Resurrection Mechanic Idea

[Tolvir]

So looking at some of the items in previous Fire Emblem games that allowed for the revival of 1 unit, Casual mode bringing units back, and some various other things related to this, I thought it might be cool to have some kind of Resurrection mechanic. Something that would allow for the resurrection of a character lost in battle, but at a high cost. In D&D Resurrection has not just a high cost of 10,000 gold, but also removes 2 levels, and requires a powerful enough cleric to do so.

I can see this working in Fire Emblem. A system that would allow for the resurrection of a unit later in the game. Have it require a large sum of gold, a high level staff user, and would remove 1-5 levels depending on the level they died at. I can even see some time added to this, like it requiring 1-2 battles for it to complete. It would allow for people to bring back a character that died, but at a high cost, especially in late game.

So what are the thoughts on this? Does this not fit, or is it something you could see working?

[MCProductions]

Doesn't the Bifrost staff in Fates operate somewhat similar to this

It would be a good idea, but the existence of Casual mode renders it somewhat pointless imo.

[NinjaMonkey]

I can see this working in Fire Emblem. A system that would allow for the resurrection of a unit later in the game. Have it require a large sum of gold, a high level staff user, and would remove 1-5 levels depending on the level they died at.

Which would make it more likely for them to die in the next chapter (since presumably they'd lose stats along with those levels). Besides, Casual/Phoenix Mode (or just resetting the game) makes this unneeded in the first place.

Edited February 7, 2016 by NinjaMonkey

[Tolvir]

Doesn't the Bifrost staff in Fates operate somewhat similar to this

It would be a good idea, but the existence of Casual mode renders it somewhat pointless imo.

Not exactly it would be limited because it would be difficult to do it for more than 1 or 2. Casual mode brings back all units after the fight so in a way there isn't that difficulty of making the wrong move, but with this there still is that difficulty because of how costly it would be to bring that unit back if you wanted to, and the fact that if too many die you can't bring all of them back from the dead.

[Rapier]

I don't think resurrecting characters is that bad of a mechanic. I think it could work like the Blaggi Staff from FE4, costing a lot of money in the proccess but resurrecting a character with the exact level and stats it once had.

[Jotari]

I think the best thing to have would be a retreat skill. I envision it as a PoR/RD Skill with a high capacity cost that makes the character retreat if they're killed in battle. Then, three chapters later they will be available again. This would be balanced because missing out on three chapters worth of exp can be pretty damning (especially if you're giving the skill to a weaker unit precisely so they can survive) and the fact that access to the skill would be finite so you basically have to choose which unit you want safe. It wouldn't be equipable by the lord but certain other plot important characters can become playable with the skill locked to them until they no longer become relevant. Best of all since they're retreating with an injury instead of dying it wouldn't break the importance of death as a concept like literally resurrecting a character from the dead.

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

to be fair its not like 1/3rd or half of the cast in the most recent games can actually "die" and are only "wounded".

[NekoKnight]

I can't see myself using such a feature unless it was an Ironman mode (you have a few chances to undo screw ups or random crits and the cost of valuable money). In classic, I'm just going to reset if a character dies. It's part of the challenge. I wouldn't reduce their levels or stats though. They're already missing out on exp by not being around up until you resurrect them let alone reducing them even further.

to be fair its not like 1/3rd or half of the cast in the most recent games can actually "die" and are only "wounded".

The feature could be presented as a hospital that heals their crippling wounds.

[henrymidfields]

Could there be certain chapters (most likely earlier chapters in the story) that any gameplay "deaths" results in retreating for a chapter or two? I was thinking about Chapter 3 in Awakening. The former features Raimi apologising to Chrom for mistaking Chrom's army as Plegians, and Chrom easily forgives Raimi despite potentially having units killed. Having units crippled until say Chapter 5-6 would still be a costly penalty than Casual Mode, but would make better story sense than Raimi potentially committing a Karma Houdini.

Edited February 11, 2016 by henrymidfields

[Jedi]

I can see this working in Fire Emblem. A system that would allow for the resurrection of a unit later in the game. Have it require a large sum of gold, a high level staff user, and would remove 1-5 levels depending on the level they died at. I can even see some time added to this, like it requiring 1-2 battles for it to complete. It would allow for people to bring back a character that died, but at a high cost, especially in late game.

This bolded part is basically how the Valkyrie stave in FE4 worked, but the rest of your suggestion would make it a chore and not worth it, in my humble opinion.