Random Encounters - Nasty Surprises "Permanent Death"

[Alzrius]

http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20040216a

I can easily say that this article made me grin when I read it.

There have been a lot of things written about how death can be denied in D&D, but this is one of the best articles I've seen for offering an easily-implementable solution for that. This artifact is powerful, and scary, without being overly destructive. Not to mention that it's apparently impossible to destroy, but works with a built-in way for the DM to get rid of it when it overtaxes its presence in the campaign.

 

[Piratecat]

Jeff Quick is my ninja. I love his stuff.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I didn't actually like this... I'd feel that the DM was "cheating" to introduce something like this in mid game, and I'd feel that I was "cheating" if I introduced it.

Personally I think that it is best to set out the stall regarding coming back from the dead right at the outset of the campaign; either it is going to be standard D&D with quickee video-game style resurrections, or perhaps Arcana Unearthed style with a long drawn out process for resurrections, or perhaps star wars/wheel of time style with no coming back from the dead at all!

The way it is written just put me off (even though I wouldn't object to it so much if it were a known element of a campaign... it could even be an important element for evil cults, who arrange the sacrifice of hundreds of people to send the dratted thing on its way!)

Cheers

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

IMHO this device is silly because justifies its existence on a bizarre interpretation of mythologies. It is Death's purpose in the natural order of things to send souls to the outer planes (in most cases), presumably after earning her small fee in the transaction. For Wee Jas to oppose this is like The Ferryman deciding to go in the soul collecting racket -- methinks Hades will put him in his place soon enough.

(Furthermore one has to wonder: If a soul is destroyed then doesn't Death lose out, too?)

I applaud the goal of shifting the metaphysics so that the players are forced out of ruts. But I think this particular device is a contrived half-measure. If you want this effect either start the campaign that way, or go ahead and have a little war between gods that throws the entire world for a loop (Go Piratecat!).

 

[Nifft]

I luuuuuuv the concept. The metaphysical background can be easily twisted to fit any of those that work in my world.

It's double-awesome, because it's got a built-in "warning" so I can scare players with the concept -- not just spring it on them and risk angering them with this exceptionally nasty surprise.

-- N

 

[Felon]

A device that's so terrifying that it can render a character permanently shaken. Neat.

 

[Altalazar]

I didn't like it. I agree with the concept above that if you are to allow such things, you make it built into the campaign from the beginning.

Otherwise, it feels like a magic, multi-colored kludge just to change the rules on the players because you don't like standard D&D rules on death.

"Oh, you can't do Great Cleave anymore - a spinning tapestry of colors somehow sucks it out of you."