1 player - 2 non-simultaneous characters

[Altamont Ravenard]

Hello All,

For those who have experience with this as a DM or Player (or both, or even if you don't and would like to voice an opinion), what are your thoughts on the following campaign setup:

Basically, there are two worlds, the real world and the dream world. When you go to sleep in the real world you have access to the Dream World. When you are awake in the real world, you have no presence in the Dream World.

What this means is if I start such a campaign, is that I'll require that the players each make 2 characters: 1 for the real world, and 1 for the dream world, which are composed of the same soul but can be 2 entirely different entities (ie different race, stats, class, etc.)

Would you be ok with something like this? Would you hate having to split 1 campaign between 2 characters (that do not necessarily level at the same time, depending in which world you play more)?

Thanks in advance for any input.

AR

 

[CRGreathouse]

This sounds like MEG's H:RoE campaign.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

This sounds like MEG's H:RoE campaign.

(a little more details please)

 

[Ferox4]

I think it's a cool idea. It will slow down leveling (not a bad thing) and as long a you work out the wrinkles I think your players could have fun.

How interconnected are the two campaigns going to be. Will the PCs have knowledge of both of "themselves" or is the dream PC more a fabrication of the subconscious? Hmmmm...If you wanted you could have the players project some of their real world PC's subconscious fears or anxieties on their dream selves. Just a thought.

I'm assuming that if one dies (in either place) they're both dead, yes? Any further complications from dying in the dream world?

I'll be interested to see how this shapes up.

 

[Crothian]

wow, it does sounds a lot like that.

http://www.enworld.org/reviews/index.php?sub=yes&where=currentprod&which=HUNTR

The world conects the player and the character. It's gothic horror d20

 

[Ferox4]

Look like it may be helpful, AR.
(It's always easier to spend someone else's money.)

 

[caudor]

You have a nice juicy idea there! The player has interesting options: He can make one good and the other evil. He can make one a fighter and the other a mage. He can make them both clerics connected by one deity (favored souls even).

You could have some fun as well. What if they met each other in Ravenloft? Would they fight each other (trying to free themselves from their counterpart) or team up against a Dark Lord?

Or what if they 'dreamed' about what the others was actually doing, but can't understand why.

 

[Ferox4]

A potential issue comes about with arcane spellcasters. Needing a full 8 hours of rest to prepare the next day's spells, will their activities in the dream world potentially preclude them from being able to prepare spells? I think of the spell Nightmare which, if not resisted, stops spell preparation for 24 hours. I suppose unless a particularly heinous event occurs in the dream world you could just let this slide.

BTW, I plan to borrow this idea.

 

[Psychotic Jim]

Actually, I was thinking a similar idea a few days ago. Basically, having basically the same character (ability scores, etc) but with different versions of the character for the "real world" and the dream world. I think it would be fun having Modern characters using the d20Modern classes in the real world and more idealized, powerful versions of the characters using the D&D classes in the dream world. Like being a Smart Hero in the real world and being a Wizard in the dream realm, a Strong Hero in the real world and a Fighter in the dream world, etc.

It might be necessary to have some sort of dream threat that can attack people both in the dream and waking world, perhaps by possessing sleeping people. Sort of like the Nightmare Court from Ravenloft.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Thanks for the responses.

The way I was thinking it could work is simply the characters exist both in the real world and the dream world. They can't "play" simultaneously because its when you sleep in the real world that you "awaken" in the dream world.

If you die in the dream world, you go into the vortex of nightmares, for a certain number of days. During this time, your dream alter ego cannot adventure, and and the real world character has nightmares when he sleeps and can't recuperate well (fatigued, penalties, etc.). When you die in the real world, you indeed cease to exist in the dream world.

The only definite death you can suffer in the dream world is by meeting (and being killed by) a Devourer of Souls, a hideous beast native to the dream world that if he kills you, he may eat your soul, and thus rob you of life.

When you sleep, your alter ego awakens in the Dream World, but even if it fights and suffers injury it doesn't really affect the rest you're getting in the real world.

Even if you can be very different in one world from the other, the people you know in the real world have a great chance of recognizing you in the dream world. Also, be careful of who you tick off in a world, since they may be very powerful in the other.

One thing I wanted to do is have the real world more "dark and gritty" (but still D&D) and the dream world more fantastic. Maybe not all classes will be available in both worlds. Also, while the races in the real world would generally be similar (except maybe for elves, since they don't sleep, don't have access to the dream world, and by being disconnected from it, have turned incredibly evil), there would be special races in the dreamworld, namely the beastmen and the vaporous. Their race abilities would differ from individual to individual, and while beastmen would usually receive a bonus to a physical attribute (and a penalty to a mental attribute, 2 if STR was raised), it would be the contrary for the Vaporous. The players could also choose abilities for their "race", maybe size, racial traits, bonus to skills, vision, etc.

So playing 2 different versions of the same character in 2 different world sounds ok to you guys?

AR