PC Post Mortem

[carpedavid]

Does anyone describe the afterlife to a player once a PC has died? If so, how do the players react to it? Are all afterlives good, or have you ever had a character "go to hell," so to speak? If so, how has the player reacted to it?

The religions of my campaign world do have notions of good and bad afterlives, but I'd certainly need to codify the rules that determine a soul's final destination before sending a character to a bad afterlife. Do any other DMs have suggestions for this?

 

[Skarp Hedin]

Of the major non-evil religions in my campaign world (thus far), two of them are heavily based on deception.. so I don't describe any afterlife, as finding out about this deception is kind of what's going on right now in the campaign..

I think I'd only describe any afterlife for a PC if they chose not to return from the dead after a raise attempt, or if it was clear that no raise attempt would be made, though.. I had the two fellows who died and came back just not remember anything that happened while they were dead.

 

[carpedavid]

Hmm, interesting. It also occurs to me that in a high-level campaign that involves planewalking, a description of the afterlife might be redundant.

Which brings up another question. In those high-level campaigns where PCs are talking to gods and walking the Beaslands, is spending an eternity in the afterlife a letdown for a PC?

-DMG