, there are five options you have here:1) Play by the rules as written.2) Make raising the dead mechanically harder. One way to go is to use Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed variant resurrection spells, which are high level, difficult to learn, and take literally days to cast. Another is to make the resurrection spells higher level. Another is to eliminate the more powerful resurrection spells and allow only raise dead, meaning that a character who doesn't have an intact body isn't coming back. Finally, a last option is to eliminate the spells entirely, but rule that a wish or miracle can raise characters from the dead, meaning that you  just make it harder and more expensive to raise PCs/NPCs.3) Put RP restrictions on raising: Deific involvement, cultural taboo, selfish priests, etc. I'm not fond of this approach, because I have a hard time suspending disbelief to the point of thinking that high-level PCs, who should be THE prominent, divinely-graced heroes (or villains) of their campaign world, would be barred from access to assistance that admittedly, by the rules anyway, does exist.4) Eliminate raising the dead and install no compensating mechanism. IMHO, bad idea, unless you want a gritty, realistic dark fantasy setting rather than a heroic fantasy setting. The PCs are supposed to be the "heroes" of the story created by a successful RP campaign; storybook heroes don't often get recycled in favor of new heroes constantly.5) Eliminate raising, but install compensating mechanisms. This seems to be what you've asked for. I think this is a fine way to go, and the solution I'd suggest is to use a hero points system. Such systems give PCs a nice cushion of plot immunity, which fits the heroic fantasy style rather well. One system is to allow a hero point to accomplish the following:a) Add +20 to a single attack roll, save, or check if spent before the check is made;b) Allow a reroll (with no bonus) if spent after an unsuccessful die roll; c) Allow an additional round of actions outside a character's normal initiative turn;d) Allow a character to reduce an effect that causes the character's death to one that merely incapacitates the character in some way.This is the system used IMC, although I also allow characters to be raised within 24 hours of death using the raise dead spell (which is 7th level IMC) or brought back from the dead using a wish or miracle spell at any time and under any circumstances, subject to the substantial XP costs of those spells and at the cost of a character level. Typically, well-played PCs in my games earn about 4 or 5 hero points by 10th level.</blockquote>

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