Where did that evil twin come from? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Where did that evil twin come from? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Shadow Adept
09-01-07, 01:45 PM I think i could come up with great stuff about an evil twin of one of the adventurers as their nemesis. I have no good ideas about what (supposedly magical) event would create such a twin though, got any ? I was thinking magic mirrors or something bout a failing magic portal or maybe a time paradoxon ..
Mysteria
09-01-07, 04:50 PM Reminds me of this:

Mirror of Opposition: This item resembles a normal mirror about 4 feet long and 3 feet wide. It can be hung or placed on a surface and then activated by speaking a command word. The same command word deactivates the mirror. If a creature sees its reflection in the mirror’s surface, an exact duplicate of that creature comes into being. This opposite immediately attacks the original. The duplicate has all the possessions and powers of its original (including magic). Upon the defeat or destruction of either the duplicate or the original, the duplicate and her items disappear completely. The mirror functions up to four times per day.

Strong necromancy; CL 15th; Craft Wondrous Item, clone; Price 92,000 gp;Weight 45 lb.

Maybe some variation of this?
Shadow Adept
09-01-07, 05:21 PM Yeah i might use that. Perhaps the duplicate somehow survives and flees and i'll make up some story about how there's not enough lifeforce for both the original and the duplicate and destiny (or time or the gods of life and death) solves that by making them both age 10 times as fast. This idea is obviously borrowed from the movie Final Destination and I might spice it up with strange events occurring, like random patterns - frost on a window, dark clouds or ripples in the water - forming the face of the character as if destiny wanted to say "I got my eye on you" (stolen again, from the Heroes of Horror sourcebook)

This should make for some exciting hunt as each tries to kill the other before their time runs out over the course of several adventures, setting up traps and ambushes until the big showdown, which might be a situation where the duplicate and original have to duel each other to the death with no one of the party there to help or even witness the event.

So in the end the party might never know if they got the original when he returns to the group, as the player gets to play the survivor of the duel no matter which one it is..

I can see this very easily built as a side plot into my existing adventure, I just love those plots where the spotlight is on the destiny of one of the characters (each one has to get a plot for themselves in time though).
Sol_Aedh_Avoth
09-01-07, 08:29 PM The Plane Of Mirrors described in Planar HB...

Whoever enters it finds his perfect (but alignment-opposite) Twin who wants to kill him and become the only true one...
If the Twin succeeds in murdering, he really becomes the true one and can exit the Plane...

I once used it to create an Evil clone of DM's Avathar ( :D ) which was once helping PCs...
Yet, the Evil one escaped the Plane even without murdering the original, but was disfigured and went Mad...
Free1983
09-02-07, 08:24 AM Why make this harder than necessary. When the PC was born, his mother actually got two childs. You'll have to fit this in the backstory of the PC, but that shouldn't be too hard. Even if he's on good terms with his parents, they might have not telled him, or they might even not know themselves.

Just bring in an evil cleric (who's supposed to be good) that assisted the mother with the birth. This cleric might have asked the father to wait outside. He could have told the mother that the second child was the placenta or something. Or he could have showed the second child but told them it was death. Of course, it wasn't death and the cleric took it away. You are than practically free to do as you like. Maybe the cleric raised the child himself, but that would be dangerous if he lived close to the parents. Or he sold/gave the kid away to another person/organisation that raised it to become your BBEG.

Cheers
Shadow Adept
09-02-07, 03:02 PM Nah where's the magic and mysteriousness in that :/
Khadmus
09-03-07, 05:04 PM The Plane Of Mirrors described in Planar HB...

Whoever enters it finds his perfect (but alignment-opposite) Twin who wants to kill him and become the only true one...
If the Twin succeeds in murdering, he really becomes the true one and can exit the Plane...

I once used it to create an Evil clone of DM's Avathar ( :D ) which was once helping PCs...
Yet, the Evil one escaped the Plane even without murdering the original, but was disfigured and went Mad...

Hmmm? I can't seem to find this plane of mirrors you speak of in my PlH.

Nah where's the magic and mysteriousness in that :/

An evil cleric. Cleric=magic.
Sol_Aedh_Avoth
09-03-07, 05:22 PM Hmmm? I can't seem to find this plane of mirrors you speak of in my PlH.

