PC Death House Rules

[reanjr]

Anybody have any house rules on handling PC death? PC retirement? New players?

I usually implement the following rules for players whose characters die:

- Start 1 level lower than lowest level member of party (this can actually create significant downward level creep, which is weird, but neat adn sometimes useful)
- Cannot be the same class as previous character (don't want them creating Regdar Jr.; same stats, one level lower). I frown upon being the same race.
- Equipment generally goes away (from entire party, not just the character that died). Either removed at time of death (disintigrate for instance, or one time a player was covered in magic clothing, so his body was teleported away by the enemy) or through role-playing shortly after. Descendents or family usually get it, though it might be their church or if they had no affiliations, become property of the state. Sometimes this ends up being a bit contrived, but I feel it is important.
- They usually get to purchase magical equipment as they see fit when creating a new character, with a max of 50% spent on a single item.

As for retired or new players

- Start at level of lowest level character in party.
- Equipment is randomly generated.

Anyone else have table rules for such situations?

 

[Knight-of-Roses]

Very interesting. I like the not same class/race as you just played idea. If I have a character death, I may very well impliment this.

What exactly do you mean by randomly generated equipment for the characters of new players?

I have not thought too deeply about this as I have not lost any characters in my recent campaigns . . . yet.

 

[reanjr]

Very interesting. I like the not same class/race as you just played idea. If I have a character death, I may very well impliment this.

What exactly do you mean by randomly generated equipment for the characters of new players?

I have not thought too deeply about this as I have not lost any characters in my recent campaigns . . . yet.

Randomly generated equipment means that I will roll for their magic items (and use common sense and DM magic) rather than allowing them to take their starting funds and purchase what they want. That way players can't just retire and pick magic items tailored to the campaign. I let players whose character died pick theirs because they are lower level and to compensate a bit for their inconvenience

 

[CM]

I'm currently running two campaigns, and we do things a little differently in each.

In my first campaign with my more experienced players, they realize that keeping the equipment of the deceased would unbalance the game, so they accept the idea that it goes to the family/charity/church of the deceased. The player calculates how close his deceased character was to advancing to the next level. The replacement character is placed the same percentage of the way toward advancement, but one level lower. This way you don't get double-whammied if you were just inches from advancing when you die.

In the second campaign, the players aren't happy with donating the deceased's valuables, so I have them make a list of all the items being salvaged. Then I just make sure that the value of that gear is subtracted from upcoming treasure finds.

 

[reanjr]

The player calculates how close his deceased character was to advancing to the next level. The replacement character is placed the same percentage of the way toward advancement, but one level lower. This way you don't get double-whammied if you were just inches from advancing when you die.

Prorating the XP is probably a good idea. I'll start using that.

 

[Thanee]

Well, if characters die and get resurrected, they lose one level, so I tend to do the same, if characters are replaced, only that they start at the minimum for that level, normally we just deduct a fixed amount of XP, if you lose a level (the same XP needed to advance to the level you were before, i.e. 9,000 xp for a character going down from 10th to 9th).

I don't care what they do with the equipment, it's there and it's their decision. Sometimes important (to the character) items will go to the family, sometimes stuff is sold or distributed to be put to good use at least.

It's easily balanced later, if they have too many magical goodies by then.

Bye
Thanee

 

[kolikeos]

- Equipment generally goes away (from entire party, not just the character that died). Either removed at time of death (disintigrate for instance, or one time a player was covered in magic clothing, so his body was teleported away by the enemy) or through role-playing shortly after. Descendents or family usually get it, though it might be their church or if they had no affiliations, become property of the state. Sometimes this ends up being a bit contrived, but I feel it is important.

why take the equipment? if the pc dies from a stab in the neck from a bad guy and the others kill the bad guy, can't they take the dead pc's stuff?

 

[Seraph of Babel]

I use the following rules for dead PCs.

Level: -1 from last character.
Class/Build: cannot be of a similar build.
Ability Scores: -1 point per 2 new characters created beyond the first.
Starting Gold: -1 effective level per 2 new characters created beyond the second.
Biography: Writing a character history (1½ pages) will negate ability scores and starting gold penalties. You may use Hero Builders’ Guidebook to help you.

New players would start at the lowest PC level, i.e. if the party consists of level 7-9 characters, then the new PC would be level 7.

 

[kolikeos]

Biography: Writing a character history (1½ pages) will negate ability scores and starting gold penalties. You may use Hero Builders’ Guidebook to help you.

wtf...? :\
let me guess: you want them to make biographies and they hate it, right?

 

[the_bruiser]

[NEW CHARACTERS FOR EXISTING PLAYERS]
- Start 1 level lower than lowest level member of party (this can actually create significant downward level creep, which is weird, but neat adn sometimes useful)

[NEW PLAYERS]
- Start at level of lowest level character in party.

I played in a campaign with a similar rule, and in my 12+ years of roleplaying this is the only semi-bitter argument I ever remember having with a DM - I'm generally of the mindset that we're here to have fun, and just take the DM's word as gospel, but this rule seems patently unfair to me.

Let's say I've been playing in a campaign for a year. I've 'earned' my character levels as a player. My guy dies. If the current lowest-level character is 9th, then I bring him in a new character at 8th level. But if I were some random person who'd never played in the campaign before I'd come in at 9th?

Like I said, to me it doesn't seem fair. I view EXP as consisting of two parts: (i) 'Earned' EXP as a player, and (ii) 'Learned' EXP as a character. So part (ii) goes away when you start a new character, but (i) should NEVER in my mind be negative (which it implicitly is in this system).

So as not to complain blindly without a proposal, let me tell you our current system. Players present earn 100% of 'base' EXP for their characters, +/- bonuses/penalties. Players not present (including the billions of people on the earth who've never played in our campaign) earn 50% of base. When a player has to switch characters, he/she loses half the incremental exp he's earned over the 50% base for those who weren't there. So if someone were at 90% and got a new character, he'd come in at 70% of total exp awarded, while a new player's character would come in at 50%. YMMV.

edit: subscribed to thread