Player death ending session: help!

[Inevitability]

Today, a PC died in my campaign. Now, PC's die in my campaigns and everyone accepts that.

The problem, however, is that the dead character's player won't be able to do anything for the remainder of the session. There's several solutions, but none of these sit fine with me.

1. Have everyone create backup characters. This is difficult because often, a character won't fit in the current storyline. I know coming up with ways to make them fit can be fun, but it's something I'd rather not do while running a game.

2. Have the player wait until the end of the session. This is bad, because it means someone will be doing nothing for the next few hours.

3. End the session and create a new PC that fits the current situation. This is bad because it ends the game for three people so that the fourth won't miss anything, which feels unfair to me.


So is there an obvious solution I've overlooked? Please tell!

By the way, my group's sessions are pretty short (2-3 hours) so making a new character and then resuming the session won't be possible.

[Malimar]

The solution I've most commonly heard for this problem is to let the player whose character died play hirelings, cohorts, DMPCs, or the like. Problem is not all parties have hirelings or cohorts or DMPCs, and also they tend to be less fun to play than the original character.

Another solution is to let the player whose character died play some of the monsters the party is to face, assuming the player can be trusted not to go easy on his former allies.

[Immabozo]

Resurrection type spells, or if it fits with the story, on the rare occasion, you can have the character returned via divine intervention. The former is preferred, the latter is discouraged.

[Inevitability]

The solution I've most commonly heard for this problem is to let the player whose character died play hirelings, cohorts, DMPCs, or the like. Problem is not all parties have hirelings or cohorts or DMPCs, and also they tend to be less fun to play than the original character.

Another solution is to let the player whose character died play some of the monsters the party is to face, assuming the player can be trusted not to go easy on his former allies.

The party has no cohorts (they may gain some later on) but the idea of letting someone play the monsters is interesting. I'll keep it in mind, thanks!


Resurrection type spells, or if it fits with the story, on the rare occasion, you can have the character returned via divine intervention. The former is preferred, the latter is discouraged.

The party is low-level. Up to the previous session, two of them would've been able to cast resurrection-likes later on, but one rebuild his character completely and the other got killed.

Divine intervention doesn't fit the game I'm trying to run, not to mention that it feels very cheap to me.

[erok0809]

If you have access to Ghostwalk, you could let them be a ghost for the rest of the session, and then at the end they frel the pull of the Veil of Souls too strongly and move on. It could be kinda cheap, yeah, but it at least lets them finish the session, and then you and they can decide the best course of action for the next session. I don't know if this fits exactly what you want, but it's an option.

[Immabozo]

If you have access to Ghostwalk, you could let them be a ghost for the rest of the session, and then at the end they frel the pull of the Veil of Souls too strongly and move on. It could be kinda cheap, yeah, but it at least lets them finish the session, and then you and they can decide the best course of action for the next session. I don't know if this fits exactly what you want, but it's an option.

Or like temporarily getting a free ghost template, I like it. Like "I have a score to settle" angry ghoust, maybe put them under the effects of a geas

[Darth Ultron]

It shouldn't be too hard to welcome a new character in to the group. They would make a character that fit in right? And as DM you can always add a bit of "fitting in", by giving the character something. For example: a scroll of credit or a letter from an important NPC.

Letting them be a ghost is a good idea and can work out great.

[Red Fel]

So is there an obvious solution I've overlooked? Please tell!

Yep. Have them build a new character while everyone else is playing. That way, no time is wasted - they have something to do to keep them distracted (and access to whatever books the DM has), the rest of the players can keep playing. If the character is finished before the session ends, you can take a five-minute-or-so break to check and approve it; if not, they've got a head start on chargen and can send you a copy of the sheet for approval before the next session. Once the new character is ready, you can look for an opportunity to introduce it.

It's not as efficient as creating backup characters in advance, but it fills the time and doesn't force you to suddenly and immediately introduce a new character.

[Inevitability]

Yep. Have them build a new character while everyone else is playing. That way, no time is wasted - they have something to do to keep them distracted (and access to whatever books the DM has), the rest of the players can keep playing. If the character is finished before the session ends, you can take a five-minute-or-so break to check and approve it; if not, they've got a head start on chargen and can send you a copy of the sheet for approval before the next session. Once the new character is ready, you can look for an opportunity to introduce it.

It's not as efficient as creating backup characters in advance, but it fills the time and doesn't force you to suddenly and immediately introduce a new character.

The problem is that we as a group are relatively new to 3.5, and maybe half the players can create a character by themselves.

[Immabozo]

The problem is that we as a group are relatively new to 3.5, and maybe half the players can create a character by themselves.

In that case, my personal favorite suggestion was the playing the monsters idea. Also has the side benefit of easing the others into the idea of being a future DM

[Inevitability]

In that case, my personal favorite suggestion was the playing the monsters idea. Also has the side benefit of easing the others into the idea of being a future DM

I'll probably do this.

[Kesnit]

What I did in a recent session was let the player keep playing the "dead" PC until the end of the session. Then in the next session, I introduced the new PC.

[Andezzar]

What I did in a recent session was let the player keep playing the "dead" PC until the end of the session. Then in the next session, I introduced the new PC.That sounds like Wile E. Coyote running over a cliff and not realizing it.

Letting the player play NPCs (whether monsters or otherwise) seems like a good way for him to kill some time.

[Toilet Cobra]

What I did in a recent session was let the player keep playing the "dead" PC until the end of the session. Then in the next session, I introduced the new PC.

I can sort of see that. Sort of a Boromir thing- gravely wounded, no hope of recovery, but still alive enough to hold a sword and shakily stand between an orc and a hobbit.

[erok0809]

I can sort of see that. Sort of a Boromir thing- gravely wounded, no hope of recovery, but still alive enough to hold a sword and shakily stand between an orc and a hobbit.

That's pretty much covered by the staggered condition already though, or being between -1 and -9 with Diehard.

[Vogie]

What I did in a recent session was let the player keep playing the "dead" PC until the end of the session. Then in the next session, I introduced the new PC.

http://2static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Only+mostly+dead_e2f427_5585076.jpg

[Inevitability]

What I did in a recent session was let the player keep playing the "dead" PC until the end of the session. Then in the next session, I introduced the new PC.

That would've been funny in this specific case (a player got knocked out and beheaded).

"You're alive? But... you head!"
"It's just a head. I should be able to survive for, like... four hours without it?"

[Segev]

That would've been funny in this specific case (a player got knocked out and beheaded).

"You're alive? But... you head!"
"It's just a head. I should be able to survive for, like... four hours without it?"

"Yeah, I'm one-quarter cockroach on my Dad's side. See, his father was a lawyer, and his mother was a politician." "Plus, you're blond." "That's hair-ist!"

[Andezzar]

Nah, beheading is the short cut to demi-lichdom :smallamused:

[Immabozo]

That's pretty much covered by the staggered condition already though, or being between -1 and -9 with Diehard.

Boromir was the father of the diehard feat, lol. He taught badass school, started many PrC about staying alive 1 round after death and basically was the father of the modern day darbarian, the muse for runescarred berserkers everywhere and the uncle to the rage mage.