Character Death - what now?

[Rich H]

Agree with that, and what others have previously mentioned it. I do think each death should be looked at on a case-by-case basis and different approaches applied based on what stage of play the campaign is at. The RAW works in some instances, allowing the character to inherit an heirloom would work in all/other situations, and then letting the player generate a new character with the same XP/AP spend as the one they lost is another solution. Like many have said, playing a mechanically weaker character can provide the group with some great RPing opportunities if the group approach and embrace it in the right way so it shouldn't be discounted out of hand as it can be lots of fun.

[Indur Dawndeath]

Hi guys,

I have had the same thoughts about how it would work with a low XP companion and I came up with some benefits, that are inherited together with the XP.

Look at the House rule forum for the ideas...

Cheers

[Falenthal]

Maybe we should begin moving to the House Rules subforum...

[Rich H]

Any thoughts??

Maybe we should begin moving to the House Rules subforum...

I've created a thread there (viewtopic.php?f=56&t=3674&p=33639#p33639) so this one can stay in the main forum.

[Indur, if you could edit your house rule out of your post above then it won't provoke further discussion here, thanks]

[Indur Dawndeath]

So far, in my game no one has died, but new players have been introduced. I've given them XP, AP and Hope / Shadow that match the weakest of the original players.
But once someone retires or dies heroically, I really would love to see some generational mechanics to make it interesting.
I think all players want to be special, have their moment of shine, and that is difficult if, say a 150XP average group welcomes a 12 XP newb. If an encounter is important, then the more experienced companion would make the skill roll, and not let the inexperienced companion mess things up.
The young companion really need a niche otherwise it will get boring for him, I think...!

Cheers

[Angelalex242]

The example everyone keeps using is Frodo.

So give the weak guy a MacGuffin so powerful and cursed the strong guys dare not touch it for fear of losing their characters, and then it's an escort mission, with all the problems escort missions typically have.

[Falenthal]

Well, the new character could be like Oderic from Kinstrife: always eager to proof himself worthy and making everyone else in the group angry at him ("I told you to keep your mouth shout! I'll do the talking!... Err, excuse him, Mr. Beorn, he's had a rough day..."). Also a bit like Pippin. If your players find it amusing to play a character that shines because he's a rookie, then it can be funny.

But of course, if the old character died because he was fighting in the Crossing of the Celduin and the next adventure implies fighting a dragon and/or a king of the undead... well, maybe a brand new hobbit that come from The Shire looking for adventures is not the best option there.

Every group, every campaign and every moment of each campaign will have a different best set of options.

[zedturtle]

The example everyone keeps using is Frodo.

So give the weak guy a MacGuffin so powerful and cursed the strong guys dare not touch it for fear of losing their characters, and then it's an escort mission, with all the problems escort missions typically have.

Actually, no. I used Merry and Pippin for a reason. They start their (series of) adventures as newbs that need protection, but they end it as leaders in their own community, with special virtues and rewards due to their adventures.

[windsurfjunkie]

Another opportunity is to use an existing NPC from the campaign that the player's have a relationship with as a new PC.

This is a good point. In my game I encourage my players to create and name their own NPCs as well as me creating my own or those that are found within the TOR books. Players investing in such a way create characters that they get attached to and would be happy to play as PCs in the future and as they've been introduced in previous game sessions they are known to the group as a whole.

I really like this idea. I've never used it in the past but definitely will do so in the future. I like that it gives the players an opportunity to participate in the storytelling, not just respond to the LMs story, which is one of TOR's themes (and should be for more RPGs).

I was thinking the same thing, Glorendil. Rich, this is an awesome idea. Thank you for this idea of player driven NPC's! My players will love it!

[doctheweasel]

Why not just adjust up the XP bonus (like double it)? You could also give out AP equal to the original amount (so in this case, 8 XP and 4 AP).

A little thought, but although they are referred to as Experience Points, it makes you wonder whether the additional points gained from Heroic Heritage should be spent using the tables on page 76 (Previous Experience); in other words they are added to the 10 points of starting character gets for 'previous experience'. That way, they can be spent on Common Skills as well. It would also explain why the extra points awarded appear to be low in value.

Hmm, that would be a much better fit. I may use that.