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I have a player that wishes to play a person with multiple personality disorder, where each personality would have different skills. Not different powers just different skill sets for each personality. What would be the best way to do this? Multiform? Duplication, or a strange multipower thing?
I'd say almost certainly Multiform. Not only does this allow you to have different skill sets, it also allows you to have different Psychological Limitations (which the different facets of an MPD person might indeed have).
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Originally Posted by Shikarr
I would use a Multiform, and look at Accidental Change if the character could not always control which personality came forward. Each personality could have their own skills, their own disadvantages, perhaps even slightly different stats. Persoanlity A might be weaker willed than the others, with a lower Ego. Personality B might be physically timid, giving an effectivly lower Dex because of reluctance to act quickly, etc. If the character had no control at all over which personality came forward then I would buy the Mulitform cost with No Conscious Control, and the GM would determine which personality was in control at any given time.
Multiform with No Concious Control and Accidental Change on at least one of the forms is the way to go. I know someone very well with MPD, and the dominant personality will sublimate without any consious control, while the subdominants can "hold on" much better.
If the number and type of skills were vastly different, I'd definately go with Multiform, possibly with No Conscious Control or Accidental Change (doing both sounds like double dipping).
If there weren't that many skills different, or the skills were just used in different ways, I might just go with a Psych Limit of Split Personality and have the different personalities decide which of the skills available they know. Who knows, of the personalities know of each other and can "communicate" with each, perhaps a passive personality could coach the dominant on how to do something (which the body would have the training for anyway). Think Raising Cain and how one personality coached to other in how do certain things like fool the police or escape confinement.
Okay I will use Multiform. Now does anyone have a good example of a Multiform character or could point to one in the books so I can look it over some? Alas Multiform is one of the powers I haven't really played with all that much. Or if someone would like to help out the character he wants is an assassin as the dominant true most powerful form (fantasy hero type game) with a bard type as the other form. They would be completely seperate in most things although the assassin would be able to take control if he had to for survival.
One of the more interesting ways I saw to do a character with MPD is from the new Hudson City sourcebook, the Kaleidoscope Man. Instead of using Multiform, he used Shape Shift (Mental Group and a limited set of personalities), a small VPP that has No Conscious Control at -1 (the idea being that each personality represented a specific skill set), and also a couple of "Floating Psychological Limitations" listed in the disadvantages that would also reflect the partcular personality currently dominant. All this for about 20 or so points in powers and 35 points in floating psychs. Then all you would need to do is write up a small skill list for each personality in the pool and a corresponding psycholigical limitation or two. After seeing it, I think it is an easier method (and less point intensive) than doing a full Multiform write-up in order to do MPD. Of course, YMMV.
Alright thanks everyone for their help. Went with multiform and it seemed to wrok out well although the character went over a little in the numbers he should be great fun for the player. And is still very close to the campaign guidlines. Again thatnk everyone for the help.
No Conscious Control AND Accidental Change definitely seems like double dipping. NCC says you can't control when your power happens (or you can, but not it's effects). Accidental Change says you can control your power whenever you want to just fine. But sometimes, it goes off anyway.
Think about the Hulk - when Banner's about to get into a fight, he can just think about small puppies being put to death at the pound. HULK ANGRY. But sometimes he's getting out of the shower and he stubs his toe, and suddenly the shower explodes because Banner's doubled in size because HULK ANGRY!
Side note: That always bothered me about the Hulk. Think about how often you get in your day to day life, over little things. Even if only for a second. Banner gets out of the shower and stubs his toe. He spills milk on his tie. Some guy cuts him off on the way to work. His boss criticizes him for being two minutes late to work. He's got a memo reminding him of mandatory diversity training. He's asked to come in late over the weekend. On the way home from work, some jerk doesn't use his turn signals. He gets home and CSI: Miami is a rerun. On the news, the guy he didn't vote for for governor is doing things he hates. He's out of toothpaste.
HULK ANGRY