It's in the Demiplane chapter, I think... or about where there are Faerie, Wooden Elemental Plane, Dream Plane, and so on...
Moonslayer
09-03-07, 07:43 PM There is always the old reliable Clone spell. Bad Guy Wizling gets a tissue sample from character after an injury and grows the clone. It ends up being too much for Wizling to control and it takes him out or just escapes. Off the top of my head I can't recall if Clone made it to 3e/3.5, but who cares if it makes a good story?

And even better is the possibility of more coming later, each slightly more messed-up than the last
Fithero
09-03-07, 11:09 PM It's in the Demiplane chapter, I think... or about where there are Faerie, Wooden Elemental Plane, Dream Plane, and so on...

Its not, its in the Manual of the Planes.... different book.

As for different planes, isnt there some sort of alternate material plane (a doppleganger plane i seem to recall it being refered to) where everyone has a copy of the opposite alignment?

Just make a rift open up between the two material planes... all kind of fun could be had then :P

Thats interesting... there's an evil Drizzt walking around out there somewhere, one that you could kill and nobody would get upset! :P
Sol_Aedh_Avoth
09-04-07, 05:50 AM Its not, its in the Manual of the Planes.... different book.
:doh:
In the Italian edition is there, why isn't it in the original?

It's in the Alternative Planes and Cosmologies chapter...

I'd write it here, if only wouldn't it require hours to be written (and traslated)... :rolleyes:
Khadmus
09-04-07, 01:48 PM What does the cover of it look like? My "Planar Handbook" has a surreal (sort of) picture with somebody looking through a green glass. The 7 chapters are:
1) Races (buomman, spiker, etc.)
2) Classes & Feats (planar substitution levels, heritage feats, etc.)
3) Prestige Classes (chaotician, The Fated, etc.)
4) Equipment & Magical Items (Mechanus Gear, Astral skiff, etc.)
5) Spells (Balor Nimbus, Demon Dirge, etc.)
6) Monsters (Unraveler, Ur'epona, etc.)
7) Planar Sites (touchstone sites, sigil, etc.)

The translation probably messed the title up.
Sol_Aedh_Avoth
09-04-07, 02:46 PM http://www.fantasymagazine.it/imgbank/ARTICOLI/ddmanuale_dei_piani.jpg
Khadmus
09-04-07, 04:09 PM That's manual of the planes.
Sol_Aedh_Avoth
09-04-07, 05:55 PM Is the Planar Handbook another one? Which is it?
Khadmus
09-04-07, 06:02 PM http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21D317AX8WL._OU01_SS160_.jpg is a cover version that I do not have.
http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/images/articles/1934/planar-handbook.jpg is the cover version that I do have.

You can read English, I assume?
CrimsonDeath
09-04-07, 06:10 PM As for different planes, isnt there some sort of alternate material plane (a doppleganger plane i seem to recall it being refered to) where everyone has a copy of the opposite alignment?
There are a lot of parallel material planes, such as Oerth and Eberron. There are certain ways (such as the Shadow Walk spell) to travel from one to another. What you present is certainly a valid model for an example of an alternate material plane.

Is the Planar Handbook another one? Which is it?
Planar Handbook is an addition and 3.5 update to the Manual of the Planes.

There is always the old reliable Clone spell. Bad Guy Wizling gets a tissue sample from character after an injury and grows the clone. It ends up being too much for Wizling to control and it takes him out or just escapes. Off the top of my head I can't recall if Clone made it to 3e/3.5, but who cares if it makes a good story?
Clone made it into 3.5, but the Clone is generally inert until the original dies. That doesn't necessarily preclude bizarre accidents or an improperly researched or transcribed version of the spell, or a demonic possession of the body.
Sol_Aedh_Avoth
09-04-07, 06:40 PM You can read English, I assume?
Yes, but i did not know of the Planar Handbook being another book...
I just didn't know the original Name of the Manual Of The Planes and thus called it Manual Of The Planes or Planar Handbook, regardless...
Khadmus
09-04-07, 07:04 PM I meant no offense. I was just wondering if you could read the cover (not that it would make a differance) picture that I posted.
Paradox_of_Life
09-06-07, 10:30 PM This is one scenario I'm Partial to:

