PCs Having Babies

Bedrockbrendan · November 26, 2015, 10:17:20 AM

Do your player characters have offspring? This has come up once or twice in my campaigns and I'm curious if and how other GM's handle this sort of thing.

Kiero · November 26, 2015, 10:29:41 AM

My character in our D&D4e game, where we were "defenders of the community" did. In the first season of the game he was merely married. In the second season he had one child, and in the third he had two. They were mostly background elements, but part of grounding him in the place he lived. For him the region wasn't just some abstract area the party had agreed to protect, it was his home where his family lived.

Gruntfuttock · November 26, 2015, 12:40:24 PM

One of my players often plays members of one family throughout the ages, but although there is this family link, the baby raising/taking the kids to school bit never comes up.

For example, his 1930s League of Nations investigator has married and his wife has now had a son. Aside from some background stuff, the kid will not be a big part of future games with this character. However, there are plans for the son to carry on his father's law enforcement career, if my 1960s Man From Uncle game ever gets off the ground.

Doughdee222 · November 26, 2015, 12:56:03 PM

Has never become and issue. A couple months ago I did a one-off game with a friend and my PC got a woman he had rescued pregnant, although they didn't know it. I think he would have retired from the adventuring life and settled down. Maybe not, he was a bit of a cad.

Trond · November 26, 2015, 02:15:35 PM

Should be pretty common in Pendragon campaigns, although I have (sadly) never played it myself.

Just Another Snake Cult · November 26, 2015, 03:06:28 PM

It happened once before a few years back, and it's just about to happen again (I tend to run very long-term interlinking campaigns).

I can't recall how I determined the number of babies, sex, etc. that first time. I just remember it was random.

AsenRG · November 26, 2015, 03:46:15 PM

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;866035Do your player characters have offspring? This has come up once or twice in my campaigns and I'm curious if and how other GM's handle this sort of thing.

Happens pretty regularly, I don't see it as really different from introducing another NPC Ally, Dependent or Follower.

Chainsaw · November 26, 2015, 03:57:02 PM

My players never really pursue romantic relationships with their characters and, as a result, the issue of offspring never arises. If someone wanted his PC to pursue a family, I wouldn't necessarily be opposed, but it would likely all take place off screen with the player summarizing for me in an email or something. I'm not interested in acting it all out at the table because a) I wouldn't enjoy it and b) I think it wastes other players' time.

Once established, the family members would become NPCs that I'd weave into the game once in a while, probably either for comedic effect or as part of an adventure (child kidnapped etc). We wouldn't be acting out domestic squabbles every week, that's for sure.

Arkansan · November 26, 2015, 04:23:01 PM

If I recall Pendragon has rules for handling such things. Its estate rules could probably be modified to handle "home" in general.

AsenRG · November 26, 2015, 04:35:36 PM

Yes, Pendragon is a brilliant example both of rules about this, and of how mismanaging your household can bring the mighty low!

kosmos1214 · November 26, 2015, 05:02:59 PM

Quote from: AsenRG;866062Yes, Pendragon is a brilliant example both of rules about this, and of how mismanaging your household can bring the mighty low!

makes sense for pendragon

Bren · November 26, 2015, 09:03:59 PM

Some do.

It's rare though. In part that is due to in game time running slower than real time - so not that much game time has passed for the characters. In part that is is due to the PCs' station or role being unconducive to a stable family life.

Omega · November 26, 2015, 09:08:56 PM

Common enough theme.

Lets see.

As part of an onging campaign. Son or daughter takes up the mantle of adventurer. This can go to generations in the really far flung campaigns. Heard of often. Only seen in action once in an Oriental Adventures campaign.

As a back-up character. One player allways started off like that in one campaign. Just one.

As a consequence of role playing. Players and DM might really get into that and play it through.

Could even be part of chargen! One play through of Tekumel's lifepath chargen system and ended up with two kids before the game even started! TSRs Marvel Superheroes also had options for family.

Coffee Zombie · November 26, 2015, 09:28:59 PM

I've thrown it in games several times to tie the characters into the setting. I've found giving characters families makes them grow an awful lot. It's not to all players tastes though.

flyingmice · November 26, 2015, 09:58:14 PM

Happens often enough. Back when I was playing my year D&D game, we had children and grandchildren of the initial PCs as PCs.