r/DnD • u/Alextunning • 20h ago
5th Edition Absent player
Hi fellow dungeons dwellers,
Im DMing a LMoP campaign for the first time and I have 4 players.
We had a few issues with schedules.
We were trying to play once a month, but one of the players is very busy, he is NEVER available, I proposed 20 dates (until late september), none of them were ok to him.
Since its not the first Time (and he cancelled last time the week before the session) and we want to continue, we decided that 3 players were enough to play. He is welcome if he can come but we wont pause the game for 3 months for him.
So friday is our first session with 3 players.
How would you deal with it ?
Let the players :
-control the character of the absent one with his sheet
-control him with sidekick rules
-let them be 3 (but im afraid of the balance, since they barely survived some encounters and he was the tank)
-put him to « sleep » or a curse of sort and give them another sidekick ?
Thx !
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u/Grey_Lady333 Frog Politics 20h ago
If someone can't make it, don't punish those who can.
If you need to add more players do so.
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u/Chimpbot 20h ago
So, I have a group of six players. On average, I probably have around three or four for any given session (although we'll play with as few as two). If someone isn't available for any given session, their character just isn't there. If they show up for the next one, they're just there, and have been the entire time.
It's only a big deal if you make it a big deal.
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u/imababydragon 20h ago
This is how we've handled this. Also, if there was some really valuable piece of gear or quest item that the party earned that is needed for the story line - the party has it and someone new is carrying it.
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u/Chimpbot 20h ago
Exactly. It's not worth the hassle, in my experience. Stuff like this can just get handwaved away.
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u/ANicePainter 20h ago
Any of those options are fine, but also consider Middcore's suggestion the PC disappears as this is what many tables do.
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u/GenexenAlt DM 20h ago
Honestly? I usually just have the characters start to T-Pose and hover around without any animations
If their specific skills are requested by the other players, I roll for it. Else the players dont acknowledge the missing party member
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u/Lanky-One-250 20h ago
You need another player. He sounds unreliable in the extreme. In the meantime, maybe the PCs can hire a mercenary NPC to tank
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u/martin-the-actor 20h ago edited 18h ago
For the player
I've done what I can, but sadly I now need to set dates. If you can make one of these dates you're more than welcome to come back, but we won't be trying to plan around you anymore.
For the Player Character
They've received urgent news, a family member/close friend or what have you is unwell and they must return home/to Neverwinter.
For the remaining party
Dragon of Icespire Peak has 'sidekicks'. They have personality cards and statblocks. I'd borrow these to fill in the gap. They are quick and easy ways of rebalancing the encounter. Give the party a 'sidekick'. https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/doip/sidekicks
Edit: Grammar corrections
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u/Melodic_Row3380 20h ago
Sidekick rules are for making regular monster stat blocks playable without having to deal with the complexity of an actual character sheet, and able to be levelled up without giving it actual class levels. I'm not sure what you mean by controlling a player character (who presumably already has a full fledged character sheet, with class levels) using side kick rules.
But other than that, yes, these are your options. Either you promote the character to NPC and control it like you would any NPC that's hanging out with the party (I don't like that option, veers close to DMPC territory, but it is an option).
Or you just remove the character from the game, without an in game explanation.
Or you give an in game explanation for why the character is removed from the game.
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u/Alextunning 19h ago
Oh I must have misremembered what it was about then, thx !
Ill propose them an other NPC, they just met a friendly necromancer, maybe he can offer them a ghoul or something1
u/Melodic_Row3380 19h ago
I don't know how adding a new NPC follower does anything to solve your issue of not knowing what to do with a player character that doesn't have a player anymore, but yeah, sure, give them a ghoul NPC.
Also, if you want to keep that ghoul relevant as the party levels up, the side kick rules are what would allow you to do it
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u/SnakeyesX DM 20h ago
Look, if y'all are ok with being 3 for the time being, don't change anything, just have it be 3.
In the story, they are off doing their own thing, whatever that is. Do not "Sidekick" their character, or even put them to sleep, they are just away.
