How do you RP death?

[Ylisaxa]

I was just curious about how you all RP death (i.e. the process of getting from the spirit guide to your body).

I have always played healers in the past, and I have figured their restorative powers explain it. With my druid I refer to her hibernal properties also.

But, I have just started a warrior. At the moment I am going along with an idea that "death" is just an out of body experience and the ghost form represents your will to get back to your form and revive, and if your will is strong enough and you reach your body in time you will be restored.

My bf goes with an idea that player characters are in some way minature heroes and are blessed with the ability to recover.

How do you all do it?

[Sinthe]

Our spirits are bound to this world, and as long as there is some bit of body left over, we can return to it.

[Noury]

Its all the work of the "higher beings" for me. The Light and its avatars (Celestials, Spirit Healers, Naaru. etc..) , the influence of the Titans, the Troll Loas, Elune (aka The Earthmother), The Elementals, or even the Burning Legion.

All have an active role in life and death in Azeroth as far as I look at it. Because of that death as a state of being isnt as much a "one shot deal" as it is IRL. But even in Azeroth, at some point every character will have a final death (when that time comes for all of us to move on to the next big thing.. and WoW goes the way of Asteroids, Defender and Donkey Kong.).

[Keraph]

I'm undead. I don't ever really die, that's happened already. Once I am disabled, it just takes some time for me to recover and continue.

As for other characters, it's kinda on an individual basis. Obviously my Undead approach only works on, well, undead. But I try not to go so far as actual "death" as an excuse, because while I know death is not permanent in this world, it cheapens the concept. When people kill of their characters, say if they're bored or something, the question always remains "Why don't they come back this time?" I like to think that if any of my characters is actually killed, there won't be any questioning like that, if I rationalize game death as something a little less heavy.

Just my 2cp!

Edit: I feel like there was already a post about this somewhere...

[Niethan]

I've never held it as death; rather, just very, very unconcious. Niethan gets back up from a combination of regeneration and Feign Death. Spirit Healers I usually ignore, except as perhaps a benign spirit there to coax you back to conviousness a little quicker.

And yes, there was a post on this before. It got kinda buried.

[Phia]

I always considered death to be like one of those X-MEN brawls in which Wolverine gets thoroughly beaten senseless by his opponent. We're talking a brutal slugfest in which he's ultimately left for dead under a smoking pile of rubble. There's a brief pause while the bad guy walks away and Wolvie regains consciousness, at which point he crawls back to his feet, smokes a cigarette, and seeks ruthless, bloody revenge.

[Noury]

I always considered death to be like one of those X-MEN brawls in which Wolverine gets thoroughly beaten senseless by his opponent. We're talking a brutal slugfest in which he's ultimately left for dead under a smoking pile of rubble. There's a brief pause while the bad guy walks away and Wolvie regains consciousness, at which point he crawls back to his feet, smokes a cigarette, and seeks ruthless, bloody revenge.

Hmm.. actually, Niethan and Phia's take on death (or non-death) makes a lot of sense. Basically, just ignore it. They aren't dead, just very very near death.

I like it. Makes more RP sense also..

[Xorek]

In truth...I don't. This is one of those little quirks of playing WoW, like named instance bosses always coming back to life the next time you go in. I find it easier if you don't try and rationalize it, and just let that little quirk wash over you. Let it pass. It's game mechanics butting heads with our assumption of how a regular world would actually operate.

[Teelia]

I've never been killed in game. Not sure what this "Death" thing is you speak of.

I never lie either.

[Sanrin]

Most people Sanrin doesnt fight to kill, he just fights to win. And in my opinion, incapicating the opponent is a win. I'll beat the tar outta ya until you're not a threat and then move on...and I can only assume that others are fighting me the same way. In an instance, if you complete it (in my opinion) the events occured. After that its all a 'class retelling'.

[Cedes]

Cedes cant die or the world of azeroth within TN would forever be heart broken :cry:

[Keraph]

I'm pretty much the same way with instances, with the exception of any Scourge instance. It is in no way unimaginable to say that the Lich King can raise and empower his undead minions; that is kinda what he does. It also clears up a bit of confusion relating to why you've beaten an instance, but nothing has changed. For example, you go into, say, Shadowfang Keep, and kill Arugal, the Worgen still infest Silverpine, no changes. (I might note that as far as Keraph is concerned, Tirisfal and Silverpine, along with most of Hillsbrad and Arathi, are completely clear of any real threat. I take a kind of "Ignorance is Bliss" stance with past events, so not to trivialize the work I did there) Now, if you go into Scholo or Strat, take out the leaders there, you haven't killed them, but struck a severe blow on their operations. That's really the only way to rationalize why a billion level 50+ Scourge don't pour into Tirisfal, a relatively unguarded area. They're too focused on keeping their holdings in the Plaguelands.


