Resurrection Challenge System
Of all the things you can do in RPG’s, dying is by far the easiest.
In TTRPG’s, bouncing back from death can be little more than a pesky setback. Back in “the day” there were consequences to coming back from the dead. The revived character lost stats, levels, and eventually those penalties just piled up to the point where you had no choice but to let go.
These days, if you’ve got the gold Death can be an inconvenience, depending on the RPG you’re playing. In D&D 5e and Pathfinder, you have to make rolls to avoid dying. But once you die, break out a diamond and cast the spell. BOOM! Back in the action!
I feel like maybe there’s an opportunity to make things interesting when trying to revive a companion. Something that gets the party involved. Something that adds to the stakes.
Matt Mercer, the Dungeon Master for the Critical Role crew, had homebrewed a resurrection system that I thought was interesting. The Dungeon Coach also had thoughts on the matter, and discussed his homebrewed approach to the whole resurrection situation.
Me Likey, so Me Showy. Here’s The Dungeon Coach discussing his Resurrection Challenge System for 5e!
RotRL – Goblin Attack
Rise of the Runelords – Session Two
Having partaken in events of the Swallowtail Festival, the heroes now find themselves up to their elbows in combat as a large band of goblins have attacked the sleepy town of Sandpoint!
Blood, brutality, and the appearance of a masked hero? Yes, all of that and more! You can find the summary of the events over on our campaign World Anvil page by clicking HERE!
GM Thoughts
- The session introduced a few of the town’s NPCs, including Sheriff Belor Hemlock and owner of the Rusty Dragon, Ameiko Kaijitsu. It also briefly introduced a vigilante character that the party may bump into again. This character will have certain healing powers that may allow them to aid the party down the road. One of the players is a cleric; however he will rarely be able to attend sessions. The town has a cleric, but his healing powers are limited. The vigilante may become an NPC that could travel with the party and act as healer should they decided to add this mystery character. I hadn’t decided exactly what to do with the vigilante, and the players didn’t seem to show a great deal of interest when they made their appearance. So this mysterious hero may end up remaining in the shadows.
- What about the PC cleric? The player told me I could use the cleric as a healbot. I appreciate the effort on his part, but I don’t like using another player’s character. Should the dice go poorly and the character dies, I would feel guilty. My policy has always been that if a player can’t make it to a session, they just fade out of existence. When they can play, the character is there. In our last campaign, that resulted in some clutch strategy when the player ended up saving the party just by arriving in time.
- Level One is tricky for characters. They’re just so squishy! One day they’ll look back on facing a group of goblins and laugh. One day.
Rokk Talk 