Your PC is a good cleric/devotee/wholesome person. As a heavenly right, you may enter into the top layer of Celestia (the really mysterious one). What is supposed to happen is destroy all the evil in your soul and purify you. But you weren't as holy as you thought and pretended you were, and the evilness in your heart, instead of getting obliterated, became a second entity and escaped Celestia. But for trying to get rid of it, it now wants to combine back with you, or failing that, kill you out of revenge. Treat it as you, with its own equivalent of unholy possessions with the same LAW/CHAOS axis alignment as you.
Shadow Adept
09-07-07, 05:55 AM That's the kind of inspiration I've been looking for! Dunno if I'll use but I like it.
Novalon
09-07-07, 12:31 PM I used a previous DM's game of chance to come up with my BBEG. The characters were all playing a game of cards (DECK OF MANY THINGS), and for some odd reason, most of them ended up with good things, well except my Paladin, who had to lose a level or completely switch his alignment (this was nullified by a later card which gave him 50k exp).

I expanded on this in a way that created some kind of magical duplicate. The magic of the Gods tried to take over my character and switch his alignment, but since he resisted and lost a bit of his essence (a level) he was left unchanged. However, that essence that was lost was enough for the evil changing magic to become a template for a completely new character.

This character was supposed to be the uber Rogue/Shadowbane Inquisitor/Blackguard, which from having Paladin levels traded in, had 18 levels of Prestige Classes.

He was supposed to be the ultimate enemy to the party, one that would have ended up killing most of them in their sleep, also the ultimate test of my epic Rogue/Paladin/Shadowbane Inquisitor/Swordsage.

He (nor his gang of thugs that was essentially the evil opposites of the rest of the party) didn't count on one of the casters reversing gravity in an open courtyard.

