Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Blackrazorblade 02-10-05, 07:23 PM	I was thinking opf making a group of NPCs that were affectivally Doppelgangers of the PCs. However, i was wondering if this idea works well in the expierience of other DMs and weather i should mimic levels exactly or go for diametrically opposed classes or what would be the best way to equate the party.
Mordmorgan the Mad 02-10-05, 08:42 PM	This type of scenario works well on badly made saturday morning cartoons, but not much else. The PCs know what they can do, and the encounter holds little surprise. I'd never do it, even for money.
Meshakhad 02-10-05, 08:46 PM	If you do this, do more than simply make them opposite alignments. Use other races. For instance, if the party has a gnome wizard, create a kobold sorceror.
Sildatorak 02-10-05, 09:07 PM	I have two suggestions on this one. 1) Don't go for exactly matched levels and number of group. If you have fewer, more powerful foes or weaker, more numerous foes that are still equivalent in EPL to the party, then you will have a much more engaging challenge for the players. Exactly even foes is asking for a TPK because the PC's don't have any particular avenue open for gaining the upper hand. 2) Match archetypes rather than exact classes. If the party has a wizard, rogue, cleric, monk, and fighter, try matching them up against a sorcerer, ninja, favoured soul, ranger, and hexblade. Run a few test encounters for your NPC party in your spare time so you can get the feel of how they need to work tactically since their tactics will not exactly mirror those of the party.
Ze_Mighty_Vegetable 02-10-05, 09:33 PM	It can be done, but you need to be really evil to pull it off. I have. first, clone your PC (using wathever justification you need) and make the PC's reputation suffer as they commit brutal acts, stupidity and harass their "friends" (it's not the PC who does it, it's the clones). for simplicity's sake, PC = the original PC and PCC= PC clones... Have them(PC) find out about the doppelgangers (PCC) (this can be as long or short a process as you like). Have the PC try to confront them only to walk in a trap and be captured. PC awaken in a kind of laboratory (or magical ritual setting) in the PCC's hideout. Tell them they have a few weird thoughts now and then, stranges urges, the work. Describe their PC's appearance, twisting it a little. The goal is to make the PC think they BECAME the PCCs. In truth, they are only shaken by the after effect of the trap... Have them learn that the PCC's bodies are not permanent and that they,ll revert to dust after 3 days... They'll now have to make the reversal with the PCC (whom they think have their true bodies) or die... Have them confront the PCC in a public setting (so they'll have explanations to provide NOW) or a private setting (since nobody will have seen them beat the duplicates, explanations are gonna be needed later about their previous actions...). If the PC succeed, they,ll probably bring the PCC back to the "transfer-machine". Have them learn that such a transformation must be voluntary... now, the dilemma... 3 outcomes are possible: 1): PC manage to "convince" the PCC to transfer. Result: The PC are now really in the PCC's body and got only a fgew days to live... 2): They'll see through the ruse and won't transfer bodies. 3): They'll be angry. Find more mature players.
Guy Humual 02-10-05, 09:49 PM	I've never cloned the entire party before but I did clone one of the PCs and turn him into a LBEG that was always trying to kill the original. This villain worked surprisingly well. I should stress this was not a simple carbon copy of the PC. The clone was created while the PC was on another plane of existence and the evil necromancer who made the clone (the campaign's actual BBEG) modified the sample a bit. The clone got to exist on the PC’s original plane for about four months before the PCs returned. All these things gave me an excuse to create a unique villain that looked exactly like one of the PCs.
Blackrazorblade 02-11-05, 02:42 PM	Well i think i was basically planning on same type of characters more than exact clones but just a party of NPCs rather than one or two NPCs that are higher level or a bunch of slightly lower level ones, a rival adventuring party for instance. The idea of "cloning" them was just smehting that came to mind as a possibility
Vharuck 02-11-05, 04:02 PM	Why not do the clones so that they look identical, but have opposite classes? Sorcerer becomes a very tactical fighter, rogue is a barbarian, bard is a withdrawn cleric, etc. Whatever you want.