Resurrection in D&D: Don't Fear the Reaper?
Posted by Vanir at 12:01 AM
I've been having some discussions recently with my cohorts about the concept of resurrection in D&D. Two of the guys in our gaming group, Sirgeekelot and Kanati, have vehemently argued that it is incredibly broken as it works now. Why?
Why resurrection Sucks
The primary complaint I hear on why resurrection sucks in D&D is that the players no longer fear death. This poses two problems. First, a player is far more apt to do things that may result in their death if they're pretty sure they're just going to get brought back to life after it's all over. They might just charge recklessly into battle, they may intentionally sacrifice their lives heroically, or they may just be more prone to taking big risks. In gameplay terms, no fear of death means players won't think so hard about smarter ways to fight something -- which means it's much more appealing to (as Kanati puts it) "swing your sword over your head and re-enact a scene from Braveheart".
The other problem with no fear of death is that it greatly sucks the drama out of a situation. You're going to be very, very interested in what's going on if your 18th level character you've raised from a puppy is near death and there's no bringing him back. Happy? Probably not -- unless, of course, he wins and continues to live! Drama is exciting. Fear of character death gives players a vested interest in not doing stupid things, and when the party does overcome the big baddie at the end of the dungeon against incredible odds it's like winning the Super Bowl. (Only better, and the rings give +2 to all saves.)
Why resurrection Might Not Be So Bad
I don't know about the rest of you, but I've played a lot of videogame RPGs in my day. In most of those games, if a PC dies, you can get them ressurected somewhere for a steep fee, or carry magic items to do it, or use magic. Just like in D&D. The only way the game ends is if the whole party croaks. But in videogames, you can typically restart at the last save point.
When you start getting into higher levels in both genres, they commonly start throwing enemies at you with abilities that can kill a character in one shot. The counter to that is to ressurect the dead PC. It's a gameplay mechanic, the antidote to the poison of death. Sure, this kind of approach to individual character death is about as dramatic as an oatmeal breakfast WITH EXCITING PEACH SLICES. I get that. To a player, the thought of their PC dying is more frustrating than it is sad or traumatic.
However, if the whole party bites it in D&D, there's no save. If the battle is close or going poorly for the group, it's dramatic. The players are all worried about dying then. They're all engaged. They all want to find some way to defeat the enemy and rise to victory. They could even engage in (gasp) team play in order to keep everybody alive.
Does It Blend?
In the end, I personally think resurrection fits the way D&D works currently simply because it's a needed gameplay element. I don't think it's necessarily bad, just different than the real world. It does take away from the drama of combat in some ways and it prevents certain story plots from occurring, but in my tiny little simulationist brain it fits the world around it. (I tend to think of it as fantasy healthcare for the rich and powerful.)
As I said before, even in our gaming group there's greatly differing opinions on this topic, so I'd love to hear yours. Please commence gentlemanly melee combat in our comments section if you so desire.
No matter how you feel on the topic -- as roleplayers, I would heartily suggest that you do not simply take your PC's lives for granted. Remember, you may not stay dead, but dying HURTS REALLY BAD!
Why resurrection Sucks
The primary complaint I hear on why resurrection sucks in D&D is that the players no longer fear death. This poses two problems. First, a player is far more apt to do things that may result in their death if they're pretty sure they're just going to get brought back to life after it's all over. They might just charge recklessly into battle, they may intentionally sacrifice their lives heroically, or they may just be more prone to taking big risks. In gameplay terms, no fear of death means players won't think so hard about smarter ways to fight something -- which means it's much more appealing to (as Kanati puts it) "swing your sword over your head and re-enact a scene from Braveheart".
The other problem with no fear of death is that it greatly sucks the drama out of a situation. You're going to be very, very interested in what's going on if your 18th level character you've raised from a puppy is near death and there's no bringing him back. Happy? Probably not -- unless, of course, he wins and continues to live! Drama is exciting. Fear of character death gives players a vested interest in not doing stupid things, and when the party does overcome the big baddie at the end of the dungeon against incredible odds it's like winning the Super Bowl. (Only better, and the rings give +2 to all saves.)
Why resurrection Might Not Be So Bad
I don't know about the rest of you, but I've played a lot of videogame RPGs in my day. In most of those games, if a PC dies, you can get them ressurected somewhere for a steep fee, or carry magic items to do it, or use magic. Just like in D&D. The only way the game ends is if the whole party croaks. But in videogames, you can typically restart at the last save point.
When you start getting into higher levels in both genres, they commonly start throwing enemies at you with abilities that can kill a character in one shot. The counter to that is to ressurect the dead PC. It's a gameplay mechanic, the antidote to the poison of death. Sure, this kind of approach to individual character death is about as dramatic as an oatmeal breakfast WITH EXCITING PEACH SLICES. I get that. To a player, the thought of their PC dying is more frustrating than it is sad or traumatic.
However, if the whole party bites it in D&D, there's no save. If the battle is close or going poorly for the group, it's dramatic. The players are all worried about dying then. They're all engaged. They all want to find some way to defeat the enemy and rise to victory. They could even engage in (gasp) team play in order to keep everybody alive.
Does It Blend?
In the end, I personally think resurrection fits the way D&D works currently simply because it's a needed gameplay element. I don't think it's necessarily bad, just different than the real world. It does take away from the drama of combat in some ways and it prevents certain story plots from occurring, but in my tiny little simulationist brain it fits the world around it. (I tend to think of it as fantasy healthcare for the rich and powerful.)
As I said before, even in our gaming group there's greatly differing opinions on this topic, so I'd love to hear yours. Please commence gentlemanly melee combat in our comments section if you so desire.
No matter how you feel on the topic -- as roleplayers, I would heartily suggest that you do not simply take your PC's lives for granted. Remember, you may not stay dead, but dying HURTS REALLY BAD!
Labels: death, ressurection, roleplay, Vanir
