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<blockquote data-quote="William Ronald" data-source="post: 1318842" data-attributes="member: 426">In the campaign that I played in for most of the past 21 years, raise dead and resurrection spells did not seem to detract from the heroism.&nbsp; We still had characters make the ultimate sacrifice -- some doing so in situations where there could be no resurrection possible.&nbsp; Sometimes, I think that raise dead and similar spells help deal with the uncertainty issue of a campaign.&nbsp; (There is also some justification for those spells in a fantasy game.&nbsp; I recall reading that a resurrection spell was used in one of Roger Zelazny's novel and I think there are a few other literary references as well.&nbsp; Not to mention mythological and religious references as well.)I am not criticizing those DMs who limit raise dead and similar spells in their campaign, but it does seem to be ways to deal with arbitrary deaths.&nbsp;&nbsp; Mind you, it is still possible to have meaningful permanent deaths in campaigns.&nbsp; I have willingly sacrificed two characters to achieve a goal in campaign.&nbsp; A voluntary sacrifice means more than just a death due to a bad die roll.In each case, I decided that trying to revive a character would invalidate their sacrifice on behalf of the party and the world.&nbsp; So, I made it clear that I did not want to have either of my characters revived.&nbsp; I think the DM ruled each time that the party learned that their former colleagues were at peace.I have played some D20 modern, and I like action points as they provide a mechanic for characters to try to press their limits.&nbsp; I think risk is an essential element of heroism.&nbsp; To quote Shakespeare from Hamlet, &quot;The readiness is all.&quot;DaveStebbins: I like your idea as it also helps tie the characters to the community, and gives the players a sense of accomplishment.&nbsp; Not all rewards for a hero should be monetary. Just having the good will of others is often rewarding, and a great hook for good role playing.Creamsteak:&nbsp; I generally like the BoED (I am debating whether or not to give a review), but I would argue that in the case of truly vile foes, mercy is not a reasonable or good option for some enemies.&nbsp; Particularly those who are feigning a last minute conversion to good. (As someone who is familiar with history and the beliefs of many historical cultures, I do not find much justification for this rule based on many real world practices.)To me, heroism is about having a sense of the importance of the world beyond one's self and the willingness to take risks on its behalf.&nbsp;&nbsp; Any more thoughts?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="William Ronald, post: 1318842, member: 426"] In the campaign that I played in for most of the past 21 years, raise dead and resurrection spells did not seem to detract from the heroism. We still had characters make the ultimate sacrifice -- some doing so in situations where there could be no resurrection possible. Sometimes, I think that raise dead and similar spells help deal with the uncertainty issue of a campaign. (There is also some justification for those spells in a fantasy game. I recall reading that a resurrection spell was used in one of Roger Zelazny's novel and I think there are a few other literary references as well. Not to mention mythological and religious references as well.) I am not criticizing those DMs who limit raise dead and similar spells in their campaign, but it does seem to be ways to deal with arbitrary deaths. Mind you, it is still possible to have meaningful permanent deaths in campaigns. I have willingly sacrificed two characters to achieve a goal in campaign. A voluntary sacrifice means more than just a death due to a bad die roll. In each case, I decided that trying to revive a character would invalidate their sacrifice on behalf of the party and the world. So, I made it clear that I did not want to have either of my characters revived. I think the DM ruled each time that the party learned that their former colleagues were at peace. I have played some D20 modern, and I like action points as they provide a mechanic for characters to try to press their limits. I think risk is an essential element of heroism. To quote Shakespeare from Hamlet, "The readiness is all." DaveStebbins: I like your idea as it also helps tie the characters to the community, and gives the players a sense of accomplishment. Not all rewards for a hero should be monetary. Just having the good will of others is often rewarding, and a great hook for good role playing. Creamsteak: I generally like the BoED (I am debating whether or not to give a review), but I would argue that in the case of truly vile foes, mercy is not a reasonable or good option for some enemies. Particularly those who are feigning a last minute conversion to good. (As someone who is familiar with history and the beliefs of many historical cultures, I do not find much justification for this rule based on many real world practices.) To me, heroism is about having a sense of the importance of the world beyond one's self and the willingness to take risks on its behalf. Any more thoughts? [/QUOTE]

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