PDA

View Full Version : Recycling a character?



Beowulf DW
2010-02-23, 11:38 AM
First some background info:
Sadly, my first D&D campaign has come to an end due to lack of interest. The two other players in my group talked with our DM (I was not present for this conversation) and decided to call it quits. I was shocked, to say the least. I thought we were all having a great time. Oh well.

I probably won't be getting into another campaign this college semester, but I have been offered a place in a campaign during the next fall semester, by some of my other friends.

I full intend to take them up on that offer, of course.

And now, the question: Would it be all right for me to recycle the character I made for the cancelled campaign? I created a backstory for him, and I really don't like seeing my work go to waste. I understand that different situations may or may not make that practical or permissible, but, in general, would recycling/repurposing a character from an aborted campaign be accepted?

Tyndmyr
2010-02-23, 11:41 AM
As long as it fits the requirements for the campaign you intend to join, you should be fine.

Just ask about starting wealth, allowed sources, and any house rules in effect, and check over/change your char as appropriate.

FirebirdFlying
2010-02-23, 11:42 AM
I'd be fine with it, assuming it works with the rules/flavor of the new campaign. This is something you'd have to ask the other players/DM, though, because it's really up to them (and especially the DM).

Dusk Eclipse
2010-02-23, 11:43 AM
I'd say yes, there is no shame into being attached to a character(see me, my pen name in every forum,page, etc is based on my fave character see sig)

But ask the DM first,maybe the backstory you planned doesn't work too well with his world or something like that.

Tiki Snakes
2010-02-23, 11:43 AM
It's certainly something worth considering. Certainly as a DM, I'd be happy to work with a player who was interested in doing just this, (and have infact two in my current campaign that are infact exactly this).

I've noticed though that it is possible for players to get a bit...eh, odd, when it comes to getting to play characters that were in cancelled games (or previous games). Nothing that's going to convince me to ban such characters, but it's worth doing a bit of self-examination. If you are TOO attached to the character (to the point where, perhaps, bad things happening could annoy you) then maybe it's best to roll a new one.

Other options are to consider the character an alternate universe version of the original, possibly including changing up the backstory a little to fit the new campaign more accurately, and so on.

Just_Ice
2010-02-23, 11:52 AM
There's something to be said to making a new character for every campaign you play, but if they don't even get to get off the ground, it's more than fair game.

Beowulf DW
2010-02-23, 11:59 AM
The backstory I made is very general. I named no person (except for my character) and no location. All I used were things like "a small village" and "a monastery."

I wouldn't consider myself attached to my character so much as I'm attached to the work I put into him. All I want is for the character I created to "live." I just want him to be able to participate in a story, then die or walk away into the sunset. I've raised the curtain on him, and I'd like a better excuse than campaign cancelation to bring the curtain back down.

Changing his class to fit the campaign wouldn't bother me at all, and I would like the oppurtunity to get a taste for other classes. I don't know the details of the campaign; niether do my friends, I think. They're involved in two related campaigns of their own at the moment, which probably doesn't leave much time for thinking about a campaign more than half a year away.

valadil
2010-02-23, 12:58 PM
I do this in two circumstances. If a character of mine hasn't had enough game time I like to give them a second chance. And for a one shot game where I don't have time to develop a character.

The only thing I've found to be problematic is if you try and treat the history of one game as canon in another. This is a bad idea and will only serve to piss off your GM. Start the character fresh from where the backstory leaves off. It's just easier this way.

DabblerWizard
2010-02-23, 01:02 PM
Sometimes it can be really fun, and beneficial, to re-play a character from a previous campaign.

You might already have this character flushed out. Their personality, motivations, morality, and such, might already be readily accessible, compared to a new character that is still developing in your mind.

Fond memories from previous campaigns can help you and the group enjoy the game more, by the mere fact that you've got these pleasant associations attached to the character.

Characters can be really moving and meaningful. Such characters deserve face time.

Beowulf DW
2010-02-23, 04:44 PM
I do this in two circumstances. If a character of mine hasn't had enough game time I like to give them a second chance. And for a one shot game where I don't have time to develop a character.

