History Characters / DiscworldDeathAndCompany

* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Performed the ritual to summon Death in reverse, on the theory that it would keep Death away. Didn't occur to Albert that it might summon ''him'' to ''Death''. It did end up netting him a kind of indefinite suspension from dying, though, which is good enough for him. He's not afraid of death or the afterlife; he's worried about everyone he sent there first and how upset they'll be about it.

--> '''Vimes''' : (''whilst treed by werewolves'') Are you going to help me?

--> '''Vimes:''' When?!

* CreativeSterility: Death can't create life, and he can only really copy things. He also doesn't quite understand the purpose of the things he makes or how they work, so he may build pipes but forget they're supposed to be hollow, make towels with no idea they're supposed to be fluffy and absorbent, or make a swing in a tree by removing the trunk, leaving the rest of the tree in place - still growing[[hottip:*:Funnily enough, the way he changes and maladapts the things he copies shows that what he's making isn't just facsimile but holds some spark of original component... even if it doesn't function properly (if it functioned properly it ''would'' be just a copy)]].

--> '''Vimes''' ''(whilst treed by werewolves):'' "Are you actually going to ''help'' me at any point?"
--> '''Death:''' [[AC: yes.]]
--> '''Vimes:''' ''"When?!"''
--> '''Death:''' [[AC: when the pain becomes too much to bear.]] ''({{Beat}})'' [[AC: in retrospect i suppose that is not what you meant.]]

* TinMan: He doesn't feel angry, sad or cheerful because those are things you do when you have, you know, glands. He ''thinks'' them. Sometimes it takes a run-up. But when he manages it, it's pretty spectacular.

* BlessedWithSuck: The more she uses her powers (which are pretty much inherent to her very being and so she really can't ''stop'' using them), the more she becomes like her granddad. (It's heavily implied that if he ever decides to retire permanently the post of Death will go to her). This is all very unfortunate because she really wants to remain human.

* [[IntangibleMan Intangible Woman]]: she can move through space and time much like her grandfather. Walls tend to have a rather transitory meaning for her, for example.

* FateWorseThanDeath: Should he actually die, an indescribable fate in the dungeon dimensions awaits

** Many speculate that he was the most powerful a wizard could be without being a sourcerer. He absolutely terrified the most powerful wizards on the disc when he went back to the world.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Performed the ritual to summon Death in reverse, on the theory that it would keep Death away. Didn't occur to Albert that it might summon ''him'' to Death's domain instead. It did end up netting him a kind of indefinite suspension from dying, though, which is good enough for him. He's not afraid of death or the afterlife; he's worried about everyone he sent there first and how upset they'll be.

* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Performed the ritual to summon Death in reverse, on the theory that it would keep Death away. Didn't occur to Albert that it might summon ''him'' to Death's domain instead. It did end up netting him a kind of indefinite suspension from dying, though, which is good enough for him. He's not afraid of death or the afterlife; he's worried about everyone he sent there first and how upset they'll be.

* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Performed the ritual to summon Death in reverse, on the theory that it would keep Death away. Didn't occur to Albert that it might summon ''him'' to Death's domain instead. It did end up netting him a kind of indefinite suspension from dying, though, which is good enough for him. He's not afraid of death or the afterlife; he's worried about everyone he sent there first and how upset they'll be.

* ChessWithDeath: He hates it when someone invokes this, because he can never remember [[AC:how the little horse-shaped ones move]]. It's also a time waster, because he's not actually capable of losing unless he actively tries.

* ChessWithDeath: He hates it when someone invokes this, because he can never remember [[AC:how the little horse-shaped ones move]]. It's also a problem off wasted time, because he's not actually capable of losing unless he actively tries.

* {{Adorkable}}

* BlackCloak

* ChessWithDeath: He hates it when someone invokes this, because he can never remember [[AC:how the little horse-shaped ones move.]] He probably always wins anyway; he has to make an ''effort'' to lose other games.
** Ironically, ''Susan'' is brilliant at Chess.

** The swing, which he made with his own hands and not magic, ''is'' actually strangely creative. Very original way to put a swing together, you must admit.

* TheGrimReaper

* {{Power of Rock}}: During ''Discworld/SoulMusic''.

During ''Discworld/ReaperMan'', Death's forced holiday resulted in the creation of all sorts of little deaths. The big guy subsumed all of them... but one. [[hottip:* :Well, technically two, but the Death of Fleas isn't important]] The Death of Rats is something like a sidekick or a pet, and Death allows him it to continue existing independently just because it amuses him. When he isn't off collecting ill-fated rats, gerbils, hamsters, mice, and the occasional rat catcher, he runs some of Death's errands, particularly those regarding harassing Susan. His sidekick/transport is a talking raven named Quoth with a fondness for eyeballs.

* BadassBookworm

* BrokenBird

* GenreSavvy

* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl

* InstantDogEnd
* {{Jerkass}}

* OldRetainer
* RetiredBadass: He was head wizard back in the days when getting to the top meant vaporising the guy above you, and then the guy above him...

