Quoth the Goblin, "Nevermore":
Death in DDO

By Ralsu



Any time a company announces a new massively-multiplayer online game
(MMOG), people want to know a few things. style="font-style: italic;">What races and classes can I play? How
does combat work? What is the level cap? style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;">How is death
treated? When Turbine started releasing the first
tidbits about Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach (DDO), they
promised to try to remain as faithful as possible to the pen-and-paper
(PnP) classic.

That immediately reminded me of an intense PnP session
where my character (a pompous bard named Ralsu) spent the better part
of a battle incapacitated--bleeding to death--with me hoping Ralsu's
companions would survive the battle in enough time to stop his
bleeding and save his life.



PnP veterans and gamers who are exploring the Dungeons & Dragons
(D&D)
system for the first time with DDO know exactly what I am talking
about, but the death system in DDO is still a little unusual. Turbine
knew they couldn't directly paste the PnP death system into DDO. They
had to alter several of aspects of life in death in Eberron to keep the
game fair (but challenging) and fun for players. Let's take a look at
the component parts and talk about what it means and what it is like to
die in DDO.



Hit Points (HP)

Anybody who's ever played an MMOG will know what HP means. In case
you're completely new to the concept, I will quote our own Shayalyn's
definition of HP from her target="_blank"
href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=59">DDO
Terminology Reference Guide: "[HP] is a measure of
your character's overall health. Any damage you take decreases your
total hit points." Okay, so HP is the numerical value given to the
vitality of a character. What you're concerned about as a gamer is how
to get HP, how to restore them when lost, and what happens when you
lose them all.



HP in DDO is a function of a handful of variables: class, race,
Constitution, Feats, and items.



Class

Some classes develop in a way that lends to higher durability. target="_blank"
href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=24">Barbarians
emerge from the rugged wilderness, surviving unforgiving weather and
vicious predators. Thus, barbarians develop HP at a faster rate than
any other class just by the nature of who they are. By contrast, target="_blank"
href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=30">rogues
tend to do a lot of sneaking around to avoid combat--or to at least
engage only when odds are stacked heavily in their favor. As a result,
rogues just aren't that hardy. They gain HP at half the rate of
barbarians.



Race

href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/Site-Graphics/elf_male_closeup.jpg"> alt="Elf male"
src="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/Site-Graphics/elf_male_closeup.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 150px; height: 158px;" align="left">Particular
races also display an innate durability (or lack thereof).
Dwarves are hardier than humans, and elves are punier than either. That
said, any one elf could be as healthy and have as many HP as the most
durable dwarf of the same class. The difference lies in the character's
Constitution score.



Constitution

Constitution's role in the development of HP is simple: some
individuals
are naturally tougher than others. Constitution reflects that. A rogue
with Constitution 20 will have many more HP than a rogue with
Constitution 8. If you want more HP, try to raise your Constitution
score.



Feats

In case you didn't know, surviving from Level 1 to Level 2 in
PnP can be hard. If you're a rogue with only 6 HP, one lucky swing from
a bandit's sword can put your life in serious jeopardy. Turbine was
aware of this and made a decision I believe was to prevent frustration
among D&D newbies; they invented a new Feat. Without going into
what a Feat is (again, see the Terminology Guide), just know that DDO
starts every character--regardless of class and race--with a Feat
called Heroic Durability. Heroic Durability provides 20 HP extra to
your character and ensures that it won't be just one fortunate spell
that takes out your hero. Another Feat players can chose to add to HP
is Toughness, which bestows 3 HP for Level 1 and 1 HP each for Levels
2-10 (a total of 12 HP that can be earned even if this Feat is chosen
after Level 1).



Items

The last variable in the HP formula is equipment. Some items are
endowed with magic that boosts life at creation. Players who
pre-ordered DDO and were in a guild with at least 20 people at the end
of the Head Start Event received a the Founder's Helmet, an item imbued
with Lesser False Life (+5 HP). Be aware that enchantment bonuses
typically do not stack in DDO. One item with Lesser False Life is all
you can receive benefit from at one time.



Restoring HP

DDO throws a lot of perils your way. Monsters and traps in
dungeons will drain your HP quickly. You're not even safe in the town
of Stormreach, as Chelsea Potter will push you off of the stairs
leading down to the Leaky Dinghy every chance she gets (well, at least
she does that to me). Another major danger is drowning. With all these
ways to take away HP, you need to know how to restore them.



Unlike almost all other MMOGs, DDO does not allow you to regenerate HP
just anywhere. This is consistent with the PnP system where you
regained HP slowly only with rest. But, hey, this style="font-style: italic;">is an MMOG, so Turbine wanted to
make the system a tiny bit more forgiving. Rest shrines scattered
throughout dungeons provide a safe place for adventurers to rest and
can be used once each per dungeon. Aside from rest shrines, bards,
clerics, and paladins can use healing magic to mend wounds. Cure
potions are available from vendors (at exorbitant prices) and can be
used at any time. Once out of the dungeon, players can head to a tavern
to slowly regain HP. A player in a hurry can purchase food from the
barkeep the speed up the process.



