Your favorite PC? ... Priceless

[Jdvn1]

To rent my character? If he guarantees he won't die: 3 easy payments of $9.95. Plus, I'll throw in -- at no extra charge -- dice to borrow!

Otherwise, closer to $50. Or buy me two books of my choosing.

 

[Driddle]

Just for the sake of discussion, I'd like to point out that imaginary characters come and go, but cash can be used to buy things in the real world.

 

[Vorith]

My favorite PC is priceless. I've played him from level 1 to level 22. I would just tell the guy to make his own.

 

[AuraSeer]

This is why my D&D kit contains a folder full of backup characters, one at each level up to 20. They're all core races and classes, at standard point buy, so they can be dropped into nearly any campaign. I also carry a few dozen more on a USB jumpdrive, so I can print them out if there's a computer nearby.

But I guess not everyone's as big a nerd as me.

If there are no backup characters available, the newcomer can read over my shoulder and play a copy of my PC. Maybe he's some random passer-by who happens to be of my race and class, or perhaps he really is my identical twin (or a duplicate created by a teleportation accident, or a copy of myself from an alternate timeline, or whatever).

Somebody insisting on actual control over a favorite long-running character would make me really suspicious. The world contains an infinite supply of characters, you can easily have one of your own, so the only reason to insist on this exact one is if you've got some bizarre personal agenda-- like a a D&D version of Indecent Proposal. I don't care if you get off on power, but I'm not letting you do it at my expense, thanks.

 

[Crothian]

Why would it cost him anything? He wouldn't be playing the character just a bad representation of it. He might have the stats, he might have the equimpent...but he won't have the personality or history of the character. One of the things that makes a character is who plays him, and with out me playing my favorite character it isn't my favorite character.

 

[Torm]

perhaps he really is my identical twin (or a duplicate created by a teleportation accident, or a copy of myself from an alternate timeline, or whatever).

My favorite character has duplicates that exist in no less than three separate campaign worlds, so I could probably talk the DM into letting one of his students quest to "find him" and "bring him back". If, that is, he got "taken out" at all - this is Darboz the Evoker, after all! He's been dead before, and it didn't stop him long, Odin be praised.

I'd allow him to be played for $20 if the average character level was 14 and under, $50 if over that, and free, if I knew for a fact the DM had no idea Darboz was coming to the party when he was planning the session.

 

[Henry]

Torm, you jsut gave me a good idea for a one shot... I wonder how Darboz the Evoker, Oncarou na Gabriel, and Rasa would get along in the same party...

For my part? This is a fantasy piece of paper, versus real cash. I have no trouble making the distinction. I'd do it for $20, no problem, heck I'd probably do it for $10, but I'd probably milk it for $50 or $60 - past that, I'm not a good enough liar...

 

[Zappo]

Just for the sake of discussion, I'd like to point out that imaginary characters come and go, but cash can be used to buy things in the real world.

Eh... things in the real world come and go as well. Most of the stuff I own or have owned hasn't lasted as long as some of the characters we're talking about. Just because you can't touch something, it doesn't mean it's without value.

I'm not saying that I wouldn't do this, but I would feel perfectly justified in placing a nonzero price on it - and none of my characters has been played for more than maybe one year. I definitely understand Voorith.

[ot]It's not that I can't make my PCs last. In fact, only one of my D&D PCs has ever died permanently. All the others are still "alive" though only a few get to be played. Unfortunately, being the main DM of my group, I don't get to play as much as I'd like.[/ot]

 

[wally]

Just for the sake of discussion, I'd like to point out that imaginary characters come and go, but cash can be used to buy things in the real world.

Based on that statement, why would anyone pay to play a character?

I think it is more of a personal investment. If I played a character for years, I don't think I would want someone to destroy the memory of that character for myself and my fellow players.

That is my perception of it. Money can come and go, but I don't want to sell my memories.

-wally

 

[drnuncheon]

One. Million. Dollars.

Actually, if I let him play my favorite character, nobody would believe it was him, because there's no way hed' get it right. He'd probably be run through by the rest of the party as an imposter or something. (Of course, his wife hit 17th level and got true ressurrection, so not as bad as all that.)

But I think the reason nobody is saying money values is because the situation is so foreign that it's hard to imagine it happening. I mean, I just started a campaign with a group, and if someone wanted to play one of their favorite PCs I'd laugh heartily, because I'm betting they'd be from the level 17 game, and we're now at level 1.

Maybe back in the old days of Greyhawk, where everyone seemed to have a sackful of characters that were basically treated like wargame pawns, this question would have made more sense.

J