absent players... [Archive] - Wizards Community

absent players... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
dannalbob
04-26-05, 12:16 PM Just wanted to know everyone's thoughts on how to deal witha PC when they are absent for a session. Typically, I have another player play them... but, of course, in heavy roleplaying situations this is a problem.

I like the idea of not allowing them to participate in anything when they are absent but that's a problem if we are in the middle of a dungeon crawl or something. Plus, I'd have to adjust the encounters

any thoughts?
Dash Branaghan
04-26-05, 12:22 PM Player 1: Boy, we sure could use Bob's fighter for this upcoming combat.
Player 2: Yeah, too bad he's off watching the horses.

It's a simple and somewhat elegant way of dealing with player absences within our group.

Alternatively, the player, if he/she knows they are going to be absent, can elect to let someone else play the character as far as basic events go (combat, healing, skill checks, stuff like that).

With the group I had previously, there was an issue with one of the players not always making it due to familial illness, but needing a support group and source to vent frustration...in these instances, we still divied up XP for him (no one wanted to penalize him for visiting his mother in the hospital) and then let him explain what happened while guarding the horses that led to the XP.

Dash
cambric
04-26-05, 12:50 PM My DM has a "chronomancer" show up and take the person...and at the next session, he's returned. In the group that I have a PC, we have 7-8 pc's, so if one or two miss, it's not "normally" a huge deal...unless we talk of the last session when ALL our spell casters were gone...yeah, to say that was an ugly situation is an understatement. We used to have other people play the PC, but after one session where the person was gone, his character got killed...bad dice, his character was played how he did...but the situation made everyone rethink how to do it and we've just go with the "you suddenly see a chronomancer...he grabs <person gone> and quickly disappears." And it can be really bad if the said person was carrying something valueable!! So we try to remember to make sure the "regulars" are the ones carrying the important stuff.

In the campaign I DM, we only have 5 people, so if someone misses, I will RP their character...they get "monster xp" but obviously, no "RPling xp". I guess it depends on your parties situation...how many people play...ect. If you have 2 clerics and one misses, not a huge deal...if more than 3 people plan on missing, in my campaign, then we opt to play other games, since it wouldn't be as much fun and I'm not going to play 3 PC's and the NPC's.

If you have a "smaller" group, you could probably get away with having someone play the PC or you do yourself...a larger group, they "deal" with it.

Cam
3Man20
04-26-05, 03:24 PM I have 8 PCs in the group, so when one or two don't make it, no big deal. It's usually something like...so and so stayed behind and caught up later, or got lost and was stuck somewhere before finding his way out...that kind of thing...mainly, they just aren't there unless they want to let someone else play their character for them. Where it became a problem recently, was when both the healers where gone...ouch!
dannalbob
04-26-05, 04:26 PM I run a game with 6 players... so, yeah... Its not a huge deal when one or 2 don't make it... I'm also lazy and like to keep everyone at the same exp.(which is pretty lame, I know). Is it a fair punishment though to withhold exp from someone who can't/doesn't make it?

Like Dash said, it seems in poor taste to penalize someone who has a legitimate reason to be gone... I guess I'll just handle things on a case by case basis.
Arcade
04-26-05, 04:36 PM My group is more modest- 4 players. During normal adventuring, we play as long as 3 out of the 4 can make it, but we will wait an extra week if it means everyone can get together. In those cases, our highly chaotic party can usually find a reason why character X suddenly decided to run off and do something else- even if they are in the middle of the dungeon. Sometimes, if the player misses too many games, I'll use the absence as a chance to run a quick solo game to further the rest of the plot and to make sure they don't fall too far behind in levels. But otherwise, they just miss the session and join back in next time. The rest of the party adjusts their tactics to handle the shortage (the party used to only be 3 players, so they're used to it and they're used to running away, sneaking around or fighting smart when they need to) The party also visits town frequently so it gives yet another excuse.

