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View Full Version : 1001 ways to introduce a character in the middle of a dungeon!



Mephibosheth
2012-07-30, 05:07 PM
We've all been there. An errant breath weapon, a lucky arrow shot, a careless rogue and a devious trap, the unfathomable evil of Cthulhu and his ilk, rocks falling. The party's been slogging their way through the Never-Ending Dungeon of Inestimable Peril (TM) for days now, and a character just died. But you're in the middle of an endless series of caverns and there's no easy way to introduce a new character.

This thread to the rescue! These scenarios can arise in almost any game, so let's come up with scenarios that make this slightly less awkward. They can be generic or tailored to a specific system.

And attempts to actually maintain a numbering system never work, so just post away!

Prisoners of War - You wander into a chamber where the despicable creatures that inhabit the dungeon have chained a prisoner to the wall. You free him and find that he (coincidentally) perfectly fills a gap in the party's skill set!
Rivals Turned Allies - You've been racing another group of enterprising businesspeople through the dungeon. Their party has just come up against an encounter beyond their abilities, and one member has survived...
Extra-Dimensional Portal - Who knows where these things come from, but helpful people are forever wandering through them.
Amnesia - I made it all the way in here, got a nasty crack on the head, and now I don't remember why I came here in the first place...

Hiro Protagonest
2012-07-30, 05:14 PM
Er... numbering systems do work. Sure, people slip up once in a while, but it's quickly corrected.

5. There's a shop. In the middle of the dungeon. It's run by a powerful artificer who decided to invest his WBL in low-level magic item crafting and sells the stuff to adventurers. He also stocks rope and ladders in case people forgot to bring any (or enough). He has the new character working as his assistant, the sole survivor of the last party that came through.

Ranting Fool
2012-07-30, 05:18 PM
of the top of my head.

Trapped In Time: Either you happen to bump into a useful guy who just happened to be either trapped in some temporal stasis until just now or has been turned to stone but fear not there is a handy Stone to Flesh scroll in the same room as him.

Ranting Fool
2012-07-30, 05:21 PM
how could I forget!

Saving the Mind Controlled minion of Evil: A once mighty adventure who just happens to be exactly the same power level as the group that faces him is clearly under some sort of Domination spell. Once freed he/she/it will happily join the party in order to gain revenge against the Evil that did this. (Bonus points if Pally/LG Priest)

Erik Vale
2012-07-30, 06:39 PM
7: In-Dimensional Tunnel:
Similar to the Extra dimensional tunnel. Perhaps the guy rolled badly/well with a dimensional door, and will join you for the safety.

8: Time Warp:
So many games are trapped in medievel stasis....

Extra dimensional tunnel has already been mentioned. It is also a way for lazy players to avoid making new characters, as it happens in heroes...

And, for all the warlocks/Devine worshipers and worlds where Divinities are more interactive:

9: My Diety/Patron wanted me here. Didn't tell me why though.

Razanir
2012-07-30, 06:57 PM
You counted 6 twice.

11. Another party tried taking on the dungeon. He's the only one who survived to escape

12. Monster PCs!

Rorrik
2012-07-30, 07:31 PM
13 Denizen Coup A classed leader among the denizens of the dungeon is ousted in a coup. He happens to be of a similar level to the party and wants to avenge himself on the traitors.

14 Last man standing The dungeon has been occupied fairly recently by the monstrous hordes, one man(of the PCs level, maybe he has followers) is still fighting to hold his sacred ground/city/treasure. The party finds him fighting it out with a group of foes and upon their rescue joins them.

navar100
2012-07-30, 07:34 PM
15: PC dies. Gets reincarnated.

ThirdEmperor
2012-07-30, 08:33 PM
16: Accidently summoned by an NPC spellcaster.

Kane0
2012-07-30, 08:35 PM
17. The random character gets teleported in as punishment for something. He was meant to die down there, and nobody knew of the party's presence.

18. The random character is monster food. The party finds him about to be eaten

19. The random character was bribed or blackmailed into being there

20. The random character is petrified in the corner. Has been for ages.

21. The random character is the supplier for goods and whatnot for the dungeon's inhabitants. Since you killed the monsters he is out of a job

Endarire
2012-07-30, 08:57 PM
22: Penance. The man was doomed to die (or sentenced to something similarly nasty), but your valliant group of murdering vagabonds saved him or enslaved him!

Serpentine
2012-07-30, 11:01 PM
23. "A crack appears on the roof in front of you, and bits of dust and rock start showering down. All of a sudden there's a massive CA-RACK, and part of the roof collapses. Sitting on the pile of rubble, coughing on the dust, is a very large, half-naked male human with the better part of a tree in one hand, and a dead dog in the other."
Why yes, I have used this in one of my games, why do you ask? Related, but not in a dungeon, a character of mine joined the party by falling off a roof, landing right in front of them, and then hiding behind them from the mean man who was chasing her.

kieza
2012-07-31, 01:37 AM
In a war campaign, when the party paladin got killed a long ways from a tavern, I handed him the stat block of the Marine Sergeant whose squad was already providing support fire. He did some pretty cool things with it (e.g. charging a bunker full of elven artificers, catching one of their grenades, and tossing it back through the firing slit, and later having the party mechanic salvage a magical machinegun from a golem, which he proceeded to fire from the hip while chewing a stogie), so after the adventure, we reworked him as a PC.

