Raise Dying!

[S'mon]

Here's my replacement for Raise Dead, for an upcoming Sword & Sorcery Wilderlands campaign. It's designed to have a very different feel while keeping the actual effect very similar:

RAISE THE DYING, Level 8 Ritual
This Ritual replaces Raise Dead, and has the same level, typical cost etc. It works on one creature who has been mortally wounded. Raise the Dying requires the priest or spirit shaman to bargain with the ancient gods or spirits who hold the soul of the dying – and they do not drive an easy bargain. Effect is as for Raise Dead. The War Priest’s Level 8 ‘Raise’ power works similarly to Raise the Dying, within its more limited duration.

Mortally Wounded condition
A character who fails three death saves or is reduced to negative bloodied hp may at the DM’s judgement be classed as mortally wounded. If they are reduced to negative full hp they are immediately dead. Otherwise they linger between life and death, beyond the power of mortal magic to heal. No healing Powers work on the mortally wounded, and they may not spend healing surges. Depending on circumstances, the mortally wounded typically linger for 2-7 days (1d6+1) before expiring. They may potentially be restored to health via the Raise the Dying ritual.

NB Gentle Repose level 1 ritual keeps the mortally wounded alive for 5 times longer, or 10-35 days.

My idea is that this ritual is fairly commonly known to priests and spirit shamans, like the Mako character in "Conan the Barbarian". It should give a very different feel without much change to actual lethality in the Heroic to Paragon tier. It might actually reduce lethality in some cases as NPCs are much more likely to notice & retrieve a mortally wounded PC than they are to raise a dead PC.

 

[LostSoul]

Would you play out the bargaining if it was a PC casting the ritual? That would make for an interesting skill challenge.

Here are the tables I'd roll on to set up the challenge:

[sblock=Warlock Pact Tables]

Patron’s Goal
1d6	Goal		Notes
1	Community	Establish a new one or protect an existing one
2	Conquest	Conquer a land or territory in the name of the patron
3	Corruption	Corruption of the warlock
4	Ruin		As corruption, but focused on larger communities
5	Worship		Requires setting up a cult or religion to the patron
6	Creation	Requires creating something that will last – a great black tower, an artefact, or a pervasive meme

Pact Obligation
1d6	Demand			Notes
1	Blood Sacrifice		As per the ritual
2	Terrible Secrets	Secrets stolen from people that would cause great shame and despair if revealed
3	Ritual Sex		Children conceived during the orgy are born without souls, vessels of the patron
4	The Yellow Sign		The warlock inducts another person into the meme of the Yellow Sign; see the ritual for more information
5	Cannibalism		Includes any demi-human creature, not just those of the warlock’s own race
6	Destruction		The warlock destroys something of great value (sentimental or real)

[/sblock]

 

[S'mon]

Would you play out the bargaining if it was a PC casting the ritual? That would make for an interesting skill challenge.

I might do - esp if they were short of the standard sum; eg you want to raise Paragon-Tier Conan but you haven't got 5000gp, you're going to pay...

Not sure about the skill challenge rules, but I can see something like that being used in a 'battle of wills'.