How do you explain an in and out player?

[killem2]

We have a steady group. However, one of out people has a job, and can still make it to our sessions to play a good and solid 5 hours, missing out on the other 3-4 hours.


What would you do out side of:



http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101126001335/f__/finalfantasy/images/a/a7/Shadow_(Final_Fantasy_VI)_small.png "he shows up" "he leaves". http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101126001335/f__/finalfantasy/images/a/a7/Shadow_(Final_Fantasy_VI)_small.png

[Deox]

Is it possible to meet with this player 1-on-1? Additional side missions (read: plot hooks) could easily be interwoven.

[lytokk]

DM can run him. If he can make it to every game, just late, run him as an NPC. It cuts out on lots of explanations as to where he might be. Just make sure the DM sticks to the characters personality. Hopefully the DM also realizes to not throw in any incredibly significant choices until the player can be there.

[Kudaku]

Adding to Lytok's answer, I'd ask the (absent) player if he'd feel comfortable with one of the other players running his character. Though this may vary depending on the complexity of the character I'd be reluctant to ask the DM to run him since in my experience the DM already has plenty of stuff to keep track of without adding another character to the list.

[Swaoeaeieu]

it is usual in my games that not everyone can make it each session. so we work together to run the absent playerc character or the dm makes a credible excuse why the character is absent (we lost the barbarian for 1 day because he was spending some time at a brothel).
When we work together we make sure to not make anny important dicisions for the player and not do anything out of character. It's hard but by sharing the work it isn't too hard.

or go completely the other way: The person in question is hit by a malfunctioning Blink spel and can dissapear for hours or days at a time (however long the session takes in game) and then reappear at the party's side beacause he has been following them in the eatheral plane.

all in all, in a world of magic where you play with friends. there must be a way to deal with this...

[lytokk]

I'd say another player playing the character would work, so long as both of them are agreeable to this. My only concern comes along the lines of life or death situations. Granted, a good DM won't do this when one of the characters is being controlled by a stand in player, but, there's more risk for a player sacrificing another players character to make sure player A's character lives. But, in a good group, as you said you had, this shouldn't ever be a concern.

[NightDM]

I would almost for sure have another player run the character in that situation. The DM generally has so much going on that adding on another important character, not simply another mook, can be really tough.

Plus, personally I find it makes combat kinda boring for the players when the DM has to run another character; I mean at least the players as a group are getting the same amount of time in combat and can strategize together.

[nedz]

His character just keeps popping out to answer a call of nature :smallbiggrin:

Normally we have another player run the character or they get sidelined.

[killem2]

I'm not the DM for this session but I do know that this person took this flaw:

DELUSIONAL
[ Secondary Flaw: Personality Conflict ]
Your character suffers from occasional audiovisual hallucinations, sometimes imagining events or situations that aren’t actually real.

Drawback: From time to time the DM will feed you a description (without telling you that it’s delusional, of course) of an event or encounter that your character will believe to be utterly real. Most of these delusions will fall apart when examined and refuted by other party members, but there should always be some tension about each incident. Is your character merely hallucinating
again, or is there really a shadowy figure following the party through the forest?

Special: No form of magical healing or protection against illusions will suffice to remove these delusions. They originate deep within your character’s mind for reasons appropriate to his background.



I'm going to talk to this player (he's good friend) and see if he wants to RP this as, he slips into mental breakdowns and is with us, but utterly useless. :smallbiggrin: when he does need to leave or is late.

[Pex]

The DM runs him as an NPC when the player is not there. Not that the DM plans on doing it but just for the record, the PC as NPC is at equal risk to character death as the rest of the party. In exchange, the character gets full XP and treasure as if the player was there all along. It is insulting and unfair to dock the character XP and treasure just because the player is at his job. You don't force a player to choose between the two.

[Telonius]

I'm not the DM for this session but I do know that this person took this flaw:

DELUSIONAL
[ Secondary Flaw: Personality Conflict ]
Your character suffers from occasional audiovisual hallucinations, sometimes imagining events or situations that aren’t actually real.

Drawback: From time to time the DM will feed you a description (without telling you that it’s delusional, of course) of an event or encounter that your character will believe to be utterly real. Most of these delusions will fall apart when examined and refuted by other party members, but there should always be some tension about each incident. Is your character merely hallucinating
again, or is there really a shadowy figure following the party through the forest?

Special: No form of magical healing or protection against illusions will suffice to remove these delusions. They originate deep within your character’s mind for reasons appropriate to his background.



I'm going to talk to this player (he's good friend) and see if he wants to RP this as, he slips into mental breakdowns and is with us, but utterly useless. :smallbiggrin: when he does need to leave or is late.

Or maybe, that person wasn't the one who took the flaw ... everybody else did!

[Harlot]

We have such an on-and-off character/PC in our group.

The story is that she is bonded to a demon (of sorts) that summons her for (hush-hush) jobs at random times, teleporting her in and out of the game. She doesn't talk about it. The group doesn't ask.
They may make snide remarks if the summon was particularly inconvenient.