Soul Harvesting

When a being perishes, its soul must pass on to the next life. In the moments of a creature's pending death, a hovers next to them, invisibly, waiting to collect their bounty. In the seconds before the creature's demise, this Reaper appears as the person that their target wants to see more than anyone else in that moment and, in that form, coaxes the soul to follow them. During this process, only their target can see them. Sometimes, they will do a very minor task to help ease this transition so long as it does not delay the task long. This will help prevent certain forms of undead, such as ghosts, from forming. This process is the benevolent way that souls are charioted to , where judgement is held and their soul is sent to the appropriate afterlife.   However, not all souls are ready to pass. s, while fantastical, are not meant to withstand resistance from a creature that actively seeks to avoid death. Should a find itself slain by its target, or its target manages to evade the harvest by retreating somewhere the cannot reach, a is called to continue the hunt.   These Reapers are more combatively inclined than their lesser brethren. Armed with a scythe, these creatures tap into the fear a creature feels, attempting to overwhelm the mind before forcibly harvesting the soul. This type of Reaper is the one most commonly thought of when discussing Reapers, despite being far less common than s. This is mainly because the task of a is an easy one, while a shows up for a true fight, showing a keen single-minded focus on their prey. Should they subdue their prey, they simply bring the soul to . However, should a find itself overwhelmed or outfoxed by its target, a is called.   These Reapers appear as hulking juggernauts of death, these beings are the ultimate judges of death. Showing tenacity that can only be described as terrifying and armed with abilities suggestive of this job, these nightmares easily circumvent any barrier, physical, extraplanar, or otherwise, as they launch what appears to be a psychotic chase as they hunt their victim. These beings care not for the harvest of souls, making an example of them by annihilating the soul altogether. Should they be defeated, they immediately reform and resume the chase within seconds. In extreme cases, a free-willed may join the hunt.  

Dodging the Reaper

A creature can evade the end wrought by a by receiving enough healing to prevent its death or becoming undead, provided the form of undead keeps its soul normally.   Like s, a creature slated for their scythe can evade their end by becoming undead or having a spell that resurrects them cast on them by another creature. However, unlike s, any genuine attempt at restorative magic is ignored and the continues its pursuit.   Unlike their lesser breathren, a arrives not to deliver a soul to the afterlife, but to annihilate the soul altogether and no amount of restorative magic, resurrection magic, or undeath is enough to dissuade these juggernauts of death.