[3.5] Need DM ideas. One of the PCs took Craft(Puppet making) + failed a sanity check

[Pika...]

Well, if anyone remembers my thread on my PCs being stranded at sea with the ir dragon "leader" leaving them, they might know I considered making them roll sanity checks per year at sea.

They ended up two years at sea, and the PC who decided to have ranks in Craft: (Puppet Making) failed both years. For one of the years I ask him to write me down a list of all the puppets he had made while a board the ship. Then, I added them up and made him roll a die equal to the number of puttets he had (he had 11, so I would have had him rerolled on a 12). He was confused.

I then told him that Misc. Male Puppet #2 had started talking to him.

He has since been roleplaying it like a champ.

I am even considering looking for a marionette, though; watching him use his red dice bag on his hand like a sock-puppet is historical. He ven makes a skeaky little voice.


Anyway, I am trying to think of a way to have more fun with "Woodrow".

Options I have thought off:

1. I have the old 1ed table for seeing if a character has psionic abilities. Perhaps if the PC/player succeeds give him the feat which gives him a few power points and one psionic power, but make it as though the puppet has to manifest it? Perhaps even giving him two standard actions a round when using those power points?
2. Perhaps someone can suggest a way to use the Intelligent Items rules from the DMG for this?
3. Perhaps delve more into psionic abilities for/due to/whatever... for the doll (aka Woodrow), but make big consequences if he/it is destroyed or taken away?
4. If he gets high enough level, perhaps do something on the lines of the power Life Seed, but the PC comes back inside the puppet?

I have no idea at this point, so please throw any idea you have at me.

[AstralFire]

I'd start with a psicrystal, and treat his owner as a telepath psion with a manifester level half of his actual level, and the Channel Power ability off the bat.

[Another_Poet]

Dude, Pika, your sessions make my head hurt.

Like sweet, sweet alchomohol on a Saturday night.

Keep up the good work.

[Grommen]

I got nothing for you, but I wish I had your crew. Very nice.

[Milskidasith]

I'm just wondering: why is he gaining abilities from going insane?

[Tanaric]

Rule of Cool?

[Milskidasith]

I suppose, but sanity checks are the kind of things you put in a dark game... and instead he gets free psionic powers? It just seems to clash.

[Lycan 01]

I agree, rule of cool.

[Dexam]

Anyway, I am trying to think of a way to have more fun with "Woodrow".
<snip>
I have no idea at this point, so please throw any idea you have at me.

It really depends what direction you want to take with this...

Ideas that I came up with in a few seconds:
- twisted Pinocchio. "Woodrow" wants to become a "real boy"... by slowly accumulating the parts of living people. In game, Woodrow is a detached insane elemental spirit, formerly bound to a flesh golem. It has possessed the puppet, but wants its flesh golem body back and will try to do everything to convince the PC to harvest those parts and build it a new body. After all, the PC is Woodrow's "daddy", and daddy want's what is best for Woodrow, doesn't he?
- Similar to the above, but use an undead spirit and the Slaymate from Libris Mortis.
- Mr Flibble

[Ozymandias9]

Perhaps someone can suggest a way to use the Intelligent Items rules from the DMG for this?[/LIST]

I have no idea at this point, so please throw any idea you have at me.

First off, your table is awesome.

On the Intelligent Items direction, some alterations would be in order. The abilities you've suggested elsewhere would suggest a capacity generally reserved for intelligent items at least capable of speech, but having speech would be counterintuitive.

In this case, I would treat the rolled intelligent item table more or less like a progression of "Woodrow" through something akin to levels, but limit communication to telepathy with the character in question. Choose powers as appropriate to the characterization of the puppet rather than rolling. I would custom make a special purpose (if fitting) rather than using the pre-structured ones: if Woodrow likes the party, perhaps its getting back to land. If Woodrow is less nice, it might be to kill them or to take over the ship and run things. More subtle purposes might be in order, but you get the idea.

On minor powers bless, detect magic, locate object, deathwatch, daze, and the skill selections all provide good options for maintaining ambiguity as to whether the puppet is actually doing anything or the character is making it up.

On major powers, it depends heavily on how you want to play it. The divination options provide a good way to keep up the ambiguity, as does magic circle. If the character is a caster, any spell they could otherwise cast provides a similar option. In contrast, the fear options provide a good way to play the insanity angle and make the characters wonder if its the doll's fault their party member is off the deep end.

On the devoted powers route, it will depend heavily on the chosen purpose, or at least the item's alignment. If it's opposed to the party, then contagion, poison, and rusting grasp are good options: they can be cast on the PCs innocuously when they handle the doll without necessarily indicating that the source is the doll rather than whatever fish they caught and ate that day (or in the case of rusting grasp, natural corrosion from salt water). If Woodrow has similar goals to the character, the luck bonus or the true resurrection option become good choices. If you're playing the insanity angle (in either direction), pretty much everything else on the list except the evocations, dimension door, and mass inflict light wounds can be bent in that direction fairly easily.

The real cream of the crop will be the ego checks. If you give Woodrow a devoted power and a special purpose, you're looking at a DC of at least 17. And a circumstance penalty might be in order since the character is insane and the insanity is linked to this item.

