How fast do new characters join the group?

[dreaded_beast]

I try to make it ASAP, using common sense of course. However, it's not too difficult to come up with a plausible reason considering this is a fantasy game. This even leads into more adventure hooks for later in the campaign sometimes. As some other posters have stated, I would hate for a player to sit around while others are playing.

 

[drothgery]

In my experience, new characters have usually appeared early in the next session. And as major combat scenes tend to be the last event before the end of a gaming session, it's rare that someone gets knocked out of the game early, unless the game ran too late the last week and we had to pack things up mid-combat.

 

[Baron Opal]

I was once in a game where I did something dim and my character died. So, I made my next character and waited patiently. Now, the adventuring group was evilly aligned, which is relevant in that the party was not just going to pick up some schmoe. If they were not of the fighter's guild or from the temple of Set, it just wasn't going to work. Even so, there were factions, etc. So, I was told that I would have to wait until the party returned to the city-state to resupply. This was my second or third time playing with this group. There was one game a week.

I showed up for the second session and sat on my hands for 5 hours.

I called for the third session and chatted with the DM about a reasonable expectation for when I could rejoin the group. I got a verbal shrug and an apology.

Around the sixth session I ran into him and he told me that the character would be raised by the temple and that the party had returned. I told him that I had found another game. He was surprised.

I come to the table to play. I can accept that my character is going to get squashed from time to time, and I can wait until the next session for the next entry-point. I don't mind bending to verisimilitude to enhance the experience, to a point. If I have to wait a six weeks I'll find a different group, thanks.

 

[Crothian]

six sessions is defiantly too much. At most I think we get the new character in the game the following session.

 

[ElvishBard]

When one of my players die, they usually are back with a character within half an hour because I know how much it sucks to do nothing for a long time when other people are having fun. The buildings they explore always have a dungeon or two, so if someone new or with a dead character has one ready, then the character is stranded in the dungeon and is quickly found and recruited.

If they are in the wilderness, they I have some golbins or other creatures roaming the wild and run into the PCs, and they have prisioners with them. I also have the new people join them in town, but I don't think I need to explain why or how .

 

[Crothian]

it suprises me that people can choose what to make for their next characxter and then go ahead and make it all in like a half hour. We usually spend some time and take it slkower in figureing out the character, crafting their background, and building their personality.

 

[Rev_Spider]

The new pc was fighting an evil wizard when he found himself teleported to the party's exact location.

 

[Goblyn]

Usually the DM tried his best to fit the new character in a verisimilitudinous way. If he didn't succeed, then we(the players) were forgiving as we all know how difficult it is.

I use past tense because I left this group due to damnable real life interference almost a year ago(cry).

...I use that one because I know no sadder emoticon.

 

[Baron Opal]

it suprises me that people can choose what to make for their next characxter and then go ahead and make it all in like a half hour. We usually spend some time and take it slkower in figureing out the character, crafting their background, and building their personality.

Half of the players in my group have already figured out what they are playing next. It's just a matter of crunching the numbers. A couple others don't have a clue, and would need a couple hours of face time to determine the generalities.

Baron Opal

 

[Darkness]

An hour, tops.

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

Introducing a new character is usually easy for me, assuming basic compatibility to the rest of the party.