Dead and Gone: Funeral Rites for PCs

I attended a funeral this past week, and reflecting on it has me thinking of two things:

1. What will become of my gaming stuff, comic books, and books.  

2. What goes on when a PC dies and is survived by at least fellow party members, or even family and/or organizations that have a vested interest in the dead PC's belongings.

The title, art, and even quote seem fitting for the topic.

Number one is a hard reality.  My kids will divvy up what they want and sell or give away (hopefully not throw out entirely) the rest.  I'll draft a pseudo-will (as in not legally binding, but free!) about which friends get dibs on what nerd stuff, because I accept that my kids aren't much for my types of games, let alone reading my books for fun.    

Number two, though, can be a point of contention for people.  In my years of gaming experience, PCs loot the body and either carry it back to prevent it returning as a Revenant for a proper burial or resurrection, or the party members leave the remains behind (presuming such remains exist - some D&D deaths are more permanent and thorough than others).

I've encountered some groups that have PCs draw up wills, while others have a gentleman's agreement to return bodies and belongings home.  Escorting such a cargo could make for an interesting adventure, especially in the case of a PC run by a player who can no longer participate in the campaign, for whatever reason.  

Some campaign worlds even feature bureaucracies that exist to profit on the transient nature of adventuring companies, to include licenses, fees, insurance, death certificates, and last wills and testaments. Note that all of these items make for some fine props if your group is into that.  Truth be told, you can likely find such props online.  

Look at that: the Mystara Player's Survival Kit (2e) contains all the above.  

That said, looting the body and leaving it behind (in a shallow unmarked grave, burnt on a pyre made up of whatever killed the PC, or simply in a puddle of gore) is a popular option and is the most common I have encountered through the years.  Truth be told, in some games, this is the only option if the rest of the PCs want to survive.  Because in some games, losing even one PC starts a death spiral potentially ending in a TPK.  If the cleric is the first to go, then the death spiral is even more likely.

In the megadungeons near Skara Brae, leaving behind a fallen comrade is likely to result in undead or a haunting of some sort.  Recovering remains or treasured family heirlooms are an excellent limited objective for adventurers exploring the depths.  Whether or not the remains are former PCs or merely plot devices to encourage PCs to explore certain areas doesn't matter that much, as long as they are recovered.

Once back to Skara Brae (or what passes for civilization in your world), there are several options based partially on the PC's faith and mostly on the player's creativity.  The people of Skara Brae are fairly open-minded about such things, and there is a vast array of temples and shrines within the city to cater to most needs.  A bit of gold may result in more needs being met.  

Some options include:

Standard burial in a pine-box.  Headstone and box cost extra.  The local cemetery has some room left.

Fancy burial in a mausoleum or crypt or tomb.  These are typically pre-paid or family affairs.  Unless the PCs want to get involved in constructing one.  Some of the Dwarves that live in Skara Brae will gladly do so for the right price.

A longship set aflame in class Viking fashion.  Preferably filled with treasures and trophies of enemies slain.  The Harbormaster of Skara Brae insists (at sword-point, if needed) that these events be in the deep water outside the harbor, and will gladly offer tugboat services (for a fee, of course) to get longships there.  Unscrupulous PCs may begin diving at that location seeking grave-goods.  What could possibly go wrong?

A proper pyre.  Beowulf or Darth Vader style.  Also done outside city limits.

Found via Google.  I don't know who drew it, but I do know it was not me. 

Burial at sea - wrap the body in chains and sailcloth and pitch it over the side.

Air funerals.  Body left on a raised platform until reduced to bone by birds.  

Erect a barrow mound (you'll need to find and clear a space for this in the wilds outside the city walls; you'll also need to provide your own barrow wights).

Sometimes, bodies cannot be recovered, but people need closure.  In these cases, a Cenotaph may be erected.  If you as a DM are into lifting ideas from books (and most DMs are), the Cenotaph Road might exist in your game.  Cenotaph Road is a six volume series of books by Robert E Vardeman.  They are premised that on certain nights, when the stars are right, cenotaphs of heroes become gates to other cenotaphs on other planes.  Or at least the first book was.  I never found paperbacks of the other five.

All of these events are excellent opportunities for some honest, solid, roleplaying amongst the surviving PCs:  eulogies, speeches, oaths, and vows are possible.  Furthermore, just ensuring these burial rites are achieved can be an adventure in and of itself.  

Depending on the circumstances of the PC and their death, a parade or public spectacle may in the cards.  Especially if the PC was a hero of the realm and well-loved or respected by the locals.  

So, DMs and players alike, let your PCs die.  

After all, death is but the next great adventure.