My group has a tradition: the player whose character has been around the longest gets to possess the Skull. Sam originally inherited the Skull way back at the start of the campaign when we had a TPK. Well, a near TPK. Sam missed that evening and his PC survived by default (our house rule is if you're not there, neither is your PC). Ipso facto, he got the Skull. When Sam's paladin was brought down by spectres in another near TPK, Grim Jim and his ranger, Jocelyn Dawnseeker, inherited the Skull. Dave the Knave was next in line and has been jonsesing for it for years now.
Well, although Dave's rogue/monk, Plum Blossom (illustrated here: link), was brought to negative HP during the battle with iron golems, she didn't actually die. She lay incapacitated on the battle field. Jim's ranger, however, suffered too many full attacks at the hands of said golems and when he dropped, he dropped but good (i.e., way below -10).
Grim Jim says good-bye to the Skull. |
At that moment, incapacitated or not, Dave seized control of the Skull.
Dave the Knave finally gets the Skull... but wait.... |
The Skull returns to Sam... they look eerily similar |