Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Ramzour Oct 16, 2014 12:27:06	I have a situation in my game and I'm looking for suggestions.    The party's Druid and an Ogre were waist deep in a poisoned stream, wrestling with each other. The Druid was losing the fight and close to dying so he decided to cast Call Lightning (pumped up with extra spell slots) right on himself and the Ogre. The Lightning did a metric crap ton of damage, outright killing the Ogre and the Druid (Instant Death).    For reasons, the Druid was turned into a Ghost with the stipulation that he would remain a ghost until his allies avenge his death and perform a special ritual.   My question: what ideas do you have for how to avenge his death and what the special ritual should entail?   In the meantime, the Druid will be able to continue playing with the party by using the Ghost stat block in the MM.   EDIT: (more details for clarification) More details on the circumstances of the Druid's Death.   The druid was already under the effects of the following blessing: "When you die, you become a ghost until your friends avenge your death and perform a special ritual and bring you back to life."   That stipulation was written before the following events.    The party was tasked to take care of an orc threat in the mountains. The orc tribe lived in a cave and was led by an orc chieftan and his Ogre bodyguard. Having captured an lone Orc scout, they tracked the orc cave entrance and went inside. The Druid was in Bear form when he saw the Ogre. He decided to charge over and wrestle the Ogre, keeping him occupied while his friends took care of the Orc Chief and the rest of the tribe. Everything was going to plan except the Bear Druid was lost the grapple and got critted in the face. With only 2 hit points left, that's when he decided to turn back into an elf and cast Call Lightning. Then the Druid died and the blessing kicked in. The druid became a ghost and that's where we are now.
#2 Novacat Oct 16, 2014 12:30:57	Um... avenge the death of someone who killed himself? I dunno. Even if you blame the ogre for his death, the ogre is dead already. Seems like "vengeance" isn't really applicable here.
#3 iserith Oct 16, 2014 12:29:55	The ogre's already dead, right? So I'm not sure who or what gets vengeance meted out on them such that the ghost can rest. What's up with that poisoned stream? Is that something the PCs can fix to make the druid feel at peace? Was there something more to the ogre? Did he serve a greater power that sent him to slay the druid?
#4 OrwellianHaggis Oct 16, 2014 12:45:33	Similar questions to Iserith: what was the party trying to achieve? If they were pursuing a person (BBEG) and the ogre was just a mook, then revenge would need to be meted out against the BBEG. If there's no BBEG but there was a clear objective, completing the objective might bring the ghost peace.
#5 rampant Oct 16, 2014 12:50:28	Alternatively all of ogre kind must be cleansed from the realm.
#6 Ramzour Oct 16, 2014 13:06:39	Okay, here's some clarification. The druid was already under the effects of the following blessing: "When you die, you become a ghost until your friends avenge your death and perform a special ritual and bring you back to life."   That stipulation was written before the druid's final Ogre battle. Then the Druid died and the blessing kicked in. The druid became a ghost and that's where we are now.
#7 Ramzour Oct 16, 2014 13:12:24	More details on the circumstances of the Druid's Death.   The party was tasked to take care of an orc threat in the mountains. The orc tribe lived in a cave and was led by an orc chieftan and his Ogre bodyguard. Having captured an lone Orc scout, they tracked the orc cave entrance and went inside. The Druid was in Bear form when he saw the Ogre. He decided to charge over and wrestle the Ogre, keeping him occupied while his friends took care of the Orc Chief and the rest of the tribe. Everything was going to plan except the Bear Druid was lost the grapple and got critted in the face. With only 2 hit points left, that's when he decided to turn back into an elf and cast Call Lightning.
#8 Novacat Oct 16, 2014 13:23:09	Ramzour wrote:
#9 Timborama Oct 16, 2014 13:31:00	What...what were the PCs doing, exactly? Were they curing the poison stream? Looking for an Orc boss who employs ogres? You kinda have to fill in the blanks, here...   Or did the druid get waylaid in a random encounter? Because if it's this one, well...you might wanna talk to the player and either he'll exist (as an NPC) for a while potentially haunting the party, or he'll vanish sorta quickly...   edit: After reading your clarification, looks like the Druid is going to be hauntint the PCs for a while, and they'll be forced to kill his ghost as he starts to lose his grip on reality more and more...   "WHY AREN'T YOU AVENGING ME?!?!" "Uh, we did...?" or "Uh, we kinda can't?" "RAAWRWRWARARW!"
#10 iserith Oct 16, 2014 13:40:32	Novacat wrote:
#11 Varden_Khol Oct 16, 2014 13:42:38	iserith wrote:
#12 Ramzour Oct 17, 2014 0:34:39	You guys are focusing on the wrong part. It doesn't matter where the "blessing" came from. Instead of the Druid being D-E-D Dead, he's a Ghost with a chance to redeem himself somehow.    Anyway, I'll come up with ideas on my own I guess.
#13 Noon Oct 17, 2014 2:25:09	If the players excited about the whole revival process, I'd ask him his ideas on what it'd involve. Frankly players are often crazy imaginative on this stuff.   If he's not excited, well, it depends on if you/the GM are excited.   If neither of you are, just handwave the thing and get him alive again.   Edit: Really, what's he got to redeam himself on - he's a druid killing an ogre in what I assume was a river poisoned by the ogre and it's ilk. He's practically the incarnate ideal of a druid, in such a respect. Aint no redeaming needed there.
