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The Grim Reaper is an NPC who appears in The Sims: Livin' Large, The Sims 2, The Sims 3, The Sims 4 and The Sims Medieval. He spawns on the lot when a Sim dies, performing various animations in front of the dying Sim before spawning an urn or a tombstone. The Grim Reaper appears in The Sims FreePlay as part of Life Dreams update.
Biography
Appearance in The Sims: Livin' Large
In addition to his appearance when a Sim dies, he will also appear and ring the doorbell if there are more than five Jack-O-Lanterns on the lot, a reference to trick-or-treating. There is a suggested malevolence about him, as can be seen from the results when Sims plead with him. Bonehilda is a huge fan of Grim Reaper, and will try to get an autograph from him when he's present while she's out of her closet. When the Grim Reaper appears, he will move over to the dead Sim and wave his scythe, and a loved one can plea with the Grim Reaper with three outcomes: If the Grim Reaper is in a bad mood, the Sim will die, but if he accepts the plea, he will either resurrect the Sim or bring them back as a zombie. Children cannot interact with the Grim Reaper, as they cannot have romances with other child Sims or their parents.
Appearance in The Sims 2
In The Sims 2, the Reaper's appearance is different from that in other games: he is grey and wraithlike rather than skeletal and black. Olive Specter has memories of WooHoo with him and giving birth to Nervous Subject shortly after, though this is impossible in normal gameplay. Through use of cheats a biography of him can be seen containing some tongue-in-cheek information. With the University expansion pack he can be bribed to resurrect dead Sims with the Resurrect-O-Nomitron, which is the career reward for the Paranormal career track. (The question of why he might want or need money is left to the imagination.) If the last Sim on the lot dies, one of a variety of sardonic messages will appear. On occasion, he will interact with one of the items in the house before leaving. So far, he has only been known to get a blended drink from a minibar, watch television, relax on a bed, use the toilet, and/or play on the computer.
When Sims die of old age, there are two life endings they can get, based on their aspiration. If they have any aspiration level from failure to green, the Grim Reaper will come with a black trail of smoke, and hold up an empty hourglass, meaning that the Sim has no more time to live. The Sim will then try to grab the hourglass out of Death's hand and try to flip it back over. The Grim Reaper then snatches it back, and angrily points in a direction. The Sim walks there, and an urn or grave (plain grey) is created. If the dying Sim is in gold or platinum aspiration, Death will come wearing a pink Hawaiian lei, and will have a white smoke trail. Two Hula Zombies will appear in the room, and relaxing Hawaiian music will play. Death will slowly point at the dying Sim in a non-angry way, and the Sim will back up, and act shy. Death will then hold his arms out as if to hug the Sim, then will give him or her a tiki glass with a lemon on the side. Then Death will pack the Sim's bags, and the Sim, still being timid, will smile and slowly head off to the afterlife. If the Sim was in platinum aspiration, their urn or grave will be gold and white, and will show the symbol for their aspiration.
In general, when two Sims in a household are scheduled to die on the same day, the Grim Reaper will first come for one, and will come back later for the other. However, if both members of a married or joined couple are scheduled to die on the same day, he may take both at once.
The Sims 2 (console)
In this version the Grim Reaper only appears when a Sim has died. Sims cannot plead with him to save their loved ones. He can be only interacted with by ghost Sims. The Sim has an option to challenge him by playing the violin (if the Sim has a high Creativity, Charisma and Logic skill and has died in a Platinum mood, he/she has higher chances of winning) or pay him §100 to return to life. In either cases, the Sim will be resurrected and the Grim Reaper will burn and disappear.
The Sims 2 (Nintendo DS)
In The Sims 2 for Nintendo DS, the Grim Reaper's appearance is completely different to his usual black robes and scythe. Instead, he wears what appears to be a large brown coat and large brown hat he looks a bit like a creepy ghostly cowboy. It can also be seen that he has yellow eyes. Also, instead of the scythe, he uses a sack to "collect" the dead Sims.
Concept art of him can be unlocked throughout the progress of the game.
Appearance in The Sims 3
The Reaper of The Sims 3 has little backstory, and never appears outside of death sequences. There is a statue of him in Sunset Valley Cemetery. He is dark black, and he has a very deep voice. In this game, a Sim can no longer plead for a deceased Sim's life, instead they will need to play chess with him and win.
