Introducing New Characters

[TheElfLord]

The title pretty much says it all. One of the hardest things I have found in my group is to convincignly introduce new characters. I mean, after a group has adventured, foughted and lived together for weeks, months, or even years, its not easy for some new guy to just be introduced. In my group new introductions have progressed awkwardly, or even violently.

In the game I am running now I expect a character death sooner or later, so I'm looking for any and all tips, stratagies, and advice for introducing new characters.

[Alleine]

Well, in my group, things definitely are awkward. We accept the new characters because we know OOC that they are another player, but I think we have yet to make a smooth introduction.

The biggest problem in my mind is that you really want to introduce them in such a way that fits with their alignment or ideals.
A neat idea I just had was because of a recent campaign that just ended(kind of) due to a near-TPK and the one city on the island being decimated. On said island we encountered a few basilisks, they turned one guy to stone, and we found another guy who was also turned to stone nearby. Neither of them really got to become flesh again, but just throwing in a random adventurer that the PC's can help would be interesting. The new PC feels a need to repay the group, and eventually ends up staying with them.

[....]

We usually just say, "You meet a cool guy. You explain everything thats happened. He joined you."

Nothing slows down an adventure like a replacement PC.

[Miles Invictus]

Try giving the players an entourage -- a bunch of nameless low-level NPCs that hang back and "hold down the fort" for the PCs. When a PC dies, you pull his replacement from the entourage.

[Severus]

Our GM puts that on the players. She requires that we link our characters by common goal and relationships.

If we need to add a character, it's the same. Have the new character be related to, know, or have some tie to the group.

None of the "Hi, I am Ogg, the Complete Stranger, may I join your adventuring band where you will trust me with your lives?"

[Saph]

Critical Miss did a good article on this (worth reading, it's hilarious).

Link: Hi You Guys Must Be The Party!

- Saph

[Mike_Lemmer]

I second Invictus & Severus's advice. I'd also add, try to let the player RP his replacement PC with the rest of the group before the existing PC dies. If you're concerned this will limit your character options, it's amazing what kind of connections a PC make.

For example, my halfling rogue is best friends with a githzerai psion because they were comrades in an underground urban flayer gang war.

[Dairun Cates]

Try to get the character to link to another character's backstory that may not have been fleshed out. Maybe they were classmates at the fighter academy. Maybe he's a cousin or an old childhood friend. If everything else fails, that can always ease the transition.

Of course, if that won't work, there's always the "have him rescue their asses from an encounter he's built to fight" method. The monster eats weapons and has spell resistance, but a nearby archer spots them and helps handily defeat the monster. He proves his worth.

[DraPrime]

It's common knowledge that useful allies fall from the sky. If a wizards come free-falling out of a hurricane, you accept this gracious gift and don't question the logic behind the DM's decision.

Yes, I once introduced a character like that.

[Winterwind]

You can just give the new character an incentive to try to achieve the same goals as the rest of the party currently does (for the same reason or others), and then provide that character with information/items integral or at least very helpful in reaching that goal. At the same time, do the same with the regular party - give them another chunk of useful information or equipment, so that the two complement each other.
Especially in the case of information this can be done in a rather elegant way - it is easy to explain why a character who got sent onto the same mission under completely different circumstances might have learned things the rest of the group hasn't, and vice versa.

[bugsysservant]

It's common knowledge that useful allies fall from the sky. If a wizards come free-falling out of a hurricane, you accept this gracious gift and don't question the logic behind the DM's decision.

Yes, I once introduced a character like that.

That is SO COOL.

Seriously, though, it depends on the character. Clerics and Palladins can get sent to aid the party by their church. Rogues can said to have tailed them for a while in the hopes of joining, since rogues can do sneaky crap like that. You can always have a different party of adventurers aid the PCs with a tough encounter, and get wiped out except for one. Or you can introduce a prisoner. Or someone freed of mental control. Or a reformed villain. Or, apparently, drop one out of the sky.

[Jarlax]

i stopped introducing PCs entirely, with a roster of 15+ people i can have up to 3 new PCs each week and it becomes tiresome to waste gaming time introducing each one when they dont have a backstory, often dont have a name and will probably not be there the following week.

[Dairun Cates]

i stopped introducing PCs entirely, with a roster of 15+ people i can have up to 3 new PCs each week and it becomes tiresome to waste gaming time introducing each one when they dont have a backstory, often dont have a name and will probably not be there the following week.

That sounds like you need to start dropping people for not showing up and focusing on a smaller group of players. If they don't feel their backstory will have any impact on the experience or even having a name then they won't make one. By focusing on a smaller group, they should get more involved in it and it should make it easier to plan if you know who's showing up.

On the bright side, this way the players that don't show up may start showing up if they're not given the option for a while. Hunger is the best spice.

