Whose "property" are the PCs?

[SG1Laura]

While I've never really posted before, I've been lurking for awhile and have read that a lot of DMs like their own home-brewed worlds. And, in reading I've come up with a question (it hasn't happened in any of the games I run, but I suspect it might soon). If a DM creates a world and the players create PCs for adventures within it and then the campaign ends, if the DM wants to run another campaign in that world at a later time-period, can he/she decide what happens to the PCs? In other words, are the PCs the creation of the players and thus their personalities and decisions are under their control. Or, can the DM just "decide" that after the campaign ended that this PC becomes evil, this one dies, etc. What do you guys think?

 

[Crothian]

I have seen this create problems. THe DM uses an old PC and then the player who controled the character goes "but my character would never do that." I'm of the opinion that the DM has the right to use the character in later games, just like I as a PC have the right to use NPCs the DM comes up with in my own games. Most people borrow character ideas from games they play, movies, books, etc so I don't see a problem with it.

 

[Quickleaf]

As much as I like saying "yes".... No, you can't do that. A GM who decides a character's fate with a snap decision is breaking the rules and the trust of their player.

That said, if the GM wants to pick up the old campaign again, but give the players each a few free levels or have them doing things in the intervening years, great! In this case, it is best to talk to the players about what they 'd like their PCs to do in the intervening time, and any ideas the GM has (such as a certain PC "turning to the dark side") are welcome too.

If you're playing with a different gaming group, however, then it's a different matter.

 

[SG1Laura]

Does it make any difference if the player (who created the PC in the first campaign) wouldn't be playing in the second one (but would still know what had happened)?

 

[diaglo]

yes.

if you aren't playing with that character under the same referee then it doesn't matter what happens to the NPCs.. they are NPCs now if the referee is controlling them.

 

[Crothian]

As much as I like saying "yes".... No, you can't do that. A GM who decides a character's fate with a snap decision is breaking the rules and the trust of their player.

What rules are being broken? What trust is being abused? THe player is no longer playing the character, its an NPC now. DM is in control of all NPCs.

 

[SG1Laura]

What if so much time has passed that the PC in question has died, but as a "hero" his/her exploits are known and directly impact the second campaign's setup.

Edit- In other words: the DM isn't playing an NPC, he has just decided what happened after the campaign had to end.

 

[smootrk]

Obviously the character belongs to both of you jointly. DM has absolute, and I mean absolute control over his world (setting) including characters who have been played there.
Now, on the player's side, I see no reason why the player could not take his character to another setting, dm, campaign, etc. based upon what his/her new DM opinion is.

Once a campaign ends, and the character is retired, the character is an NPC for the DM to use in further developments at his whim. If for some reason, the DM wants to re-open a particular campaign, it is still his fiat as to whether the character goes back to a player or not, and whether any changes might be made to the character (Stats, levels, equipment, etc.).

All in all, it is up to the DM's who the player wants to play with.

 

[Viashimo]

Depending, perhaps enough time has passed that all the other pcs are dead - or elsewhere, they are perhaps legends or mythical heroes passed down from one generation to the next. Maybe they got stuck in another part of the world, and just decided it was better to remain there than come back to populated lands. This takes them out, but leaves them in in an indirect manner.

That skirts the issue of actually using them, so here's something else.

The PCs are definetely created by the player - and it depends if those creators are playing or not in a game - it's generally O.K. to bring up or even bring back their old PCs, as NPCs or whatever else. If you really want to be sure, check with those players.

 

[reveal]

I think it's the DMs perogative to use the PCs as NPCs however he/she sees fit. A nice DM would at least ask/tell the players he/she is going to do it, but it's not required.

What's funny is that the same player will react differently depending on what happens.

Situation A) The NPC does something really cool and the player likes it. "That was awesome! That's exactly what my character would do." This statement about doing exactly what the character would do may or may not be true. Usually, if the character does something "cool," the player doesn't care if it's "in character" but will try to justify it.

Situation B) The same NPC does something rat-bastardly to the PCs. "Hey! My character would never do that!" Again, this may or may not be true. Is the player upset because the character truly would not do that or because they just got screwed over.

If I was the DM and wanted to do this, I would talk to the players and tell them that I may not do with their characters exactly what the players think they should do. I would do this to, hopefully, not have situation B occur.