Retirement

GM Reference

Every hero's journey comes to an end. Ideally this happens at the conclusion of the campaign, but not every hero makes it that far. Some are crippled in battle, killed without the possibility of resurrection, or altered beyond recognition by foul magic. Others lose the will to adventure or their motives become irrelevant. Characters can also fall by the wayside for out-of-game reasons such as a player's schedule changing or losing interest in the character.

When this happens, you have an opportunity beyond the character walking off into the sunset — you can work with the GM to turn her into an NPC. Where does she go? What does she do when not adventuring? The GM must decide whether the retired character should be involved in the campaign as an NPC, and if so, how.

Using ex-PCs to develop the world and advance the story is an easy way to establish a personal connection between the players and the setting, yet overusing them can steal the focus away from the active PCs. Continuing to use ex-PCs reinforces the idea that characters' actions have real and vital consequences for the game world, even after the last battle.

The Simple Life

When most people think of retired adventurers, they think of the explorer-turned-tavern owner or the seasoned veteran who now patrols the streets as sheriff. These are characters who turned away from excitement and danger to live simpler, safer lives within civilization. This is an excellent option for PCs who have strong ties to a particular settlement or who possess skills useful in the world outside the dungeon.

Work with the GM to determine what occupation your character can pursue and what location in the campaign world best suits that role. The GM should consider what impact the ex-PC has on the region. A 3rd-level wizard moving to a thorp will make waves, but would have hardly any effect on a large city. A newly arrived 15th-level cleric radically alters the social and political structures of almost any region unless the character takes great pains to be unobtrusive.

Questions to Answer with Your GM

Does the character want to build or buy a home or business — and will she hire local workers or build it herself?
Does the PC plan to marry? Have or adopt children?
What relationship does she want with the local NPCs?
Will she participate in local politics?

Relationship to the PCs

Consider your retired PC's relationship with the remaining PCs, including any new character you play. If your PC left on good terms, the party now has a friendly contact to call upon for advice or assistance, and a convenient mouthpiece when the GM needs to relay plot-relevant information. The GM should take care not to let the retired PC have too active a role — if your old character is involved almost as much as your current one, you are getting twice as much spotlight as the other players.

Important: Your retired PC isn't automatically best friends with your new character and should not be a source of free gold, magic items, or spellcasting. Treat her as an allied NPC — require Diplomacy checks for significant favors, and let the GM be the final arbiter of how much assistance she is willing to offer. See the Lineage section for handling inheritance from earlier PCs.

Taking a Different Path

A character that stops being a PC doesn't have to quit adventuring — she just isn't part of the main party anymore. A devout mystic might leave to undertake a sacred pilgrimage, or a savage warrior may return to her homeland to defend her tribe. This works best for an individualistic character whose motives are independent of the group's overall goals. The ex-PC may not have a direct role in the group's future efforts, but she can still influence the campaign.

An easy way for the GM to keep the departed character relevant is to make sure the other PCs are informed about her activities — letters, magical messages (sending), or news and rumors heard from bards and through town gossip. These tales can be realistic or bombastic depending on the character's personality, but should never overshadow the active PCs' accomplishments.

This approach gives the GM an excellent avenue to foreshadow future developments or steer the party into further adventures. The retiree might deal with issues from her past, battle threats she is particularly suited to confront, track down leads about campaign villains, or tie up loose ends the active PCs leave behind — even fighting a second front against a common foe, with or without the PCs being aware.

Betrayal

GM Guidance: Always obtain the retired PC's player's permission (discreetly, to preserve the surprise) before using their character as a villain. Repeated betrayals lose their potency quickly and may leave players jaded or suspicious of any new PC who joins the group.

Not all retired characters work to aid the PCs. A former ally may harbor grudges or outright turn against the party — especially if there were personality conflicts. Foes who were once friends are dangerous opponents because they know the party's weaknesses. Using former PCs as campaign villains saves the GM preparation time (the character sheet is generally more powerful than a standard NPC of the same level) and instantly engages the players' emotions.

A good betrayal is unexpected but believable in hindsight. A character left for dead or believed killed in battle might survive and swear revenge — returning as an undead creature to haunt the PCs, or in a different form such as a flesh golem. If no obvious motive presents itself, the GM should consider what the ex-PC values most and use that to turn the character against the party. Even the most righteous character may turn under the right circumstances: family held hostage, a well-placed suggestion, a dominate person spell, or demonic possession.

The key is to tie the betrayal to the campaign story. A former PC acting alone is good for one fight or a tense roleplaying scene, but a recurring villain gives the PCs another hook to get involved with the story — and ultimately the chance to bring the former PC to justice, or offer redemption.