Death is an unfortunate but necessary part of the game. Whether it be caused by triggering a trap, getting mauled by a bear, or just plain old forgetting how to jump over a hole, death sucks. But luckily, Pathfinder allows for you to get better! This page is here to walk you through the process of dying.
Death and Level 1
So you just made that really awesome character, went on an ER, and got murdered before you could make sure the shield straps were on tight. But all is well, you do not need to toss Gobbsmasher IV the Second just yet! You see, first levels get ONE free revive. Now, this could just be a simple trip to the cathedral, but a GM is free to flavor it as an NPC or even a quest line (if the player agrees).
This applies to each character a player makes, and it is only once per character (So be warned if you reset).
Revival
Death is curable in pathfinder, all it takes is three casts of two spells. However, it's expensive. You'll need one cast of Raise dead (Except when you are a pile of ashes) and two casts of Restoration. This amounts to 5,000 + 1,000 + 1,000 or 7,000 gold (You are not charged the usual Spellcasting fee).
| Spell | Cost (In Gold) |
|---|---|
| Raise Dead | 5,000 Gold |
| Restoration | 1,000 Gold per Negative Level |
Not Enough Gold
Sometimes, you just don't have the money to raise. You have several options here now.
- You may sell off gear (At half price) to pay off your medical bill.
- Those in your party on that ER may donate for the Raise Dead (This means they can donate up to a maximum of 5,000 gold).
- You can Raise and Reset. If a character does not possess the money required to resurrect, or if they so choose to do so after death, they may opt to instead fully resurrect and reset their character at level 1.
Coming back
Death is not an easy thing for a person to experience. It should not just be ignored. It's a great time to have some character development! I'm not here to Role Play your characters, but I can give some suggestions for things that might occur after coming back from the dead.
- Alignment Shift: Something happened that caused you to die. Now, this could cause a spark of dislike, or set you on a new goal. Say you died to an evil necromancer, it might make you join the ranks of Iomadae's Undead Hunters and move you more towards a LG alignment. This is just an example.
- Personality Shift: Death is by no means a fun experience. It might become a fear or a teaching lesson. You died by charging a bear alone? You might gain a fear of bears or you learn to try to stick with your party more.
- Skill and Class Choices: Missed seeing a trap and plunged to your death? Maybe taking some skills into perception (Even if it isn't a class skill) make sense for your character. Or Escape Artist if you got trapped and couldn't escape your death. Acrobatics if you just couldn't make that jump to save your life.
Again, these are just suggestions.
But Do I Want To Raise?
This answer varies from person to person, and there is no right answer. But the question of whether or not to raise is a difficult one. To some, you may like the character too much to give up on them. Others, it might just be what the character would do. Some questions you can ask yourself are:
- How would my character feel about their death?
- Am I willing to let this character die?
- Does the character have a responsibility or promise they have yet to accomplish?
Abilities Like Raise Dead
Some classes get the ability to perform things like Raise Dead. The most noticeable one of these is Ultimate Mercy which allows a paladin to expend 10 uses of their Lay on Hands class ability to bring them back as if casting Raise Dead. The best part of this ability is the fact that you can choose not to pay the 5,000 gold for Raise Dead by taking a negative level for a single day (You still need to pay for the Two Negative Levels gained from the Raise Dead). However, these abilities can only be used if that person is on the ER with the person who perished. Otherwise, the person must pay for Raise Dead as usual.