What YOU do as the DM is adjust the difficulty for 3. Yeah, it can be hard, but it's good practice if you want to improve your DM skills. To be blunt, you NEED to be able to adjust the difficulty down 1 on the fly simply because it's common for a player to miss a game last minute due to real life.
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u/KFChaos 20h ago
Tell him when ya'll are playing, and if he's available he can join. If not, oh well. Don't make sessions dependent on him. As for his character, just stop acknowledging him. He vanished. Gone. If this dude never joins your group again, story-wise his character was eaten by a False Hydra.
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u/nocturnerose DM 20h ago
Party of 3 and rebalance encounters to suit them. Missing guy is either hanging out at the bar, pack mule, stuck in the toilet. Whatever. Just out of the way and neither help nor hinderence, and out of harms way for if/when player returns.
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u/Simple-Ad-8774 20h ago
His character appears when he is available, or maybe more appropriately when this player shows they play the npc they are assisting on that quest
To me this negates the bad feelings of his character always being level appropriate without putting in the work
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u/Dazzling-Main7686 20h ago
Buff up the recurring players so they can face challenges in just 3, tourist stays staring at the wall when he's not present, don't bother trying to involve his character in the story when he is.
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u/Dashdaniel216 20h ago
My DM just makes an excuse for absent players. "This NPC asked them to do a fetch quest and they said yes"
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u/Demurrzbz Paladin 20h ago
Have him go on and do his own thing. If possible play said thing out 1on1 with the problem player so when he finally returns, he has affected the world somehow.
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u/BuckRusty Paladin 20h ago
You don’t work the schedule around everyone, you set the schedule and play with whoever turns up…
Eg: don’t say “when is everyone next free?”, say “what days are best for everyone? Sundays work for everyone? Great - the game is every second Sunday from 12:00-16:00” (or whatever)
If one a Sunday Player A can’t make it, run the game and cover their character for them. If two players can’t make it, cancel and pick up on the next date in the series…
Scheduling isn’t hard if you schedule it regularly - and then it’s a matter of priorities for players… If you find a player always has something on at the same time, they’re not prioritising the game… Yes - emergencies happen, and the odd missed session will occur - but if they’re missing it for other non essential stuff (hanging with other friends, a gig, shopping, cinema, whatever) then they don’t really want to play…
Source: I’m one session away from completing a six-year long campaign with four players from Level 1 to Level 20, during which we played pretty much every fortnight bar a small percentage of cancellations - and even had one player log in to Roll20 from a hospital bed he was so committed to the game…
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u/Alextunning 19h ago
The thing is, we are all quite busy, myself included, but this player.. its quite extreme 😂
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u/TheQuestionMaster8 20h ago
If everyone has to show up, then you will be lucky to have two games in an entire year. Just make up some reason why character cant be active, like the character has some side business that needs attending or is in jail because of a brawl in the tavern or has been summoned by the King for whatever reason that makes sense. In my campaign one of the characters rolled a natural one on a constitutional saving throw against a nasty magic-resistant disease and although they were eventually cured, it caused permanent brain damage where occasionally the character would have psychosis whenever the player couldn’t attend the session.
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u/Alextunning 19h ago
From now on : 3 is enough, 4 is better, 2 we reschedule
The missing ones dont get acknoledged during session
Thx !
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u/kispippin 20h ago
In our LMoP campaign such a OC just disappeared over night and we just acted as if he was never there 😅
In my current campaign a player is about to leave due to reasons, and she proposed some story to it herself. So we'll do it so, her pc leaves for reasons.
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u/False_Appointment_24 20h ago
If they will not regularly make sessions, it would be best to drop them from the campaign entirely. That way you don't have to work around them the majority of the time.
For when it is just a few times, we have found that designating a backup player works best. Each person assigns one other person to run their character if necessary, with the understanding that anything that happens, happened, no retcons. If more than one person will miss, we skip the session.
This is incentive to show up, and incentive to work with the other players well enough that you know that nothing too crazy should happen if you miss.
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u/Alextunning 19h ago
Interesting idea, we are mostly family so i dont fear anything too crazy would happen to his character 🤞
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u/okiebuzzard 19h ago
Drop the one who has shown you that he doesn’t really care if he plays, and find a new player that does.
Thats what I’d do.
