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TKXapathy
2014-05-30, 09:08 PM
Everyone knows how difficult it is to find time to get your whole table of players together for a good DnD session. And with conflicting schedules, my group is considering just having sessions where the majority can make it, lest we forget details of the plot.

The problem with this, however, is how does one deal with absent players? I really dislike the idea of controlling the characters of absent players or relegating them to an NPC role. So... What possible plot reasons could there be for a character's absence? Bonus points if this plot reason is somehow woven into the main plot.

A little background on the story so far: The plot revolves around the PCs racing against a comet towards a temple in the north. Legend has it that if the comet reaches the temple, then all is doomed. Currently, the party has established themselves as rulers of a small kingdom through their heroic actions.

ChaosArchon
2014-05-30, 09:20 PM
Theres always having the Fae kidnap them, nothing like a 5th dimension being appearing out of nowhere and whisking the player away and then have the player return saying they just had tea with Mab.

Thrudd
2014-05-30, 09:22 PM
Everyone knows how difficult it is to find time to get your whole table of players together for a good DnD session. And with conflicting schedules, my group is considering just having sessions where the majority can make it, lest we forget details of the plot.

The problem with this, however, is how does one deal with absent players? I really dislike the idea of controlling the characters of absent players or relegating them to an NPC role. So... What possible plot reasons could there be for a character's absence? Bonus points if this plot reason is somehow woven into the main plot.

A little background on the story so far: The plot revolves around the PCs racing against a comet towards a temple in the north. Legend has it that if the comet reaches the temple, then all is doomed. Currently, the party has established themselves as rulers of a small kingdom through their heroic actions.

Easy. Whenever a player isn't there, the character has business to attend to in the kingdom and can't go out on the expedition. Someone still needs to listen to petitions, see to the deployment of troops, meet with foreign diplomats, etc.
If the characters do not return to their homes in between sessions and are on the road, a messenger arrives saying that there is urgent business back at the kingdom requiring their presence, the character rides off to go home.

Telonius
2014-05-30, 09:26 PM
Depends on where the last adventure broke up. If it's in the middle of the dungeon, there's always the classic, "Ooh, looks like Sir Not Appearing In This Session just stepped on a teleportation trap. It'll be a while before he catches up." Otherwise, religious obligation or being taken in for questioning by the town guard could be an option.

White Blade
2014-05-30, 09:35 PM
The Ultimate List of Brainstormed Garbage

Children and family are a pain - If you're competent enough and you're racing across a nation but have a family, somebody has to guard the family. This makes switching out easier.
Ditto with prisoners, especially valuable but difficult to contain ones.
Somebody has to guard the bags, see the above two
Illnesses: Disease is a pain, if you're gonna keep getting knocked out, a periodic fever is useful and immediate.
You could be procuring supplies for the party (whether by hunting or riding to the nearest village)
Major Chores: Perhaps the Wizard needs to chart and estimate the course of the comet and needs time to do so that is preventitive from being with the group.
Alternatively, if the cleric receives a troubling vision, he might spend hours or days trying to decode it (prohibiting him from participating as he pours over scriptures or communes with the divine)
The rogue needs to check with his contacts to find out which of the roads ahead is polluted with bandits
There's not much to be done with the fighter types, except that they are marshalling forces to keep the roads clear, sending riders ahead to prepare the way, ectera.
The kingdom does have work that needs to be done. If you have a long-range communication device that's not super portable (roughly the equivalent of a table), then you might leave someone behind to watch over that.
Mystical objects need to be tended to - A seed is planted that will create a tree that literally bears hope on its branches - But it needs to be sung to hourly by a king (or ruler) in order to grow. Tedious, but necessary, might cause problems if you aren't reliably missing someone.
Alcoholism.
Every village you pass through pesters you for judgments about a variety of minor cases - You don't want to alienate them (best if you're close to town)
The comet's progress is slowed by someone playing the drums or similar beneath the open sky where it can be seen. Useful for the party bard if you're doing sneaky stuff (or anyone. nobody said it had to be GOOD drumming).
A druid might need to stop by a grove to restore her powers or greet a fey lord so that the others can make it through the woods.
Possession
A bothersome poltergeist
You Have To Bury Your Dead



Hopefully ONE of those is useful to you.

Alex12
2014-05-31, 12:05 AM
The comet is causing/caused by/otherwise related to some kind of planar alignment, and the PCs are specially vulnerable because they've been magically harmonized (for some campaign- or backstory-appropriate reason), causing "random" party members to "randomly" shift into the Astral Plane/the Plane of Shadow/some other plane. They can still keep track of and follow along with the rest of the party in the Astral due to the magical link, but they can't go too far from the party or they risk getting stuck forever.

JusticeZero
2014-05-31, 02:36 AM
Alternately, just fiat some random stuff that they're doing that vaguely justifies them being with the party and not doing anything useful. "You enter the room and the five Black Agents attack! Plus the one that attacks George... *run fight as if George was never there* You finish your fight just as George finishes with his duel.. *give treasure as per normal minus George's distraction*"
Seriously, everyone knows what's up. There's no reason to overthink this.

TKXapathy
2014-05-31, 05:03 AM
Hm, thanks for all the valuable insights and ideas, guys! Definitely gonna use some of these.

Jay R
2014-06-01, 10:46 AM
They have a cold/flu/food poisoning, and can't wander, fight, or cast spells. This has the advantage that it can be over any time the player shows up. It has the disadvantage that once a party is high enough level to Cure Disease, it gets harder to justify. (I once invented a plague that had developed an immunity to cleric spells.)

Lord Torath
2014-06-01, 08:48 PM
Or they've come down with a mild case of the Vanishing Flu (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0387.html), but will probably be better by next session.

Great for light-hearted romps, but less so for more serious games.

Angelalex242
2014-06-01, 09:54 PM
In my face to face group, we assumed the character was there, and on autopilot, and didn't use any finite resources.

They simply had a personal duel to fight in every encounter that came along. It was never rolled. Rather, if the party won, they won, and if the party lost, they lost.

If it was a primary spellcaster absent, they'd cast spells only when requested to do so, and only spells that didn't have expensive material components.