Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Setherial 09-30-05, 04:10 AM	In case I misspelled it, my appologies, I was just wondering what a quest to find and retrieve a fallen companion from the realm of the dead would be like. Since it's just another plane it's not impossible to get there through powerfull magical means. But the very nature of the plane makes it very dangerous to travel there since one would eventually forget what his purpose was and risk to dwell in oblivion for all eternity with the rest of the dead. I was wondering about both game mechanics (will saves) as well as fleshing out the actually nature of the plane, what one would see and encounter. In terms of game mechanics I'm thinking of forcing will saves lets say every hour to check ones ability to remain focussed. These checks would become more difficult as one slowly drifts from reality and time. Your companions can help though, as long as one of the group makes the save he can attempt to help his companions to refocus allowing them a new check with a positive modifier. As for the look of the place I would really like to hear some origenal ideas from all of you. I personally was thinking of something along these lines : Upon entering the realm of the dead the players arrive in total darkness, after about an hour of stumbling about the darkness around them slowly disperses and they stand in the middle of what appears to be an endless field of grass on a clear sunny day (evil characters stand in a dark misty forest surrounded by dead trees)... There is nothing to see and the adventurers can walk in any direction for hours without any change in their surroundings. Aside from the endlessness of the place the total lack of sound is most unsettling. As one or more of the players start rolling poor on their will saves those players start seeing things, people, familiar places.... A barbarian would find himself in the woods near the town he grew up in, a wizard might see his old mentor in the academy he studied as a child.... Evil characters find themselves in cold places surrounded by the screams of their victims, they might suddenly be cornered by a forming mob out to linch them or chased by someone they once wronged but now warped into a beastlike form out to get them. All this are illusions made up by ones own mind but multiplied and warped by the nature of the plane. Those that can't see through the illusions are lost forever. If the party has a wizard or cleric or even someone who had a very special bond with the deceased person they seek they can feel him if they focus real hard. It can take years or a blink of an eye to get to that person all depending on the players realizing that all this is an illusion. They have only to believe that they found the one they seek to actually find him. Walking towards him can take as long as they think they haven't arrived yet.... anyway any thoughts on the subject would be welcome
Setherial 10-03-05, 03:39 AM	Bump
Setherial 10-05-05, 09:12 AM	what, isn't there any Eberron player on this board interested in planer travel ?? We've got such interesting planes in eberron and them being Coterminous from time to time makes it easier to travel there.
Enforcer1 10-05-05, 03:35 PM	Actually the group I am with has done just that, and we had to play a game of "chess" with the Keeper to retrieve the soul. Using knowledge checks (along with our inittial will saves), and in real life, we beat the Keeper, and got the soul back to be raised by an Undying Court member. If we had lost, we would have been dead, and taken into Doluurh. Now we are using different characters, and we are questing to retrieve a kidnapped character (mine) in Shavraath, the plane of battle. Planar travel sucks, but if it needs to be done, it must be done.
RaidingPartyGames 10-05-05, 04:46 PM	In case I misspelled it, my appologies, I was just wondering what a quest to find and retrieve a fallen companion from the realm of the dead would be like. Since it's just another plane it's not impossible to get there through powerfull magical means. But the very nature of the plane makes it very dangerous to travel there since one would eventually forget what his purpose was and risk to dwell in oblivion for all eternity with the rest of the dead. I was wondering about both game mechanics (will saves) as well as fleshing out the actually nature of the plane, what one would see and encounter. In terms of game mechanics I'm thinking of forcing will saves lets say every hour to check ones ability to remain focussed. These checks would become more difficult as one slowly drifts from reality and time. Your companions can help though, as long as one of the group makes the save he can attempt to help his companions to refocus allowing them a new check with a positive modifier. As for the look of the place I would really like to hear some origenal ideas from all of you. I personally was thinking of something along these lines : Upon entering the realm of the dead the players arrive in total darkness, after about an hour of stumbling about the darkness around them slowly disperses and they stand in the middle of what appears to be an endless field of grass on a clear sunny day (evil characters stand in a dark misty forest surrounded by dead trees)... There is nothing to see and the adventurers can walk in any direction for hours without any change in their surroundings. Aside from the endlessness of the place the total lack of sound is most unsettling. As one or more of the players start rolling poor on their will saves those players start seeing things, people, familiar places.... A barbarian would find himself in the woods near the town he grew up in, a wizard might see his old mentor in the academy he studied as a child.... Evil characters find themselves in cold places surrounded by the screams of their victims, they might suddenly be cornered by a forming mob out to linch them or chased by someone they once wronged but now warped into a beastlike form out to get them. All this are illusions made up by ones own mind but multiplied and warped by the nature of the plane. Those that can't see through the illusions are lost forever. If the party has a wizard or cleric or even someone who had a very special bond with the deceased person they seek they can feel him if they focus real hard. It can take years or a blink of an eye to get to that person all depending on the players realizing that all this is an illusion. They have only to believe that they found the one they seek to actually find him. Walking towards him can take as long as they think they haven't arrived yet.... anyway any thoughts on the subject would be welcome I'z liking the planar travel ideaz, especially thoughts shaping stuff and the incongruity of familiarity only arriving after you start losing yourselvez. You should also read Occult Lore, written by a certain Baker-human... haz rules for dream travel, which works well for the above idea of thoughts-shaping-reality.
