Putting a PC on 'pause'

[Djeta Thernadier]

Short version: how do you handle a character who is present, but who is not going to be able to work with for a long period of time--say because they are turned to stone, paralyzed, trapped in a pocket dimension, or something similar? Do you tell them to miss the next session, bring a book, or take notes for a player journal?

Long version: in my last CoC game, one of the players was turned into a hummingbird. He is likely to stay this way for a minimum of the entire next session, and possibly longer if the party is not spectacularly clever. He's intelligent, and he can understand the party, but he has the physical shape of a hummingbird (i.e. no writing messages, can't talk, etc.).

How do you handle situations like this in your campaign?

(As a side note, I'm somewhat tempted to tell the player to miss the next session just because he's being pissy about this, but that's another issue

I see all sorts of possibilities for this. What does he see while fluttering about as a hummingbird? He may not be able to communicate with the party but he can certainly fly around and check things out and perhaps the player can keep a journal of what he sees. The DM might take this oppurtunity to set up a future situation (ie. the bird sees something from above that he might not otherwise have a chance to in human form). I think if you give him a little time each session for the DM to tell him what he witnesses as a bird it could be fun and beneficial to the whole party.

 

[Sialia]

It's not as though she has the lowest SAN in the party! I'm pretty sure this is the first time she's actually gone insane, too.

I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've logged on while drinking creme de cacao and rum in soymilk, too.

Not that I recommend that sort of thing.

 

[mythago]

I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've logged on while drinking creme de cacao and rum in soymilk, too.

You're SUPPOSED to bring enough for EVERYONE!

 

[silburnl]

To clarify, it was the player who grumbled (repeatedly) about his situation and asked "Should I bother showing up next week?"

Sialla, of course, wanted to know what SPECIES of hummingbird he was.

Yeah, well I'm with other posters, he's missing out on plenty of potential fun if he doesn't loosen up his ideas about what roleplaying is about IMO.

One of the best single sessions I've had saw my character trussed up, gagged and stuck in a barrel - I spent the entire game making muffled 'mmmm-mmmgh' sounds and occasionally thumping the table while the other PCs debated what to do with him (he was a plant fully intent on ratting them out to the local thieves guild BTW - so they were entirely justified in their suspicions).

My character ended up gutted, spatchcocked and posted back to the guildmaster in several small pieces - so this was by no means a successful session when measured by conventional 'kick in the door' metrics but it was great fun for all concerned.

Regards
Luke

 

[Sialia]

thank you for story, and thank you for new word.

(had to go look that one up)

 

[mythago]

Did silburnl technically commit a Rule One violation if he's not in my game?