[Template]Schizophrenic

[zagan]

Alrigth, my very first try at homebrewing. I'm not even sur that a Template is the rigth meen to introduce this concept in a Rpg world but I'm gonna try.

Creating a Schizophrenic
"Schizophrenic" is an acquired template that can be added to any non Undead, non Construct Creature with an intelligence score of at least 3.

Prerequisites
The creature must have endure a very traumatic event during their childhood and must be at first level.

Size and Type
Size and type remain unchanged.

Hit Dice
Hit dice depend on the current personality

Speed
Speed depend on the current personality

Armor Class
Armor Class depend on the current personality

Attack
Attack depend on the current personality

Special Qualities

Double personality : A schizophrenic possess 2 independent personality, each personality as is own alignement and class (or multiple class) with their associate skill and feat. A schizophrenic change personality when a certain event occur. This event is chosen randomly when the template is add to the creature following the table below :

{table] d6 |event
1 |at the start of the day|
2 |at the start of an encounter
3 |when becoming disable(0 hit point)
4 |when succefuly affect by a mind affecting ability
5 |when becoming fatigued
6 |when seeing an object or creature associate with the traumatic event from your childhood (chose by the DM)[/table]

Separate experience: A schizophrenic gains experience only for their curent personality.

Memorie disruption : Only one of the personality can remember what happen when she isn't in controle. This personality is chosen randomly when adding the template. The other personality only know that she temporarely lose controle.

Abilities

Abilities depend on the current personality

Skills
Skills depend on the current personality

Feats
Feats depend on the current personality

Challenge Rating : Depend on the current personality

Alignment : Depend on the current personality

Level Adjustment : 0

Exemple of use :

-The party is ask by the ruler of a town to help stop the incursion of the minotaur that regulary attack the town, only for the party discover that the minotaur are controle by the ruler second personality.

-The party follow a serie of murder only to discover that all the clue lead to the Ranger in the group. (In that case the second personality is controled by the DM)


It's probably full of error, but now I can say that I tried.
So what do you think ?

[ZeroNumerous]

Uh.. Schizophrenia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenic) isn't dual-personality. I believe you're searching for Dissociative Identity Disorder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_Identity_Disorder), which is a completely different issue all together.

[zagan]

Yes, I discovered that while I was reserching a little for the template but Schizophrenia sound a lot better than Dissociative Identity Disorder,and I could'nt find anything better.
If you have a better idea, It will be my pleasure to change the name.

[cody.burton]

Do physical abilities change with the personality, or only the mental scores?

[zagan]

While it would be logical that only mental score change. I chose to go with everything change with the personality.
That way we don't have a Schizophrenic with a personality that's a level 20 fighter and a second personality that's a level 1 Wizard with the physical stat of the fighter.

[cody.burton]

In that case, you said that AC remains unchanged, but if dexterity changes depending on the personality, wouldn't the AC change also? Or would you just use the better of the Dex bonuses for the AC?

[zagan]

You' re right it's an error on my part I will change it immediately and I will do the same for speed and Hit dice. Thanks

[Archaic]

Hi Zagan,
As someone who works in mental health, including treating people with schizophrenia, I find this template rather objectionable if not downright offensive.:smallfrown:

I can appreciate that you're trying to do something different from a game design perspective. However Schizophrenia is often a devastating illness for people who have it and for their friends, family and loved ones. For example some studies indicate that 10% of people with Schizophrenia commit suicide. I think that if you're going to incorporate something like that into a game setting or rules system, you should at least attempt to attempt something of an accurate protrayal, within the limitations of the game system. There are rules in the official supplement "Unearthed Arcana" that cover mental illness, including giving rules to simulate some of the effects of having Schizophrenia. As far as they go these rules give a limited but at least reasonably accurate summary of some common mental disorders. Personally I don't think that any RPG can give an adequate impression of the effects of mental illness. RPGs simplify and approximate reality.

I don't object to considering issues of mental illness within an RPG, any more than I object to considering mental illness in any other medium such as film, music, novels, plays etc. In fact I think that accurate and sensitive exploration of mental illness can be a good thing. There is a lot of misunderstanding and stigma around mental illness, which is best resolved through open discussion.

What you have here, though, is a game mechanic that misuses the name of a disorder that exists in the real world, and significantly misrepresents that illness. You either didn't know or didn't care to use the word properly, and as a result this game mechanic is misleading at best, offensive at worst. For that matter, this mechanic does not adequately or accuarately describe Dissociative Identity Disorder, either. For example the "traumatic event in childhood" is often sexual abuse that is sustained over several years.

Your options are either:
1) rename your game mechanic to something that exists only in the game world, the same way the original designers of the game used made-up diseases and poisons
2) research Schizophrenia and create a game mechanic that does an adequate job.

I don't want to discourage homebrew game design but there are some things that need to be dealt with sensitively, whether in real life or in a game. I don't think that your "Schizophrenic" template does that, and I think that what you've created is very distateful.
If you need an analogy to understand where I'm coming from, imagine creating a prestige class called "Al-Qaeda Jihadist", spells called "HIV/AIDS" or "Abort the Unwanted", or a "Homosexuality" feat.
I understand that you might not have intended to be offensive, and I'm trying to maintain an emotional distance and avoid unfairly losing my temper. I can't help but feel very disappointed, though.

[Zeta Kai]

Archaic, I couldn't agree more. I have known a few mentally ill people, some with schizophrenia, & I must say that this template does accurately represent the difficulties that they go through every day. Although I am not personally offended, I can easily how someone could be. You have succinctly summed my feelings on this topic so well, that I really don't need to say anything else at all.

Zagan, what you have here is a fairly well-crafted template with good mechanics that I'm sure would make any NPC more interesting. You have unfortunately named it something that doesn't correlate well with what is, & could be construed as insensitive & ignorant. I once had a player who came to me during a game with an idea for a human sub-race that they wanted to play: Jew. Suffice to say, it wasn't the most sympathetic rules variant that I've seen, & I didn't allow in game (for a number of reasons). I would say to you the same thing I told him: call something else. Anything else. Call it psycho-rapist or baby-eater, but please call it something else.