Players using PC's from other Campaigns

[Annos]

I've heard of players taking their PC's thrugh multiple campaigns and even different DM's, but does this actually happen?

[NikitaDarkstar]

In play by post it's not uncommon at all especially if it's a character you're fond of and the campaign got cut short. Others just do it because they like to see how different things effects the same character (and in the end changes the character).

Personally I've done it a couple of times, but mainly with characters I grew fond of but the campaigns died before we really got anywhere.

[Annos]

Thanks for the intel

[Hiro Protagonest]

Same character over and over, adjusting backstory and mechanics to whatever the game they're joining is? Sure. Same character, same backstory, one set of mechanics progressing through the levels, through multiple campaigns and different DMs? No. Unless they get really lucky with the games the DMs run (same campaign setting, next game starts off at the level your last game with that character did, and DM allows you to add all your character's experiences to the fluff).

[Yukitsu]

I just do it when we play modern because I honestly can't take the damned system seriously. I like doing it because my modern character is a lot of fun to play, and most modern characters tend to come off a bit bland, since basically every character can do the exact same things as all the other characters.

[Mithril Leaf]

I generally do what Jade said, I've got a group of generic characters set to different power levels that I can pull out of the closet and dust off.

[Darius Kane]

Sure, why not.

[BowStreetRunner]

Over the years through 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions I've kept copies of all of my old characters just in case an opportunity arose to play one of them again. In fact, the only time I have ever re-used any of them was as NPCs in games that I DMed. This is now pretty much the only reason I keep them around.

[ShriekingDrake]

As others have said, many of the people I've played with over the years have done this--through editions, through different campaigns, etc. Sometimes people love the characters/character concepts they've created and want to be able to experience alternate timelines and the like. Sometimes they're just too lazy to try to play something else.

That said, I have played in worlds where the DM absolutely forbid this kind of activity.

Different strokes for different folks, but when I'm DM, I enjoy letting people play the characters they love.

[AsteriskAmp]

I've seen it done for relatively simple builds; where not many books are required and they are not particularly cheesy. You can normally get it approved by any DM if the backstory is not insane and requires a whole universe of its own.

I've approved such things in a number of circumstances, legacied some of my past character to new players when I get to DM and they don't feel in the mood for character creation.

[Darius Kane]

I've seen it done for relatively simple builds; where not many books are required and they are not particularly cheesy. You can normally get it approved by any DM if the backstory is not insane and requires a whole universe of its own.

I've approved such things in a number of circumstances, legacied some of my past character to new players when I get to DM and they don't feel in the mood for character creation.
Um, I think the OP is talking about characters with the same backstories and fluff, not about their builds. >.>

[Threadnaught]

Yes, oh god yes. The current campaign is set in the same world as the previous one where the Druid player who I find rather annoying and munchkiny, had previously played a Bard. In another session run by another DM, which I was also involved (as a player :smallbiggrin:) he had a Ranger, with some annoyingly complex backstory involving several other characters.
He brings up the backstory, characters in the backstory who he can use to give him free stuff and his own characters until I yell at him. Then waits a few sessions before bringing it all up again. His backstory for the Druid has her coming from the same place as his Ranger and Bard, at around the same time. This place is nonexistent in my world and his Bard won't be alive for another 1000 years.

Now I have a world where I'm in charge of what areas there are, I have the final say on who and what the NPCs are and where everything lives. I am the world and I control all things the players interact with. The players control their Characters, which is how things should be, GM controls the game, players control PCs.
My players both have complete freedom of what they want to do, within the confines of the game's rules. My duty is to react to anything they do appropriately and keep things moving along at a pace they both enjoy.


I'll tolerate many things from my players, including them attempting to create a time paradox (why won't they try this? :smallfrown:), because let's face it, that would be hilarious and I'd really have my hands full dealing with the fallout. :smallamused:
I do not tolerate my Druid trying to clumsily force his crap into my world so he can get free stuff and gain even further advantages over the Wizard. I give them enough stuff and let them get away with enough as it is. Giving him what he (usually) wants would lead to an endless corridor of CR1 enemies while the Druid charges down Wildshaped as a T-rex shooting Spells from it's mouth and using any Supernatural Abilities you'd see in all fie Monster Manuals. The Wizard would obviously stand there and cheer him on, maybe make the magic items so the Druid doesn't have to spend any Gold/EXP.


