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RAISE DEAD
School conjuration (healing); Level cleric 5
Casting Time 1 minute
Components V, S, M (diamond worth 5,000 gp), DF
Range touch
Target dead creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none, see text; Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
You restore life to a deceased creature. You can raise a creature that has been dead for no longer than 1 day per caster level. In addition, the subject's soul must be free and willing to return. If the subject's soul is not willing to return, the spell does not work; therefore, a subject that wants to return receives no saving throw.
Coming back from the dead is an ordeal. The subject of the spell gains two permanent negative levels when it is raised, just as if it had been hit by an energy-draining creature. If the subject is 1st level, it takes 2 points of Constitution drain instead (if this would reduce its Con to 0 or less, it can't be raised). A character who died with spells prepared has a 50% chance of losing any given spell upon being raised. A spellcasting creature that doesn't prepare spells (such as a sorcerer) has a 50% chance of losing any given unused spell slot as if it had been used to cast a spell.
A raised creature has a number of hit points equal to its current HD. Any ability scores damaged to 0 are raised to 1. Normal poison and normal disease are cured in the process of raising the subject, but magical diseases and curses are not undone. While the spell closes mortal wounds and repairs lethal damage of most kinds, the body of the creature to be raised must be whole. Otherwise, missing parts are still missing when the creature is brought back to life. None of the dead creature's equipment or possessions are affected in any way by this spell.
A creature who has been turned into an undead creature or killed by a death effect can't be raised by this spell. Constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead creatures can't be raised. The spell cannot bring back a creature that has died of old age.
In the conversion from 3.5 to pathfinder the penalty from Raise Dead went from the loss of a level to two negative levels instead.
Both versions of the spell have a provision that gives a 1 HD target two con drain instead.
This provision allows 1 HD to be raised.
2 HD creatures are not spared by the provision that spares 1 HD creatures.
The problem is that two negative levels kills 2 HD creatures as well.
In effect a 2 HD creature immediately dies upon being raised.
Mark Seifter commented on how he would handle it, but specified that his opinions do not necessarily apply to PFS.
He later stated that only John, Linda and Tonya's opinions are binding in PFS.
Until Raise Dead can be errata'd, can we get a PFS ruling on how to handle Raise Dead on a second level PC?
It seems very odd that raise dead should work at every level but 2.
The likeliest situation is a 1-7 scenario where some higher level PCs want to help a lower one, perhaps if the 2nd level PC is a boon race PC.
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Actually, there is a provision in Energy Drain and Negative Levels which should cover the situation:
A creature whose permanent negative levels equal its Hit Dice cannot be brought back to life through spells like raise dead and resurrection without also receiving a restoration spell, cast the round after it is restored to life.
So, it needs two casters, since Restoration is a three round casting time, and is not a cheap option, since you have to pay for both the Raise Dead and the Restoration at the same time.
Then again, Raise Dead on a second level PC is going to be a rarity, anyhow.
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8
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Just have them pay for the raise, get one negative level and two con drain, and let them continue playing PFS.
I believe that any PFS clarification we will get will be similar to this in intent. An official clarification needs to come from developers, and needs to come in the form of an errata to the CRB, which would be binding in PFS.
Kinevon may be on the right track but it is still very poorly written.
I would never rule this way, but a very strictly Read as Written interpretation would be:
The PC in question does not have the negative levels until it is raised per Raise Dead. As strictly written it would then gain two negative levels, dying once more. It then has "negative levels equal to its hit dice" and it is implied that it can be brought back to life if it receives a restoration the round after raise dead is cast. (Strongly implied but not explicitly stated). As it is raised it gains two more negative levels. Restoration gets rid of one negative level, leaving three negative levels. The PC dies again, having more negative levels than hit dice. More restorations will not work because retoration can only get rid of one negative level a week.
In any real situation I am torn between requiring the two casters, as is implied by Kinevon's post or running is as either Walter or Mark suggested.
