You mean, your character’s really dead? Give yourself a pat on the back. You’ve done something most people are unable to do. You’ve killed a superhero. Now it really is time to create a new character.
As you are creating this new character, think about the world. You know a lot more about this world now than you did for your first character. Make this character really count. Talk with some other players. Maybe you can start out as a sidekick of a more experienced character. Of course, you’ll eventually leave the nest, as you slowly accumulate as many press clippings as your mentor.
You can be related to another character. Get some concessions here. Every famous superhero has superhero relatives. It’s a true status symbol. Playing the nephew of one of their characters should be worth at least a slice of pizza. Maybe even two.
You might even be the long-lost son of your old character. Now, you’ve sworn to avenge your father’s death. Of course, you’ll need a costume first...
A lot of times we unconsciously limit ourselves when we create new characters. We ignore the possibilities in playing characters from other cultures, playing characters of the opposite sex, and characters of a different sexual preference.
Of course, it’s easy to fall into a stereotype when branching out like this. Use common sense, and if you have the time, do a little research at the library. Especially when playing a character from another culture, it helps to get a feel for the history of the culture.
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What if your mother hadn’t been killed by terrorists after you were bitten by that radioactive frog? What if your character had gained completely different powers? What if the powers were the same, but were given to a different person? |
In general, I don’t recommend using the same character in different campaigns, under different Editors. There is precedence for this in comics, however: alternate worlds and imaginary stories. These are tools for examining different aspects of a character’s personality and destiny.
If you do decide to use a character in more than one world, give the character a slightly (or greatly) different history, and examine how the character will have developed differently in a different world.