A necromancy question

[Necronomitron]

So I have a player who is playing a sorcerer.  The idea is that he's a voodoo practitioner who's wife was murdered by a loup garou.  He tried bringing her back to life but she came back "revenant", complete with his wife's memories, but lacking any form of soul.  His goal is to reinstate her soul.

None of my players have read any of the novels, and I don't believe there's anything in DF lore that really explores this idea (although I have a shoddy memory for things like this and I haven't read Ghost Story yet), and think that it's kind of contradictory to it even.  But this player has already accommodated me once by changing his backstory from something that hit a little too close to home for me (his PC losing his daughter), so I'm committed to make this idea work.  Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this mechanically?

[LordDraqo]

Give him the Lawbreaker Stunt, and an Aspect to indicate that he's on the Warden's Radar, once they have the opportunity to do something besides battle the Red Court, and I think the character is perfectly viable. However I like to explore questions like this.

[The Mighty Buzzard]

What's mechanically possible is less important than what's good for the story.  If that is his Trouble, it's fine to play on it repeatedly but if you take it away you take away one of the character's two main driving forces.  That makes them a lot less interesting to play.  Never give a character a Happily Ever After unless the player is tired of playing them.

[Tedronai]

Give him the Lawbreaker Stunt, and an Aspect to indicate that he's on the Warden's Radar

This isn't Morrowind, where everyone, everywhere, has a psychic link to a Law Enforcement Central Hub, and where, not only will all law enforcement recognize any reported criminal on sight, regardless of where/when the crime was committed, but receive that report regardless even of whether you left any survivors to file it.
The Wardens do not see all, and the Wardens do not know all.

tl;dr version:
Unless there's a reason for the Wardens to find out about the Lawbreaking, you shouldn't sick them on the player.

[The Mighty Buzzard]

tl;dr version:
Unless there's a reason for the Wardens to find out about the Lawbreaking, you shouldn't sick them on the player.

Make that "Unless it would be interesting for the Wardens to find out about the Lawbreaking, you shouldn't sick them on the player."

They shouldn't be treated as the GM's smackdown stick but neither should the GM need a reason beyond "this sounds like a lot of fun for the table," to draw them in.  What they should or shouldn't be able to find out only factors into the decision in a very minor way.

[Necronomitron]

Thanks for the info.  I'm also curious how to handle this specific type of undead since it's not really Dresden canon (at least at the time the RPG was printed).  Bringing someone who was actually, honestly dead back to true and honest Life doesn't happen in the books.  But like I said earlier, I'm the only one familiar with the source material at our table and I'm totally in favor of cutting some corners on setting in order to bring a more fulfilling game to players that are complete Dresden virgins.

Right now I'm inclined to treat her as a construct made of flesh, give her Human Guise, perhaps some Incite Emotion so that she gives people the creeps (she IS soulless), and maybe give her a lessened version of a ghoul's need to feed on meat (just for fun).

As far as it resolving his Trouble, if he actually brings her back to life (and it sounds like he thinks the motivation to bring her back should be more important than whether or not it's possible) it's going to be that character's endgame.  We're talking campaign climax plot resolution stuff.

[Necronomitron]

This isn't Morrowind, where everyone, everywhere, has a psychic link to a Law Enforcement Central Hub, and where, not only will all law enforcement recognize any reported criminal on sight, regardless of where/when the crime was committed, but receive that report regardless even of whether you left any survivors to file it.
The Wardens do not see all, and the Wardens do not know all.

tl;dr version:
Unless there's a reason for the Wardens to find out about the Lawbreaking, you shouldn't sick them on the player.

I was under the impression that they received the stunt and an aspect to that effect regardless of whether or not the Wardens know about it.  Or was that not the part of the response in dispute?

[Tedronai]

They receive the stunt, and one aspect is 'twisted by the violation of the Law'.
I don't think drawing the attention of the Wardens counts.

[Sanctaphrax]

1. Welcome to the boards, Necronomitron.

2. Lawbreaker is automatic, Warden attention is not.

3. Plot arc sounds fine. Do you intend to use the Thaumaturgy rules for the resurrection? If so, I suggest that you allow the player to plan the ritual out over a long time. That way, he can use entire adventures and subplots to fuel Declarations.

4. Belial666 wrote up some monsters called Revenants that sound a lot like the wife here. And thanks to the efforts of The Mighty Buzzard, said monsters are now on the wiki here. I suggest you take a look.

5. Have you read Ghost Story?

[Tedronai]

Make that "Unless it would be interesting for the Wardens to find out about the Lawbreaking, you shouldn't sick them on the player."

^Sounds like 'a reason', to me.

[SunlessNick]

Right now I'm inclined to treat her as a construct made of flesh, give her Human Guise, perhaps some Incite Emotion so that she gives people the creeps (she IS soulless), and maybe give her a lessened version of a ghoul's need to feed on meat (just for fun).  -  Necronomitron

I agree with all that except the meat (it seems too movie zombie rather than revenant to me).  Maybe she's hooked on the alcohol and tobacco beloved by the Loa?  (That might not seem like much of a problem until someone thinks the PC is keeping his wife drunk as part of some wider pattern of abuse - which fits with the kind of desperation/obsession inherent in raising a loved one from the dead).

Absolutely, I say go with the possibility of getting her soul back.  But my other suggestion would be don't make it a terrible bargain - from what I know that's not how the Loa are supposed to roll - rather make it a set of tests and ordeals, where he has to prove that he (and more importantly she) deserves it.

[sinker]

Another idea is to make her very black court-esque. We honestly don't have any idea how the black court came about, and that seems like an interesting way.