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Old 04-08-2014, 11:49 AM   #11
Anders
 
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Default Re: What happens if you die in Hell?

Still, if you're working within a Christian paradigm* then those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior will go to Heaven regardless of where they die. If I understand Islam correctly, then it will depend on how worthy they are - even non-Muslims can go to Heaven, but it's less likely since they don't know the rules.

*I use the term loosely since there are more than 20 000 Christian denominations.
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Old 04-08-2014, 12:10 PM   #12
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Default Re: What happens if you die in Hell?

In my current campaign this is one of the "big secrets." If you venture into Hell as a mortal and die there you go to whatever place you're supposed to end up. If you're "bad" you go to Hell (or just reappear there since you are already there). If you're "good" you go to Heaven. If you die again in Hell or are a demon that dies in Hell...you go to Tartarus. Think of it as the sludge trap under your sink. All the nasties and supernatural critters that really die (i.e., are not banished) end up there. And now I'm going back to sleep because my head is killing me.
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Old 04-08-2014, 12:19 PM   #13
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Default Re: What happens if you die in Hell?

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Originally Posted by Anders View Post
Still, if you're working within a Christian paradigm* then those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior will go to Heaven regardless of where they die. If I understand Islam correctly, then it will depend on how worthy they are - even non-Muslims can go to Heaven, but it's less likely since they don't know the rules.

*I use the term loosely since there are more than 20 000 Christian denominations.
Actually, if you're working within a Christian paradigm, it can be a bit confusing. There are several terms treated interchangeably as "Hell", usually by those just ignorant of the differences or because translation isn't easy.

Hell, Hades, Sheol, Gehenna, Tartarus... and I am probably missing a few. There is debate about whether one simply goes dormant at death until final judgment or whether there is some place where souls of the decease dwell... or dwelt at one time. The Lake of Fire, the place of eternal torment, doesn't seem to come into play until after the final judgment (I think). In all cases, the kingdom of the fallen angels isn't in the realm of the dead, but in the world now. Hell isn't ruled by Satan; he'll just be the most famous inmate after his final attempt against God.

If one really wants the typical fantasy Hell (or Heaven) schemes, I favor the somewhat complex Not!Hell or Not!Heaven approach. This works well if there is a reason for beings to try to keep someone alive... oh wait, that isn't really a stretch at all. Whether as allies or fodder, any being powerful enough to interrupt the proper order would do so, and probably have reason to lie and be all "Yeah... this is totally the realm for Neutral Good. If you don't see someone, they must be in a different afterlife." It may even be something of a pyramid scheme; the "god" collects more from followers than it takes to sustain a realm; it invests a little back to bring in more followers and by necessity shares with the deceased to keep up appearances (and perhaps in that state they can still contribute).

"Lower realms" may just seek brutal efficiency; the "torment" is less about punishment and more a matter of the god(s) of evil not wanting to "spend" as much keeping "retirees" happy.
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Last edited by Otaku; 04-08-2014 at 12:36 PM.
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Old 04-08-2014, 01:07 PM   #14
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Default Re: What happens if you die in Hell?

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Actually, if you're working within a Christian paradigm, it can be a bit confusing. There are several terms treated interchangeably as "Hell", usually by those just ignorant of the differences or because translation isn't easy.

Hell, Hades, Sheol, Gehenna, Tartarus... and I am probably missing a few. There is debate about whether one simply goes dormant at death until final judgment or whether there is some place where souls of the decease dwell... or dwelt at one time. The Lake of Fire, the place of eternal torment, doesn't seem to come into play until after the final judgment (I think). In all cases, the kingdom of the fallen angels isn't in the realm of the dead, but in the world now. Hell isn't ruled by Satan; he'll just be the most famous inmate after his final attempt against God.
Like I said, there are many, many, many interpretations of whether Hell exists, if it does - who goes there, what are the criteria, etc., if it doesn't - what happens to souls... the Bible is a big book of multiple-choice.
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Old 04-08-2014, 01:22 PM   #15
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Default Re: What happens if you die in Hell?

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Like I said, there are many, many, many interpretations of whether Hell exists, if it does - who goes there, what are the criteria, etc., if it doesn't - what happens to souls... the Bible is a big book of multiple-choice.
The scripture is pretty concise on the fact that Satan/Lucifer is the ruler of Earth, and he's only cast into hell when the last battle is over.
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Old 04-08-2014, 01:39 PM   #16
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Default Re: What happens if you die in Hell?

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The scripture is pretty concise on the fact that Satan/Lucifer is the ruler of Earth, and he's only cast into hell when the last battle is over.
Scripturally: "The beast and the false prophet", "Death and Hades", "anyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life" and "the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars" are thrown into "a lake of fire", which is "the second death"; whatever that means. All of this apparently is after bodily resurrection and final judgement.

"Hell" doesn't appear in the Bible at all and "Lucifer" only once in Isiah 14:12 in reference to a dead Babylonian King. "Hell" is of course a word that Christians borrowed from Norse myth and "Lucifer" as fallen angel was a concept that developed in Enochian psuedographia and into Christian literature; largely formulated in his modern form by Milton.
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Old 04-08-2014, 02:15 PM   #17
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Default Re: What happens if you die in Hell?

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"Hell" doesn't appear in the Bible at all and "Lucifer" only once in Isiah 14:12 in reference to a dead Babylonian King. "Hell" is of course a word that Christians borrowed from Norse myth and "Lucifer" as fallen angel was a concept that developed in Enochian psuedographia and into Christian literature; largely formulated in his modern form by Milton.
As you stated, "Hell" is a word borrowed from elsewhere; it was chosen to be used as a translation for other words because of prior associations. Given the context of this discussion, that seems a bit less than relevant. I was hesitant to even bring up a Biblical interpretation of "Hell" because of the potential confusion, and fact that if an adventuring party is already there, such an interpretation is not being used. XD Others chose to pursue it, plus many enjoy culling bits and pieces, just as many enjoy splicing different mythos together. I'll be honest, when the mood strikes me it is very enjoyable.
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Old 04-08-2014, 02:34 PM   #18
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Default Re: What happens if you die in Hell?

I would say that if you are not dead, then your first death just separates your soul from your body. After that, as long as you are in the afterlife you are Unkillable 3. But since this an action-horror genre you are still trapped in Hell unless and until you escape, either to another afterlife, or to the material world where you will now be a ghost.
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Old 04-08-2014, 02:46 PM   #19
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Default Re: What happens if you die in Hell?

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I would say that if you are not dead, then your first death just separates your soul from your body. After that, as long as you are in the afterlife you are Unkillable 3. But since this an action-horror genre you are still trapped in Hell unless and until you escape, either to another afterlife, or to the material world where you will now be a ghost.
Assuming bodily resurrection is a thing, you may be reembodied by some hellish process. That's probably what I would do, at any rate. At first you are a Ghost (using the template from Pyramid #3/45: Monsters) but then you get an opportunity to be physically rebodied in Hell.
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Old 04-08-2014, 02:49 PM   #20
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Default Re: What happens if you die in Hell?

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Assuming bodily resurrection is a thing, you may be reembodied by some hellish process. That's probably what I would do, at any rate. At first you are a Ghost (using the template from Pyramid #3/45: Monsters) but then you get an opportunity to be physically rebodied in Hell.
Oh I was assuming you'd get a body in Hell because souls are just plain solid there.
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