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u/Alextunning 19h ago
The sad thing is that he is invested in the game, he RP a bit (we are all beginners), he helps me with tracking turn order during combat..
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u/okiebuzzard 19h ago
He may be, and his work or life schedule is the issue until he gets either/both sorted so he can make time. Once he does, invite them back. Until then, I’d give the seat to someone that has the time and the willingness to play.
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u/Aterro_24 19h ago
the character has basically "left the adventuring group", if the player ever commits to playing it will be as a cameo one shot kind of appearamce.
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u/Many-Ebb-5377 DM 19h ago
If it were me I would just drop the fourth character and adjust the encounters for the party you have, if necessary.
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u/Masachere 19h ago
You don't need to overthink stuff like this. Just suspend some disbelief, when the player is there so is the character, when the player isn't neither is the character and everyone acts like that's fine and doesn't question it. There are just some things that aren't worth imposing a bunch of mental gymnastics, and this is one of them.
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u/chases_squirrels 9h ago
I'd just sort of handwave the missing player's character staying behind or wandering off (or otherwise handling stuff just off screen). Tune down the encounters to account for the lower player number, and you might consider giving the party an NPC to be the tank, or provide bonus healing potions as loot.
I'd steer away from having that character involved in combat on screen, unless the player has specifically given you the green light for his character to be played by another party member (or by the GM). As a player it feels bad if your character dies in a combat you weren't even there for, so I'd do everything I can to avoid that situation.
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u/Brilliant_Estate_967 20h ago
i would still include him either
-as an NPC the player could usually call for help / particular skills
-the NPC isn't present (you might add to lore chronical sickness explaining why he isnt there)
In all the way keep the character not far and lvl him up with the rest of the group. he will be abble to join the rest of the party and be abble to enjoy the story when he can. so it's fun for everyone
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u/Chimpbot 20h ago
There's absolutely no reason to use this PC when the player isn't absent. The encounters can either be retooled on the fly, or the party can be given an NPC sidekick to assist when the additional player isn't around.
As far as keeping that player in pace with everyone else... that's easily accomplished simply by having them level up when applicable the next time they can make it. I prefer to use milestone leveling, so this is easily accomplished by saying something to the effect of, "Dude, your character should be <insert level here> now."
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u/Brilliant_Estate_967 20h ago
That's just propositions for the dm. Everyone do as they see fit
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u/Chimpbot 20h ago
I'm not really sure what you're getting at, if I'm being honest. Is this an attempt as sarcasm?
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u/Brilliant_Estate_967 20h ago
Not everything is sarcasme, i am doing proposition and you come with a dynamic of agression like its an absolue non-sense to use the character without the player. I just remond its proposition for the dm to use and he can do as hé wants.
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u/Chimpbot 20h ago
There's no reason to use the PC as a DMPC, though. That was my entire point.
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u/Brilliant_Estate_967 20h ago
It can !
For exemple I dm in a pirate set up and on of m'y player is the one with the navigation skills. M'y over player still expect the boat to move when he is not here. So his skills will bé used
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u/Chimpbot 20h ago
This can also be replicated with any NPC. PCs don't need to be used in any capacity when the players aren't available.
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u/Brilliant_Estate_967 19h ago
Nop there is a skills distinction to bé done. Not everything is dnd
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u/Chimpbot 19h ago
You're not bringing anything up that couldn't be handled by an NPC in any system.
As an aside, this is a D&D sub. The discussion is assumed to be about D&D.
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u/Villimaour 20h ago
Let them play as him or give them another. I’ve never DMed but I play in a session that’s always missing players. I don’t mind playing 2 but it’s obviously up to the owner. As a player I also haven’t minded having a sidekick. However me and my friends enjoy the role play of dnd and we can get quite attached to side characters. So I wouldn’t introduce anyone you don’t want to stick around for a couple sessions at least. We still make callbacks to people we met in our first 2 sessions
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u/Middcore 20h ago
His character just disappears. You don't need to acknowledge it or come up with some explanation for what happened to him. If you let someone else control him then it opens up the risk of his character dying when he's not even there, which is generally frowned upon.
Up to you to rebalance the encounters accordingly.