Help me build a template

[Mercule]

A few years back, I ran a fairly short campaign where one of my friends got to try out a new concept he had. I'm starting up another game (3.5, probably with some UA) in the near future and he'd like to play the character "to completion".

Without too much unneeded detail, the character is, essentially, a multiple personality that was magically created. One is a LG Fighter. The other is a CE Wizard. 3E multiclassing is out of the question because both halves must be able to function separately. A template sounds the right way to go.

Knowing the player is RP oriented, I'm willing to give him a bit of the benefit of the doubt, but I still want to have some rules for the character. I just need to figure out what the value of the split personality is.

The "rules" of the exchange are somewhat vague and could be manipulated to lower the ECL of the template. Here's what's been established:

1) Both halves hate the other. They only work together for mutual benefit (don't throw my sword away and I won't burn your spellbook) and survival. And because it's pretty well certain that the other will resurface.

2) Each views the other as the intruder in the body and neither will voluntarily release the other except under dire conditions.

3) Unconciousness (more than just sleep) allows the other to gain control. Thus, 0 hp releases the other personality. There may/should be other points at which control changes.

4) Hit points are not entirely shared. Even if the Fighter half is dropped to 0 hp, the Wizard will have some hps when he takes controls. Some damage is transferred, though. (This may be a negotiable point or may resemble Lycanthropic healing.)

5) Some physical changes happen during the change. The Wizard is blonde, while the Fighter has black hair. The Wizard is smarter, but the Fighter is stronger.

Any ideas on what this template should look like? What sort of level adjustment does it deserve?

 

[clark411]

Huh.. that's tricky. I'd almost wager that a multiple personality could be an Extraordinary quality of a person, a core aspect to a "Multiple Personalities" template.

Set the trigger to change to a new personality, give a Level Adjustment modifier to the Multiple Personality quality, and then have each of the two characters leveling appropriately.

Example
Name: Erik Tentrol / Farim Kempar
Race: Human with Multiple Personalities (ECL +2)
Class: Fighter 5 (hp 40) and Wizard 5 (hp 18)
CR: 7.

Special Quality: Multiple Personality (Ex)
Switching between characters is a XYZ action or only triggered by ABC.
Experience gained by Fighter personality only goes to Fighter personality, Experience gained by Wizard personality only goes to Wizard personality, otherwise, it is split evenly.
Equipment worn by characters remains present following switching, and all penalties apply for purposes of spell failure, lack of proficiency, etc.

It may not be appropriately statted ECL wise, but I figure at least a small +ECL would at least allow more than one personality to be tacked on someone. The benefit of having an additional personality is somewhat thrown off by the division of experience between the classes.

 

[Frank_Vinneti]

Here, a template a la Samurai Deeper Kyo! (All hail Oni-me no Kyo!)


Duplicata
A Duplicata is a creature possessing two soul in one body; a very ancient curse only used on two totally different individual that often hate each other. The curse can only be used on both creatures of the same gender and race. Both body join together and become one, sharing the trait or both males or females.

Since the creatures used are different soul, they share neither feats, skills, memories or abilities. They can only comunicate while the Duplication is taking place.

ECL: +3
Special Qualities: Duplication


Duplication (Sp): When a part of a Duplicata need the help of the other part, it must make a Will save DC 15 to call upon the other part for 1d4 turns (may recieve bonus with strong emotions, at GM's discretion). Once the part of the Duplicata called upon returns to sleep, the body becomes unconsious for 1 round and both part can communicate with the other. The other part of the Duplicata can be woke up totally by strong emotions, and the present soul may chose to resist (opposed will save), and the cycle will be inversed. Using the Duplication ability is a full-round action.


-----
Well, what do you think? It may contain grammar errors, or whatever else, since I haven't slept in a while now.

And if you're not satisfied, then thats too bad. I think its pretty cool


Frankto

 

[Mercule]

Well, what do you think? It may contain grammar errors, or whatever else, since I haven't slept in a while now.

And if you're not satisfied, then thats too bad. I think its pretty cool

Not bad. Not quite in keeping with the character concept, but not a bad starting point.

