Revivify: Back on Your Feet, Soldier
Usable By: Artificer, Cleric, Paladin
Spell Level: 3
School: Necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Components: V, S, M (diamonds worth 300 gp, which the spell consumes)
You touch a creature that has died within the last minute. That creature returns to life with 1 hit point. This spell can’t return to life a creature that has died of old age, nor can it restore any missing body parts.
Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold
Resurrection magic has always been a somewhat contentious element of RPGs. Player character death is something players have a complicated relationship with; meaningful character death can be deeply rewarding to some. Others want a character to live through all twenty levels. Revivfy enters into the equation to me as an amazing tool to mitigate random, unlucky deaths caused by the high variance of a d20 system, and that is a commendable role to fill.
When used as a plug for random crit kills when the party just couldn’t get to the fighter in time, Revivify is an exceptional tool. Dying to a kobold that just happened to roll max damage three times in a row, critting twice, just isn’t going to feel good. Post 5th level, a cleric with a pair of diamonds can mitigate this problem entirely.
Additionally, Revivify is a release valve DMs can use to show players who want to mess around that there are major consequences. Instant death traps can feel “fair” when the DM knows the players have a couple of diamonds in their back pocket and can push players to be more cautious when they otherwise feel invincible.
Other tables that may have dumped a bit too much gold on the players and have resulted in the cleric just hoarding fifteen to twenty Revivify rocks can run into players feeling like death is something that is entirely solved. If that’s the case, I’d recommend showcasing a dangerous threat that swallows its victims or dismembers them; then, if caution is thrown to the wind and players end up dying in the fight, Revivify can’t solve death anymore, as the barbarian is in multiple pieces strewn across the room.
I like Revivify’s design a lot. It has a lot of countermeasures DMs can take to make more permanent death still an option while giving players a tool to counteract unlucky or unfair death that likely wasn’t intended to actually kill anyone. If you’re a cleric, I’d recommend grabbing a handful of diamonds, preparing this past 5th level, and leaving up a spare 3rd level slot when able just in case the dice decide to kill your bard.
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