If Medusa dies, do petrified players/NPCs come back from stone?

[Klaudius Rex]

I had a TPK with a medusa boss some time ago.

The players made new characters, leveled up, and ultimately took out the medusa...which is fine, of course.

They want thier old characters back, which i am not totally against, but the players think that killing the medusa would un-petrify everyone the medusa has ever petrified..including thier old characters, NPCs, and all other creatures.

Im not entirely sure about this, but i cant find a rule against it.
The players want my DM judgement to supercede and allow it, but im not so sure it makes sense entirely.

im not trying to hamper them or ruin their fun or anything, and dont mind if they Greater Restoration thier old characters, i just not sure if they automatically come back from stone if the medusa boss dies.

let me know what you think
thanks in advance

 

[iserith]

There are no such rules for medusas so far as I know, but it doesn't seem like you stand a lot to gain by denying them their wish here.

 

[Arilyn]

Normally, I'd say no. Killing a medusa will not being the victims back to life. Your players, however, really want their old characters back, so why not? New characters could use stone to flesh, which might require a quest. That skips the problem of the medusa's magic fading away.

If you are willing to have them come back to life from the death of the medusa, make sure there's a price. All the victims will be brought back, so I'd make sure that something really nasty is alive again and walking the world.

Don't give anything away for free, make the players work for their goals, be narratively dramatic and you can't go wrong.

 

[Volund]

The medusa description in the MM is very specific about how to end the petrification: The petrification lasts until the creature is freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

I have never seen a version of a medusa where anything turned to stone returned to normal when the medusa died. And in older versions of D&D, you would just cast the reverse of the Flesh to Stone spell to save the stoned character. But for some dumb reason they decided to get rid of being able to cast the reverse of spells. So by the book, a Greater Restoration is the only way to save the characters, but if you want to invent something for your game, maybe by making a potion combining medusa blood and holy water or something, that can be poured over them.

 

[Monayuris]

In my campaign I would say no. The victims of the turn to stone ability of the medusa would not automatically come back when the medusa was killed. Why do you think there are so many statues in D&D dungeons?

Of course, there is no 'overcome adversity' or system shock thing in 5E. I would say that being turned to stone does not necessarily result in the character being killed. In 5E, Greater Restoration would restore the character to normal, but if you want to provide another means as a quest or result of an adventure, go for it. Perhaps having the blood or the snake hair of the medusa is a part of fulfilling the quest.

It could be a fun short term adventure to have a bunch of younger new characters venture forth to restore their idols lost to time.

In my game, I assume that there is a chance that any statue, anywhere, in any dungeon, may in fact be a victim of a medusa or gorgon or some such. If it came across the mind of a player to cast Greater Restoration on a statue, I'd roll a percentile chance for it to be a petrified character and I have a list of 'forgotten heroes' (that I have found somewhere online) that I'll draw from.

 

[Draegn]

I have used from previous editions having to use the blood of the medusa to reverse the petrification. However a medusa has a finite amount of blood within her body. Will it be enough for each of the former characters? Having the players chose with characters are restored are not would create drama and adventure to free the others.

 

[Sadras]

They want thier old characters back, which i am not totally against, but the players think that killing the medusa would un-petrify everyone the medusa has ever petrified..including thier old characters, NPCs, and all other creatures.

Im not entirely sure about this, but i cant find a rule against it.
The players want my DM judgement to supercede and allow it, but im not so sure it makes sense entirely.

im not trying to hamper them or ruin their fun or anything, and dont mind if they Greater Restoration thier old characters, i just not sure if they automatically come back from stone if the medusa boss dies.

As others have stated, their petrified state does not revert at the death of a medusa at least no according to the RAW, and you might be worried that having them revert might set some sort of precedent for the monster, which is fair.

I'm sure there are a number of creative ways you can have them restored to life...i.e. by a future desperate people looking for heroes who were unaffected by the recent effects of a deadly plague or by a supernatural alien entity wishing to learn more about the world or by an illithid's minions/thralls hoping to harvest ripe and exciting minds for their master...etc

 

[Paul Farquhar]

No, killing the medusa does not revert petrified victims.

It's not really a problem though, the party is effectively in suspended animation. Eventually some adventurers will happen on the party and turn them back (if only to try and kill them and take their stuff). It could happen next week, it could happen 1000 years in the future.

 

[Older Beholder]

If it's the difference between having the group kill the Medusa, cart the statues back to town, pay for someone to restore them, etc, OR just having them come back to life upon her death, I can see a case for the later method.
Perhaps there is a magic weapon that needs to be used when slaying the medusa to reverse her work, requiring another quest to locate in the beforehand.

Another option, what if being turned to stone sends you mad and the old characters are awoken as evil NPC's?