WotC WotC needs an Elon Musk

[Lanefan]

I assume this only matters to female PCs, as male PCs can sire countless offspring and not have to miss sessions of game due to a random dice roll?

Yes, though I've also seen male PCs retire to be with their to-be family.

Also, it's not like a character retiring for a while means the player has to drop out. The default assumption is that everyone has numerous characters in the setting, so there's always a fallback option or three.

 

[Lanefan]

So, how does that work? Do the players have to explicitly tell you they use protection? Or do you assume that they did not if they don’t specify?

Yes to the first; a few characters have made it their SOP which makes things simpler. The second depends on the character(s), and is case by case.

Do you call them out if they didn’t specify that they purchased protection beforehand and they are in a location where protection isn’t readily available?

No. It's readily available everywhere as long-lasting herbs.

Are player characters required to specify whether the sexual acts they engaged in can result in pregnancy? If they don’t, do you assume that they engaged in acts that could result in pregnancy?

Situationally dependent, based mostly on what the player(s) say their character(s) are doing even if only in vague terms.

 

[Lanefan]

There's a huge difference between engaging in normal adventuring activity and engaging in sex. People agree to go into dungeons and battle ogres. Agreeing to have sex is not the same thing as agreeing to get pregnant.

You are being unnecessarily punitive to women who decide to have sex.

You're the first person who's raised any issue with this. No-one at my tables ever has, including the many women who have played here.

Thinking about it, over the years there's been four instances of PC pregnancy in my games that resulted in a child born while the campaign was still underway.

The first was a PC monarch, intentionally trying to produce an heir. Her consort (later, husband) was another PC. They married, she got pregnant (and retired from adventuring), had the baby, then was on-and-off back in the field until the campaign ended. The father kept adventuring pretty much throughout, in part because both mother and child needed defending from threats specifically against them.

The second was an accidental pregnancy through a fling with an NPC; the PC decided to keep it (yes, abortion is always an option), had the baby, gave him off to a nanny, and returned to the field. Meanwhile, as fate would have it the rest of the party took much of that time off, so she didn't miss much adventuring while pregnant.

The third was two PCs whose relationship started (in mid-adventure!) as a no-holds-barred passionate fling and then just kept going; on learning she was pregnant (which was received as good news) they decided to settle down, get married, and retire from adventuring.

The fourth was again two PCs, this one was an accidental pregnancy that the PC decided to keep. This was the one noted upthread, where she adventured until late-term then took to the field again almost immediately after the birth (there's a lot more to that which would take far more explaining than it's worth). Later, threats against the baby (another very long story) led to her and the child hiding on a different world and retiring completely; the father still adventures but visits when he can, using his treasure to pay for their (rather luxurious!) upkeep.

If it matters, in all four cases the players of the mother PCs were women, as was the player of the father in the third instance above.

 

[Faolyn]

You're the first person who's raised any issue with this. No-one at my tables ever has, including the many women who have played here.

Geek fallacies are a thing.

And I notice you didn't respond as to what you force the men to do when they get someone pregnant. Your third example has a men decide to settle down.

Edit:

No. It's readily available everywhere as long-lasting herbs. [...] Situationally dependent, based mostly on what the player(s) say their character(s) are doing even if only in vague terms.

So if someone were to say "no I'm not pregnant, I used protection and engaged in non-procreative sex," you'd be just fine with it?

 

[Clint_L]

This conversation has become hilariously entertaining.

/popcorn

 

[jgsugden]

So, how does that work? Do the players have to explicitly tell you they use protection? ...

Yes to the first; a few characters have made it their SOP which makes things simpler. The second depends on the character(s), and is case by case...

Do they also have to specify position? Or outfits? Or whether the NPC involved was delivering pizza at the time? If so, you can just drop that story down on Literotica.com ...

 

[Gradine]

Has the question been asked yet about tracking cycles? Because that's gonna make a pretty big impact on the roll I would think

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

where's the brain bleach where's the brain bleach where's the brain bleach...

 

[AnotherGuy]

Has the question been asked yet about tracking cycles? Because that's gonna make a pretty big impact on the roll I would think

I'm not Lanefan but I believe that is why there is one percentage roll which represents taking into account all factors instead of tracking minutia.

 

[AnotherGuy]

There's a huge difference between engaging in normal adventuring activity and engaging in sex. People agree to go into dungeons and battle ogres.

Do people agree to die? But you agree that is a possible consequence.

Agreeing to have sex is not the same thing as agreeing to get pregnant.

Sure, but that is a possible consequence.

You are being unnecessarily punitive to women who decide to have sex.

Depends how you value pregnancy and children.

Somehow I doubt that you have anything equally debilitating happen to the men.

Or equally rewarding I suspect.

Do you automatically dock 5% of their share of the treasure to go to child support?

You're assuming all fathers do not provide for their young.