Need game help -- my Players DO NOT READ

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

Some things to note: when the bard was raised the first time, the spell was from an ancient scroll found in an elemental temple. The raising added the [Water] subtype to the bard (by random roll, and unbeknownst to the party or the bard). The second scroll they used was from the same place, and would have added (another) random elemental subtype to the bard. [Ironic that both scrolls were used on the same character.]

The raise dead scroll added the [Earth] subtype to the bard. So the bard can dig his way out of the grave.

Quasqueton

Hmm...

Earth + Water + ancient temple + female Bard.

How bout bringing her back as a Nymph or Dryad. Either could be very interesting in addition to bardic abilities.

 

[Salad Shooter]

Maybe he did come back when raised, but some other spirit decided to bum his body while he wasn't using it. Run the body as an NPC, have the player run a ghost, and the PCs have to track down the body, exorcise the spirit, and find some way to put the bards spirit back in his body. The extra levels are residual memories left over from whatever the invading spirit was (wizard or sorcerer maybe?)

 

[wedgeski]

Am I the only one to misread rour title to be "Need campaighn help; my players do not read"?

No. I was about to say: "They don't READ?! AT ALL?! Think of all the plots and novels you can rip off!!"

 

[Goobermunch]

The Ghost template from Ghostwalk can be troublesome because ghosts are incorporeal. This raises some difficult problems in the average dungeon setting.

"What's that, you're afraid to open the door? Let me stick my head through the wall. Okay, it's all clear."

That said, you might be able to work something out using the blood line optional rules from Unearthed Arcana. You could quite easily give the character the celestial bloodline to reflect time spent with his deity. You could also design an elemental bloodline reflecting whichever elemental deity is responsible for raising the PC.

The elemental bloodlines are handy because they'll eat up to three levels but also provide some cool benefits.

If you're up for it, you could tinker with the ghost rules from Ghostwalk and come up with a workable, short-term solution based on that setting. Perhaps the character returns as a ghost because the elemental powers cannot reach his body while entombed in the earth (works best with an air elemental character). He's got to find his companions and recover his body before the raising will be complete.

Good luck--

--G

 

[Nifft]

I'm in the camp of don't raise her level, but do give her a benefit (template, bloodline, etc.) that will boost her ECL. For example, giving her a 3 free Major Bloodline levels from UA (Celestial, Dragon, or Fey) would put her at the same effectiveness as the rest of the party, but still below them in terms of HD and some class features (spells known and spells per day, BAB and saves and such).

Elemental Bloodlines only go to "Intermediate", but Djinn and Efreeti (sort-of Elemental) go up to Major.

Even more alternately, you could give her a Half-Celestial template (the Core one, or one of my Specific Half-Celestial templates, found here).

-- N