If the player and DM can both agree to and understand a character, then by all means, I have no issue with a character being recycled. If the character's backstory involves additional characters it is the DM, not the player, who has control over these additional characters' actions. As long as the DM's actions are somewhat in line with the backstory, they can do anything they want.

[Eldonauran]

I currently have a player in my current IRL game that is using the same character from a previous campaign. We're using Pathfinder and the character was built with 2nd edition rules. It was easy to convert, since the character is a fighter/barbarian.

Technically, she was enjoying her well deserved afterlife when some evil force ripped her from her resting place, forcing her into a revitalized undead-version of herself and set her loose on an alternate material plane accessed only via the shadow plane.

Good times, good times. It is as fun as it sounds. :smallamused:

[frost890]

I think one of the things you have to worry about besides there contacts are going to be there gear/artifacts that they bring with them.

[GenericMook]

The only time my former group really did that was in a really long game (in-game wise). Characters from the same setting, but from the past, would either pop up as NPCs on occasion, be mentioned in passing, or be part of our adventure.

As for explicitly reusing the same character as a PC, only one member of our group really does that when we feel like playing Epic-leveled stuff or something silly. But then again, he's got fluff to back it up, which my DM said was pretty cool.

[Threadnaught]

Characters from the same setting, but from the past, would either pop up as NPCs on occasion, be mentioned in passing, or be part of our adventure.

Amusingly the same thing is happening in my current campaign. I had these NPC who saved the world (roughly) 1000 years ago and since the current campaign is set (roughly) 1000 years before the previous one, in the same setting, they're able to meet most of these NPCs as they were.
They adore Tucker the Kobold. :smallamused:

[Rogue Shadows]

Well, I'm assuming you mean completely distinct campaigns and not simply a campaign that builds off of a previous one - less like keeping the same character from Baldur's Gate into Baldur's Gate II, and more like keeping the same character from Baldur's Gate and playing him or her in Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale, Temple of Elemental Evil, and so on?

In any event, I do both those things. Iliira Ii'ilmerias, my CG human-raised drow rogue, is my "default" character for any given D&D game or D&D-type game dating back to when I first loaded up Baldur's Gate, and I've ported her into PnP D&D often. The first thing I do with any new D&D campaign is check and see if drow are available and, if so, try and convince the DM to let me play as my LA +0 human-raised drow race (I don't push it, though).

I like to think of it as basically being like her continuing adventures, something like Conan the Barbarian's tales, which were usually only loosely related to each other. Obviously I've had to modify her backstory for games in which she is not the child of Bhaal, though.

Not that I don't role up other characters, but I really like Iliira, all the more so since I came up with her before I'd ever even heard of a certain CG drow ranger.

[navar100]

It was common practice before 3E. It was expected as even the 2E DMG had a few paragraphs specifically discussing the subject. Back then there wasn't much variety within a character class. Before Player's Options, the only things a DM really needed to concern himself when a player wanted to bring in a character from another game were magic items, homemade researched spells, and ability scores. Player's Options added complexity not easily ported, especially to campaigns that didn't use it.

While 3E didn't officially end the practice, gaming culture changed to suppress it. Not even being discussed in the DMG helped to make it out of sight, out of mind. The adding of skills and feats made characters more complex. Splat books brought in more classes, more feats, more spells, and prestige classes. While it's still possible to port in a character from another campaign, it's not as easy a process as it used to be. With a lot of variety of options in character building, players often just didn't want to because they wanted to try out a different cool fun thing. If they really, really wanted to play a previous character, they could just rebuild it and often with tweaks to reflect the new campaign or just to make their character "better" or try something new.

If it does happen, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just the culture for that particular gaming community.