100 Ways To Excuse A Character Absence PDF

100 Ways
To Excuse a Character Absence

by Alex Clippinger
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100 Way to Excuse a Character Absence 1
Introduction
‘100 Ways to Excuse a Character Absence’ is a
lighthearted supplement for the situation we’ve
all faced as players and as Dungeon Masters: the
person who can’t make it to the session this week.
Rather than have the hollow shell of their
character dangle silently along behind the party
like a spooky adventuring flesh-puppet, or avoid
mentioning them like you’re about to get
snatched up by the thought police, try this
supplement out for size.
The supplement is divided into sections by class,

with a separate table for city and wilderness-
setting reasons for why the absent party
member’s character suddenly isn’t participating.
To round out our 100, the document starts with

four general reasons why a party member of any
class won’t be joining the rest of the adventurers
right now.
Thanks for taking a look, and happy rolling!
-Alex Clippinger
P.S: You can follow me on Twitter @aclippinger or

leave ratings/reviews for the supplement on the
Guild page. Feedback is deeply appreciated!
General Reasons
d4 Result
1 An avatar of a god of death (or death itself) suddenly appears and drags the character in question,
screaming, out of this plane of existence. Eventually, the avatar returns the character in question,
apologizing for the "mix-up" and muttering something about "smudged writing."
2 The character touches an object, crosses a threshold, or similar. A powerful magical spell activates,
sucking them into an unknown demiplane for a time.
3 An insurance company summons you to court to testify in an adventure-related damages case. None of
you are in legal trouble, but it's a necessary formality. The character in question draws the short straw
and agrees to testify.
4 The character is intrigued by a local presentation. They can own a beautiful, high-cost home nearby for
only part of the year, sharing ownership with other people and getting allotted time to vacation there
each year. The presenters are offering free lunch and a ticket to a dinner theater company called
'Modern Times.' It's too good to pass up!
Barbarian
In a city… In the wilds…
1 The barbarian agrees to an arm wrestling 1 The barbarian chases after a butterfly, that
competition with a stranger, who turns out little scamp. They're so—oh, they're gone.
to be a shapeshifted bronze dragon. The Oh no.
doctors say they'll be back in commission
as soon as they find all the bone shards. 2 A tribe of goblins/kobolds/similar declares
2 The barbarian joins an impromptu fight the 'fearsome one' their new ruler. The
competition. When they return they'll barbarian decides to stay back for a little
have an additional 2d6 gold pieces, but in while and see where this goes.
the meantime the medical community 3 The barbarian blunders into an ancient
needs to come up with a name for the glyph, which polymorphs them into a
bone that's been dislocated. damage-immune but distraught cricket.
3 The barbarian agreed to test something Until the effect wears off, you sometimes
the brewer called "fire ale." The sounds— hear the insect chirp in rage.
and smells—from the bathroom indicate 4 You discover a grove of nymphs or similarly
the test was not a success. mystical creatures. The barbarian is
4 The barbarian got a bit carried away overcome with a childlike sleepiness and
showing off with feats of strength. Their settles down for a nap-nap. The creature
back will eventually heal. The horse is apologizes, indicating that this can
okay, so the owner isn't pressing any sometimes happen and it's best to let them
charges. sleep.
Bard
1 An enamored theater owner wants to 1 A fey king or queen appears and draws the
book the bard for the next several nights, bard into the Feywild. They reappear later
to perform their specialty (singing, playing with only vague memories of entertaining
an instrument, tales, etc). They'll be too a fey court, and bray loudly at random
busy for adventuring but will have 2d6 intervals for some time afterward.
gold pieces, after expenses, when they 2 A devil kidnaps the bard to a fiendish
return. plane. When they return, they remember
2 The bard has been roped in as part of a competing with some of the devils for their
band and they're going on a whirlwhind soul. They're pretty sure they won.
tour of every tavern within miles. This 3 A pixie, dryad or similarly tricky fey
could be their big break! creature takes a liking to your bard,
3 The bard has fallen ill. They're evasive, drawing them into a tree or otherwise
