Death's Door (spell)
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Death’s Door is a spell that restores the life of levelled creatures that have been killed, provided their hit points have not fallen beyond negative 20 after death. It is capable of reversing fatal wounds; The spell requires that the target's body remains relatively intact — it cannot restore those who have been completely destroyed, dismembered or reduced to ash. Those revived by Death's Door awaken weakened and vulnerable, often requiring immediate care to recover their full strength.
| Range | touch |
| Duration | permanent; see text |
| Area of Effect | 1 creature |
| Casting Time | 2 rounds |
| Saving Throw | none |
| Level | cleric (3rd) |
Contents
Once restored, recipients of Death's Door must make a system shock survival roll, but they are not required to make a resurrection roll. This reflects the immense strain placed on the body when being pulled back from the brink of death, but without the harsher consequences associated with full resurrection magic. Upon revival, the character's hit points are immediately set to zero, stabilising them but leaving them in a fragile state. They regain consciousness, aware of their surroundings, yet unable to move or act for a full five rounds. During this time, the character is prone, defenseless and highly vulnerable to further harm.
This period of immobility represents the body's slow return to function — muscles regaining strength, blood flow stabilising and the mind reorienting itself after briefly slipping away. If attacked or disturbed during this time, the character cannot defend themselves, making immediate protection from allies critical.
For example, Cristos has 8 h.p. when he is struck by a chimera, suffering 22 points of damage. This reduces his total hit points to -14, meaning he is dead but still within the threshold for Death's Door to restore him. Since his hit points have not fallen below -20, his body remains salvageableand the spell can pull him back from death.
The spell serves as an intermediate measure between conventional healing magic and true resurrection, allowing allies to be saved from an otherwise permanent fate. However, because it only works within a limited range of negative hit points, it imposes a harsh cutoff between those who can still be saved and those who are truly beyond reach.
Wounds, Injuries & Disease
If the recipient sustained any wounds prior to or from the killing blow, these wounds are closed, preventing further harm or worsening of the character's condition. The spell halts excessive bleeding, resets broken bones and stabilises the body to ensure survival. However, any injuries sustained as a direct consequence of death itself — such as shattered limbs from a fall, crushed ribs from a heavy impact or burns from immolation — remain and must be healed separately before additional hit points can be restored.
Death's Door does not function in cases where death was caused by systemic failure rather than physical trauma. If the death resulted from disease, system shock failure or any holistic effect that caused the body to simply shut down, the spell provides no assistance. The magic can pull a soul back into a body that was violently struck down, but it cannot undo the creeping deterioration of sickness or unnatural magical afflictions.
Additionally, the spell is bound by a strict time limit. The character must have died within one hour per caster level — beyond this threshold, their body becomes too far gone for Death's Door to take effect. If too much time has passed, stronger magics such as resurrection are required to return the deceased to life.
