D&D character with multiple personalities

[Umbran]

My understanding (and I am admittedly not a mental health professional, so I could be very wrong) is that real people with MPD are quite thoroughly disturbed - meaning that dealing with normal life is kind of out of the question. The condition is rare as it is. People who have multiple personalities, each of which is highly functioning enough to become combat-capable experts at a different skillset, are nigh unheard of.

So, if it is going to work in game, it is going to be fantasy multiple personality disorder, not much like the real thing. That means how it works is up to you. You can go all the way to Bruce Banner and the Hulk, if you like - magical effects change the physical body of the character, not just his or her mental state. At this point, the multiple personalities don't even need to be of the same race, much less the same class or gender.

 

[Janx]

i agree with umbran.

Also, I just finished watching the BBC's "Jeckyl" series again.

The Hide personality had some different physical traits from Jeckyl, so you could at least justify different classes/stats.

Some ideas I'd consider:
all personalities must use the same stat scores (they could be rearranged for each PC, but use the same numbers)

PC would be of the same race

PC could be of different class

switching would occur when PC was under duress, at DM will, when other personality would be more useful (with a few round struggle to switch). Perhaps with a die roll (so the player can't keep popping every round).

I'd also consider than the alternate is an NPC, much as DMs have handles lycanthropy in the past. Especially in the beginning.

I see the point of the alternate personality is to build up a more complex PC backstory/forward story. Thus, I'd be less inclined to start a PC this way, so much as make it be discovered through game play that the PC suffers from this. The final reward for the PC is integrationm cooperation, control or eradication of the alt such that the problem aspect is solved for the player.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Did this once, but it was GURPS. Well, it wasn't me, but two other players. However, they were two of the best role players I've ever played with (if not the best), so it actually worked. But even they had to work hard to make it work, and there were no alignment difficulties. Different personalities and skill sets, but both (or all four) characters were very much part of the adventuring party. The group had plenty of fun, but it did cause some minor problems from time to time. (Switching gear at certain times could keep a character out of the action for a round or two, that sort of thing.)

 

[On Puget Sound]

Or you could just play a lycanthrope.

 

[Grimstaff]

Sounds like an OD&D Elf.

 

[bardolph]

So, how would this situation work and would it even be legal according to the RAW? A character has MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder), the personalities are not aware of each other. They may be of different alignments/genders. Could they also be of different classes? And if so, how would that play out as far as prereqs for feats and such? More questions to come as I think of them.

While I don't think RAW supports this, it'd be pretty easy to simulate. Just make a different PC for each personality, and have the DM decide when to switch. If the DM is worried about game balance, you can have each personality burn one or more feats to account for this.

An interesting variant is to give more freedom to personality switching, but require the PC to track XP for each personality separately.

 

[Dragonhelm]

So, if it is going to work in game, it is going to be fantasy multiple personality disorder, not much like the real thing. That means how it works is up to you. You can go all the way to Bruce Banner and the Hulk, if you like - magical effects change the physical body of the character, not just his or her mental state. At this point, the multiple personalities don't even need to be of the same race, much less the same class or gender.

I'm glad you brough up the Hulk, as he's a prime example of what we're talking about. I want to say the best Hulk stories I ever read revolved around the grey Hulk (my favorite). There was an issue where Doc Samson went into Bruce Banner's mind, and saw Banner, the green Hulk, and the grey Hulk all at once. Three distinct personalities, all of which were brought about due to Banner being abused as a child. The end result was that all the personalities were brought together to form one of the best versions of the Hulk ever, with Banner's brains, the green Hulk's power, and the grey Hulk's attitude.

You need to consider powers and abilities, and whether those powers and abilities will conflict from personality to personality.

Also consider what triggers the change, and whether that is DM or player controlled. Does the change happen at night, or under the light of a moon? Is it based on geography?

Ask yourself what triggered the MPD to begin with. Is it a curse, where multiple people are put in the same body? Child abuse, ala the Hulk? Or maybe it's something like Nikki from Heroes.

Look at what you want the end result to be. Do you want one personality to eliminate the others? Do you want the personalities to merge, ala the Hulk?

Egad, I just remembered an intelligent sword I had created with a MPD back in my early gaming days. It was called Assimilator ( ). Nine live stealer that absorbed up to nine people's souls in it, all of whom were of a different alignment.

 

[Alzrius]

I tried my hand at a template for this a while back over on the Skirmisher Publishing forums. Here was my result:

MULTI-MIND
Sometimes, a person will come across a situation that their mind is unable to handle. Whether it’s seeing something completely unbelievable, being attacked by powerful magic, or something else altogether, such an event can be shattering. When this happens, a rare few people will create an entirely new personality for themselves to get them through it. This “new” person has a mentality, personality, and abilities all their own, often emerging at times of great stress when the person’s original personality fails. These people are known to sages as multi-minds.

Creating a Multi-Mind
“Multi-Mind” is an acquired template that may be applied to any creature with an Intelligence of 3 or higher. A character may have this template applied more than once if they have more than one alternate personality.

