Physical Needs and Death

Eating, Drinking, Resting and Exhaustion

Mortal creatures require food, water, and sleep in order to function properly. However, the standard rules are somewhat vague on the effects of going without food, water, or rest for an extended period of time beyond the inability to recover spell slots and other class abilities. Here is a solution to this ambiguity. When a character has gone for a given interval (detailed in the table below) without fulfilling one of these needs (also detailed in the table below), they suffer a level of exhaustion. Such levels of exhaustion cannot be recovered until the need causing it has been met. At which point, they may be recovered following the standard rules for recovering exhaustion. The DM may allow a character to make a Constitution saving throw in order to stave off the effects of this exhaustion when the interval occurs. If this is the case, the DC listed in the table is the base DC, which is for the first roll. Listed in parenthesis is the amount the DC should increase for each roll the character must make thereafter without having recovered any exhaustion.  

Need	Interval	Amount per Interval*	DC
Water	24 hours*	1/2 gal	12 (+2)
Sleep	24 hours*	6 hours	12 (+1)
Food	3 Days	3 pounds	10 (+2)

*Amount of food and water given is for a standard Medium-sized creature. Creatures require half as much food and water as a creature one size category larger than them and twice as much food and water as a creature one size category smaller than them. Size does not affect sleep requirements. Certain races may have different requirements as described in their racial abilities or stat blocks.  

Raising the Dead

 

Spells

All magical spells which deal with life and the soul are considered Necromancy. These include spells such as Cure Wounds and Healing Word along with any spell that resurrects the dead. Death in Ara is a more permanent affair than in most standard settings. Even with the help of powerful magic, some souls simply do not come back properly, or at all. The truly exceptional (or those who benefit from very powerful magic) may be spared these misfortunes, but for the average person, death is as permanent as it is for those in real life. Revivify, Raise Dead, Resurrection, and True Resurrection have altered rules in Ara as noted below:   Revivify: Now a 5th-level spell. The subject must make a Resurrection Save (see below). Unlike the other spells listed here, because of Revivify's short time limit, a character can never fail their Resurrection save so badly that they do not return to life. In the case of level or ability score loss, treat any loss that would result in them being unable to be revived as the lowest possible result that allows them to revive. For example, a level one character who loses 3 levels is, instead, treated as only losing 1. After returning to life, the target takes a −4 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks, regardless of the result of their Resurrection save. Every time the target finishes a long rest, the penalty is reduced by 1 until it disappears.   Raise Dead: A subject must make a Resurrection Save (see below). For every 24 hours that have passed since the creature’s death, the DC of the Resurrection save increases by 1. If Raise Dead is cast on a creature which has been dead for more than 10 days, they suffer disadvantage on their Resurrection save but may still be brought back to life.   Resurrection: A subject must make a Resurrection Save (see below). For every full 30 days which have passed since the target’s death, the DC of the save increases by 1.   True Resurrection: A subject must make a Resurrection Save (see below). For every full year which has passed since the target’s death, the DC of the save increases by 1. True Resurrection may not restore an undead target to its previous non-undead state. If the creature has no intact body, they suffer disadvantage on their Resurrection save. After returning to life, the target takes a −4 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks, regardless of the result of their Resurrection save. Every time the target finishes a long rest, the penalty is reduced by 1 until it disappears.   All other effects of the spells remain unaltered.  

Side Effects of Returning to Life

When the soul of a mortal creature leaves its body, it travels to the outer planes where its memories are stripped from it and it, ultimately, merges with the substance of the Plane of Souls. Once this process is complete, the soul of the person as they were known to their contemporaries is no more. They cannot be brought back to life by any means, including divine intervention. However, nobody knows exactly how long this process takes or what affects this time. It is possible, if performed quickly enough, to retrieve a soul and return it to its body (or a new body) before too much of it is lost.

