Hi, first go at MM games and really enjoying MM4 but am unsure how to deal with a dead character; can they be easily resurrected or do I need to replace them with a new character? I've only just started: have cleared Vertigo and had a run around the Magic Delta and now just sniffing around the Dwarf Mines...is there someone to resurrect dead nearby? I don't have any raise dead spells or potions...

Any tips happily accepted!

the church in towns can fix ya up for a price
even dead and eradicated characters

and once your clerical types get high enough you can get the spells
though i don't remember where exactly you learn them i think its the third or 4th town

best advice is go slowly and save often but thats standard stuff for rpg's

There's death and there's eradication, but both are quite reversible if you go to a temple or cast the right spell. The temple fee depends on the character level, so it should be quite cheap at the beginning. Still, it's a pain to have to backtrack, and besides, incapacitated characters can't use their skills (like Cartography). From time to time you'll get items enchanted with the Resurrection spell. Hang on to them and recharge them where necessary; they're your best means of taking care of dead characters.

Bingo! That's what I was looking for! Vertigo is my nearest...
Thank you, really useful.

Specifically, when using the Raise Dead spell, the target's Endurance will drop by 1 permanently. Hence, you might want to avoid doing this unless you deliberately want to lower a character's Endurance. (One reason you might want to: A certain dungeon fountain will only raise Endurance if it's less than a certain number; by lowering Endurance to that value, you can get the bonus again.)

I prefer Divine Intervention for my resurrection needs; it doesn't cause any stat loss. It does, however, age the caster 5 years (why doesn't the manual mention this?). but that can be reversed via a sidequest, and not all the effects of aging are bad.

How to deal with dead characters in MM4:

Tip #1: Don't die.

That's not always an option.

It can even be desirable, seeing as certain things in the game world give you lots of experience or stat boosts, but at the cost of major damage or instant death.

Or if, for that matter, you want to intentionally lower the character's Endurance for the reason I mentioned above.

(There's also a reason you might want to intentionally age a character, but the easiest method I've found only works for Clerics and Paladins.)

Not with that kind of attitude.

Just to make sure it's clear for the OP: the Raise Dead spell causes a permanent loss of 1 Endurance, but paying the temple to resurrect your dead characters does NOT incur any penalty.

Be sure to go to church everyday to donate and get great buffs. Get there at 5 am and the buffs last all day until 5 the next day. The magnitude is strongest the later it is in the week so Tensday is the best day to be there. The days also affect how much to donate; once on Onseday, twice on Twosday, increasing until Tensday at ten donations, and that's all at once right when you get there after 5 am. These buffs will save you from terrible magic and allow to kill many things using few strikes. Use the snake mirrors to get around quickly. Just type in the name of a town or even dungeons, e.g. Red Dwarf Range. Movement and attacks on the world map take ten minutes, while inside dungeons and towns they only take one minute. Cheers!

I don't remember how strong this effect is (mainly because I tend not to use it), but at sufficiently high levels, you're better off casting the spells (Day of Protection/Sorcery) yourself. Eventually, the best strategy is to give all the levels you get to one character (preferably a Barbarian) and have them use items to cast the spells (don't forget the Recharge Item spell exists).

Also, note that, at levels less than 200, Protection from Elements gives more protection against that then Day of Protection (cast Day of Protection first).

Another thing: There are fountains that can boost your stats; make use of them. This is especially true if you find a fountain that boosts the Level stat. They, again, last until 5 am or you rest, whichever comes first. Boost your level *before* you cast Day of Protection/Sorcery.

How do you give levels to one character? Are you just saving money at training? Which classes do you stop training at what level?

Thanks!