Death in Rokugan [Archive] - Wizards Community

Death in Rokugan [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Chaos90
01-29-08, 03:11 AM Hey everyone, I just started a campaign in a Rokugan setting, and I was wondering what everyone's rules for PC death in that setting were. Looking at the book itself, it just seems like your forced to make a new character(unless I'm missing something entirely), since traditional ressurection spells have been removed or moved to the realm of maho.

Just realized reincarnation, that might be the alternative, but it seems like certain players(especially mine...) would not like to live with that.

Again, I'm just wondering what you've come up with, and thanks in advance!
KLGChaos
01-29-08, 07:27 AM Hey everyone, I just started a campaign in a Rokugan setting, and I was wondering what everyone's rules for PC death in that setting were. Looking at the book itself, it just seems like your forced to make a new character(unless I'm missing something entirely), since traditional ressurection spells have been removed or moved to the realm of maho.

Just realized reincarnation, that might be the alternative, but it seems like certain players(especially mine...) would not like to live with that.

Again, I'm just wondering what you've come up with, and thanks in advance!

Personally, I like to use the Psionic Revivify power and convert it for Shaman use as well. Basically, you have 1 round to cast the spell to bring someone back from death, without any level loss. It restores the person to -1 hp, but is stable. Kinda like how we can bring someone back from death using our technology in a limited amount of time, in Rokugan they can do it with magic.

And yes, I can read your sig, but I'm not going to put in my signature. :P
Count Arioch the 28th
01-29-08, 11:25 AM I'm not putting it in my signature because it's an urban myth, there was no such study, and and you're using small words in the the paragraph. If you had words like ooiatdxn or lltvsgeiaie or pvcschtaiyoe, you wouldn't be able to understand it too quickly (although some people are really good at understanding scrambled words, most people will have to work to translate it.)
Sudnji_cas
01-29-08, 02:27 PM Urban myth or not, surely more than 55% English speaking people can read it.
Thakowsaizmu
01-29-08, 04:47 PM Hey everyone, I just started a campaign in a Rokugan setting, and I was wondering what everyone's rules for PC death in that setting were. Looking at the book itself, it just seems like your forced to make a new character(unless I'm missing something entirely), since traditional ressurection spells have been removed or moved to the realm of maho.

Just realized reincarnation, that might be the alternative, but it seems like certain players(especially mine...) would not like to live with that.

Again, I'm just wondering what you've come up with, and thanks in advance!

Well generally in Rokugan if your character dies, she is dead. One of the whole reasons why the Resurection style spells were left out is because it sort of kills (no pun intended) the whole Honourable Death thing if you could commit Seppuku and just be brought back. It keeps Rokugans feel a bit closer to the whole Fantasy Japan thing (We'll ignore all of the other errors for now...)

Also, and I know I am beating a dead horse, but well over 55% of people can read your sig. It isn't really an Urban Myth so much as it is a Highschool Lameness thing. Same with the Ghoti is pronounced "Fish". It isn't...
Chaos90
01-29-08, 05:44 PM Alright about the whole thing in my sig, I just placed it in there because I saw it one someone else's sig, and I felt like following the recomendation to copying it in(because it seemed cool at the time). But I guess it can be a bit abnoxious(since I can't seem to remember how to hide it and it maks a pretty bold statement) and incorrect(as you guys have stated), so I think I'll just take it out. Sorry about that:D

Anyway, on to the other topic. I like the idea of Psionic revivify being remade into a shaman spell(and there is a shaman in the group so that could definatelty work in the long run), but is there anything that could work at levels before you can access that spell? Or is pretty much you die and that's it, in order to preserve some semblance of flavor like Thakowsaizmu had said?
narukagami
01-29-08, 06:31 PM Resurrection spells aren't in Rokugan because they weren't in the original Legend of the Five Rings RPG. They weren't in the original RPG because it cheapens death. The drama and tragedy of a character's heroic death, the sense of REAL danger in combat, and the drama of a fight to the finish is completely lost when anyone can be brought back with a simple spell casting. This has nothing to do with trying to maintain a "fantasy Japan" feel, its about maintaining the tragedy and dramatic tool that is character (be it PC or NPC) death.
Hochiu
02-02-08, 11:37 AM Also, if you specifically look at the canon of Rokugan, you have situations where the spirits (Who exist in one of the myriad realms in the Celestial Order) have already lived out their life as was determined, yet they somehow comeback (eg. War of the Spirits). The result of all these spirits coming back lead to spirits who were destined for specific reincarnation had their destinies denied to them - it ended up causing such turmoil in the heavens that there was a new plane of existence created to right the imbalance in the order.

