Running a Stand-in PC

Fauchard1520 · Sep 12, 2018

The worst possible thing has happened: One of the PCs has a scheduling conflict, and has to miss the session. How do you guys handle it when you have to run a stand-in PC? Do you just handwave that character’s actions, pretend they aren’t there, or try and do the character justice by allowing a GM/other player to RP them?

Related comic for illustrative purposes.

MonkeezOnFire · Sep 12, 2018

I only run a missing player's character while in combats or in a dungeon where the other PCs will really need their contribution. Especially if that player has support that the other characters usually count on. I don't really like doing this as a DM as it adds yet another thing I have to do and focus on. Usually I'll run them as a heavily simplified version focusing on one or two options and repeatedly using those.

Otherwise for RP scenes that character spends that session off camera. It's generally assumed they're talking to some other people, handling business elsewhere, etc.

machineelf · Sep 12, 2018

You can bring this up in Session 0, but I know you're past that now. I would ask your players if they feel comfortable playing another character sheet when someone's absent. Some people like to, some people don't.

In my group, most people don't, because they are too focused on their own character. So we just handwave it narratively, and say that the missing character just fades into the background. They are still there as far as the narrative is concerned, they just don't contribute to fights or roleplaying. When the player returns, it is like his/her character was always there. But you do have to be careful when your players are in a big, dangerous fight, because missing a player can really handicap them. I'd also bring this up in Session 0 if they go that route, making sure they know that there is a greater chance of disaster and TPKs if they choose to not play the missing player's character.

lowkey13 · Sep 12, 2018

*Deleted by user*

Umbran · Sep 12, 2018

I usually operate the missing character on "automatic". When their particular skills are needed, they'll use them. But most of the time they fade into the background - they don't provide huge amounts of help, but neither are they at great risk. In a fight they'll take on their fair share of opponents - but that's often just cinematic, an excuse for reducing the bad guys by a fair proportion of the bad guys. The fight happens, you turn around, and the missing player's character has a few corpses on the floor around them, too.

Paul Farquhar · Sep 12, 2018

On one occassion that happened the character fell sick with the desease the party was supposed to be curing, and had to be carried around by the other party members. Then they hid him in a crate with some strong alcohol whilst they did the dungeon.

jasper · Sep 12, 2018

The pc is not present. Generally No xp is given. I don't give a story reason why the PC disappeared.

iserith · Sep 12, 2018

Because I run games with a pool of players larger than the number of seats available for a given session (and those players often have more than one character), it's pretty common that PCs are swapped in and out during the adventure. There is thus no need for anyone to play someone else's characters because the group is down a person - because we're never down a person!

We come up with whatever reasons seem appropriate in context to explain away the character that may have been there the previous session but who isn't there this session (or why a character is there this session but wasn't there in the last). Sometimes the reason is silly, but purposefully so as we like silly.

GlassJaw · Sep 12, 2018

In pretty much every game I've run or played in throughout my adult life, people having to miss sessions is not uncommon. Life happens. No big deal.

The group plays on as normal, ignoring the missing character as much as possible. No role-playing, no major decisions about or for that character, etc. If combat comes up, if necessary, someone in the group makes simple decisions for that character and rolls the dice. Sometimes it's done by committee.

I also don't withhold xp for people who can't make it. That's punishment for something that comes up in real-life in a GAME that's supposed fun and a break from real-life.

alienux · Sep 12, 2018

I never run another player's character for them when I DM, and I never let someone else run their character. Too much of that character's story could be controlled by someone else and could end in something that the player doesn't like.

I generally have something happen that requires the missing player's character to be temporarily unavailable, and just proceed with the available players as is. For example, they may get summoned away by someone important to them for help with something. I've also had a character get reduced in size by a shrink potion, and have the other characters carry them around in a backpack or something, mostly just ignoring them. Then, when the player is back, I let them quickly find a way to return the character to normal size and move on.