Death in the GS world

[Kaerika]

This may be a silly question, but I've searched around a bit and had no luck finding an answer.

Our characters are all more or less immortal, but why don't these rules apply to characters like children on bounties? Is there some kind of in-universe reason that only player characters have Lorminstra's favor? Is everyone some kinda hero chosen by the Gods? Or, am I wrong and random NPCs are presumably rezzed?

I've been roleplaying with a pirate lately and as he tells me about about his misdeeds on the high seas, he's expressed some surprise at my lack of revulsion to murder. I've played it off as just finding the tales exciting, but as a player, I feel like murder is really not so bad in a universe where the worst that can happen to you is decaying and respawning someplace safe.

[BriarFox]

Those are good thoughts, I think. I've argued before that since death is relatively meaningless in Elanthia, a "kill first and ask questions later" policy is fairly effective. I think it does depend on the individual character, though, and on their relationship with Lorminstra. I know some characters (Evarin) who refuse to buy deeds from the 'bitch-goddess' and others who might roleplay that they're too poor to buy clerical favor, in which case, death might be permanent for them.

[Drakefang]

First off, I'll assume that you are referring to death without a cleric raise, based on your comments about decaying. Personally, I never decay as the mechanics are annoying and my own RP leans away from doing so probably along the lines of why you are asking this question.

So, in regard to Lorminstra's favor, I would think that it is precisely what you indicated. The Gods, our arkati, have an interest in our characters specifically. The arkati take a personal interest in our lives because we serve a purpose to them, even if we're not directly doing things to honor them. Perhaps, they have some future use for you. Who knows. It all boils down to the fact that adventurers are a rare breed and as such have a higher purpose beyond your average joe. Lorminstra isn't going to stop some average commoner from dying. That's my take. As I said, in my own RP I choose not to push my "luck" because you never know and I get cleric raises 100% of the time.

[Merala]

NPCs sometimes do get raised (think the small child in the sprite task). I've seen others get raised too. I think the theory is that the gods bestow their favor upon people with destiny or purpose, which would be most of the adventurers. The adventurers change the tides of the history of Elanthia, for good or bad, and therefore are part of its destiny. One could reason that you get the favor of the gods if you're part of that destiny, and don't if you're not. One could also reason, that in some cases, the permanent death of a person could be part of that destiny as well.

[4a6c1]

Oh I love this topic. Jihna was for Luukos and I felt like I had a (nearly) unique roleplay experience when it came to Death, Life etc. Jihna needed that final ending and felt like only Luukos would give it to her. Conversely she was convinced that Lorminstra consistently amused herself by stealing the souls of adventurers and bringing them back. A grand conspiracy perhaps? But it was alot of fun. Every time she died she would pray that Luukos would take her to finality and then depart. It only almost happened a few times. ;)

You dont have to go with the flow. Although obviously the mechanics are against those who would rebel against the diamond theif/puppet master.

Hmmm, I'm pretty sure I borrowed this idea partly from Armaxis or somebody prior to 2002.

[4a6c1]

There should be other decay options for Lornon aligned characters.

[SayGoodbye]

I'm actually reading the Vlad Taltos series right now and they touch upon this sort of. Dead people are able to be brought back to life, given that they aren't murdered with a particular type of blade, so assassins are really messengers and are sent to prove a point. Although people are able to be revived, dying is still very unpleasant and something to be avoided.

[petroglyph]

I'm actually reading the Vlad Taltos series right now and they touch upon this sort of. Dead people are able to be brought back to life, given that they aren't murdered with a particular type of blade, so assassins are really messengers and are sent to prove a point. Although people are able to be revived, dying is still very unpleasant and something to be avoided.

Probably worth pointing out that Brust used to play GS. There's a few allusions scattered through his books (which also draw a lot from a tabletop campaign he used to play).

[SayGoodbye]

Probably worth pointing out that Brust used to play GS. There's a few allusions scattered through his books (which also draw a lot from a tabletop campaign he used to play).

That... is kind of awesome. I didn't know!

[Androidpk]

Both of my characters are lornon and neither one of them will buy deeds, and since the death mechanics are a joke I have no issue departing.

[Dain]

Both of my characters are lornon and neither one of them will buy deeds, and since the death mechanics are a joke I have no issue departing.

So let me get this right... you have issue giving Lorminstra a gem, but you have no issue giving the priestess of Imaera tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of silver to cover death potions?

If you do neither, then the penalty is pretty stiff, if you ask me.

[whiteflash]

Both of my characters are lornon and neither one of them will buy deeds, and since the death mechanics are a joke I have no issue departing.

