D&D 5E How would you handle raising dead on a PC that didn't believe in the gods?

[Caliban]

Ultimately, though, the warlock isn't investing any faith or belief in his patron. He is essentially entering into a business deal. He may be in complete disagreement with his patron's motives, and yet still be willing to trade with it.

I'm also a fan of the "approached in a moment of weakness and tricked into making a bargain" backstory. I've got a few warlocks who actively work against their patron (or think they do - is it all part of the plan?)

 

[dco]

- If he wants to play with the same character resurrect him. The character doesn't have to believe, the ones who contact with the gods are the clerics and other classes can also resurrect without the help from gods. In the special case that only gods were able to resurrect people they could find him more useful than a true believer if his actions helped them against rival gods, helped their believers and their cause, etc.

- If he wants a new character give him a new character sheet.

 

[Lanefan]

- If he wants to play with the same character resurrect him. The character doesn't have to believe, the ones who contact with the gods are the clerics and other classes can also resurrect without the help from gods. In the special case that only gods were able to resurrect people they could find him more useful than a true believer if his actions helped them against rival gods, helped their believers and their cause, etc.

- If he wants a new character give him a new character sheet.

Why does this have to be a single either-or question?

Whether the player wants a new character is one (metagame) question. Whether a revival-from-death will succeed is another (in-game) question entirely.

A perfectly plausible outcome is that the original character does a revival-retirement sequence and the player starts rolling up a new one.

Lanefan

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Two other thoughts.

First, if a god won't let their clerics resurrect an atheist, then why would they let them resurrect a character who didn't specifically worship them? Do all of the characters in the party have to worship the same god as the cleric god in order for the cleric's spells to work on them? I suppose you could say that the basic acknowledgement of the god's divinity that would be common in a polytheistic society is sufficient, and dedicated worship isn't required.

The other thought is that it never really occurred to me the ramifications of warlocks in a setting like Faerun where a patron deity is necessary to avoid an especially unpleasant afterlife. This most likely could be resolved by warlock patrons that were in league with certain deities. For instance, devils owe allegiance to Asmodeus, so he'll probably take you (in fact he definitely will take you--his devils recruit in the Fugue Plane!) The same is likely true for many of the fiendish patrons--few of them are actively opposed to evil deities. Signing up with one of them probably gets you a spot by default, and the evil deity might even take a hands off approach and let the patron handle you entirely. Great Old Ones are more problematic, and the idea that if you are sufficiently tainted you might just be left afloat in the Fugue Plane is an interesting and cool dilemma. I could easily see a character attempting to walk the line of using this power without sufficiently getting away from the power of their patron deity, but they may or may not succeed. Fey pact might very well be the hardest to interpret. You might say that someone like Silvanus will pick up the souls of fey pact warlocks, or you might say that fey themselves might come to claim you and take you away to become a fey spirit after death. The fact that devils and demons can take souls from the Fugue Plane is precedent that more than just deities can.

 

[Dausuul]

I don't see any reason the gods would refuse to resurrect an atheist. It's no worse than resurrecting the follower of a different god, which happens all the time in D&D. If a doctor was presented with a patient who refused to believe doctors existed, would the doctor say "I can't treat this person?" Of course not. (The doctor might make a few snarky comments during the treatment, though...)

In Faerun, of course, the Wall of the Faithless adds a different wrinkle, such that it might not be possible to resurrect the atheist. And if the atheist is unwilling to return, the spell fails as normal. But otherwise, I would allow it to work.

 

[Lanliss]

That really doesn't follow.

Warlock patrons, well like 2/3s of them anyway, have a plan for overthrowing the current established gods, and Warlocks are part of it. Unless you are only playing with fey pact warlocks (and even then, I am sure some fey entities run the "Screw the gods" flag), then they are doing something objectively worse than slapping the gods in the face, they are working against them to overthrow the godhood system.

There are numerous such characters that would work fine. An Undying/Death Cleric of Orcus, an Undying light/Light (or life) Cleric, Knowledge cleric/Just about any warlock.

Not all the gods are petty and jealous, and some patrons might like having a kind of "hole" to access a God's power for their machinations. I generally assume that Patrons are Neutral, unless the player specifically wants to follow the opposite of gods. Even then, as in my Orcus example above, they can get the best of both worlds. Of course, this is all IMO, and ignoring default lore. If you are required to use that lore for some reason, I can see where the issue might be.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Someone pointed out that bards can cast it too and I said he could do that, but he was already working on a new character.

How would you handle it?

In the specific case it's a non-issue. He's fine with his tank being dead and is building something else he might have more fun with. Heck, he might've been bored with the character.

More generally, if you do want the option to raise a nigh-inexplicable atheist in the Realms (seriously, the gods come right on down and do stuff), sure, a Bard works, or you could call back the 2e concepts of Clerics of philosophies or forces that don't have anything to do with gods. For that matter any number of clerics or deities might have some agenda in going ahead and raising him.

Or, you could put the dead non-believer through a Wraith-the-Oblivion style 'Harrowing,' in the afterlife, at the end of which he could gain Faith, pass on, be raised, re-incarnate, or rise as an undead, perhaps....

 

[MechaTarrasque]

I figure gods would be good with their clerics resurrecting followers of most other gods because of professional curtsey.

I would be good with a cleric bringing back anyone they wanted, as long as no one minds when a bunch of angels show up to express their unhappiness with that act: gotta keep the opportunities for xp and gold coming....

 

[Saeviomagy]

More generally, if you do want the option to raise a nigh-inexplicable atheist in the Realms (seriously, the gods come right on down and do stuff),

Yeah, like die.

And some of them are literally powerful mortals who took up a post.

Both of those would seem to disqualify the faerunian powers from being gods, thus rendering atheism tenable.

Also my understanding is that Kelemvor only uses the wall of the faithless to punish those who betray their own god. Atheists and unclaimed souls end up working in the city of the dead.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Yeah, like die.

And some of them are literally powerful mortals who took up a post.

Both of those would seem to disqualify the faerunian powers from being gods, thus rendering atheism tenable.

That's the basic position of the Athar Planescape faction.

Also my understanding is that Kelemvor only uses the wall of the faithless to punish those who betray their own god. Atheists and unclaimed souls end up working in the city of the dead.

As I understand it, unclaimed souls get stuck in the wall, and those who betrayed or only gave lip service to their declared deity become civil servants.

It really would make more sense if it were the other way though. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes that way.