On the topic of death.

*Rubs his chin as he has no food, staring at the wall in front of him. Hungry. Pretty colours and symbols appearing and reappearing before his eyes*

Hey Peeps. How go?

Today I would like to ask your opinion on the issue of dying on a RP server. I am new to this RP business, but learn quickly. I haven't really been able to find much resource about this issue on the forum, thought I'd ask you Veterans what you think? By this I mean, tell me what you know, how its applied to on RP terms. Any rules that exist, etc.

Thanks all.

Well, my personal rule is. What's dead should stay dead. Everyone has different opinions on ressurection etc but if you plan to KILL anyone you MUST have their permission. Usually they'll say no and accept a bad beating.

Lots of people have different opinions but my firm stance is.

You ask before you kill.

What's dead stays dead.

What if everyone says "no" all the time?

Cinchillion wrote:What if everyone says "no" all the time?

You gotta understand people are attached to their characters. THey aren't going to just let some mugger kill them. That's just how it works unfortuantely.

I think there's a certain time limit on ressurection, atleast for blood knights.

If serious physical harm is the intent you have ( Crippling, eye gauging, limb decapitation, limb breaking, tongue removal, any action that would have a permament harmful outcome to the charecter standing infront of you including death) it wouldnt hurt to ask the other one who you intend to do those actions to about his oppinion/permission OOCly.

Naturally people would go around with many things that are presented at random to them, beeing stabbed while mugged, branded <insert example here>. But I doubt anyone would simply agree to have per say the arm of his charecter sliced off in such an encounter. Of course that is subjective because people might or might not go with that without speaking OOCly about it beforehand, but regardless it doesnt hurt to ask (Example question: "Hey, how serious damage would you accept your charecter to suffer?")

And then you need to ask yourself the same question. "Would I allow anyone out of the blue (Use the robbery example here again) to do this to my charecter?" It really comes down to improvisation, your aproach to the people you have as target and in some cases (The ones you have intent for more serious damage) asking for OOC permission about doing that action. It will save you some headaches

I don't believe in complete ressurection, Unless for the forsaken. if your obliterated, nothing but ash, your dead. Same for decapitation.
I always see " Ressurection " As this misguided thing, if someone was truely dead when you attempted to ressurect them, they would stay stone-cold dead. To be dead, would mean they wouldn't come back. In that sense, I don't agree with the term " Bring back to life " merely a fantasy ressusatation. 

Of course, a lot of people have got a lot of different opinions on the matter of death in-game, so I'd say there really isn't any sort of generally accepted rule on death. If you ask me, I'd tell you to keep in mind that this isn't the real world. This is the world of Warcraft. Death has a -very- different meaning here than it does in our world. In Blizzard's very own lore, creatures and people have been resurrected without even having to be considered undead or anything of the like (think of this quest in the Tundra, for example).

A bit OT here seeing about the ressurection, technically in lore from what I read from the TGC and the lore books, ressurection can be applied to 'targets' which have forcefully been stripped from their life and their spirit still lingers in the mortal realm instead of passing on as from natural causes. Ressurection itself can be interpreted as guiding the lost soul back to the vessel (Body) and after healing that body from the wounds inflicted post mortem it could be brought back to life, however that can be done only by probably the most dedicated in the Light/Elune/Nature/Elements as it goes Priests, Paladins, Moon Priests/Priestess/Druids/Shamans.

Of course there is the Val`kyr but that doesnt really count as ressurection, more of reanimation.

People seem to have forgot the most basic rule of killing (or not killing) people!

Basically, no "/me plunges his dagger into %t's heart, killing them instantly" - whether the person says 'yes' or 'no'. Instead, try "/me lunges at %t, flailing wildly with his dagger - aiming for his chest." - giving the person a chance to defend and/or counter.

Usually, taking such action wouldn't even require asking - as the person could realistically RP that he tries to fling the weapon away or defend himself. On the otherhand, if the person is crippled or otherwise unconscious in some way, asking is definitely required.

If you can't find anyone to kill, you can always have a low level alt stumble out of an alley and leave some clues to who did it.

I've so far had to kill off two characters because of the way RP went with them. And since I absolutely, positively, most defainately hate resurection they stayed dead, with the Exception of Chrystan who came back as a DK, but I didn't like that myself so I had someone kill him again....

But you'll never get someone to just kill their character on a bit of random RP (Except me, I have been known to in other games, but I'm insane.) However, if you have backed yourself into a position RP wise that your character really does have to die, IMO you should pay for a flippin' name change and kill it, don't want that to happen, don't back yourself into that corner.

How do you back your character into that corner?

Jeanpierre/Jeanclaude wrote:How do you back your character into that corner?

Well if you play a character that is for lack of a better word 'on the offensive' and you aren't careful then it's more then likley at some point you will become a target for retalliation. If your enemy is cunning enough IC your character may find themselves in such a corner with no way out.

That is one example. The rest as stated above with random assaults ect lies entirely between the discretion of the players in question.

As always OOC communication is they key, simply 'expecting' someone to sacrifice a character they're not willing to in such a situation is rather arrogant.

It's a fine line we discuss within SI:7 oocl'y almost weekly. There are a number of targets if according to full IC basis and motives that assassins would be sent after in the night. But due to common practise among the commnity and general good RP form it is -very- rare full action is taken. Unless something is devised beforehand, an encounter is setup and it's upto the characters to battle wits.

