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View Full Version : I want to play two characters in one body, how?



randomhero00
2011-02-14, 01:49 PM
I have tons of roleplay ideas why, for instance, a demon and a mortal working together.

But how would this work mechanically? Cause they'd both have different classes. Should I just gestalt them and then roleplay two personalities? That'd be the easiest but least fun. And hard in a way.

I'd prefer to be able to go twice (two separate iniatiatives) With two separate character sheets. But I'm not sure how to do this balanced. Obviously would need to be classes below tier 3. Any thoughts? I've been wanting to do this since I roleplayed a character like this in the beginning of city of heroes (mmorpg).

Kobold-Bard
2011-02-14, 01:50 PM
Take Leadership and fluff your Cohort as the other personality?

Then trade the Followers for Cohort = you level-1 or something.

randomhero00
2011-02-14, 01:57 PM
Take Leadership and fluff your Cohort as the other personality?

Then trade the Followers for Cohort = you level-1 or something.

We're playing from the ground up, and I'd prefer to have this magical accident or whatever happen before play at lvl 1. So that I start that way. We *are* doing gestalt. I like the demon idea best. So maybe warlock for his side? There needs to be some conflict between them but need to agree a lot too. Maybe a rogue for the human half?

The main thing though is I'd like them both to be able to take separate action to give it combat flavor. Otherwise its just like any other old gestalt. But how to do that fairly by letting my go twice a turn? How can I nerf myself enough?

edit: the other question is that, would they share the same mind? (i.e. same saves? or separate?)

Urpriest
2011-02-14, 01:57 PM
A Fiend of Possession with a cohort is the standard way to go about it.

Typewriter
2011-02-14, 01:59 PM
I allowed a player to play a ragamuffin once. Is that what they're called? The clothes that take over people?

Alternatively, Savage Species has a symbiote in it. You could play a character and its host.

Kobold-Bard
2011-02-14, 02:00 PM
Dvati from Dragon Compendium is two bodies with one mind/soul. Eachone get their own action each round (unless one casts a spell, in which case both need to concentrate on it), makes their own saves etc. but eachonly has 1/2 the characters total HP and some other stuff I forget.

Make a Dvati, but fluff them as being in one body, one mortal, one Demon.

Waker
2011-02-14, 02:11 PM
You could also refluff the Kalashtar or the Quori.

LatemYvaeh
2011-02-14, 02:18 PM
As a DM the way I would handle this is as follows

Multiple personality disorder character background
At the start of a stressful situation determine personality that takes control of the body
Only one personality can control the body at any one time

If there is a difference in physical stats (Str Con Dex) and the personality changes the change either moves your initiative to 1 or takes the place of a move action depends on what edition you are using

Each persona would have its own stats feats skills
Each persona can be a different race but the physical body remains the same race at creation can determine if the persona will force a change in the function of the body or use the default physical stats (str con dex)

Optional Feats for personas
Aware of other personas - Prerequisite for all following feats - This persona is aware of all the other personas in the body and communicate with them if it so chooses

Take control of body - as a will attack can attempt to force the current controller of the body out of the driver seat

Resist losing control of body - Bonus to defense against hostile take over

Hidden Persona - DM character of any alignment that can not be detected by any of the other personas if this persona takes over the player looses control of the character for a random amount of time and will remember nothing of the characters actions. In taking this character background you risk having your reputation tarnished by your unstable mental companions while you aren't looking

I would use either a EGO check or similar random method to determine who is in charge

This is just a rough idea but I would think it is a good starting point

randomhero00
2011-02-14, 02:19 PM
Some good tips and examples to persuade my DM. Thanks. Keep em coming!

Another idea I was thinking of which is cliche in the anime world but for whatever reason hasn't seem to caught on in RPGs is something like a monster inside that remains trapped if everything goes well. But if a lot of blood starts spilling, or if you're about to die, or if you get really angry, the beast comes out. Possibly even unaware of telling friend from foe. If you've seen Teen Titans think Raven when she goes all dark.

