How do you make an NPC stay dead?

[Dwarmaj]

In a campain that I play in we've killed a certain NPC several times and they keep getting raised or resurected (once through "Divine Intervention").

Our cleric has tried the Destruction spell, but that didn't keep them down for long.

Any ideas?

 

[SpikeyFreak]

Trap their soul. There are spells that do this.

--Vague Spikey

 

[Methinkus]

If the DM doesnt want "his character" to die, he/she wont. Sorry, but thats the way it is. Maybe this npc is important to the plot, or in some other way significant, or maybe the DM thinks you like fighting this person, but i dont know.

It sounds like the DM is being a little unfair in this situation (the use of divine intervention to save an important npc sounds heavy handed, and since true resurection can bring back someone who has been killed by a destruction, so maybe he's trying to send you a message about the futility of fighting this guy right now) but i dont have the whole story and was never present at your game table, so what do i know.

Your best bet would normaly be to kill everyone that knows his name, but then you would still have that god running around so why bother at all. Maybe you should consider joining him?

 

[AuraSeer]

That's what Soul Bind is for. Cast it on a corpse within a few rounds of death, and you imprison the soul in a gem. As long as that gem and its spell stay intact, no form of resurrection magic works.

Unfortunately, if your DM has played the "divine intervention" card, he's probably determined to keep this NPC alive. It's entirely possible that he'll keep finding some way to bring the guy back no matter what you do. If you think that's the case, the only solution is to smack your DM upside the head and tell him to play fair.

 

[Hypersmurf]

1. Feed him to a Barghest every time he comes back. Odds say it becomes permanent eventually.

2. Ask the DM to let you research a spell that ages someone. Don't tell him it's for his NPC. Once you die of old age, you don't come back.

3. Make a deal with a few succubi to show him a Really Good Time next time he dies - a soul has to want to come back...

-Hyp.

 

[0-hr]

Flesh to Stone.

Not dead, therefore cannot be raised. Disintegrate the statue and scatter the dust.

 

[IceBear]

I think Monte mentioned some variants to raise dead in "The Book of Hallowed Might". He also had some variants that would make plot devices like "The king is sick and we need you to go on a quest to find the rare herb that will cure him, even though we have a 20th level cleric here with cure disease" work

IceBear

 

[AuraSeer]

2. Ask the DM to let you research a spell that ages someone. Don't tell him it's for his NPC. Once you die of old age, you don't come back.

I remember seeing this suggestion before, and I've never really felt comfortable with it. There are no artificial aging effects in 3E, so the core rules probably assume that "old age" is identical to "natural aging."

One could argue that magical age affects the body but not the soul, and therefore does not prevent later resurrection. It's DM call, of course, which is not too much use in this situation.

 

[AuraSeer]

Flesh to Stone.
Not dead, therefore cannot be raised. Disintegrate the statue and scatter the dust.

The description of the Petrified condition states: "A petrified character is not dead as long as a majority of his body remains intact." This seems to indicate that he is dead once a majority of his body has been destroyed. Disintegrating the statue would free the soul and allow True Resurrection to work.

Instead, you could cast Polymorph Any Object to turn the statue into an inch-tall copy of itself. Keep the statue in your pocket, or your bag of holding, and the enemy is out of action until rescued.

(Of course, you then run the risk of having an angry diety show up, kick your ass, and release your prisoner. But sometimes that just can't be avoided.)

 

[gfunk]

If you are using the Epic Level Handbook check out the organizations in the back. One of them, the Garrote, are a group of extremely high level assassins who specialize in killing powerful creatures. Of course, they also make sure that they stay dead. There is a poison they use (the name escapes me) but if it is rubbed on the eyes of a corpse it makes it 50% likely that True Resurrection, Wish, or Miracle will fail each time they are cast to raise the subject from the dead.

Alternatively, if money is not an issue, you can have the leader of the organization take care of the corpse. She has a cloak that works like a Sphere of Annihilation. Once a corpse is placed into it, it disappears forever "beyond the reach of even greater gods."