“Death is not just a single moment. It is a growing burden on the body and soul. Death is inevitable to all things… BUT, it can be delayed.”
In Alaeternia death is not necessarily the end, however, it is certainly unavoidable. The Existence of Death is eminent to all things for all that can be done can also be undone. As such sometimes a creatures end, or death is too soon. While gods and other powers may have their own rules Existence knows it is set eventually. However even the gods and other worldly powers cannot overcome this set rule. Death may not be the end yet… but there is always a chance.
The Soul Count
Each creature has a Soul Count, representing how close their soul is to being lost forever.
- Starting Soul Count: DC 10
- The Soul Count acts as a Difficulty Class (DC) for revival attempts.
- Soul Count is cumulative and persists across deaths and revivals.
Increases to Soul Count
A creature’s Soul Count increases by 1 when any of the following occur:
- The creature dies
- The creature suffers damage equal to or greater than half of their maximum hit points in a single hit
- This is considered a Near-Death Encounter but the rules for Rule - Catastrophic Damage also applies.
Revival Attempts (General Rule)
Whenever a spell is used to bring a creature back from death:
- There must be a valid target to host the soul, if there is none present the soul is lost till one is found.
- The revived creature must make a d20 roll against their current Soul Count DC
- On a success, the revival proceeds
- Important: Even on a successful roll, the soul may choose to refuse resurrection, resulting in permanent death.
- On a failure, the creature is permanently dead
- No further attempts of the same spell level may be made
- The attempt can still be made again of a higher spell level
- Other attempts will have a penalty of +1 to Soul Count as well as one less skill check to be made
The Resurrection Spells
Resurrection is a special circumstance granted to only those of high standing with their power granting such magic. Not everyone in the world can do it only very select few get to witness such magic and even less have access to it.
Revivify
The only resurrection spell that does not use a ritual. This represents the spell’s speed and immediacy. However it is still risky.
- Only the Soul Count roll is made
- No skill checks
- No additional modifiers
Higher-Level Resurrection Rituals
All resurrection spells above Revivify are treated as rituals.
Ritual Structure
- The ritual allows skill checks to influence the Soul Count
- These checks represent pleading, stabilizing the soul, reinforcing the body, or anchoring memories
Skill Checks
- One skill check per participating player
- Total number of checks allowed = Spell Level
- Any skill may be used if justified narratively
- Narrative modifiers are not permanent.
Skill Check Results
- Success: Reduce the Soul Count DC by at least 1
- (optional): Let players determine the count or even if the check succeeds.
- Failure: Increase the Soul Count by 1
Adjustments apply before the final revival roll.
The Final Revival Roll
After all ritual skill checks are resolved:
- The creature makes a d20 roll against the modified Soul Count DC
- On a success, the creature comes back to life. The soul may still refuse the return, then the ritual fails.
- On a failure, the creature is permanently dead