LatemYvaeh- honestly sounds too complicated

Waker
2011-02-14, 02:22 PM
For that idea you could be a Barbarian (or other class that rages) but do so only in certain situations. Or you could do the shapeshifter route.

randomhero00
2011-02-14, 02:28 PM
For that idea you could be a Barbarian (or other class that rages) but do so only in certain situations. Or you could do the shapeshifter route.

I was thinking more mystical, hence why I mentioned Raven. If you don't know when she loses control of her emotions she becomes this...giant tentacle monster of doom. Simply seeing inside her darkness requires a will save vs insanity. She makes villains cry. If I'm going to hold back I want something as cool and aweinspiring as that.

Psyren
2011-02-14, 02:29 PM
The good version of Possession is Channeling, which in its own way can be just as bizarre and nightmarish even if the being in question means you no harm.

Alternatively - be a Binder, fail all your pacts, and be 6 characters in one body!

randomhero00
2011-02-14, 02:35 PM
what book is fiend and fiend of possession and all that from? fiendish codex I?

edit, also remember this is more about balancing it than simply doing it.

Heh it'd be funny in a warforged:
'Master release me!'
"Releasing safety protocols: engage"

Person_Man
2011-02-14, 02:46 PM
Gone, gone the form of man,
Rise the demon Etrigan!


Ok, now that I have that out of my system, my suggestions is that you just play a single Tier 1 build, and divvy the class features up between the two personalities. It'd be easy to do with a Druid or any other class that has access to Wildshape or Alter Self. Master of Many Forms or some similar PrC would let you go between humanoid and "demon" form fairly easily. And there are several PrC have at will Alter Self that lasts for hours - Tattoo Monk, Ninja Spy, Slime Lord, and others. If your base type is Outsider, then it should be fairly easy to find a literal demon form for you to turn into when the alternate personality takes over.

erikun
2011-02-14, 02:49 PM
I have considered running such a character. It would involve some heavy DM houseruling, but this is what I had in mind:

The character would be a gestault Bard//Sorcerer (for sake of sanity), with one personality being the bard and the other personality being the sorcerer. The "bard" personality would only have access to bard spells/abilities, while the "sorcerer" personality would only have access to the sorcerer spells. For the sake of everyone involved, the two personalities would have the same stats, skills, and HP as a gestault character.

Every day, flip a coin to determine which personality has dominance that day. Personalities would only "switch" during appropriately stressful times, namely when one character is in danger and completely unable to handle the situation. Otherwise, I don't get the choice of when to swap out characters - to prevent me from simply changing to whichever personality is more convienent.

For the sake of balance, I would probably keep track of the spells I had cast for each level - so that if I cast spells as a sorcerer and switched to a bard in the same day, the bard spell list would be depleted as appropriate. (This is an attempt for the gestault rules to create an interesting character, as opposed to one with twice the resources as others.)

Urpriest
2011-02-14, 02:49 PM
Fiend of Possession is a prestige class from the Fiend Folio, but you won't be able to be one at first level without heavy cheese.

In general, taking two sets of actions a turn at first level will usually require pretty heavy cheese. Dvati can do it, but have two bodies.

What about a familiar? The Fiendish Familiar Symbiont(also from the Fiend Folio) is a face grafted onto your body that enhances spellcasters, has its own actions, and tries to tempt you to evil. They get attached by certain fiendish machines, so if your DM's ok with it you can work it into your backstory. Note that it's not actually your familiar, so getting it to have interesting abilities is nontrivial. Google the Nasty Gentlemen for some rather broken tricks one can do with symbionts, and pick some of the less broken ones.

Necroticplague
2011-02-14, 02:51 PM
Two characters, one of whom has the symbiot template?

WinWin
2011-02-14, 03:39 PM
Two characters, one of whom has the symbiot template?

Oddly enough, some of the best symbiotes are symbiotes from fiend folio.

Dornath
2011-02-14, 04:10 PM
There's a fantastic prestige class in the Pathfinder Advanced Players Guide that might be what your looking for....

