How fast do new characters join the group?

[Greylock]

My players always have a lot of character ideas ready, so they just need to fill in the numbers (if they haven't already).

Lord, I've got plenty of character ideas, but unless someone is holding a gun to my head (and that hasn't happened yet ) there is no freaking way I could ever ready a char that fast. The char creation process fills whatever time has been made available to me. The guy I'm running in alsih2o's game took me something like four days, and I considered him a 'one-shot' char at first. Char creation for the fellow I'm about to run in BealeKnight's new campaign has taken me over three monthes. Didn't consider him finished until BK snatched the char sheet out of hand, folded it, put it in his pocket, and walked off into the dark and stormy night. And then, and only when, BK ignored me chasing down his car.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Quite often have guest players, so I keep a couple of pregenerated characters around. If someones character dies, then I'll bring them in playing one of those as soon as possible. Generally after the combat that killed them.

I like this solution. It means they can get straight back in the action, so no sitting around looking bored. On the flip side, they have time to create a character at the leisure. No rushing into something they havn't had time to think through. Only problem with this is in higher level games. Keeping the pregens up to speed can take a bit of effort.


As for introducing the new character, the players normally come up with an explanation. Most often an out of town friend or distant relative of one of the existing characters. Sometimes a relevant local contact. Try to introduce them at the start of the next session, in the interests of fun.

If it's an inconveneint time/place then I'll just stretch things a bit. Prisoner of the next badguys. Seriously lost traveller. Planar travel mishap. The usual sort of reality stretching stuff.

 

[Mark]

When a character dies and is not going to be resurected, how long before the new character by the same player joins the group?

ASAP. If the player has one ready, I figure out a way to bring them in. In my One-Shot games, I usually have a stack of iconics that people can use, and those not picked from the beginning become replacement characters. I've had a character die and a replacement coming running up from behind the group the very next round (So-and-so finally "catches up" to the party, sees the-other-so-and-so dead, and dives right into combat!)

It's all fiction, how it plays out is up to the DM, so I see no sense in making someone sit and watch when they can be playing in most cases.

 

[S'mon]

I think I've almost always brought them in next session. Never in the same session where the last PC died (though I might let them play a handy cohort or NPC if appropriate), very very rarely if ever made a player miss a session before they can bring in new PC, although I might do that in extremis.
Generally, if a PC dies I'm fine with making the player sit out the rest of that session & then take a bit of time to think up a new PC, but I don't want to punish them beyond that.

 

[frankthedm]

Depends on how the PCs have acted. if they actually roleplayed with people, made NPC allies or have pre-described family who might know where they were going, then there is a decent chance an ally could be 'waiting in the wings'. If on the other hand if they have made thier characters antisocial lone wolfs without a single NPC ally or family member, then they may be out of luck for swift assitance. Also to combat the "you look trustworthy B.S.", I occasionally have the Player without PC play a NPC that acts like a PC, but actualy will attack/betray the party at a decent opportunity.

 

[diaglo]

i try and work them in as soon as the party reaches a reasonable point.

however, i have worked them in during combat. also as a random encounter, as a random traveler on the road, at a bar/tavern/inn, as a prisoner, as the rescue team, and so on.

depends on the player's wishes and the believeability.