Resurrection

[Geras]

So I suggested this idea to a few people, but I'd like to know how others feel about it.

I'd like to see a spell in-game that allows mages to resurrect someone, provided they didn't die to burning. The motivation behind this is I think it'd be a good way to make mages "powerful" without giving them some sort of instant-kill spell. It's also not without precedent in the game, as it happened a few times on oldTI, though under sketchy circumstances.

Some possible restrictions to go with this would be:

-Needing the body
-Needing multiple mages (maybe one of each element? more than one fifth circle mage?)
-Needing to spend QP
-A game-wide timer, meaning this can only happen X times per IC year?

This would represent a big change from the current "death is final" though, which is why I thought it'd be good to post this here.

[Dice]

I am okay with this, given:

1) All the requirements you've already listed AND

2) Some kind of downside to the resurrected person, and some way to recognize that they have in fact been resurrected even if they get a new ID (I.e., there's just something about this person that is different from a normal person).

I.e., they need to still be fun and interesting to play, but there needs to be something that's lost/different in the transition. Perhaps they're undead in some ways - don't bleed exactly, can't give birth, etc. etc. Perhaps they have mental issues resulting from having been on the other side and then forced to return.

Overall, IF you ever put resurrection into a permadeath game, it needs to be something with such sufficient barriers to entry and such sufficient costs that people think twice before being resurrected.

(Maybe you ought to be able to resurrect somebody into a different body, though? Hmmm.)

[Kinaed]

I'm generally (but not strongly) against it because I think that if resurrection is in theme, then we're not permadeath.

I'd also be very circumstances conscious if allowing such a thing, and I'd be uncomfortable about getting flak for it from the pbase at large when a dead person shows up on the scene.

This said, I do like some of the suggestions, so if the pbase at large is for it, then I'm okay with it.

Geras, do you mind if I add a poll?

[Burnt]

Yeah, I'm with Kink here, I think death, even if unpleasant, needs to be typically absolute. You're severing a string.

However, I would be pro-bring a body back to life as a mindless husk.

[Julea]

There are a lot of fun negative things a person coming back could have.

It could be only for a certain amount of time?
It could result in skill/stat drops? A lowering of the max stats by considerable amount as well?
A loss of memory?
It could require recasting to sustain? Or something else to sustain?

[Kinaed]

I like the idea of requiring sustaining - it might be like a vampire of sorts.

I think because an identity change is required for playability, an idea might be that a new body is required, and it's about trapping the soul, dragging it back and stuffing it into a fresh body. That new body may need blood or magic or something to keep going.

I do agree, one mage from each of the elements would definitely have to get together, and QP for RPA required (as we don't have a coded multi-cast system, though ideally if we got down to it, if this were going to be allowed on an ongoing basis, we'd probably have to code it). Possibly other requirements - like getting a body. Getting some personal artifact from the person to resurrect... those things.

[Geras]

I'd rather us not have vampires in the game personally, but perhaps there's some other maintenance that would make sense? No natural regeneration for HP/mvs could be one.

And I don't think an identity change is necessarily required for playability. Even if it is, there are separate means to deal with that as is aren't there?

[Kinaed]

I don't believe it'd be appropriate to give a player back their character carte blanche, which 'same as before entirely' on the social side of things would be. Code difficulties are generally minor unless we make the game practically unplayable, which I would never intentionally do.

I see players overwhelmingly being positive on this question, but I'll bet you if we tweak a few of the 'hows' on it, players would just as quickly flip their vote. I think the implementation of it is crucial to whether players support it or not. And I know that, fundamentally, it's important to whether or not I'd support it myself.

[Julea]

I think the idea 20x more interesting, roleplay wise, if the return does involve some negative effects (and possibly even a couple of positive ones too).

It is just a matter of hashing them out and working out what they are? Or should they be random each time? Should the magic be a bit unpredictable and chaotic? Or should the effects be the same each time?

[Kinaed]

I think for fairness sake, they need to be reasonably similar each time, especially if resurrection is a process. If we go with highly tailored stuff, we'll see players who feel more hampered than others - also, it makes it harder to program.

However, I can see something like 'You've got massive scars where your wounds are' and that being different for each revenant.