Appearance in The Sims Medieval
The Grim Reaper's entire appearance is changed to fit the "Medieval" theme, such as changing his outfit from the color black to red, giving him small wings, giving him purple hands with long nails instead of the bony ones and re-doing his scythe. When the Reaper appears, he will make the dead Sim's spirit fly into the air. Then, he will disappear by going under the Earth, taking the corpse Sim with him. In this game he cannot be pleaded for a Sim's life.
Gameplay Mechanics
The Sims: Livin' Large
The Plea in The Sims
The Grim Reaper will appear in a cloud of skulls next to the mailbox, then teleport over to the dying Sim and spend a short amount of time waving his scythe.
During this time another Sim may be directed to approach and plead with him. This option is not available for children. There is around a 50% chance of him accepting the plea, at which point the he will play a game of rock-paper-scissors with the pleader. If the Sim loses there is still a 50% chance of him bringing the deceased back to life as a zombie, with their skin colored green and their personality wiped. Usually, the Grim Reaper will be in a bad mood and turn down the plea, and the Sim will die, but will come back as a ghost, being see-through and greenish-blue and walk around Spooking Sims and making windy ghost noises.
The Sims 2
The Plea in The Sims 2.
The Grim Reaper can be pleaded with as in Livin' Large; however, the chance of success is directly linked to the relationship score of the pleader to the deceased: if the total of the daily and lifetime relationship is below 25, the plea is guaranteed to fail. If it is above that level, the percentage chance of the plea succeeding is equal to that same number, which is capped at 90. If the plea succeeds, the Sim is "Saved From Death", which is frequently a major want for Knowledge Sims. If the death is from old age, the plea interaction will be unavailable. Sims must be able to reach the Grim Reaper to plead with him; if a Sim drowns too far from the edge of a pool, this will not be possible.
In University the Resurrect-O-Nomitron reward from the Paranormal career enables Sims to call the Reaper and pay him to bring back Sims who they have a relationship with. The precise results depend on the payment:
- A payment of §1 - §987 will cause the resurrection to fail and the money to be lost to no effect.
- A payment of §988 - §4127 will cause the dead Sim to return as a zombie, losing most of their skill and personality points, and with a negative mood and loss of relationship towards their resurrector.
- A payment of §4128 - §8512 will cause the dead Sim to return with three points lost from each skill, their personality inverted and a modest relationship boost to their resurrector.
- A payment of §8513 - §10,000 will result in the deceased Sim returning in perfect condition.
- If the dead Sim in question is a child, the resurrection will always succeed perfectly regardless of payment, with the Reaper stating that he loves kids. (Children cannot become zombies in The Sims 2)
In The Sims 2: FreeTime Sims may ask the genie to give them the power to cheat death. This enables them to plead for their own life with a 100% chance of success the first time, which decreases by 10% with each subsequent attempt. Sims who die of old age will only get an extra day. In The Sims 2:Apartment Life, good witches with 9 Magic skill and the correct ingredients can cast the Expello Mortis spell to banish the Grim Reaper, saving a dying Sim. Also, an evil witch with 9 Magic skill points and correct ingredients can cast the Vivificus Zombiae spell at the tombstone or urn of a Sim he or she had a relationship with, and the Sim will return as a zombie.
Personality
| Personality | ||
|---|---|---|
 Cancer | ||
| Sloppy | 
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Neat |
| Shy |
|
Outgoing |
| Lazy |
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Active |
| Serious |
|
Playful |
| Grouchy |
|
Nice |
The Sims 2 (console)
All Sims that die will be reborn as ghosts where they can find the Grim Reaper standing at the front of the lot where they can challenge him to a fiddle contest. Sims that have a higher creativity skill and have died when in Platinum mood have a higher chance of winning. If the Sim wins then the Grim Reaper will disappear.
As a ghost, the Sim is more likely to have the Aspiration goals of:
- Good: To return to life
- Bad: To fail the fiddle challenge (to lose against Death).
If the player wishes not to choose the fiddle challenge or simply gives up, they can pay a fee of §100 to return to life.
The Sims 3
The Grim Reaper relaxing in a chair.
The Grim Reaper appears when a Sim or pet dies. However unlike the previous games, the Grim Reaper will literally "reap" the spirit of the Sim to turn it into a ghost, while the remaining Sims around the household or lot will mourn for him/her. The appearance of this ghost is determined by the way the Sim has died. Unlike previous games, a Sim can no longer plea for the dead Sim's life. However, if a Sim in the household owns a chessboard they may play chess against him to resurrect the dying Sim. If the deceased Sim has a Death flower in their inventory, then they will automatically give it to the Grim Reaper shortly after becoming a ghost and their lives will be spared in exchange for the flower. The Grim Reaper will also refuse to take Sims with the Unlucky or Loser traits who die accidentally, because (according to him) their lives provide too much amusement for himself.
