Help with a player constantly changing characters

[orchid blossom]

We have a player that also loves to try out the newest things out. He always has a ton of ideas and can't seem to find enough games to try them in.

When we started out last campaign, our DM stressed how important it was for us to stick with the same characters, and he offered an incentive. We all got one free feat at the beginning of play, and a couple other campaign specific perks. The catch was, you had to stick with your character. If you just made a new character because you felt like it, you didn't get the perks.

We also had a special five-level prestige class characters could take. Once you had gotten through those levels you really didn't want to change characters, since you would then have to re-earn them with the new one. People who did not have the class couldn't open the doors to the family tower, a scry-proof, forbiddenced place of saftey.

Anyway, this player who used to change characters about every two months went through a 3 year campaign with one character beginning to end. He even went to some extreme lengths to keep the character alive.

 

[Lela]

When that comes up, assuming I trust the player, I'll usually ask him to help me create some NPCs, good and bad. In my case, the players are usually better at making spellcasters than I am (I'm just not good at it), so it can be a big help to me as well.

This gives him the chance to use the dizzying new books while still allowing him to have a hand in backgrounds. Makes the world ritcher and gives the players a hand in doing it.

As to it slowing down game time, that should die off a little if he's creating NPCs. Usually the character's stats won't come up in the session (if your DM plans right) so, when everyone else is ready, it's easy to put aside.

 

[The Shaman]

I think a number of you have hit it on the head: many of these new characters are made using the absolute latest rule books in a dizzying combination. As I am the rules consultant for the game, I'm called upon to make calls as to what to do with these combinations, which also causes tension in the game. It seems like we go through a "negotiation" stage with each new character that is, frankly, annoying the rest of the group since it takes up session time--even after a thorough discussion with e-mail during the week.

Wow, a dilletante with a burning desire to be the center of attention?

Where can I find some players like this for my games!?! :\

 

[SteveC]

When that comes up, assuming I trust the player, I'll usually ask him to help me create some NPCs, good and bad. In my case, the players are usually better at making spellcasters than I am (I'm just not good at it), so it can be a big help to me as well.

This gives him the chance to use the dizzying new books while still allowing him to have a hand in backgrounds. Makes the world ritcher and gives the players a hand in doing it.

As to it slowing down game time, that should die off a little if he's creating NPCs. Usually the character's stats won't come up in the session (if your DM plans right) so, when everyone else is ready, it's easy to put aside.

This is an EXCELLENT suggestion. I will have to run this by our GM, but I think it might help things out quite a bit. Thanks!

--Steve

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I am almost, but not quite, that guy.

I have hundreds of PCs, most unplayed, that cover my 28 years of play- some are even for systems I never got to play. No, there are not enough campaigns for me to try them all out. Most of this is due to wanting to play every cool concept I've ever seen or come up with myself.

However, I don't try to swtich my PCs out at the first opportunity. If my PC dies, though, I always have a backup ready to go.

Having this guy design NPCs for you is a great idea, as long as you can rely on him not using his knowlege of the NPCs when the party encounters them.

You might also tell the player that "this PC" is THE ONE- as in "The Chosen One." In other words, in some way essential to the campaign. Not that this is neccessarily true...it could be a false prophesy, he could be a decoy, etc.

On the other hand, if the other players don't have a problem with it, let him keep doing the rotating guest star. Most dramas DO have them, after all. One session, he plays the hireling...the next, the secret prince...the next, who knows?

 

[JamesDJarvis]

I find if I limit the level at which new characters come in then switching characetrs or letting them die doesn't happen too often. Sure it happens now and again but folks that do it are very serious about it and I'm not bothere by continuity issues (i.e. if everyone in the game is about 12th level then a new guy is not gonna be about 12th level as i find it annoying trying to explain how a powerful character developed to that level witghout the PCs noticing and then all of a sudden they arew going to trust that characetr enough to adventure together).

 

[The_Gneech]

I am almost, but not quite, that guy.

I have hundreds of PCs, most unplayed, that cover my 28 years of play- some are even for systems I never got to play. No, there are not enough campaigns for me to try them all out. Most of this is due to wanting to play every cool concept I've ever seen or come up with myself.

Ditto. I've been playing my current warrior-mage for something like three years and I'm tired of him, but he keeps not dying.

-The Gneech

 

[apesamongus]

Well, I'm going to go out in a different direction from everyone else and ask why the GM has a problem with the characters changing and why it's upsetting the group. There's really nothing about new characters (apart from the silly thing that's keeping him 2 levels behind) that should be disruptive. Not every character has to be intimately tied to the plot.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I have a bit of the "That Guy" gene. Luckily I usually GM. And when I don't GM, half the players ask me to put together their PCs. And when I DO GM, half the players ask me to put together their PCs.

So I get to flex my creatin'-fingers quite a bit. I do think that might help this guy.

But, as has been said, definately have some sort of conversation with him. Do it with humor. I've always found that a little dose of humor helps to ease past uncomfortable situations like that. It's not really a serious situation, it's a situation about a GAME. Keep that in mind. I see people get really worked up about stuff. Not worth it.

I would combine two suggestions, though: Talk to him about it, but then I would come together with DM and Player and have an agreement that this current or the next PC will be "The One" and he'll have to stick with it ... but that the PC will come in at an average or high level, so that the situation isn't exacerbated.

(But, for our part, we usually have some "house rules" where there's things other than level-loss for replacing dead PCs. Always seemed like double-punishment to me. Your PC gets killed AND he's now more likely to get killed in the future AND any PC you bring in is more likely to get killed in the future. Nice.)

I AM worried about the "New Book" principle. Though sometimes that's okay ... one of my recent PCs was entirely non-core ... a Goblin rogue (Goblin isn't usually a PC race) with a feat called "Flee!" from a 3rd party source ... which only let him act again in the same round if he ever lost half of his HP, acting directly after whatever reduced his HP and his only action being to drop everything and withdraw. So he was maximized for being USELESS in combat. That's what made it fun for everybody.

--fje

 

[sniffles]

I am almost, but not quite, that guy.

I have hundreds of PCs, most unplayed, that cover my 28 years of play- some are even for systems I never got to play. No, there are not enough campaigns for me to try them all out. Most of this is due to wanting to play every cool concept I've ever seen or come up with myself.

However, I don't try to swtich my PCs out at the first opportunity. If my PC dies, though, I always have a backup ready to go.

Me, too! I love making PCs, even though I know I'll never get a chance to play most of them. However, I don't let that drag me into swapping characters all the time. That would annoy my fellow players. It would also annoy the GM and possibly ruin the GM's carefully constructed metaplot.

We also have a player who, while he does not switch characters all the time, is perpetually unhappy with his character. I've thought of starting a thread to ask for advice, but I'm not the GM. This player isn't out for the latest prestige class/feat/spell, though. He just seems to think his PC ought to be the best at whatever it is the PC is required to do - especially skills. He made a PC who was designed to be a great diplomat and then got upset because his rolls of over 30 on Diplomacy checks didn't mean he automatically swayed everyone to his opinion. For some reason he became convinced that GM's campaign is all about combat, which isn't true at all. Now he's unhappy because his new combat monster PC doesn't automatically hit on every attack. :\

Many of the suggestions sound excellent for handling the player in SteveC's question. I wish they'd work for the player in my group.