However, we're nearing the end of our campaign, and so I want all the players around so delay the game to make sure of this. First of all, because the fights are quite tough and need all the players. And two, because after the last few years of playing, all the players deserve to be there at the end to see the results of their labors (whether they be good or bad). It slows our gaming session down, but the players deserve to end the campaign together. Once we start our next campaign, we'll be back to characters running off on their own again.
Andrewinator
04-26-05, 04:56 PM What I do for EXP is this:

let absent player's character's exp = X
let other players' character's exp = Y
let the number of players including the absentee(s) = Z
let the number of absent players = W

set Xnew = X + (((Y - X) * (Z - W)) / Z)
set Ynew = Xnew

The only time I don't do this is when this would decrease the level of someone's character. If that's the case, I
set Xnew = Y

Basically, what this does is it takes all the experience gained by everyone present in the last session and distributes it evenly to everyone in the group. If this distribution would decrese the level of anyone's character, the absent peoples' exp changes to the exp of everyone else.
Hope this can be usefull to anyone.
LordHell
04-26-05, 05:44 PM That's way too complicated.

If a player is absent from my game and has a legitimate excuse or forwarns me - I NPC their player and they get 0.5XP

If a player is absent from my game, gives me no warning and has no legitimate excuse - I NPC them and they get 0.0XP

Players who are absent also miss out on XP for being on time, and roleplay bonus XP.

As the DM NPCing their character is also way less effective than the actual player being there, as I only have enough time to put in a token effort, but it's better than removing them entirely (especially if they're the party Cleric/Wizard/Rogue - although THAT could be interesting).

I dont like players playing other players characters. What If I have a special plot going for one particular character that's changed his alignment or some such thing? I dont think players should be swapping character sheets with each other.
pres_man
04-26-05, 05:52 PM What I do for EXP is this:

let absent player's character's exp = X
let other players' character's exp = Y
let the number of players including the absentee(s) = Z
let the number of absent players = W

set Xnew = X + (((Y - X) * (Z - W)) / Z)
set Ynew = Xnew

The only time I don't do this is when this would decrease the level of someone's character. If that's the case, I
set Xnew = Y

Basically, what this does is it takes all the experience gained by everyone present in the last session and distributes it evenly to everyone in the group. If this distribution would decrese the level of anyone's character, the absent peoples' exp changes to the exp of everyone else.
Hope this can be usefull to anyone.
:OMG!
Here's what I do. If :
-last session ended during combat/combat about to start: missing PC becomes blundering idiot and runs into a tree and gets knocked out or something. This happens for each fight of the session.

-last session ended in a non-conflict setting (town, camping, etc): missing PC decides they have to do something and will catch up with the group later.

I once tried a "PC disappears into a trap door and gets separated" idea. Of course the rest of the party decided that they would discover said trap door (stupid rogue and insane search :D ). So I had to make this whole different story arc based on the fact that they couldn't just metagame! ;)

Edit: Forgot to mention xp rules. You're not there, you don't get xp. With the new xp rules in 3.5 (lower level characters get more xp per encounter) this is rarely a problem long term. Though I don't let PCs get more then 3 levels apart from highest to lowest.
wordserpent
04-26-05, 06:13 PM I have on occasion had to miss a game because of Work/family/ect and I will share some of the solutions that various DM's have used:

1) He's dead Jim. The missing Players character just dies. This was a bit harsh in my opinion. Needless to say I never gamed with that group again.

2) In the arms of Morpheus. The missing players character falls into a state of narcoleptic sleep only to awaken when the player returns to the game. This sort of stretched the imagination a bit and I once came into a game and all of my equipment was missing because it was sold by my party members to pay for healing. This also happened to several other players and eventually the game died because the whole party was naked and unarmed.

3) Hey, where'd he go? A dimentional portal opens beneath the character's feet when the player can't show up and the character reappears when the player is there. This was just stupid. But in a high-magic setting I suppose it could happen.

4) He's awfully quiet today. The charater of the absent player fades into the background and only participates in combat. I have used this one and I usually ask another player to run the character during the combat. When I have awarded xp to the player I only gave out experience for combat and nothing for story, quest or role-playing.

