Am I Wrong? Dealing with a Player Who Refuses to Retire a “Twin Sibling” Character /u/CheapNefariousness71 DnD: Roll for Initiative!

Hey everyone

I need some advice regarding a situation in my D&D campaign. I’m running Tomb of Annihilation, a campaign known for its high stakes and deadly encounters. One of my players recently had their character die early on, and instead of creating a new character, they introduced a “twin sibling” who is essentially the exact same character—same class, stats, and even personality—with a different name.

This bothered me because I feel it undermines the stakes of the game. Death is supposed to have real consequences, and if a character can be replaced by an identical twin with no repercussions, it makes the challenges feel meaningless. I explained this to the player and asked them to create a new, unique character to switch to once the party returned to Port Nyanzaru. I even offered to help integrate the new character into the story.

The player pushed back, saying: 1. They feel the encounters I’ve created are too difficult and “discouraging.” 2. They wanted to stick with the same class because they barely had time to play the original character. 3. They’re “not ready to let the character go” and don’t want to switch.

Here’s where I’m conflicted: • On one hand, I understand that losing a character early can be frustrating, and I don’t want to ruin anyone’s fun. • On the other hand, I feel that allowing a clone undermines the tension and immersion for the rest of the group. If there are no consequences to death, why bother creating challenging encounters at all?

I’m trying to balance fairness and storytelling while keeping the game fun for everyone, but I don’t know if I’m handling this the right way.

Am I wrong for asking the player to retire their “twin sibling” and create a new character? How would you handle this situation?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Hey everyone

I need some advice regarding a situation in my D&D campaign. I’m running Tomb of Annihilation, a campaign known for its high stakes and deadly encounters. One of my players recently had their character die early on, and instead of creating a new character, they introduced a “twin sibling” who is essentially the exact same character—same class, stats, and even personality—with a different name.

This bothered me because I feel it undermines the stakes of the game. Death is supposed to have real consequences, and if a character can be replaced by an identical twin with no repercussions, it makes the challenges feel meaningless. I explained this to the player and asked them to create a new, unique character to switch to once the party returned to Port Nyanzaru. I even offered to help integrate the new character into the story.

The player pushed back, saying: 1. They feel the encounters I’ve created are too difficult and “discouraging.” 2. They wanted to stick with the same class because they barely had time to play the original character. 3. They’re “not ready to let the character go” and don’t want to switch.

Here’s where I’m conflicted: • On one hand, I understand that losing a character early can be frustrating, and I don’t want to ruin anyone’s fun. • On the other hand, I feel that allowing a clone undermines the tension and immersion for the rest of the group. If there are no consequences to death, why bother creating challenging encounters at all?

I’m trying to balance fairness and storytelling while keeping the game fun for everyone, but I don’t know if I’m handling this the right way.

Am I wrong for asking the player to retire their “twin sibling” and create a new character? How would you handle this situation?

Thanks in advance for your advice!