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View Full Version : DM Help I have to be the voices for two schizophrenic characters



Jon_Dahl
2016-08-30, 02:18 AM
I have created a Schizophrenia flaw for my D&D game. The players can run their schizophrenic characters in any way they want, but sometimes it's possible to have "dangerous psychotic breaks" which last up to one hour. Now two of the PCs have schizophrenia (and the rest of the group, two PCs, are mentally healthy). My players have understood this fully and I'm allowed to make these episodes dangerous. I'm asking for some creative help in being the voices so that I can play my role really well. In a dangerous psychotic break, what should the voices say? You can write monologues because the PCs can't actually interact with the voices.

Even though this is D&D 3.5 and Greyhawk, I see the question itself relatively 'system-free', so there's no need to put this thread on that subforum.

iceman10058
2016-08-30, 02:32 AM
Have one that is always doubting everything you do, so you are agruing with yourself, second guessing everything, and this is something you can do often without harming the party.

The next voice is the dark one, the one that takes over when you are pushed over the edge and is always whispering to you to kill people, the person you took prisoner, the bar wench, your closest friends. He is the one that thrives in violence, pain, and death.

The last one should be like that of an abusive father, telling you that you are terrible, worthless , etc.

Yuki Akuma
2016-08-30, 06:38 AM
Paranoid schizophrenia - which I'm assuming is what these characters have, due to the 'dangerous episodes' part - don't just hear voices. Especially during 'attacks'. They also see visual hallucinations, non-verbal auditory hallucinations, even olfactory hallucinations sometimes.

I would work these in too - have them misread NPCs' expressions as more aggressive, see monsters being bigger or even ones that aren't there, smell unpleasant scents no one else does, see warped, distorted spaces, etc. Possibly also have their breaks make them (more prone to) panic, alternatively or in addition to violent outbursts. Maybe roll a die to see what happens

My paranoid schizophrenic friend once got lost in his own house because he couldn't tell how far away anything was. Another time he was convinced his boyfriend was an alien. Importantly, even knowing you're having an episode doesn't always help.

metax11
2016-08-30, 06:55 AM
A friend of mine once had a PC with schizophrenia, when the Pc was hearing voices he asked all the other players to be the voices in his head. It was a lot of fun for all the players.

Kol Korran
2016-08-30, 08:34 AM
First of all, from a person with a serious psychiatric disorder (I have Hypomania, but I've helped, worked with and assisted others, including with Schizophrenia) this trend of people trying to play psychiatric diseases... is just plain odd to me... People at times think they are "cool"/ "exotic"/ "weird"/ "out there"...

It's not. It's plain horrific, an immense suffering, and you do not really function, not in the adventuring sense, not in every day-to-day life sense... There have been talk about whether to include rape, torture and the like in games. While it IS different, it is no light matter. I personally find it... if not offensive, then at least a very, very, VERY bad taste, to consider this as part of a "fun" experience...

That out of the way, though, as it's not really what you're asking about, I'll try to help. If you want REALISTIC schizophrenia, then they'll need to know it's not just hearing voices/ seeing sights. It's a highly degenarative disease, with most people dying up till their 50s (Many much earlier), in a very poor and immense suffering. It's not a static condition- for nearly all patients it progresses, and as it does they lose more and more contct with what is real, and they start to develop "negative signs" (Google it), which make them... very unfit to participate in nearly... well.. .anything...

If you just want the voices/ sights/ whatever, there are other various delusional or hallucination states. Most people develop VERY specific symptoms, which predominate others. These usually sound like... well... very bad children stories, often involving religious elements, conspiracy elements, and fantastical ones. Angels, demons, ghosts, Secret agencies listening and mind controlling devices, premonitions, and lots more.

There is no way to persuade a psychotic person that his version of reality isn't real (In fact, being unable to persuade them in part of the definitions IIRC, at least by the DSM IV. Haven't checked the DSM V in awhile). These tend to lead to either reclusive/ avoiding behavious, harmful behaviour (Towards self or others), or feelings of high euphoira and omnipotence (Though here we may border on the bipolar disorders). At the very least, they occupy nearly all (If not all) of the person's attention.

Most psychotic episodes don't last a mere hour, but can last for days, sometimes weeks, sometimes more... (Potentially with brief episodes of lucidity). As the disease worsens, so do the psychotic episodes, their severity, and their duration.

For the life of me, I can't quite understand why anyone would want to explore how it might feel like. (At least roleplaying it properly, and not just the "Look! How radically different I am!" angle). And if you meet any people with the disease, or if they happen to be related to any of your players or more, then it can be... quite offensive.

