How to get rid of a DMPC

[Gruffard]

Okay, only DMed a few times, but I did an annoying mistake. I made a DMPC to fill the misisng leader roles in our 4E campaign. I like the leader role so I thought I wouldn't mind, and in past groups I have a DMPC join for a session or two for story and it wasn't so bad.

I thought I could have the character give orders or suggestions to help move the group in the right direction, but now I find his pressence a drag in social events and takes too much time to level with all the other stuff, and its hard to run mystories and puzzles and have the character participate when I know the answer.

In all its annoying.

Now I am just looking for ideas of how to get rid of him without screwing up the story. Right now he is looking for pieces of the artifact to restore his house and country (currently occupied by neighboring country). Now I explained to my group I am going to phase him out and they don't mind, but I am clueless on how to do so. Short of him being killed in action, I don't have any ideas on why the DMPC would leave the group.

[Lin Bayaseda]

He gets a message he's urgently needed at home. His mother is on her deathbed. Or maybe the girl he loves is about to marry another. Whatever works.

[dextercorvia]

Perhaps his True Love is about to marry an evil Prince?

Edit: Swordsaged on this one, seriously?

[Gruffard]

True love might work for him.. Maybe
But sick mother doesn't. Story already had his family killed nearly to the man during the invasion.
Hmm... True love, he so much into the avenger type (the personality type not the class) seems slightly out of character, but at least I can use that and still have the NPC for the future.

Thanks so far (other ideas still welcomed)

[Snake-Aes]

Turn into a villain. Have him abandon the party and pick up some evilness.
You said he's an avenger type? Have him for some reason hate the party, or someone important for the party.

[Ranos]

True love might work for him.. Maybe
But sick mother doesn't. Story already had his family killed nearly to the man during the invasion.
Hmm... True love, he so much into the avenger type (the personality type not the class) seems slightly out of character, but at least I can use that and still have the NPC for the future.

Thanks so far (other ideas still welcomed)

Mentor then ? Someone had to raise and train him.

[Sc00by]

An inappropiate level encounter, have him die holding off something that would massacre the group while they all run away (and then go back with a few levels under their belt and exact revenge for their fallen comrade.)

Then he gets to be a hero and your PCs can carry on his quest in his memory.

[Gandalf]'Flee you fools'[/Gandalf]

[KillianHawkeye]

Have the villain trap him inside a magical crystal. The players won't be able to free him, or at least they don't yet possess the capability (it needs a special, high level ritual or something). This way, they can get him back at some point if they need him, or he could mysteriously show up again (possibly brainwashed by the villain).

[Snake-Aes]

If he has a huge reason to do what he does, fulfill it.
"My work is done, keep my stuff and leave me alone"

[dextercorvia]

True love might work for him.. Maybe

Hmm... True love, he so much into the avenger type (the personality type not the class) seems slightly out of character, but at least I can use that and still have the NPC for the future.

Thanks so far (other ideas still welcomed)

I'm sure that Dread Pirate Roberts' crew would have felt similarly when they found out.

[Kylarra]

Just have the group go on a quest in a different direction. I wouldn't kill him, you might want to use him later as an actual NPC.

[Mastikator]

He gets a stroke and dies.

These things happen. Life goes on.

[Knaight]

I prefer slips in a bathtub, but its the right idea.

[Another_Poet]

Almost any excuse will do, tthe basic one being "I heard of an artefact piece, but I need to go find this one alone. I can't explain it... thank you for all you've done," and then he goes off all mysterious like.

However it depends on what else you need to accomplish. If you make sure he dies helping them in the next battle, they may have fond memories of him and also feel a little more worried about dying because they've seen you kill a character (your own, at that). The effect of this exit strategy is to make the players take death more seriously and be more careful in combat.

A different option is to have him turn out to be evil. He betrays them and runs off with the artefacts to give them to the evil guy. Possibly they will really want revenge which could set up a nice quest. However the effect of this exit is that they will feel betrayed and be more suspicious of NPCs.

A simpler option is to give him a reason to quit actively adventuring, but still be around. "Ever since I found my sister, I don't want to go out risking my life. I'm going to stay at home with her and be glad she's not dead." The effect of this strategy is to give the party an extra resource they can turn to for help or advice when they are near where he lives - he no longer follows them to battle, but may be helpful in other ways like any friendly NPC.

It all depends on what you want to accomplish other than just removing him as a DMPC.

ap

[IonDragon]

You can always dispose of your GMPC the way I always dispose of mine, Kill it with fire!