I guess that would be...
24. Promote an NPC to the Main Cast

LadyFoxfire
2012-07-31, 08:42 AM
25. Finding a Warforged trapped under a pile of rubble, and digging him out.
26. Coming across another adventuring party being slaughtered by orcs, joining in the battle, and recruiting the lone surviving adventurer.

Oracle_Hunter
2012-07-31, 09:09 AM
"Totally not a Doppleganger" -- you find the PC tied up in a secret room. He explains that a Doppleganger infiltrated his former party and convinced them that he was the Doppleganger. The PC tried to kill the Doppleganger but was overpowered by his party and left tied up "until they could figure out whether he was lying." That was a day ago, and he hasn't seen them since.

Bonus points if the PC is actually a DM Trap and totally is a Doppleganger :smallamused:

QuidEst
2012-07-31, 09:25 AM
"Oh thank goodness somebody found me!" This can range from a hide-and-seek game taken way too seriously to a cave-in that trapped another explorer.

Crazy hermit: He might just live in the dungeon.

Antonok
2012-07-31, 10:14 AM
17. The random character gets teleported in as punishment for something. He was meant to die down there, and nobody knew of the party's presence.

Similar to this one:

Misfired Teleport: Character was off on his scroll of teleport. Teleported into the dungeon by accident.

I use the next one when I just really don't want to think of one. Also good if you want to make your player think on his feet.

Divine Intervention: Patron deity of the character wants to punish/test/whatever the PC. Teleports him to the party.

some guy
2012-07-31, 10:42 AM
32. A huge demon is giving birth. Amidst the gore and blood emerges the new PC; fully grown, geared up and covered in blood. (Maybe the PC crawled his/her way out of hell? Maybe the pc is a demon? Maybe it's just weird?)

33. The party finds a Deck of Many Things. The first card they draw is the Knight, but instead of a loyal 4th-level fighter, it's the PC. (Problem: if they continue drawing cards, the whole party probably needs replacements.)

Rallicus
2012-07-31, 11:16 AM
Amnesia - I made it all the way in here, got a nasty crack on the head, and now I don't remember why I came here in the first place...
[/LIST]

I did a variant of this, except my character was sleeping and woke up with a nasty hangover when the party found him. My character had been given the same task as the party, just a day prior, and he'd been blacked out when he took the job.

Lord_Gareth
2012-07-31, 11:35 AM
34. The party slays a T-Rex; the new character spills out of the stomach, somewhat embarrassed but blessedly alive.

Mono Vertigo
2012-07-31, 11:55 AM
35. There is a ghost haunting the dungeon. Surprisingly, they're not too hostile to the party, they just want to finish their last task before moving on and do whatever it is that the rest of the party also wants to achieve.

36. After coming in contact with a strange magical object, one party member summons themselves from a parallel dimension; they look like them, but have a completely different class, and maybe, for extra mindscrew, a different personality, too.

37. That character just managed to catch up with the party after following the trail of dead monsters and destruction. Their only motivation is to have fun. Their definition of "fun" happens to also involve dead monsters and destruction.

Beacon of Chaos
2012-07-31, 12:05 PM
38. "Who are you people and why are you in my house!?" (Whether or not the player actually lives there or is just crazy enough to think that a dungeon is their house is up to you.)

39. "So the four of you, including the cleric who has totally been with you the entire time what other guy descend into the dungeon." (Bonus points: none of the NPCs remember the new character, and continually ask about the previous character, who none of the players remember.)

40. Another time travel one: "I'm your son/daughter from the future... and I've come to warn you!"

Ranting Fool
2012-07-31, 12:22 PM
40. Another time travel one: "I'm your son/daughter from the future... and I've come to warn you!"

A man appears before you in a flash of magic, he looks at you and says "Marg The Mighty?... You look different without your scar.." the stranger places his hand on your shoulder saying "We must save the Bard, then we shall save the world"

Why I find this thread so funny.... I've done a fair few of these over the years.

NPC/PC trapped in time/stasis bubble: Check.
Warforged knocked below 0 but not dead: Check
Time traveling future selves: Check


41. BBEG shouts that he will now destroy you with his epic summon spell! new PC is summoned by mistake

Serpentine
2012-07-31, 01:33 PM
Divine Intervention: Patron deity of the character wants to punish/test/whatever the PC. Teleports him to the party."The god of pure Chaos turns up and drops a dude at your feet. Because he's the god of Chaos, and he felt like it."

I used this one to get rid of a couple of characters whose players had left the game. They were both Chaotic characters, too, so it worked that he'd be drawn to them, and also he was the god of a temple the party was going to have to deal with eventually.

Archpaladin Zousha
2012-07-31, 02:21 PM
One instance I remember reading here was just having the new character fall out of the sky and crush the party member he was replacing...:smallconfused:

Dire Panda
2012-07-31, 02:55 PM
43. "Remember that funny-looking magic rock you found but never identified? Yeah, it was a Philosopher's Stone. And guess what happens when that true resurrection oil falls onto dragon feces?"

Yes, this actually happened. A dragon had just turned our fighter into a red smear on the ground (shortly before being mulched itself), and the player wanted to bring in a new character. Problem was, the party was under serious time pressure to reach the bottom of the dungeon and prevent the plot McGuffin from being activated - the kind of time pressure where every second counted, and stopping to free prisoners might accidentally doom the world. So I ruled that the dragon's claws had smashed the items in his backpack, inadvertently mixing the philosopher's stone with a Cure Serious Wounds potion and flinging the resulting resurrection juice onto a nearby dragon poop. Coincidentally, this particular poop used to be an adventurer on much the same quest as the heroes, and after a very brief period of post-resurrection disorientation she joined the party as the player's new PC.