only insisting that the healing cleric did not causing them to vanish from your sight.
use the word 'venereal' just now. They wander back into view eventually.
4 The bard has started a performance 4 A statue of a beautiful (the bard's sexual
vendetta against another bard. They're preference) stands nearby with the
singing and strumming angrily while inscription 'Only the purest voice will
maintaining unwavering eye contact and it awaken this one from slumber.' They will
doesn't look like they'll be stopping any insist on remaining behind while they try
time soon. to hit the perfect note. They return much
later, dejected and hoarse.
Cleric
In the wilds…
In a city… 1 Your travel takes you past someone in
1 Some punk kids trashed the local shrine, as need of your cleric's deity. The cleric
they do sometimes. The cleric is a little remains behind to offer their appropriate
short on their temple service quota and services, advice, or prayers as their faith
they've missed a few too many holy days demands.
while out adventuring. They're going to 2 You stumble across a small, overgrown,
stay back and help with the cleanup. ancient graveyard. Your cleric feels the
2 The city is looking to throw some extra guidance of their deity to sanctify (or
funding to the shrine or temple of a deity, defile) the site as the rest of you continue
so your cleric's fellow worshippers need all onward.
hands on deck for the big inspection. Your 3 The party encounters several devout
cleric volunteers to help. followers of the cleric's deity on a short
3 Your cleric's deity has been displeased trek to a holy site. The cleric, feeling the
with how things are going locally. Your pull of their god, elects to follow them and
cleric is joining a big push to proselytize in return to the party later.
the streets to attract more worshippers 4 The cleric finds a skeleton of a fallen
and curry favor. traveler, holding a symbol or sigil of their
4 Followers of a rival deity stuck a 'smite me' deity. Troubled by this sign, the cleric is
sign to the back of your cleric without compelled to stop and pray over the site,
them noticing. They'll be back on their feet seeking guidance.
when their tailbone and their radiant
burns are healed up.
Druid
1 A local tavern is overrun with rats. The 1 The druid is struck on the head by a falling
druid has convinced the owner not to branch or similar. They go bonkers, wild
pump the place full of poison gas, but shaping into a local animal and running off,
they'll need to spend a while as a rat, convinced that they really are that animal.
trying to convince the other rodents to I'm sure they'll be back once they've
move somewhere else. recovered their senses.
2 The druid has turned himself into a pigeon, 2 The druid stumbles across a small bird's
insisting they must 'live as one of them' to nest. The eggs look ready to hatch, but the
better understand the natural world. parents are gone for the moment. The
3 At first you think it's a stampede, but it druid is going to transform to watch over
turns out to be some kind of protest where the eggs for a little while, but they'll catch
the druids turn into cattle and run around up with you.
the streets. You're pretty sure you 3 The druid spies an incredibly exotic animal
recognize your druid somewhere in the or rare strain. They'll catch up later—this is
herd. Very distinct cow features. a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study
4 A bird swoops down and begins chattering this thing in the wild!
excitedly at the druid, who listens for a 4 The druid sees plant life rotting from some
moment before turning into a bird and unknown disease. They remain behind to
flying away with them. They return later, determine the cause and perform rituals
explaining the bird needed help getting that will halt the blight.
geese away from its nest, and the whole
thing was a wild goose chase.
Fighter
1 A melee tournament! The fighter's certain 1 The fighter spies a worthy rival combatant
they have a good chance of winning. They near a body of water. After competing (and
catch up later with a swollen face and 2d6 winning), the competitor reveals
gold pieces. themselves to be an ill-tempered fey. The
2 The fighter is presented with a feat of fighter becomes drawn into the body of
strength or agility on a bet. They win the water; the party occasionally sees them in
bet, 2d6 gold pieces, and a lot of pulled reflective surfaces as they continue on,
muscles. eventually being expelled back into the
3 A noble is looking for a skilled person to Material Plane once the spell wears off.
train them with the fighter's preferred 2 A shriveled old man cackles from a market
