PC Death when the player isn't there

[DarrenGMiller]

In my campaign, the rules is that when a player is absent, there are two options. The first is that the player signifies that he/she does not want his character played or run as an NPC by taking the character sheet. The character then fades into the background, tends camp, plays rearguard, and cannot gain any experience points. The second is that the player leaves the character sheet with the DM (me) and the character is either played by another player of the absent player's choice or run as an NPC (usually the case) and participates in all encounters, risks death, and gains experience points as normal.

DM

 

[Baron Opal]

This kind of situation resulted in a major argument in my game once, long ago. My current policy is thus:

If you happen not to show up for whatever reason, the character fades into the background for the game. The character is safe, but gains no treasure and can not assist the team.

If you are not going to show up and inform me ahead of time, you have the option of fading or having another player or myself running the character. If the character is played, it has a chance of dying.

If a player doesn't show up for an extended period and make no arraingements, the character leaves the group and goes on their merry way. the difference this entails is that they are no longer coupled with the team experience awards and if the player returns the character will be at a different experience total.

 

[BradfordFerguson]

OK, my only thoughts on the matter are if the PCs normally do raise dead or resurrection on other PCs, then why aren't they doing it for an NPCs that was travelling with the group and actively adventuring and risking their life alongside the other party members. This would be some of the worst meta-gaming, IMO.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

If the guys has been out for 2 months, well them's the breaks. It's not like to just ice the character while he was in the john. Just get him to make another.

 

[pogre]

We are a fade into the background crew by design. Unfortunately, real world commitments mean that three of my players can make it only some of the time. I have eight total so it's not that big of a deal - I write most of my monster encounters with a scaleable number anyway. It's annoying sometimes when we are in the middle of a story, but that's just the nature of our game.

In a lot of ways I feel fortunate to keep a group going of folks in their late 30s and early 40s. Sadly, it's the young pups still in there 20's that have the toughest time making it - they are in retail with no set schedule.

 

[Pants]

I've done things like this before. Occasionally, I'll have a character 'fade out' for a game, but it's understood that if you miss a session, someone else plays your character. Usually I do this because it's often very difficult to just have a character 'fade out.' I usually end sessions right before major conflicts, fights, or something else big/important happening. When I don't do that, the character can fade into the background.

However, only once have I killed the character of a player who was absent. He was a regular absentee so 'tough luck' as I would say. His character was pretty much an NPC by that point anyways, so maybe it doesn't really count.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

You could always apply the "obscure death" rule. The character was actually knocked unconscious and captured, or the person they saw die was really a doppleganger who'd replaced the character before the final combat, or distant relatives paid to have him ressurrected, or the death was merely an illusion ... something like that.

The character can return with the appropriate wild story that can even serve as a hook for further adventures. Or better yet, the returned character is an imposter with a wild story claiming to be the original character ...

In this game, death hardly has to be the last word.

 

[Zappo]

I kill PCs when the player isn't present only if the player hasn't been present for a long time and doesn't look like coming back any time soon. In those cases, I consider the PC to have become an NPC, and thus fair game.

Apart from that - no, PCs of players that aren't present have immunity. They also fade in the background or vanish in some convenient way, though, unless they are sorely needed for some very class-specific task (such as identifying an item or healing the party). In any case, they don't get XP (on account of running no risk).

 

[MonsterMash]

In my group we've used a mixture of things:
One player was going to be away for an extended period, but we were in a village so his character was able to fade into the background.

Otherwise normally another player would run the character if we were in a situation with few breakout options - also as we've only got four regular players one PC being absent really affects the party balance.

 

[diaglo]

the player decides his character's fate.

he can be in or out of the action.

he can have someone else run his character or have the referee.

but if he is in the action... his PC risks death.

if he is not in the action. then he is not able to die. at all. but he also won't gain experience for the session.