Deepbluediver
2012-07-31, 03:20 PM
44. Dwarven mining team punches through the dungeon wall/Elvish scouting party stumbles across the ruins. One of the dwarves/elves has a son/daughter (who for some crazy reason) thinks they want to be an adventurer. Maybe the party would like to drag them along on one of their wild and zany trips (please?), so the son/daughter can see that adventuring isn't all gold pieces and ice cream, and then they'll want to come home and act like a proper Dwarf/Elf.

North_Ranger
2012-07-31, 06:49 PM
45. The dead PC's cohort/follower is promoted to PC.
46. The Princess and the Frog Scenario: the party encounters a monster who says he's under a curse and that the party just so happens to have the method of breaking said curse (whether that's a kiss from a woman or something more esoteric and/or disturbing, it's up to the DM). Grateful for his freedom, he joins the party.
47. "I've been watching you for days." A stranger pops out of nowhere and says he's been following the party for a while now, unnoticed due to a ring of invisibility or other magical doohickey.
48. Reinforcements. If the party is working for some powerful person or organization, they may have sent reinforcements to join the party on their quest. Unfortunately they arrived too late to save the PC who just joined the choir invisible...

Rake21
2012-07-31, 07:07 PM
Thief caught in a cage trap: "Funny story, actually. I figured out the preassure plate pattern in the room- by the way, guy-in-armor, don't step to your left- but I failed to notice the cage hanging from the ceiling. Long story short, here I am. Mind giving me a hand?"

Riverdance
2012-07-31, 07:25 PM
50- The Sleepwalking Barbarian (or other character): The PCs encounter their new party member stumbling around in the depths of the dungeon, eyes closed, mumbling to himself. When woken he is disoriented and has no idea how he got in or how to get out again. Having no other option, he joins the party.

Rorrik
2012-07-31, 10:55 PM
51 - Sleeping Beauty The new PC his found beside a pool-of-water-of-eternal-sleep/magic-spinning-wheel/toad-stools-of-rest and upon being awakened is willing to join the quest.

52 - Clever Stone The party finds a small sentient stone on a corpse. The stone has plenty of attitude and tells them he's a person cursed to be in stone form. The only way to change back is to be placed on an altar in this dungeon, he was so close until the idiot corpse they found him on got himself killed.

Logic
2012-07-31, 11:00 PM
New PC is a bounty hunter, determined to bring someone to the local authorities (it could be the PCs, depending on their track record.) He agrees to help finish the dungeon since the party can't go on without him, and he can not tackle the bounty alone. The bounty target may instead be the dungeon boss, or under-boss, or even a simple mook hireling of the enemy, or the party!

New PC is a courier of messages, and has tracked the PCs to deliver an important one to them. Then he gets trapped in the dungeon with the party.

Erik Vale
2012-07-31, 11:23 PM
Just pointing out, many of these are repeats, please refrain (especially on the first page)

Logic
2012-08-01, 12:38 AM
Just pointing out, many of these are repeats, please refrain (especially on the first page)

I specifically read the whole thread to avoid repeats. I don't think everyone was as careful.

Kelb_Panthera
2012-08-01, 01:25 AM
Most 1001 X lists have at least a few repeats. If not outright repeats, then at least a few that are close enough that they might as well be.

TuggyNE
2012-08-01, 02:01 AM
Just pointing out, many of these are repeats, please refrain (especially on the first page)

The number of "last survivor of other party" variants is amusing, and impressive.

falloutimperial
2012-08-01, 02:34 AM
53- Deposed Dungeonlord The party encounters the previous owner of the dungeon who would have been their adversary if he were not evicted.

54- Good Twin the party prepares to ambush the BBEG when they instead find a magical clone who knows there can only be one.

55- Reserved For Retcon The new PC knows why they are in a dank dungeon, but they don't feel like sharing. It may become a plotpoint later.

56- Becoming the Mask Adventurers encounter the person they planned to fight, only to find a change of heart, misunderstanding, or large mutual threat causes the antagonist to become a protagonist and learn to love, etc.

Killer Angel
2012-08-01, 02:52 AM
Classic is Classic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaIdv79Xz4).

eulmanis12
2012-08-01, 08:22 AM
57.
From the tunnel ahead the PCs hear shouts, orc war cries, and the sounds of battle. One voice stands out above the rest. "Stand your ground you cowards! If you run we're all dead! Bowmen, target the chieftan! Pikes plug that gap! XII Legion (or whatever you want to call the group) rally to me!", as the pcs begin moving towards the sounds the hear a giant crash and the same voice shouts "Gods above! What is that thing" there is an ear splitting roar "Its wiped out the pikes, Bowmen! concentrate your arrows on that THING! Swords with me! CHARGE!" By this point the pcs should be running as fast as they can towards the battle. if you want, lone or pairs of human soldiers can run past them in the opposite direction, refusing to stop and talk, or saying things like, "GANGWAY!" or "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" . The PC's finally reach the end of the tunnel which opens into a large cavern. Bodies of human soldiers and orc warriors are everywhere. At the far end a massive (Insert favorite monster) is fighting a few dozen humans. There is a massive hole in the cieling that the monster aparently came in through, and the far wall appears to not be a wall but a pile of rubble. There are a few random orcs all retreating out an different tunnel from the one the PCs came through. The PC's should join the fight, during which most/all of the humans, except their leader, should either be killed or run away, and the monster should cause the tunnel the PC's used to collapse. The commander, and whatever troops of his remain agree to join the PCs. Their reason for being in the tunnel in the first place was that they were sent in to wipe out an orc tribe that shelters on the other side of the cavern (blocked now by the cave in), they came in through a tunnel that is now buried under the rubble. The only way out is now forwards.

