What if the PCs were literally invulnerable?

[Asmor]

What if there was some very small amount of people, maybe a couple hundred in the entire world, who were immortal, unharmable, and unkillable. They could be tossed into hot lava, spewed out encased in volcanic rock, and trapped in their stony prisons for a thousand years, and then chipped out and be none the worse for the wear (though probably mighty pissed). Literally unkillable, no exceptions.

Besides their invulnerability, they're as limited (or capable) as any other member of their race. So while an immortal might not be able to be killed, a few people could probably subdue and capture him just as easily.

The PCs play such immortals, and many of the power players of the campaign world would also be immortal.

Just an idea I had kicking around...

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Well, you could always shoot them into the sun. An unescapable prison for the next few billion years. After that, who cares?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

They can still get feelings hurt, hearts broken, reputations tarnished ... or discover their kryptonite. They probably care about other peopl or things that can be taken away, destroyed, turned against them. There's no one truly invulnerable that has any interaction with the rest of the world.

Ever seen the movie Hancock? If no, see it -- it should provide some ideas.

 

[Pheonix0114]

The Night Angel Trilogy, a book series, also could help. It features prominently a character that always comes back to life shortly after dying and what that entails for him/her as a human being.

But besides that, I think it could be an interesting concept, though my players would probably eventually take it for granted that they don't have to worry over much about the potential risk of their actions. For instance, I like to tell the party about a known dragon's lair near where they are adventuring while also letting them know they wouldn't likely survive a confrontation with said dragon, at least not now. But if he couldn't die, my party's rogue would almost certainly attempt to go steal from said dragon, regardless of knowing whether he could get away with it or not.

But at the same time, if you think your campaign would be fine with that kind of thing happening, or if you want that to happen, by all means go for it. A campaign the DM finds intriguing will be more fun for players than one the DM fines dull, at least if the players are also interested.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Riverworld campaign, anyone?

 

[Umbran]

Well, here's something to consider:

Dumping one of these people into a volcano may not kill them, but it is certainly going to ruin their day. So will burying them in concrete, or entombing them in solid stone.

Isolation from other humans drives people mad, quite literally. Sensory deprivation does the same. So, imagine one of these folks locked away for, oh, a millennium or so entombed in clay. They're going to come out kinda cranky (and not knowing any modern language).

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I think if you're going to run this campaign you'll need to include other stakes to your combats so they still feel exciting since the stakes of death (Mmmm, death steaks. Aaaauugggg...) are off the table.

The PCs may not be able to die but you can being excitement back to a battle if there's something else on the line besides their lives. Maybe they have to protect a companion who could die, they're under a time crunch, or failure in the combat will result in an adverse story/plot outcome.

I think the most challenging thing in running this will be coming up with new stakes for each encounter to replace the missing threat of death.

 

[howandwhy99]

I think of it like playing Chess. Only my or the other player's pieces cannot be captured. If they're mine, then the game is boring. I need no defensive posture and the other player plays a losing battle until all his are gone. Checkmate. If they are the other player's pieces, then I am the one playing a losing battle.

Perhaps it would be interesting to experiment with, but I have no personal attraction towards futility or guaranteed success.

 

[RainOfSteel]

Besides their invulnerability, they're as limited (or capable) as any other member of their race. So while an immortal might not be able to be killed, a few people could probably subdue and capture him just as easily.

Check out Jennifer Fallon's The Tide Lords. While the "tide" (magic) is "out" in the current era, their capabilities are like any mortal's, all except that they can't be killed.

 

[Asmor]

The Night Angel Trilogy, a book series, also could help. It features prominently a character that always comes back to life shortly after dying and what that entails for him/her as a human being.

That's one of my favorite series! While quite a bit different, the author's next foray, The Black Prism, is even better. I recommend it if you haven't already read it...

Well, here's something to consider:

Dumping one of these people into a volcano may not kill them, but it is certainly going to ruin their day. So will burying them in concrete, or entombing them in solid stone.

Isolation from other humans drives people mad, quite literally. Sensory deprivation does the same. So, imagine one of these folks locked away for, oh, a millennium or so entombed in clay. They're going to come out kinda cranky (and not knowing any modern language).

Indeed, but I think this is one of those places where I'd just sort of handwave away such considerations.

I think if you're going to run this campaign you'll need to include other stakes to your combats so they still feel exciting since the stakes of death (Mmmm, death steaks. Aaaauugggg...) are off the table.

I'd say that's the case in general. In fact, in such a situation where death isn't a threat, you're forced even more than usual to make things 'matter'.

Check out Jennifer Fallon's The Tide Lords. While the "tide" (magic) is "out" in the current era, their capabilities are like any mortal's, all except that they can't be killed.

Thanks, I'll look into it... I'm actually between books at the moment, so good timing on the recommendation!