It does, however, lend validation to a sneaking suspicion that I've been having. The ECL modifier is just going to be too high. We'd like to figure out a way to keep it to a maximum of a +2. If a few weaknesses were fleshed out to reduce it to +1, that would be even better.

As part of the curse, the character will have another template, roughly equivalent to Fiendish (+1). If the total gets above about a +3, we consider the character unplayable, since we'll be starting the game at the lowest level possible given ECLs of the characters (so far, this is the only one with a template). Regardless of what WotC says, a 4th ECL character with only 1 HD isn't playable.

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

It does, however, lend validation to a sneaking suspicion that I've been having. The ECL modifier is just going to be too high. We'd like to figure out a way to keep it to a maximum of a +2. If a few weaknesses were fleshed out to reduce it to +1, that would be even better.

Do you have a problem with a player running multiple PCs during the same game?

Let me explain why I asked...

If someone came to me with that character concept, I would rule that the player have 2 seperate characters sheets and 1 equipment list. Everytime the personalities switch, the player switches character sheets. Basically, completely different stats, skills, feats, max HP, etc.

I would say no ECL.

The reason I would say no ECL is because I would award encounter XP seperately for each personality. Basically, the player is playing 2 characters and just switches off every once in a while. Thus, one personality may occasionally be a bit higher, XP-wise, then the other - but that can be balanced by causing the PC to switch personalities fairly often and rule that the role-playing XP given at the end of the night for the session can be split as needed between PCs to keep them balanced, but the encounter XP must go to the PC who actually was in the encounter (if both personalities were, split evenly or split as needed to keep PCs balanced in level).

 

[Mercule]

If someone came to me with that character concept, I would rule that the player have 2 seperate characters sheets and 1 equipment list. Everytime the personalities switch, the player switches character sheets. Basically, completely different stats, skills, feats, max HP, etc.

I would say no ECL.

The reason I would say no ECL is because I would award encounter XP seperately for each personality.

Hmm... This isn't a bad approach. I have two obstacles to implementing it this way, though. Maybe there's a way by it, though.

1) Since the characters can swap at will, including (especially?) when one of them hits 0 hps, I have a concern with having no ECL for the ability. I don't mind framing it in terms of "what is the ECL for a character than can exchange places with another, specific character at will?", though.

Just tack on that there is a chance for the character not present to initiate the switch and that the character "in stasis" has telepathic communication with the "active" character.

2) I'm not planning on using the standard XP awards. Instead, I'm going to use the WoT system that gives XP per adventure, based on how long/tough the adventure was supposed to be. This means that the other players would have to be agreeable to someone else getting a double share of XP.

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

Hmm... This isn't a bad approach. I have two obstacles to implementing it this way, though. Maybe there's a way by it, though.

1) Since the characters can swap at will, including (especially?) when one of them hits 0 hps, I have a concern with having no ECL for the ability. I don't mind framing it in terms of "what is the ECL for a character than can exchange places with another, specific character at will?", though.

Just tack on that there is a chance for the character not present to initiate the switch and that the character "in stasis" has telepathic communication with the "active" character.

Once again, it would be simular to having one player running two characters, in my mind. I have played in many games where one or more players were running more than 1 character - I myself have run more than 1 character at once. Currently, I am in a game where a player is running a brother-sister team. The two characters often confer on tactics before and during encounters.

On the same note, I am in a different game where my rogue and the mage of the party, both characters created at different times (my PC was in the game for several months before the mage's player joined). Our 2 PCs hit it off as best friends, and work together wonderfully during encounters and outside of them. We have a system worked out, and confer telepathically via a magic item during encounters to maximize our effect in the situation.

It doesn't seem to me to be all that different, but it also depends on the DM and players. I have played in games where the DM has banned 2 characters for 1 player for various reasons.

2) I'm not planning on using the standard XP awards. Instead, I'm going to use the WoT system that gives XP per adventure, based on how long/tough the adventure was supposed to be. This means that the other players would have to be agreeable to someone else getting a double share of XP.

Hmm. Not being familier with this method, I am not sure I can help.

