Dead: Once you are reduced to negative one (-1) Body Points, First Aid is not given or is unable to finish, no healing has been granted and your “bleed out” count has reached its end, or you have received a Killing Blow, your character is dead and only a Life spell can reverse your fate.
If you have any active spells, Alchemical substances, and other effects on you, they will immediately disappear upon your death. Amnesia, Enslavement, and Euphoria are the only effects that survive death, and sometimes depending on the situation, a Curse of Transformation, or an Infection. A dead body, whether ally or foe, is still subject to magical and non-magical barriers such as a Ward or Circle of Power and cannot be accessed readily.
Upon your death, a 5-minute Death Countdown begins. This starts immediately at the point of death. During this countdown, you can still be brought back with a Life spell or effect. Despite the use of a Life spell being administered to you, all your active spells, Alchemical substances, and other effects (except those that last through death, as listed above) are lost. If your five-minute Death Countdown passes without receiving a Life spell, then you are considered fully dead and are now a spirit. A spirit can only be brought back to life through a Resurrection.
As a reminder, a Life spell can only be used on the physical representation of the individual needing the spell (I.e. this could be a Monster Body Prop that needs to be revived or the actual person) and not simply a portion of the body without a spirit. If you need a Life spell, and an ally does not have one, they can carry you (following the normal rules for carrying a dead body) to someone who has the spell, but they cannot “remove a limb” and have the spell cast on that limb.
For those looking to destroy a body, it is impossible to destroy a body in 5 minutes. It’s best to wait until the five minute Death Countdown has expired.