Well, that was a bit of a tangent from the topic, but as we seemed to drift that way, I figured I'd throw my opinion in.

[Phia]

I never had a problem with lower level instances because I didn't farm them. Once I cleared out Shadowfang Keep and moved onto the Hillsbrad Foothills, I assumed the worgen stayed vanquished. Out of sight, out of mind. For all Phia knows, Silverpine Forest is a happy place now!

This strategy kind of falls apart at 60, though. I've helped clear out Zul'Gurub three weeks in a row now, and those darn trolls and gods keep comin' back.

[Sanrin]

Stupid gods.

[Tarlithion]

I tend to agree with Sanrin's bit there. Just a retelling, not really a re-entry into the instance. "No, no, it happened this way!"

[Sanrin]

Aye...after all, nothing will ever be quite as epic as the first time you accomplished something.

[Fhenrir]

I tend to agree with Sanrin's bit there. Just a retelling, not really a re-entry into the instance. "No, no, it happened this way!"

"Except this time we're still bringing back the stuff we got last time... and we're getting more stuff... and other people are doing right now the same thing as we have before... and they've done it before too..."

[Ylisaxa]

They are all alternate and parallel universes *nod*

[Chavie]

sometimes chavie dies.

and then the spirit healer says, it is not yet your time!

the spirit healer says this to many people.

it is why you can kill the same boss over and over.

this is how i see the game, and it is because i like to rp in real time using all game mechanics. i do not see WoW as a means through which i invent my rp, i try to rp within the boundaries of the game (with a few exceptions).

and this is also how i see it: death is subjective and personal, and how chavie sees death (am ded! o, am a lav!) is not how keraph sees it (i am not dead, i am only mostly dead--and now i'm better) and they regard each other as being delusional. just like the real world!

(yes there was a thread on this before, and like "r u a girl in rl" it is a topic that will continue to emerge)

[Garbhan]

Firstly, I r not a grl irl.

Garbhan I always figured has a mix between divine intervention and cold dwarven stubborness. "Nope, nope... not gunna sleep now. Too many things left to do. Khaz, let these old bones work for a little longer..."
*Wheeze*

In other characters, they generally get knocked unconcious, pass out from loss of blood, etc... and then they wake up and take a bit to get their bearings... "Ugh... I feel like I got stepped on by a Kodo. I had such a strange dream. I was lying on the ground about to close my eyes, then this beautiful angel was there and... well I think she was beautiful. She had a hood. Angels are beautiful, right? Oh fine, let's keep going. We can talk about it at camp... and no I didn't hit my head, that orc bloody hit me in the head! Where were you!?"

8O

[Cyrass]

With Cyrass, the answer is simple. Through his powers, he is able to bring himself and others back from the edge of the Nether.

With my other characters, it ranges from it not being lethal damage to divine intervetion

[Shadowspeak]

I treat it as the game says it is:

Your spirit is bound to the world, and as long as the soul is willing enough, can rejoin with the body and become whole once again.

For my characters? 4 of them are undead so...you can't really kill undead.

Shadowspeak is very very old, he's done this through the priestly healing ways (Holy priest before death).Alltogether been in existance for around 127 years, but only been undead for a few of those years (and he woke up after the Forsaken joined the Horde and WoW began and all that... stuff.)

Sevarith fought and took major part in the battle to retake Lordearon.

Thrissia woke up long after Lordearon was taken by the Horde, and actually woke up in Duskwood (even though those aren't scourge. I DO have an explination behind it)

Varond was just a mage who became undead...and he's just your average disgruntled forsaken.

Death for other characters? I kill you, and your soul returns. I don't knock you out, I don't wound you really badly, I kill you.

[Danyxandra]

I've never been killed in game. Not sure what this "Death" thing is you speak of.

I never lie either.

I love you. You're such an oddball.

[Lupen]

I'm a girl when I want to be... "Man... Woman... MAN!... Woman!"

Death for Lupen is merely a moment of bonding with the Dark Twisting Nether. Lupen is Soulbound to an ever living life, and cannot "die", truely, until his duties are fufilled.

Felkin sees death has being allowed to repent for your sins and purify oneself before entering the fray again. Being a crusader is nifty.

[Fhenrir]

Death for other characters? I kill you, and your soul returns. I don't knock you out, I don't wound you really badly, I kill you.

