So my DM and I are stuck. Mechanics and role playing

[Nishant]

A friend of mine invited me to join their DND group, which basically has a generational hero system. The idea is that as your hero interacts with others, he becomes an example to some, and as his/her life goes on, they can have people journey for his/her purpose, have children to succeed them, etc. Usually, the characters set for this route are played separately, join the party for the time, or, should the main PC die, come to take his mantle.

This issue comes with planning however. Most characters are built by the DM and target player to fit the intended player's style, or accent them in certain ways. Now every now and then they have come hiccups where the teamup doesnt work out, or they become the 'follower' of another player through role play, but its always premeditated in some way.

Then I stepped in...Towards the end of my first session with them, The town we were in was attacked by some dragons. We help the local militia to fight off the dragons. No big deal, right? Well, the DM is very invested, and enjoys painting vivid pictures of the fight and outcomes. Towards the end of the fight, I was separated from the main party while they locked down one of the dragons, and I would buy time to keep the last one from destroying more property and killing civilians by trying to distract it until they could get back to me and finish it off. It was at this point that Wander(my character) bit off more than he could chew, but a militiaman came in and distracted the monster before it could kill me, giving me the killing blow at the cost of his own life, ending the encounter. Wander takes the young man's sword to remember what his own folly cost him, and to remember the debt he owes. Until a woman finds the slain militiaman and begins to mourn him. realizing they were close, Wander returns the sword along with a scabbard of keen edges, and 100 platinum coins to the young woman to help her rebuild and give her some support with the coming challenges of life. And here comes the problem. Where I was content on that being the end of it, Wander remembering his own mortality and accepting the costs and dangers of this life, as well as showing charity and humility to an NPC, allowing the party to get a good idea of who he was on the inside, rather than out.

The DM, however, doesn't want it to be left like that, however, and we didn't get a real chance to converse about it since the session ended abruptly.

The current ideas he E-mailed me were as such:

-Character becomes a fallback for Wander (Problem being that she would be a level 1-3 starting as far as he's concerned, and the main party is level 15)

-Character becomes a student of Wander (Wander was a gladiator, so he's good at what he does, but its not a real specific 'taught' combat.. You learn as you do, making Wander an ill candidate for a formal teacher.)

-Character follows Wander out of his sense of duty, and feels compelled to protect her. (I like this one more, as it shows My PC taking responsibility, which can be rare in games, but I'm worried it will slow down the party, given the time Wander will have to devote to her.)

-Character becomes love interest to Wander. (While I'm not opposed to this, I don't think you should force a relationship onto a character. Especially given the circumstance, with Wander sharing responsibility in the death of a partner, friend, or family member.)

I'm curious as to your opinions so I can bring them to the table for my DM, or if you have ideas, feel free to share. Also, do you think I did something I shouldn't have done on my first visit to a new table, so to speak? He was really vivid in the world, so I got invested into it, and took the action I thought my PC would take, but I might have gone too far.

The DM has also mentioned making the sword a minor legacy weapon now maybe, but I honestly think that may be a bit much.

[Ferronach]

A friend of mine invited me to join their DND group, which basically has a generational hero system. The idea is that as your hero interacts with others, he becomes an example to some, and as his/her life goes on, they can have people journey for his/her purpose, have children to succeed them, etc. Usually, the characters set for this route are played separately, join the party for the time, or, should the main PC die, come to take his mantle.

This issue comes with planning however. Most characters are built by the DM and target player to fit the intended player's style, or accent them in certain ways. Now every now and then they have come hiccups where the teamup doesnt work out, or they become the 'follower' of another player through role play, but its always premeditated in some way.

Then I stepped in...Towards the end of my first session with them, The town we were in was attacked by some dragons. We help the local militia to fight off the dragons. No big deal, right? Well, the DM is very invested, and enjoys painting vivid pictures of the fight and outcomes. Towards the end of the fight, I was separated from the main party while they locked down one of the dragons, and I would buy time to keep the last one from destroying more property and killing civilians by trying to distract it until they could get back to me and finish it off. It was at this point that Wander(my character) bit off more than he could chew, but a militiaman came in and distracted the monster before it could kill me, giving me the killing blow at the cost of his own life, ending the encounter. Wander takes the young man's sword to remember what his own folly cost him, and to remember the debt he owes. Until a woman finds the slain militiaman and begins to mourn him. realizing they were close, Wander returns the sword along with a scabbard of keen edges, and 100 platinum coins to the young woman to help her rebuild and give her some support with the coming challenges of life. And here comes the problem. Where I was content on that being the end of it, Wander remembering his own mortality and accepting the costs and dangers of this life, as well as showing charity and humility to an NPC, allowing the party to get a good idea of who he was on the inside, rather than out.

The DM, however, doesn't want it to be left like that, however, and we didn't get a real chance to converse about it since the session ended abruptly.

The current ideas he E-mailed me were as such:

-Character becomes a fallback for Wander (Problem being that she would be a level 1-3 starting as far as he's concerned, and the main party is level 15)

-Character becomes a student of Wander (Wander was a gladiator, so he's good at what he does, but its not a real specific 'taught' combat.. You learn as you do, making Wander an ill candidate for a formal teacher.)

-Character follows Wander out of his sense of duty, and feels compelled to protect her. (I like this one more, as it shows My PC taking responsibility, which can be rare in games, but I'm worried it will slow down the party, given the time Wander will have to devote to her.)

