Indebted to a Temple for Resurrection

This is a pretty reasonable (IMO) way to reduce 1st / 2nd level mortality without making it completely painless. I came up with it after reading through the RuneQuest 1st / 2nd edition rules, where you're literally in debt to almost everyone all the time.

Basically, a temple with a sufficiently high level god botherer will resurrect someone in exchange for a future debt of some sort. Roll 1d6 and on a 5 or a 6 the church has something they want the adventurers to do as soon as they're back alive. Any other result is the number of weeks until the church contacts the players with a mission.

It's a solid way of both integrating your players into the setting and being able to put a fish hook into their mouths when bait doesn't work.

Comments?

You could generalize even further.  even the most minor of nobles can usually afford the 500gp for a restore life and limb if it means getting a favor in return.

This is a cool idea, but only makes sense if A) there's no-one available to perform the favour who'd charge less than the cost of reviving an adventurer, and B) the person paying for the Restore Life and Limb is willing to take the risk that the recipient might "skip out on the bill," so to speak. Those arne't big hurdles, but they're important to keep in mind when doing this, I think. I mean, it's essentially giving a 500 gp loan to an adventurer, which is always a risky prospect.

That's the primary reason I view it as preferable to do the temple instead of a local secular ruler.

Essentially, if the adventurers skip out on it they will:

  • Never get healing / resurrection from that temple again.
  • Never be offered this deal by ANY temple again.
  • Be in deep shit with a really powerful force in the region (and probably lose good will from the peasantry.

Even the dumbest and greediest of adventurers will see it's a foolish idea to skip out on this.

If the local cleric is powerful enough to cast Restore Life and Limb, he's powerful enough to cast Quest, and that can have a helpful benefit in terms of making sure there is re-payment!

The quest spell as well is a nice package idea for an investor, especially given they can foist the cost onto the adventurer of the quest spell too (ie that restore life and limb costing a minimum of 1000gp, more likely higher if some profit is wanted outside the task).  Though given the ambiguity of "do something for me later" that could get around the quest spell itself if it's delayed too long.

It is a great concept all in all and something to consider adding to a setting.

It does make me wonder if casters are undercharging for their higher level spells though :)