Rorrik
2012-08-02, 10:48 PM
58. Marriage Trouble The spouse of one of the party members shows up looking for them. Surprisingly, he or she is the perfect level and class to replace the lost party member. Could make for some interesting role-playing interactions.

59. Metamorphasis Complete The party finds a cocoon. Within it is the new PC. He can be any race, especially a made up race. He's just finished growing and is perfectly ripe for participation in the party.

TuggyNE
2012-08-03, 04:37 AM
59. Metamorphasis Complete The party finds a cocoon. Within it is the new PC. He can be any race, especially a made up race. He's just finished growing and is perfectly ripe for participation in the party.

This would work ridiculously well if the new PC happens to be a 3.5 Dragonborn.

RandomNPC
2012-08-05, 07:13 PM
60: Tree Born
Using a Qualls Feather Token, Tree of course, the new party member falls from the branches.

My group was so confused.

Bucky
2012-08-05, 10:36 PM
61. An adventurer was tracking a monster back to its lair and followed it through the dungeon's handy back door. He then got lost and ran into the party.

62. An adventurer was fighting something above the dungeon when it bull-rushed him into a conveniently placed shaft.

JetThomasBoat
2012-08-06, 04:16 AM
59. Metamorphasis Complete The party finds a cocoon. Within it is the new PC. He can be any race, especially a made up race. He's just finished growing and is perfectly ripe for participation in the party.

This puts me in mind of a lot of the goofy characters you get in Chrono Cross, like finding Draggy in his egg, using the shark tooth amulet to make the voodoo straw man thing come to life, finding Pip in a cage in a scientist's lab, finding Neo-Fio on the terrace of the same scientist's research base, pouring magic water on a burned spot of ground to get Turnip.

63. The Experiment. Have the dungeon they're going through have some kind of magical laboratory that was either in an abandoned wing (so the other baddies in the dungeon haven't gotten to it first) or just have the magical researcher have stepped out for something or maybe designing something against his will. Either way, the PCs would stumble across the experimental creature on the table. The bumbling comic relief rogue trips over a lever or the numb skull barbarian tries to hit a fly with his axe and breaks a gearbox. Suddenly the [warforged/intelligent plant/animated doll] sits up from the table and doesn't know what's going on. For added fun, maybe the new PC thinks of whoever activated it as its father or something.

The Succubus
2012-08-06, 04:26 AM
64. "UPS. Can you sign here please?" and he refuses to leave the party without the signature.

Dublock
2012-08-06, 07:00 AM
59. Metamorphasis Complete The party finds a cocoon. Within it is the new PC. He can be any race, especially a made up race. He's just finished growing and is perfectly ripe for participation in the party.

I would totally do this, and the character would be known as "Queen of Blades." (She is one of my favorite characters...)

65. The party prays to their God for a replacement and the god picks a person and summons him/her to them (Opposite of someone else's, but it works :P)

eepop
2012-08-10, 12:25 PM
When a character dies, they are erased from time. As such, another character was with the party all along.

Its kind of a campaign wide thing, but we tried it out once in a time travel/dimenson travel ish game, and it worked out in an interesting manner.

Manly Man
2012-08-10, 05:06 PM
66. The new character is under the impression that they're a bard, and constantly sings "On The Road Again." While they sing, they pay little attention to their surroundings, and happen to have wandered in and ran intot he party by accident.

Doorhandle
2012-08-12, 07:29 AM
One instance I remember reading here was just having the new character fall out of the sky and crush the party member he was replacing...:smallconfused:

Have ALL the cookies, that made me laugh out loud. (http://visualrevenue.com/media/uploaded_images/cookies-survey-320x400.jpg)

*See that hobgoblin? The third one on the right? HE'S A SPAH! Fortunately, this spy was never really on the hobgoblin's side, and joins your party.

*The new P.C has been waiting in ambush for a passing group of orcs for DAYS, and springs out at the P.Cs, stopping instantly when he realises that they're not a threat, and decided to just kill the orcs the fun way: with the party.

* The character owes a life debet to one of the other P.Cs, but was running late and only just caught up with the rest of them.

* A horde of goblins seem to be charging at the players... and then runs right past them in a blind panic. Turns out, they were running from the new P.C.

*Dynamic entry! a player enters with a completely awesome *BOOTTOTHEHEAD* on the biggest, baddest guy in the room, and then joins your party.

*In a more high-leveled campaign: a character was knocked flying from a particularly impressive blow, and landed several miles away, into the dungeon.

*The character is encountered in a particular compromising position, such as while in the bathroom, having intercourse where and with something one really shouldn't have intercourse in/with or singing show-tunes in the shower (badly), and after sheepishly covering up, joins the party out of embarrassment and to prevent blackmail.


edit: *The party arrive to a group of cultist summoning a demon, and were too late, the portal to the abyss already opened... and then the summoned demon falls through, stone dead, with the new P.C standing on his back with his sword through the demon's skull, smiling proudly as if he was a toddler showing a new drawing to his mother.

