Two Dms, One Character, Two Classes

[KingFerret]

Hi all,

So me and a friend are going to be playing with a group of randoms soon. Should be a relaxed environment. We both are 'always the DM'. We plan to swap DMing duties every week. Whoever goes the week after will expand on what the DM of the previous week did (without us discussing it beforehand). While we aren't Dming we will be sharing a single character - we haven't fleshed out many details yet but what we do know is this character will have a split personality - each of us will be playing one side of the character's personality.

Now I'm pretty confident in everything so far. Here's where things get more interesting. Each personality will have a different class. So for example one personality might be a dull brutish barbarian, the other a bookish wizard.

Even though we both love this idea, I've got a sneaking suspicion it will be loads of fun for us and less for others. We're very good mates and are not powergamers. We're more likely to humiliate our character than abuse our power dichotomy. Still, I wouldn't want to spoil this unneccessarily.

So - would anything about this setup bother any of you as players? If yes, which part exactly?

[noob]

Hi all,

So me and a friend are going to be playing with a group of randoms soon. Should be a relaxed environment. We both are 'always the DM'. We plan to swap DMing duties every week. Whoever goes the week after will expand on what the DM of the previous week did (without us discussing it beforehand). While we aren't Dming we will be sharing a single character - we haven't fleshed out many details yet but what we do know is this character will have a split personality - each of us will be playing one side of the character's personality.

Now I'm pretty confident in everything so far. Here's where things get more interesting. Each personality will have a different class. So for example one personality might be a dull brutish barbarian, the other a bookish wizard.

Even though we both love this idea, I've got a sneaking suspicion it will be loads of fun for us and less for others. We're very good mates and are not powergamers. We're more likely to humiliate our character than abuse our power dichotomy. Still, I wouldn't want to spoil this unneccessarily.

So - would anything about this setup bother any of you as players? If yes, which part exactly?

the fact gms nearly outnumber players.

[Keravath]

I think its an interesting idea.

Some comments ...

1) As long as you can play it straight up without the DM of the day catering to the illness of the character then you are probably fine in terms of how the other players will react. If the DM makes the split personality a factor in the campaign then it could become annoying.

2) Although you may not be into "min/maxing", if you want to do this I think you need one set of stats and I think both "personalities" need to be decent at what they do.

3) You need to make sure the other players at the table are ok with a portrayal of mental illness even in a fantasy setting. Folks could have relatives or friends suffering from schizo-affective disorder, schizophrenia, depression, hallucinations or other illnesses that would make having a character in a campaign they are in portraying such an illness disturbing or worse.

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As an alternative to multiple personalities you could develop a magical background for the story rather than one based on illness. Perhaps two good friends were exploring as teens and encountered an artifact in a cave or ruin which combined the two people into one body, the person who is in charge changes based on some criteria you set, it could even be voluntary. When they awoke from the transformation, they found themselves in a forest, the artifact gone. Their goal could be to find out what happened to them, find the artifact and see if they can be transformed back. This would at least get rid of the mental illness aspect, incorporate a back story and story hook and perhaps be used to explain whatever differences there are when the different players are in charge (particularly as regarding the use of ASIs or feats as the character progresses) ... it would probably be best if the character has one set of stats at the start and the ASI's/feats/classes progress independently as they go up in levels.


For example, if you started as an high elf using point buy with 16 dex and int then one could be a wizard and the other a fighter or rogue. A wood elf with 16 dex and 16 wis could be a fighter/rogue/ranger/cleric/druid or monk - pick 2. Almost any combination is possible with a variant human.

[J-H]

In the interest of party balance, I suggest going with similar character types & power levels. For example, Side A is an Abjuration Wizard, and Side B is a Diviner... or Side A is a Sorceror and Side B is a scholarly battlefield control wizard. That way you're not stealing the show from someone else every other week.

[KyleG]

I would have your physical stats stay the same and your mental stats be different. You can't change the body you are in. Alternatively one person is always in a familiar form while the other is in their humanoid form.

[Bjarkmundur]

You need something really specific for the duo not to just appear as two different characters, something that makes it obvious that it's the same PC, regardless of who's driving it.

And the current DM has to refrain from "whispering into the PCs ear"

That's the only thing that would bother me, is that I'm likely to forget its the same character, or feeling like you could just as well have made two characters and have them run a business together, meaning one would always have to "mind the shop" while the other is out adventuring. So yeah, make it special.

[noob]

It is significantly weaker than having two characters due to action economy so the complaint should not be about powergaming I think.

[Maelynn]

I would have your physical stats stay the same and your mental stats be different. You can't change the body you are in.

I'm in favour of this idea. You can still have enough variance, by going for class combos that rely on similar physical stats.

Fighter/Paladin: both use Strength and benefit from Constitution. The Fighter doesn't have social skills and is quite boorish, but has learned the ways of life (low Cha, high Wis) - whereas the Paladin has a more prominent presence and is mediocre in the other areas (high Cha, medium Wis/Int).

Wizard/Sorcerer: both aren't great in the physical department and don't need to be. Instead, the Wizard is a bookish and shy scholar (high Int, low Cha) - whereas the Sorcerer is charismatic and has a smile that could undress almost everyone, but isn't exactly the brightest of the bunch (high Cha, mediocre Wis, low Int).

[Man_Over_Game]

I would have your physical stats stay the same and your mental stats be different. You can't change the body you are in. Alternatively one person is always in a familiar form while the other is in their humanoid form.

You should really watch Split.

It provides a solid foundation for exactly what the OP is looking for.

I'd say the OP should go for it, but make sure that the combined characters don't get special treatment compared to any other player at the table. It's pretty close on the line of DMPCs, and the other players at the table aren't showing up on the weekends to play Sidekick.

[Foxydono]

I would probably make a light/darkness type of character. For example, a warlock v. divine soul sorcerer. Or maybe a light/life cleric (dex based) v. shadow monk. It's fun to roll play, has flavour and both use the same main stats.