Porchdrinker
Member
As a die-hard roleplayer, I've experimented with different rules, restrictions, and challenges regarding in-game death. When I first got into in-game roleplaying, I noticed two basic opposite mindsets behind dealing with character death consequences: "dead-is-dead" mode (start a new character if your current character dies) and the "ignore and reload" mindset (or "death-is-unavoidable"). After reading many discussions about character death on these forums and other sites, I decided to compile a list of creative ways to address death and add some challenge for immersive roleplayers. Some of these are my own creation, some have been paraphrased/borrowed from people more creative than I am.
Based on my research and brainstorming, there are four additional ways to build roleplay scenarios and challenges around character death: coming up with restrictions to limit the number of "allowable" deaths (as a survival challenge); imposing punishments for death outcomes; establishing a level or event after which death becomes final; or creating "head canon" to explain death or immortality within the context of a character's story. I've listed ideas for various iterations of these below.
Limited Number of Deaths -
The Eight or the Nine: your character has eight (or nine) lives, with each life corresponding to one of the divines.
13 Stones: your character has thirteen lives, one for each standing stone. When you lose a life, you have to activate a new standing stone before proceeding.
16 Princes: your character has 16 lives, one for each Daedric prince in the game.
Arcade Mode: your character has three lives, but earns a bonus life every five or ten levels. None of this is acknowledged in your story, but your final life turns your roleplay into dead-is-dead. It's really just a way to make survival more important without the harshness of a single life dead-is-dead approach.
Conditional Dead-Is-Dead -
Plot Climax: all deaths are forgivable until your character reaches a defining task or battle after level 20. It could be a specific quest or dungeon of your choosing, but the quest/task is bound by DID rules. Building to this moment is the key to your character's story.
Turning Point: Deaths are forgivable until a certain objective is completed in the story. For example, when your character finally chooses a side in the civil war or joins a certain guild, you shift to dead-is-dead mode.
Death by Element: deaths do not count unless it's by a certain element (fire, shock, or ice)
Death by Creature: only deaths suffered at the hand of a certain creature (dragons, hagravens, spriggans, wisp mothers, etc) is final.
Death by Situation: Death is only final in certain places or types of battle. For example, if a character obsessed with Dwarven ruins, consider a rule where death is final if it happens inside one.
Explainable Immortality -
The Gift: Prior to coming to Skyrim, your character completed a quest or interacted with an artifact that made you either permanently or temporarily immortal by your own choice.
The Curse: you were cursed by a Daedra or an immensely powerful evil wizard to never reach the afterlife.
The Quest: your character dies either courageously or accidentally, and is shocked and confused by his own resurrection. He tempts the fates again, dies, and arises once more. He then begins an endless quest for answers as to why he cannot die.
The Prophesies: your character's death was just a vision or a warning from the gods to choose a different strategy or tactic than what was planned.
The Department of Obvious: you're the dragonborn, which makes you immortal.
Punishments for Death -
Death-as-Defeat 1 (Mandatory Healing Time): instead of dying, you were wounded and left for dead. To "heal" from this, you need to drink x health or stamina potions per day, sleep a certain number of days, spend a certain amount of coin, etc.
Death-as-Defeat 2 (Tangible Loss by Theft): you were left for dead, and the nemesis that felled you has made off with your gold and or a valuable piece of equipment. Deposit these into a barrel to roleplay being looted. To avoid a situation of a bear looting you, you could only follow this rule if killed by a human.
What do you think? Are there any variations that I may have missed or that you are currently using? Should I post this in the Guides section to help other roleplayers? More importantly, how do you personally deal with death in your roleplay builds?
Based on my research and brainstorming, there are four additional ways to build roleplay scenarios and challenges around character death: coming up with restrictions to limit the number of "allowable" deaths (as a survival challenge); imposing punishments for death outcomes; establishing a level or event after which death becomes final; or creating "head canon" to explain death or immortality within the context of a character's story. I've listed ideas for various iterations of these below.
Limited Number of Deaths -
The Eight or the Nine: your character has eight (or nine) lives, with each life corresponding to one of the divines.
13 Stones: your character has thirteen lives, one for each standing stone. When you lose a life, you have to activate a new standing stone before proceeding.
16 Princes: your character has 16 lives, one for each Daedric prince in the game.
Arcade Mode: your character has three lives, but earns a bonus life every five or ten levels. None of this is acknowledged in your story, but your final life turns your roleplay into dead-is-dead. It's really just a way to make survival more important without the harshness of a single life dead-is-dead approach.
Conditional Dead-Is-Dead -
Plot Climax: all deaths are forgivable until your character reaches a defining task or battle after level 20. It could be a specific quest or dungeon of your choosing, but the quest/task is bound by DID rules. Building to this moment is the key to your character's story.
Turning Point: Deaths are forgivable until a certain objective is completed in the story. For example, when your character finally chooses a side in the civil war or joins a certain guild, you shift to dead-is-dead mode.
Death by Element: deaths do not count unless it's by a certain element (fire, shock, or ice)
Death by Creature: only deaths suffered at the hand of a certain creature (dragons, hagravens, spriggans, wisp mothers, etc) is final.
Death by Situation: Death is only final in certain places or types of battle. For example, if a character obsessed with Dwarven ruins, consider a rule where death is final if it happens inside one.
Explainable Immortality -
The Gift: Prior to coming to Skyrim, your character completed a quest or interacted with an artifact that made you either permanently or temporarily immortal by your own choice.
The Curse: you were cursed by a Daedra or an immensely powerful evil wizard to never reach the afterlife.
The Quest: your character dies either courageously or accidentally, and is shocked and confused by his own resurrection. He tempts the fates again, dies, and arises once more. He then begins an endless quest for answers as to why he cannot die.
The Prophesies: your character's death was just a vision or a warning from the gods to choose a different strategy or tactic than what was planned.
The Department of Obvious: you're the dragonborn, which makes you immortal.
Punishments for Death -
Death-as-Defeat 1 (Mandatory Healing Time): instead of dying, you were wounded and left for dead. To "heal" from this, you need to drink x health or stamina potions per day, sleep a certain number of days, spend a certain amount of coin, etc.
Death-as-Defeat 2 (Tangible Loss by Theft): you were left for dead, and the nemesis that felled you has made off with your gold and or a valuable piece of equipment. Deposit these into a barrel to roleplay being looted. To avoid a situation of a bear looting you, you could only follow this rule if killed by a human.
What do you think? Are there any variations that I may have missed or that you are currently using? Should I post this in the Guides section to help other roleplayers? More importantly, how do you personally deal with death in your roleplay builds?