The only thing I've found to be problematic is if you try and treat the history of one game as canon in another. This is a bad idea and will only serve to piss off your GM. Start the character fresh from where the backstory leaves off. It's just easier this way.

It's like you can read my mind. I was considering working the aborted campaign into the backstory, with the result that the character would have slight emotional scarring and be more pessimistic than I originally planned.

bosssmiley
2010-02-23, 07:33 PM
And now, the question: Would it be all right for me to recycle the character I made for the cancelled campaign? I created a backstory for him, and I really don't like seeing my work go to waste. I understand that different situations may or may not make that practical or permissible, but, in general, would recycling/repurposing a character from an aborted campaign be accepted?

Consult your DM. Most will be ok with it.

There used to be an tradition in gamer culture of active characters transferring from one DM's game to another. Reviving a character from an abortive campaign is probably a legit part of this heritage.

sambo.
2010-02-23, 09:24 PM
it's completely up to the DM in your new campaign.

your new DM might have a different stat generation technique to what was used in the old campaign or different starting wealth rules or a whole host of other things that would result in a differenty character.

keeping the basic backstory is generally fine, but it's the details that will need to be worked out in consultation with the new DM.

MlleRouge
2010-02-24, 01:22 AM
My group has players who practice all levels of optimization (well, no munchkins), but our common denominator is our love of role playing. We tend to put a lot of work into the development and personalities of our characters, and we get extremely attached. As such, we replay often. It's not the majority of our parties, but often our off-night games and whatnot will feature one member of the party that has been seen before. It's always worked out pretty well for us, though I imagine it could get out of hand if people did this with *every* character and therefore we never saw anything new. No one minds replays though, and we do enough small one-shots and things in between big games that its often fun to see a member of the 'family' from before pop up again.

Sometimes backstories have to be rearranged or we have to take the character in a different direction than before to accommodate different developments/settings, but that's all part of the fun.

rezplz
2010-02-24, 01:26 AM
Of course it is. I recycle characters all the time - I just change their level, stats and gear to be in-line with whatever the guidelines are for character creation for the other campaign. Just make sure the backstory doesn't clash with the history for the campaign you're joining, and you're fine. I usually do it when a character I made that I really liked didn't get a long enough run. Which happens... oh, about every time I'm not the DM.

Hand_of_Vecna
2010-02-24, 01:58 AM
It's more than fine until you become "that guy". The one that always plays the same character, or just class or personality.

It sounds like you never got to really play this character in the first place so your at no risk of that, for now.

One shots are an exception always pull out warmed over rehashed characters you've been playing on and off and have been an npc in at least one game for them.

Beowulf DW
2010-02-24, 12:54 PM
I spoke with some members of the group, including the guy who will be the DM, and they say that they have absolutely no problem with this. One of my friends even gave me some ideas for my character's build. The character I created is a level 1 monk, and he suggested that I go paladin in one or two levels. This would allow me to make what he refered to as the "Run up and jump-kick you in the face" paladin. I love the idea, so I think I'll go with it. He did mention that roleplaying might become difficult after a while, with a character like that, but I put his fears to rest when I explained my character's psyche a bit. The monk I made is lawful good, and is a strange mix of cynicism and idealism. He works for the ideal knowing that the ideal will most likely remain just an ideal. He views the world in shades of gray, with just a bit of black and white at the ends. After I explained that, my friend mentioned some paladin prestige class that my character might take, but I'm having difficulty just keeping track of the regular classes.

Rambling aside, it seems that they're perfectly happy to let me give my character a second chance.

Darth Stabber
2010-02-24, 02:13 PM
It's fairly common practice from my experience. Since I am primarily a GM, I have loads of characters in several folders for several games, and I have been known to just pull one out of the folder, make a few quick edits and proceed to play. I've had 1 npc show up with three different play groups over the years, and finally end up as a PC. And gods know that I have had several characters I have played in the past show up as NPCs in future games I GM'ed.