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Old 07-19-2017, 02:36 PM   #1
Raekai
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Join Date: May 2011
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Default Two minds, but how? Ally? Compartmentalized Mind? Split Personality? Duplication?

Hey, all.

I know there are other threads out there like this, but hear me out. Trust me, I've checked a dozen of 'em, but none come close enough to what I want because my desired mechanics are different. This thread gave me the Alternate Form idea below. This thread and this thread talk about split personalities working together. Then, this thread talks about re-rolls vs flat bonuses.

Background: A deity splits up the soul of man into mortal and spirit, giving them more perspective as well as the ability to use magic. Most undergo a rite of passage to be merge the spirit back into the mortal again and are seen as "awakened" (which I represent with Unusual Background (Awakened) [5], which is the reaction bonuses and illumination status that Illuminated gives) because most believe that merging makes you a whole greater than the sum of your parts (may be a Delusion). Although, others disagree and stay separated because they believe that two is better than one (also may be a Delusion). However, this is not a perfect synergy, and the spirit and the mortal can be forcefully re-separated under dire circumstances, but, of course, can recombine.

So, as I've been typing this out, I have two new ideas, but I'll leave my original notes below so there's more to work from.
  • PC takes an Ally. PC and Ally split the cost for the Alternate Form (with the Spiritual limitation from Possession to represent that they can be forcefully split apart and maybe with Takes Recharge so they can't immediately recombine), which is actually the main PC.
    • This Alternate Form either has Compartmentalized Mind or some kind of mental Duplication or even a very fast Visualization with other limitations, or whatever advantage could allow them to give complementary skill rolls or skill re-rolls to themselves if that is at all possible.
    • Another possibility would be Higher Purpose 2 (Two Minds Are Better Than One) [10], which would float to a single re-roll vs a flat +2, that could only be used when Controllable Disadvantage (Split Personality) is on and the PC is muttering to himself and it's something that both personalities are "good at" (?), which is pretty close to Visualization, but takes less time in trade-off for the reaction penalties of Split Personality.
  • This means that the player has to manage only as much as Split Personality because they just have to have two separate disadvantage lists while the GM advances the so-called physical shadow as an ally. Even then, I guess earned Character Points are always going to the Alternate Form advantage that each the PC and Ally have to improve their main form.

Quote:
So, I've been thinking of about a million ways to do this. Most of the time, it acts as one person, but can (perhaps, occasionally) receive the benefit of a second opinion or a second try with the perk of never feeling lonely but with the drawback of talking to themselves when they use both minds. The personalities are hardly distinct. Maybe something like Split Personality where only the quirks are changed. However, these two separate halves can communicate. Think of two halves of the same brain being in open communication, perhaps.

So, let me open with the end goal of what I want this ability to do. I'd like a character that can essentially give themselves complementary skill rolls or to be able to take the better of two rolls for a skill. As above, maybe this would come with the perk of never feeling isolated but with a quirk of talking to themselves. Optionally, I would like the minds to also be able to forced apart, either mentally or physically, but I'm not 100% sold on my own idea yet.

Anyway, I was thinking that this might be an Ally! But how do I do that? Could I make it Ally (Internal, -50%) to represent that it's just another mind? I was even thinking of an Ally that has Possession but re-flavored to be a second mind, especially because this means that the connection between the two could be interfered with.

Or is this Controllable Disadvantage (Split Personality)? But, as far as I know, split personalities can't talk to each other. I thought the same thing about Alternate Form, but it has the same limitation of no communication.

Is this Compartmentalized Mind flavored to be distinct parts of the mind with maybe the Nuisance Effect of a reaction roll since the character has to talk to themselves? I also don't know if Compartmentalized Mind can do complementary skill rolls since the mental actions are supposed to be simultaneous. Maybe that could be an enhancement.

It could also be mental Duplication. I don't really know if that's the right approach either since I've never touched Duplication before, but I kind of like it for the same reason that I like Ally with Possession.
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Old 07-19-2017, 03:34 PM   #2
Anthony
 
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Default Re: Two minds, but how? Ally? Compartmentalized Mind? Split Personality? Duplication?

I'd go with Luck (mental tasks only)
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Old 07-20-2017, 08:25 AM   #3
Raekai
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Default Re: Two minds, but how? Ally? Compartmentalized Mind? Split Personality? Duplication?

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Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
I'd go with Luck (mental tasks only)
I was thinking about that, or I was thinking about Luck (Active), making it usable for more than just mental stuff, but requiring that the character declares that they're actively doing that beforehand. And is Costs Fatigue valid on Luck? Maybe it's a little stressful too. I'm not sure.
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Old 07-20-2017, 03:44 PM   #4
fredtheobviouspseudonym
 
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Default Re: Two minds?

Two minds without a single thought.
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