To add to this while also admittedly being a bit pedantic when one dies for at least 20 minutes the brain switches off and starts decomposing.
Probably explained that somewhat incorrectly but technically if one was to be resurrected they would very likely suffer some kind of brain damage. Unfortunately unlike me people generally don’t like RP’ing a handicapped person so you won’t see someone doing this anytime soon.
Quite. We have dying or outright dead characters returned to full health, and in a very short window of time, coexisting with soldiers dying from an infected wound that was beyond healing. There is no consistency and no set rules here, only preferences in what makes for the more compelling RP for those involved.
I don´t understand where this “WoW is high fantasy therefore ressurrection is easy” thing comes from. Lord of the Rings is also high fantasy, in fact the most well known example of high fantasy, yet outside of Gandalf (and elves who technically get to come back to life in Halls of Mandos, but outside of Glorfindel, nobody got to come back to Middle Earth, so it´s still pretty much permanent death, because it takes them out of the story), nobody got brought back. Does that mean LotR is low fantasy?
Just because something is high fantasy doesn´t mean everything is possible.
That’s usually what I do. In my experience as a healer in RP, people often have more questions than I’d appreciate.
Perhaps it’s my poor ability of properly expressing my intentions via emotes.
But generally I just tell them “I’ve tried to do X, Y and Z. But whether it works or not is entirely up to you.” since it’s their character after all. I can’t god-emote their wounds away if they don’t want me to.
I don’t understand where this “WoW is high fantasy” thing comes from. Well, I do, but I think it’s wrong.
WoW is high fantasy. It’s also low fantasy. It’s also science fantasy. WoW is everything-and-the-kitchen-sink fantasy, for the purpose of having as many themes as possible so it can cater to everyone at once. Almost nothing can be said to ‘not fit’ the setting of WoW because the developers have tried really hard to fit as much as possible in there. Gritty low-magic military roleplay has as much place in this game as action-packed heroic roleplay that’s overflowing with magic.
I’m sure this was said above with different wording, I unfortunately don’t have the time to plough through a thread this large.
But to give my two cents to the OP:
Character death is a tricky subject, one that a lot of people don’t really want to deal with, understandably so.
WHen you’ve seen a character develop over months and months of roleplay, seen them make friends, potentially find love and just generally going through storylines, then most of the time, you won’t be happy to see them die. You want to continue their story.
But people do die. A lot of good characters’ stories end with them dying, and we still call it a good character arch, even if it ends.
So while I do agree that there should be more people flat out accepting character death, I can see instances where the player rightfully so doesn’t allow and shouldn’t allow for their character to die. (Do note that severe injuries should still be, in all instances, without any prior OOC discussion, allowed! There’s no excuse not to allow your character to even be crippled in some extreme cases.)
One good reason to say no to a character death, is if you’re in a guild with a progressing storyline (an extra is if you’re the GM or an officer, that could cause a big headache). However, it should go two ways. Don’t act like an aggressive douche if you know you wouldn’t want your character to die.
That could lead to meta and… just don’t do that.
So say, for whatever reason you do not allow character death. In such a case, you as the player should know very well to avoid any life threatening situations. Don’t go strolling through Murder Row at midnight with a full coin purse, or shout about the Light needing to purge all Void Elves at Old Town, or pick a fight with a death knight.
What I’m trying to say, is, one should be willing to let characters go, but it is understandable if they do not accept death. It can be very well justified.
However, it shouldn’t be all that widespread, because if any kind of violence always ends iwth both sides walking away (even when there are weapons and magic flying about) that can be very immersion breaking.
But even if you allow character death, it doesn’t mean your character will jsut killed offf in a week. If they’re not stupid and take care of themselves, or just know how to stay out of trouble, they can still go on until you decide to drop them for whatever reason.
And now about resurrections… hooo boy.
I’d prefer if they were not done at all, because in the lore, they’re supposed to be extremely rare and spectacular.
But when they’re done… look at it from an OOC perspective. Your character died. Their arch is complete. What reason do you have to bring them back? “I liked RPing them” isn’t a good enough reason. I know I allowed it once, and it was horrible, completely ruining the character. I should have left her dead and iwould have been satisfied with her story.
Instead, I allowed her to be brought back and could no longer accurately portray her character. I had no idea how she would handle the knowledge of having been killed, then brought back. I wasn’t satisfied with how I did it, but kept trying and she was a far less enjoyable and very different character by the end.
So, if you do a resurrection, you should be very careful and plan ahead for it, think through if your character’s story would gain from it, bringing enjoyable change to them or you just don’t want to lose them.