Daftendirekt
2012-08-12, 07:51 AM
The current party walks into a room to find a privy made of solid silver. They lift up the toilet seat to find a deep pit which is quite clean. At the bottom is my character. When pulled out, he has no memory of how he got there because the memory was ripped out of his skull by the creator of the dungeon.

JustSomeGuy
2012-08-12, 08:10 AM
Like the terminator, preferably naked in a rowdy outlaw horseman's tavern.

The Random NPC
2012-08-12, 08:57 AM
The new PC wanders in, greeting everyone by name. Turns out he's a bit unobservant and has confused your party with his.

genderlich
2012-08-13, 03:31 PM
The new PC is the assassin sent to kill the old PC. Works best if nobody really liked the old one, or if he had a shady past.

nedz
2012-08-15, 02:21 PM
69.Infatuated Lover.
The new character has been stalking one of the PCs for ages. Bonus points if the PC targeted by the stalker is not the one who just died.

Mono Vertigo
2012-08-15, 02:44 PM
70. The party dodges/deactivates a trap (bonus points if that same trap just killed their companion), and finds another adventurer who was stuck because of it. S/he's the sole survivor of her/his own group. Why not make the best of a guy/gal prepared enough to survive god-knows-how-long in that particular situation?

Hopeless
2012-08-16, 05:58 AM
71: Female Conan: You're slowly approaching town when the sound of yelling reaches your ears, rushing forward you witness the end of a fierce punch up between a group of local hoods and what looks like a very athletic and muscular barbarian youth.
The thugs run off as they see you approaching and as you get closer you suddenly realise the barbarian is actually a woman albeit flat chested and clad in rags that look like the remains of whatever armour she's been using.
She asks you for directions whilst cleaning her hands on a portion of one of the thugs discarded cloaks shifting her axe and sword as she does so.
Funnily she's heading in the same direction as you are and is apparently keen on hunting down someone you'd like a hand with... what are the odds?:smallwink:

72: Halfling Sorceror: In front of you a bizarre flash of light that seems to hang in the air for a moment before a deluge of water splashes on the ground before you and as the light dissipates a figure tumbles out and rolls across the ground before sitting up.
"Thats the last time I trust a wand of wonder... hey where are you guys?" he asks curiously finally noticing he's alone and then notices you.
"Oh hello, any idea where here is do you?" he asks.:smallsmile:

72: Acolyte: You walk up to the disused church and find someone sweeping the front steps.
He appears quite old and clad in simple clothing and as you approach he looks up and stops sweeping.
"Is this about those goblins I chased off last week, because I swear they looked like they were looking for trouble..." he shrugs a little shamefaced.
"Okay they found some even if they didn't expect it but what do you do when the little beggars start running around with lit torches you know they're all arsonists and i was getting tired with repatching the roof...":smallwink:

Lemmy
2012-08-18, 12:49 AM
73: Foundations: The dungeon, (or at least one of its rooms) is actually the basement of the newcomer's house, and he/she just came downstairs to store some old stuff that he/she doesn't use anymore.

74: World Champion: The newcomer comes out of a very well hidden secret passage. He/She then proclaims "I knew I could win this!". A golden belt with the "Hide-and-Seek World Champion" magically appears around his/her waist.

75: Save Point: The PCs approach a luminous floating question mark. They stay around it for a few seconds, without moving at all. The newcomer pops into existence beside them.

76 The Hangover: The PCs enter a room where the newcomer is just waking up, apparently suffering from a terrible headache. He/She looks arounds with a confused expression on his/her face and says "Dude, where is my horse?"
(Actually used this one. Spent a whole campaign trying to find that damn horse. In the end, turns out it was in the backyard of the BBEG.)

Lemmy
2012-08-18, 12:55 AM
Oh! Oh! One more! one more!

76: Mirror Mirror on the Wall: The PCs enter a room with a huge mirror. The mirros shows the perfect reflection of whatever is in the room. Plus one unkown person. This unkown person comes closer to the mirror, saying something (lipreading reveals he/she is saying something like "Why don't I have a reflection?").

When he/she touches the mirror, he instead falls into the real world. The PCs' reflections don't do anything other than mimic their real-world counterparts.

The newcomer has no reflection at all in this mirror. When he touches it, nothing happens, all tests, divinations and etc point out the mirror as being completelly mundane. Whatever the case, the newcomer knows the party quite well, as if he/she has been part of the group for a quite a while.

The newcomer may or may not have a reflection on other mirrors.

SgtCarnage92
2012-09-03, 04:41 AM
77. The Starchild-As the players are exploring the dungeon they come into a massive cavern. The ceiling torn asunder as if by some great explosion. In the center of the cavern sits what appears to be a giant metal egg. Two stories tall it towers above the party and as they approach, azure lines appear across its surface. Soon a section of the ship slides away and the players are blinded by a brilliant light. The light fades as a figure appears in the portal, bathed in the light from inside his vessel...He steps down toward the players, a new visitor on an alien world. A new life to begin escaping some fate he wishes to forget...

78. Aww, can we keep him?- The players walk into the room and the walls are covered in viscera from some recent combat, the distinct smell of blood and sweat mixing in the players noses. Body parts and what's left of corpses lay strewn across the room. In the middle of the room sits a cat casually cleaning blood out it's silky white fur. It walks toward the party and in a incredibly high pitched and squeaky voice, "it's about time someone showed up. Now could one of you change me back?"

