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Nethicus 07-22-05, 02:27 PM

In my campaign, due to abuses by Necromancers and others, raising the dead in any form is strictly taboo, so death is sort of a permanent issue. That's not to say I'm not a merciful dungeon master. I have implemented the following rules. The fortitude save rules actually work quite well (death does happen, and it really cuts down on the whining from players). I am introducing two new aspects of death & dying, however: the coma, and the Resuscitation spells. Feedback is always appreciated! ----------------------------- Game Rule Information Due to the “one-way” nature of death in the Third Age, some accommodations can be made to keep players alive, especially as they get up in levels. In particular, it is a variant of the “dying” rules that appear in Unearthed Arcana. Working at 0 Hp: A character with 0 Hp is staggered. They can take a move action freely. A strenuous standard of full action will require the character to make a Fortitude save or go unconscious. The DC for the save is 20, and the save DC goes up by 2 for every strenuous action beyond the first the character makes. (A strenuous action is combat, casting a spell, riding on horseback, or something else that’s a violent, jarring action. Activating a wand, reading a scroll, speaking a command word, or drinking a potion are not considered strenuous. Running across a battlefield to a friend who has thehealing potion, however, is strenuous and will require a save.) Instant Stabilization: Whenever a character receives a blow which drops them below 0 Hp, they have a chance to instantly stabilize. The Fortitude save DC is 10+damage taken that round. A 20 on the save will automatically stabilize the character. Note that this can happen even if the damage the character exceeds their Constitution score +10. Dying: A character below 0 HP is considered to be dying. Each round, the character must make a Fortitude save to see if they stabilize against a DC equal to 10 + the hps below zero the character is. If the character misses the save by less than 6, he bleeds and loses 1 hp for the round. If the character misses the save by more than 5 but not more than 10, he loses 2 hp for the round. If the character misses the save by more than 10, he dies. The character can bleed for up to 10 + their Con score. Coma: A character dropped below their Con score but not beyond the death threshold of 10 + their Con score is in a coma. A character who stabilizes at that point remains unconscious for 24 hours, regardless of the healing afforded them. A Heal spell will revive a character in a coma. At the end of each 24 hour period, a character can make a Fortitude save against the stabilization DC to see if they regain concsiousness. A character can remain in a “light” coma for a number of days equal to their Con score. After those days pass, the character enters a “deep” coma. The Fortitude save is made at the end of each week (10 day period). The DC for the save does not change, only the time period of the save. Bear in mind that any character in a coma and not in the care of this party members will start to dehydrate and starve. For example, Tordek the Fighter has a Con of 16 and a Fortitude save of +5. He takes a blow from an ogre which deals 26 points of damage, dropping Tordek to -13. He attempts to instantly stabilize. He rolls a 4, giving a save score of 9. The DC to instantly stabilize is 36, so Tordek is dying. The next round, Tordek tries to self stabilize. The DC for his fortitude save is 23. Tordek rolls an 11, giving a score of 16. He missed the save by more than 5, but not more than 10, so he bleeds this round for 2 hp to -15 hp. Next round, Tordek attempts the save again, this time at a DC of 25. He rolls a 16, giving a save of 21, which misses the save but not by more than 5. He loses 1 hp to -16hp, his Con score. Next round, Tordek loses another 2 hp to -18. Jozan gets to him by then and casts Cure Minor Wounds, stabilizing Tordek at -17 hp. Tordek at this point is in a coma, but stable. Should Tordek roll a 1 for any save in his coma, he will begin to die again. The deteriorating condition will be clear to any around, as Tordek will start seizing, shaking, etc. After the battle, the party brings Tordek back to camp. They tend to Tordek, and he begins to gain his HP back. Tordek entered the coma at -18, so the DC on his Fortitude save to regain consciousness is 28. Jozan boosts Tordek’s saves with Endurance, Guidance, and Resistance, giving Tordek a save of +9. Tordek rolls a 15 on the first day. The party is determined to revive him, so they resolve to give Tordek 2 weeks. By this time, they have healed Tordek to his full HP. On the 4th day, Tordek rolls a 19, giving him a 28. He stirs, blinks, looks at Jozan and says, “I’m starving!” New Spells Resuscitation Conjuration (Healing) Level: Clr 3, Drd 3, Pal 2, Rgr 2 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 3 rounds Range: Touch Target: Creature touched Duration: 1 rd/level Saving Throw: Special- see text Spell Resistance: No Using herbs and stimulation techniques, aided by magic, you attempt to get a recently dead body working again. The spell must be started within 2 minutes of the death of the subject. After 3 rounds, the recipient of resuscitation must make a Fortitude save against DC of 20. If successful, the target revives, having -9 HP, but being stable and in a coma (see the coma rules). The target is granted an instant Fortitude save to shake off the effects of the coma (DC 19). If the original Fortitude save fails, the target is still dead. The caster can attempt to revive the target every three rounds until the spell expires. The spell can be cast multiple times within the 2 minute window, but if the target does not revive by that point, more powerful means must be used to restore it back to life. The spell cannot restore to life a target killed by energy drain or a death effect. If death was caused by ability damage, resuscitation will not be able to restore life. If the body is not intact, resuscitation will not work. The target of the spell must have a familiar anatomy, like that of an animal, humanoid, or giant. This spell has no effect on the undead. A character resuscitated does not lose a level or Constitution. The components for this spell are ground urtur root, dried tangleweed and smelling salts, all blessed, costing 25gp. Greater Resuscitation Conjuration (Healing) Level: Clr 5, Drd 5 As with Resuscitation, but the spell can be cast on a body which has been dead up to 20 minutes. In addition, the target of the spell gains a +5 on the Fortitude save to revive as well as a +5 on the Fortitude save to resist the coma. The material components for this spell are black creepmoss, ground urtur root, dried tangleweed, smelling salts, and white lotus petals, all blessed, costing 100 gp.