weapon. The fighter returns later, unpaid stall, offering travelers a chance to
and frustrated with the noble's lack of purchase a vorpal weapon. The fighter
progress. remarks "I know what this looks like, but I
4 A local smith shouts from his forge, think it's worth the risk." You look away for
offering to make the fighter exquisite a moment and the fighter, the old man,
weapons or armor for a discounted price. and the stall have vanished. The fighter
The fighter veers towards them, impressed reappears just as mysteriously at a later
by the craftsmanship of the display pieces. time, looking haunted.
They rejoin the group later, unable to 3 A man is slowly being crushed by a
come to an agreement with the smith. boulder. Your fighter runs up to help take
the weight, and the man lets go, whooping
for joy. He walks away, remarking that the
fighter is cursed to hold up the weight until
a new group of travelers comes by and
swaps out. Good luck!
4 The fighter is carried off by a tribe of
goblins who need 'a champion.' When you
see them again, the fighter describes
kicking the crap out of a hunchbacked
goblin that the others were too grossed
out by to touch.
Monk
1 The monk finds a small monastery or 1 In a chaotic world, you find a small,
shrine with members of their order, or one sheltered place of peace and quiet. The
closely affiliated. They take the monk enters a state of deep meditation or
opportunity to visit with one another. close examination, contemplating the area.
2 The monk finds a group interested in 2 The party encounters another monk of
learning the ways of their order, but they your monk's same discipline. The two
have limited resources. Your monk immediately begin a slow and ritualistic
remains behind, spending time teaching sparring match, seeming full of a
them what they can about their order or significance that escapes you.
way. 3 The monk meets a master of a rival or
3 You pass by an animal fair. Some birds and different order. Rather than fight them, the
beasts are there. The monk, they bump a monk expresses their deep respect for the
skunk, who sits on an elephant's trunk. The master's skill and asks to learn. The master,
elephant sneezed and fell to its knees, and understanding they follow different paths
that was the end of the monk, the monk. but deeply moved, sits with the monk and
But really, they're in pretty rough shape begins sharing wisdom. The monk, out of
and the fair owners are paying for the respect, will not depart until the master
healing services out-of-pocket, which is has finished speaking.
considerably nice of them. 4 You come across some dimwitted kobolds
4 The monk is waylaid by a few ruffians. attempting martial arts. One of them,
They encourage you to travel onward, however, is quite good. He refers to his
saying that they want to teach the thugs discipline as one he invented, called 'The
valuable lessons in humility. Way of the Twitching Fist.' Curious, the
monk lingers behind to speak with this
kobold and learn of this new art.
Paladin
1 The paladin catches a couple of urchins 1 A noblewoman is chained to a rock,
attempting to pick their pockets. The claiming to be awaiting 'her monster.' The
paladin stays behind to deliver stern and paladin volunteers to stay behind to keep
lengthy lectures (or threats, depending) to watch. When the paladin rejoins the party
the youths. later, it turns out 'her monster' meant 'her
2 The paladin witnesses something that nags ex-boyfriend,' and the noblewoman has a
at the tenets of their current or desired flair for the dramatic.
oath. They feel compelled to remain 2 Signs of hallowing or corruption
behind to see the event's conclusion in (depending on oath or alignment) are
order to be satisfied. concerning to your paladin. They stop to
3 Some local punks wrecked a shrine meditate on this location, attempting to
relevant to the paladin's oath or order. The determine if they can rectify the effect,
paladin is sticking around to help the and how.
owners find and interrogate suspects. 3 Your party comes across a weapon
4 The paladin sees a follower of an opposing embedded in stone with an inscription
oath. Suspicious of their intentions, the "ONLY THE WORTHY." The paladin stops to
paladin elects to break off from the group study this landmark, ruminating on it or
and follow them for a while. trying to find a way to pull the weapon
loose. They return to the group empty-
handed some time later, either reflective
or vowing to become better.
4 The party encounters a one-eyed beggar,
who calls out to the paladin by name. The
paladin believes this is a test of some kind,
related to the tenets of their oath. They bid
the party to continue onward, believing
