Old PCs as NPCs

[MerricB]

Do you use old PCs from previous campaigns as NPCs in your campaigns, to add that bit of depth to the game?

I do. I've now run about six separate campaigns in my version of Greyhawk, and although not every PC returns as an NPC (the campaigns are often in different parts of the world), they do occasionally - adding that spark of life to the campaign.

So, those Ex-PCs of mine and my players that have attained fame and fortune? If you ever visit my Greyhawk, you could meet...

Brunak vogt Alliphase - my brother's old PC, one-time King of the Frost Barbarians, now in exile.

-- Brunak stopped being played after our version of the Greyhawk Wars debacle. Brunak got crowned king of the barbarians, but when Iuz was recognised as the power impersonating Vatun, Brunak fled. I used him in a later game as a sponsor for the PCs.

Meliander Corthan - my old PC, one-time Court Mage of Ulek, now in planar exile

-- Meliander gets referred to more than seen, especially as my current game is in Ulek. (His wife, Caitlin, is now Court Mage). Some PCs did meet him once as I ran one campaign during the time he was adventuring.

Alvares Yulos - another old PC of mine, High Priest of Pelor in Greyhawk, co-owner of the Green Leaf Tavern. (thanks to Greyhawk Ruins. )

-- I used him as the mentor of one of the PCs in the Age of Worms game when they visited Greyhawk, along with the tavern.

Savy - Dave's old PC, now Knight-Champion to Countess Paenaitha of Ulek.

-- Given the current campaign is in the Court of Ulek, Savy pops up every so often. It's amusing since Dave has a new PC in that game, and he loves it when Savy is referred to. The best appearance was during a snowball fight...

Yahlos - another PC of my brother's (from the last time he played D&D), high-priest of Xan-Yae in Greyhawk.

-- In the second Xan-Yae campaign, I used Yahlos as the sponsor of the PCs as they led the fight against Iuz and Vecna.

Cheers!

 

[Nathan P. Mahney]

I've always wanted to, but the only campaign I've ran with my current group ended in a TPK, so that idea's out.

What I *am* doing is reintroducing their most hated NPC - and to adequately explain the reaction the players are going to have, at some point I'm going to give them the memories of their previous characters. It's the closest I'll get for a while, I think.

 

[el-remmen]

Oh yeah totally . . .

That is a lot of fun, and former-PC NPCs are the most "living" of characters in any setting, and I love having unrelated characters deal with the consequences from former campaigns - even if the characters don't know it, the players do - and it gives them the warm fuzzies.

And every Rat Bastard DM knows, the best time to strike is when your players have the warm fuzzies, it is most effective that way. . .

 

[Nifft]

Yep, yep. Nothing spurs a PC to action like a threat to something his player cares about...

Cheers, -- N

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Absolutely; it's a lot of fun for me. I designed the Midwood campaign with the idea that, when it was over some day, it'd be the setting for another campaign in a few years, with the older surviving player characters now being part of the NPC landscape.

In the interim, the events that are happening in the various pbp games I'm running, here and elsewhere, are all in the same world and events from one game will periodically be mentioned in the other games to add texture to everything.

 

[Mercule]

Retired PCs tend to fade into histories and legends, IMC. They definitely get mentioned, but I don't usually bring them "on screen". To me, the GM taking over an old PC is a bit like getting a replacement actor for a movie/TV character. It usually messes up the feel.

 

[Clueless]

Yeps. My current campaign features children of the previous one.

 

[Imperialus]

I used the former PCs as villins in a later campaign once. Beyond that not much with D&D. I have used former PC's quite extensively in Shadowrun games though.

 

[pawsplay]

I've done it in a couple of supers games. In D&D and Vampire contexts, I've had it done to me.... t was a situation where I kind of resented scene-stealing NPCs. It's not that they were uber-competent (our party actually outperformed them against a dragon in the D&D game), but rather, that they had a bunch of history attached to them, a lot of familiarity for some players but not others, and so forth. I kind of felt like my comic book suddenly had a four issue crossover with another comic series I'd never heard of.

 

[dontpunkme]

Our current campaign definately features a few of the former pc's.

Ishmontak (DM's former PC) CN Fralia (homebrew race, think natural sorceror's with a penchant for trickery, kind of like a cross between a halfling and a gnome) Sorceror. Started as our group's patron, needless to say, now number 2 on our party's need to kill list. And I'm pretty sure his Charisma is somewhere in the 30's. Did I mention the DM is a sick, sick man, who just can't wait to hit us with repeated save or die spells.

Barak (One player's former PC) - Human Druid/Rogue. Had to free him from a prison, he's now rejoined our new patron (Paladin prince whom our former characters rescued from Vampirism).

Ugtuul (Another player's former PC) - Minotaur fighter. Runs the weapon shop in the town that Ishmontak is regent of. Oh and friends with Ishmontak, in fact, chief bodyguard.

I (and many of the players) shudder to see when my former PC, Argen (CN Human Scout 8/Fighter 1/ Dervish 5) will be introduced. Our last campaign finished with Argen becoming minister of information/head assassin in Ishmontak's employ. Problem is his dance, he gets into it and he's making 6 (boots of speed) attacks a round at +26/+26/+21/+16 and +26/+21 for d6+7 15-20x2 +2d6 and d6+6 15-20x2 +2d6 (gotta LOVE that skirmish bonus damage goes on EVERY attack the scout makes during any round that he moves more than 10') with wounding on both (yeah, sure you can get these sick weapons, I'll just make 90% of the enemies you see elementals and undead). He pretty much killed anything subject to critical hits in the first round of combat and yeah, we're all subject to critical hits. Also, his Tumble is jacked and he has Celestial Armor. Translation: Hurt locker and no real good way to keep him at bay. Hopefully, my enchanter will be 13th level before we face him and Ishmontak (Ironguard).