what does your DM do with your character when your gone?

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

If the party is in a place where that character's temporary absence could be easily explained, then they just disappear for a bit. Otherwise, they assume NPC status, acting based on party consensus.

 

[Corbert]

"Potted plant".

They're gone. They can't use their skills or anything, and can't die, either.

Turned into a rock. I have a CN diety in my game that occasionally turns people into rocks temporarily

The deity has no worshippers and no clerics, and the only thing anyone has been able to find about the diety is the 1st letter of his/her/its name: Q

 

[sckeener]

I can remember once the party was sad to see be to return to play my character....apparently the DM was using my character as a plot driving NPC and the party was annoyed when I was suddenly failing rolls!

 

[werk]

You are = you're

IMC I keep all character sheets to avoid any (accidental) changes while away from the table, but also so I can run the characters if the player isn't there next time. I run them as typical NPCs IMC, that is, they hang back unless needed, and are equal opportunity as targets.

In the campaings I play in, the DMs usually sit the PC out. "J'err was out drinking last night and didn't return to the inn. You know he has problems with this, so you don't suspect foul play and decide to continue without him." sort of stuff. I personally don't like it because they miss out on XP (yet we do not get more), and they are not there when thier skills, abilities, or equipment is needed. "Damn, J'err had the schema...we'll have to come back."

I've never really done anything crazy with DM-PCs, they usually make suggestions rather than stealing the spotlight.

 

[Hjorimir]

As Gollum would say, "He leaves me raw and wiggling!"

 

[Presto2112]

My DM will play the PC in the missing player's stead. There are some advantages and disadvantages to it. the advantage is that while the player is away for whatever reason, the DM will not let the character die. The downside is that character's XP for the sessions he/she misses will be drastically reduced.

 

[Voadam]

"A Black hole appears beneath your feet and you fall into a rift." The next time the player was there "A hole appears in front of the party and X falls out of it in front of you. The hole then disappears." From the other PCs perspective weeks or months could have gone by, for the character in the hole there is no time between stepping in one side in one place and falling out the other somewhere else.

I took the ininiative on coming up with an in-game explanation for these holes and why they tied to us as a party. We had done a quest to restore the elemental fabric of magic in the world and had one party member ascend to become an NPC spirit of magic. I said the holes were magical rips in space and time left over from the magical corruption. Since it was our party who had restored the magic, the rifts were attracted to us dragging us in and putting us back with each other.

The DM just shrugged and said "OK".

I even had plans for researching magical spells of random black hole teleports, both as an escape spell and as an attack.

 

[MonkeyDragon]

In my games, if the player gets a copy of the character sheet to me, another player runs the PC for the game. They usually don't take much part in roleplaying, and are played very cautiously in combat. They CAN die, but it's generally understood that great effort will be put into them NOT dying. There is also care exercised in using up their disposable resources (like potions). They get half XP for the session.

If I DON'T get the character sheet, the PC isn't there, no matter how odd it is for them to disappear at the time. They go back to chill with the horses, wander away, got caught up doing something and will catch up with the party later, whatever. No XP.

In one campaign, I anticipated having people go missing spontaneously fairly often, and I didn't feel like dealing with the hassle of pawning character sheets off onto other people. So when folks were missing, their characters were suddenly teleported into a small room that was completely silent and dark. Light sources didn't work, and there was no way out. I tied the room into the plot for the end of the game.

I like the stone idea.

 

[lukelightning]

It's more fun when the DM is absent. Woo hoo, the world is your playground! The king and his guards just stand there motionless while you loot the imperial coffers! That dragon that the DM frightened you with last session? Easy pickins!

 

[The Shaman]

Probes...orifices...

...I don't like to think about it. :\