* MindManipulation: CompellingVoice and SomebodyElsesProblem, mostly.

--> '''Vimes''' ''(whilst treed by werewolves):'' Are you actually going to ''help'' me at any point?

--> '''Vimes:''' '''When?!'''
--> '''Death:''' [[AC: when the pain becomes too much to bear.]] ''{{Beat}}'' [[AC: in retrospect i suppose that is not what you meant.]]

--> '''Death:''' [[AC: when the pain becomes too much to bear.]] ''{{Beat}}'' [[AC: in retrospect I suppose that is not what you meant.]]

* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Even metaphors have to live. Sort of.
* TheAntiNihilist: More than even Vimes, he knows the infinite universe has no mercy or kindness. Doesn't mean he can't make some of his own.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: He may be one of the nicest characters in the series, but the few people who acutally manage to get a rise out of him are usually soon informed that this is ''Death'' we're talking about. See: Auditors of Reality in wolf form, suspicious lack of after they pressed his BerserkButton.

* NonLinearCharacter: Like her granddad, she doesn't really exist inside of time. She can interact with it, and she lives in it most of the...er... time, but when the [[Discworld/ThiefOfTime tick of the universe stops]] it doesn't affect her at all (except for that walls are now solid, because she can't move through the time when they're not there).

* BerserkButton: Hypocrisy and hubris are the only things that actually angers rather than annoys him.

* DeadpanSnarker

* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Even metaphors have to live. Sort of.

* DeathsHourglass: Even ''Death himself'' has one - it's huge, intangible and completely empty of sand. Another noteworthy hourglass in the one belonging to Rincewind, which has been through some many bizarre magical catastrophes it's doesn't look like an hourglass so much as a piece of modern art made out of silicon by a glass-blower with hiccups and schizophrenia. Nobody, not even Death, knows when the hell it's going to run out any more. He keeps it on his desk to amuse himself.

* [[NearDeathExperience Near-Rincewind Experience]][=/=][[NearDeathExperience Near-Vimes Experience]]: Due to Rincewind's and Vime's constant [[NearDeathExperience Near Death Experiences]], Death, consequently, is forced to be near ''them'', but he has yet to take them.

* NonHumanSidekick: Or maybe the correct term is "Zoomorphic Personification sidekick." He himself as a sidekick in the form of [[PollyWantsAMicrophone Quoth]].

* TomatoIntheMirror: In ''Soul Music'', when she remembers her granddad and who she really is.

* CreativeSterility: Death can't create anything; he can only copy things. He also doesn't really understand what they're for or how they work, so he may build pipes but forget they're supposed to be hollow, make towels with no idea they're supposed to be fluffy and absorbent, or make a swing in a tree by removing the trunk, leaving the rest of the tree in place - still growing.

* DeathsHourglass: Even ''Death himself'' has one - it's huge, intangible and completely empty of sand. Another noteworthy hourglass in the one belonging to Rincewind, which has been through some many bizarre magical catastrophes it's doesn't look like an hourglass so much as a piece of modern art made out of silicon by a glass-blower with hiccups and schizophrenia. Nobody, not even Death, knows when the hell it's going to run out any more. He keeps on his desk to amuse himself.

* NonLinearCharacter: Like her granddad, she doesn't really exist inside of time. She can interact with it, and she lives in it most of the...er... time, but when the [[Discworld/ThiefOfTime tick of the universe stops]] it doesn't affect her at all.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In ''Discworld/TheColorOfMagic'' he's pretty cold and menacing, killing some people randomly to blow off steam, and even ''harming a cat''. ''Discworld/{{Mort}}'' retooled him into the compassionate {{Psychopomp}} we all [[DontFearTheReaper know and love]].

[[IHaveManyNames The Stealer of Souls, Defeater of Empires, Swallower of Oceans, The Ultimate Reality, Harvester of Mankind,]] [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking "Picker-Up of Unconsidered Trifles"]], etc. Tall, bony fellow with a black robe and a scythe, [[AC: talks like this all the time.]] You'll know him when you see him, and sooner or later ''everyone'' sees him, but most people don't notice him unless they're users of magic, or are dead/about to die. Has developed a fondness for humans (and cats) over the centuries. Also, he's the only character to appear in every Discworld book except for ''Discworld/TheWeeFreeMen'' [[spoiler: and ''Discworld/{{Snuff}}'']].

* ChessWithDeath: He hates it when someone invokes this, because he can never remember "how the little horse-shaped ones move." It's implied he always wins the game anyway.

* CreativeSterility: Death can't create anything; he can only copy things. He also doesn't really understand what they're for or how they work, so he may create pipes but forget to make them hollow, or make a swing in a tree by removing the trunk, leaving the rest of the tree in place.

* MundaneSolution: The [[CapitalLettersAreMagic Poker]]. [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome It kills monsters.]]

* LethalChef

* RetiredBadass
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Performed the ritual to summon Death in reverse, on the theory that it would keep Death away. Didn't occur to Albert that it might summon ''him'' to Death's domain instead. It did end up netting him a kind of indefinite suspension from dying, though.