Author Topic: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"  (Read 2812 times)

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ImperatorK

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"You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« on: July 22, 2011, 03:05:30 AM »
How true is that statement?
"I'm done thinking for today! It's caused me enough trouble!"
"Take less damage to avoid being killed."
"In the arena of logic, I fight unarmed."


[spoiler]
Quote from: Lateral
Or you could just be a cleric of an ideal. Like, physics and say that the domain choices reflect potential and kinetic energy.

 Plus, where other clerics say "For Pelor," "For Nerull," or "For Crom?" You get to say, "FOR SCIENCE!" *fanfare*

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I know your game, you just want a magical Amazon.com to knock off those good ol' honest magic shops run by polite, old wizards!
Use Iron Heart Surge on the sun. That'll teach him to use fluff as RAW.

Damn you! You totally ruined my build that was all about getting epic far shot early and throwing my enemies into the sun!
[/spoiler]

WeAreLegion

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2011, 03:09:57 AM »
Aside from some kind of Weekend at Bernie's situation, I'd say quite true.

ImperatorK

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2011, 03:19:08 AM »
You could play as a ghost until you get rezzed (assuming that staying as a ghost isn't possible due to rp reasons or the player doesn't want to).
"I'm done thinking for today! It's caused me enough trouble!"
"Take less damage to avoid being killed."
"In the arena of logic, I fight unarmed."


[spoiler]
Quote from: Lateral
Or you could just be a cleric of an ideal. Like, physics and say that the domain choices reflect potential and kinetic energy.

 Plus, where other clerics say "For Pelor," "For Nerull," or "For Crom?" You get to say, "FOR SCIENCE!" *fanfare*

About me:
Quote from: dark_samuari
I know your game, you just want a magical Amazon.com to knock off those good ol' honest magic shops run by polite, old wizards!
Use Iron Heart Surge on the sun. That'll teach him to use fluff as RAW.

Damn you! You totally ruined my build that was all about getting epic far shot early and throwing my enemies into the sun!
[/spoiler]

ShadowViper

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2011, 05:24:17 AM »
That's assuming that the player would be okay with Roleplaying as a ghost in the first place.
I hear it's amazing when the famous purple stuffed worm in flap-jaw space with the tuning fork does a raw blink on Hara-Kiri rock! I need scissors! 61!

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Shiki

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2011, 05:31:48 AM »
"An ally of truth."

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weenog

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #5 on: July 22, 2011, 05:50:59 AM »
In the context for which it was intended (I know, RAI, dirty word/acronym around here), it is completely true.  A character who has been destroyed is no longer a part of the story except as background, like the parents your PC never visits/never knew/turned his back on/is hoping to avenge.  Even if you are the stereotypical Real Roleplayer type, when the harsh realities of the rule mechanics come into play, you won't be having much fun if you haven't built a solid enough character.
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Drammor

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #6 on: July 22, 2011, 08:51:16 AM »
Pump up some ranks in diplomacy, knowledge (the planes) and perform (acting). Then, enter a pact insidious and try to make the planar knowledge check (DC 20) to request adjudication for your soul. If you do well enough on the court checks, you might be able to convince the devils of all kinds of things. After all, you are roleplaying... and you're dead.

WeAreLegion

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2011, 01:20:38 AM »
Oh, you mean when your character is dead. I thought you were posing some kind of koan or something.

Well, sure, if the DM is accommodating. The character could become a ghost, an undead, a soul trapped in an intelligent weapon/item, soul trying to battle/negotiate/find his wait back to the Prime, etc. The character could easily be with the old party, off on a solo jaunt, or even part of the villain's group.

Kajhera

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2011, 01:47:01 PM »
I offered a character the chance to become a ghost once, and he decided to haunt the monster the players were fighting.

Sometimes you just gotta let folk move on.

awaken DM golem

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #9 on: July 23, 2011, 04:13:02 PM »

The Anti-Necrotic bias of that statement is ...  :fu


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Vaerenth

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #10 on: July 27, 2011, 05:21:24 PM »
Pump up some ranks in diplomacy, knowledge (the planes) and perform (acting). Then, enter a pact insidious and try to make the planar knowledge check (DC 20) to request adjudication for your soul. If you do well enough on the court checks, you might be able to convince the devils of all kinds of things. After all, you are roleplaying... and you're dead.

Unfortunately, I don't think that works because it states that only two kinds of defenses work in the court.

1) The mortal was coerced or magically compelled into signing a Faustian pact.

2) The devil offering a Pact Certain did not provide the promised benefits.

Page 25 of the Fiendish Codex II

I'm not sure how well you could lie to a devil about these things. They want your soul. Badly.
4e tried to fix this problem by toning it all down by a lot and eliminating the wild card spells that were too powerful or dynamic. The issue is no one likes to go from Phenomenal Cosmic Power to itty bitty living space. Which is exactly what 4e tried to force on people.

Drammor

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #11 on: July 27, 2011, 06:10:57 PM »
Get someone to suggest you into making the pact?
« Last Edit: July 27, 2011, 10:43:00 PM by Drammor »

weenog

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #12 on: July 27, 2011, 07:07:53 PM »
As I understand it, devils don't want your soul, they want souls in general.  The things serve as food, power sources, and currency in the lower planes.  Working out some sort of deal where your keep your own soul but collect and trade in a large number of other souls should be about as reasonable to them as keeping the dollar you owe and giving them a c-note instead.  You'd probably still need to be a pretty good talker to get them to spare you long enough to propose the deal and set it into motion, though.

Easy way to get souls and send them below: capture lawful stupid characters of lawful stupid gods (paladins are ideal for this), explain to them and get them to agree that by right of conquest everything that's theirs is yours now (this includes the soul but you don't need to mention that part... maybe put it in the ultrafine print if you're getting them to sign a contract), then sacrifice them to your deity.
« Last Edit: July 27, 2011, 07:10:52 PM by weenog »
"We managed to make an NPC puke an undead monster."
"That sounds like a victory to me."

Drammor

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #13 on: July 27, 2011, 10:46:27 PM »
Indeed, if you're making a pact insidious, it's likely that you're already not a good person. And I'm sure it's been stated somewhere that strongly good-aligned prime rib souls are far more preferable than your dingy old potato of a soul.

weenog

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #14 on: July 27, 2011, 10:54:41 PM »
Even if not, it's pretty hilarious to send a paladin to hell without making him fall first.
"We managed to make an NPC puke an undead monster."
"That sounds like a victory to me."

oslecamo

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #15 on: July 27, 2011, 11:02:40 PM »
Indeed, if you're making a pact insidious, it's likely that you're already not a good person. And I'm sure it's been stated somewhere that strongly good-aligned prime rib souls are far more preferable than your dingy old potato of a soul.

That's only because evil souls are already damned to hell whetever they make a pact or not. You want to corrupt good souls because otherwise they go to celestia. Fiendish codex even mentions that even if you can lawyer yourself out of the pact, you're still the devil's toy if you died evil.

veekie

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Re: "You can't roleplay when you're dead"
« Reply #16 on: July 28, 2011, 02:25:37 AM »
^^
Thats why the preferred option is undeath despite all the whining about the horrible nature of being undead.

The alternative IS worse for most of those evil types.
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[spoiler]
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[/spoiler]

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