Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="ruleslawyer" data-source="post: 3372705" data-attributes="member: 1757">Snarky comments will get you nowhere. The fact remains that Hercules *did not die.* Even if he did die, it was at the direct action of the gods, and it was his *spirit* that went to Olympus to achieve godhood. You want to try arguing your way around that, fine.Otherwise, I listed several examples, most of which fit. So I'm not going to quibble.Correct; the soul endures. It does in D&D irrespective of the raise dead spell too (what are all those Outer Planes for, anyway?)You're missing the point again, which is that themes of immortality in myth and folklore are about the renewability and immortality of the soul. That concept is directly contradicted by the use of raise dead, which renews the body as if death had never been. Resurrection is an important experience in mythology because it illustrates the immanence of the soul, NOT because it supports the idea that a mortal can pass through death and live unchanged.And I will reiterate that your way is actually contradictory to most imaginative precedent for the reasons I cited directly above.I was waiting for you to say that....The problem is that as played in almost every campaign, raise dead is an act a) performed by mortals b) on mortals that c) involves the continuation of the mortal being d) without reference to the soul being changed. Elements a-d are directly contradictory to Egyptian, Greek, Vedic, Hindu, and Judeo-Christian themes on the matter (unless you're the Son of God and seeking disciples and someone named Lazarus just passed).You can call out other people for trying to carve out exceptions if you like; I'm doing no such thing. I'm saying that raise dead screws with the idea of mortality, which is a central theme to most mythological traditions out there. It isn't really possible to demonstrate the importance of immortality or immanence of the soul, or make resurrection a prerequisite for (supreme) godhood or ineffable knowledge, unless the basic good ol' death of the body is a real deal. Raise dead takes that importance away.</blockquote>

Verification