Schizophrenia isn't cool, isn't intriguing, isn't "a burden you overcome and grow from"... At least not yet. It's a dibilliating disease, which utterly wrecks people lives, their families, and those around them.

Sorry to have been so... volatile... about the subject, it just irks me, from my own experience, and from others experience, that some treat these as "Intriguign to play" without really understanding what it's about. Yes, I know it can be a valid role to play, but it can be perceived... somewhat insulting, to those who suffer from it. You want to learn about it? Read, volunteer, meet these people. It's not that hard.

Again, sorry if I derailed this. It was somewhat of a gut instinct, and I felt it needed to be said.

Belac93
2016-08-30, 11:33 AM
Sorry to have been so... volatile... about the subject, it just irks me, from my own experience, and from others experience, that some treat these as "Intriguign to play" without really understanding what it's about. Yes, I know it can be a valid role to play, but it can be perceived... somewhat insulting, to those who suffer from it. You want to learn about it? Read, volunteer, meet these people. It's not that hard.

When people want to play something like this, they often don't want to play the real thing. They want to be the silly guy who talked to people who weren't there on tv. Often they don't want their character to be an exploration of psychiatric diseases, they want to play a character who talks to the little guy in her head. It's not meant to offend, just like the racism inherent in D&D isn't meant to offend (with anything green being bad).

Although, I know one friend who hears voices, and enjoys playing characters who hear voices (often one of the voices is her, and she sometimes breaks the fourth wall that way). I hear you, but if Jon_Dahl wants to play a schizophrenic character, we shouldn't stop him from trying it out.

I think think that the reason people want to play characters with psychiatric diseases, is that they want to understand it better (at least that's why I've played them). Especially for people who have never met someone with one, it is them trying to figure out how that person's mind would work, and D&D is just the only way they have available to themselves.

Laserlight
2016-08-30, 12:15 PM
I wouldn't do "you're worthless and weak", because a) it's not particularly fun, and b) the player might have gotten that IRL.

I'd give the voices different obsessions by which you can name them. Blue would say "there's something blue, pick it up, isn't it pretty? I need to dye my hair blue. And my face. Why don't I have blue clothes on? These clothes are ugly. I need to take off these clothes and go find blue clothes." Dog wants to know how things smell.

I like the idea of other players providing the voices. If any of them can do impressions, so much the better. I switched from my normal voice/accent to Voodoo Troll
(Warcraft) and the warlock (fluffed as a voodoo priest) immediately knew that it was his patron.

SethoMarkus
2016-08-30, 02:29 PM
When people want to play something like this, they often don't want to play the real thing. They want to be the silly guy who talked to people who weren't there on tv. Often they don't want their character to be an exploration of psychiatric diseases, they want to play a character who talks to the little guy in her head. It's not meant to offend, just like the racism inherent in D&D isn't meant to offend (with anything green being bad).

Although, I know one friend who hears voices, and enjoys playing characters who hear voices (often one of the voices is her, and she sometimes breaks the fourth wall that way). I hear you, but if Jon_Dahl wants to play a schizophrenic character, we shouldn't stop him from trying it out.

I think think that the reason people want to play characters with psychiatric diseases, is that they want to understand it better (at least that's why I've played them). Especially for people who have never met someone with one, it is them trying to figure out how that person's mind would work, and D&D is just the only way they have available to themselves.

I didn't see the comment as trying to dissuade the OP from roleplaying this, I saw it as an expression of the delicacy of such a "gimmick", and how respect is do towards the patients who suffer from mental health disorders in real life.

As said, if you simply want to play the "hears voices" character, there are other afflictions than Schizophrenia that don't carey the same weight.

And, if you DO want to play a character suffering from Schizophrenia specifically, please do your research first.

That said, as advice, I would suggest downplaying the "hearing voices" and more focus on reading into things that sinply don't have any further meaning. Hearing a song a bard is singing, for example, and knowing that it is really a message intended just for you. Seeing a person sitting on a bench and knowing they are watching you. That sort of thing. In both cases, there really is nothing sinister going on, but it is percieved as a part of something larger to the sufferer.

Kol Korran
2016-09-01, 02:09 AM
I didn't see the comment as trying to dissuade the OP from roleplaying this, I saw it as an expression of the delicacy of such a "gimmick", and how respect is do towards the patients who suffer from mental health disorders in real life.

As said, if you simply want to play the "hears voices" character, there are other afflictions than Schizophrenia that don't carey the same weight.