-Character becomes love interest to Wander. (While I'm not opposed to this, I don't think you should force a relationship onto a character. Especially given the circumstance, with Wander sharing responsibility in the death of a partner, friend, or family member.)

I'm curious as to your opinions so I can bring them to the table for my DM, or if you have ideas, feel free to share. Also, do you think I did something I shouldn't have done on my first visit to a new table, so to speak? He was really vivid in the world, so I got invested into it, and took the action I thought my PC would take, but I might have gone too far.

The DM has also mentioned making the sword a minor legacy weapon now maybe, but I honestly think that may be a bit much.


It sounds like your DM likes to have a "finger in every pie" so to speak.
Personally I would say that as an ex-gladiator and such, he is unused to human contact and he followed a "code" of sorts by giving her the sword etc as a way to honor the sacrifice made by the militia man, not as a way to get the woman to follow in any way shape or form.
Perhaps suggest to the DM that Wander vows to find someone capable of resurrecting the fallen man as further payment of his debt.

[Seclora]

The newly widowed(?) NPC follows in Wander's example of generosity and seeks to defend the weak and impoverished, becoming a paladin. Her skill with the sword becomes a local legend and the region is lastingly influenced towards good.

Perhaps if Wander continues to perform such feats he may qualify for Exalted feats or even the Saint Template. Perhaps he'll even inspire more people to follow in such a path.

[Red Rubber Band]

Does the character have to follow Wander and be all up in his grill?
Could something be happening in the background? Instead of using the 100 plat to feed and house her and her offspring, maybe she uses it to found a shelter of some kind that helps veterans of war/combat. Her children are exposed to these people and after hearing stories from their mum decide that while their dad may have been a hero, this mysterious gladiator is a demigod. They go to find this person who they hold in such high regards.
Stories spread far and wide of your generosity and you could have any number of past NPCs that have fought along side you decide they want to apprentice themselves. Maybe an ex-gladiator friend finds that shelter the widow built and helps to create a place of peace and respect for veterans. It becomes a school that teaches how to protect ones self.

[Nishant]

Perhaps if Wander continues to perform such feats he may qualify for Exalted feats or even the Saint Template. Perhaps he'll even inspire more people to follow in such a path.

Perhaps. Kinda funny giving a war hulk exalted feats, but if it works for the narrative, I'd do it. I'm not too into optimization in these kinda games.


Instead of using the 100 plat to feed and house her and her offspring, maybe she uses it to found a shelter of some kind that helps veterans of war/combat. Her children are exposed to these people and after hearing stories from their mum decide that while their dad may have been a hero, this mysterious gladiator is a demigod. They go to find this person who they hold in such high regards.
Stories spread far and wide of your generosity and you could have any number of past NPCs that have fought along side you decide they want to apprentice themselves.

Sounds interesting. I'll bring it up to him. I don't even know the relationship she had with the militiaman yet, but I doubt it was so carved in stone that it was so carved in stone that it cant be altered.



It sounds like your DM likes to have a "finger in every pie" so to speak.
Personally I would say that as an ex-gladiator and such, he is unused to human contact and he followed a "code" of sorts by giving her the sword etc as a way to honor the sacrifice made by the militia man, not as a way to get the woman to follow in any way shape or form.

I'm sure he means well, it's only my first time with him. Wander is somewhat accustomed, in that he understands sacrifice and loss. While I'm not sure about the resurrection quest, mostly because I think this guy might have a linear plot in his head that he wont wan me to derail. But yeah, there was no intent on me trying to get the woman to follow. It was really just, 'I take my responsibility in this. I can't ever make up for the loss, truly, but I at least want to show my gratitude for the sacrifice, and show my respects by giving you some way of support.'

[jiriku]

Honestly, that sounds like great roleplaying. You didn't go to far at all. If you had joined my group and pulled that off on your first night, we'd all be thrilled that you'd joined us. :smallsmile:

The character issue seems like not much of a deal to me. Wander politely but firmly rebuffs her attempts to attach herself to him, and instead strongly encourages her to follow a different path of your choosing. Perhaps she could lead the effort to rebuild the town, or care for the wounded, or organize a more effective defense/early warning system against the next monster attack. Maybe she's inspired by the courage of the dead man and the humility of the hero, and becomes the town's next leader, striving to make a difference in the world and following both of their examples.

[KillianHawkeye]

I agree with other people's suggestions of encouraging the woman to stay in the town and take on a larger role in its improvement or general well being. Starting an orphanage or a boarding house for victims of monster attacks, getting involved in local politics, becoming an activist of some kind, or joining the local church sounds like they'd all be good ideas.

Alternatively, she might be inspired by you and take up adventuring so that she, too, can help those in need and make a difference. Perhaps if enough time passes, she could gain enough levels to actually become a viable cohort/apprentice or even a replacement character for you some day (although I guess that depends on the rate that time progresses in the campaign).

[Nishant]

Talked to my GM earlier, seems like he's leaning towards her going on her own journey as a possible replacement and future cohort to Wander. Now he wants me to figure out what I want for this character. Apparently the way he's doing to do this is have a 'private campaign' where she takes agency over the phone.. This is complicated. I suppose now I have to figure out what I want to do with her? That would be a different thread though, right? unless we want to make this character together. this is a lot of drama for one session ^^'