Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="hopeless" data-source="post: 5798690" data-attributes="member: 36349">A problem party or rather a problem character...There are a number of ways to deal with this.Some have already been mentioned but how much information do you know about this PC and his party? Me I'd ask for copies of all of their characters so you can keep your own copy for the purposes of insuring you haven't missed anything so anything not listed on your copy they can't have since if it isn't listed its either lost, stolen or unavailable until you have the relevant details which means a week or another session before it can be called upon or better yet explained. Once you have these copies make up new character but clad in normal armour and equipment perhaps including a few items suitable for characters of their level and then pass the characters over with no name on these sheets explaining this is a prelude to the adventure you have planned so they have some idea of the backdrop for the "real" game. These characters have awakened with no memory of each other and evidence suggests they have shared a campsite foe some reason and all seems fine until they reach the nearest settlement. They learn a powerful group of adventurers' are in the area and they're recruited to find them and get their aid against a fearsome enemy who apparently dominates any of the adversaries sent against him but its hope this group will be able to turn the tide. Ask the former dm for the most likely place his character would be contacted and use that as the site for where this group tries to find "his" party but when they reach the contact place one of their number is identified as the hero revealing that the party had been sent against this foe but was dominated and subsequently escaped their new nemesis's control by unknown means that apparently cost them all memory of what had happened right up to the point where they first met. Their equipment will eventually be revealed as having been taken by their nemesis whilst they were preparing them for full domination and what they have was recovered during their escape which involved passing a glyph bearing a symbol of insanity which was designed to render any escapee amnesiatic to preserve the secrets of their nemesis. NOW they start the real game where they recover their memories right up until they were approached and recruited the first time but have no idea what happened after that and you have a fearsome nemesis and an adventure that should prove all the more fulfilling should they get over the fact they've lost most of the stuff that you consider overpowered. You could even have them start playing the character of another player until they reach the settlement and realise who they're actually running so they could have the option of swapping the character for their old one or stick with their new character and perhaps throw in that their nemesis didn't just try to permanently dominate them but also swapped their minds so the character stats are changed enough to avoid easy realisation and start them off as 1st level since they are unknowingly multi-classing well in some cases but are actually higher level than they realise something they won't figure out until they go to recruit themselves! The reason the settlement they reach don't know who they are is because they don't know one of their messengers actually got through and have no idea these are the heroes they've heard about. A bit of a railroad but one that should level the playing field and give your players something worth pursuing if they're really that interested in a suitable challenge. I was thinking illithid being involved so that they were actually mind blasted and perhaps polymorphed to secure them the first time round but having a psion as their figurehead should make things more interesting if you want to keep their real enemy a secret a little while longer.</blockquote>

Verification