Jack of Spades
2012-09-03, 06:51 AM
79. Mum sends her love. Also do you have any food? How about that couch at your place, do you still have that? Your sibling has, for whatever reason, been sent (possibly by his own divinations, maybe by his recent unemployment, most likely by your parents) to help you out. Or possibly to mooch off of you. It's up to you. Have fun with it!

Rorrik
2012-09-05, 11:43 PM
79. Mum sends her love. Also do you have any food? How about that couch at your place, do you still have that? Your sibling has, for whatever reason, been sent (possibly by his own divinations, maybe by his recent unemployment, most likely by your parents) to help you out. Or possibly to mooch off of you. It's up to you. Have fun with it!

Wow, I feel that one.

toapat
2012-09-07, 11:02 AM
80. "I got better". It is DnD, Death is an illness, not a state of mind. Even better if the dead PC is still quite clearly dead.

Novawurmson
2012-09-07, 01:10 PM
81ish. Living sacrifice; the dark cultists were about to sacrifice one of their own who was getting cold feet at the last moment when the party burst in.

82 Aaaaaw, can we keep him? New character was a "pet" of the old denizens.

83 Curses! The new PC was cursed to roam the halls of the dungeon until X happens where X is fulfilled by the PCs or about to be fulfilled by the PCs (the ancient lich is slain, a halfling on a white dog sounds a trumpet in the deeps, etc.)

84 Working overtime; the new PC is working for an NPC the party is marginally acquainted with and was sent to keep tabs on them.

85 The old chest-burster routine; the PC has been captured by a horrible monster that stuck them to the wall and has implanted eggs in him/her - barely keeping them alive until hatching day. They've seen what happened to the other guy, and they disparately want the party to help them find a way out of the situation.

tbok1992
2012-09-23, 06:05 PM
86. Spelljammer Crash- An enormous wooden ship crashes through the top of the Dungeon and a confused looking humanoid walks out of the wreckage. "Goddamn Giff." he mutters dazedly.

87. The Lady's Gambit- You see a portal open up right next to the PCs and see a humanoid flung out of there, screaming "No! No, m'lady! Anything but That!" He crashes into the wall, picks himself off, brushes himself off, looking around. "Hey, this isn't one of The Mazes."

CoffeeIncluded
2012-09-23, 07:23 PM
It's probably already been stated, but if the character's a wizard, you could do something like this:

88. The party finds a small animal that pings as magical run up to them and lead them to a small chamber. Attempts to speak with the animal has her say that her master needs help. The party follows the animal, where he leads them to her master. Her master is a wizard who's tied up and helpless; maybe he's going to be sacrificed later or something (And as the party nears him, maybe they'll hear him shouting stuff that will give them a good idea of what he's like; saying, "Ooh, once I get loose I'll blast you to smithereens!" gives a slightly different characterization than him saying something like, "Look, if you're one of those freaky cults into virgin sacrifices then you've got the wrong guy, so let me go!" or "Can anyone hear me? HELP!").

So the party cuts the wizard loose, he thanks his familiar for getting help, and then introduces himself to the rest of the party. Turns out he has a score to settle with his captors. Oh, and the boss of the dungeon took his spellbook too, so he needs to get that back. Don't worry, he's already got most of his spells for the day, so he can fight alongside the rest of the party.

You could probably do something similar with a druid or ranger and their animal companion.

Deathkeeper
2012-09-23, 11:32 PM
One instance I remember reading here was just having the new character fall out of the sky and crush the party member he was replacing...:smallconfused:

Among this line of thought

89. The new character falls from the sky/bursts through the ceiling, drop-kicks the old character into oblivion (despite having possibly no unarmed combat capability) while loudly proclaiming "I'm the [role] now!" He never mentions the incident afterward.

Giegue
2012-09-24, 08:57 AM
90: Sins of the Father: You get to the end of the dungon to find the endboss....the BBEG's son! However, in cliche' fantasy fashion he is not actually an enemy despite being a dread necromancer(or some other "dark" class) and is actually a tortured, emo anti-hero out to get REVENGE! against his villainous father for everything he's done to him. After talking to him a bit and convincing him you and he have the same enemy you gain a new party member!

91: Sympathy for the Devil: The BBEG has bound some sort of demon, devil, fiendinsh being or other outsider and is using them for their own nefarious ends. After talking with the bound outsider, the party decides to free him/her and it in return decides to travel with the party and take it's revenge against the evil spellcaster who had it bound.

92: Who you gonna call? : The dungon is a Necropolos full of undead and negative energy. Among the undead, however, is a familiar face! Remember that party member who was awesome but died so early on? Well, he's been kicking around as ghost and has been gaining class levels too! The only problem is he got rebuked by one of the necromancers and has been sent to attack you with a bunch of other ghosts. Luckily, you found an artifact to break the necromancer's control of his minions earler after defeating the Midboss. Hold the ghosts off long enough to use it and you get your former party member back!

Joe the Rat
2012-09-25, 01:17 PM
93. Old PC Was Actually a Time Lord Hullo. I'm The Cleric. (Still not ginger, though)

nedz
2012-09-25, 03:43 PM
94. FedEx turns up. "Parcel for <Dead PC's name>", ..., "Oh I just leave it with his corpse then. I better cut a hand off for proof of delivery though."
Inside the parcel: the new PC.

toapat
2012-09-25, 04:10 PM
95: Kool'Aid man style: Bust through the wall

AgentofHellfire
2012-09-25, 06:42 PM
Took A Wrong Turn on the Way to the Easy Dungeon

The new party member was just coming in, having thought the place was abandoned...now that he's halfway through, without his map, and roughed up 1 more times than expected, though...well, protection was nice.


