Change to Rules Regarding Absent Players
Given the number of NPC party members (hirelings and hangers-on), it is no longer feasible to run the characters of absent players. I have noticed that keeping track of all these characters has become a distraction for the players in attendance and, as the DM, my responsibility to run non-party NPCs and monsters makes it impossible for me to take on that duty. To address this, I am making the following changes:
– If a player is absent when the party begins an adventure (e.g., leaves town to explore a dungeon), that player’s character will be assumed to have stayed behind. If the adventure lasts multiple sessions and the player returns to the campaign during that time, his character will be worked back into the party as soon as possible (dependent on the nature of the adventure).
– If a player is present for the beginning of an adventure but absent for a subsequent session before that adventure concludes, his character will not actively participate in the missed session or gain any treasure or experience from it. The exact handling of this will vary, but most often this will mean their character returns to a safe location (i.e., town or camp) to be worked back into the adventure upon the player’s return as soon as possible.
#rule-clarification