When a creature is subject to a spell or effect which would return them to life (such as one of the four spells mentioned above), they must make what is called a Resurrection save. A Resurrection save is a d20 and uses either the subject’s Constitution or Charisma bonus (whichever is higher), representing their connection to the mortal plane as well as their proficiency bonus, representing the greater amount of knowledge and memories which much be “removed” before their personality is gone. A creature does not gain any benefits from any magic items or spells on this check. A character cannot score a critical success on a Resurrection Save. Compare the results of the check to the table below.

While a creature which died of old age may technically be brought back to life, resurrection magic does not restore youth to the creature’s body. This, in addition to the strain of resurrection, means that whatever health issues or failing body parts caused the creature to die in the first place will likely result in their death again after a short time, sometimes mere hours.  

Resurrection Saves

Resurrection Save: d20 + Cha/Con + Proficiency; DC: 10 + time since death* + Previous attempts at resurrection
  * This represents the amount of time spent by the creature’s soul beyond the mortal plane. If the creature’s soul is trapped or otherwise contained and unable to pass beyond the Mortal Plane (such as with a soul jar spell), this does not increase. A creature which has been raised as undead still increases this number as the process of becoming and existing as undead slowly erodes the subject’s sense of self in much the same way a “free” soul would. The units and increments of this time vary depending on the spell used.

                                         

Result	Effect
Success of over 15	Subject is returned to life with no adverse effects
Success	Subject is returned to life as described in the standard rules
Failure of 1-3	Ability Score Loss
Failure of 4-6	Long Term Madness
Failure of 7-9	Indefinite Madness
Failure of 10-12	Loss of Levels
Failure of 13 or more	Spell Failure

These effects are cumulative. A creature suffers both the effects of whatever is listed for its roll and all effects listed above that, with the exception of spell failure and Success of over 15. If the spell fails, the creature does not suffer any additional effect. The effects of a success over 15 only occur if the creature succeeds their Resurrection save by more than 15 points.

Ability Score Loss: The creature loses 1-3 points of Constitution and either Intelligence or Charisma (whichever is higher), depending on how badly they failed their check. This damage may be restored with a Greater Restoration, but each casting of the spell only restores one point every 24 hours. If the loss of Intelligence or Charisma would result in the creature’s score being 0, they are comatose until they increase. If the loss of Constitution would reduce the creature’s Constitution score to 0 or if the loss of Intelligence or Charisma would reduce their scores below 0, the creature cannot be brought back to life and the spell fails.
Long Term Madness: The creature periodically suffers from bouts of long-term madness, as described in the standard rules. These episodes may occur randomly, at the DM’s discretion, in stressful situations, or in response to specific triggers or situations (especially those related to how the creature died). This madness may eventually be cured, but it should remain for a long enough time to have an impact on the character’s life.
Indefinite Madness: The creature suffers the effects of a form of indefinite madness as described in the standard rules, or another form of madness which the players and DM feel is appropriate. This madness is unlikely to ever be cured without powerful magic or divine intervention. Part of the creature’s soul is permanently lost..
Loss of Levels: The creature loses 1-3 of their most recent levels (depending on how badly they failed their check). If the creature’s most recent levels are unknown, they lose levels from their highest level class. The creature retains its current HP, but its Proficiency decreases (if applicable) and it loses any spell slots or class features it gained from those levels. The creature is treated as being a lower level for the purposes of determining XP to level up. The creature MUST regain its lost levels before it can take new levels in any class. A creature which does not have enough levels to lose (and would result in being below level 0) is not returned to life as if the spell failed.
Spell Failure: The spell fails and the creature does not return to life.  

Death Saves

Death saves in Ara are treated similarly to Constitution saves. Any feature or trait which improves or grants advantage to Constitution saves under relevant circumstances may also apply to death saves, such as an advantage against poison granting an advantage to death saves of a character dying from poison damage. This is at your DM's discretion. A Death save also adds the creature’s Constitution bonus.