Grim Reaper

When a sim dies, the Grim Reaper will appear to take them away. This concept was first introduced in The Sims: Livin' Large.

If no one is around when the Reaper comes to call, Death stays on the lot for a little while, uses the toilet and watches television. If the Sim that died is the last Sim on the lot an amusing dialog will appear.

Appearance
The Grim Reaper, in any depictions, is always shown with his black robe and cloak. In The Sims, the skeletal figure inside the Grim Reaper can be seen, as the head icon of the Grim Reaper is a gray skull. In The Sims 2, he is only seen as a floating gray cloak. Only his skeletal hands are shown in The Sims 3.

In the original, the Grim Reaper seemed less ominous due to the fact that his robe was more revealing. In The Sims 2, he becomes more floaty and ghostlike and less skeletal. In The Sims 3, his appearance becomes much darker and he is more evil-looking than before.

Pleading with Death
If another family member wants to, they can plead with Death, as personified by the Grim Reaper, to spare the Sim's life. There is no way to save someone who died of old age. Also, unless a Sim who drowned died near the edge of a pool, other Sims may not be able to get to the Reaper in order to plead for his or her life.

The Sims: Livin' Large
The Grim Reaper appears if a Sim dies. He appears near the mailbox in the front part of a lot. A twisting skull will appear, and the Grim Reaper comes fading in. He will immediately teleport to the dying Sim. He then will go through an animation while chanting Simlish words. When pleading, if Death is in a bad mood, he will take the corpse anyway; if Death is in a good mood, he will play rock, paper, scissors with that Sim, or put a die under three cups and mix them up. The pleading Sim will have to try to pick cup which holds the die. If the Sim wins/picks the right cup, the deceased is brought back to life for a second chance (and a choir music plays), but if the Sim loses/picks the wrong cup, Death will either take the corpse or be nice and create a zombie. If the player has Makin' Magic installed, and the skeleton maid is present and out of her closet, she will ask for the Grim Reaper's autograph.

Trivia
Although the Grim Reaper is hidden underneath his hood, the Grim Reaper has a medium skintone. This is only visible through the use of cheats.

The Grim Reaper also appears if the lot is decorated with four Jack-O-Lanterns. He will appear near the mailbox, walk to the front door, ring the doorbell, run away and disappear. This is a reference to trick or treating.

The Sims 2
A Sim with a good relationship with the deceased has the chance to plead for their life. Death will hold his hands behind his back, hiding the Sim's life in one fist, and the Sim must choose left or right. If the pleading Sim chooses incorrectly, the deceased Sim will stay dead. However, if the pleader chooses the correct one, the other Sim will come back to life, and some of their motives will actually be higher. This is known as "Being Saved from Death", and is a common want of Knowledge Sims. The higher the relationship between the pleader and the deceased, the higher the chance they will win.

The Grim Reaper can also come before the Sim dies and kill the Sim, even if it is perfectly healthy. This has only been proved in The Sims 2 Double Deluxe.

The Sims 3
The Grim Reaper comes when The Sims meet their end. He is playable through the use of cheats. In an interview with The Sims 3 associate producer Grant Rodiek, it is confirmed that Sims can have a conversation with the Grim Reaper or challenge him to a game of chess. If they win they live and if they lose they die. (This is a reference to the film "The Seventh Seal").

It has been reported by many simmers on The Sims 3 website that Grim stays for a while after a death, thus making it easier to have a conversation with Grim, or even create a Grim-Sim hybrid. This can no longer happen due to the release of the 1.3 version patch which disables ability to procreate with the Grim Reaper.

When a Sim dies, the Grim will chant in Simlish, the dead Sim will glow with a golden light, and stand up as a ghost. The Grim will then have a talk to the ghost, shake hands and the Sim banished to their urn or gravestone. It may be possible for a loved one to "Play Chess for [Sim]'s life". Maxing logic and having the highest rank in chess may affect the outcome.

Resurrection
In first person mode on The Sims 3, as the ghost, the player can either pay the Grim Reaper §100, or challenge him to a fiddle contest (a reference to the song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band). Paying will automatically give the Sim back their life, while the Fiddle contest can take time. The best way to ensure that the deceased Sim will win, is if the player fills their wants and needs bar. When the Sim returns to life, all of their needs will be half-way full. Your Sim will not look any different, or act any differently than they did before they 'died'.

In The Sims 2, the Resurrect-O-Nomitron from the Paranormal career track can bring back the dead, by phoning the Grim Reaper and paying him. If the player pays under §996 the Sim won't come back and Grim will just take your money. Paying the Grim an amount between §996 - §1408 will make the resurrected Sim a zombie. If the player pays the Grim Reaper more than §1408, he'll bring the Sim back as normal, but not exactly as they were, it'll cost much more. If the player is trying to resurrect a child, he will freely give a full resurrection, saying that he loves kids.

Sims with the traits 'Unlucky' or 'Loser' cannot die of anything other than old age. The Grim Reaper arrives, laughs at your Sim and explains how it would be a shame to take such entertainment from the world.

Zombies
In The Sims, if a plea fails, sometimes the Grim Reaper will be nice and turn the deceased into a zombie. A zombie has a bluish hue, walks funny and has no personality points. A Zombie's needs also drop faster than a normal Sims and it moves slower than normal Sims do.

Using the Resurrect-O-Nomitron on The Sims 2 for PC, and paying between §998 and §4,127 can create a disturbed zombie. The zombie has a blueish skintone, distorted facial features and a set personality. In Apartment Life, an evil witch can resurrect Sims as Zombies without the need for the Grim Reaper, the Resurrect-O-Nomitron or the University EP.

Grimwear
You 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 bring up debugging mode (says in top right corner). Press shift+M to remove CAS debugmode. The Grim Reaper suit should be at the end of "everyday clothing".

Sim/Grim Reaper Hybrids
Sim/Grim Reaper hybrids are very difficult to achieve, but possible. To get a hybrid, one must somehow get the Grim Reaper to remain on the lot after a death, then have a WooHoo with him when he relaxes on a bed. However, because an actual "relationship" with the Grim Reaper is next-to-impossible, the event is incredibly unlikely to occur. Nervous Subject from Strangetown is thought to be such a hybrid, though it is only hinted at in Olive Specter's memories. Hybrids in the Sims 2 have the genetics of the first default face seen in CAS, due to Grim Reaper lacking facial genetics. It is possible to have a baby by the Grim Reaper using The Tombstone of L and D, but he must be on the lot at the time. The inSIMenator mod offers an option that can do the same without the Grim Reaper being on the lot.

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 happens about 5% of the time, he will put away his scythe and stop levitating) and ask him to move in. Having the charismatic trait, maxed charisma and charisma challenges completed can be very helpful here, as can having an Unlucky/Loser/Technophobe/Slob sim to make summoning him repeatedly much easier. Do take note that he cannot be married, and must be moved in.

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. Hybrids in the Sims 3 have totally black skin due to the Grim Reaper's unique genetics.

How to get a Grim Reaper statue for a residential lot
There is a statue of Grim Reaper in 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.