Can Khalid be resurrected?

[Bohemund]

At the beginning of BG2 the party finds Khalid's corpse, but Jaheira refuses to try to resurrect him. It would seem that Jaheira's decision is strongly motivated by her balance maintaining values. Would a cleric or paladin (not sure if they can revive people, haven't tried one yet) with different values succeed at reviving Khalid?

[CamDawg]

At the beginning of BG2 the party finds Khalid's corpse, but Jaheira refuses to try to resurrect him. It would seem that Jaheira's decision is strongly motivated by her balance maintaining values. Would a cleric or paladin (not sure if they can revive people, haven't tried one yet) with different values succeed at reviving Khalid?

If you're asking if you can do it in-game, then no.

 

If you're asking if someone can do it via mod, yes, though to make it anything worth playing you would have to write scads new dialogue for Khalid and Jaheira. I know Bons and Stoplight Red (IIRC) had kicked arouns the idea of a BG2 KHalid mod, but I'm not sure if it ever got past the "it'd be cool if..." stage.

[Bohemund]

What do you think the roleplay answer would be? Would it be feasible from a DnD perspective to resurrect a guy who has been dead for a few days and who is kinda badly cut? Or is Jaheira making excuses to stick to her principles and not even try rezzing him?

[Bri]

Heh, this has been gone over several times in different places.

 

Or is Jaheira making excuses to stick to her principles and not even try rezzing him?

 

As a follower of Silvanus, Jaheira wouldn't necessarily be against leaving someone dead (the cycle of life and all that). However, Followers of Silvanus aren't against raising the dead either since the magic does exist to allow such a feat.

 

As for whether it is possible, it depends on what spells you are using, and what the conditions for Khalid is (and the same would hold true for Branwen...and yes, I would be more of a Branwen fan than Khalid for resurrection). From a pen and paper standpoint, there is no reason they couldn't be given life again.

 

(Note all spells are from 2nd Edition, and for the most part, the basis of BG I and II).

 

Now, the basic Raise Dead spell (Priest Level 5) can be a problem. A priest can only raise someone who has been dead one day per experience level of the priest. This means a 9th level priest could raise someone who has been dead for 9 days. Likewise, the body must be relatively whole when raised. If someone had their heart cut out, you better find that heart and put it back in, otherwise they will come back...only to die of having a hole in their chest. Additionally, poison and disease are not negated. Finally, the character would have to survive a system shock roll to live. Additionally, if the PC wouldn't be able to raise the dead normally, he would have to take Khalid's and Branwen's body along with him.

 

A player would be better off with Resurrection (Priest Level 7). The dead person can be dead up to 10 years per level of the priest. So, a 19th level priest could resurrect someone up to 190 years dead. If all that is left is bones, a priest can resurrect them as well...so Branwen and Khalid could easily be brought back to life with this spell. If few remains are available, the DM could decide that a creature can still be resurrected, but at a reduced chance.

 

There are other alternatives as well. For example, there is the spell Reincarnate (Druid Level 7), and one spell Jaheira couldn't argue as being unnatural. Simply put, the druid can bring back a dead person in another body as long as they haven't been dead more than a week. There is a chance the person may reincarnate as an animal, but they can just as easily come back as another race that is playable. In a game, you may wish to designate this as just succeeding or not. What this also means is that the reincarnated person retains a portion of their strength, and all their memories.

 

Reincarnation (Wizard Level 6) works much as the above Reincarnate spell, but it is more likely to produce a human/demi-human incarnation.

 

Finally, we come to the spells of Limited Wish (Wizard Level 7). I don't really like BioWare having included them since one is limited on the responses, but in pen and paper Limited Wish can alter reality in some limited manner. In general, it can be used to mimic a spell of 7th level or less (such as Raise Dead/Ressurection)...so you could wish Khalid/Branwen back alive. If you are lacking the body? Then wish for the body to appear, and then bring it back alive.

 

Wish (Wizard Level 9) is the ultimate wizard spell...and there is no reason from a role-playing standpoint at all that you couldn't raise Khalid/Branwen. Heck, the pen and paper description explicitly states "if it is used to alter reality to bring a dead creature to life...it will not cause the wizard any disability."

 

Something that may also work is the spell Clone (Wizard Level 8). Basically, with the flesh of a person on hand, you create a clone of the person at the time the flesh was taken. Now, if the clone and the original are alive, they have an intense hatred of each other, but if one is dead... I know someone will say, "Doesn't the donor have to be alive?" However, that isn't in the actual description, but rather a suggestion to a DM that he may stipulate other conditions for a clone to appear.

