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DRD1812
2017-08-08, 10:47 AM
I've actually got a comic with the full story (http://www.handbookofheroes.com/archives/comic/the-handbook-of-heroes-10), but the TLDR is this: The paladin got separated from his party. While he was fighting for his life in another room, a doppelganger took on his appearance and ran back to the rest of the group. It looked all haggard and beat up and said, “Let’s not go that way guys. Trust me.”

I’d taken the player aside and explained the situation, so it was actually the paladin's player convincing the rest of the party not to go and save his character.

It worked well enough in play, but the question nags at me. Is there a better way to do the whole, "I'm the real one, he's the impostor!" thing at the table? Can you do it without taking a player "behind the screen" and deputizing him as a sort of GM-helper?

VoxRationis
2017-08-08, 11:06 AM
I imagine such a thing is a lot easier in play-by-post games or similar matters.

One trick I thought of when reviewing a module where a demon could dominate a member of the party was to assume that the possessed PC would act normally until an opportune moment came to betray the rest of the party, and thus allow the player to act until I said otherwise. You could do the same thing with doppelgangers, especially since they have mind-reading abilities to allow them to glean enough information to make the impersonation convincing. If the player tries to use any abilities that the imposter wouldn't have, say "Oh, you can't; I'll tell you why later" or something.

Pex
2017-08-08, 11:28 AM
Perhaps a subtle change in vocabulary.

Nerd alert.

I like what they did in the Star Trek episode "Turnabout Intruder", but they never followed up on it. In the episode Dr. Janice Lester switches bodies with Captain Kirk. Afterwards, Lester/Kirk always says Mr. Scott, never Scotty. Dr. McCoy, never Bones.

Have the player play his doppelganger character normally but use a different word here and there than he would normally.

DRD1812
2017-08-08, 11:47 AM
...Assume that the possessed PC would act normally until an opportune moment came to betray the rest of the party.

Cool method! I like that it keeps the possessed player in the metagame dark as well.

Quertus
2017-08-08, 12:03 PM
Telepathic doppelgangers make the best partners. Oh, not what you meant.

Having the players play the doppelganger is the best technique, IME.