And, if you DO want to play a character suffering from Schizophrenia specifically, please do your research first.

That said, as advice, I would suggest downplaying the "hearing voices" and more focus on reading into things that sinply don't have any further meaning. Hearing a song a bard is singing, for example, and knowing that it is really a message intended just for you. Seeing a person sitting on a bench and knowing they are watching you. That sort of thing. In both cases, there really is nothing sinister going on, but it is percieved as a part of something larger to the sufferer.

Yes, this pretty much sums up my earlier post. Thing is, at times people try to play all kind of controversial issues/ experiences/ people, but they often focus on a tiny bit of it, which is usually a bit that was very badly portrayed at movies/ literature/ the media, and they don't actually explore it, what it's like in the "real world", and so on. In most such media, the issue is used to portray a difficult experience the character has lived through, and "overcame/ grew strong from", or it's erroneously portrayed as something simpler, easier, more like a "quirk/ exotic/ thrilling/ cool/ intriguing" characteristic. (For example, in the past Schizophrenia was assumed for some reason to be a multiple personality disorder... Why? Check some of the old media about it... And usually this was portrayed as a functioning, yet humorous/ quirky character, where in real life, the very few documented suspected cases of such disorder also suffer to great deal, and often die very young).

I get it that people wish to explore. That's quite valid. But... if you're going to pick real world condition, at least check what the real world condition is like? Not necessarily in order to portray it, (Cause face it, no one with schizophrenia could adventure for long, if at all), but to ACTUALLY explore it, and to understand a bit more what your "make belief" character may be tredding upon... In your gaming environment there might well be some people related or otherwise involved with a person who suffer from this.

If you wish to explore just a small intriguing part of it (Such as "hearing voices"), then call it something else. It's bit of an affront and insult, even though unintentional and from the best intentions, to those who actually deal with such stuff.

This goes for mental illnesses, but also other issues, such as rape (I keep seeing such threads coming up, with very little or no sensitivity from some posters, without really exploring it. Some even say "Well, if someone got problem with it, they can just say it." Really? Someone who has been victimized by rape, or has a close person victimized by it will so easily open it up at the gaming table?), torture (The media constantly portrays this as "a hardship the hero faces, yet they withstand it bravely, till they are rescued. That's a load of bullocks, pardon my English. I've worked with plenty of torture victims, African refugees, and explored this extensively. ALL of them break. ALL. Unless they are rescued in the matter of hours/ days. And they remain broken, scarred, and traumatized for most of their lives, if not all of it). And more, lots more...

For people close to the experiences, having such experiences played in such a light, humorous, or "cool" manner, without any attempt to really explore the subject, feels jarring... And to most of these people (Including myself at for quite some time), playing roleplay games was an escape from that reality, playing in a world where such horrors are not really a part of.

I've gone on a rant again, but it was just to try and expand my previous point (Though the quote did explain it). It's a matter of awareness and education, that's all...

Mechalich
2016-09-01, 05:59 AM
The overall validity of roleplaying severe mental illness aside, D&D in particular seems a poor fit for this sort of thing, for several reasons.

First, the alignment system (assuming it is in use). D&D does not properly differentiate between mental state and morality - various mental illnesses in D&D map to evil on the morality scale of its multiverse. Most obviously, classical psychopathy maps to neutral evil. This maps to the mythological basis of D&D in which madness was seen as a sign of moral decay and is almost completely counter to a modern viewpoint of mental illness.

Second, magical powers versus mental illness. D&D is a game full of magical healing abilities that can overwhelm the capabilities of modern science from fairly low levels. Diseases can be miraculously cured regardless of severity, limbs can be regenerated good as new, the dead can be brought back to life, and the insane can be made sane again. Greater Restoration 'removes all forms of insanity.' It is my understanding that Jon_Dhal's game has characters at approximately level 10. They should have the resources to have their insanity cured immediately, and if not the party cleric can do so the day they hit level 13.

Third, D&D is a game of larger than life persons having larger than life heroic (or infamous) adventurers. It's about going to strange and wonderful places and fighting terrible monsters. Occasionally it's about the fate of kingdoms and indeed whole races. It is not designed to be a game of deep personal introspection. There are games that are designed to provide that (even those games tended to handle mental illness poorly, looking at you VtM) and if exploring mental illness in a cooperative storytelling environment appeals to you, then you should probably be using one of those games. I mean, if you want to interrogate unusual mental states in D&D, play as wholly sane member of one of the more bizarre races, like a Mephling or Thri-Kreen, is a much more system-appropriate choice.