So I have been running the Lost Mines of Phandelver campaign and my players died before reaching the end of the campaign. Their characters are attached to the story so much that I don't want them to just build new characters and bring them into the story.
IDEA So far my only real idea is that as they all die their souls don't pass to a different plain and they either, 1: Become ghosts / spectral forms. 2: My only other idea is that their souls enter bodies of random creatures/people they have killed recently and they have to a) finish the missions they started b) begin searching for their bodies and have someone put their souls back in their bodies.
I was wondering any input or other helpful ideas anyone had. I was thinking option 2 is the best for continuation of the story after they complete the main story. The only issue with both of these ideas is I'm not 100% sure how to build classes/ manage levels if they are a creature that isn't already a usable class/race.
Have you considered doing a brief side quest to let them get revived? Perhaps Bahamut or some other benevolent power offers to restore them to their bodies (or restore them long enough to finish their mission, if you don't want to retcon the TPK) if they prove themselves worthy with a quest beyond the veil.
The quest could be anything of your choosing, and the characters would use their same stats as they navigate whatever plane or demiplane their souls went to when they died. If they do a good job, they're rewarded with another shot at mortality, in their old bodies. If they fail, they have to pass on (and roll new characters, or are reincarnated without their memories, or whatever consequence you want).
Oooo I actually like this. Having them going on a separate side-quest to try to regain their lives. I might write something up for this since it seems like a cool concept and worse comes to worse they have to make new characters or whatever if they fail. Thanks!
Yeah, what Bagels said, they can put back into the campaign, but they have to earn their return. This could be a group side quest, or you could do individual interventions where "higher powers" will spare the characters for noble or ignoble means. You could also have some fun with reincarnate or the Reborn Gothline(tm) in VRGtR. You could make it an opportunity for characters to come back as Aasimars and Tieflings (and a bunch of third party and homebrew and UA fiendish, and celestial and paraundead lineages) too if you wanted to be a little liberal with returning but also have the facts of their death really affect them.
It's like this typo I saw someone do on this board when the meant Deus ex Machina (a literally classic story device where all is restored to order in a play by a god descending onto the stage via a crane), This is DUES ex Machina*. They can go back and pick up where they left off in play, but there should be some in game cost for their reup.
*this is distinct from my game world's Dues Ex Machina which is sort of a infernal ATM network and wire service Western Union payment and other transactional system found through the hells run by Mamnon and is brutally torturous in its operation.
Depending on how many NPCs they've interacted with, they could control those (with your help from turning their stat blocks into PCs). Sildar Hallwinter, Sister Garaele, Hamun Kost, Agatha, Daran Edermath, the odd vengeful goblin mistreated by the Black Spider... could be some interesting dynamics there, at least until you decide to let the players have their old characters back through - as theologyofbagels suggests - some means to get their souls back.
Alternatively there's always the ol' favourite of "they didn't die, they were captured" and have to plan their breakout, perhaps with a level loss or some other detriment to keep things interesting.
It's good that your players want to continue the game though. I hope they manage to continue on, and you enjoy DMing for such a passionate group!
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Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
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So I have been running the Lost Mines of Phandelver campaign and my players died before reaching the end of the campaign. Their characters are attached to the story so much that I don't want them to just build new characters and bring them into the story.
IDEA
So far my only real idea is that as they all die their souls don't pass to a different plain and they either, 1: Become ghosts / spectral forms. 2: My only other idea is that their souls enter bodies of random creatures/people they have killed recently and they have to a) finish the missions they started b) begin searching for their bodies and have someone put their souls back in their bodies.
I was wondering any input or other helpful ideas anyone had. I was thinking option 2 is the best for continuation of the story after they complete the main story. The only issue with both of these ideas is I'm not 100% sure how to build classes/ manage levels if they are a creature that isn't already a usable class/race.
Thanks for any help! <33
Have you considered doing a brief side quest to let them get revived? Perhaps Bahamut or some other benevolent power offers to restore them to their bodies (or restore them long enough to finish their mission, if you don't want to retcon the TPK) if they prove themselves worthy with a quest beyond the veil.
The quest could be anything of your choosing, and the characters would use their same stats as they navigate whatever plane or demiplane their souls went to when they died. If they do a good job, they're rewarded with another shot at mortality, in their old bodies. If they fail, they have to pass on (and roll new characters, or are reincarnated without their memories, or whatever consequence you want).
Oooo I actually like this. Having them going on a separate side-quest to try to regain their lives. I might write something up for this since it seems like a cool concept and worse comes to worse they have to make new characters or whatever if they fail. Thanks!
Yeah, what Bagels said, they can put back into the campaign, but they have to earn their return. This could be a group side quest, or you could do individual interventions where "higher powers" will spare the characters for noble or ignoble means. You could also have some fun with reincarnate or the Reborn Gothline(tm) in VRGtR. You could make it an opportunity for characters to come back as Aasimars and Tieflings (and a bunch of third party and homebrew and UA fiendish, and celestial and paraundead lineages) too if you wanted to be a little liberal with returning but also have the facts of their death really affect them.
It's like this typo I saw someone do on this board when the meant Deus ex Machina (a literally classic story device where all is restored to order in a play by a god descending onto the stage via a crane), This is DUES ex Machina*. They can go back and pick up where they left off in play, but there should be some in game cost for their reup.
*this is distinct from my game world's Dues Ex Machina which is sort of a infernal ATM network and wire service Western Union payment and other transactional system found through the hells run by Mamnon and is brutally torturous in its operation.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Depending on how many NPCs they've interacted with, they could control those (with your help from turning their stat blocks into PCs). Sildar Hallwinter, Sister Garaele, Hamun Kost, Agatha, Daran Edermath, the odd vengeful goblin mistreated by the Black Spider... could be some interesting dynamics there, at least until you decide to let the players have their old characters back through - as theologyofbagels suggests - some means to get their souls back.
Alternatively there's always the ol' favourite of "they didn't die, they were captured" and have to plan their breakout, perhaps with a level loss or some other detriment to keep things interesting.
It's good that your players want to continue the game though. I hope they manage to continue on, and you enjoy DMing for such a passionate group!
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft