Boringly responsible character

[theflashisgone]

So, I'm playing a cleric of death (sort of a holy hospice worker), and she's one of the most responsible characters in the party, and I always end up being the tin dog and guarding the caravan we've been hired to guard while everyone else goes to find the wizards who've been stalking us or investigate the burning building that another party member just blew up. Any ideas on how I can justify an über responsible character following everyone else off to do interesting things and leaving the caravan to possibly get looted?

[tennengar]

An unboring way to change this would be to say that your character is developing a neurosis about being left alone... Then either they'll take you with them or leave you with some company, ^_^!

[VRMH]

Get a lackey of your own, so you don't have to be their's.

[Chris P. Bacon]

Not that it helps, but ideally the GM should be setting up adventures that require one party member to sit out. What's the point in that?

I think it would be fair for the party to at least take turns on guard duty. Or just see the escort mission through and come back for that stuff later. I mean, what do these caravan people think of the probably very expensive guards they hired buggering off on their own adventures all the time. I'd be especially ticked off if my guards hired less-qualified underlings; why even bother hiring seasoned adventurers if they're just going to pocket the cash and hire cheap crappy lackeys?

[Rob Duncan]

I would say that my character is a Conscience Cricket sort.. You have to follow them around to ensure that the responsibilities of the PFS are being met. Other players will get the hint after getting looted a few times.. You can also try setting up traps, hiring guards, summoning creatures, etc. so you're not personally watching over the thing all the time..

[Thornborn]

Can you actually claim to being a guard, by yourself, of a caravan that hired 6? Could you do more than die well, if you actually had to defend it?

If it can be left, it can be left. And if it cannot, it cannot. And if none of them will make that choice, then you must.

Express to them the uselessness of leaving any single guard. And declare you will go with them, if they leave you alone again. You would prefer they take the guardian duties more seriously, but you've decided that if they are to all go, you are to go with them, to hurry them back.

[blackbloodtroll]

My Female Duergar Monk/Inquisitor is often the responsible one as well.

Her worship of Irori/Droskar, more or less, demands it.
Self-perfection and endless toil.

Watching the caravan, setting up scout missions, thoroughly searching dungeons, questioning NPCs and checking their backgrounds, and checking local laws.

[Sevorev]

When you're the only one who stays to guard the caravan you should be the only one who gets paid. If I were the one hiring adventurers, there's no way I'd fork out the gold to people who abandoned their posts.

As that's quasi-aside the point, I'd talk to your GM about it. See if there's a way he can incorporate your character, mention your concerns. When you're left alone on guard duty, is the caravan attacked? If so, do the other party members face reprecussions for not being there? Otherwise, maybe he's not making it clear enough that the adventure expects you to go after these people in-progress? It's not much fun to sit for a session doing what you're supposed to be doing and staring at mules pulling wagons.

[Corlindale]

It seems boring if your GM lets you sit out on the action for extended periods of time.

In my experience, PnP play sometimes require a little compromise with realism to facilitate a fun game. Thus, one should almost always aspire to have the entire group work together most of the time, even if it would on some occasions have made better in-game sense to have on character "sitting it out".

In-game, I'm not sure what you could do. Hire some mercenaries to cover for you, convince the party to share the cost since they're also being irresponsible? Or if your level allows it, Planar Ally/Binding could be very useful for this. "How about an angel to guard your caraven while we're gone?"

[Matthew Morris]

theflashisgone wrote:

...I always end up being the tin dog...

But are you in a car?

Ok, more seriously, yes, if you're the one left behind and 'missing the fun' Talk with the GM. There's clearly a disconnect between your fun and everyone elses.

[blackbloodtroll]

A hireling with Potion of Message works.

[Bacon666]

You have a few options... No matter what, talk to your gm.

1: hire npc(s) to sit back, so your char can go with the group.

2: make sure to claim your part of the loot b4 the group leaves, and when it's pay time from guarding claim it all (unless your group is smart enough to claim their demands when leaving you)

3: Arrange with your gm that the group encounters enemies they have problems with without your abilities

4: arrange with your gm that bandits attack while you are alone, and thus grant you solo loot (and xp if you get xp per encounter)

5: have your gm (in the role of caravan leader NPC ) explain to the rest of the group that he won't pay guards that leaves their guard duty

And provably several more... Depends a lot on your groups playstyle and your gm.

[Ascalaphus]

Putting one character on guard duty may be realistic, but it's rotten adventure design, because it splits the party and at least one person is sitting and waiting. So first off, talk about it with the GM; ask the GM to avoid designing adventures in such a way that one PC has to remain behind to guard while the rest has fun. This doesn't have to be hard; maybe the adventure's patron hires both PCs and NPCs; PCs to "investigate weird noises" and NPCs as basic guards. The job of the PCs is to be a sort of "expeditionary force" while the NPCs guard the horses.

On the other hand, if guard duty is inevitable, and all the other players agree that keeping a guard behind is necessary, insist that guard duty is taken in a fair way; everyone takes a turn, roll dice to determine who goes first.

If they refuse, take all your valuables with you while you join them on their away-mission. If they won't play fair, don't be suckered into covering for them.

If this is an escort mission, how do the escortees feel about this?

[Jubal Breakbottle]

Maybe the GM doesn't expect you to sit put.

An easy way to justify your character accompanying the less responsible is being their Chaperone. You don't trust them to do the right thing unless you are there.

What's the worst risk to the mission? The caravan being left unattended OR the other characters blowing something up? Just start answering that question with being their chaperone. Case closed.

cheers

[Pirate Robot Ninja]

Roll up a second character, and leave your first one with the caravan :P