Player showing up late...PC or NPC?

[Tom Cashel]

So I have a player showing up late...do I run him as an NPC or do I give him to another (trusted) player to run?

The only reason I ask is that I've got a big, complex session planned, and I'm not sure I can do the PC justice.

How do you all handle this?

 

[Frostmarrow]

Don't run the character at all. Find an excuse for the character to be away for from the party until the player arrives. I find that this approach works best and resolves a lot of related issues.

Sometimes it's hard to come up with a good excuse but there is always something that works; guard duty, poisoned or ill, researching, what have you.

 

[Orco42]

Depends. If the player told you ahead of time ask him if he wants his character to be played. Then find out who he wants to play his character.

If he did not tell you he would be late, you play the character.

And do your best to kill it.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Frosty: Yeah, I'd usually do that...but this time the PCs are staying at a lich's tower right in the midst of the adventure. Danger is all around (subterranean fungus forest--ick!), and although the lich hasn't attacked them, no one wants to stay too long and push their luck.

Also, the "big, complex session" might wipe them out if they're down a player...I don't know. It all depends. But there's no good reason why the Ranger wouldn't go with them at this point, besides deus ex machina...that sort of hand-of-god stuff tends to tick off my players.

Orco: No, he gave me prior notice. Can't kill him...not on purpose, anyway. Good idea about asking him whom he'd prefer to play his character.