Excited to Die: Do you keep backup characters?

[Katcracker]

I always have ideas floating about, but if I start really thinking about one it means the current one is a goner. Most of the people I've played with seem to be along these same lines. If they start chatting up a new character it means this one is on it's way out.

 

[lukelightning]

I always have a back up, simply because I always have a bunch of character concepts floating around in my head that I would like to play sometime.

 

[Henry]

In our current campaign, if my Kalashtar psion ever gets killed, I have an idea for a Smart Hero from M.I.T. with a baseball bat and explosives, if my DM will let me.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Back in the 1e days, we all had plenty of characters (I was particularly guilty). It started causing problems when players started liking their back-ups more than the main character, or wanting to run this back-up character for this adventure, and this one for another. When 2e came out, we used that as an excuse to make a clean break and establish a 1:1 ratio.

 

[swrushing]

In my last DND game, i ran after life" scenes for PCs who died filling in the time between death and raising. They were so much fun that several of the living characters were lamenting that they weren't dying and so were deprived of their afterlife plots.

 

[sniffles]

I have dozens of character concepts rolling around in my brain (probably why I'm so distracted ) and I sometimes stat them out and choose feats, etc. But I'm not at all keen to lose my current characters and would much prefer to keep playing them.

I just like creating new characters. I find the character creation process fun. And I worry that if I did need to come up with something new I'd have a hard time deciding, so I hope that already having some backup PCs in reserve will make it easier for me to select something with minimal pain should the opportunity present itself.

 

[WayneLigon]

All of us keep at least one backup character ready in the wings. The normal thing we do is that your next character is the same level as the one you lost, or has the same amount of 'X' (whatever the system uses for advancement). That way, no time is wasted making up someone on the spot.

 

[The Shaman]

I usually have a replacement character somewhere in the back of my mind, but I don't usually keep a statted character handy until I need one.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Of course!

It's an outlet for creativity, and something to think about when I'm on the Metro or in between calls at work (not now, but different times).

I typically have at least one backup concept/game fleshed out enough that I can build it in a few minutes. I typically have a few more that I can take out if necessary, but not to the point where I know what their equipment would be. It helps to actually build them, though, as concepts that appear cool at first blush often aren't quite as cool when built.

Ironically, we've noticed that having the backup character usually means that there is no character death. However, since we too are running Return to the Temple of Elemental Monteism, Punchy*, the warforged fighter/Gladiator, is ready to roll.

Brad

* - I typically assign my concepts relevant project names when working on them. Punchy the warforged, for example, is all about the slam. The Bitey Project involved a disturbing anthropomorphic tyrannosaur, and so on. My current Eberron fighter's project name was "Dwarven Hammer Chick", which is ironic, as she uses axes now.

 

[blargney the second]

I'm working with my DM to kill off my current PC tonight so I can start playing my new PC. Can't wait!

-blarg