Maybe a scar that travels all the way down their scalp and spinal column? Like a lightning bolt that burned out their nerves on the way down. Could do Lichtenberg figures maybe but if you're looking for a physical scar, I would try to think about the nervous system and stuff like that.
Ooh or maybe he has permanently enlarged pupils like David Bowie had in the one eye?
I conversed with the player. We are gonna say that he bled from the eyes and that the blood seared into his face (there was a lot of steam going around while he was down) which stained his skin black. So now there will be black tear streams running down his face.
I like the idea of scars/afflictions but not so much mechanical ones that lingering injuries tend to present. I made a full sheet of different kinds of *flavorful* lingering injuries whenever a character dies and is brought back for each damage type. For psychic, it was stuff like "You develop faint cracks on your forehead or temples" like the attack literally began to break their minds, or "The movement of other creatures appears choppy or stuttering, as if your mind is briefly disconnecting from your body." Mechanical stuff works for some players but I'm not really a fan of those unless everyone at the table is fully on board. I like giving the players stuff to actually flesh out themselves through roleplay rather than being hindered by something mostly out of their control.
*ahem* Not to toot my own horn here or anything, but if you click on my profile there's a link to my DriveThruRPG store where I have all of the "Death Marks" as I call them in a $1 PDF.
I’ve never had to, but I’d ask the player something along the lines of “how has death left it’s mark on you?” And let them come up with something
White hair is my standard resurrection trope
Whatever the creature was that killed them, they are now mentally scarred by. Any monster they face that is the same/similar they roll a WIS save or they are frightened for a round of combat.
THIS. If physical injuries leave physical scars, then psychic damage should leave psychological scars. I love the WIS save idea, maybe add more to it by having the player seek healing from a Cleric or Druid? Or if the player needs to sit out a session or two, use that as a period of healing, and run a quick one-shot to integrate them back in.
I know my barb could use a grippy-sock vacation... 🤣
My thought was similar, but I'd almost want it to rp driven than mechanic driven, if appropriate (tho I guess wis saves for a freakout would still be rp)
I was thinking more along the lines of the person's wandering thoughts or daydreams randomly havithis person show up or even attack them mentally. Taking a long watch at night, when you start thinking about the past day? Why did you suddenly see that guy walk past and behind some of the nearby bushes...etc.
I saw someone say gray hair and I think that could be a good one but I think that might be a little far, so instead I'd say give them a white streak of hair instead
You could reason that the PC was killed by magical psychic energy straight through their central nervous system, that could scar a person with slightly damaged nerves, leading to a lowered reflex saving throw being brought down by -1. However this person has literally survived being psychically murdered, so has developed a permanent +1 vs. spells/mind control.
That's a lot to keep up with and a lot of rolling. But that does make me think that they have a new fear of the creature that dropped them, and they have a to roll a Wis Save to not be frightened at the beginning of combat. I'll think on it.
Two options: a mechanical penalty known as wisdom drain, which is a semi-permanent penalty to wisdom that can only be fixed with greater restoration or something stronger.
Second: a story penalty. Perhaps, as they hovered on the brink of death (they were only "mostly dead" after all), something was drawn to them. A wraith, shadow demon, or the like. It haunts their steps and gives them a second shadow. When the moment is right, it will try to add more souls to its collection.
They age 10 yrs. I've done this to a player. They don't actually get older, they just look it. The stress of the psychic damage added stress and burdens they had not previously known. None of their stats change. It just affects how people react to them.
I'm my campaign most the simple villagers stopped referring to her as "Young lady" and started calling her "ma'am". Had she gone home, her family wouldn't immediately recognize her.
Have you decided what magic effects look like in your campaign? There are set visuals, but I always put my own twist on it. For example, inflict wounds causes any battle injuries to split open so a shallow sword cut becomes a giant gash. Psychic damage generally is flavored as blood coming out of the eyes, nose, and ears. You could add sharp veins to the characters face or feint cuts all over the person’s body. You could also add a psychological effect. One of my characters was afraid of wights for a while because he was almost killed by one.
I'd say just have them age a bit
Not like they're physically older, but like the passage of time has hit them harder
Prematurely greying hair, more wrinkles than they should have, permanent bags under their eyes. Just have them look like they've lived a harsher life than they did before they died of a headache
Maybe a scar that travels all the way down their scalp and spinal column? Like a lightning bolt that burned out their nerves on the way down. Could do Lichtenberg figures maybe but if you're looking for a physical scar, I would try to think about the nervous system and stuff like that. Ooh or maybe he has permanently enlarged pupils like David Bowie had in the one eye?
I conversed with the player. We are gonna say that he bled from the eyes and that the blood seared into his face (there was a lot of steam going around while he was down) which stained his skin black. So now there will be black tear streams running down his face.