Dying

Another way in which DDO differs from almost all other MMOGs is
that damage that brings a character to 0 HP does not kill him. Again,
this is consistent with PnP. Reaching 0 HP merely means your character
is incapacitated. Since style="font-style: italic;">subdual damage (think of getting
socked in the jaw with a fist) is not a part of DDO, that means all the
damage you take will be of a kind that continues after you are
incapacitated. href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/Exclusive_Screenshots/Chelsea_Potter.jpg"> alt="Chelsea Potter"
src="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/Exclusive_Screenshots/Chelsea_Potter.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 220px; height: 165px;" align="right">A
wound from a dagger will still bleed after you fall
down. Your skin will continue to melt from a fireball after you
collapse. If Chelsea Potter pushes you off of those stairs again (damn
her!), your broken leg will not get any better as you lie on the dock
in a crumpled heap.



To reflect this continuation of your wounds, DDO (like PnP) takes
characters into negative HP numbers. Your lose 1 HP every round (about
6-7 seconds) unless you succeed in a stabilization check (Constitution
is your modifier here), someone uses the Heal skill successfully to
stabilize your wounds, or someone uses a cure spell on you. Any number
under 1 HP still has you incapacitated, so succeeding in that
stabilization roll does not mean you can get up and fight. Enemies
nearby may continue to attack your prone body to finish their work. If
at any time you reach -10 HP...well then you're style="font-style: italic;">dead.



Death

Once you are truly dead, you have three options: have a
companion carry your soulstone to a resurrection shrine, receive a
resurrection spell from someone in the party, or release your spirit
and end up back in the place where your spirit is bound. All forms of
death give you some amount of experience (XP) debt.



Resurrection Shrines

Each rest shrine in a dungeon is paired with a resurrection shrine. It
is here that your party must carry your soulstone once you are dead. A
player whose character is dead sees the world from the perspective of
her spirit. Everything is blurry and disorienting. She cannot interact
with the physical realm. She can move away from her soulstone, but when
she moves too far out of its range she will notice a timer (7 seconds)
appear in the top-right corner of the screen. If her wandering soul
does not return to the vicinity of the soulstone before the timer
expires, she will be teleported to it. This is a necessary game
mechanic because it prevents dead characters from exploring the dungeon
ahead and divulging its secrets to the rest of the party.
Unfortunately, I have not seen much of an explanation for this system
through in-game lore.



When you use the shrine, you will be restored to 1HP. Any spell points
you had when you died will be missing. You will likely need to use the
rest shrine--provided that you have not already used it. All of your
gear and money will be there with you regardless of where your corpse
was.



Going to a shrine reduces your XP debt compared to releasing your
spirit.



Resurrection Spells

Level 9 clerics can learn the spell Raise Dead. This spell
provides the same effect as a resurrection shrine. The XP debt is less
than releasing your spirit.



Releasing Spirit

href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/Exclusive_Screenshots/spirit_form.jpg"> alt="spirit form"
src="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/Exclusive_Screenshots/spirit_form.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 220px; height: 165px;" align="left">When
you release your spirit, you are returned to the last place
it was bound. Brothers of the Silver Flame found in taverns can bind
your spirit to that location. Again, I feel the in-game explanation for
this system is lacking, so I just go with the same line Sony fed me
with EverQuest: my hero is chosen by the gods and will not be allowed
to reach the spirit plane until he has served his purpose in Eberron.



Your character shows up in the tavern with 1 HP when you release her
spirit. She will have the same amount of spell points she had when she
died. I view this as a conscious decision from Turbine to get you back
into the action sooner. She will also have all of her gear and money.
DDO does not force "corpse runs."



The XP debt from releasing your spirit is highest, but I have not yet
heard anyone complain that XP debt is a real hindrance. It is
impossible to lose a level because of XP debt (unlike PnP). Again, I
see this as a deliberate move by Turbine to maintain the fun of the
game. While D&D veterans may be accustomed to the possibility of
losing a level with death, MMOG players do not usually find that
prospect pleasant. Had DDO remained true to the PnP system of debt, it
would have been handicapped in a recently glutted market of MMOGs. href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/Exclusive_Screenshots/two_spirits.jpg"> alt="spirits walking"
src="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/Exclusive_Screenshots/two_spirits.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 150px; height: 113px;" align="right">



Final Thoughts

Death is handled well from the perspective of game mechanics in
DDO. Dangers are so abundant to make death feel as if it is always just
around the corner. The 0 to -9 HP that leave you incapacitated allow
for some heroic comebacks with the aid of your party. XP debt assures
that death has at least some penalty besides inconvenience so that
players will try to avoid it. The ability to release your spirit means
you'll never be miss out on completing a quest just because no one has
Raise Dead and the dungeon has no shrine. It also enables people who
try to solo a quest to recover from a quick mistake rather than
creating a new character. If anything is lacking from the death system
in DDO I feel it is the lore.