What is the preferrable option after a PC death?

[Quasqueton]

The thread on the availability of raising the dead made me think on this.

In the event of a PC death, what option is the most acceptable or least bothersome for you. Notice the Player/DM division – this is a multiple selection poll, so if you are a Player and a DM, you should vote for two options; if you are only a Player or only a DM, you should vote for only the one option. (I’m doing it this way to avoid making two threads on the subject. I hope this works out properly.)

Quasqueton

 

[Lorgrom]

As both a player and DM. It depends on what is going on in the campaign. Sometimes it is not feasible to bring a character back (be it that the character does not fit into the group, the player has grown tired of playing it, lack of funds avalible to the part, etc). Other times even if it forces players to sell off valibule items, we will bring the character back.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I don't think I can boil it down to a simple poll. It's about context and prevelance. I don't mind the occasional return from the dead, if it makes sense within the overall setting, if it makes sense considering the actions/resources of the PCs, and if it isn't a common occurrence.

I hate the 'oh, we'll just drag him back to the temple and get him rezzed' attitude, although I've indulged it as a DM.

OTOH, no matter how cheesy, there is always the option of introducing a new character to replace one that has died. Suspension of disbelief takes a back seat to having a player with nothing to do for an extended period.

 

[atomn]

As either the player or the GM it'd go with the preference of the player. Sometimes if my character dies I'd be ready to try out a new character but other times I'd rather be raised if I really liked my current character (and it if made sense for the character to want to be raised). If I'm the GM I'd go with whatever the player wants, although sometimes the option to raise a fallen character is either not readily available or available at all. All in all, if done properly, bringing a new character into the group or raising a dead one can be done non-cheesily, so it's the player's preference.

 

[Henrix]

As a DM (and sometime player) my view is that new PCs are bad for the campaigns continuity.

A raised PC has (more or less) the same knowledge, interests, friends and contacts as she had before - a new character hasn't.

As a player I find it rather easy to get into a new character, but as a DM I find new characters* to be a lot of hassle.


* Or rather, the incontinuity of an old character.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

As a player, let him die, let me pull out my next character idea.

As a DM... let them die... I want the necromancer to turn them into SOMETHING to mess with the party...

 

[Griffith Dragonlake]

I give everyone the Leadership Feat for free. When their character dies, the cohort becomes the PC and looks for a new cohort.

 

[Goblyn]

As a player, I always end up choosing to not be brought back. I don't want to play the same char a level lower, but a different one a level lower is fine.

As a DM, I like to make the choice available to the player. So far one has been new PC-ified and the other was raised and brought back to play(yes, shamefully enough, I've only killed two pcs in my DM career).

 

[DragonLancer]

As a player, I'd rather death meant death. I'd rather have a new character.

As a DM it's up to the players and their ability to raise or pay for a raise.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

Husband (and DM) says:

I've been known to use the cheese methods fairly frequently to get characters back from the dead. I'm trying to get away from that, but it still crops up. Main reason: I tend to run story-driven campaigns and nothing derails a story like a PC dying in a random encounter from a lucky crit. Secondary reason: Here lately, my only player is my wife and thus the death of the character means the end of the campaign and TPK all in one sitting.

Wife (and Player) says:

With my current character, and a few others, I've been known to beg, borrow, steal, whine, plead, and cry for a raise dead or a resurrection. I've even gotten a reincarnation for my druid/shifter in 3.0. However, it really depends on whether the character concept works with the group (when we have one), whether the concept was as much fun as I thought it would be, or how much of this kind of magic is allowed in the campaign. I've been known to crumple my own character sheet upon a character's death because it just "wasn't working" the way I had hoped and rolling up a new one. Generally, my instincts seem to be right on target, and the new character works a great deal better than the one who died.

Quentin and Marie