On a silly note, imagine a temple trying to bring back to life a PC. The head cleric must somehow determine that the PC was second level and grab another caster to start casting 12 seconds before the first completes Raise Dead otherwise, the spell works but the PC immediately dies again.
"Hold on Father Brown, a raise dead is not going to work on him, he is second level, let me go grab Deacon John to help out with a well timed restoration."
Or
"I am just one man, I can not help him, if he were level one or three I could but alas, he is level two and needs more than just me to bring him back."
I think his solution is reasonable as well.
Venture-Agent, Texas—Houston
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On a silly note, imagine a temple trying to bring back to life a PC. The head cleric must somehow determine that the PC was second level and grab another caster to start casting 12 seconds before the first completes Raise Dead otherwise, the spell works but the PC immediately dies again.
Why 12 seconds? Am I the only one who remembers you can hold the charge on a touch spell like restoration?
John, thank you for looking into this.
Kelly, you are right, the restoration could be held as long as it was by a different caster than the one casting raise dead. "Deacon John" does not need to be a master of timing, but he does still need to be there.
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That's correct. You're still a 1st-level character until the chronicle sheet is applied, and you can't apply the chronicle sheet unless the "death" condition has been resolved in some fashion.
All the stuff that happens at the end of a session (curing permanent negative levels, raise dead, day jobs, etc.) happens prior to applying the level-up.
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A second level Scarab Sages character could easily run into this issue using The Risen vanity. I can't imagine a GM actually telling a player they can't be raised because of their level, though.
EDIT: Actually, never mind. I think there's a minimum fame before you can take the vanity, and it's higher than a 2nd level PC could have. More likely this would apply to someone playing up where the party chips in to get them raised.
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On a silly note, imagine a temple trying to bring back to life a PC. The head cleric must somehow determine that the PC was second level and grab another caster to start casting 12 seconds before the first completes Raise Dead otherwise, the spell works but the PC immediately dies again.Why 12 seconds? Am I the only one who remembers you can hold the charge on a touch spell like restoration?
But you cannot hold a spell while casting another one.
I would run it like Walter suggested (failing any clarification from John, etc).
On a silly note, imagine a temple trying to bring back to life a PC. The head cleric must somehow determine that the PC was second level and grab another caster to start casting 12 seconds before the first completes Raise Dead otherwise, the spell works but the PC immediately dies again.Why 12 seconds? Am I the only one who remembers you can hold the charge on a touch spell like restoration?But you cannot hold a spell while casting another one.
I would run it like Walter suggested (failing any clarification from John, etc).
I think Kelly was was referring to the fact that the second caster could hold the restoration as a charge so as to not have to perfectly time his 3 round cast restoration to end within one round of the other caster's 1 minute cast raise dead.
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Venture-Agent, Texas—Houston
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On a silly note, imagine a temple trying to bring back to life a PC. The head cleric must somehow determine that the PC was second level and grab another caster to start casting 12 seconds before the first completes Raise Dead otherwise, the spell works but the PC immediately dies again.Why 12 seconds? Am I the only one who remembers you can hold the charge on a touch spell like restoration?But you cannot hold a spell while casting another one.
I would run it like Walter suggested (failing any clarification from John, etc).
I think Kelly was was referring to the fact that the second caster could hold the restoration as a charge so as to not have to perfectly time his 3 round cast restoration to end within one round of the other caster's 1 minute cast raise dead.
Exactly, you still have to round up 2 priests, but you don't have to have them sync watches. One can hold the charge on restoration and ready for as soon as the raise dead completes.
I thought that the rule was when raising a character would kill him because the negative levels couldn't be sustained, you took permanent hits from Con instead.
Venture-Agent, Nebraska—Omaha
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I thought that the rule was when raising a character would kill him because the negative levels couldn't be sustained, you took permanent hits from Con instead.
The spell only mentions that for 1st level characters. The rules on negative levels talk about simultaneous restoration spells.
A creature whose permanent negative levels equal its Hit Dice cannot be brought back to life through spells like raise dead and resurrection without also receiving a restoration spell, cast the round after it is restored to life.