5) Another player controls the character fully. I do not advise this becaause I have had it happen to my own character and when I returned I had: a) lost my paladinhood b)was a fugative from the law and c) gave away my more valuable possessions to another player. Needless to say I stoped playing with this group as well.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
dannalbob 04-26-05, 12:16 PM	Just wanted to know everyone's thoughts on how to deal witha PC when they are absent for a session. Typically, I have another player play them... but, of course, in heavy roleplaying situations this is a problem. I like the idea of not allowing them to participate in anything when they are absent but that's a problem if we are in the middle of a dungeon crawl or something. Plus, I'd have to adjust the encounters any thoughts?
Dash Branaghan 04-26-05, 12:22 PM	Player 1: Boy, we sure could use Bob's fighter for this upcoming combat. Player 2: Yeah, too bad he's off watching the horses. It's a simple and somewhat elegant way of dealing with player absences within our group. Alternatively, the player, if he/she knows they are going to be absent, can elect to let someone else play the character as far as basic events go (combat, healing, skill checks, stuff like that). With the group I had previously, there was an issue with one of the players not always making it due to familial illness, but needing a support group and source to vent frustration...in these instances, we still divied up XP for him (no one wanted to penalize him for visiting his mother in the hospital) and then let him explain what happened while guarding the horses that led to the XP. Dash
cambric 04-26-05, 12:50 PM	My DM has a "chronomancer" show up and take the person...and at the next session, he's returned. In the group that I have a PC, we have 7-8 pc's, so if one or two miss, it's not "normally" a huge deal...unless we talk of the last session when ALL our spell casters were gone...yeah, to say that was an ugly situation is an understatement. We used to have other people play the PC, but after one session where the person was gone, his character got killed...bad dice, his character was played how he did...but the situation made everyone rethink how to do it and we've just go with the "you suddenly see a chronomancer...he grabs <person gone> and quickly disappears." And it can be really bad if the said person was carrying something valueable!! So we try to remember to make sure the "regulars" are the ones carrying the important stuff. In the campaign I DM, we only have 5 people, so if someone misses, I will RP their character...they get "monster xp" but obviously, no "RPling xp". I guess it depends on your parties situation...how many people play...ect. If you have 2 clerics and one misses, not a huge deal...if more than 3 people plan on missing, in my campaign, then we opt to play other games, since it wouldn't be as much fun and I'm not going to play 3 PC's and the NPC's. If you have a "smaller" group, you could probably get away with having someone play the PC or you do yourself...a larger group, they "deal" with it. Cam
3Man20 04-26-05, 03:24 PM	I have 8 PCs in the group, so when one or two don't make it, no big deal. It's usually something like...so and so stayed behind and caught up later, or got lost and was stuck somewhere before finding his way out...that kind of thing...mainly, they just aren't there unless they want to let someone else play their character for them. Where it became a problem recently, was when both the healers where gone...ouch!
dannalbob 04-26-05, 04:26 PM	I run a game with 6 players... so, yeah... Its not a huge deal when one or 2 don't make it... I'm also lazy and like to keep everyone at the same exp.(which is pretty lame, I know). Is it a fair punishment though to withhold exp from someone who can't/doesn't make it? Like Dash said, it seems in poor taste to penalize someone who has a legitimate reason to be gone... I guess I'll just handle things on a case by case basis.
Arcade 04-26-05, 04:36 PM	My group is more modest- 4 players. During normal adventuring, we play as long as 3 out of the 4 can make it, but we will wait an extra week if it means everyone can get together. In those cases, our highly chaotic party can usually find a reason why character X suddenly decided to run off and do something else- even if they are in the middle of the dungeon. Sometimes, if the player misses too many games, I'll use the absence as a chance to run a quick solo game to further the rest of the plot and to make sure they don't fall too far behind in levels. But otherwise, they just miss the session and join back in next time. The rest of the party adjusts their tactics to handle the shortage (the party used to only be 3 players, so they're used to it and they're used to running away, sneaking around or fighting smart when they need to) The party also visits town frequently so it gives yet another excuse. However, we're nearing the end of our campaign, and so I want all the players around so delay the game to make sure of this. First of all, because the fights are quite tough and need all the players. And two, because after the last few years of playing, all the players deserve to be there at the end to see the results of their labors (whether they be good or bad). It slows our gaming session down, but the players deserve to end the campaign together. Once we start our next campaign, we'll be back to characters running off on their own again.
