So I'm dming a homebrew campaign and my players are about to encounter the big bad guy . I have a plan to continue the campaign after they defeat them, by having the bad guy's father come into the picture. But I have one player that wants to leave the campaign after they defeat the bad guy and three other players that want to keep playong but play as new characters. They said that I could use their current characters as npcs, but I have no idea to go about doing that. I'm new to dming. So how should I go about turning their current characters into npcs so that they can play as new characters?
You kinda just, y’know, do. You take control of their characters and play them the same way you would play any other NPCs. If you think there’s a chance the party might actually fight their former characters then you might want to convert them into monster statblocks, but barring that there’s really nothing you need to do.
As long as you've paid attention to how they've roleplayed their characters, you can easily make them NPCs. When your current campaign ends, ask each player what their character is going to do in their retirement. Then you can use them as advisors and/or quest givers. For example, if one of the players said his/her character was going to research a new spell, medicine or whatever, then that character could be hiring adventurers to gather components for that research. Or if a player said his/her character is going back to their home town, then (s)he could be the mayor and send out a request for aid from adventurers.
The important thing to do is make sure you play the NPCs as the players did. You don't want them saying "(S)he would never do that." That will just ruin the experience for everybody involved. Also don't kill them off unless absolutely necessary. (Warning: Salt incomming.) I once had a DM take one of my characters and put them into another campaign. He had my 19 intelligence gnome wizard jump into a Bag of Holding (and suffocate) to escape a Mind Flayer because "You gotta do what you gotta do!" The player who had been in the same campaign as me immediately said "He never would do that. It's completely out of character." That DM didn't care. Don't be like that guy.
So I'm dming a homebrew campaign and my players are about to encounter the big bad guy . I have a plan to continue the campaign after they defeat them, by having the bad guy's father come into the picture. But I have one player that wants to leave the campaign after they defeat the bad guy and three other players that want to keep playong but play as new characters. They said that I could use their current characters as npcs, but I have no idea to go about doing that. I'm new to dming. So how should I go about turning their current characters into npcs so that they can play as new characters?
I am confused. Who is they and them? I see one group and one singular. (Big bad guy). And how do you know the PC's will defeat the BBEG? Are you saying the result is pre-ordained?
I'd definitely do it, but I'd likely keep them as distant figures. Maybe make them the great heroes that everyone knows about, but the new characters never get to meet them. Have there be some tavern gossip about them defeating a kraken or dragon or something. Or make them kings and queens. Or a hermit no one hears about anymore. A time jump can help with this. Set the next campaign 10 years on, after the PC's have settled into retirement.
Another option is to have them be the quest-givers early on. They're still working to defeat this new BBEG, but they can't be everywhere at once, so they recruit the new PCs to go out and do the grunt work.
I am confused. Who is they and them? I see one group and one singular. (Big bad guy). And how do you know the PC's will defeat the BBEG? Are you saying the result is pre-ordained?
Does it really confuse you that the DM and players aren't planning for failure? If all the characters die then that's the end of their story. I'm curious as to what possible plans you believe there could there be for after that?
I am confused. Who is they and them? I see one group and one singular. (Big bad guy). And how do you know the PC's will defeat the BBEG? Are you saying the result is pre-ordained?
Does it really confuse you that the DM and players aren't planning for failure? If all the characters die then that's the end of their story. I'm curious as to what possible plans you believe there could there be for after that?
The statement by the OP: "I have a plan to continue the campaign after they defeat them, by having the bad guy's father come into the picture. "
After...not if. If this is the end of the campaign, so be it. IF the PC's beat the BBEG, then the DM can plan for a continuation/slight change in direction.
The statement by the OP: "I have a plan to continue the campaign after they defeat them, by having the bad guy's father come into the picture. "
So one word confused you? Really? Again... if they lose, that's the end of those characters' stories unless they're revived. You just admitted there's no need to plan for that. The only need to plan is for the potential (should be a probability if it's properly balanced) that the players win. The idea of planning is to do it before the campaign begins. Otherwise it's just improvisation. With that understanding, it should now be evident why the OP used "after" and not "if".
Sure. If they are done with the characters, you can turn them into NPCs. In one campaign I heard about, a former PC became the big bad.
In a campaign I'm in, a former PC (he quit early on) became a contact of ours at a guild. Also in the same campaign, a character the DM played in another campaign was used as an NPC to give us missions at a guild.
The statement by the OP: "I have a plan to continue the campaign after they defeat them, by having the bad guy's father come into the picture. "
So one word confused you? Really? Again... if they lose, that's the end of those characters' stories unless they're revived. You just admitted there's no need to plan for that. The only need to plan is for the potential (should be a probability if it's properly balanced) that the players win. The idea of planning is to do it before the campaign begins. Otherwise it's just improvisation. With that understanding, it should now be evident why the OP used "after" and not "if".
He is using a single word to justify being obtuse! By his own admission in other threads he does not prepare story elements for his campaign and largely views the game through the lens of it being a solely a tactical game.
