When a PC raises the dead, etc....


Pathfinder Society

Scarab Sages

It's one thing to pay to a temple or someone like that to resurrect a PC after an adventure's over, but if a party's high-level enough for one of the PCs to cast raise dead or better on their own, can other Pathfinders donate to the benefactor to share the cost of the material component? Example: If you have a party of 5 8th-10th-level characters, one's dead, and everyone has at least 1,250 gold in their purses, can the remaining 3 give the one capable of casting raise dead 1,250 gold each so that character doesn't have to pay for the diamond all on his own?

To what extent otherwise can Pathfinders just give stuff to one another (if, when my Cavalier is finally able to afford his long-coveted suit of mithral full plate, could he possibly flat-out give his old +1 Breastplate to another PC if it happens to be serviceable to them?)?

Dark Archive 2/5

Both of your questions can be found in one paragraph of the Guide.

p 22 of the PFS Guide wrote:
In Pathfinder Society Organized Play, you may never buy items from, sell items to, or trade items with another player. You may, however, allow another player to borrow an item for the duration of a scenario. You are also permitted to spend your character’s gold to help a party member purchase spellcasting services such as raise dead or remove disease.

You may not go in on a diamond by itself. You can go in on the total casting of a spell by an NPC as outlined in the Guide.

As to your breastplate question, you can give the +1 Breastplate to another PC for the duration of the scenario, but then you get it back once the session is over.

Scarab Sages

You're certain that that means the party can't share the cost of the material component if a PC casts it? I've been in adventures before where the party divvied up expenses for much smaller purchases (such as buying a few exotic pets as courtly gifts for a diplomatic mission to impress inhabitants of the Hao Jin Tapestry).

Grand Lodge 4/5 **** Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Everyone I have ever talked to about it read "purchase spellcasting services" to include the cost of the material component. Especially since the listing in the guide for the cost of raise dead includes the material component in the price of the spell casting services.

Scarab Sages

I already know that. What I'm asking is, once PCs become able to cast such spells themselves, can the party handle the cost of a casting it themselves the same way it could handle paying an NPC, albeit paying only for the cost of the material component? It makes it more of a hardship for PCs capable of doing so to do so otherwise.

5/5 5/55/5 ** Venture-Captain, Germany—Hamburg

I'd say they can all pay part of the material component cost.
If the caster had to pay it all by himself, that would strongly discourage anyone from ever learning/preparing Raise Dead and similar spells, and if Paizo wanted to discourage people from using these spells, they would have simply banned them.

If you want to go rules-lawyering, the part Nebten quoted doesn't say the spellcasting service has to be bought from an NPC. If a PC casts a spell, he effectively performs a spellcasting service for 0 gp + cost of any material components.

Liberty's Edge 5/5

As long as the net gold for the caster does not increase, you can share the costs of the consumable diamond.

Grand Lodge 5/5

Andrew Christian wrote:
As long as the net gold for the caster does not increase, you can share the costs of the consumable diamond.

+1

Scarab Sages

"3 out of 3 Venture-Lieutenants agree: Communism WORKS!"

Works for me.

Community / Forums / Organized Play / Pathfinder Society / When a PC raises the dead, etc.... All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.