Kinger 10-05-05, 08:39 PM	One thing to consider is that souls aren't actually supposed to leave the Plane of the Dead, they're supposed to stick around. In fact, there are very powerful beings known as Inevitables whose sole purpose is to ensure they do just that. This has no effect on whether a soul can be brought back from Dollurh or not. However, a Marut Inevitable, charged with ensuring that those that die stay dead, may make an appearance at some point in the character's future. Just an idea for an encounter further on down the line. :) The Inevitable in question, the Marut, can be found on pg 159 of the MM, and somewhere in the Manual of the Planes (if you're 3.0 inclined). Their Locate Creature at will spell-like ability pretty much ensures complacent creatures get caught. I'm not saying this to discourage you from going after the soul (or, as DM, ignoring Maruts), because I think it's a cool idea. I think it's also a cool idea that a character, after being brought back to life, may have to spend the rest of his life fleeing the Inevitability of Death. If you've played the second recent Prince of Persia, Warrior Within, you could run it similar to the Dahaka, except rather than the character being doomed due to mucking with time, the creature is after him simply because he's died once, and you're supposed to stay dead.
DoveArrow 10-05-05, 09:42 PM	You should seriously check out the Eberron Homebrew Planar Manual (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=472278) and look at the entry for Dolurrh. It's got some really good stuff that could make for a terrific game. While you're there, check out Risia too, because the guy who wrote that entry is absolutely brilliant. :P
KingNeo 10-05-05, 10:05 PM	Actually believe it or not but a lot, and I do mean a lot, of by campaign deals with planer travel, especially Dollurh. By the time my comrades and I characters got to level 14 the Keeper hated us, especially mine. I mean hated us more than the Undying hates dragons. At first we were bring back small things, like some of the people that died during the mourningland creation incident. Then we started bring back Lycantropes that had died during the silver flames crusade. After that we actually brought back some of the members of the House of Vol. Then we brought back a certain dragon who had a half-dragon/mark of death daughter. After the Dragon and the House of Vol, which I made like trophies for he keeper, we had this super battle with the minions of the Keeper. But then the Dragonic Prophecy jumped in and it was over, Keeper couldn't beat that. So for you I would do this. When your characters have to actually find a specific person they must call its name, and give it hope somehow, like how the Valanar and Areneni keep the memories of their ancestors. Because of this the deziens of the plane of the dead whould be attacted by you. Like how the dementors where attacted by life and hope in Harry Potter, those trapped in the plane of the dead do the same. Forever seeking to gain what they lost and be with their loves ones, who probably are trapped with them. Also it says that the Keeper hates it when people are brought back by actually going to his domain, rescuing that person, and taking that person back to Eberron or any other plane. Which is a reson why the Inevitables exist. And this is the reason why people lose constition points when there brought back to life and why constition points lost in this fashion can only be brought back here, this only my opinion of course. Since Dollurh is filled with dread and fear, play on that. When your characters reach this place have them immediantly be filled with horror. Make them make will saves everytime they are hurt by the natives there, who will come for the invaders of their unhappy home. Also make spells that make light or fill people with hope protect your characters while becoming a bane and barrier for those attacking you. Finally make the Keeper hate you after you do this so many times, and rub it in his face. :D
Setherial 10-06-05, 03:20 AM	RaidingPartyGames: thanks, I'll look it up. Kinger: cool, I'll read up on Inevitables and use them. Sounds like fun to actually have rescued a soul only to realize they can't run from death forever, it will come for them. DoveArrow thanks, I'll read it. KingNeo sounds like a fun campaign you are running, one where nothing is too far fetched. Personally I would be worried about changing too much to the Eberron setting (mostly because we have multiple DM's who all use the setting and it has to remain consistent) by bringing back famous or infamous historic individuals but I sure appreciate the fun it could be.