Andrewinator 04-26-05, 04:56 PM	What I do for EXP is this: let absent player's character's exp = X let other players' character's exp = Y let the number of players including the absentee(s) = Z let the number of absent players = W set Xnew = X + (((Y - X) * (Z - W)) / Z) set Ynew = Xnew The only time I don't do this is when this would decrease the level of someone's character. If that's the case, I set Xnew = Y Basically, what this does is it takes all the experience gained by everyone present in the last session and distributes it evenly to everyone in the group. If this distribution would decrese the level of anyone's character, the absent peoples' exp changes to the exp of everyone else. Hope this can be usefull to anyone.
LordHell 04-26-05, 05:44 PM	That's way too complicated. If a player is absent from my game and has a legitimate excuse or forwarns me - I NPC their player and they get 0.5XP If a player is absent from my game, gives me no warning and has no legitimate excuse - I NPC them and they get 0.0XP Players who are absent also miss out on XP for being on time, and roleplay bonus XP. As the DM NPCing their character is also way less effective than the actual player being there, as I only have enough time to put in a token effort, but it's better than removing them entirely (especially if they're the party Cleric/Wizard/Rogue - although THAT could be interesting). I dont like players playing other players characters. What If I have a special plot going for one particular character that's changed his alignment or some such thing? I dont think players should be swapping character sheets with each other.
pres_man 04-26-05, 05:52 PM	What I do for EXP is this: let absent player's character's exp = X let other players' character's exp = Y let the number of players including the absentee(s) = Z let the number of absent players = W set Xnew = X + (((Y - X) * (Z - W)) / Z) set Ynew = Xnew The only time I don't do this is when this would decrease the level of someone's character. If that's the case, I set Xnew = Y Basically, what this does is it takes all the experience gained by everyone present in the last session and distributes it evenly to everyone in the group. If this distribution would decrese the level of anyone's character, the absent peoples' exp changes to the exp of everyone else. Hope this can be usefull to anyone. :OMG! Here's what I do. If : -last session ended during combat/combat about to start: missing PC becomes blundering idiot and runs into a tree and gets knocked out or something. This happens for each fight of the session. -last session ended in a non-conflict setting (town, camping, etc): missing PC decides they have to do something and will catch up with the group later. I once tried a "PC disappears into a trap door and gets separated" idea. Of course the rest of the party decided that they would discover said trap door (stupid rogue and insane search :D ). So I had to make this whole different story arc based on the fact that they couldn't just metagame! ;) Edit: Forgot to mention xp rules. You're not there, you don't get xp. With the new xp rules in 3.5 (lower level characters get more xp per encounter) this is rarely a problem long term. Though I don't let PCs get more then 3 levels apart from highest to lowest.
wordserpent 04-26-05, 06:13 PM	I have on occasion had to miss a game because of Work/family/ect and I will share some of the solutions that various DM's have used: 1) He's dead Jim. The missing Players character just dies. This was a bit harsh in my opinion. Needless to say I never gamed with that group again. 2) In the arms of Morpheus. The missing players character falls into a state of narcoleptic sleep only to awaken when the player returns to the game. This sort of stretched the imagination a bit and I once came into a game and all of my equipment was missing because it was sold by my party members to pay for healing. This also happened to several other players and eventually the game died because the whole party was naked and unarmed. 3) Hey, where'd he go? A dimentional portal opens beneath the character's feet when the player can't show up and the character reappears when the player is there. This was just stupid. But in a high-magic setting I suppose it could happen. 4) He's awfully quiet today. The charater of the absent player fades into the background and only participates in combat. I have used this one and I usually ask another player to run the character during the combat. When I have awarded xp to the player I only gave out experience for combat and nothing for story, quest or role-playing. 5) Another player controls the character fully. I do not advise this becaause I have had it happen to my own character and when I returned I had: a) lost my paladinhood b)was a fugative from the law and c) gave away my more valuable possessions to another player. Needless to say I stoped playing with this group as well.