they must examine—and pass—the test
alone.
Ranger
1 The ranger's taken on a side job, 1 The ranger spies a rare plant, known for its
protecting a few halflings while they medicinal properties. They'll have a
transport some piece of jewelry healer's kit (or refresh an existing one)
somewhere. He was a little vague on the when they return, but it's going to take
details, but it shouldn't take too long. time to harvest the delicate plant properly.
2 Itching to get away from the city for a 2 The ranger sees some promising tracks on
while, the ranger's vanished into the a game trail and veers away from the
wilderness, muttering something about party's route, promising to catch up. They
crowds. turn back up eventually with 1d6 extra
3 The ranger's been hired to track down a days of rations.
faun who owes some gambling debts. He's 3 The ranger spots an incredibly exotic
never taken a Pan contract before. animal or mutated strain of creature.
4 Someone's animal caused a lot of damages They'll...catch up later. When the character
and they're claiming it's the ranger's returns, they have an exotic pelt, skin, or
'special animal companion.' The ranger will feathers worth 2d6 gold pieces in their
have to remain here while the guards get pack.
through all this paperwork. 4 The ranger spots evidence of one of their
favored enemies. They break off to pursue
these signs until they're satisfied their
hated enemies aren't nearby.
Rogue
In a city…
1 The rogue's been caught up in some kind
of sting operation. They insist it was a
'wrong place, wrong time' situation, and
they'll be free to go as soon as they're
processed out.
2 The rogue is...saving a cat from a tree?
When you see the wealthy noble waiting
tearfully nearby, you're pretty sure you get
what's going on. You're sure they'll catch
up later.
3 The rogue's been swindled by a quick-
handed con artist with some cups and a
ball. They're staying put—not for revenge, In the wilds…
but to keep playing until they can learn the 1 The rogue spies a beautiful gem on the
trick for themselves. ground. Before they can snatch it up, an
4 The rogue informs you that they've been exact duplicate (but frayed) version of the
called away for a completely legitimate rogue appears, warning them that the gem
side job of unquestionable legality. They will throw them out of time and space. The
return later with 2d6 extra gold pieces, present rogue scoffs, grabs the gem, and
some bruised knuckles, and a sharp eye for vanishes. The future-rogue glumly says
wanted posters over the next few days. they'll see you all later before they, too,
vanish.
2 The rogue sees a small tripwire, which they
attempt to disable. The ground opens,
sending the rogue sliding into blackness
before magically sealing itself. The rogue is
later shunted out of an extradimensional
space nearby, unaware of any time
passage but appearing humbled.
3 The rogue snatches up a mundane coin,
which immediately draws the rogue inside
itself. No matter how much they spend or
try to throw it away, they never seem to be
rid of the coin before the rogue is
eventually booted back out of it.
4 The rogue vanishes without apparent
explanation. When they eventually
reappear, they insist that they were nearby
the entire time, albeit undetectably
sneaky. The crumbs on their clothing
suggest they stopped for a picnic
somewhere and might have fallen asleep.
Sorcerer
In a city…
1 The sorcerer has the hiccups, giving out
spurts of untamed magical energy each
time they do so. They're going to a local
cleric for a healing spell, or maybe a big
glass of water.
2 A wizard is (begrudgingly) hiring the
sorcerer to funnel raw arcane energy into
a device they've been tinkering with. The
sorcerer returns later with 2d6 gold pieces
in pocket change.
3 A gang of elderly wizards beat up the
sorcerer, shouting insults like "wild surge
out of this" and "nice bloodlines." The
local guard will need the sorcerer to stick
around to identify the culprits while they
round up every octogenarian in town. In the wilds…
4 Some sorcerer let a spell get away from 1 This area is thick with heady with ley-lines
them and filled the entire market square or another alluring point of natural magical
with flamingoes. The constables are power. The sorcerer remains behind to
requesting all sorcerers respond to a explore the area with their senses and bask
nearby station to give a statement. This in the arcane energies.
could take a while—most of the constables 2 A tiny wild magic zone begins floating
are busy chasing the flamingoes. around, following your sorcerer like a
puppy, and occasionally belching up
puppies. The sorcerer says he'll 'handle it'
