D&D General Putting the Dead to Rest?

[Samloyal23]

There is a common trope in movies about helping a ghost or other undead creature to move on and "go into the light", so it never harms the living again. I never seem to see this in games. In RPGs the answer to an undead problem is always combat related. Have you ever helped an undead creature find closure and move on to its afterlife? Are there any published adventures with this idea as a plot point?

 

[Voadam]

All the time with ghosts. That is usually their thing, figuring out the means to put them to rest, otherwise they rejuvenate after being "killed".

 

[tommybahama]

Our group had that in Descent into Avernus but it might have been a homebrew encounter. Then there is one in Curse of Strahd.

 

[Voadam]

Children of the Night Ghosts

 

[Voadam]

I enjoyed running Howls in the Night.

 

[Voadam]

As a resource for some of these types of stories check out Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts.

 

[Oofta]

I don't know about published adventures, but it's happened on a fairly regular basis in my campaigns. Ghosts "live" in Nifleheim (the Shadowfell) which is where all spirits go before going on to their final destination. Frequently the best way to solve a ghost problem is to resolve whatever is holding them back from moving on.

If a soul stays in Nifleheim too long the soul's memory and connection to life begin to "evaporate" eventually becoming irredeemable specters.

 

[Umbran]

I'm in a party now that has encountered three banshees, two of which could be reasoned with to get their business finished and put to rest, and one... who could not.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Revnants are undead that come back because of something in their past. You can put them 'to rest' if you resolve their issue.

A regular ghost as a story hook can serve this purpose as well.

 

[Oofta]

Just for reference the MM specifically calls out this issue.

Unfinished Business. A ghost yearns to complete some unresolved task from its life. It might seek to avenge its own death, fulfill an oath, or relay a message to a loved one. A ghost might not realize that it has died and continue the everyday routine of its life. Others are driven by wickedness or spite, as with a ghost that refuses to rest until every member of a certain family or organization is dead.​

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The surest way to rid an area of a ghost is to resolve its unfinished business. A ghost can be destroyed more easily by invoking a weakness tied to its former life. The ghost of a person tortured to death might be killed again by the implements of that torture. The ghost of a gardener might become more vulnerable when exposed to a potent floral fragrance.​

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