Is this fair?

[Ozmar]

I had a L-8 CN Dread Necromancer that I've been playing in an Age of Worms campaign for about six months. In the last game session, I had to leave early, and so (as is our custom) I handed him over to be played by another player. When asking how the rest of the session went, I was informed that the PCs had to make a sacrifice, and that my character volunteered, gave up his worldly possessions, and converted to paladin.

Now, I am normally cool with going along with whatever crazy ideas the DM has in mind, but this strikes me as a trifle... extreme? I am wondering, what do you guys do? If another player is running your character, how far are they "allowed" to go in running him? If the DM wants to screw with your character (imposing gender changes, race changes, class changes, etc...), then how far do you think he can go before you object? Is a player's character sacrosanct? Should a player be allowed to play the character he wants? Or is playing in a DMs campaign essentially giving him permission to screw with your character?

Just curious. Debate!

-Ozmar the New Paladin

 

[Crothian]

Of course it is fair. You gave your character to another player to play him. If you didn't want things like this to happen you should have just left with the character sheet.

 

[takyris]

Gah. That's bad. Funny, but bad.

Not sure if the DM is just zany, or if he was having trouble with your character and chose a lousy passive-aggressive way of dealing with it in-game or what, but... gah.

 

[Ashrum the Black]

Umm, wow. Nope, the character belongs to the player in my campaigns, not the DM's. Keep in mind I'm the DM.

If a sacrifice was required, the players present at that time, would have had to make it with thier own character. I as the DM would have stepped in and over ruled it if they had tried to screw with the missing players character. Unless of course it was totally in keeping with the way the player has been playing their PC in whihc case I would have left them an out if they did object. (ie. a self sacrificing paladin leaping in the way of a trap about to skewer the wounded party mage)

For the most part somebody that has to leave partway through the seesion becomes a robot that fights and what not under control of the new player, but his primary character is still the one 99.9% of their roleplaying comes.


-Ashrum

 

[diaglo]

Of course it is fair. You gave your character to another player to play him. If you didn't want things like this to happen you should have just left with the character sheet.

qfmft

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Hehe - so are you going to be a paladin questing to be a dread necromancer again?

Certainly more original than hunting for the holy grail or what not...

You sure they wern't having a joke with you?

 

[shilsen]

As both player and DM, I don't think that's fair. But it's definitely funny

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

I went with "No, but funny!"

If someone told me that's what they did with my character, I'd laugh and not believe them unless they kept insisting it happened. Then my converted paladin would throw himself on something sharp and painful to repent for all his "sins."

It's crazy crap like this that keeps my character sheet in my folder. It's also why I happily rule missing players' PCs as background noise. You know it's there, you just can't always figure out where it's coming from.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Heh, bide your time until someone else leaves early or doesn't show. Then have their pc convert to the church of homosexual ogre pleasure slaves and become an altar boy.

 

[jollyninja]

did he take away your levels and convert them to paladin levels? if not, you're down some posessions and i'd say you're justified in overcharging a bit for any magic items you create for the party. the joy of being CN is unless there are definite serious consequences, you can burn the oath for what it's worth. nothing. even if you have to take a level in paladin or die to complete the oath, you can still have some fun with it. gets you martial weapon proficiency, some diplomacy ranks, better skill riding your undead mount you create later. plate mail is great to wear in those times where you can't cast spells, dead magic zones and the like, and when the ignorant peasants come looking for the necromancer, they are not looking for the guy who looks like he knows what he's doing with a longsword and is wearing full plate. why not wear the plate and make your combat spells into wands and scrolls? spell failure on most of the noncombat spells just means you have to try them again.

when the man sticks it to you like this, smile and find a way to pull out the stick and turn it on him.

oh, and I'd be pretty unhappy with any player who did more with my character then cast spells in combat. I'd talk to the gm, it could be he was simply uncomfortable with that character being in his game, i've always disliked the bordering on evil character archetype in my games.