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The Extinguisher
2007-03-11, 07:34 PM
I am currently in a campaign with a character who has a split personality. I wondering if there was any specific rules or systems that have been previously set up for multiple personality disorder.

Also, since my character has a class that requires him to be evil, would the other personality who is good negate that class for both personalities? Or would it not matter?

Hario
2007-03-11, 07:55 PM
My suggestion is have them go gestault but keep it seperate, if this is only one PC out of the group it certainly isn't fair, but if you restrict them to maybe a NPC class and a player class, and have rolls every so often to switch the two its a little more balanced... some things need to be the same with the characters and that is saves and HP, BAB, skills, and other class abilities could depend on the multiple personalities. But best suggestion is to have one of the personalities be a healer so you have a main or backup heal bot.

The_Snark
2007-03-11, 08:02 PM
Don't have different stats for different personalities... that doesn't work out mechanically, since it doesn't make sense that physical abilities/HP change based on personalities. It doesn't make sense flavor-wise because someone with multiple personaties is not someone with more than one person in the same body; it's multiple aspects of the same, fractured person. Unless we're dealing with possession, or something like that.

Anyway... it depends on what evil class is involved, I guess. The evil one would get the full abilities. The good one... might or might not get those abilities, depending on what they are, and might not use them. An ur-priest certainly wouldn't be stealing divine energy while Good, and an assassin probably wouldn't be poisoning people and making death attacks all that much.

Tellah
2007-03-11, 08:05 PM
Have a quick look at the rules for lycanthropy. I recommend that you have your player roll up a second character for the acquired personality, then come up with some condition that makes that personality manifest. Have a Wisdom-based skill called "Control Personality" that functions exactly like Control Shape, but works with his dual-personality issue.

Fundamentally, make sure that the player has some control, but not absolute control, over when his secondary personality manifests itself. Giving him no control reduces the fun behind the concept; giving him complete control makes him far too powerful. Forcing him to invest tons of skill points to get control over the situation is something of a balancing factor, although I might make him blow a feat on it as well.

Behold_the_Void
2007-03-11, 08:21 PM
First off, what two classes are we talking here? If they're similar enough, changing skill-set over shouldn't be too hard.

Hario
2007-03-11, 08:22 PM
Don't have different stats for different personalities... that doesn't work out mechanically, since it doesn't make sense that physical abilities/HP change based on personalities. It doesn't make sense flavor-wise because someone with multiple personaties is not someone with more than one person in the same body; it's multiple aspects of the same, fractured person. Unless we're dealing with possession, or something like that.

I could see a person with different personalilities with different mental stats though, like an intelligent one and a stupid one, a charasmatic one, etc. But don't let them munchkin this out if you let them do this with their personalities, make them keep all the stats and probably take a -1 or -2 on their overall wisdom, it has to be balanced in some way, maybe take a -2 on their will save or so.

Vaynor
2007-03-11, 08:26 PM
I'd say have his class change whenever his personality switches.

Like, he is half a barbarian but every once in a while he turns into a scholar of the fine art of cheesemaking.

Rama_Lei
2007-03-11, 08:44 PM
either a bonus (two seperate minds working together, or apart amking it harder to effect) or penalty (Half of the conciousness) to will saves.

Reltzik
2007-03-11, 08:48 PM
Work it like a magic jar spell at caster level 1. The subdued personality can try to take over every twenty-four hours, and the dominant personality is immune only for 24 hours on a successful will test. The dominant personality can also voluntarilly surrender control at any time, and then reassert it with a DC 15 will save. The player can't control what the other personality does while it owns the body, but he is aware and can speak to it, make hints, suggestions, plead with it, and the like. Similarly, the alternate personality can talk to him while he's in control.

Give the alternative personality his own wisdom, intelligence, and charisma scores, as well as his own class, skills, feats, and XP, level, and allignment. Thus the allignment will change whenever the evil personality is in control -- this is just fine! One personality can pretend to be the other. They get a +10 to disguise just as if they were a different person using Alter Self.

The Extinguisher
2007-03-11, 10:10 PM
Well, the character is a Paladin 10/Blackguard 10
I was planning on rolling a new intelligence, wisdom and charisma scores.

My basic idea behind the whole thing would be the other personality as a Lawful Good Paladin who serves as an antagonist to the party.

I was just wondering how exactly this other personality should surface. I like the ideas and I will work it out with my DM.

Thanks for the help.

AtomicKitKat
2007-03-11, 11:34 PM
Things to share: HP, equipment, some (Ex) abilities(eg, if one is becoming a Green Star Adept, the other side may have a mental block preventing them from seeing the green skin, but they may notice that some things aren't as painful as they used to be.)

Things to track separately: Spells, anything that requires conscious activation(Evasion, for example, although it could be "convenient" that the personality that has it suddenly takes over everytime they get hit by a Fireball...), Reflex and Willpower saves(Fortitude is physical "resistance", so it should affect both. Reflex and Willpower are "learned")

Obviously, no penalties for "multi-classing"(unless each personality takes more than 2 base classes, with the usual restrictions).