Split-personality illusionist

[Dalebert]

I'm kind of thinking out loud here and fleshing out an idea for my illusionist which I'm making now to play tonight. I'm starting him at 3rd level with DM rewards to play in SKT.

I've always liked the idea of a "pet" illusion, a permanent Major Image that follows my character around. I also love malleable illusion after getting some inspiration from a recent thread (thanx!). So then I had the idea of why not have some fun with it and really flesh out the personality of this illusion? It's all in my character's head, of course. Some part of his mind is speaking through the illusion via a split personality delusion.

I decided my character always wanted a little brother so he fabricated one, first as a sort of invisible make-believe friend. Then as his magical talents started to manifest, he started to trick himself into believing he had one somehow. It might start with Minor Illusion making voices and then an Unseen Servant moving things. He sincerely believes his magic is helping an ephemeral brother impact the real world. Maybe he thinks his little brother died in the womb and his spirit is still around or that his parents are hiding that he had one who was stolen by witches and now exists on another plane or something like that. Now, I realize wizards technically study to learn their magic, but that's just some fluff I can work with. He'll be a high elf (moon elf specifically) so they all know a little magic with it being so ingrained in their culture. I'll just say he was an early bloomer which helps to explain the DM rewards starting him at 3rd level.

Obviously he won't have a permanent illusion until 11th level. I figure until then he uses magic to help his brother manifest into the real world for periods of time. In the meantime, his brother is almost always "there" for him even if others can't see him. He'll have conversations with him and get in arguments with him. He'll "channel" his brother to talk to others with the help of Minor Illusion. I figure he'll often have his brother assist him in ways when it makes sense. I'll roll two d20s with one color that always represents my brother's assistance. I won't actually have advantage but I will role-play that he sincerely THINKS he does. The value of that die will impact how he reacts, e.g. when the added die is much higher on a knowledge check, he'll believe he's been very successful and spout off some fake lore that his brother told him that's completely made-up by his subconscious but he'll feel very confident that it's true.

Once I get malleable illusion, I will often "summon" my brother and then transform him into other creatures or things as needed. He will often get very annoyed at this treatment and even sometimes might talk me out of it when I'm feeling soft or if I don't feel his transformation is especially necessary. I can picture situations when another party member assists me and I roll with advantage to convince him that it's necessary to transform.

P.S. This character is also going to be trans. He was born female and drinks herbal remedies regularly to maintain a masculine (for an elf) appearance/phsysique. I've been wanting to make a trans character for a while. No relation to the other stuff.

Any thoughts? Would you find it entertaining or more just annoying to play alongside this character?

[Segev]

Regarding being trans-sexual, can't you use alter self to achieve it pretty effectively? (I don't think that one requires concentration, even.)


The idea of an illusion your character believes is a real person is actually pretty cool. I suggest maintaining an unseen servant whenever you've got 10 min. to spare on the ritual casting, and using a lot of minor illusion to put "cardboard cutouts" or "statues" in shadowy areas.

You don't need it to be a sorcerer-like inborn magical talent manifesting, either, though you obviously can go that way. A wizard who studied magic and started by making his "imaginary friend" real as practice might still suffer from delusions that his "brother" is real. That somehow, his magic actually created or called forth this person. He's crazy (literally), but he's convinced of it. Maybe he's particularly fascinated by the shadow side of illusions precisely because he thinks he's giving his brother substance with which to work.

He could also use disguise self when not using alter self to maintain his masculinity. Whether the herbal supplements really are doing anything or not doesn't even matter; he believes they are, and he already uses his own illusions to fool himself.

Oh, and he might also get a raven familiar. I think those still can talk in 5e; have it speak for his brother when he needs to be doing something that wouldn't let him minor illusion up his brother's voice.

[Dalebert]

Regarding being trans-sexual, can't you use alter self to achieve it pretty effectively? (I don't think that one requires concentration, even.)

For very brief periods of time at the cost of a 2nd level slot. He's not deluded about this part. He's just always felt like he should have been born a boy and the elves are cool about that stuff so they whipped up something that would tweak his hormones and now he has the recipe. I figure it's just fluff with no mechanical benefit so it's fine that he has this cache of potions that he renews when he sees an herbalist. I'll probably add like a gp a day to my lifestyle costs just to add to the fluff.

[Specter]

If you want to go full crazy, why not Phantasmal Force? That way, you're the only one seeing it. I'm surr the DM would wave it.

[Dalebert]

If you want to go full crazy, why not Phantasmal Force? That way, you're the only one seeing it. I'm surr the DM would wave it.

Casting Phantasmal Force on myself? You don't need to cast a spell to just hallucinate. :) Yes, his delusion will manifest itself via various different spells at different times and PF is a good suggestion. I could see him casting PF to make a specific creature experience his brother and then his brother could actually attack them with a shortsword or something.

Phantasmal Force is a good spell for him to know for sure with malleable illusions. Normally you can't change it or move it but an illusionist can! This is one of the things Crawford actually responded to when I asked. He said the caster can't see it or control it in anyway (normally) and it is (normally) immobile.

[Specter]

The point is not the need, but the want. When you cast it, you feel it as real, to the point it can even damage you. When the character is longing for his brother, he needs physical touch, a bit more of reality. But this is from a roleplaying perspective (the way I'd do it), if it doesn't fit feel free to disregard it.

[Dalebert]

The point is not the need, but the want. When you cast it, you feel it as real, to the point it can even damage you. When the character is longing for his brother, he needs physical touch, a bit more of reality. But this is from a roleplaying perspective (the way I'd do it), if it doesn't fit feel free to disregard it.

Ah, yeah. I could see that. He could very well believe he's having a spiritual meeting with his brother via the spell. His delusion might even convince him he's not casting PF. Maybe he's varying the casting a bit and believes it's a sort of channeling spell, though someone with a good arcana check might recognize what he's doing and try to convince him (with futility) otherwise.