How about this:

For assumption, the XP method gives 10,000 amount of XP for an adventure of difficulty rating of Medium (I am trying for an example here, but I am reaching, not knowing the system). Then, I would assume, you break the 10,000 XP down by the number of characters. Let's say you have 4 players. 3 of them are playing a 'normal' character, 1 of them is playing the multiple-personality. Now, there are 2 ways you could go from here:

1) The player needs to have 2 seperate character sheets, as mentioned in my last post. Treating the muliple-personality as 2 seperate characters: 4 players, 5 PCs. So, 10,000 XP divided by 5 characters = 2,000 XP per character. Now this means that the player with the multiple-personality character would be getting double-xp, which raises your concern. This method would probably hae to be voted on by the other players, were I DMming and using the XP method I tried to guess at above.

Or, it could be done:

2) The player needs to have 2 seperate character sheets, as mentioned in my last post. But, we are treating the muliple-personality as 1 character: 4 players, 4 PCs. So, 10,000 XP divided by 4 characters = 2,500 XP per character. Now this means that the player with the multiple-personality character would only be getting 2,500 xp, which he then has to divided equally between his two "personalities". So, the fighter personality would get 1,250 XP and the mage would get 1,250 XP. This method would assure that the two would stay equal power level to each other - but on the other hand, they would rise in level much slower than the other characters in the party - thus balancing the power of the multiple-personality character (which is basically what ECLs are meant to do. This is just another way of looking at an ECL).

Were I DMming and using that XP method, I would probably use option #2. What do you think?

GFA

 

[Winternight]

Kiss

Keep It Simple and Stupid!
like Goddess aproach let him have two character sheets (a third for equipment)
If he wants to switch let him.
- they share the same pool of hit points: fighter is down to 1/3 also is the mage
- if Char is down to 0 he involuntary switches
- if one dies (-10) borh are dead
- the have one level, getting the same exp the char get the exp and both advance the same speed.
- you MAY! give him a 10% penalty (I wouldn`t)
- one side of the char sheet is wizard the other one the fighter.
- wizards has only the spell he had meomrized and not use the last time he was in controll
- if he switch let him make a roll (willsave, ...)
- if he switches it takes a full round action provokes AoO

TRUST YOUR PLAYER!
don`t let it get a bookkeeping nightmare
"wait I was @the encounter1-3 the mage 4-9 the fighter, but 10 ....."

 

[Winternight]

Were I DMming and using that XP method, I would probably use option #2. What do you think?

GFA

that one PC in the group haveing half the exp as the others.
group just reached level
7 he is still in level 4
11 he is still in level 7
16 he is still in level 11

he cant`t cast well (due to armor) has only half the equipement (cause he has to share his welath)
He is totally use less for nothing (roleplaying)
As posted I would use 1b

10K exp 4 players with one double PC 2.5K per PLAYERc
his both classes get 2,500 (maybe 2.25K)

 

[Mercule]

Keep It Simple and Stupid!

That would be my fervent desire.

like Goddess aproach let him have two character sheets (a third for equipment)
If he wants to switch let him.

So far, I think this is a given. Any restrictions for switching will be built in by the player. I'm more interested in what the chances of involuntary switching are.

- they share the same pool of hit points: fighter is down to 1/3 also is the mage

This is a thought. We've talked about just using the Eldritch Knight, maybe bumping up the HD to d8. I'm a bit hesitant to shuffle the characters together to quite that extend, though.

- if one dies (-10) borh are dead
- the have one level, getting the same exp the char get the exp and both advance the same speed.

Absolutely, and without question on both accounts. The first is required by the concept. The second is 1) to keep the two at comparable power, and 2) to reduce paperwork.

TRUST YOUR PLAYER!

If I didn't this wouldn't even be a discussion. This player is the most experienced gamer in the group next to me (20 yr vs 15 yr). He's also the other DM in the group.

The template and ECL are not to reign in an overzealous player. Rather, they are to balance a concept that is cool, but has some aspects that could easily outshine the the other characters, whether or not the player intended to do so.

BTW, thanks for all the help, guys. Don't take anything I'm saying as shooting down ideas. I'm just trying to work through what I perceive as weaknesses in a method.