Help with newborn child

[Riley]

The baby itself is a half-fey, which in my DM's world grow up quite significantly faster than human children, about twice as fast, and the DM does track things like travel time, so if we move around a lot (which seems like it might be the case), and nobody has teleport (which it doesn't look like will be the case, as the only person capable of getting it will be a sorcerer, so they might not pick it up), then travel time alone might make the game progress at a decent rate. The last game I played with this DM covered about the span of 2 years in game over about a 8 month period out of game, and that was a very confined game with little to no overland travel.

Finally, I have a petal familiar (using the familiar ACF) who could take care of the baby while I'm going on particularly dangerous adventures, hiding the child away in a tree hollow or the like and using the emphatic link to keep in touch and immediately retreat to the baby if the familiar senses something wrong.

If it starts to drag, a 'hidden' baby could always be abducted to the feywild (or other faerie equivalent realm). Time does funny things there, and the child might suddenly be a lot older.

It sounds like it could be a great idea, and there's always an out or three if needed.

 

[delericho]

How much do you think this would annoy other players if I have to always put the child first before adventuring, or do you think it could prove as interesting roleplay.

It comes down to how you play it, but my gut feeling is that this is trouble. Consider for a moment the Lawful-Annoying Paladin who constantly insists that everyone in the party follows his code, or the thief who constantly steals from party members, or the CN jerk who delights in wrecking every single social scene. They always say they're "just playing their character", but what they're actually doing is saying "this game is all about me."

Making your character the mother of a newborn (who is also along for the ride) is very likely to have an even greater effect than any of those other three characters. So you should definitely run it by the other players in the group, and if they object then do something else. Because maybe they're cool with it... but maybe they're not.

 

[pemerton]

Am I the only person who thought of Lone Wolf and Cub?

I don't think there is any in-principle problem, especially if your GM tends to run a player-driven campaign.

 

[Herobizkit]

Plot-twist: The Half-fey is an Unseelie Changeling - the real baby was schlepped away to the Feywild and returns a fully-grown adult to meet the mother. :3

 

[Umbran]

If it starts to drag, a 'hidden' baby could always be abducted to the feywild (or other faerie equivalent realm).

Really. The kid is half-fae - what is its father going to think of the druid repeatedly dragging the child into hazardous situations? Oberon (or whoever) steps up and says, "I left the child with you because I thought you'd be best to care for it. Clearly, I was wrong..."

 

[Crake]

Plot-twist: The Half-fey is an Unseelie Changeling - the real baby was schlepped away to the Feywild and returns a fully-grown adult to meet the mother. :3

If it starts to drag, a 'hidden' baby could always be abducted to the feywild (or other faerie equivalent realm). Time does funny things there, and the child might suddenly be a lot older.

It sounds like it could be a great idea, and there's always an out or three if needed.

Wouldn't this defeat the purpose of playing a mother raising a child, if the child just suddenly becomes self sufficient? I feel like that would just twist the concept to where it clearly doesn't fit the aim, and it would just be better to retire the character if the other players dislike it, rather than making it something it's not.

Really. The kid is half-fae - what is its father going to think of the druid repeatedly dragging the child into hazardous situations? Oberon (or whoever) steps up and says, "I left the child with you because I thought you'd be best to care for it. Clearly, I was wrong..."

The father, fey being as fickle as they are, could have just been some wandering party animal looking for a good time, with no thoughts to his actions. Not all fey are staunch protectors of the wild, in fact, most of them are just cheery souls looking to have fun.

 

[Herobizkit]

Wouldn't this defeat the purpose of playing a mother raising a child, if the child just suddenly becomes self sufficient? I feel like that would just twist the concept to where it clearly doesn't fit the aim, and it would just be better to retire the character if the other players dislike it, rather than making it something it's not.

No no. The mother would still raise the child, only to find that it's growing faster than it should, and once it reaches 'adulthood', its true form is revealed and now the mother realizes in horror that her _real_ baby is somewhere in the Feywild...

 

[amerigoV]

I know this might not be everyone's cup of tea in an RPG, but my character is starting a game with a newborn child she needs to look after.

How much do you think this would annoy other players if I have to always put the child first before adventuring, or do you think it could prove as interesting roleplay.

Character is a very self-sufficient druid that is going to be working with the party to stop the spread of ill-magic in the forest. Child is a half-fey.

Perhaps you have never had a newborn - your druid will never get enough sleep to refresh her spells. When you need it most her spell components will be scattered and mixed on the ground after the baby got into them, and you will likely be eaten by a random encounter at night (crying).

But, at least the Silence spell would get a lot of use.

 

[Crake]

Perhaps you have never had a newborn - your druid will never get enough sleep to refresh her spells. When you need it most her spell components will be scattered and mixed on the ground after the baby got into them

Druids don't need rest to get their spells back, they're divine casters, and a significant portion of the good druid spells don't have any material components, just divine focus. Those that do, well, your spell component pouch is on your belt, not with your baby.

 

[amerigoV]

Those that do, well, your spell component pouch is on your belt, not with your baby.

ROTFL! Good one.

But then again, it is a fantasy game.