I do enjoy chess *sagenod*

There is no reason to kill your char because some lvl 1 Gnome tried to rob you, but if you've played a character of ultimate evil, he is surrounded by lighties and you have no way out, if they want to kill, or even just severely harm your character, in my mind you should let them. Of course, as Jayse said, OOC communication is the key.

I do believe quite heavily in consequential roleplay, I had Chrystan's arm chopped off because Gahalla pointed outt here was no way it could repair from the damage I had emoted of it.

I want to add, that unlike Vectoria I do believe in complete ressurection. If your char's dead, and he's important enough to some people, they can arrange an event of ressurection. As long as it's a badass ritual, rather than "/em ressurects the target.", it's fine. And ofcourse, it doesn't mean that every thug or broke can be ressurected.

Obviously there have been plenty of ful ressurections over the years, but I'm still a little iffy with it. Especially after you've gone through with killing a character, usually affecting several other characters in the process of that, only to pop back up again and be like "Oh hai".

Just doesn't work for me, I killed off one of my really cherished characters and while I miss the hell out of RP'ing him, he's staying dead.

Ledgic/Omanos wrote:Obviously there have been plenty of ful ressurections over the years, but I'm still a little iffy with it. Especially after you've gone through with killing a character, usually affecting several other characters in the process of that, only to pop back up again and be like "Oh hai".

Just doesn't work for me, I killed off one of my really cherished characters and while I miss the hell out of RP'ing him, he's staying dead.

This. I'd also like to add that people should RP their character with more care if they truly don't want them dead. You just can't throw a character into a very perilous situation, that might end up with death as the only option, unless you're really willing to have him/her die. It has become a new trend to see characters acting like known action heroes, coming face to face with death repeatedly and always evading it for pure OOC reasons, meaning that the person behind the character refuses to let him/her die, although that would be the only plausible consequence.

Mandui wrote:
This. I'd also like to add that people should RP their character with more care if they truly don't want them dead. You just can't throw a character into a very perilous situation, that might end up with death as the only option, unless you're really willing to have him/her die. It has become a new trend to see characters acting like known action heroes, coming face to face with death repeatedly and always evading it for pure OOC reasons, meaning that the person behind the character refuses to let him/her die, although that would be the only plausible consequence.

I agree completely. If you don't want to see your character die, don't put them in such a situation. No matter how skilled, experiecned or equipped you are.

Plenty of veterans (read: war heroes) survive wars not by being gods of war but simply finding a safe hole to hide in.

If you want to survive danger, have more people than the enemy.

I agree with the whole, dead should stay dead.
Recently killed of my oldest character on Defias as I felt his time had come. Could have RPed with him for years, but I found it fitting for him to end the way it did. It also gave a RP-PvP event more life because someone involved actually -died- in battle. (And made the orcs stay in the plauge lands \o/ ).

I still RP him, but he will never more be alive (Spirits are awesome things yes?)

As for ressurection? I belive it can work. If the spirit is willing and the body can be healed and for example rigormortis hasn't set in. (So, if you're quick and start doing it say within an hour. Should still be a complicated ritual and such.

Gahalla wrote:

I agree completely. If you don't want to see your character die, don't put them in such a situation. No matter how skilled, experiecned or equipped you are.

Plenty of veterans (read: war heroes) survive wars not by being gods of war but simply finding a safe hole to hide in.

This so much!

Dahian is a hugely experienced veteran of war, a skilled commander that has significant ability in martial skills and commanding forces.

He however DOES NOT charge in with the front line, he does not pick fights with multiple people, instead he knows when to fight and simply when to back off and retreat. That's how he has lived so long, not because he is some action hero, like 95% of the WoW alliance population it seems.

Ledgic/Omanos wrote:Obviously there have been plenty of ful ressurections over the years, but I'm still a little iffy with it. Especially after you've gone through with killing a character, usually affecting several other characters in the process of that, only to pop back up again and be like "Oh hai".

Just doesn't work for me, I killed off one of my really cherished characters and while I miss the hell out of RP'ing him, he's staying dead.

I've contemplated so many times reviving my favorite ever character i've ever had. And whilst I Miss the hell out of her. It's be hypocritical for me to bring her back. As you say, you have to consider those you leave. Nailizzia left a husband and children. Drove the latter insane. If she just went, "Hunny i'm home!" a week later it wouldn't go down well!

I got so much more RP from my alts that were all connected with Chrystan when I killed him than I ever did when he was alive. Yeah I miss Chrys, I miss the fact he was a well known character which made RP far easier sometimes, but his time had come.

But there is no chance he is coming back now, he rose as a DK for a small plotline which ended with his second death, and that's it, end of, and I regret the DK plotline to some extent, even more so since it didn;t go anywhere near as I planned!

I get excited when I have enough money for a race change or a faction change, gender change etc. I like getting the charecter in OHSHI-- moments, or offering them up as victims for some diablolic plot. it's just as equally fun to plan the new charecter. For example I might one day make Vect into a worgen. and I'd love for Vectoria to be a villian in some plot, where she threatens to blow up a section of Silvermoon city, she suceeds in burning a whole in the area, but dies in the process, mad cackle and all.