Succession (Inheritance?)

[Kullervo]

So, been thinking about this for a while, less about the mechanical aspect (I recall finding some of the community house rules for it, but I do not think my LM will go for them, he denied a great deal of the Additional Combat Stance ones), and more about the roleplaying aspect!

I'm curious how people transition from one character to another, really - for example, right now our Fellowship consists of 4 people. We did about 6 modules I think, and ended up finishing the one about the Dwimmerhorn. We got 2 Woodsmen, 1 Elf of Mirkwood, and me, a Dwarf of Erebor. As of now, one of the Woodsmen is good friends with an one of the female NPCs, the elf is friends with another elf NPC, and me and the other woodsmen havent really built up any friendships outside the company (her and myself seem to prefer to bicker about the edibility of Spider Ichor Hotsauce and arachnophobia instead)

Without any spoilers, we were in a situation where I thought I'd have to die, or we'd have a near TPK/lost half the party. If I did die, I have no roleplayed connection to an NPC where I would leave my things to them, or at least, thats how I thought it worked. I mean, Lofar is a young dwarf, not married, left Erebor after a while due to his goals. The only way I could do succession is if I have it be some 'cousin twice removed' who takes over for him, but what if you wanted to play another culture?

My thought (which the LM agreed to so far) is for me to make the PC I will eventually transition to, and he plays him or her as an NPC for us to interact with, so the transition is a bit smoother... but even then, I am not sure its a good solution. So I'm curious: What do you guys come up with to legitimize the transition of the exp/whatever you transfer from character to character?

[Otaku-sempai]

Well, the good news is that The Adventurer's Companion might address some of your concerns. I just don't know how long it will be before we see it.

The Adventurer’s Companion – The first supplement aimed squarely at players. Including a whole wealth of advice, ideas and background for making your own hero and company, as well as new Heroic Cultures including Bree-folk, Riders of Rohan, Dwarves of the Blue Mountain, the Elves of Lorien and People of Gondor, a new Calling in the form of the Captain, and expanded rules for generational play.

[Kullervo]

Well, the good news is that The Adventurer's Companion might address some of your concerns. I just don't know how long it will be before we see it.

The Adventurer’s Companion – The first supplement aimed squarely at players. Including a whole wealth of advice, ideas and background for making your own hero and company, as well as new Heroic Cultures including Bree-folk, Riders of Rohan, Dwarves of the Blue Mountain, the Elves of Lorien and People of Gondor, a new Calling in the form of the Captain, and expanded rules for generational play.

Yeah, thats one of the biggest reasons I hope we see it sooner rather than later... I really like my dwarf char, but considering his personality, he is likely going to end up not being very long-lived. Thats why I was wondering how other people so far handled transitions for the characters.

[Falenthal]

Here's a thread with some discussion on the same theme. Maybe you'll find some ideas there:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3669&hilit=heroic+death

[Falenthal]

What do you guys come up with to legitimize the transition of the exp/whatever you transfer from character to character?

Although the best and prettiest reason for the new character's extra points would be the relationship with the deceased one, it needs not be so.

Of course it feels better if it's your son, your brother, a friend the group made during the campaign,... but it can also be a new character who's been fightning the Shadow himself for some time and who's contacted the company via a Patron, for instance. He could even have a story of his own, unrelated to that of the main company, that justifies the extra XP.

Maybe your new character had a company of his own and all his companions died facing the Werewolf/exploring Dol Guldur/scouting the Greydelve/... now he wants to avenge his comrades, and is willing to join another group who also knows about the Shadow and is acting against it. A Patron is a simple way to relate them, which also makes sense.

[zedturtle]

I had been working on some Inheritance house-rules, but I gave up on them and just went back to the Rules-As-Written.

As Falenthal has said, you can do a lot of different things to justify your new hero's inheritance... it can be a literal thing (through blood or bond), or more of a metaphysical kind of thing... the will of Eru making sure that the hero that the company needs is the one that the company finds.

[Kullervo]

So, then: 1) Fate 2) Common Circumstances 3) Need to assume the same role 4) Contacts like Patron suggesting a new companion

Works for me! Thanks a ton guys. I think I'll start arranging for a decent way to slot in a minstrel from Rohan of some manner if Lofar manages to meet an unfortunate end.