 

Of the above, the only one Jaheira would have a claim to stand on would be the Clone spell. After all, it would just be a copy of the original.

[Bohemund]

Nice, thanks for the enlightening reply. With a level 8-9 party they don't have access to the better spells on your list.

 

Raise Dead might work if the pieces Irenicus cut off were still nearby, which is possible since Irenicus did not dispose of the main body, so it's doubtful he disposed of the rest.

 

We don't know the exact number of days Khalid has been dead though, but still I think Jaheira should have at least tried to her husband. They did everything together, when Jaheira upheld the balance Khalid was there to help her. My PC wouldn't have any remorse arguing with her then.

[Bri]

No, they don't have access to the spells right off the bat, but you could also make a "body" of the fallen to take with you, and wait for the time when you do get an opportunity to have them raised.

 

Heck, that is a common enough 'tradition' for Pen-and-Paper games. Someone dies, you put them on a cart. Unless the whole party is massacred, as long as at least one person lives, they can get the party resurrected (once they locate a priest of a high enough level, or they can cast it themselves). Sometimes its a shame priests don't give discounts on multiple resurrections...

 

And it isn't like you don't haul bodies around in the game (Aegisfield's comes to mind, your love interest after the Bodhi interaction, etc.)

 

So, if you did do this, you would have to do some changing of the beginning, but I still can see it working.

[Bohemund]

And it isn't like you don't haul bodies around in the game (Aegisfield's comes to mind, your love interest after the Bodhi interaction, etc.)

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Oh right, yeah that would work perfectly. Minsc's massive frame can certainly carry Khalid out of there. I can always blame Jaheira for not reminding my PC of that possibility

[berelinde]

As much as it's a cop out, I'd have to say it's impossible to resurrect Khalid.

 

Certainly not not impossible from a PnP standpoint. Heck, I can't imagine any party I've ever played with leaving even chunked characters behind. You can always find a sufficiently high level priest somewhere. The logical side of me cringes at the thought of the smell.....

 

Not impossible from an ethical standpoint, either. Jaheira mustn't have too much trouble with the concept if she's the only Druid in the game with the spell Harper's Call.

 

Nor is it technically impossible to accomplish in a mod. But you'd have to replace Jaheira's entire character.

 

It isn't like Ajantis in the Windspear Hills. He doesn't have a current in-game presence, so raising him wouldn't be a nightmare:

 

Anomen: "I know this man, etc....(waily, waily, waily)"

Gerran Windspear: "What has happened here, etc...."

 

Go off, crash at Gerran's, rescue his kid (play it with a female paladin sometime)

 

Anomen, on the way out of Firkraag's dungeon: "You know, maybe we should collect Ajantis' remains and have him ressurrected."

 

etc.

 

Doable.

 

Jaheira: different story.

 

Its more a question of rewriting a complex character like Jaheira. The ripples would go on for miles. I can't even get my head around it, and that's saying something.

 

Of course, if it meant keeping Jaheira's mind off <CHARNAME>'s studliness....

[Bri]

Its more a question of rewriting a complex character like Jaheira. The ripples would go on for miles. I can't even get my head around it, and that's saying something.

 

Of course, if it meant keeping Jaheira's mind off <CHARNAME>'s studliness....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

*nods* It would require a whole new romance track which would cut in whenever Khalid is resurrected. Although, it then does bring the fun aspect around of whether Jaheira would still stay with Khalid or the Bhaalspawn. After all, if she took an oath 'until death do us part' then technically she is done with Khalid...

 

And, no, this wouldn't stop other NPCs from being resurrected as well...such as Ajantis.

[Guest Bons]

I know Bons and Stoplight Red (IIRC) had kicked arouns the idea of a BG2 KHalid mod, but I'm not sure if it ever got past the "it'd be cool if..." stage.

 

Yes, that never got past the longing stage. We wanted a Khalid Romance, though, so the dream was to alter the opening cutscene so the PC's choice in one of Irenicus's "tests" resulted in either Jaheira or Khalid's death.

[Neferit]

Yes, that never got past the longing stage. We wanted a Khalid Romance, though, so the dream was to alter the opening cutscene so the PC's choice in one of Irenicus's "tests" resulted in either Jaheira or Khalid's death.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

It's a pity ... in truth, in BG1 I've liked Khalid mooore than Jaheira