What are YOUR house rules for raising a dead character?

[jujutsunerd]

Oh, quite simple. They must convince Azrael to let the dead one be resurrected, with a either DC 30 persuade check or defeating a powerful extraplanar being... whichever you manage first.

After this, the player's allies are summoned into the Plane of Redemption. The Plane of Redemption is essentially one long three-square-wide path which has dozens of minor demons (or angels, for evil players) and a major demon (or angel, for evil players) who are all trying to stop the resurrection.

Note that this also allows for the dynamic of 'you could try to resurrect one - and end up with a fully dead party'. Still isn't the end, though, there are other methods of escaping.

I've heard this idea several times, but never really seen why it would be worth the bother, but for some reason your explanation worked for me. I'll definitely use something like this in my next game instead of all the resurrection spells.

So, first figure out a way to persuade the death god (or equivalent) to get a chance. Can be handled by roleplaying (offer another death to balance the books, promise to perform a quest, fasttalking, spurious logic, bootlicking, the possibilities are endless...), skill use or (at epic levels just plain beating him into submission.

Then a 'miniadventure' that is essentially a battle with the 'guardians of the dead'. Said guardians can be varied in type, strength and numbers according to the alignment/faith/whatever of the presumptive resurrectee. Fight constructs to bring back a druid, demons to bring back a paladin, undead to bring back a cleric, etc. (For an added twist - if the player can handle it - have the dead character's player run (or help run) the guardians of the dead. ;-)

I like it.

/Jonas

 

[Sound of Azure]

True, and that's the idea. I still wanted the effect of being weaker for a while (even if the cleric/healer can fix 'em up again quickly). I've toyed with making it Ability Drain instead, but that seems harsh.

Note that the PCs have also had to go on a quest to find the spell itself, so I consider that a penalty in itself.

Also, Diamond Dust isn't really easy to get in my campaigns (typically requiring some investigation, a quest, or dickering with merchants to get hold of it). Diamonds are rare, y'know?

 

[airwalkrr]

Also, Diamond Dust isn't really easy to get in my campaigns (typically requiring some investigation, a quest, or dickering with merchants to get hold of it). Diamonds are rare, y'know?

They are, but (and this is one of the silly loopholes of the game) the quantity of diamonds is not listed, merely the value. If the tiniest diamond in the world is so rare it is worth 100 gp then it works. If you use the gp limit rules based on community size in the DMG, then finding a community large enough to get 100 gp worth of diamonds shouldn't be too difficult. If you don't use those rules, I would expect a metropolis is large enough, and if not, then diamonds must be extremely rare in your campaign setting. In mine (Greyhawk), they are as common as they are in the real world. Only nobles and wealthy merchants wear them and only adventurers with money to burn (literally!) actually use them for things like spellcasting.

 

[Sound of Azure]

Yeah, I do use the guidelines presented in the DMG. I go into a bit more detail, though... many objects within the price guidelines might be available, but it might take time to acquire it from the wholesaler.

Alternatively, the merchant might need to order the diamonds from a mining town that actually acquires them. The PCs might just go to the source to get their diamonds.

I do the same thing with other expensive commodities. To my players, it seems a bit more realistic (in the setting I present) to have it that way. Then again, the setting is somewhat lower in magic than many are, and with lower wealth levels. This could somewhat skew things.

 

[ValhallaGH]

In mine (Greyhawk), they are as common as they are in the real world.

So, they're far more common than their price suggests but there's a manipulative, monopolistic corporation artificially shrinking the market and raising the prices?

 

[Nifft]

So, they're far more common than their price suggests but there's a manipulative, monopolistic corporation cabal of wizards artificially shrinking the market and raising the prices?

Fixed it for you.

-- N

 

[ValhallaGH]

Fixed it for you.

-- N

Thanks. Though either could work. 20th level experts and aristocrats can artificially manipulate markets as well as a 20th level wizard can, though the non-mages need to put a lot more effort into it.

 

[Asmor]

Raise Dead is one of the few things I don't really allow.

On the other hand, particularly if they die shortly after making the character or otherwise things are just "unsatisfying," I don't have much compunction against letting them roll up a similar if not identical character. People don't die too often in my games, though, unless they want to switch characters in which case some story thing usually comes up and I handwave their death.

To be fair, though, in both of our last two sessions they had an unintended death. Same player, too, meaning he only got to use this character for one session.

 

[el-remmen]

From aquerra.com:

Raise Dead: This spell can only be cast when the caster and target are on ground consecrated to the god that provided the spell or a site holy to the god’s pantheon in general. There is no level loss, but the target returns with 10 points of temporary Constitution damage. If this should drop him below a Constitution score of 1, he cannot be raised.

Resurrection: For this spell to function someone dear to the departed must make an oath to the god in question. The oath is enforceable as by a Geas spell. In the case of evil gods, the oath must be made by someone who is owed a debt by the deceased. There is no negative effect to the raised person.

True Resurrection: As Resurrection, however the target must have been a devout follower of the god in life.

 

[DonTadow]

Your players are lucky, Raising undead in my game is quite difficult. Raising dead is a ritual that two casters have to cast. The body must be placed in a magical sarcophagus and prayed over for 24 hours. Afterward, there is no level penalty but the person's alignment switches to that of the diety the temple/sarcophgus was dedicated to and they gain the type undead. They also gain a negative undead trait. The stiffness of this trait depends on how well the casters rolled on their spell checks.