A multi-mind uses all of the base creature’s statistics, except as noted here,

Hit Dice
The multi-mind’s Hit Dice do not change.

Attacks
The multi-mind's Base Attack Bonus does not change.

Special Attacks
All racial special attacks are retained. All of the multi-mind’s class-based special attacks are lost when it uses its multipersonality special quality (see below), and are replaced with the special attacks of its new class.

Special Qualities
All racial special qualities are retained. All of the multi-mind’s class-based special qualities are lost when it uses its multipersonality special quality (see below), and are replaced with the special qualities of its new class. A multi-mind gains the following special quality:

Multipersonality (Ex): A multi-mind is host to multiple personalities, each with different abilities. If a character is in a stressful situation (such as being brought below 50% hit points, becoming panicked, or any other situation the GM decides), he must make a Will save (DC 16) or an alternate personality comes out. This personality has all of the character’s same statistics, but has different class features (of a total level equal to the base creature’s class levels), mental ability scores, skills, feats, and alignment. If no other stressful situation arises, the personality returns to dormancy after 1d12 hours.

Abilities
Same as base creature. When the multipersonality special quality is in use, determine the new personality’s mental ability scores randomly (roll 4d6 and drop the lowest die for Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma). Once determined, these are retained for the alternate personality each time it emerges.

Skills
Same as base creature. When the multipersonality special quality is in use, the new personality has completely different skill ranks (determined from what class levels it has), and cannot use any of the base creature’s skill ranks.

Feats
Same as base creature. When the multipersonality special quality is in use, the new personality has completely different feats, and cannot use any of the base creature’s feats.

Saves
Same as base creature. When the multipersonality special quality is in use, the new personality's Wisdom score, feats, etc. may change their save modifiers.

Challenge Rating
Same as base creature +0.

Alignment
Same as base creature. When the multipersonality special quality is in use, the new personality has a completely different alignment.

Level Adjustment
Same as base creature +0.


Example Creature
This example multi-mind uses a Kiorin, a 4th-level human paladin, as the base creature. His alternate personality is Jessep, an immoral rogue. Neither has any idea that they are a multi-mind. Statistics listed are for both personalities unless otherwise noted.

Kiorin/Jessep CR 4
Male human Paladin 4 (Rogue 4)
LG (NE) Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +0; Senses Listen +1, Spot +1 (Jessep Listen +7, Spot +7)
Aura (Kiorin) aura of courage 10 ft.
Languages Common (Jessep Common, Goblinoid, Halfling)
-----
AC 14, touch 10, flat-footed 14
hp 26 (4 HD)
Fort +7 (+5), Ref +3 (+1), Will +3 (+0)
-----
Spd 30 ft.
Melee masterwork short sword +8 (Jessep +7) (1d6+2/19-20)
Ranged shortbow +4 (1d6/x3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +4; Grp +6
Atk Options (Kiorin) smite evil 1/day
Atk Options (Jessep) sneak attack +2d6
Special Atks (Kiorin) turn undead 5/day
Combat Gear masterwork short sword
Spells Prepared (Kiorin) (CL 2nd)
1 – cure light wounds (DC 12)
-----
Str 15, Dex 11, Con 13, Int 8 (15), Wis 12 (10), Cha 14 (7)
SQ (Kiorin) aura of courage, aura of good, detect evil, divine grace, divine health
SQ (Jessep) evasion, trap sense +1, trapfinding, uncanny dodge
Feats (Kiorin) Endurance, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (short sword)
Feats (Jessep) Dodge, Point Blank Shot, Stealthy
Skills (Kiorin) Concentration +2, Diplomacy +4, Handle Animal +3, Heal +3, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +2, Knowledge (religion) +2, Ride +2
Skills (Jessep) Bluff +5, Disable Device +9, Disguise +5, Escape Artist +6, Hide +8, Listen +7, Move Silently +8, Open Lock +7, Search +9, Sleight of Hand +6, Spot +7
Possessions combat gear plus masterwork chain shirt, shortbow, 40 arrows

 

[Master Chr Smith]

So, I have thought of this before. A good idea for this, with any race, is to set up 2 or more character sheets. They all have the same exact stats so there is no question about that. Upon falling asleep your personalities shuffle, remember your body still needs a full 8 hours sleep for spell casters regardless of the persona having been asleep. Upon waking the DM rolls secretly and gives you your character for the day.
Of course this is not technically 'legal' but it would put in an interesting twist and for those, like me, who get easily bored with there characters gives them something to keep going.

 

[Elven]

So, how would this situation work and would it even be legal according to the RAW? A character has MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder), the personalities are not aware of each other. They may be of different alignments/genders. Could they also be of different classes? And if so, how would that play out as far as prereqs for feats and such? More questions to come as I think of them.

Well if one of those many "personalities" had control long enough, Multiclassing,

(if the DM was kind, it would not stack towards your limit (as they are in effect different people, and as long as you had no control as to who showed up (not in any way controllable) that would be weird but fair)