Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ars51 Aug 14, 2009 18:45:18	So I recently started a 4th ed Solo game in Eberron, and my goal is to show off aspects of Eberron to this player, kind of a tour of themes. Anyway, I was thinking of a story arc where the PC picks up a Daelkyr symbiote and must contend with it mentally. But I'm sort of stumped, my experience with the Daelkyr is kind of limited, how would you role play a symbiote. I'm half inclined to go faux Venom but I would like to avoid that. Anyway my question is, Have you role played a symbiote before and if so how did you showcase its alien intellect?
#2 RedRider Aug 15, 2009 4:39:40	A 3.5 Era issue of Dragon had a an article by Keith Baker on the Cults of the Dragon Below. If you can dig it up it could be useful, since it presents a few little signs and tells of otherwise normal folk engaged in strange behaviours. One suggestion I could give would be a little unconcious involuntary behaviour. Like a sudden taste for weird foods (Eyeballs, etc.) Alien limb movements (ala Dr. Strangelove) or involuntary speech. Imagine how your PC will feel when a strange little voice bursts out with bizzare poetry, to the shock of passersby, only to realise it's his voice.
#3 ars51 Aug 15, 2009 10:58:08	Thank you Ill have to look those up. Your suggestions were glorious as well. :D
#4 Alex_ Aug 15, 2009 14:43:49	But I'm sort of stumped, my experience with the Daelkyr is kind of limited, how would you role play a symbiote. I'm half inclined to go faux Venom but I would like to avoid that. Anyway my question is, Have you role played a symbiote before and if so how did you showcase its alien intellect? Faux Venom? Sounds good to me. The scary thing about the Daelkyr is that they generally don't seem to care about other living things. They're just like clay, paint, and other inanimate things: there for the Daelkyr to shape and manipulate to create things that are pleasing to them. Have the symbiont show a general lack of compassion. Have it feed off the character's desires and encourage them at all times to pursue them without regard for the welfare or well being of others. Instead of actually speaking, the character can feel whispers at the back of their mind. Nobody else but the character hears it.
#5 ars51 Aug 16, 2009 0:33:30	Have the symbiont show a general lack of compassion. Have it feed off the character's desires and encourage them at all times to pursue them without regard for the welfare or well being of others. Instead of actually speaking, the character can feel whispers at the back of their mind. Nobody else but the character hears it. Hmmm, interesting... I can already see the drama and conflict unfolding... the PC's motivation for adventuring is to grow in influence and help rebuild parts of eberron that have crumbled during the war. Worshiping a Creation deity they wrote up as an alternative to the SH and SF. I think I'm starting to understand a bit more, I think next ill have to find a way to tangibly reward my PC for giving in to these desires. My only concern is that they are a big fan of Venom... although maybe I just need to let that develop naturally. Have any of you used Symbiotes before in D&D games? Thank you very much for your help so far.
#6 Alex_ Aug 16, 2009 2:02:00	I think I'm starting to understand a bit more, I think next ill have to find a way to tangibly reward my PC for giving in to these desires. My only concern is that they are a big fan of Venom... although maybe I just need to let that develop naturally. If your player is a very big fan of Venom, then embrace that. They like Venom and now they have a chance to essentially play one of their favorite characters in D&D form. It's one of the greatest forms of wish fulfillment and should be more than enough incentive to give in. Every player has something they like. Often times the key to getting them invested/interested in a story is to incorporate that into the game. Don't be afraid to exploit the player's OOC weaknesses to get their characters to follow along in the game... just be gentle.
#7 Alas Aug 28, 2009 12:41:00	I wrote an extensive piece on roleplaying with symbiotes once, but never found the courage to post it. In a nutshell: A daelkyr symbiote is like a little id enhancer. Its senses are tied up with its host's, so it wants the host to employ it as often as possible so it can feel something. The claw symbiote wants to fondle and shred things, the shard symbiote (name?) keeps prompting the PC to take potshots at objects, the breed leech... actually, the breed leech's impulses are better left unspoken. At the same time, the symbiote feels weird to the host. The claw symbiote is hard and spiky on the outside, but wearing it is like having a hand constantly stuck in a warm, squishy... ick. With all symbiotes, there's always this tickle, this distraction, this nagging sensation that your random thoughts aren't entirely random, or entirely yours.
#8 Gurv Aug 29, 2009 21:26:50	I've always let my players roleplay their symbiotes, with a little input from me when I think they'd act up. Currently, I have one player running a daelkyr half-blood (3.5 campaign) with a breed leech. The thing has a constant urge to produce more half-bloods, which it imparts on its host. One memorable situation involved an intelligent sword rather than a symbiote, but the method would translate well. The sword's mental voice was the same as its owner's inner voice. He literally couldn't tell his own thoughts from those of the sword most of the time. When I DM I often find myself discussing the game and various options the players have. Sometimes it would take the form of "does my character think doing X is too dangerous?" or "does my character know how this works?", and I will advise the player on what his character knows about a situation. In the case of the magical sword, I would always tell the player that he could win the fight. No matter the situation, I'd suggest that killing someone would solve the problem. Eventually the player realized that my advice was no longer coming from the standpoint of his character's world-knowledge but rather from the sword. But even so, he was never sure if what I told him was being influenced by the sword. I never once had to resort to forcing a Will save to resolve a personality conflict.
#9 MrCelsius Sep 06, 2009 5:28:37	When I DM I often find myself discussing the game and various options the players have. Sometimes it would take the form of "does my character think doing X is too dangerous?" or "does my character know how this works?", and I will advise the player on what his character knows about a situation. In the case of the magical sword, I would always tell the player that he could win the fight. No matter the situation, I'd suggest that killing someone would solve the problem. Eventually the player realized that my advice was no longer coming from the standpoint of his character's world-knowledge but rather from the sword. But even so, he was never sure if what I told him was being influenced by the sword. I never once had to resort to forcing a Will save to resolve a personality conflict. I really like this.  As your voice is the voice of the world, it does a superb job of showing the player how the character's perceptions are being skewed by the alien presence in zir mind.  Kudos, and I may well steal it someday.
#10 gribble Sep 09, 2009 20:18:15	I assume you've seen Khyber's Harvest? You could always give the PC the Coat of Eyes artifact from there... could make for an interesting campaign.