The Grim Reaper watching TV
There is a 5% chance that he will stay for a short period of time after he's done with his job. When he does, he can be interacted with like a regular Sim during this time, only without the Try for Baby option. There is a greater chance that he will stay around if there is a toddler on the lot or if there is a puddle nearby. At times, he may mop up a puddle or play with the toddler for a bit then watch TV, if there is one. If there is no TV, he will leave. During this time, the Sim can ask him to move in, after which the game will treat him as a normal Sim, except that he has no favorites or bio, and cannot age.[citation needed]
The Sims 4
The Grim Reaper has a slightly different physical appearance compared to the previous series. The Grim Reaper wears a black, modern cloak, instead of a torn-down cloak. When reaping the souls, the Grim Reaper no longer has the death list on a piece of paper. Instead, he'll use a tablet where he keeps the death list.
When a Sim dies, the Grim Reaper will appear from a cloud of smoke. He will walk towards the Sim who has died; upon confronting the dead he will consult his tablet, and then proceed to reap the soul out of the Sim and replace the body with an urn or gravestone.
Any living Sims on the lot can attempt to plead with the Grim Reaper in which there is a 50/50 chance of the Grim Reaper bringing the Sim back to life, or downright rejecting the plea.
- Sims with fine or happy emotion can normally plead for the Sim's life when the Grim Reaper appears.
- Sims with confident emotion can demand that the Grim Reaper spare the Sim's life.
- Sims with flirty emotion can seduce the Grim Reaper to spare the Sim's life.
- Sims with level 5 or more in Mischief skill can "Toy with Death" using a voodoo doll. The Grim Reaper will lose the ability to reap Sim's life.
- Sims can give the Grim Reaper a death flower. This is the only way to guarantee saving a dying Sim's life.
After the Grim Reaper is finished, there is a chance he may stick around on the lot, in which other Sims can perform social interactions on him. However, romantic interactions generally will not go very far.
The Sims Medieval
The Grim Reaper in The Sims Medieval.
The Grim Reaper has a totally different appearance in this stand-alone. The Grim Reaper, like in every game, comes to collect the souls of the deceased Sims. However, he doesn't stay around, like he usually does in The Sims 3 and can't be made playable in any way. His appearance also appears to be very medieval; Bright colors along the robes, golden belt, and bright red caps. A promotional picture seen to the right depicts a new Grim Reaper with a red robe, long white hair, black wings, a different scythe, and a belt with a skull and hourglass on it. It is possible that it is the same Grim just dressing to fit the medieval theme of that era, or that he is the ancestor of all of the other Grim Reapers in the series.
Hints and Tips
The Sims 2
Grimwear
Players can dress a Sim as the Grim Reaper by using cheats. While in the Neighborhood, bring up the cheat box (press Ctrl+Shift+C) and type "boolProp testingcheatsenabled true" without quotes. Then go to Create-A-Sim mode and press Shift+N. This will activate CAS Debugging Mode (a message says so in the top right corner of the screen). Press Shift+M to remove CAS Debug Mode. The Grim Reaper suit should be at the end of "everyday clothing" in outfits. The player can even make them in the "Hula Zombie" outfit that appears when a Sim dies of old age with a high aspiration bar.
Strange genetics
Using the Tombstone of Life and Death , Sims can become pregnant by Grim Reaper. The strange thing is that the child will often have light skin, blue eyes, black hair and the 2nd face in CAS. It is even stranger in the case of Nervous Subject, who has strange genetics. Some players believe that Nervous is not even the Grim Reaper's son, because his genetics are much different than Grim's.
The Sims 3
Pets and the Grim Reaper
A cat harassing the Grim Reaper.
The Grim Reaper forced to resurrect a sim by a cat.
The Death flower, Unlucky trait, and Loser trait are not the only things that can save a Sim from death. In The Sims 3: Pets, cats, dogs, and horses have a chance to save a Sim from death by harassing the Grim Reaper. A high relationship between the Sim and their pet is needed, then the pet has 35% chance to save their master. Additionally, this thread at Mod the Sims has mods to increase and decrease the chance of pets saving Sims.
