Death and the Underworld
With Odysseus's journey through the underworld a classic part of Greek mythology and with my previously stated thoughts on character death already out there, my new campaign was going to need some detail about how death and bringing back the dead worked.
These Greek deities even with the changes in story I'd made aren't in the business of undoing the natural order on a whim and certainly not just because a cleric asked. Bringing someone back from the dead is going to require an epic adventure!
Karithia's Underworld
Before heading off into the changes I'm making in the way things work mechanically, here is the general description of the Underworld on Karithia
The Plains of Despair
After an individual dies their soul appears on this endless depressing plain. To the east lies the river Styx, but in every other direction, the plain continues unbroken. Populated by souls of those too afraid to move on or who lack the coins required to pay for passage. Souls are typically only troubled here by the reaching of mortals desperate for a last word from their loved one., but if they remain too long they might find themselves attacked by vicious mobs of unhappy souls looking to seize the required coins to obtain passage.
River Styx
Flowing from the north, this wide black river burns like acid any soul foolish enough to touch the surface. It is rumoured that if a mortal could survive the scalding their flesh would ever after be proof against mortal weapons. Standing on the western shore is the ferry house from which Charon, the ferryman, poles endlessly across the river, collecting his coins; one per soul, for safe passage (one way) to the other side. To the far south, the river cascades over an unimaginable drop, a waterfall dropping into the Abyss.
Borkal
Standing on the edge of the Styx's waterfall, far to the south on the Plains of Despair this dwarven city shines with golden topped towers. Any hope of a warm welcome is quickly driven from any who approach as the dwarves within are dour and fierce. Focused always on the Abyss and anything that might be seeking to escape the city is tense and gloomy and almost all its inhabitants bear scars and a lethargy that its rare to see in dwarves elsewhere.
The Abyss
Home to Tartarus’s dreams and twisted desires, the Abyss contains demons of every size and shape imaginable. Every now and then a demon smart or determined enough is able to scale back up the waterfall appearing in either the Plains of Despair or the Fields of Torment.
The Spirit Path
Leading away from the jetty on the eastern shore of the River Styx the Spirit Path is a silvery stone roadway that leads across the Fields of Torment to the Mountain Wall. It is said that as long as you remain on the path no evil may touch you.
Fields of Torment
Divided into the domains of various Devils the name of this grey place is well earned, as every imaginable punishment is carried out against the mortal souls unfortunate enough to find themselves here. Perhaps eventually such souls are allowed to re-join the road and seek their final peace, but the wails of the unfortunate are such that those with the hope of a better option rush quickly to the Mountain Wall.
Mountain Wall
Running north to south this impenetrable line of peaks forms a solid barrier, preventing anyone from reaching the Meadowlands who has not first passed the Hall of Judgement.
Hall of Judgement
A vast keep splits the Mountain Wall, this is the seat of Hades and here each soul is weighed and measured and its fate decided. At the gates sits Cerberus, its three heads sniffing constantly at those who approach. Those holding a coin have nothing to fear, but for those without one the beast will seek to destroy them entirely.
Paying the coin to Hades, or more often one of his minions, souls are either passed through to the Meadowlands or cast out back into the Fields of Torment. Each of the other gods has representatives here to offer supplication and favour, but in all things in the Underworld Hades’s word is final.
The Meadowlands
Beyond the Mountain Wall and the Hall of Judgement, the Meadowlands is a surprising change from what has gone before. Golden corn and vibrant green grass are waved by unexpected wind and soft summer sunlight dapples the land. No raucous cries can be heard and all is peaceful here. This is the place of rest where most hope to be reunited with loved ones.
Elysium
On the far side of the Meadowland across a bridge that spans the river, Lethe is Elysium; the final resting place for the acclaimed and glorious. Guards stand on the gate looking for the star that shines on the forehead of any who should be permitted entry. Within its hallowed halls, Elysium is riotous and full of joy, feasting, competing and telling tales of their exploits. All the heroes of fable reside here as well as the occasional visiting god or goddess.
River Lethe
For those bored with the serenity of the Meadowlands or for heroes who feel the call of duty, the river Lethe offers a way for them to walk again in the world. Just a short time bathing in the river’s waters (rumoured to be the tears of Hypnos) sees a soul wiped clear and begins the process that will see them reborn...
Rules Adjustments
So how will I be changing the game rules to fit into the tone and style of game I want?
First off I'll be allowing revivify as a form of CPR. As I mentioned in my last post on character death, D&D really feels like it needs someway to undo a poor choice or bad luck. This will mean players can bring someone back as long as it's very quickly and they are prepared.
I also want to imbue the narrative with the sense found in the Greek myths that the greatest heroes have a manifest destiny. Such heroes were different, bending and the natural order, changing the normal rules and able even to challenge the gods, so as characters gain levels returning from the dead should be made easier.
To accomplish this the following spells will be replaced in any list they appear in:
Raise Dead will be replaced with Journey to the Underworld
Resurrection will be replaced with Rescue from the Underworld
True Resurrection will be replaced with Hades's Supplication
Note that each spell provides a mechanism for returning someone to life, but I've still left plenty of room for epic stories as the spells don't simply stand someone up. A character's allies need to travel at great personal risk and cost to recover their fallen comrade, potentially needing to negotiate with beings of unimaginable power in a domain totally alien to the land they know.
The first two spells feature these adjustments and a very high base DC (20) Wisdom check:
-1 per level of the deceased
+1 per previous death of the deceased (including revivifications)
+1 per previous attempt to revive the deceased
-1 to -3 for sacrifices and/or offerings
-1 to -3 per connection present and/or stated during the ceremony. Connections can take many forms, including but not limited to; loved ones present, presentation of tokens of importance to the deceased, declarations of a need, demands of owed service.
A few quick calculations will reveal that casting this on a 10th level character who has not been previously revived by a cleric who has a +3 Wisdom adjustment means the required roll is actually only a 7. It's possible to fail sure, but if you add in some sacrifices and connections this becomes a pretty straightforward check to pass.
The challenge then comes in the form of travelling through the Underworld to find the lost soul. These spells are structured so that they don't force it, but my intention is that returning anyone from the dead is going to be an epic adventure, with a great deal of in game time given to such a journey.
Hades's Supplication, being such a high level spell, doesn't include the connections clause however as he is not concerned with the need of the request and because you are negotiating directly with the god to return a soul it is a Charisma check rather than a Wisdom one. You will notice also that Hades' Supplication does not fail if a spirit is not in the Underworld, woe betide anyone calling on Hades for a soul he cannot produce.
As Hades will deliver the soul requested this has the power to very quickly return someone to life and in this world I'm creating this on a level with a Wish. I therefore wanted some of that sense that you had bent the universe and its rules to obey your whim into this spell, hence the Wish-like chance to never be able to cast this again.
