Scheduling can throw out curveballs even for veterans ofDungeons & Dragons. Sometimes a player has to cancel at the last minute, and it can throw out the session you had planned. Some Dungeon Masters will insist on pausing the campaign when not everyone can make it.
Carrying on with someone missing can create its own challenges. You don’t want a person to be absent when critical plot decisions are happening or when the narrative intersects with their backstory and character arc. You also don’t want to waste the existing preparations you’ve done. Here are a few ways to make it work.
How To Dungeon Master With A Missing Player
The exact tools you have available for dealing with a missing player will be impacted by the type of game you’re running and the current state of play. You’ll want todiscuss with the players how these situations will be handledahead of time.
Notes
The missing PC is controlled by the DM
The previous session ended right before or in the middle of combator a time-sensitive puzzle task.
You don’t want any character-defining decisions to be made while the player is gone, but most people will consent to someone else rolling for them in combat.
This saves you from having torebalance an encounter that has already been revealedto the players.
Play continues with the missing PC absent
Westmarches and other games thatdon’t depend on a full group being present.
These types of games are often designed around the assumption of varying group availability. A player dropping out at the last minute might require some minor rebalances to combat but won’t be majorly interrupted.
The best approach is tocontinue as normal and then provide a recapto the player who couldn’t make it.
A side adventure takes place with the reduced cast
Campaigns atplot-critical momentsthat want all players present.
Delaying the main plot by injecting a sidequest with low stakesis one way to work around a player’s absence. Depending on how much notice you’re given, you might have to take a few minutes to improvise the new session.
If the plot doesn’t currently allow for sidequests,turn it into a flashback, with the events having happened earlier in the story. The goal is to give your players an enjoyable session that does not change the state of the narrative and characters.
Getting instructions for how the missing character should behave
Important plot junctures ingames with already dodgy scheduling
Sometimes, you don’t want to delay, or a player doesn’t want to feel responsible for making the entire group wait.
Briefing themon what is going to happen and thengetting notes on how their character would respondlets them weigh in on important decisions while absent.
Catching A Missing Player Up To The Group
Depending onhow good your players are at taking notesyou might be able to skip this step entirely, as the characters explain to each other what happened while one was absent. Otherwise, you’ll want to give them a concise summary of what they missed.
You could choose toinject narrative and roleplaying elements into the process, withthe missing player hearing athird-party account of events from an NPC.
This might give information the other players didn’t receive, such as how the public is reacting to the group’s actions.
Run A Solo Session With Your Missing Player
This option creates a narrative explanation for why a PC is missing, while also making sure that the player behind them doesn’t fall behind on DM attention and character development.
Run a shorter than usual session with them away from the rest of the group, before the next regular session. Cover what their character is doing parallel to the group.
Often this type of side content won’t feature combat. The focus is keeping the player narratively caught up, soprioritise skill checks and roleplaying scenesthat bring them up to speed.
If multiple people wereabsent, you can run these together.
Another time-saving option is to do them asplay-by-post games, communicating the scenes and character decisions over private messagesin a reduced format compared to the typical session.
Handling Long Term Player Absences
There are plenty of reasons why a player might be forced to bow out of a group for some time while still wanting to leave the door open for them to return to the campaign. These long-term absences can be easier to handle because they’re less spontaneous and easier to plan around.
you may catch the player up on missed content by keeping acampaign log or other form of notes. An in-character recap also works well after a long absence since it allows the players to get back into the feel of roleplaying with each other.
In character, you have a few different techniques for explaining a long-term absence. Some you may apply retroactively, while others you’ll need to set up ahead of time.
Hospitalised
A character might need a long time to recover from a mortal injury. Rules as written,resurrection fatigue is one of the few afflictions that can’t be cured quickly, but you’re able to invent more to match the circumstances.
Training Montage
A character leaving the party to refine their skillswill plausibly stay caught up on magic items and levels, explaining why they’re still on par with the party when rejoining.
Punched Into Next Week
Time shenanigans can comfortably fit into most fantasy settings. A poorly phrased genie wish, cursed relic, or wild magic surge are all valid explanations for why a character disappears long-term and then suddenly rejoins the group with no memories of the lost time.
Using The Downtime Rules
A character with magical crafting skills mightdepart on a long-term project, such asrebuilding a pillaged settlement or constructing a powerful magic item.
Depending on the availability of players, you can also have themwrite in-character letters to the missing PC. This keeps the player caught up on events, lets them roleplay as time allows, and keeps their character relevant in the setting.