Ouch.
Orchomenos
09-10-07, 02:50 PM Reminds me of The Dark Half (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Half) from Stephen King. Basically, the main character has an inborn twin who died in utero, and his ghost remained with him. But suddenly, this ghost is taking flesh. And to fully take flesh, he must take the main character flesh...
This plot twist could better work as a side-quest though...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shadow Adept 09-01-07, 01:45 PM	I think i could come up with great stuff about an evil twin of one of the adventurers as their nemesis. I have no good ideas about what (supposedly magical) event would create such a twin though, got any ? I was thinking magic mirrors or something bout a failing magic portal or maybe a time paradoxon ..
Mysteria 09-01-07, 04:50 PM	Reminds me of this: Mirror of Opposition: This item resembles a normal mirror about 4 feet long and 3 feet wide. It can be hung or placed on a surface and then activated by speaking a command word. The same command word deactivates the mirror. If a creature sees its reflection in the mirror’s surface, an exact duplicate of that creature comes into being. This opposite immediately attacks the original. The duplicate has all the possessions and powers of its original (including magic). Upon the defeat or destruction of either the duplicate or the original, the duplicate and her items disappear completely. The mirror functions up to four times per day. Strong necromancy; CL 15th; Craft Wondrous Item, clone; Price 92,000 gp;Weight 45 lb. Maybe some variation of this?
Shadow Adept 09-01-07, 05:21 PM	Yeah i might use that. Perhaps the duplicate somehow survives and flees and i'll make up some story about how there's not enough lifeforce for both the original and the duplicate and destiny (or time or the gods of life and death) solves that by making them both age 10 times as fast. This idea is obviously borrowed from the movie Final Destination and I might spice it up with strange events occurring, like random patterns - frost on a window, dark clouds or ripples in the water - forming the face of the character as if destiny wanted to say "I got my eye on you" (stolen again, from the Heroes of Horror sourcebook) This should make for some exciting hunt as each tries to kill the other before their time runs out over the course of several adventures, setting up traps and ambushes until the big showdown, which might be a situation where the duplicate and original have to duel each other to the death with no one of the party there to help or even witness the event. So in the end the party might never know if they got the original when he returns to the group, as the player gets to play the survivor of the duel no matter which one it is.. I can see this very easily built as a side plot into my existing adventure, I just love those plots where the spotlight is on the destiny of one of the characters (each one has to get a plot for themselves in time though).
Sol_Aedh_Avoth 09-01-07, 08:29 PM	The Plane Of Mirrors described in Planar HB... Whoever enters it finds his perfect (but alignment-opposite) Twin who wants to kill him and become the only true one... If the Twin succeeds in murdering, he really becomes the true one and can exit the Plane... I once used it to create an Evil clone of DM's Avathar ( :D ) which was once helping PCs... Yet, the Evil one escaped the Plane even without murdering the original, but was disfigured and went Mad...
Free1983 09-02-07, 08:24 AM	Why make this harder than necessary. When the PC was born, his mother actually got two childs. You'll have to fit this in the backstory of the PC, but that shouldn't be too hard. Even if he's on good terms with his parents, they might have not telled him, or they might even not know themselves. Just bring in an evil cleric (who's supposed to be good) that assisted the mother with the birth. This cleric might have asked the father to wait outside. He could have told the mother that the second child was the placenta or something. Or he could have showed the second child but told them it was death. Of course, it wasn't death and the cleric took it away. You are than practically free to do as you like. Maybe the cleric raised the child himself, but that would be dangerous if he lived close to the parents. Or he sold/gave the kid away to another person/organisation that raised it to become your BBEG. Cheers
Shadow Adept 09-02-07, 03:02 PM	Nah where's the magic and mysteriousness in that :/
Khadmus 09-03-07, 05:04 PM	The Plane Of Mirrors described in Planar HB... Whoever enters it finds his perfect (but alignment-opposite) Twin who wants to kill him and become the only true one... If the Twin succeeds in murdering, he really becomes the true one and can exit the Plane... I once used it to create an Evil clone of DM's Avathar ( :D ) which was once helping PCs... Yet, the Evil one escaped the Plane even without murdering the original, but was disfigured and went Mad... Hmmm? I can't seem to find this plane of mirrors you speak of in my PlH. Nah where's the magic and mysteriousness in that :/ An evil cleric. Cleric=magic.
Sol_Aedh_Avoth 09-03-07, 05:22 PM	Hmmm? I can't seem to find this plane of mirrors you speak of in my PlH. It's in the Demiplane chapter, I think... or about where there are Faerie, Wooden Elemental Plane, Dream Plane, and so on...
Moonslayer 09-03-07, 07:43 PM	There is always the old reliable Clone spell. Bad Guy Wizling gets a tissue sample from character after an injury and grows the clone. It ends up being too much for Wizling to control and it takes him out or just escapes. Off the top of my head I can't recall if Clone made it to 3e/3.5, but who cares if it makes a good story? And even better is the possibility of more coming later, each slightly more messed-up than the last