[Quirinus_Obsidian]

Try giving the players an entourage -- a bunch of nameless low-level NPCs that hang back and "hold down the fort" for the PCs. When a PC dies, you pull his replacement from the entourage.

That is pretty close to what we did in a campaign. We were a 'Adventuring Guild (R)'. Basically, when the leaders of the guild would gather the information about the latest big baddie or puzzle, we would go to the 'Adventuring Guild (R)' and grab one of the members to take on the excursion. It may sound lame and a little cheese-tastic; but it worked because the players had so many different characters; and they would not all be at the same meetings time after time. It was wicked fun getting all of the characters into the 'Adventuring Guild (R)' in the first place. Heckuva weekend that was.

[EDIT] Backstories have been interesting to say the least. Some are so diverse and interesting, while others were Improv'ed on the spot. One of the characters has such a rich backstory that we had to allow him into the 'Guild'. The character was a little odd, but he is played so well.

[Jarlax]

That sounds like you need to start dropping people for not showing up and focusing on a smaller group of players. If they don't feel their backstory will have any impact on the experience or even having a name then they won't make one. By focusing on a smaller group, they should get more involved in it and it should make it easier to plan if you know who's showing up.

On the bright side, this way the players that don't show up may start showing up if they're not given the option for a while. Hunger is the best spice.

if i was running a home game i would agree with you 100%, i would rather select 4-6 players to regularly game with who can commit to 3/4 weeks in a month minimum.

however i host my game at my local gaming store for Friday night D&D, the expectation there is that people can walk in on a Friday night and join a game. so it is not my place to demand some sort of minimum attendance from them. i don't punish the people who only want to play once a month, instead i try to reward the two or three regular players with more levels, treasure and an ongoing plot that they can follow and be a part of because they show up almost every week.

[Dark Knight Renee]

Character introductions SUCK. They're usually awkward (in a we-have-no-idea-what-to-do sort of way if nothing else), no matter what you do.


One stratagy that often works for me is the rescue scenareo, where the new character is in over his or her head and the party shows up and saves the day. It introduces the character and provides at least a smidgen of a reason for that character to tag along/be allowed to tag along. (The opposite resembles a Deus Ex Machina too closely to work most of the time, and implies a level gap and/or serious railroading.)

Otherwise, tie the new character in with the plot. How depends on character, setting and plot details too much for more specific advice, especially considering that plot is not my best area as a DM...

[psychoticbarber]

One stratagy that often works for me is the rescue scenareo, where the new character is in over his or her head and the party shows up and saves the day.

Just did that in my PbP game here on the forums. Works like a charm .

[TheThan]

I drop new characters out of the sky.


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



*splat!*

[Anxe]

The best way to introduce a new character is through the bond of combat. The original group should be fighting something and losing and then along comes the new PC. She whips out her sword/magic and whups the monster, possibly with some good old DM help. Then she gets patted on the back for her help and welcomed into the group.

If your players refuse to have their characters travel with this newcomer remind them that this is a game where everyone plays.

[Miraqariftsky]

Hallo. I'm mostly a player these days but my currently level 5 group has experienced several entrances by new characters already.

A gnome monk POPPED out of our paladin's saddlebags...

We met and "freed" an elf rogue from a bunch of hobgoblins. The elf killed more hobgoblins than the party did with his masterwork bow...

Patron ruler recruited new guys...

[valadil]

How characters get introduced depends on the game. In combat heavy games where several PCs die each session we usually have reinforcements get sent up from the same people that hired the party. In more story based games where you don't even necessarily see a death in the whole campaign you're a lot more likely to see storylines written for introducing the new character. It hasn't come up for games I run, but I like the option of offering the player an existing storyline to carry them into the game. Either way, players are usually accommodating and will forgo roleplaying in order to let the new PC in.

I'm also intrigued by how you bring characters together in the first place and tie all their goals into one big quest. As much as I like pregaming with individual characters (it helps the play get into character before introducing themselves - nothing seems worse to me than making a first impression with a character you've never played) it's just not always feasible.

[hippie_dwarf]

How appropriate! I am going to be introducing a new character soon and we always have problems with that. There's one in our group how is bascially "Give me all your gold or go away", he'll be even worse now he sold everything he owned and about 1000gp for a +1 greatsword.

[Tormsskull]

I play in heavy-rp games nearly exclusively, and as such, the introduction of a new character is always an interesting event. I place the onus on the new character to find his way into the PC party. If the new player thinks of a good RP reason that his character would want to go with the original PCs, then I'll let them do it. If they can't, then I think of a good story-line reason to get the PC into the new group.

However, if the PC group decides not to take the new PC (which has only ever happened twice, both times because the new PCs tried to bring in a character with a laundry list of accomplishments their characters had achieved), then that player can choose to make yet another new PC (at which point I'm really heavily involved in their backstory and such) or try to convince the PC group in someway.

[DraPrime]

I drop new characters out of the sky.


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



*splat!*

You steal my idea.