Some (myself included most likely) would consider this godmodding if that's not the way they wish to see it. You're forcing your opinion of it upon others, and especially when other people aren't killing your characters it's a little bit... well, high-and-mighty of you to decide you killed me.

[Zasein]

Lets say you did molten core, and your group got wiped by Ragranos, lets say, and you just got torched to a crisp, smashed into a pancake with an orange hammer, and your not "dead". There are dozens of ways to explain it but I like to see it as:

When you are dead, you die.

When you die, your soul enters the "spirit realm" which is another dimension where spirits live, and can find your body and return to life, or speak to one of the spirit healers that exist in the spirit realm who will restore you to your body. One is still capible of communicating with their hearthstone even while dead. All beings in Azeroth are given this option, as long as they have the willpower and intilectual ability to take it. (so that basically excludes your average sylithid crawler, bear, kodo, and undead minion. The last one could be replaced easily.)

[Danyxandra]

If I kill someone (game mechanics kill) I don't assume that my character succeeded in actually killing them. My character may have made a fatal blow, or perhaps it was only a near-fatal blow, but whatever my character did, it was an action only. The result of that action is up to the player I've killed and how they want to deal with death/near-death. I will not assume for anyone (god-mote) whether I was successful or not, nor can anyone assume they were successful with their action in a final act of death for my character either.. I can only assume those things about my own character. Everyone else must have the same freedom to decide how they want to deal with actions against them and if it was death or near-death or what ever.

As for how I do handle death for myself. If I'm going to make the run back to my body, then to me it was like how some people will "code" in the hospital in RL...it's near death, but you get a chance to return to the body. If I kiss the angel...then my character died, would have stayed dead, but made a deal with the angel to return to complete unfinished business.

[Shadowspeak]

Death for other characters? I kill you, and your soul returns. I don't knock you out, I don't wound you really badly, I kill you.

Some (myself included most likely) would consider this godmodding if that's not the way they wish to see it. You're forcing your opinion of it upon others, and especially when other people aren't killing your characters it's a little bit... well, high-and-mighty of you to decide you killed me.

God-moding is doing something in which your character couldn't actually do.

I can kill.

Zasien pretty much nailed it.

[Shadowspeak]

And I'm not forcing it on anyone... not Horde anyhow.

I basically try to use the term "Defeated" instead of "killed" because people tend to get mad, for some reason.

But your not going to be just "mortaly wounded" if a rogue rips your head off. You'r going to be dead.

Either way, I try to stay away from this because it's a clash of lore/what you think, and game mechanics.

*Stays away from this thread*

[Sanrin]

Equipment wise I just kinda swing with it. To me, equipment is all for looks anyway.

[Rajjah]

Personnaly i see it as a knock out, and the spirit walk is your subconscious trying to find it's way back to reality/consciousness....or basically recover from the knockout. Death is when you delete that character or stop playing with that character. You wake up at a cemetary because the mind needs to make sense of the situation by creating a response to what it believes has happened, or else you'd be stuck in limbo fo eva! This is how I personnaly have rationalised it for rp.

Genious! maha!

[Keraph]

Death for other characters? I kill you, and your soul returns. I don't knock you out, I don't wound you really badly, I kill you.

Some (myself included most likely) would consider this godmodding if that's not the way they wish to see it. You're forcing your opinion of it upon others, and especially when other people aren't killing your characters it's a little bit... well, high-and-mighty of you to decide you killed me.

God-moding is doing something in which your character couldn't actually do.

I can kill.

Zasien pretty much nailed it.


But much in the same way that Chavie and I would consider each other delusional for our veiws on death, if you were ever in a position where you beat me, and then said you had killed me, I'd consider you crazy as all hell.

[Danyxandra]

Personnaly i see it as a knock out, and the spirit walk is your subconscious trying to find it's way back to reality/consciousness....or basically recover from the knockout. Death is when you delete that character or stop playing with that character. You wake up at a cemetary because the mind needs to make sense of the situation by creating a response to what it believes has happened, or else you'd be stuck in limbo fo eva! This is how I personnaly have rationalised it for rp.

Genious! maha!

What he said. *nods in agreement*

[Shadowspeak]

Death for other characters? I kill you, and your soul returns. I don't knock you out, I don't wound you really badly, I kill you.

Some (myself included most likely) would consider this godmodding if that's not the way they wish to see it. You're forcing your opinion of it upon others, and especially when other people aren't killing your characters it's a little bit... well, high-and-mighty of you to decide you killed me.

God-moding is doing something in which your character couldn't actually do.

