False Forms

[Michael Hopcroft]

I'm trying to figure out how to do this in HERO, and wondering whether it's possible or wise to model this:

 

You are not the man you think you are -- and never were. You were created as a false form -- a disguise for another entity so perfect that even you yourself would never see through it. Your true self, with whatever powers and physical and mental characteristics it possesses, will not emerge unless a suitable stimulus presents itself -- it may never happen, but when it does your life will change forever, and not necessarily for the better.

 

The least burdensome version of this allows your original personality to survive. Your true self will deign to share you with it, emerging when it chooses and is needed and re-submerging at other times. It may or may not share any of its memories with you, and you may or may not be fully aware of its existence.

 

The next stage is that your original personality disappears when your true form emerges, yet the new character is the sort that is similar enough in goals and beliefs to your original form that he can be your new PC fairly easily.

 

The worst version carries that a step further: when the true self emerges, your original personality is gone forever, replaced with one that is utterly inimical to everything you ever believed or desired, who would think nothing of betraying and even destroying your friends. The character is no longer playable, and becomes an NPC. The man you were is gone forever, and a monster has taken his place.

 

Fictional Examples

 

Level 1: Yukito Tsukishiro, the false form of Yue the Judge in Card Captor Sakura. After Yue emerged, he would take over when needed, leaving Yukito with no clue what had happened; they also had the similar goals of protecting Sakura Kinomoto the Card Mistress and those she cared about.

 

Level 2: Headmaster John Smith, who was a human schoolmaster who had no idea that he was in reality the Last Time Lord, the Doctor.

 

Level 3: Professor Yana, a kindly old man who had created a plan to save the remnants of the human race from the end of the Universe itself. Unfortunately, just after the plan was set into motion he opened the watch that had been with him since his birth and his original personality was destroyed in favor of his true self -- the deadliest criminal in all of Time and Space, the Master, who then proceeded to kill his assistant, divert the Human ship he was trying to save to certain doom, and then steal a Time Machine to reutrn to the past and wreak more havoc.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Flase Forms

 

Multiform.

 

The last one is just a special effect of a villain origin story.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Flase Forms

 

Multiform for the first one.

 

Accidental Change: Personality Switches, Physical Limitation: Cannot Use Powers until personality switches; Psych Limitation as appropriate. Buy all your powers/abilities normally, mark which ones are part of the hidden aspect.

 

The last one is, I agree completely, the SFX for a backstory.

[CourtFool]

Re: False Forms

 

Multiform, 1 Charge Never Recovers?

[CourtFool]

Re: False Forms

 

Summon, Side Effect Summoner Vanishes?

[CourtFool]

Re: False Forms

 

Always a forum favorite...Transform! Now with 10% more transformable rump!

[CourtFool]

Re: False Forms

 

...and always my personal favorite...Extra-Dimensional Movement to a dimension where only the new form exists.

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: Flase Forms

 

The last one is just a special effect of a villain origin story.

 

The last one is' date=' I agree completely, the SFX for a backstory.[/quote']

 

I can agree, except that it would suck mightily for a player to have the GM grab his character sheet mid-campaign and say "Oh, by the way....." I'm not trying to imply anyone is saying that, just that I'd really like to see some way of listing it on the character sheet.

[Greywind]

Re: False Forms

 

Deep Cover

[Doczed]

Re: False Forms

 

What about a multiform with:

bigger pool for the alternate form (if appropriate)

Inherent

No conscious control

 

Coupled with the right psy-limitations for character and alternate form

[Hyper-Man]

Re: False Forms

 

What about a multiform with:

bigger pool for the alternate form (if appropriate)

Inherent

No conscious control

 

Coupled with the right psy-limitations for character and alternate form

 

No Conscious Control is the key Limitation whether using Multiform or OIHID for 'True Form'.

[ghost-angel]

Re: False Forms

 

I can agree' date=' except that it would suck mightily for a player to have the GM grab his character sheet mid-campaign and say "Oh, by the way....." I'm not trying to imply anyone is saying that, just that I'd really like to see some way of listing it on the character sheet.[/quote']

 

Deep Cover

 

Deep Cover is an excellent choice.

 

An agreed upon story arc between GM and Player - it's a good excuse for a "radiation accident."

 

or more simply an Accidental Change, probably not worth much as a Disad, but a way to mark it on the character sheet.

[Cancer]

Re: False Forms

 

Yeah, the last version is backstory for a character death, really. The PC never comes back.

 

The other two ideas are interesting, but I'd want to know more about how a player can regain control, if ever. That last part defines what sort of roleplaying latitude you have, and whether it's worth it (from a player point of view) accepting that subplot/campaign thread, or whether you draw up a new character with a mission to rub out the old one.

[ghost-angel]

Re: False Forms

 

I haven't gotten all the way through it, but The Ultimate Metamorph has some sections dedicated to this concept - if not this exact specific SFX, regarding characters changing drastically.