How to Handle a "Character Switcher"?

[Clefton Twain]

I'll see if I can make this short.
During my last session, the party went up against two beholders. One of the players was hit by a ray of disintegrate and rolled a 1, so he died...so did his cloak of the firebath.

At this point he starts talking about what he'll do for his next character. Now, he says this a lot and we all joke about it but he seemed semi-serious this time.

I flat out told him that his next character will come in with the EXACT same experience total and probably less magic items (to be fair to the rest of the group who have had to pick and choose what they find for magic items while saving for that one cool one).

I don't have a problem with someone wanting to start a new character. This particular player, however, has had four characters while everyone else has had one. He has switched characters for various reasons but I get the feeling he gets bored with them.

The current character, IMO, is probably the strongest character in the party. He's got a great magic weapon, decent other items, he has the best fighting ability and has a good roleplaying hook (he's a paladin/templar of Helm).

My biggest problem is that I spend quite a bit of time developing backstory and subplots for each character. This particular character happens to be part of the overall plot I'm running. Yet, I can't even be sure he's going to be at the next session.

Anyway, I'm just frustrated. My standard rule for new characters is that they come in two levels below the average party level and I approve what magic items they have as well as starting money.

My game isn't particularly lethal (it *can* be, but a smart plan usually avoids it)--the beholders were at their challenge rating and he *had* to roll a 1 to fail his Fort save.

Opinions? Suggestions?

(Edit: Just wanted to include that the disintegrated character *was* indeed brought back to life very quickly--just in case you miss my other post later in the thread).

--CT

 

[Teflon Billy]

Well, in all fairness to you player: what other option does he have?

Did he choose to be disintegrated?

 

[Oni]

He doesn't have much choice but make a new character unless you want to magically reconstitute his old one. Treat him fairly, I wouldn't put any special restrictions on him, especially since you killed his character (not intentionally, but just the same you did).

 

[JoeGKushner]

I think the part people are missing here comes after the initial death where the player switches characters because he's bored of them.

One of my players had a bad habbit of this as well when I first started playing. Had a psychic warrior, a monk and then a multi-classed character witha template.

It's difficult but what are you going to do? I was fortunate in that the player came out with a lot of the back story for his characters. If he didn't, I probably wouldn't have and focused on some of the single character players more.

 

[Sir Edgar]

Sounds like you just need a new player.

 

[Kastil]

I sat stick to your house rules. I DM a game and have had several characters out and out die. Since being rezzed is not an option in the world I use, they can create a new character with their old xp total (they earned those and death happens). As for magic items.... those have to be okay'd for one and I won't allow their new character to have more than the current party has.

If their character is heavy for the storyline, it's time to use creative juices and flow it to someone else. If this problem is consistent with one player switching, I won't have their character too heavily involved in the storyline at all. Players throw enough monkey wrenches into a campaign, no reason for the DM to hand the things out as well

 

[Psion]

I don't take that hard a line of people who want to switch characters -- after all, if the players aren't happy with their characters, what fun is it.

That said, by allowing the same XP total, you seem a little more generous than me. I bring in new characters at a level below the previous party average. I think that is only fair, since a raised character would suffer the loss of a level as well. I don't want to ENCOURAGE character switching and death seeking just because a character that dies loses a level.

 

[Drawmack]

IMC I have people do a character background that is 2 + levels pages in length. Stops people from killing off that 12th level fighter to create a monk. (I will bend on this, particularly if it wasn't the character's fault or the character died through good role-playing, but if someone is just switching all the time, forget it.)

 

[Clefton Twain]

Oopsie!

I forgot to include that, yes, he was resurrected (via true resurrection). The party has two people who can use teleport so one of them scooped up the paladin sweepings and they purchased the spell. Kinda makes a difference, eh?

I'm also rather lenient on deaths in my campaign--characters don't lose a level. Instead, they lose half the XP that it would take for them to get to the next level. Also, they don't gain any XP for the fight in which they died. If they lose enough XP to take them down a level, they just have an XP deficit and do not lose the level.

So I'm lenient on death but it truly *is* a factor. I don' t really pull punches to save peoples' butts. So I think I'm fair.

Edit: I also forgot to add that new characters come in TWO levels below the party average...his character is still in that area, I believe, from the last time he switched.

--CT

 

[tarchon]

We usually start new PCs with a bit fewer XPs than the PC in the group with the lowest XPs. It's long been successful in discouraging frivolous character switches, especially when the player is just trying to jockey for a "better" character. Cutting down the XPs also prevents it from being a clearly preferable alternative to being raised.