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I have no idea why this crossed my mind.
Going with the idea that brains extracted by neh-thalggu are horribly, painfully alive and not dead. Adventurin' types lose a friend to one of these beasts, one that doesn't have a full set of brains and isn't as powerful as it could be. They keep the body intact with gentle repose, complete with the pop off top of the skull and empty brainpan left by the neh-thalggu.
They find the neh-thalggu, and either kill it and immediately get to work or manage to rip their friend's brain(possibly identified through psionics, possibly going off some other clue*, possibly just hoping they have the right one).
A possible quick game of hot potato follows, with the dying brain being placed back where it belongs and the skull closed over it. Possible heal check required for the person doing that. Immediately following that, someone casts breath of life.
Personally, I think I'd roll with it. Technically, if the spell's sucess is dependant upon the soul still lingering right there, it's still tied into the still-living brain.
Wondering how what others' takes on this admittedly fringe situation would be. Would it work? Would it have some other requirements?
*The idea of victims' silently screaming faces forming underneath the skin of those brain-sacs on the neh-thalggu was bounced around elsewhere recently. Really like that idea. Makes the neh-thalggu more terrifying and motivates PCs to put them down that much more.
Yeah I'd let that slide.
Kinda cool actually, an "out of body" experience.
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I would ask for a regeneration or at least a restoration spell to reconnect the spinal cord nerves to the brain stem.
Probably I would impose some very heavy ability drain (i.e. permanent loss) to all the physical characteristics, a drain that could be changed to a ability damage through the above mentioned regeneration spell or cured through the use of restoration spells.
Depending on the length of time for which the character has been imprisoned in brain form I would impose different levels of damage/drains to the mental characteristics and some form of insanity, with Will ST moderating them.
At a minimum the character would suffer from psychological problems when presented with crab like or lamprey like creatures.
Mikaze, why you hate my poor players?
I should refrain from using this.
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The way the special attack of the Nel-Thalggu is described, the victim is either dead or dies from the Coup de Grace.
I would allow the use of Breath of Life on the brainless corpse in the exact same way as for any other cause of death. If the victim ends up alive, that means that the spell regenerated the brain. Of course, the original brain will still be in the Nel-Thaggu though. Not that it matters as RAW there is no way to recover it from the monster.
And the soul is still in the original body, of course.
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At a minimum the character would suffer from psychological problems when presented with crab like or lamprey like creatures.Mikaze, why you hate my poor players?
I should refrain from using this.
Actually, considering some good to go with that bad(along with some worse)!
Possibilities:
Recovered victims get Aklo as a free language.
Victims experienced two-way traffic with memories and thoughts while in the neh-thalggu's brain sacs. Bits and pieces of memories and information come and go, both those from the neh-thalggu itself and possibly the other victims that shared that horrific experience. They'll possibly remember what it felt like when the players attacked the neh-thalggu, the sensations of which probably flowed right through the brain network that gives it its power.
I'd probably run with the mental ability damage as well, though with an upper limit on the severity, considering the daunting task the players went through to recover them!
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Breath of Life requires that the body be pretty much intact more so than a Raise Dead. What you're describing is essentially a decapitation. Breath of Life wouldn't be sufficient to the day to fix such a calamity.
I am not sure on what you base your requirement for a mostly intact body. The way I read it, the RAW only cares about time elapsed (the 6 seconds = 1 round you mentioned) and hit point total after Breath of life.
Our DM refused Breath of Life to resurrect a nobody NPC who had fallen to death while ascending to Kaer Maga and thus had quite literaly exploded on impact, but I view it more as a result of the incredibly huge falling damage.
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Breath of Life requires that the body be pretty much intact more so than a Raise Dead. What you're describing is essentially a decapitation. Breath of Life wouldn't be sufficient to the day to fix such a calamity.I am not sure on what you base your requirement for a mostly intact body. The way I read it, the RAW only cares about time elapsed (the 6 seconds = 1 round you mentioned) and hit point total after Breath of life.
It's that exact reading that's at the core of this question really. Well-preserved body's been dead for a while, but the brain the soul is still tied to just died. Hence the unusual situation.
As for timing:
Putting the neh-thalggu into negatives can leave it still alive, but disabled and dying. Depending on how one describes the neh-thalggu, removing a brain might be as simple as someone punching through the brain sac and pulling it out or having someone cut it open and another character waiting to retrieve the brain as soon as it's exposed. At that point, the brain is actually killed, leaving a round of time to get breath of life in. Held-action character has the brain placed in their hands, and then runs over to the body, places it in and closes the "lid". Healer-type waiting over the body offers whatever additional move action may be needed, then breath of life.
Basically, these theoretical adventurers have this planned out, and have had plenty of time to think about what they need to do and when while hunting the neh-thalggu that has their friend.
I'd allow it. It strikes me as the same kind of loophole as the one that shows up in the climax of Ghost Trick, which is awesome.
"Hey, George, we're done now, you can take the brain out. Make sure you get the right one, btw. It's the one with the sort-of Pete-looking screaming face beneath it. Annie, stand by to smush the brain down into the skull and for God's sake don't miss the catch when George tosses it to you. Yes, I know, there will be bits sticking out, but that can't be helped. Put it in and slam the skull roof down on it. Nelly, ready action to cast breath of life. Okay, everyone?... GO!"
I love plans like this. =)
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I would have an issue (and I'm a player not a dm) with using breath of life or any similar spell on a brainless body, if having quieting needles shoved in you can prevent you from staying alive for very long after you've been raised, I imagine not having a brain wouldn't work so well either.
However, this scenario hinges on getting the brain back in the body.
I would totally allow it... THAT SAID...
I would probably have them make some sort of roll, maybe a d10:
1- Catastrophic failure ... this could be all sorts of things, from the brain falling out, to a baby Neh-thalggu spawn inside the brain or whatever. Basically really really bad news.
2- Wrong brain ... There is suddenly a new character with the same body/physical stats but completely different mind/mental stats.
Have to find another way to bring your friend back.. (maybe make a Clone body?)
3- Brain went in backwards ... the player will have strange feelings of being disoriented, always feeling like someone is behind them, maybe an alignment shift? (hehehe)
4- Emotionally scarring ... the character gains a random insanity
5- Mentally damaging ... the aforementioned ability damage and/or negative levels
6-10- Success! Congratulations you get to live the rest of your life knowing that THIS happened. :D
Of course you could change around the odds if you want a higher chance of success etc (maybe use a d% and only fail on a 1 or something)
Very neat idea though, thanks for sharing!
Yeah I do like the random insanity mechanism.
Long term ability drain/damage is the same as dying in this context. Crappy ending, kinda anticlimactic after this unorthodox plan got executed.