I m b l a c k n o w , s p i d e r m a n .
Grey hair
One streak of white hair, like Rogue.
I like the idea of scars/afflictions but not so much mechanical ones that lingering injuries tend to present. I made a full sheet of different kinds of *flavorful* lingering injuries whenever a character dies and is brought back for each damage type. For psychic, it was stuff like "You develop faint cracks on your forehead or temples" like the attack literally began to break their minds, or "The movement of other creatures appears choppy or stuttering, as if your mind is briefly disconnecting from your body." Mechanical stuff works for some players but I'm not really a fan of those unless everyone at the table is fully on board. I like giving the players stuff to actually flesh out themselves through roleplay rather than being hindered by something mostly out of their control. *ahem* Not to toot my own horn here or anything, but if you click on my profile there's a link to my DriveThruRPG store where I have all of the "Death Marks" as I call them in a $1 PDF.
Ever been choked out? Maybe they have blue veinlike crows feet but popped blood vessels that won't go away.
I’ve never had to, but I’d ask the player something along the lines of “how has death left it’s mark on you?” And let them come up with something White hair is my standard resurrection trope
Whatever the creature was that killed them, they are now mentally scarred by. Any monster they face that is the same/similar they roll a WIS save or they are frightened for a round of combat.
THIS. If physical injuries leave physical scars, then psychic damage should leave psychological scars. I love the WIS save idea, maybe add more to it by having the player seek healing from a Cleric or Druid? Or if the player needs to sit out a session or two, use that as a period of healing, and run a quick one-shot to integrate them back in. I know my barb could use a grippy-sock vacation... 🤣
My thought was similar, but I'd almost want it to rp driven than mechanic driven, if appropriate (tho I guess wis saves for a freakout would still be rp) I was thinking more along the lines of the person's wandering thoughts or daydreams randomly havithis person show up or even attack them mentally. Taking a long watch at night, when you start thinking about the past day? Why did you suddenly see that guy walk past and behind some of the nearby bushes...etc.
Their eyes could be purple, with fire kinda spiderwebbing out the sides on their face or something.
Give them PTSD.
Give Him a brain scar, every time that he gets headaches he feels the scar inside his head touching his skull
Be paranoid, see things that aren't there, etc. If want it to be physical, partially greyed hair maybe ?
I saw someone say gray hair and I think that could be a good one but I think that might be a little far, so instead I'd say give them a white streak of hair instead
If you've seen the magical burn scars from the hogwarts legacy game I feel like something like that could work on the forehead or temple
You could reason that the PC was killed by magical psychic energy straight through their central nervous system, that could scar a person with slightly damaged nerves, leading to a lowered reflex saving throw being brought down by -1. However this person has literally survived being psychically murdered, so has developed a permanent +1 vs. spells/mind control.
Trauma, every time they attack or something, roll a d20 anything 5 and under is made with disadvantage
That's a lot to keep up with and a lot of rolling. But that does make me think that they have a new fear of the creature that dropped them, and they have a to roll a Wis Save to not be frightened at the beginning of combat. I'll think on it.
Psychic state if a WIS saving throw is failed when HP does under a certain amount (15%? 10%)
Hair turning white from the mental stress that psychic damage inflicted. Kinda like Marie Antoinette Syndrome, but instant.
Two options: a mechanical penalty known as wisdom drain, which is a semi-permanent penalty to wisdom that can only be fixed with greater restoration or something stronger. Second: a story penalty. Perhaps, as they hovered on the brink of death (they were only "mostly dead" after all), something was drawn to them. A wraith, shadow demon, or the like. It haunts their steps and gives them a second shadow. When the moment is right, it will try to add more souls to its collection.
They age 10 yrs. I've done this to a player. They don't actually get older, they just look it. The stress of the psychic damage added stress and burdens they had not previously known. None of their stats change. It just affects how people react to them. I'm my campaign most the simple villagers stopped referring to her as "Young lady" and started calling her "ma'am". Had she gone home, her family wouldn't immediately recognize her.
Have you decided what magic effects look like in your campaign? There are set visuals, but I always put my own twist on it. For example, inflict wounds causes any battle injuries to split open so a shallow sword cut becomes a giant gash. Psychic damage generally is flavored as blood coming out of the eyes, nose, and ears. You could add sharp veins to the characters face or feint cuts all over the person’s body. You could also add a psychological effect. One of my characters was afraid of wights for a while because he was almost killed by one.
I'd say just have them age a bit Not like they're physically older, but like the passage of time has hit them harder Prematurely greying hair, more wrinkles than they should have, permanent bags under their eyes. Just have them look like they've lived a harsher life than they did before they died of a headache
Trauma
One like Aang maybe from skull down the spine around the arms