Worst Session Ever!

[Tsyr]

Tell me about it. We instituted a XP cost of 50 xp per level of the person true resurrected, just so we have an in-game rationale for not raising ancient heroes willy-nilly.

Since people seem to be sharing alternate resurection styles, I'll chime in with mine.

Well... there is no resurection per say in my game... Instead there is a modified reincarnation table, along with the original one.

If the character is reincarnated before 24+ character level hours pass, he gets to roll on table 1, then table 2. Table 1 determines race, table 2 gender.

If it's been longer, he gets to roll on the nice table with things like "slug" and "yellow-bellied-sap-sucker" Well, ok, maybe not THAT harsh a table, but... Sure, there is chance he gets to roll on the better table even still, if his first roll is good, but...

Nope, no loss of con, level, anything. You would be surprised how much a of a deterant comming back in a different body is. Your life is basicly gone anyhow... You think anyone other than your adventuring group who was present when you were reincarnated will even know who you are now? Not to mention the fact you could get some really bad (roleplay wise) combinations... Bruwulf, the proud dwarven paladin, father of four, comes back as an elven woman, for example. (That one actualy happened in one of the three times anyone has dared to tempt the fates by returning to life in the last few years... I was using this in 2E too).

 

[Henry]

I would have to say that's the only change I'm thinking of making to my campaign - removing true resurrection altogether.

The level loss I have rationalized as the gods extracting a price for allowing the soul to return - the person is NOT quite the same once they return, and there are parts of their recent memory erased through the shock of return to life. If fact, the other characters have to fill inthe gaps for the person who has died, because their recent memory has been trauamatized - after all, who wants to remember exactly how they died.

Meantime, the gods use all of this power and soul energy gained from the increased personal strength of the deceased to further their own goals and ends in the multiverse. They get power from worship, but they also get power from other ways, too.

Think of a Bank - a bank makes money in several ways - investments of their customers' money, personal and colateral loans to startups, to name a couple. The gods get their power, among other ways, from worship, from souls acquired, filled with belief in them, and from investments made in souls of individuals returned to the mortal coil in exchange for future good deeds.

 

[Taren Nighteyes]

Penalty

I agree with the idea that there should be a penalty involved in raising someone from the dead (via raise dead, ressurrection)

I don't like Con reduction or level loss. Sometimes a character dies of bad dice rollls, or even the stupidity of another player. I know life/games aren't fair, but I prefer PENALTIES to be earned.

So....I did something similar to what a few people have done.

I take into account the following things.

1. # of times raised
2. Did the character die following his/her character's ethos or in service of their god?
3. Does the character want to be ressurrected?

I then determine the percentile number I have to roll underneath in order to allow the soul of the individual to return to the body.

If you don't worship a god, you can't be raised. Souls of the faithless are never relinquished. If you were serving your diety, then the diety will be more willing to allow your return. If you've been raised numerous times, then the diety is less likely to allow your return. If the character wishes to remain dead, so be it.

There is ALWAYS a chance that death is permanent, and therefor death remains a constant fear. Which is good!

Taren Nighteyes

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Re: Wha?

Roleplay - We have a dozen or more dead because of this little escapade. Our LG, the paladin in particular, have mountains of atonement to work off. & the neutrals are not off the hook, not when that paladin is going to do his duty and turn them in. Cart the lot of them off to trial.

Rules - No XP for the trolls, not for anyone, no matter who took part in the fight or who was present. You get XP for beating a monster once, not for beating it, reviving it, and beating it again. And holding back to allow X to get all the XP is clearly rules-lawyering, and to be rejected out of hand. If they don't produce a roleplay reason why the PC would do that, the PC should be penalyzed the value of the critter.

Charm is not control. The trolls like the mage, not obey him. The task of just getting them to the city should have been hard enough to warn him he could not leave them alone.

Nobody was getting any XP. As for the Charm, I tried to tell the player that he didn't have mind control, and fought him every step of the way as he tried to act like he did. As for the Paladin, he knows that the Trolls killed many people. But we will deal with the fallout tonight. I'll have to see what he does. He could be stripped of his Paladinhood if he doesn't play his cards right.

 

[Squire James]

Let's see... first of all the Wizard is now Evil (nothing Neutral about what he did... callous disregard for peoples' lives is Evil). The city should be putting out arrest warrants for the entire party, with reward money for the wizard. The rest of the party might be able to exonerate themselves in court, but the Wizard has doomed himself.

If they run, word of their deed is spread wide and far, giving the PC's a reputation for being evil. Several evil temples and assassin guilds attempt friendly contacts. Iuz, dressed in Uncle Sam outfit, wants THEM to join the Iuz Special Forces! Fun for Paladins all around!

If the PC's somehow DO get Throkk raised (obviously not in the city that just got raided by their trolls), take the level from that guy who let him die instead! If that player complains, well remind him that he wanted that level inequity problem to be solved...

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

Please tell us what happens! I'd be interested to hear. Always make a good 'Con story.

 

[jgbrowning]

i always found pleanty of in game reasons to limit ressurection type spells.

really, someones death can easily be interpreted as the will of the gods and bringing them back becomes more than a monetary decision.

as far as the rich always being ressurected.... i'm sure those who inheirit the wealth would occasionaly find ways to prevent such things...

joe b.

 

[Oni]

Man that session sucked.

I have to ask. Did your players have fun?

 

[Yellow Sign]

The way we handle the effects of raise dead is the player keeps his level but his experience points drop to the mid-level point of one level below where his/she is at. Example a 6th level character's experience points would drop to 8000 exp. after being raised. People dont want to die in this game because of the lost experience points.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Re: Re: Worst Session Ever!

I have to ask. Did your players have fun?

Nope, They were bitching at me the whole time. "oh you screwed us! We should have been able to beat that troll easy!