Move In
It is possible to "Move In" the Grim Reaper into the active household without the use of any cheats or tools. What one needs is to build a relationship high enough with Grim Reaper when he lingers on the lot (this does not happen often, he will put away his scythe and stop levitating) and ask him to move in. It's good to have the Legendary Host lifetime reward. He cannot be married, and must be moved in. Having the charismatic trait, maxed charisma, charisma challenges completed or the Never Dull lifetime reward can be very helpful here, as he disappears from the Relationship Panel when he leaves. Having an Unlucky or Loser traits makes summoning him repeatedly much easier, otherwise the player will only have one chance.
Take note that once he is moved in he will disappear, this can be fixed by typing "Testingcheatsenabled true" and then shift-clicking the ground and clicking "Teleport Me Here." Also, he will have Voice 1, with an average pitch.
The other way to get the Grim Reaper to move in is to first press Ctrl-Shift-C and type in testingcheatsenabled true then, with any Sim, hold shift and click your Mailbox, click "Make Me Know Everyone" then go to your Relationship List: keep scrolling until you see the Grim Reaper's face/hood (He shouldn't have the name Grim Reaper though) click on it and select "Invite Over" and wait till the Grim Reaper comes. When he does hold shift and click on him, select "Add Sim to Current Household" and you should have the Grim Reaper in your Family. You can go to City Hall and change his name to Grim Reaper if you like to. If you use plan outfit/makeover on this Grim Reaper he will just turn into a random black Sim. You can give him traits with shift, click "Change Traits". He is not the real Grim Reaper so the real Grim Reaper will still show up.
With The Sims 3: Late Night and/or after, it is impossible to have him move in anymore.
Sim/Grim Reaper Hybrids
It is possible in games patched below version 1.3 to Try for Baby with the Grim Reaper without him being a family member: after patch 1.3 the Grim Reaper must be a family member for such relations to be possible or an easier way to do this is download a grim reaper from the Sims exchange.
Hybrids in The Sims 3 can have totally black skin due to the Grim Reaper's unique genetics. The Grim Reaper is easy to add to household. Just Make two Sims. The first Sim you make (Sim1) has to have the unlucky or loser trait. The second Sim (Sim2) has to have the charismatic and friendly traits. After creating the Sims, make sure they both stay at home. Press "ctrl" and "shift" and "c" at the same time then Type in: "testingcheatsenabled true" then press "enter" and you should then be able to drag Sim1's hunger bar down to empty. The Grim Reaper will then appear. Drag Sims2's relationship with the Grim Reaper to full then have her Friendly hug him and ask to move in. This doesn't always work first time but the best thing about it is that you can continuously kill Sim1 in order for the Grim Reaper to appear. Then he can be controlled. Keep talking and flirting till Sim2 and the Grim Reaper are boyfriend and girlfriend and both relax on a bed. Select Grim, click on his partner, and pick try for baby.
How to get a Grim Reaper statue for a residential lot
There is a statue of Grim Reaper in the neighborhood graveyard like one on the Sunset Valley Cemetery. The player must send a Sim with a kleptomaniac trait to the cemetery and tell him/her near the statue to steal. Back at the household, the player may not want a stolen statue standing around, so it may be placed and then copied via the build menu. Then the original statue may be sent back to the cemetery.
The Sims 4
Move In
The Grim Reaper can be moved into a household via testingcheatsenabled; simply enable the cheat and shift+click on the Grim Reaper before he leaves and click "Add to Family", which will allow the player to control him. When controllable, players are able to build up his romance bar, as he will be treated like a regular Sim. It is possible to try for a baby with him, but it will produce a normal child. The Grim Reaper can't do some basic actions like sleeping, and instead of walking he will "hover" towards his destination. All of his needs except Social and Fun do not decay so he does not need to sleep, wash, eat or use the toilet.
Doing so will not cause any issues in the game, however.
Trivia
- Although appearing in almost all games, he was replaced by different characters in several games. In The Urbz: Sims in the City for console, he was replaced with captain catastrophe, who will, rather than take the life, save the Sim with shock pads. In The Sims Bustin' Out, The Urbz, The Sims 2, and The Sims 2 Pets for the portables, he is replaced with a genie, who will save the Sim, although he laughs at their misery first.
- In The Sims: Superstar, the Grim Reaper won't come if a Sim dies in the Skydiving Simulator.