and lingers behind. You hear the words
"we talked about this" as you walk away.
3 A witch of the wild lives in an isolated hut.
She's no hag, but a wild sorceress who has
learned to control her power without
guidance. The sorcerer stays with her for a
time, exchanging information and
contemplating on their efforts to control
their power.
4 A crumbling statue crackles with arcane
energy at the sorcerer's presence. The
sorcerer decides to linger here, later
reporting that the statue reassembled into
an unknown magical symbol after an
investment of magical power.
Warlock
1 The warlock needs to meet up with 1 The warlock is drawn into his patron's
some...friends. Who share the preferred plane for a stern chat or a
same...interests. No, you can't come. No, friendly mind-gouging. They reappear
you can't "hear more about it." Yes, it's some time later, looking harrowed but
best if you stop asking questions. otherwise fine.
2 A spectral avatar of the warlock's patron 2 The warlock spies a particularly eldritch
(or a close mortal-comprehensible shrine with the words "TOUCH AND FEEL
approximation) appears over the warlock's THE CRUEL BREATH OF MADNESS"
shoulder and begins loudly jeering every smeared across the front in blood. They
time the warlock attempts to speak. The stay behind to 'examine' it. You see them
warlock is going to stay indoors for a bit slapping on the shrine like bongo drums as
while they attempt to work out why their you depart.
patron is displeased. 3 The warlock hears whispers of sound and
3 There's some trouble with the warlock's mind, leading them away from the party
pact boon. They must remain behind to and toward the crumbled ruin of an
deal with a damaged tome, a sparking unknown shrine, where they sense they
weapon, an unruly familiar, etc. are supposed to wait. They are eventually
4 The warlock's patron sends them a vision allowed to leave and rejoin the party,
of some strange idol, with the information uncertain if they have just served some
that it is in the city and to acquire and unknown machination or fulfilled a small
destroy it, no questions asks. The warlock test of loyalty.
sets off, compelled to obey. 4 The party discovers a small hut that has
long ago fallen into disrepair. Inside, they
discover a crumbling tome from a follower
of the same patron as the warlock. Unable
to move the book without destroying it but
certain they were meant to discover it, the
warlock will remain behind to study its
contents.
Wizard
In a city…
1 The wizard is left a drooling idiot by a spell
experiment gone awry. He returns from
the healing clerics some time later,
insisting he was transported to another
world and married the ruler of the planar
pygmies. Sure, friend. Sure you did.
2 While copying a spell into their spellbook,
the wizard made a very small clerical error.
Now they would like to be left alone for a
bit while they attempt to correct it without
pulling the Material Plane inside-out like a
sock.
3 The wizard caught a rumor that a
merchant in town has a rare arcane tome
in their possession, and try to hunt it
down. They return to the group
disappointed.
4 A local wizard needs an extra set of hands
and spells for an arcane experiment. Your In the wilds…
wizard eventually returns, singed but 1 A prior incantation gone awry causes the
sporting an extra 2d6 gold pieces in pocket wizard's spellbook to turn into a tiny naked
change. man and sprint away. The wizard says "this
happens sometimes" and takes off after it.
2 The wizard is perusing the spellbook while
walking. They turn a page and are suddenly
sucked through a planar gate, reappearing
later along with a handwritten note
reading "pranked!"
3 The wizard triumphantly translates an
incantation carved into stone, becoming
drawn into the primordial plane of earth. A
small burrowed lump keeps pace with the
party's movements by magical means,
acting as a focal point that will eventually
spit out the dirt-covered (but otherwise
unharmed) wizard.
4 The wizard is drawn into a magical book,
popping out some time later and insisting
he went on a magical adventure with
adventure, fantasy, and horror.
Credits
The page background and some interior
art is provided by Arcana Games.
Other interior art through Wizards of the

Coast via the DMsGuild.

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100 Ways

To Excuse a Character Absence

The supplement is divided into sections by class,

To round out our 100, the document starts with

Thanks for taking a look, and happy rolling!

P.S: You can follow me on Twitter @aclippinger or

Other interior art through Wizards of the

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