Death and Dying

Systems and Tools

Current Implementation of the Death System

Dying in Avlis is different than dying in single-player NWN.

While PC death on Avlis is not permanent, it is meant to be a hindrance. This makes Avlis both challenging and engaging. There is no reason to fear death in single-player NWN, but plenty of reason to fear death in Avlis.

When a character in Avlis takes enough damage to reduce his hitpoints below zero, he falls down and begins to bleed to death. There is slight chance that he will begin to recover – if that happens he will begin to gain hit points slowly until he reaches a positive number, and he will stand up again (and be temporarily Slowed, to represent the disorientation that can come with a brush with death).

But more often than not the character continues to bleed until he reaches -10 hit points, at which time he dies and his soul leaves his body. The character's soul travels to Dagath's Hall on the Outlands of Concordant Opposition; the so-called death plane. Once there, they will begin a death quest to exit the death plane.

Important: IC-ly, PCs may not retain any memories from their death plane visit.

In terms of game mechanics, when a PC drops below -10 hit points, they are transported to the death plane. They lose ALL non-Plot items in their inventory, as well as 50 XP per level (if above level 2).

A player corpse placeable is created at the location of their death. It contains the PC's entire inventory (except Plot items and Gold Pieces; those follow the PC to the death plane).

When the PC completes the death quest & exits the death plane, they are transported to a major temple & recover the lost XP. To retrieve their items, the PC must return to their player corpse; the so-called death run.

Other ways to exit the death plane:

1. A PC (or an NPC) in the lands of the living may attempt a Resurrection spell. This will transport the PC to their player corpse & return the lost XP.
2. A Raise Dead spell will do the same but lost XP will NOT be returned -- unless the dead PC has already completed their quest.

Locate your PC's player corpse placeable and click on it. Your items should automatically transfer to your inventory, one by one. It is important to make certain all items have been recovered from the corpse, and that the corpse disappears (sometimes this requires clicking on a empty corpse a second time to make it disappear). If the corpse is left there, and the character dies a second time before a server reset, it is possible that the belongings may be put on the old corpse.

Last but not least, you will find a player corpse item within the namesake placeable's inventory. It will disappear once your items are transferred.

If another character picks up this item beforehand, it can be used in two ways:

1. Carry the fallen: A rare few NPC clerics in major cities will recognize that a PC has another PC's corpse in their inventory, and offer Resurrection on site.
2. Profane the fallen: Zombie powder is a product of the Herbalism craft. It can create a zombie out of any IG item with "corpse" in its name -- including a player corpse.

This will not prevent the departed from returning to life but they might be in for a shock!

Previous Implementations of the Death System

Click Expand (to the right) to review.

The character's soul traveled to one of the Outer Planes. The plane to which the character travels was dependent upon that character's alignment; for example, a purely Chaotic Neutral character would find that his soul travels to Limbo, the Outer Plane of pure Chaos.

Death Planes were based on numerical alignment; every character has two alignment axes (Law/Chaos and Good/Evil) and numbers associated therewith on their character sheet. Thus if your numerical Good rating is high and your numerical Chaotic rating is high, your character sheet will read "Chaotic Good"; however, if you look further you will see the actual numbers. There were 17 Death Planes, and only 9 alignment titles (e.g. Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, Neutral Good, etc.). That meant that you can be completely Chaotic and completely Good and go to Arborea, or be a bit less Good (but still CG on your character sheet) and go to Ysgard... or a bit less Chaotic (but still CG on your character sheet) and go to the Beastlands, etc.