[Snake-Aes]

If his past is any obscure, have it chase after him like the hound of Tindalos. Nothing like discovering he is a fugitive whose cover was blown and runs away alone to remain untraceable.

[Umael]

"Reveal" he was a doppleganger all along.
Replace him with an evil twin and have the rest of the party thrown in jail.
Activate the mind-control trigger and force him to fight the rest of the party in a berserk frenzy (don't stop until he's dead).
Have him stumble on "knowledge man was not meant to know".
Zombie bites him.

Really, if you don't mind just axing the guy, the only question is - why don't you just do it? Is there some kind of plot thread connected to him that you want the rest of the party to do?

[valadil]

I vote kill him. But first, make the PCs depend on him.

[Wings of Peace]

Are the players themselves fond of him? If so make him die in some very dramatic manner that they can feel guilty about. Like sacrificing himself for them or dying because they didn't rescue him from a particular danger in time.

Works even better if you tie it in with a BBEG who will be recurring later on to help lay the foundations for some animosity.

[Thajocoth]

Have the party ambushed at night by assassins. First thing that happens is that the DMPC is sniped in their sleep. It's loud enough to wake everyone else up though. If you've got trancing characters, just split them up into separate rooms at an inn or something.

[Gruffard]

I can just kill him, but would like him to be available as a resource to the party at later times. Also, he is basically the reason they are on said quest (Cept for the Wilden Seeker, He is evil and wants the artifact for other reasons), so axing him can be done and the group would probably complete the quest in his name.. Just feels off for some reason.

But thanks for the ideas, I like some of them and probably will use one of them.

[John Campbell]

I recommend exercising caution with using the DMPC's death as a plot-driver. It can backfire if your players don't care as much about the DMPC's fate as you think they ought to.

I'm playing in a campaign where the DM killed off his DMPC in an obviously predetermined plot-motivating cut scene. We shrugged, destroyed the corpse, and walked away without looking back.

(We had a couple of plot- and RP-based reasons for destroying the corpse, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least partially motivated by making it more difficult to bring her back... and no one in the party objected to it, or even hesitated before doing it.)

[Mastikator]

Maybe a part of the quest was that he was going to sacrifice the rest, and they by accident find this out now.
They also figure out how to sacrifice him instead.

If you make it seem unforced then it will feel to them as though they've killed him for just cause, and his death wasn't as arbitrary.

[Calemyr]

In my game last week, I had the DMPC (a druid) be abducted by another faction and tortured for information on the party. I probably would have killed her if the party hadn't worked so bloody hard to get her back. Honestly, I figure if they want the character back that much, it's worth the extra effort to keep her up to date.

[Thajocoth]

I can just kill him, but would like him to be available as a resource to the party at later times. Also, he is basically the reason they are on said quest (Cept for the Wilden Seeker, He is evil and wants the artifact for other reasons), so axing him can be done and the group would probably complete the quest in his name.. Just feels off for some reason.

But thanks for the ideas, I like some of them and probably will use one of them.

When I used a DMPC due to a lack of a Leader, I used inherent bonuses and had them never have magic items. This ensured they were easier to handle and lesser than a real party member. XP took a small penalty for having him of one monster of their level, then was divided between everyone but him. Loot was "after the DMPC take's his share, there's (appropriate amount for the rest of the party)." These things make it easier to manage.

I also had a player handle their actions in combat...

[Toliudar]

I'll add a vote for the obscure death option - consumed by an explosion, carried off by a flying predator, stays behind to hold off a horde of zombies. Bringing him back is then only a matter of cliffhanger logic. Seriously, with all of the plot goofiness that any game of D&D entails, players are going to balk at something like this? I think not.

[FoE]

What's wrong with getting him "killed in action"?

OK, he gets a letter asking him to return home and rescue some blood relative captured by the enemy forces. He insists on returning alone.

[Vinyadan]

He puts all the pieces of the artifact together and disappears, folded in a white, absolutely unforeseen flash of light. He is not dead, but surely he is not with the party anymore. When time is ripe, they can meet him again or look for him. He could be in his homeland or in a different plane.

[Critical]

Have him betray them. That way, you can even have a nice and unexpected combat for your players! ^^

[Snake-Aes]

Have him betray them. That way, you can even have a nice and unexpected combat for your players! ^^

best done dramatically, as the artifact is picked up and the load-bearing boss' death causes the area to collapse. At that point he turns to you guys with tears in his eyes, saying that only the bearer or the artifact can leave through the conveniently placed one-way, one-use portal, and he proceeds to fight you for it.