How cool is reincarnation?

[DMH]

Paizo had an online supplement for Dungeon #100 that had the spell dire reincarnation. That particular supplement seems to have been removed, however.

Do you remember any details?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

We had a few reincarnations IMLC, and it was always fun, though usually a bit more so for everyone else at the table than the player involved.

What's even more fun is the possibility of a sex change during the process ... much humor as the half-elf she became a kobold he, then a halfling she ...

 

[Alzrius]

Do you remember any details?

I'll do you one better; here it is. This should be okay to put here, as it was freely available for download, and not for sale. The spell is near the end of the file.

 

[DMH]

Thank you.

 

[Slife]

Reincarnation is great for humans. Keep your bonus feat, extra skillpoints, get a buncha racial bonuses in addition. How cool is that?

Oh, and the immortality deal.

I guess if were reincarnated before coming to adulthood you'd actually age... that could be awkward (oh no! The king's baby is dead and all we have is a druid! Get me a reincarnate, stat! Oh *@#$&, he's an adult half-orc with a baby's soul!)

 

[Kafkonia]

I guess if were reincarnated before coming to adulthood you'd actually age... that could be awkward (oh no! The king's baby is dead and all we have is a druid! Get me a reincarnate, stat! Oh *@#$&, he's an adult half-orc with a baby's soul!)

You, my friend, have just given me a great character idea.

 

[VirgilCaine]

Having never played a druid, I have only a limited experience of the reincarnation spell. Specifically, it's been used just once in our group, and that was to bring back an elf NPC (who was actually a demon in an elf's body - long story) as a halfling. But yesterday I read the spell description idly while thumbing through my PHB looking for something else, and it struck me that the reincarnation spell is seven different shades of cool. There is so much fun players and DMs alike can have with this spell! I imagine a situation where the BBEG has his own druid (unknown to the PCs) who just keeps bringing him back to life as something else every time they kill him - and they'll never know who he is until he comes to get them. I see all kinds of psychological challenges to a PC who is returned to life via the spell - what if an elf or a dwarf came back as an orc? Paging Druid Freud! And what about the legal wranglings? I can imagine an entire adventure about a reincarnated character attempting to prove that he is who he claims to be, since a reincarnation spell is totally undetectable (unlike a polymorph, which shows up under scan) because you really are an elf brought back as a hobgoblin or whatever. How would family react? The role-playing possibilities inherent in this spell are a storyteller's wet dream! This is an ultra-cool spell, and I think now it ranks as one of my favourites, though, as I say, I've never played a druid and have never actually used it. Since I seem to be DM most of the time these days, I'm going to have to come up with some "fun with reincarnation" scenarios. The only thing that's sucky is that they replaced the 3.0 table with the 3.5 one, which precludes the prospect of coming back as some kind of animal. That would be even more fun, but I guess there's nothing stopping you rolling on the old table anyway. Does anybody have some wacky stories about this spell? I'd love to hear what karma-riffic shenanigans people have got up to?

Oooh, single block of text. 0 points. Content 0 points also.

As for "proving who you are"...that is ridiculous and stupid. Magical notaries would provide documentation of the heroes status.
It's not like magic appeared a few years ago and these are new problems.

 

[STARP_Social_Officer]

Oooh, single block of text. 0 points. Content 0 points also.

As for "proving who you are"...that is ridiculous and stupid. Magical notaries would provide documentation of the heroes status.
It's not like magic appeared a few years ago and these are new problems.

Don't hold back there, buddy. Tell me what you really think. I take it from your subtle comments and hints that you have a contrary position?

 

[crow81]

Just last week had a human in our party come back as an elf. (Player was an Archer out of character he loved it)

His father was watching and it caused him to have nervous breakdown. The associates his father was dealing with, to obtain the means to restore the clan to power, betrayed him.

He watched his clan die out over his own greed. The party left the father drunk in the bar taking the magic items of course.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

While developing the various nations of Sind for Mystara, I came up with some interesting uses for reincarnation. One nation, in particular, is noted both for having a spectacular military as well as harboring a cult of death-worshipping assassins. Given the prevalence of karma/reincarnation in Indian religion, I decided that many of the warriors of the army (in particular, its generals) had actually been reincarnated many time over, and had brought their experience and knowledge to assist in the development of the nation's armed forces, thus explaining their elite nature.

Further, the nation was secretly being run by the cult of assassins, and the rulers themselves had been reincarnated throughout the centuries by their death goddess.

I was toying with the idea of one of the minor nobles having been reincarnated as a rodent, due to some bad karma he'd encountered in his previous life (likely for having done something benevolent, as his goddess is evil), and the people were just waiting for it to die a natural death so that he could be reincarnated once more and take up his mantle.

The old version of reincarnation- where you could come back as non-human forms (more often, in fact, than not)- was actually preferable to me than the 3.5 version. I've pondered the idea of a karmic reincarnation spell that would weigh your alignment against what you turn into- which could have good and evil versions (depending on your patron).