Fithero 09-03-07, 11:09 PM	It's in the Demiplane chapter, I think... or about where there are Faerie, Wooden Elemental Plane, Dream Plane, and so on... Its not, its in the Manual of the Planes.... different book. As for different planes, isnt there some sort of alternate material plane (a doppleganger plane i seem to recall it being refered to) where everyone has a copy of the opposite alignment? Just make a rift open up between the two material planes... all kind of fun could be had then :P Thats interesting... there's an evil Drizzt walking around out there somewhere, one that you could kill and nobody would get upset! :P
Sol_Aedh_Avoth 09-04-07, 05:50 AM	Its not, its in the Manual of the Planes.... different book. :doh: In the Italian edition is there, why isn't it in the original? It's in the Alternative Planes and Cosmologies chapter... I'd write it here, if only wouldn't it require hours to be written (and traslated)... :rolleyes:
Khadmus 09-04-07, 01:48 PM	What does the cover of it look like? My "Planar Handbook" has a surreal (sort of) picture with somebody looking through a green glass. The 7 chapters are: 1) Races (buomman, spiker, etc.) 2) Classes & Feats (planar substitution levels, heritage feats, etc.) 3) Prestige Classes (chaotician, The Fated, etc.) 4) Equipment & Magical Items (Mechanus Gear, Astral skiff, etc.) 5) Spells (Balor Nimbus, Demon Dirge, etc.) 6) Monsters (Unraveler, Ur'epona, etc.) 7) Planar Sites (touchstone sites, sigil, etc.) The translation probably messed the title up.
Sol_Aedh_Avoth 09-04-07, 02:46 PM	http://www.fantasymagazine.it/imgbank/ARTICOLI/ddmanuale_dei_piani.jpg
Khadmus 09-04-07, 04:09 PM	That's manual of the planes.
Sol_Aedh_Avoth 09-04-07, 05:55 PM	Is the Planar Handbook another one? Which is it?
Khadmus 09-04-07, 06:02 PM	http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21D317AX8WL._OU01_SS160_.jpg is a cover version that I do not have. http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/images/articles/1934/planar-handbook.jpg is the cover version that I do have. You can read English, I assume?
CrimsonDeath 09-04-07, 06:10 PM	As for different planes, isnt there some sort of alternate material plane (a doppleganger plane i seem to recall it being refered to) where everyone has a copy of the opposite alignment? There are a lot of parallel material planes, such as Oerth and Eberron. There are certain ways (such as the Shadow Walk spell) to travel from one to another. What you present is certainly a valid model for an example of an alternate material plane. Is the Planar Handbook another one? Which is it? Planar Handbook is an addition and 3.5 update to the Manual of the Planes. There is always the old reliable Clone spell. Bad Guy Wizling gets a tissue sample from character after an injury and grows the clone. It ends up being too much for Wizling to control and it takes him out or just escapes. Off the top of my head I can't recall if Clone made it to 3e/3.5, but who cares if it makes a good story? Clone made it into 3.5, but the Clone is generally inert until the original dies. That doesn't necessarily preclude bizarre accidents or an improperly researched or transcribed version of the spell, or a demonic possession of the body.
Sol_Aedh_Avoth 09-04-07, 06:40 PM	You can read English, I assume? Yes, but i did not know of the Planar Handbook being another book... I just didn't know the original Name of the Manual Of The Planes and thus called it Manual Of The Planes or Planar Handbook, regardless...
Khadmus 09-04-07, 07:04 PM	I meant no offense. I was just wondering if you could read the cover (not that it would make a differance) picture that I posted.
Paradox_of_Life 09-06-07, 10:30 PM	This is one scenario I'm Partial to: Your PC is a good cleric/devotee/wholesome person. As a heavenly right, you may enter into the top layer of Celestia (the really mysterious one). What is supposed to happen is destroy all the evil in your soul and purify you. But you weren't as holy as you thought and pretended you were, and the evilness in your heart, instead of getting obliterated, became a second entity and escaped Celestia. But for trying to get rid of it, it now wants to combine back with you, or failing that, kill you out of revenge. Treat it as you, with its own equivalent of unholy possessions with the same LAW/CHAOS axis alignment as you.
Shadow Adept 09-07-07, 05:55 AM	That's the kind of inspiration I've been looking for! Dunno if I'll use but I like it.
Novalon 09-07-07, 12:31 PM	I used a previous DM's game of chance to come up with my BBEG. The characters were all playing a game of cards (DECK OF MANY THINGS), and for some odd reason, most of them ended up with good things, well except my Paladin, who had to lose a level or completely switch his alignment (this was nullified by a later card which gave him 50k exp). I expanded on this in a way that created some kind of magical duplicate. The magic of the Gods tried to take over my character and switch his alignment, but since he resisted and lost a bit of his essence (a level) he was left unchanged. However, that essence that was lost was enough for the evil changing magic to become a template for a completely new character. This character was supposed to be the uber Rogue/Shadowbane Inquisitor/Blackguard, which from having Paladin levels traded in, had 18 levels of Prestige Classes. He was supposed to be the ultimate enemy to the party, one that would have ended up killing most of them in their sleep, also the ultimate test of my epic Rogue/Paladin/Shadowbane Inquisitor/Swordsage. He (nor his gang of thugs that was essentially the evil opposites of the rest of the party) didn't count on one of the casters reversing gravity in an open courtyard. Ouch.
Orchomenos 09-10-07, 02:50 PM	Reminds me of The Dark Half (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Half) from Stephen King. Basically, the main character has an inborn twin who died in utero, and his ghost remained with him. But suddenly, this ghost is taking flesh. And to fully take flesh, he must take the main character flesh... This plot twist could better work as a side-quest though...