Wait...they got out of that cleaner than I thought they would...
Someone who either laughed off the PCs or works for someone that does has decided to focus not on the fact that one of their number died, but that the rest have, so far, survived. That was an impressive feat, and certainly deserves more monitoring, for whatever reason...

nedz
2012-09-25, 06:59 PM
98. Character was exploring a dungeon when he stuck his hand into the mouth of a statue and got sucked through into a parallel universe.

Empedocles
2012-09-25, 07:41 PM
93. Old PC Was Actually a Time Lord Hullo. I'm The Cleric. (Still not ginger, though)

+1 :smallbiggrin:

Also, I don't think this has been mentioned yet.

99: When the villain is defeated some sort of dark energy leaves him, and what is left is a very confused, brand new PC who had been corrupted by a greater force. Think of what happens to the earlier bosses in Zelda: Twilight Princess after you banish the twilight.

Doorhandle
2012-09-26, 07:09 AM
94. FedEx turns up. "Parcel for <Dead PC's name>", ..., "Oh I just leave it with his corpse then. I better cut a hand off for proof of delivery though."
Inside the parcel: the new PC.

...That is downright dadaeque.

Stealing it. :smallbiggrin:

nedz
2012-09-26, 11:30 AM
100. You hear a braying sound as a donkey falls through the ceiling, hits the ground and dies. The new PC steps off its back.

101. You hear the sound of barking hounds in the distance. A character steps though a doorway and hides. A large number of dalmatians run past in the corridor.

102. A pastel coloured pony lands and the new PC alights.

Mono Vertigo
2012-09-26, 11:55 AM
103. Suddenly, when trying to use a magical item (new or of little importance), a freak accident happens, and bam! It turns into a humanoid(?) PC! If it had already been used before, they start ranting about the improper ways they'd been used or lack of care. Bonus points if the item already was sentient but mute before transforming.

104. Next time the party rests and goes to sleep, they have a collective dream about the same person. When they wake up, that person has become real, and is eager to accompany them. However, being born from dreams, said new character seems to operate on moon logic and either obscure or heavy-handed symbolism.

toapat
2012-09-26, 12:07 PM
105: paladin's Idiot Squire: an Underdark Knight has a squire who he cant stand anymore, and dumps him on the party. said Squire is phyiscally booted out of the floor in front of the party

Giegue
2012-09-26, 12:11 PM
106: Batman Wizard is always prepared!: A PC dies! Whatever will the party do? Out of seemingly nowhere in the exact spot of the PC's death appears...the PC! Or rather what appears to be an exact clone of that PC made with arcane magic. The monsters and the PCs all turn to the party's own Batman wizard who now is proudly wearing his best trollface. He declares to the monsters: "problem?" and the battle continues!

Allyzedl
2012-09-26, 02:59 PM
107: Swallow Whole

You find a PC inside the belly of a monster that swallows another PC, have a polite conversation inside the monster and get along before bursting out.

108: Inside an item

A PC just bought a bag of holding, when they go to use it they hear someone yelling from inside the bag.

It will also work well for a boat of folding, when used a PC walks out onto the deck complaining about being stuck inside the folded boat.

Squark
2012-09-26, 03:21 PM
50- The Sleepwalking Barbarian (or other character): The PCs encounter their new party member stumbling around in the depths of the dungeon, eyes closed, mumbling to himself. When woken he is disoriented and has no idea how he got in or how to get out again. Having no other option, he joins the party.

Bonus points if he mutters, "Not again........"

Mono Vertigo
2012-09-26, 03:55 PM
109. The (departing) PC has a Jekyll and Hyde syndrome going on. Their other personality takes over (with a different alignment/Morality/whatever applies), with whole new powers. The new character might be better than the previous one, sure, but sometimes, you'd swear you can still notice glimpses of the previous personality begging you to let them come back or end their pitiful existence... it's somewhat disturbing.

110. Angelic/demonic possession. An entity is using the old PC's body as a vessel, and will only release their consciousness after completing their task. Perhaps they were sent by their superior because your party was advancing too slowly to their taste... but is it really going to help?

111. You always knew your friend was doomed by a particular brand of lycanthropic curse, and, their time is up, and they permanently turn into a mindless beast. But wait, someone is able to Awaken the poor soul! The bad news is that it doesn't bring their old memories and abilities back. But the animal-previously-known-as-your-teammate is competent, and might show hints of their old personality. Perhaps there is still hope!

Sactheminions
2012-09-28, 08:55 AM
33. The party finds a Deck of Many Things. The first card they draw is the Knight, but instead of a loyal 4th-level fighter, it's the PC. (Problem: if they continue drawing cards, the whole party probably needs replacements.)

This was my character in 1996. I kid you not.

Anxe
2012-09-28, 09:42 AM
112. I just flew in from Greyhawk and boy are my arms tired!

Lentrax
2012-09-29, 02:56 PM
113. This really only works for characters with the right skillset, and a DM flexible on character intros.