Generally, the act of spiritual denial is one of the biggest reasons why Rokugan doesn't have resurrection spells or abilities. Everyone has a destiny, and everyone has a place to go when they fulfil that destiny. To allow otherwise throws the entire order of things into chaos. The reason why reincarnation is allowed is because it simply "speeds up" the natural, accepted process.
HidaAkira
02-07-08, 08:25 AM In Rokugan, if you are dead, you're dead and don't come back until reincarnated, if at all.
unless you're Hida Kisada
or Daidoji Uji
or Daigotsu
or Fu Leng
or Hida Kuroda/Kyofu
or undead
KLGChaos
02-07-08, 09:21 AM Yeah, that's why I like an adapted Psionic Revivify... it's not like you actually "die", it's kind of like bringing back someone who dies in the modern world through the use of modern technology (defibrillator paddles for example). It gives you a one round window to save a character who just got killed, which I think is fair. Once that round's over, however, you're out of luck.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Chaos90 01-29-08, 03:11 AM	Hey everyone, I just started a campaign in a Rokugan setting, and I was wondering what everyone's rules for PC death in that setting were. Looking at the book itself, it just seems like your forced to make a new character(unless I'm missing something entirely), since traditional ressurection spells have been removed or moved to the realm of maho. Just realized reincarnation, that might be the alternative, but it seems like certain players(especially mine...) would not like to live with that. Again, I'm just wondering what you've come up with, and thanks in advance!
KLGChaos 01-29-08, 07:27 AM	Hey everyone, I just started a campaign in a Rokugan setting, and I was wondering what everyone's rules for PC death in that setting were. Looking at the book itself, it just seems like your forced to make a new character(unless I'm missing something entirely), since traditional ressurection spells have been removed or moved to the realm of maho. Just realized reincarnation, that might be the alternative, but it seems like certain players(especially mine...) would not like to live with that. Again, I'm just wondering what you've come up with, and thanks in advance! Personally, I like to use the Psionic Revivify power and convert it for Shaman use as well. Basically, you have 1 round to cast the spell to bring someone back from death, without any level loss. It restores the person to -1 hp, but is stable. Kinda like how we can bring someone back from death using our technology in a limited amount of time, in Rokugan they can do it with magic. And yes, I can read your sig, but I'm not going to put in my signature. :P
Count Arioch the 28th 01-29-08, 11:25 AM	I'm not putting it in my signature because it's an urban myth, there was no such study, and and you're using small words in the the paragraph. If you had words like ooiatdxn or lltvsgeiaie or pvcschtaiyoe, you wouldn't be able to understand it too quickly (although some people are really good at understanding scrambled words, most people will have to work to translate it.)
Sudnji_cas 01-29-08, 02:27 PM	Urban myth or not, surely more than 55% English speaking people can read it.
Thakowsaizmu 01-29-08, 04:47 PM	Hey everyone, I just started a campaign in a Rokugan setting, and I was wondering what everyone's rules for PC death in that setting were. Looking at the book itself, it just seems like your forced to make a new character(unless I'm missing something entirely), since traditional ressurection spells have been removed or moved to the realm of maho. Just realized reincarnation, that might be the alternative, but it seems like certain players(especially mine...) would not like to live with that. Again, I'm just wondering what you've come up with, and thanks in advance! Well generally in Rokugan if your character dies, she is dead. One of the whole reasons why the Resurection style spells were left out is because it sort of kills (no pun intended) the whole Honourable Death thing if you could commit Seppuku and just be brought back. It keeps Rokugans feel a bit closer to the whole Fantasy Japan thing (We'll ignore all of the other errors for now...) Also, and I know I am beating a dead horse, but well over 55% of people can read your sig. It isn't really an Urban Myth so much as it is a Highschool Lameness thing. Same with the Ghoti is pronounced "Fish". It isn't...
Chaos90 01-29-08, 05:44 PM	Alright about the whole thing in my sig, I just placed it in there because I saw it one someone else's sig, and I felt like following the recomendation to copying it in(because it seemed cool at the time). But I guess it can be a bit abnoxious(since I can't seem to remember how to hide it and it maks a pretty bold statement) and incorrect(as you guys have stated), so I think I'll just take it out. Sorry about that:D Anyway, on to the other topic. I like the idea of Psionic revivify being remade into a shaman spell(and there is a shaman in the group so that could definatelty work in the long run), but is there anything that could work at levels before you can access that spell? Or is pretty much you die and that's it, in order to preserve some semblance of flavor like Thakowsaizmu had said?
narukagami 01-29-08, 06:31 PM	Resurrection spells aren't in Rokugan because they weren't in the original Legend of the Five Rings RPG. They weren't in the original RPG because it cheapens death. The drama and tragedy of a character's heroic death, the sense of REAL danger in combat, and the drama of a fight to the finish is completely lost when anyone can be brought back with a simple spell casting. This has nothing to do with trying to maintain a "fantasy Japan" feel, its about maintaining the tragedy and dramatic tool that is character (be it PC or NPC) death.
Hochiu 02-02-08, 11:37 AM	Also, if you specifically look at the canon of Rokugan, you have situations where the spirits (Who exist in one of the myriad realms in the Celestial Order) have already lived out their life as was determined, yet they somehow comeback (eg. War of the Spirits). The result of all these spirits coming back lead to spirits who were destined for specific reincarnation had their destinies denied to them - it ended up causing such turmoil in the heavens that there was a new plane of existence created to right the imbalance in the order. Generally, the act of spiritual denial is one of the biggest reasons why Rokugan doesn't have resurrection spells or abilities. Everyone has a destiny, and everyone has a place to go when they fulfil that destiny. To allow otherwise throws the entire order of things into chaos. The reason why reincarnation is allowed is because it simply "speeds up" the natural, accepted process.
HidaAkira 02-07-08, 08:25 AM	In Rokugan, if you are dead, you're dead and don't come back until reincarnated, if at all. unless you're Hida Kisada or Daidoji Uji or Daigotsu or Fu Leng or Hida Kuroda/Kyofu or undead
KLGChaos 02-07-08, 09:21 AM	Yeah, that's why I like an adapted Psionic Revivify... it's not like you actually "die", it's kind of like bringing back someone who dies in the modern world through the use of modern technology (defibrillator paddles for example). It gives you a one round window to save a character who just got killed, which I think is fair. Once that round's over, however, you're out of luck.