Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="BSF" data-source="post: 1769447" data-attributes="member: 13098">Oh hey, I didn't notice that you are new.  Welcome to EN World!Back on topic, I just think that any introduction of a new PC into a group should consist of heavy RP.  Many groups keep it very RP light and just "accept" the newcomer because his player is sitting next to you. A certain amount of metagaming has to happen, but I think a lot of groups take it too lightly.  Then when the player plays the character true and something less than cool is the result, people take it personally.  As an example, a normally cautious party accepts the new PC that is a barbarian who likes to charge and kick in doors.  This results in a scenario where the combat starts before the rest of the party is done prepping.  Bad things happen.  The unbuffed paladin dies trying to save the silly barbarian.  Tempers flare around the table because the paladin player has been lovingly growiing his character and he was almost to the point of reaching one of his major RP goals.  But the paladin also believes that once he leaves the world, his time is done.  In short, he wouldn't want to be raised, if the player stays true to the character.  So now one of the major PCs is dead because he played his character true by not abandoning a comrade, and not wanting to come back from the dead.  The player is torqued.Why?  Because nobody thought to ask a few simple questions.  "Let's just accept the new PC because Bob's character died last week."  Nobody realized that Bob has been looking to RP a reckless character.  Bob didn't realize that Paul's paladin wouldn't want to come back from the dead.  Poor communication OOC and IC and now everyone is upset.  Complete silliness.  I've seen it happen and surely somebody else here has as well.  Sure, the players should know each other well enough that Bob should have screwed over the group by bringing in a reckless character.  Sure, Paul shouldn't be playing a character he is deeply invested with that doesn't want to be raised.  Sure, the DM was wrong for making an encounter that was too tough.  The finger pointing can go all around.  Why didn't the existing PCs bring up their cautious approach to combat in-character?  Why did everyone feel the need to gloss over the PC introductions?  For me, character introduction should be important and memorable.  First impressions and all that.  The players should have a good idea what the group likes, and it shuoldn't be a matter of jumping through 3 hoops and rolling over just to get a PC into a group.  But is there something wrong with maintaining a little RP during the process?  Is it wrong that PCs with assassins on their tail might be a little suspicious of anyone that approaches them?  Would it be any more intrusive if the PCs had sought out a church with a Forbiddance and a Hallow (with an associated Zone of Truth) in which to do their questioning?  Call me jaded, but I see no reason to feel offended by the PCs remaining in-character.  Paranoid as hell and hoping they can fend off any future problems by making sure they get trustworthy allies from the outset.  The players with the dead PCs already know the campaign situation.  They know what to expect.  There is a lot of potential for RP here.  It could be a wonderful moment in the campaign.  I would have a blast as a player in that situation.  Especially if I were trying to get a ringer into the group.  What I would suggest is handle the whole situation online.  Try to get the questioning process handled with multiple PC candidates and have it relatively anonymous.  Heck, even forward it through the DM.  Have each player come up with a couple of PCs.  Have the DM toss a few other options in there.  See what the incumbent PCs decide on.  (Yes, I have done something like this in the past.)  It could be a lot of fun.</blockquote>

Verification