The heroes wander through the dungeon, when they hear music hooting and hollering from on ahead. They open the door to find a large dining hall where a young woman is dancing to the cracks of whips and catcalls. In the ensuing fight, none of the bad guys realize the dancer has stolen a couple of swords and becomes a dancing whirl of death through their ranks. When the heroes ask for her credentials to join the party, she just shrugs and gestures back at the room behind them.

(I actually used this intro once for a level 6fighter/6dervish. The looks on everyones faces made the whole process of begging for the intro totally worth it.)

Nyes the Dark
2012-09-29, 05:46 PM
114: You Called, Girl?: The BBEG hired a hooker, but got a scantily-clad woman with class levels and a vendetta. She helps you against said BBEG, and then joins the party.

115-Good All Along: The BBEG was actually a good guy (or at least an ally) was actually a scapegoat, and the real BBEG was using him. He helps you beat the BBEG, then joins the party.

116-Man's New Best Friend: You fight a werewolf-type creature, who is mortally wounded by a silver weapon. He is cured (to somke extent) and begs forgiveness for his actions, then joins the party.

117-I Got Better: If a magical effect killed the victim, say they narrowly avoided the fatal effects, but a bizarre side-effect changed their race/class/gender (optional, but good for RP). They never even leave the party.

118-The High-Heel Face Turn: The boss' girlfriend/minion gets fed up with his behavior, and betrays him for the most handsome/charming PC

119-I Like This One!: The BBEG is, rather than angry at the PCs, intriuged by your skill, and offers the party to combat. You win, but she offers to help you with your quest, impressed with your skill.

120-My Pet Bob: A character's animal companion is affected by a spell and turns into a *player race*. Bonus comedy points if nude.

Flavel
2012-10-01, 04:03 PM
115: Character was directed to dungeon as a result of a quest/geas/attonement spell.

Megasaber4000
2012-10-06, 03:43 PM
116.many years ago a town was where the dungeon is and one person was frozen in time and gets unfrozen by the party.

enderlord99
2012-10-07, 04:57 PM
"Totally not a Doppleganger" -- you find the PC tied up in a secret room. He explains that a Doppleganger infiltrated his former party and convinced them that he was the Doppleganger. The PC tried to kill the Doppleganger but was overpowered by his party and left tied up "until they could figure out whether he was lying." That was a day ago, and he hasn't seen them since.

Bonus points if the PC is actually a DM Trap and totally is a Doppleganger :smallamused:

Even more bonus points if he's a Doppelganger without being a trap. (Presumably, Savage Species is an allowed source book).:smallbiggrin:

toapat
2012-10-07, 05:23 PM
117: Protagonist, i choose you: A strange red and white sphere with a button and black stripe rolls in front of you. it pops open, and the new party member materializes from red light

118: Thrown by Green Lantern: The new party member, is thrown from one planet to the one you are currently on, and then impacts the partymember they are to replace during re-entry

nedz
2012-10-07, 05:31 PM
119. Just like 118, except that the new PC hurtles through the party knocking them all prone. In the distance a voice can be heard, shouting "STRIKE!"

Nyes the Dark
2012-10-08, 05:28 PM
Uh, I think there were some miscounts...

126- We Don't Want Him: The PC materializes from a different plane (preferably a Lower Plane), having been kicked out by the Demon Lords for being unbearable/too evil

127- Drill Sargent: A mad scientist/PC arrives from the underdark in a drill device.

toapat
2012-10-08, 05:44 PM
Uh, I think there were some miscounts...

126- We Don't Want Him: The PC materializes from a different plane (preferably a Lower Plane), having been kicked out by the Demon Lords for being unbearable/too evil

127- Drill Sargent: A mad scientist/PC arrives from the underdark in a drill device.

i think 115 is with adjustment for repeats

TuggyNE
2012-10-08, 05:44 PM
Uh, I think there were some miscounts...

126- We Don't Want Him: The PC materializes from a different plane (preferably a Lower Plane), having been kicked out by the Demon Lords for being unbearable/too evil

You can of course reverse this in order to introduce a new gooder-than-Good PC :smalltongue:

Jay R
2012-10-09, 06:03 PM
128. *Pop!* (New character X appears.)
Old Character Y: Huh? Why are you here?
New Character X: I have no idea. I was fighting a lich when something in a box of darkness said I have to ESCAPE!

129. DM: OK, George here has a new character almost completely finished. The only thing missing is that he and the other players need to decide how they know him, and why he followed them and is joining them now, and then we can start the game.

nedz
2012-10-09, 06:49 PM
130. *Pop!* (New character X appears.)
X: "Damm, that ring did have a wish in it".

Dr.Epic
2012-10-09, 06:59 PM
5. There's a shop. In the middle of the dungeon. It's run by a powerful artificer who decided to invest his WBL in low-level magic item crafting and sells the stuff to adventurers. He also stocks rope and ladders in case people forgot to bring any (or enough). He has the new character working as his assistant, the sole survivor of the last party that came through.

You mean this guy? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEAakGOwSqw)

Doorhandle
2012-10-10, 08:11 PM
131: The new P.C was stalking the party the entire time in order to get their autograph. Acutally JOINING them on their adventures is just bonus.

132: You beat the crap outta that orc and now he's your friend! THAT'S THE SHONEN WAY!

scurv
2012-10-11, 12:34 AM
<insert some number here> DM "Ohhh your rogue died....ummm welll ummm, Oh you can play the wizard familiar"

Actually that was a fun one for me to play, And do you have any idea's the penalty s you get for pick pockets when you do not have thumbs?!?