Resurrections can be done well, I know, but from the few rare cases they’re done (thank god they’re no longer as wide spread rn as far as I know) there are very few cases where it was actually done productively, instead of the player wanting to bring their char back. The latter will always either result in undesired changes, or no changes at all, just a character boasting it or never mentioning it again. (Game of Thrones spoilers ahead!)
One very good example for a crappy resurrection is Jon Snow. It is mentioned less then 10 times in the rest of the show and in the end it has no significance other them him being alive again, so it nullifies his death’s significance as well.
So try avoiding that. Maybe make it temporary to add good tension and weight. Magic is vague enough in WoW lore, we can play around with it to make some creative stuff here.
But have a reason for your character to return. Make it add to their storyline. Don’t make it a “hey, he’s back alive, yay” only kind of event.
So, my final verdict about deaths, is that they should be allowed more, but only within reason and about resurrections, is that it needs to have weight and add to the storyline. Make it meaninful, instead of just using it to keep playing your char.
I like to think that resurrection doesn’t always work, so there’ll never be that “oh no worries if I die” feeling. And to me special conditions have to be met like, it has to be very soon after, the soul has to be willing and some other fluff things to give meaning to the ressurection. Also of course, ressurection sickness. I like to take consequences for my actions and would hate to come back and be all peachy right away.
Ressurection, if done right, can be a great character development tool but it shouldn’t be done in vain.
Ressurection is that thing in lore…
A paladin can easily bring multiple footman back into the fold.
A powerful being requires more power to ressurect. For example r. kelly’thuzad
In old alterac valley you had to bring the head of a warlord because they kept bringing him back.
At the same time, for some reason its rarely used.
There is more.
Tauren chieftains tend to have ankhs… except cairne after wc3.
Forsaken can be re-assembled But not always.
Forgot the big one… whitemane can spam it.
Agreed. I really do not understand where the snobby ‘wow is high fantasy therefore your RP is wrong’ lot came from.
There is no law that says every soldier has to be able to shoot fireballs and leap continents.
I think that conflict is more between groups who say that WoW is exclusively low-fantasy and who say that WoW is exclusively high-fantasy.
An orc stabbed a demon god with an enchanted toothpick.
Fireball flinging bandits.
Leper gnome bowling.
Magic unholy aids that turns people into crossfitting zombies… how low is low?
You know I heard that some people actually think GoT is low fantasy.
It isn’t but ok but that’s irrelevant really aside from mentioning that the definitions for high or low fantasy seem to be stupid now days.
I’d just say that I think it’s High steampunk fantasy akin to Thief. Now if we can settle on that where’s the naked pagan tree whose voice sounds like Shodan to help me fight an evil technocratic cult?
It came as a direct response to people trying to power down magical elements of the setting and enforce it on others, I think.
But the thing is that both are wrong!
Agreed! Just trying to explain where the idea came from.
I don’t
Also if i want to be a troll with exterminatus lasers coming from my 5th toe… nobody is going to to stop me and if people dont want to rp with me because of that… that is their choice, not my problem as long as we respectfully go our own ways.
All of which is in the same setting as the Alliance and Horde militaries, which are mostly made up of mundane soldiers that don’t use any sort of magic at all and who wield and wear medieval equipment.
This is despite the fact that we’ve got common bandits wielding magic and that both factions possess technology and magic that should have really revolutionised warfare by now.
WoW isn’t internally consistent and that’s for a reason, it’s so that all of these themes can exist independently of each other. The footman fixing up a bloodied comrade with medieval medicine can exist in this setting, even if there’s a priest of the Light resurrecting a fallen ally right next to them.
Sure, it doesn’t make sense. But it’s the price that we pay in order to have a setting like this, where everything is distinct and has a strong flavour of its own.
I shall remember this as i check out those teutonic spider tanks and those roman steam tanks.
Yes. Post must be at least 10 characters.
I have a character who came back… (no not this one). It wasn’t intended at first at all, but happened due to some RP between other people, that convinced me with the interesting storytelling it would bring. I then only allowed it with the caveat that it wouldn’t be easy, and that it would have some side-effect.
On the other hand a lot of the rp that happened around it was away from most public eye, so I always worry that to other people it looks like a “rush job” and “lol ress rp” and then I get sad and feel bad ![:frowning:](https://d1bg94bbsh66ji.cloudfront.net/en/wow/images/emoji/twitter/frowning.png?v=6" ":frowning:")