- In The Sims 2, his favorite band, Styx, is a real life progressive rock band, whose name is a reference to the river in the underworld of Greek mythology.
- In The Sims 2, the Grim Reaper is a universal NPC, meaning he is the same in all neighborhoods. Like other universal NPCs, he should not be added to the family, bitten by a vampire, or interacted with in some other way outside his designated in-game purpose. Doing so can cause game corruption, fixed only by uninstalling and reinstalling the game.
- In The Sims 2 on one of the Grim Reaper dialogues, it states the Grim Reaper's Zodiac sign is a Taurus. To the contrary, however, the Grim Reaper's sign is actually Cancer.
- In The Sims 2 the Grim Reaper has the Fortune aspiration when viewed in-game. It should be noted that when viewing SimPE, he does not always have a zodiac sign or aspiration, especially when viewing a neighborhood that came with an expansion pack. In some pre-made neighborhoods that came with more recent expansion packs, he may not even have an aspiration viewed in-game.
- In The Sims 2, the Grim Reaper's interests are different in each neighborhood. It should be noted that when viewing SimPE, he may not always have interests.
- In The Sims 2, under examination through SimPE, the Grim Reaper has 4 days left until he becomes an elder.
- In earlier releases of The Sims 2, Strangetown Grim Reaper was a "female". This error was corrected in later releases and expansion packs.
- In The Sims 2, despite being a male, the Grim Reaper has the appearance of a female, which can be proven by changing his appearance with the NPC and Townie Maker. However this is strongly NOT recommended, as it can cause game corruption.
- In The Sims 2 for consoles, a Sim can play a violin against the Grim Reaper. This is a reference to the song Devil Went Down to Georgia.
- In The Sims 3, a Sim can play chess with the Grim Reaper to resurrect the dying Sim. This is a reference to the movie The Seventh Seal or making a deal with Lord Loss from Darren Shan's Demonata
- In The Sims 3, if one tries to experiment on him by using "testingcheatsenabled on" and uses the Trigger Age Transition, he will grow to be an adult but will not change appearance.
- In all Sims games except for The Sims 4, the Grim Reaper will not react to a fire. However, in some rare cases in The Sims 3, he will stay and put out the fire.
- In The Sims 3, Sims with the Observant lifetime reward can sometimes find out his traits. However, there are multiple versions of the Grim Reaper that can visit a lot, all with different personalities.
- In The Sims 3, in some cases after Grim Reaper reaps the Sim's soul(s), he may stop floating and holding his scythe, and begin interacting with various objects. He can also be interacted with by a Sim, but after one interaction he'll disappear.
- In The Sims 3, when using the Door of Life And Death, challenging the Grim Reaper to a guitar duel may be a reference to the guitar duel scene in Tenacious D's Pick of Destiny.
- In The Sims 3, the Grim Reaper only appears to have one outfit, because if he goes swimming or it gets cold out, he doesn't change his outfit. This can only be witnessed if he stops floating.
- In The Sims 3: Late Night, a Vampire may offer to bite him, but he won't turn into a vampire or get the special moodlet.
- In The Sims 3: Pets , the Grim Reaper gives some love to the pets that recently died before sending them to netherworld.
- In The Sims 3: Pets trailer, the Grim Reaper is seen riding a horse and leaving through a portal. This happens when a horse dies. The Grim Reaper basically swishes his scythe and jumps onto the ghost horse and vanishes, much like how he vanishes the other ghosts. This is also shown in Pets cover.
- In The Sims 3: Seasons , Sims can make a Grim Reaper snowman.
- In The Sims 3: University Life, the Grim Reaper may attempt to buy a soda from the vending machine and drink from it. The soda will pass through his body and leave a puddle on the ground.
- In The Sims 4, the Grim Reaper may pet or play with a cowplant on the lot after a Sim has died.
- In The Sims 4, if the player pauses the game while the camera is locked on the Grim Reaper, there is a chance eerie music will play even though the game is paused.
- In The Sims 2 and The Sims 4, there is only one Grim Reaper, and the game will not regenerate him if he is moved in or married into a household. This will also cause game corruption in The Sims 2.
- In The Sims 4, if the Grim Reaper is starved for several days, once his hunger bar reaches the lowest limit, he will fetch a biscuit from his bag and eat it, restoring his hunger bar. This way, it is impossible to starve the Grim Reaper to death.
Gallery
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References
Dates featured: May 2009.