I can kill.

Zasien pretty much nailed it.


But much in the same way that Chavie and I would consider each other delusional for our veiws on death, if you were ever in a position where you beat me, and then said you had killed me, I'd consider you crazy as all hell.

Id'e never do that.

And how could I beat you? The only way I could possibly harm you is through a duel, and that isn't death, thats defeat.

Alliance is a differant story. You are the enemy, you are the scum, and I kill you. The great thing is, I don't have to worry about it seeing as... I can't really roleplay with them.

[EnheilRas]

Unconscious? Maybe..

[Shadowspeak]

As I said before, all of it is a clash of game mechanics and roleplaying, much like Forsaken:

Our organs don't work....yet I can cannibalize.

I don't need to breath....Yet I have a breath bar just like everyone else.

It's all a big thing that allways makes controvercy when trying to explain it in character. But then, roleplay what you wan't I got no problem with it. I don't need to worry about what Alliance think of this, as their the only ones I can kill and I can't very well understand them.

[EnheilRas]

Forsaken didn't have a breath bar in BETA

It was added for balance reasons since the Alliance complained heavily of it.

[Ashagga]

I think the most common view here is that it's not death. "Death" is just near-death, and through will or luck or outside intervention, it can be staved off. I've heard alternate explanations: All of Azeroth is trapped by its encounter with the Burning Legion in a neverending cycle wherein no one can ever truly die and events will continuously repeat themselves until the inhabitants can free themselves. I've heard the idea that all heroes are destined for greater things than death, and so are trapped, bound to their bodies. I've also heard that as a personal, rather than global explanation. I've heard that, because mathematically we all regenerate so much faster than normal people (I mean, think about how long it takes through natural regeneration to go from 1 hp to max) that killing heroes (or any orc, troll, tauren, forsaken, gnome, elf, etc.) is impossible or at least excruciatingly difficult.

Personally, I try to gloss over it. It's one of those video game things that we have to accept and work around. If pressed, I'd have to say that Ashagga has too much will to live. It goes kind of like this:

Ashagga dies, appears before Spirit Healer.
Ashagga: Am I dead?
SH: Are you ready to be dead?
Ashagga: No.
SH: Then you'd better stop, hadn't you?
Ashagga wakes up.

For Vilmon, my undead, he's been brought to "life" through cursed blood magic. He CAN'T die. He wants to... gods know he wishes he could go back to sweet oblivion, but every time he "dies," he comes back, like Bill Murray in groundhog Day.

[Danyxandra]

That's kind of the way the game Horizon's accounted for it. See, apparently, our characters (over in that game) had a single first death....and woke up not dead but all healed and whole. You start the game that way, that you have awaken from a death and have therefore proven to be of the chosen. We were the chosen ones, the ones who could not die a final death and destined to be heroes. It was part of the lore alreadly laid in place at the get-go. I always liked that. I especially liked that the devs of that game thought of those kind of RP questions.

[Syreena]

When Syreena dies in the game, well, she dies. She'll visit the spirit healer and then either return to her body or let the spirit healer raise her without her full strength and extra damage to her equipment. Death, the spirit healer, and resurrection are all part of the reality that is Azeroth.

When Syreena is killed by an Alliance, I don't say she was knocked out. Surely the Alliance are not dumb enough to leave an unconscious enemy laying on the ground without chopping off her head or something to really make sure she's dead.

For mobs and bosses, same thing. They come back to life. It doesn't make sense for our world, but it's part of Azeroth, so I don't bother trying to play around it.

[Shadowspeak]

When Syreena is killed by an Alliance, I don't say she was knocked out. Surely the Alliance are not dumb enough to leave an unconscious enemy laying on the ground without chopping off her head or something to really make sure she's dead.it.

QF FUCKING TRUTH

[Danyxandra]

Ya know, I kinda like that angle...and I think I'll write it into my current and next characters. Basically, that makes them immortal. If they die, they die and instead of near death...the die and rise up again. Immortal. Works with the Immortalis tag nicely I think.

*bounces and frolicks*

[Rajjah]

I guess the only way to look at it would be to say that you do in fact die, but the gods allow you to return to life until your destiny has been fulfilled.

[Keraph]

That's obviously NOT the only way to look at it, since I know many, including myself, that don't look at it that way.

[Rajjah]

Forsaken i don't know...that's a whole other story, you're the only undead race...the rest of us are living. bah!

[Keraph]

Well, I've only got a few Undead characters, and even with my living characters, I never use 'death' as an actual happening every time I go to 0HP. I think that "spamming" death like that cheapens the concept.