Resurrection
It hadn’t meant to be like this… you thought. The others were hitting the Gnoll encampment to free the prisoners, and another group had gone to attack the nearby goblin den to retrieve supplies. This was the perfect time to get out into the woods to see if there was a hidden cache of supplies somewhere.
The small band of gnolls had come out of nowhere, their muzzles dripping with drool and flecked with blood. Their haphazardly thrown together armor adorned with the bones and sinews of frontiersmen just as unlucky as you. They had run up on you so fast you could barely prepare yourself before taking a full flurry of blows from two of them and hitting the ground.
“COWER!” You cry out as you hit the ground, curling into a fetal position in an attempt to make yourself appear weak and non-threatening. The gnolls begin circling hungrily yipping and barking as they eye your nearly dead form.
The leader of the pack draws nearer to you, appearing to be scrutinizing you.
“Cower.” You state again, unsure if the NPC had heard you originally. His quick nod informs you that he had as he moves in closer.
Sniffing at your barely moving form the pack leader lets out a long snarl as the others encircle you.
Oh no! Move! Fight! You must do something!
You break your cower in a state of sheer desperation, swinging wildly at the pack leader in an attempt to open up a route of escape.
“3 Damage!” You cry out three times as each swing of your flurry connect. The gnoll snarls in pain but does not fall, he does not retreat.
The battle is over in seconds as they swarm you and their blows reduce your body total to zero. The pack leader howls in victory as he moves towards your lifeless form.
“1 I tear into your right arm, 2 I tear into your right arm- “
Wrong call. I should’ve just continued to cower. Not only would it have protected me from their attacks, but it would’ve protected me from them eating my arm. (Counted Actions)*
* “3, I tear into your right arm! BREAK RIGHT ARM” The NPC finishes his counted action, informing you that the gnoll had broken your right arm. (Broken Condition)
You let out a scream in agony as the pack lord begins consuming your broken limb. It seems as if this act infuses him with vitality and strength as the others follow suit. By the time they are done making a quick meal of you, your minute count as your life slips away is over (Dying condition) and you are dead. (Dead condition)
You begin your five-minute count in your head, verifying the time with your small hidden watch under your wristband and the gnolls disperse, celebrating that they are one success closer to their goals for the event. You curse yourself under your breath for being so stupid. In no time you reach your five minutes and get up from your death scene. You pull out your character sheet and mark off one essence point, reducing you to 4 of your original 5.
Well, at least in this game I don’t lose all my gear. You think to yourself as you dust yourself off, sheathe your weapons, and cross your arms in front of you in an “x” shape, signifying you are now a spirit. You wander off towards the designated resurrection point for the event, wondering just how this all will play out.
Essence Points
While this scenario may very well be the end of our character, it is the beginning of this week’s deep dive into a game mechanic that there is a lot of intrigue surrounding: Resurrection and Essence Points.
The two instances of game rules surrounding Essence Points in the rules are as follows:
- The description of essence points in the Points Systems section on page 3 of the rules.
- The information that a character loses 1 essence point at the end of their five-minute count and gains the Spirit condition.
While the information contained herein may be added to a future iteration of the rules, this deep dive is intended to pull back the veil of mystery surrounding the act of being resurrected in Crestfallen Larp.
Once a player has taken spirit form if they have at least 1 essence point remaining they now have three options based on their personal preferences:
- Resurrection at some in-game location without remembering their time as a spirit.
- Pre-written resurrection story in the event of no staff being available for a guided resurrection.
- Plot guided individual resurrection story.
If the player has no essence remaining this resurrection is their last until an essence point is regained and they must have a plot guided resurrection. The three options of resurrections are broken down further below.
Immediate Resurrection
This option is ideal for those who death and dying are trauma triggers, or for those who do not wish to remember their time as a spirit and want to return to gameplay quickly.
The player will choose a location that they wish to resurrect at. This area must be an in-game location and cannot be off-site. This location also cannot be in a location of a closed module or location otherwise inaccessible without staff involvement. Otherwise, there is no limit to where you can resurrect, including amid combat- though do remember that you are unaware of any time spent as a spirit and do not remember how you got to this location.
The player is then free to choose the method of their resurrection that suits their character story the best, whether it is emerging from a tree in the woods, reforming from raw essence in the middle of town, or emerging from a burning pit that formed in the ground.
Death- and rebirth- in Crestfallen Larp is meant to be a collaborative storytelling experience and this resurrection option is the option with the most freedom to create the scene a player wishes for their character’s rebirth.
Pre-written Resurrection Story
This option is ideal for the player who wishes to remember their time as a spirit but either wishes to return quickly or for times when there is no staff member free to administer a guided resurrection story.
The player will go to the location where the guild/racial folders are located and contained with them will be a list of prewritten resurrection scenarios outlined for player choice. These options may be specific in their direction and are generally the least collaborative method of resurrection.
Some instances may include awakening halfway through a resurrection in an underground bunker with a strange machine rebuilding your body, the experience of being shunted into another body that rapidly changes shape to resemble your normal form, or a horrifying experience of falling like a burning meteor from outer space before awakening in a crater in the wilds. Less player agency does not always mean less interesting.
Guided Resurrection Story
This option is for the player who wishes to remember their time as a spirit and wishes to build a unique and collaborative story with staff. It is ideal for those who wish to fully immerse themselves in their character’s experiences.
The player will go to the designated resurrection point and meet with a member of staff. They then work together to create a collaborative story unique to their character and work to implement it. This option is the most restrictive time-wise and may result in the player being out-of-game for an extended period of time.
As previously noted, once a character has lost all of their essence this method of resurrection is required for their final resurrection.
While these are the current supported methods of resurrection in the game rules the world and skills of Crestfallen Larp are ever-changing and these may not reflect the only ways to be brought back to life. Some ideas of future ways to be brought back to life include- but are certainly not limited to:
- Resurrection spells
- Effects that remove the spirit condition
- Spells or effects that allow a spirit to possess another creature.
- Crafted items such as an enchanted resurrection site, a forged golem body, or an alchemical life elixir.
- Bizarre surgeries done on the corpse of the character to animate them with life again.
The options are as endless as your creativity!
So, in those old immortal words, Don’t Fear the Reaper! Death and Resurrection in Crestfallen Larp is a unique and interesting part of your character’s story and you’d be selling your experience short if you went your entire time playing with us without experiencing it!