In this case, I would make a failed ego check more severe, perhaps almost to the point of a Dominate spell. You could even turn Woodrow into a passable antagonist for the rest of party if he becomes dominant over the PC. It makes a great opportunity to hand over the antagonist reigns to a player, which is a rare and interesting option. I would play it kinda like Scarface/ the Ventriloquist from Batman.

I suppose, but sanity checks are the kind of things you put in a dark game... and instead he gets free psionic powers? It just seems to clash.

Well, that's what sanity checks are usually used for, but years of relative isolation can take their mental toll. It would seem an appropriate, if unusual, place for a sanity check.

Likewise, there is plenty of precedence in fiction for psionic abilities along the unhinged: it's not the default flavor in D&D, but really the game is more about having flavor than what the flavor is.

[Iku Rex]

Mr Flibble

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKHLOo1WgDQ

(Another great scene from the same episode.)

[Mewtarthio]

Perhaps give him the puppet as an item familiar. Normally, they're a bit unbalanced (you get extra power, and the DM can only take it by seriously crippling your character), but seeing as he's insane, he might not mind so much.

[Thurbane]

How about the puppet spontaeously becomes a Weapon of Legacy/animated object?

BTW, what class/level is the puppet maker?

[Sharkman1231]

It's not "rule of cool"

It's

"RUUUUUUUUULE OF COOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!"

[Fiery Diamond]

Stuff

I second this. This would work very well, and gives lots of options for taking things in whatever direction you want.

[Galileo]

Continuing from the posts about Mr Flibble, how about you suggest to your player that he use some lines from that episode? If you do, it's not our fault if he shows up in a gingham dress and army boots.

[OracleofWuffing]

The important question: Did any other players fail on resisting insanity?

[Lycan 01]

This thread reminded me of the Fallout 3 comic that Penny Arcade did for Bethesda. It involves puppets. (Caution: Its kinda bloody, and there are a few swear words, so this comic may not be right for you, kiddies...) The scary thing is, I hear there's an Easter Egg in Fallout 3 that says this comic is true...

[Tyndmyr]

Woodrow? Excellent reference there. =)

Also, on the topic of craziness with a sock puppet, one of my favorite, albeit typically highly offensive, webcomics: http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp07072005.shtml

[AslanCross]

And here I was thinking of Banjo the Clown.

[Inhuman Bot]

The vaults were never meant to save anyone..

[ondonaflash]

The vaults were never meant to save anyone..

Dammit! I wanted to post that! But its a good way to play it!

This thread reminded me of the Fallout 3 comic that Penny Arcade did for Bethesda. It involves puppets. (Caution: Its kinda bloody, and there are a few swear words, so this comic may not be right for you, kiddies...) The scary thing is, I hear there's an Easter Egg in Fallout 3 that says this comic is true...

The slavers in paradise falls have his uniform! And none of them will touch it because they're afraid he'll come back for it!

[Inhuman Bot]

Dammit! I wanted to post that! But its a good way to play it!



The slavers in paradise falls have his uniform! And none of them will touch it because they're afraid he'll come back for it!

Lycan beat me to it? D:

And yeah, there's a vault jumpsuit for him. It gives a bonus to melee and unarmed.

[Assassin89]

How about having the puppet be similar in personality to Scarface from Batman? Essentially the puppet is at first an extension of a certain aspect of the PC's personality, and might become sentient to some degree later.

[Thajocoth]

I would say... The puppet doesn't actually do anything, but from the fragmentation of the player's mind, the player believes the puppet is doing things... And he's passively doing them himself psionically. Functionally, he's a cohort. The other players might know he's really insane... But it would almost be a horror cliché to call him on it (in a bad way). So when the puppet "moves", he's psionically moving it. When the puppet uses it's psionic powers, he's really the one casting...

And there's instructions given to burn the Vault Suit in Paradise Falls because of the superstition, but none of the slavers will even do that.

[The New Bruceski]

The *puppet* develops a sanity disorder. Say, believing another of the PC's puppets is talking, but the PC himself can't hear it.

[Pika...]

OK, update on the situation.

Using the 1ed rules and table he actually hit the insanely high requirement on a 1d100. >.>


So now it seems i am going with a psionic options.

Based on the opinions here either:

• It is actually the PC who has the psionic power, but he still beleives it's the puppet doing it.
• His innate psionic abilities have indeed given the puppet sentience. Perhaps the years of insanity on the ship basically opened some room in his mind for th puppet's personality?

There are probably so many ways I could go with this. What do you all think?

Perhaps give the feat in the XPH that gives two PP and a single power? Or would that be too easy?

Or should I take a hint from Thajocoth and make a cohortish of sorts? Perhaps giving it an entire level of psion? Perhaps trying to match the powers of Mr. Fibbles as best as possible? If so, how should I introduce this? And would it just get too weak due to staying at level 1?

I will need to read up on intelligent items (especially psionic ones). How much access to powers do they have? And would it basically be a struggle of will for the PC when Mr.Woodrow wants something?



ps. And what personality do you think he/it should have? One like Mr. Fibbles, one like Scarface, or something altogether different?

And while I am at it, what alignment should he/it have?


pss. Oh, and who should roleplay him? Me as the DM (oh the mean fun ), or the PC?!