Does departing have an increased rate of enhancives having a charge removed? I know it isn't always, but for some reason I feel like I've read that departing is a big no no for heavy enhancive users.

But yes, other than some coin, death is basically not a big deal.

[Wyrmx]

Does departing have an increased rate of enhancives having a charge removed? I know it isn't always, but for some reason I feel like I've read that departing is a big no no for heavy enhancive users.

But yes, other than some coin, death is basically not a big deal.

I've never heard of enhansives being affected by death. I thought it was more the acting of removing them and wearing them that created the chance of a loss of charge.

[Androidpk]

So let me get this right... you have issue giving Lorminstra a gem, but you have no issue giving the priestess of Imaera tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of silver to cover death potions?

If you do neither, then the penalty is pretty stiff, if you ask me.

Lornonites are screwed!

[Caidee]

I've never heard of enhansives being affected by death. I thought it was more the acting of removing them and wearing them that created the chance of a loss of charge.


So enhancives can lose a charge by wearing/removing? I didn't know that. I wear and remove enhancives before/after every hunt. Should I be avoiding this?

On a note related to the RP:
I think RPing an "atheist" would be more satisfying if permadeath still existed. I mean, what dramatic tension is there if there is no way to really "die" in the game from not getting favor from Lorminstra.

Granted, I imagine any in-game atheist would be easily converted once they reached a higher level.

Did anyone here play an atheist back when permadeath still existed?

[DCSL]

It is a very personal and individualistic thing, death in Elanthia. The majority of my characters are perfectly willing to go through the deeds + cleric resurrection parade. But my main character, Lysistrata, has some personal issues.

She gets deeds and accepts paying for Lorminstra's favor, no problem, just thinking of it as a bought service, like buying a dress. However, she absolutely will not ever ever ever accept rescue from another person. Hates being seen in a position of weakness like that. Lysistrata will always automatically decay and buy potions. She doesn't care about the cost, just accepts it as the price of doing business the way she wants to do it.

[Xaerve]

For RP reasons I let clerics raise me.

[Latrinsorm]

The trouble is that there is no real RP or IC reason. Most players don't like permadeath, so permadeath doesn't exist for player characters. Escort bounties would be trivially easy if you could just drag your escortee's corpse to a cleric at the end, so permadeath exists for escort NPCs. Ideally there should be no in-world distinction between PCs and NPCs, but for practical reasons there has to be. My advice is to just ignore it and try and steer your RP towards something else, like if someone started talking about the Super Bowl.

[Asha]

Wearing and removing an item doesn't always remove a charge.
I think the closest we've been to having an answer was, it could.

[Androidpk]

Ideally there should be no in-world distinction between PCs and NPCs, but for practical reasons there has to be.

That is a matter of opinion.

[Alrisaren]

For most of my characters, I simply do my best to ignore the inconsistencies. I buy the deeds, get raised by clerics, or my clerics raise others, and really don't devote much thought to the particulars. I have one character though who has it worked into her storyline, which is causing her to flirt with the idea of Lorminstra-worship.

[TheEschaton]

So enhancives can lose a charge by wearing/removing? I didn't know that. I wear and remove enhancives before/after every hunt. Should I be avoiding this?

On a note related to the RP:
I think RPing an "atheist" would be more satisfying if permadeath still existed. I mean, what dramatic tension is there if there is no way to really "die" in the game from not getting favor from Lorminstra.

Granted, I imagine any in-game atheist would be easily converted once they reached a higher level.

Did anyone here play an atheist back when permadeath still existed?

My cleric wasn't an atheist, but he was a zealous Charlian, and refused to carry deeds (back then) because he saw them as currying favor with another God when Charl was his only deity, in his opinion.

It made me very cautious as a hunter, and I would log if I died til I could be assured (OOC) of getting a rezz, which is a whole other can of worms I guess.

[Brad]

Maybe the difference is that random townsfolk don't have the money to cover their past deaths and death's sting and thus their constitution keeps getting lower and lower until they are unable to live.

On a random note, it would be neat if you could undeadify enemies (in a situation like a bounty) for Luukos to undue death's sting. Or something of the sort.

[Merala]

So enhancives can lose a charge by wearing/removing? I didn't know that. I wear and remove enhancives before/after every hunt. Should I be avoiding this?

On a note related to the RP:
I think RPing an "atheist" would be more satisfying if permadeath still existed. I mean, what dramatic tension is there if there is no way to really "die" in the game from not getting favor from Lorminstra.

Granted, I imagine any in-game atheist would be easily converted once they reached a higher level.

Did anyone here play an atheist back when permadeath still existed?



One of my rogues has been an atheist since GSIII.