Twins!

[carrdrivesyou]

So as long as I can remember, the good twin bad twin trope has been a part of fiction writing. With that in mind, I was curious to see how such a pair would do in a DND game. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? I'm just curious as to how the RP would be with them constantly bickering over small unimportant things.

Your thoughts Playgrounders?

[Quoz]

Not in D&D, but I played as one half of an identical twin pair in Dark Heresy. I was a Psycher (a mage, but powered by he'll and nightmares) and he was a mutant untouchable (Immune to psychic powers) that served as both a bodyguard and handler since he was very resistant to the negative effects that come with psychics.

It was a fun play, and we definitely were able to build in some synergy with me as a glass cannon and him as a tank. In the end we got one of the better RP experiences we had: He was being attacked by one of the BBEGs that we had been chasing for a long time. Normally as our tank my twin could take anti vehicle weapons to the face and laugh it off, but this boss was smart and had seen us fight enough times to prepare. He had some type of acid weapon that bypassed damage reduction. When the shot went off and The GM described what was happening, everyone at the table knew this was a lethal shot. In the heat of the moment I just blurted it out: "I make a sacrificial dodge"

I was, of course, turned into a pile of melted goo for my troubles. But the dice gods favor an epic sacrifice, and the combat quickly shifted in our favor afterward. It was the only time I can recall willingly having a character die for pure RP decisions but it was well worth the experience.

[DMThac0]

Coming from a twin, it's going to require a really good pair of RPers. There are differences between siblings and twins, and those differences are important, but can be hard to emulate. Twins and siblings alike will bicker, twins and sibling alike may be mistaken for one another, as well both may have similar/vastly different personalities.

The key here is the synchronicity that happens between twins which is almost mystical. My twin and I hadn't seen or spoken to each other for years due to travel and life, got together and had the same boots and coat on. I was living about 150 miles apart from him when I bought the coat, he bought his about 2 weeks after me. There was 6 states separating us when my brother bought his boots, that same day I purchased the same ones. Now I'm not talking the local mart, these were designer boots that were sold by one retail chain, and the coat was from a line that stopped business months before we got them.

Those kinds of things are going to make the idea of twins in D&D, and it's almost exclusively RP.

[carrdrivesyou]

Coming from a twin, it's going to require a really good pair of RPers. There are differences between siblings and twins, and those differences are important, but can be hard to emulate. Twins and siblings alike will bicker, twins and sibling alike may be mistaken for one another, as well both may have similar/vastly different personalities.

The key here is the synchronicity that happens between twins which is almost mystical. My twin and I hadn't seen or spoken to each other for years due to travel and life, got together and had the same boots and coat on. I was living about 150 miles apart from him when I bought the coat, he bought his about 2 weeks after me. There was 6 states separating us when my brother bought his boots, that same day I purchased the same ones. Now I'm not talking the local mart, these were designer boots that were sold by one retail chain, and the coat was from a line that stopped business months before we got them.

Those kinds of things are going to make the idea of twins in D&D, and it's almost exclusively RP.

This is good to know. I've heard of studies that say twins seem to process thoughts similarly and be attracted to the same sort of things.

[Vogie]

I haven't ever seen someone use that in a D&D game, but the Godsfall D&D 5e Podcast introduced a single player who was playing the Jackdaws, 2 fairly martial characters who shared some sort of hive mind (I think they are a rogue and a fighter), that would goof around in a very magical-twin-like sense, often finishing the other's sentences. However, not often, as it'd just be the one person talking to themselves with 2 different voices

[DMThac0]

Something else that just popped into my head:

There are generally 2 types of twin relationships I've witnessed:

The together twins: Many aspects of their lives are shared and they enjoy it. The idea of being a twin and doing things together as twins is just natural. They tend to have a strong non-verbal communication, they tend to be able to anticipate the other's actions, thoughts, and desires easily.

The competing twins: Many of the things that happen in their life is in competition with the other twin. Due to having a strong sense of personality they each want to be seen as the dominant one. Similarly they have a strong ability to anticipate the other twin, however rather than having a non-verbal communication, they tend to be more political or social and having their own circles.

There is also a good chance that they have a strong sense of empathy, which can make them avid mediators or strong manipulators.

[CTurbo]

My sister-in-law and I played Wood Elf twins and we had a lot of fun with it. We fought, bickered, and competed, but when it came down to it, we were really over protective of each other. I was an archer Ranger and she was a Rogue that did a mix of ranged and melee. If she was attacked by more than one enemy, my arrows were going there regardless of what was going on with me. I remember one time I was basically surrounded and I still used my turn to kill an enemy that had just crit her across the battlefield. it was fun stuff.

[Theodoxus]

My best friend and I have been playing twin halfling rogues named Alex and Alton for over a decade in various games. I'm the elder, Alex, who's conniving and typically goes the thief route with a touch of magic (usually magic initiate in 5e parlance).

Alton is the swindling scoundrel who follows my lead.

Alex has a alternate personality when he needs to do legitimate business, named Basil von Small. Alton is his manling servant in those situations.

Both twins enjoy surprising people, and getting others to pay their way for them. If sleight of hand around the bar doesn't bring in enough coins from tips, they convince the innkeeper that some other member of their party is paying for their room and board.

Not that they're malicious about it - if said party member makes a stink, the twins will leave a bag of gold in one of their pockets...

It's a fun dynamic that we've perfected. It definitely helps that we have a bit of a psychic bond, able to finish each others sentences and know what the other is thinking. It's almost scary.

[DannyJWagner]

Personally, I think playing twins at the table is both fun and difficult. I really only trust one person at my table to tag team it well with me. We very often think the same way, and also very often think of the same problems but with wildly different solutions. Growing up in big families helps us understand the sibling dynamic, and being roommates and coworkers helps develop the bond that the two players need to make the interactions organic. If you want to see it done well, then that bond is important. Organic chemistry is paramount, and anything else just feels forced.

In terms of "good twin/bad twin," i would say that the relationship should be handled by a dm with their player. But if its something like the Mowry twins (Tia and Tamara) where one is more sporty and the other more posh (or any other disjointed juxtaposition), then any pair will do. Again it just comes down to that chemistry.

My friend and I made twin samurai that specialized in different schools, with me being the "anything goes" type duelist, and him being the "ultimate zen focused" one. We each saw combat as a way to perfect ourselves, and saw each other as the ultimate rival. But where he would always be direct and to the point in action, and sage-like in conversation, I was everywhere in combat, but simplistic and gruff in dialogues. Bickering over each others mannerisms led to no small argument about which of us was bringing our family name dishonor. But while at the table, that bickering would be loud when nothing else was happening, but take place quietly in the background while others talked. The key in this part is to not be distracting from the game.

TL;DR: Chemistry is vital, and don't distract from the game everyone came to play.

[Delicious Taffy]

The Plane-Shift: Amonkhet supplement provides an entire race of jackal-headed twins. I'd start there.