#14 Ramzour Oct 17, 2014 3:17:29	Again, the effect was already upon him and triggered upon his death. The manner of his death is independent of the becoming a Ghost thing. So, perhaps there isn't much to avenge in this particular case. When the Druid died, he becomes a Ghost until certain criteria are fulfilled, afterwhich he is restored to life. The question I asked in the OP was for ideas on avenging the druid's death and the type of ritual needed to be performed.   Man, I was looking for some creative ideas with the situation at hand, not to play semantics. It's no wonder these forums are practically dead lately (especially compared to how they were 4 months ago).
#15 Thunaer Oct 17, 2014 3:42:03	I would imagine the solution to be pretty easy just by looking at your first post. Vengence against the orc tribe the party was there to begin with. If those have been soundly defeated then it is up to you to go deeper if you wish the player to be restored.   Orc tribes are sometimes used by more powerful humaniods as a tool.  Multiple tribes can have overlords ( or whatever )    If the players have not returned back plant some clues for them to follow Have them followed in town by a shadowy figure, perhaps a spy for the true enemy?
#16 OrwellianHaggis Oct 17, 2014 5:43:35	There's the option of the ghost possessing someone/something.   Perhaps the party needs to return to the person who hired them to kill the orcs. They need to take something for the ritual from the defeated foe (the chieftain's heart would be best, but a scalp, an eye, a hand, a set of genitals, or even a toe would do in a pinch). And they need some of the blood of the quest-giver for the ritual to confirm to the druid's ghost that they've received satisfaction.   After the druid is revived, orcs come asking questions. Turns out the chieftain was the son of an older, powerful orc, and by taking his (choose your own body part here) you've stopped the son going to orc afterlife. Now dad seeks rest for his son, preferably by taking  your (choose your own body part here). You could set a DC for this knowledge at the time of harvesting the body part (if anyone has any knowledge of orcs) so the decision is there; to go ahead and revive the druid and probably cause war, or to not revive and leave their friend a ghost.   Was that any help at all?
#17 iserith Oct 17, 2014 6:20:49	I think if I were this player, I'd say that because of the wording of the blessing and how I died I can't avenge my death and so my sanity is shattered. I retire the character to become a villain for the DM's use and create a new character - an undead hunter of some kind. That's good villain origin story if you ask me.
#18 spelley Oct 17, 2014 6:36:11	Few suggestions:   - Cure the Poisoned Land: Was this poison stream unusual in some way? Maybe it was magical. Maybe it drove the Orcs/Ogres out of their "normal" homelands and the "threat" they posed was caused by them needing to find new territory. Maybe a nearby valley, since they went into the mountains to get away from it. Maybe they were positioned near the stream because their shamans were trying to figure out what it was. It also seems fitting of a Druid to cleanse poisoned land. Rumours of a strange sickness and refugees/beast migrations can clue them into it.   - Orcs as Tools: As others have said, maybe the Orcs were working for someone else. Possibly being used as advanced scouts/"canaries in the coal mine" into the mountains before the real threat moved in. Possibly the Orcs were a distraction so that, while everyone was focused on the Orcs moving into one part of the mountain, the real threat moved into some other part of it. Easily tied together with finding a note or hearing of strange rumours around the mountain.   - Great Orge Shrine: If you want to focus on the Ogre theme, perhaps there is an Ogre Shrine near the top of the mountain that is dedicated to the greatness of the local Ogre clan (make it a shrine/statue of their King/Chief). The characters must destroy it to restore their friend, bonus points if it can be destroyed with lightning. perhaps it has something protecting it from the frequent storms on top of the mountain, or there is a magical Lightning Hammer that will destroy it that is in the hands of a long-lost Storm Giant Elder. Would make for an interesting adventure as they climb the mountain and deal with snowy/Ogre threats along the way. A combination of rumours and Spiritual Non-sense (the Druid "sensing" they must climb UP) should get them there.   - Topple the Mountain: Perhaps the mountain itself is the criminal, or has an evil influence within it that drove the Orcs to a frenzy. They must find it at the center of the mountain and destroy it. Or the mountain. Or both. Perhaps the Orcs were actively fighting whatever it is in the mountain, and by slaying them they start pouring out.    Just a few ideas!
(Reply to #14) Timborama	Ramzour wrote:
#20 austinmonster Oct 17, 2014 7:39:35	You could just drag his smoking body back to town, or find a druid circle and have him reincarnated/ressuected the old-fashion 1st/2nd ed way.  He'd unghostify if he was brought back to life.
#21 The_White_Sorcerer Oct 17, 2014 8:27:13	Both of the druid's killers, the ogre and himself, are already slain. Thus, death avenged. The only thing to do now is perform the special ritual.   As for the ritual, purify the river and dunk the druid's corpse in it along with some mystical herbs or sacred stones or whatever.
#22 Ramzour Oct 17, 2014 8:35:03	The_White_Sorcerer wrote: