Raise Dead now costs 5000 GP!

[hong]

Might as well post the house rule I use for resurrection (raise dead doesn't exist IMC):

A creature to be resurrected makes a level check (d20 + level/HD), against DC 10. Each previous time it has been resurrected increases the DC by 5, so the second attempt is at DC 15, the third at DC 20, etc. The presence of an expert healer (typically an NPC) confers a +2 circumstance bonus to the roll. If the creature to be resurrected has any levels in an NPC class, the DC increases by 20. There are no level or Constitution penalties for being resurrected, but a creature that fails its level check is forever dead.

You can reduce the DC of the level check by spending XP, at 1000 per -1 reduction. Hence, in the long run, it should end up costing the raised character about 5000 XP per raise.

I'm seeing no reason to change these rules, or use the new material costs.

 

[Fenes 2]

If the creature to be resurrected has any levels in an NPC class, the DC increases by 20.

Care to explain the ratinale behind this rule? It seems to discourage taking, f.e., a level in aristocrat for roleplaying reasons when you want to play a noble.

 

[hong]

Care to explain the ratinale behind this rule? It seems to discourage taking, f.e., a level in aristocrat for roleplaying reasons when you want to play a noble.

Basically as a handwave to deal with the age-old "why can't Joe Commoner get raised every time he falls under his plow" question. Death is something that's final for 90% of the population. The remaining 10% are exceptional, and it's from these exceptional people that PCs are drawn.

If you want to play a noble, then you're a noble. You could be a knight (homebrew class based on the OA samurai), if you want to be a fighting noble, or a bard, if you want to be a chatty noble. In the end, your class describes what you do, not what social rank you have.

I _could_ have introduced a wholly noncombat class like the Rokugan courtier, but decided it wasn't really worth the bother. Our group tends to go in for lots of fights, so nobody would have taken it anyway.

 

[hong]

OTH, what I'd like to see is some action points, so that the avoidance of death is easier. Some players just cannot seem to avoid death on nearly impossible to miss saves.

1) Dwarven Priest failing Poison save TWICE by rolling 1.
2) Multiclassed Fighter/Ranger/Barbarian doing the same.
3) Failing to tumble away from lethal attackers (needed 4 or better, after level drain)
and the list goes on.

Check out the new "moment of prescience" spell:

==============
Moment of Prescience
Divination
Luck 8, Sor/Wiz 8
Personal; Duration 1 hr/lvl or until discharged

Once during the spell's duration, you can gain an insight bonus equal to caster level (max +25) on any single attack roll, opposed ability or skill check, or saving throw. Alternatively, you can apply the insight bonus to your AC against a single attack. You can activate the spell at any time, even on another character's turn (it doesn't take an action). Once used, the spell ends.

You can't have more than one moment of prescience active on you at the same time.

==============

This thing is, in effect, a hero point/action point mechanic snuck into the existing D&D rules framework.

Personally, I might just give _everyone_ this ability, usable 3 times per level or something. No sense limiting it to diviners.

 

[CrimsonTemplar]

Here's my problem...I play a lot of Living Greyhawk (I enjoy the region I play in, Geoff, & I like the folks that play there with me). As any of you who have played LG know, it's a cash poor/XP poor campaign. The change in cost for Raise/Resurrect is very harsh in that kind of an environment. I agree that a character's death shouldn't be trivial, but this is overcompensation on Andy Colins and the gang's part. I really hope that there is some way to mitigate the costs of these spells in the campaign.

 

[drnuncheon]

Might as well post the house rule I use for resurrection (raise dead doesn't exist IMC):

I thought that when you died, Lord British would teleport you all back to his castle and bring you back to life!

Er, anyway, regarding the cost - our group sets aside a 'group share' from the adventuring profits, which we use to pay for such things. That way, the raisee isn't doubly hosed.

J

 

[green slime]

Check out the new "moment of prescience" spell:

==============
Moment of Prescience
Divination
Luck 8, Sor/Wiz 8
Personal; Duration 1 hr/lvl or until discharged

Once during the spell's duration, you can gain an insight bonus equal to caster level (max +25) on any single attack roll, opposed ability or skill check, or saving throw. Alternatively, you can apply the insight bonus to your AC against a single attack. You can activate the spell at any time, even on another character's turn (it doesn't take an action). Once used, the spell ends.

You can't have more than one moment of prescience active on you at the same time.

==============

This thing is, in effect, a hero point/action point mechanic snuck into the existing D&D rules framework.

Personally, I might just give _everyone_ this ability, usable 3 times per level or something. No sense limiting it to diviners.

Yeah the ability exists to a limited degree. The psionic power Fate of One, the Luck domain. And the above spell. (where is that from BTW?)

I was considering Level/2 +1 Action points (max 5). Can't save them, and they "respawn" every level. Exactly what you could do, I'd have to think about some more. Rerolling is the obvious choice. Have to reread D20 Modern, I think.

 

[hong]

I thought that when you died, Lord British would teleport you all back to his castle and bring you back to life!

Well, it's certainly an original way of dealing with TPKs.

 

[hong]

Yeah the ability exists to a limited degree. The psionic power Fate of One, the Luck domain. And the above spell. (where is that from BTW?)

It's new for 3.5E. Check out the first page in the "compiled 3.5E changes" thread.

 

[mmu1]

As much as I hate hong... I mean, as much as I hate to agree with hong, if they want to make raising dead "special" having some sort of mechanic to determine if you actually come back or not is the way to go.

If you make coming back from the dead automatic, it really doesn't matter how much you're going to charge for it - dedicated role-players with a good DM will treat it with appropriate respect even if it's (relatively) cheap, more casual groups are never going to treat it as something special anyway.

Not to mention that most of the proposed "consequences" of death people are so happy about are just different ways of making sure you sit around the table doing nothing because your character is dead, which is not what, in my experience, most gamers are interested in.