how would you deal with the character of a player who leaves the game?
- Thread starter alsih2o
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Reika
First Post
Other
It all depends on how the player leaves. If it's on good terms and time constraints, I'll have the char leave/vanish/abducted, what have you so that if the player can return, I can have the char return.
If the player left on not so good terms, such as not bothering to show up anymore, I don't have any compunctions about killing the char. Often in such a way as to serve as an object lesson to the other PCs.
It all depends on how the player leaves. If it's on good terms and time constraints, I'll have the char leave/vanish/abducted, what have you so that if the player can return, I can have the char return.
If the player left on not so good terms, such as not bothering to show up anymore, I don't have any compunctions about killing the char. Often in such a way as to serve as an object lesson to the other PCs.
Halivar
First Post
I might be the only one, but in my group, we have this thing about other people, even the DM, playing our character. In our group, if a player can't make it to the session, then an appropriate (and immediate) reason is found for their abrupt disappearance.
For one thing, some players like holding on to their characters and using them again. For another, I would be sorely ticked off if I returned to find my character had died simply because the DM didn't use his/her abilities to the extent as I would've. That goes for me DM'ing, as well. I don't want to be held responsible for what happens to someone else's character.
YDMIMV
For one thing, some players like holding on to their characters and using them again. For another, I would be sorely ticked off if I returned to find my character had died simply because the DM didn't use his/her abilities to the extent as I would've. That goes for me DM'ing, as well. I don't want to be held responsible for what happens to someone else's character.
YDMIMV
Last edited:
Centaur
First Post
I think the best way is to do a dramatic death that advances the story line. If the party has been harrasing or having confrontations with a BBEG, then have that person show up near the end of the last game session that the person is involved in.
There should be a surprise situation where the BBEG kills the players character in no uncertain terms and demands that the characters stay out his way in no uncertain terms. He then leaves.
Remember that death is by no means a story killer as there are many ways to come back from the dead.
There should be a surprise situation where the BBEG kills the players character in no uncertain terms and demands that the characters stay out his way in no uncertain terms. He then leaves.
Remember that death is by no means a story killer as there are many ways to come back from the dead.
Centaur
First Post
Another option would be to arrange with the player a betrayal were as the BBEG contacts the character in question and asks them to do something for him in exchange for something.
Of course you arrange this out of game with none of the other players around so that nobody suspects a thing.
Then at the crucial time, the player performs the act of betrayal and either gets away... or is killed by the other players for his action.
Imagine the looks on the other players faces when their ranger stabs the party in the back and makes off with the treasure sack.
Remember
Planning to be an evil GM is easy, Executing it in front of your friends is hard.
Of course you arrange this out of game with none of the other players around so that nobody suspects a thing.
Then at the crucial time, the player performs the act of betrayal and either gets away... or is killed by the other players for his action.
Imagine the looks on the other players faces when their ranger stabs the party in the back and makes off with the treasure sack.
Remember
Planning to be an evil GM is easy, Executing it in front of your friends is hard.
doctorjeff98
First Post
Mysterious disappearance---the characters wake up and one of them is missing---
If the character had valuable campaign-related info, a note explaining this info, any plot points, and valuable items can be left behind for the character most able to fulfill the role to find.
The note doesn't have to be a farewell note or offer any explaination of the mysterious disappearance, maybe it's just a diary---the GM can decide who finds it. It could even be found in sections if the character's role needs to be divided between multiple characters.
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Dimensions Game Software
If the character had valuable campaign-related info, a note explaining this info, any plot points, and valuable items can be left behind for the character most able to fulfill the role to find.
The note doesn't have to be a farewell note or offer any explaination of the mysterious disappearance, maybe it's just a diary---the GM can decide who finds it. It could even be found in sections if the character's role needs to be divided between multiple characters.
-----------------------------------------------
Dimensions Game Software
Strangely, the last time this happened to one of my games, it was the player of the ranger who left as well.
I had a bit of fun with it (which, I admit, wouldn't necessarily work in all campaigns). I was in the middle of a run with a particular BBEG, and I wanted a Little Bad to challenge the party for a while. In what turned out to be the player's last session (he just stopped coming afterwards), the ranger was knocked unconscious by quickling sleep daggers. The party did a good job of waking everyone else up, but nobody bothered to wake the ranger. Eventually, the quicklings noticed this, and coup-de-graced him (being invisible and all made it hard for the party to notice). The party raised him from the dead, before the end of the session and we ended there for the night.
Unknowing that the player wasn't coming back, I ran him as an NPC for a couple of sessions, but eventually he left, the character stating that he needed to move on (Chaotic Neutral). Off screen, I had my BBEG kidnap the ranger and brainwash him - making him believe that the party hadn't just gotten to him last in the battle with the quicklings, instead having the ranger convinced the party had one out of their way to let him die.
Shortly there after, I had the party ambushed by a mysterious archer. It took a while to discover his identity, and when they found out it was the ranger, there was much paranoia since the ranger had helped them set up most of the traps surrounding their base of operations. He also knew all their weaknesses, so they were less than impressed when he started using arrows of magical beast slaying against the spellcasters' familiars.
Eventually they subdued him (not wanting to kill a former companion) and magically healed the brainwashing. Afterwards, he left for good, needing space away from all the crazyness.
I had a bit of fun with it (which, I admit, wouldn't necessarily work in all campaigns). I was in the middle of a run with a particular BBEG, and I wanted a Little Bad to challenge the party for a while. In what turned out to be the player's last session (he just stopped coming afterwards), the ranger was knocked unconscious by quickling sleep daggers. The party did a good job of waking everyone else up, but nobody bothered to wake the ranger. Eventually, the quicklings noticed this, and coup-de-graced him (being invisible and all made it hard for the party to notice). The party raised him from the dead, before the end of the session and we ended there for the night.
Unknowing that the player wasn't coming back, I ran him as an NPC for a couple of sessions, but eventually he left, the character stating that he needed to move on (Chaotic Neutral). Off screen, I had my BBEG kidnap the ranger and brainwash him - making him believe that the party hadn't just gotten to him last in the battle with the quicklings, instead having the ranger convinced the party had one out of their way to let him die.
Shortly there after, I had the party ambushed by a mysterious archer. It took a while to discover his identity, and when they found out it was the ranger, there was much paranoia since the ranger had helped them set up most of the traps surrounding their base of operations. He also knew all their weaknesses, so they were less than impressed when he started using arrows of magical beast slaying against the spellcasters' familiars.
Eventually they subdued him (not wanting to kill a former companion) and magically healed the brainwashing. Afterwards, he left for good, needing space away from all the crazyness.
tarchon
First Post
There was one time when a PC got possessed by a demon in Warhammer, which is basically the same thing as dying, and the player got in a snit and stomped out, though the rest of us didn't know why. The GM recruited a new player to take over the PC-as-demon. We went for like 4 or 5 sessions with the rest of us thinking the PC was just acting strange because of the new player, until the degeneration caught up with him.
That new player was... alsih2o.
And now you know the rest of the story.
That new player was... alsih2o.
And now you know the rest of the story.
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