He is not going to add anything substantive to the discussion. You have given him more attention than he deserves.
A character retiring to your setting and becoming a permanent NPC in your world is in a way, one of the oldest and proudest traditions of Dungeons and Dragons. While there is no way to "win" D&D, retiring a successful adventuring hero in someone's world is about the closest thing to it.
I have been running my campaign world for the better part of 30 years and I have player NPC's in my game world that are still running things originally played by players who passed away in the real world. I have 68 retired NPC in my campaign world. They are the pride and joy of my campaign world.
Yes, totally. My group does this a lot when people leave or want to make a new character. Have them work with the DM, if thats you, about maybe wanting to kill them off if necessary. I feel like this should be an agreed upon understanding between both player and DM
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So I'm dming a homebrew campaign and my players are about to encounter the big bad guy . I have a plan to continue the campaign after they defeat them, by having the bad guy's father come into the picture. But I have one player that wants to leave the campaign after they defeat the bad guy and three other players that want to keep playong but play as new characters. They said that I could use their current characters as npcs, but I have no idea to go about doing that. I'm new to dming. So how should I go about turning their current characters into npcs so that they can play as new characters?
You kinda just, y’know, do. You take control of their characters and play them the same way you would play any other NPCs. If you think there’s a chance the party might actually fight their former characters then you might want to convert them into monster statblocks, but barring that there’s really nothing you need to do.
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Yes you can.
As long as you've paid attention to how they've roleplayed their characters, you can easily make them NPCs. When your current campaign ends, ask each player what their character is going to do in their retirement. Then you can use them as advisors and/or quest givers. For example, if one of the players said his/her character was going to research a new spell, medicine or whatever, then that character could be hiring adventurers to gather components for that research. Or if a player said his/her character is going back to their home town, then (s)he could be the mayor and send out a request for aid from adventurers.
The important thing to do is make sure you play the NPCs as the players did. You don't want them saying "(S)he would never do that." That will just ruin the experience for everybody involved. Also don't kill them off unless absolutely necessary. (Warning: Salt incomming.) I once had a DM take one of my characters and put them into another campaign. He had my 19 intelligence gnome wizard jump into a Bag of Holding (and suffocate) to escape a Mind Flayer because "You gotta do what you gotta do!" The player who had been in the same campaign as me immediately said "He never would do that. It's completely out of character." That DM didn't care. Don't be like that guy.
I am confused. Who is they and them? I see one group and one singular. (Big bad guy). And how do you know the PC's will defeat the BBEG? Are you saying the result is pre-ordained?
I'd definitely do it, but I'd likely keep them as distant figures. Maybe make them the great heroes that everyone knows about, but the new characters never get to meet them. Have there be some tavern gossip about them defeating a kraken or dragon or something. Or make them kings and queens. Or a hermit no one hears about anymore. A time jump can help with this. Set the next campaign 10 years on, after the PC's have settled into retirement.
Another option is to have them be the quest-givers early on. They're still working to defeat this new BBEG, but they can't be everywhere at once, so they recruit the new PCs to go out and do the grunt work.
Does it really confuse you that the DM and players aren't planning for failure? If all the characters die then that's the end of their story. I'm curious as to what possible plans you believe there could there be for after that?
The statement by the OP: "I have a plan to continue the campaign after they defeat them, by having the bad guy's father come into the picture. "
After...not if. If this is the end of the campaign, so be it. IF the PC's beat the BBEG, then the DM can plan for a continuation/slight change in direction.
So one word confused you? Really? Again... if they lose, that's the end of those characters' stories unless they're revived. You just admitted there's no need to plan for that. The only need to plan is for the potential (should be a probability if it's properly balanced) that the players win. The idea of planning is to do it before the campaign begins. Otherwise it's just improvisation. With that understanding, it should now be evident why the OP used "after" and not "if".
Sure. If they are done with the characters, you can turn them into NPCs. In one campaign I heard about, a former PC became the big bad.
In a campaign I'm in, a former PC (he quit early on) became a contact of ours at a guild. Also in the same campaign, a character the DM played in another campaign was used as an NPC to give us missions at a guild.
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He is using a single word to justify being obtuse! By his own admission in other threads he does not prepare story elements for his campaign and largely views the game through the lens of it being a solely a tactical game.
He is not going to add anything substantive to the discussion. You have given him more attention than he deserves.
A character retiring to your setting and becoming a permanent NPC in your world is in a way, one of the oldest and proudest traditions of Dungeons and Dragons. While there is no way to "win" D&D, retiring a successful adventuring hero in someone's world is about the closest thing to it.
I have been running my campaign world for the better part of 30 years and I have player NPC's in my game world that are still running things originally played by players who passed away in the real world. I have 68 retired NPC in my campaign world. They are the pride and joy of my campaign world.
Yes, totally. My group does this a lot when people leave or want to make a new character. Have them work with the DM, if thats you, about maybe wanting to kill them off if necessary. I feel like this should be an agreed upon understanding between both player and DM