Can't remember what it's called... :smallredface:

However it's very Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. Based off the Alchemist class found in the same book. Easily refluffed to Artificer if you're confined to 3.5 only.

Noblesse
2011-02-14, 04:14 PM
or just refluff/slight alterations to the champion (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/mYkD5jL8N9SAcClN3pZ.html) maybe with the dm allowing the avatar side to have a 'gesalt' as well since it is technically another character.

Saint GoH
2011-02-14, 04:31 PM
If you aren't opposed to Homebrew, this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7967157&postcount=58)could fit the "demon" side of the gestalt. Just sort of refluff it to not look the same.

Then frankly do whatever you want on the side.

Personal point of view, I did much the same in a gestalt game, with the warlock being the "demonic" side, and crusader on the other. Went and took Hellfire Warlock (mostly because I figured the Demon possessing the body would have little care to whatever the bodies constitution is) and whenever I dropped below certain HP levels the Warlock would take over. Otherwise I'd use Crusader abilities (with the "demon" occasionally granting me Warlock buffs).

Lord Loss
2011-02-14, 04:33 PM
Something like http://www.giantitp.com/articles/mYkD5jL8N9SAcClN3pZ.html could work, perhaps? You'd need to change it around, though, for it to be effective.

Scarlet-Devil
2011-02-14, 05:20 PM
I didn't see a single mention of Fusion in there anywhere... Very disappointing. Fusion is a psionic power that let's two people share one body; granted, it's an 8th level power, and has a minute/level duration, but you certainly might be able to use that as a template anyway.

Tyndmyr
2011-02-14, 11:54 PM
I have tons of roleplay ideas why, for instance, a demon and a mortal working together.

But how would this work mechanically? Cause they'd both have different classes.

Possession. IIRC, different rules exist in a coupla places, but BoVD is generally best.

Note that you'll want to clear this with your DM beforehand, as this sort of thing is most certainly not guaranteed to be a demon working with/for you by default.

Also keep in mind that your GM might say no for the very good reason that you'd essentially be playing two characters. Lots of good reasons to avoid that.

Waker
2011-02-15, 12:51 AM
You could also take the Thrall of Demogorgon prc. You gain the ability to 2/day take two full turns in one round. Eventually you gain two distinct personalities that remove the multiclass penalty and make two saves versus mind-affecting stuff.

Percival
2011-02-15, 12:53 AM
I have a better idea. :smalltongue:

Play ONE character in TWO bodies! There's that race in the Dragon Compendium that's a pair of twins, I forget what it's called though.

Waker
2011-02-15, 12:54 AM
I have a better idea.

Play ONE character in TWO bodies! There's that race in the Dragon Compendium that's a pair of twins, I forget what it's called though.
Dvati. And the mechanics for them are horribly crappy.

thubby
2011-02-15, 02:33 AM
those little mind-control parasites from the psionic handbook could work.
they worked out some kind of arrangement for control of the body as part of their back-story.

joe
2011-02-15, 05:53 AM
You could take the Chameleon P.Class and let the class change represent the change from the character to the demon possessing him. Which classes you would assign to which personalities would be up to you.

Necro_EX
2011-02-15, 06:25 AM
So...you want to play as the protagonist/Gig?

I can't say that I blame you.

As for actual suggestions, I initally thought kalashtar when I read the thread title, but I'm not so sure how to go about that, especially because giving yourself two initiatives constantly is a little powerful, but if you're just kinda 'winging it' with your two builds and everyone else is optimized, then I'm sure that wouldn't be too bad a thing, and you could also fill a gap the party has.

I'd say you could write it up as the human part provides the body and his own mind, and whatever is er...hitching a ride could provide a secondary mental abilities set for when it performs mental tasks...but, it'd have to use the human's body for physical things...also, it would seem odd to me if the possessor can make physical actions on its own while in the body of the vessel, it would seem like he's constantly hasted.

I do believe someone mentioned Fiend of Possession, which I believe would fill your needs well enough, but may not be exactly what you're looking for.