PC Inheritance

[Bullgrit]

Reading through the Basic D&D rule book for an upcoming game with my son and his friends, I saw the section explaining that a PC can leave an inheritance to another PC -- that is, basically, a Player can have all the gear and treasure of his now dead 3rd level PC transferred to his newly created 1st level PC. The rule book says this can be done only once.

I remember this rule from way back in my original Basic D&D days, but I don't think we ever actually used a will for PCs. Have you ever done this? Have you ever had or seen a PC officially leave treasure and gear to an heir?

If so, how did it work out? Did any 1st level PC inherit a bunch of great stuff from a higher level PC?

Bullgrit

 

[Crothian]

We didn't do exactly like that. The group would loot thier dead party member and then some of the stuff would go to the new PC depending on what the character could use. I don't think anyone ever made a new character that was the same class as the old one so we would have the new Elven Wizard get handed plate+1 for instance.

 

[nedjer]

Borrowed from this for my RPG very recently - to give players more options/ reduce frustration. Works well with transferring XP and stunt pointy thingys, but possessions aren't allowed to limit wheeler-dealers.

Everything other than XP and stunt points is from scratch, but that ain't so bad as new PCs get a (limited) legacy/ inheritance at start-up.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

There are very few 'realism' kicks that one or another of the groups that I played with didn't go on at some time or other. Most didn't last long, and I really can't remember how the 'making wills' experiment worked out. But it couldn't have made much of an impression on us as we went back to the 'divvy up the dead guys' stuff, giving what might be useful to the new guy' routine that was normal for us.

 

[Alzrius]

I've heard of things like this, but didn't know that it was actually part of the game at one point (or if I did, I'd long since forgotten).

This does, however, remind me of how in 2E Dark Sun you had the "character tree," which if I recall correctly was where you designed a group of back-up PCs when you sat down to make a character, and when your primary PC (the one you're actually playing) gains experience, you can choose to shift some of that XP to those back-up PCs, essentially leveling them in case you ever need to bring them in (e.g. if your primary PC died).

It was a cool idea in theory, but the execution seemed to suffer if someone asked, "if my PC dies, can't I just bring in a new PC at the same level as my old one?"

 

[Hand of Evil]

New characters HAD to take the party to court to get their stuff! Dead character was looted and left for a zombie. This is ehn I started using adventure guilds, where characters could use items and then pay for them as part of their guild fees, it is the company store.

 

[jefgorbach]

One shouldnt be able to bequeath XP (or other intangibles) to another, however tangible property should/is fair game ... although in practice, most Adventurers tend to minimize their possessions to what can be easily transported; which are absorbed by their companions if/when they mysteriously disappear during their travels. While some higher level ones -might- establish a true castle/etc, few truly own the land - which should/would revert to their Patron upon their death/dishonor.

 

[The Shaman]

I wasn't aware of the rule in BD&D, but of course our 1e AD&D characters had wills - there was a space for it right there on our goldenrod character sheets.

Usually the beneficiary was a sibling or cousin, though actually seeing the wealth transferred to the heir was a matter of honor for the party, and the accumulated goods seldom made it without a number of items finding their way into the hands of the other adventurers.

Expendables rarely made it - magic arrows and quarrels, potions, scrolls, and (to a lesser extent) wands were frequently used up by the adventurers in the party, to preserve their own supply of such items.

 

[Bullgrit]

Basic D&D (Moldvay) page B13:

Inheritance
If the DM wishes, a player may name an heir to inherit his or her worldly possessions upon the death of the character. The local authorities will, of course, take 10% in taxes, before giving the inheritance to the heir. This heir must always be a newly rolled-up first level character. This "inheritance" should only occur once per player.

Bullgrit

 

[ExploderWizard]

Sure you can legally inherit goods from another character but sometimes actually getting them is the real trick.

Why yes veteran Plucky Newguy you have been named the sole heir to the personal effects of Myrmidon Leftfordead. Said effects are yours to claim. Please collect your inheritence from level 5, room 32b of the Dungeon of Horrendous Doom and mind the incorporeal undead still swarming about the place.