GitP PrC Contest XXXVIII: Chaos is as Chaos... Oh look, shiny!

[Mephibosheth]

Shattered Soul

That which I saw
I ne'er can unsee
That which caused them
To come to be
The other splinters of me

They live in my mind
I can ne'er be free
Of the splinters that grow
Like swells of the sea
The other splinters of me

Behind my eyes
They strive with me
Naught more do I want
Than that they banished be
The other splinters of me

Whether it comes in the form of hordes of slavering demons, the insanity of the slaadi, or the random activities of chaotic gods, the power of true chaos can be overwhelming. There are few mortals who ever encounter these types of true chaos, but those that do are scarred for life. Some are driven mad by the encounter. Some are hardened against it, becoming crusaders for law and order. Some are drowned in it, becoming agents of chaos themselves. Some simply die.

But there are some for whom encounters with true chaos brings a different kind of reaction. Instead of bending, their souls and minds break under the strain that chaotic forces bring. They become shattered souls, vessels containing a myriad of voices brought forth by the powers of chaos. Where once they had one personality, now they have many. Different voices with different emotions, opinions, worldviews, and moral codes all living in the same body, fighting for supremacy. And this cacophony doesn’t lessen over time. Instead, the voices grow louder and more numerous as time progresses, further overwhelming these hapless individuals with the power of chaos.

But these splinters of a person’s soul don’t just bring confusion and chaos. Much like an earthworm will grow into two complete creatures when cut in half, so too do broken shards of soul grow into complete personalities. But they are one dimensional, having only that aspect of the original that broke off with the shard. And so their abilities reflect that aspect as they grow into independent personalities within the mind of the original.

Becoming a Shattered Soul
While there is no one path to becoming a shattered soul, there are some roads that are easier to take. Wizards, clerics, and other spellcasters have easier access to other planes of existence and can be more readily exposed to the kinds of pure chaos that create shattered souls. But the more martial classes are not immune. Anyone who encounters sufficient chaotic energy can start down the road of the shattered soul.

Hit Dice: d8
Requirements:

Skills: Any two skills 8 ranks, Sense Motive 2 ranks
Special: The character must have encountered a powerful chaotic force or creature such as: direct and prolonged exposure to a strongly chaos-aligned plane, in-person contact with a demon, slaad, or other creature with the chaotic subtype of at least 7 hit dice, being subject to a spell of at least 5th level with the chaos descriptor, or any similar experience subject agreed upon by the player and DM.

Class Skills: A shattered soul uses the class skills of the character’s original base class.
Skill Points: A shattered soul gains skill points as the character’s original base class.

Table 1 - Shattered Soul
{table=head]Level|Special

1

|Soul splinter, chaotic soul

2

|Soul splinter

3

|

4

|Soul surfacing 1/day

5

|Soul splinter

6

|

7

|Soul surfacing 2/day

8

|Soul splinter

9

|

10

|Soul surfacing 3/day

11

|Soul splinter

12

|

13

|Soul Surfacing 4/day

14

|Soul splinter

15

|Dual consciousness[/table]


Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A shattered soul gains no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Soul Splinter (Ex): The experience that caused you to become a shattered soul rips at your mind and spirit, breaking away splinters of your Self. Because they are of the same essence as your formerly-intact soul, these splinters (known as soul splinters) develop vestiges of life and completeness like psychological earthworms, living in your mind and asserting themselves as manifestations of a particular emotion, belief, or personality trait.

At first level, you gain one soul splinter; one highly-exaggerated fragment of your personality that sometimes overtakes who you used to be. A soul splinter is essentially a second single-classed character. It has levels in one base class of your choice equal to your character level and is the same race as you. Within this restriction, you may build this soul splinter as you desire, selecting feats and alternate class features and allocating skill points as normal, with the exception that your hit points are the same for each soul splinter, being based on your original class and the hit points you gain as you advance as a shattered soul. In creating a soul splinter, you may re-arrange (i.e. taking the same three scores and assigning them to different abilities) your mental ability scores but your physical ability scores must remain the same. However, each soul splinter can assign its ability score increases as it desires, including to physical abilities.

You may not select a class more than once. For example, a shattered soul who starts as a wizard could not have a wizard soul splinter. She could, however, have a sorcerer or dread necromancer soul splinter. At each level of shattered soul, each of your soul splinters and your original personality advance as if they had gained a level of their respective classes in addition to gaining any class features granted by their shattered soul level.

All of the advantages of a soul splinter come with a price; the lack of control. After each period of prolonged rest (i.e. when a spellcaster would ready or prepare daily spells), you must randomly determine which soul splinter is dominant during that 24 hour period. You know of the existence and nature of all of your soul splinters, but only the dominant soul splinter’s class abilities, skills, feats, and other abilities are useable during that period. If you have any feats or other abilities that alter your hit point total, they only apply when the soul splinter that took them is dominant. While a soul splinter is dominant, you also use that splinter's attack bonus, saves, and weapon and armor proficiencies. Any effects that deal damage or require a Fortitude save apply to all your soul splinters, but effects that have non-physical components or require a Will save only affect the soul splinter that is dominant when they occur.

At the DM’s discretion, you may also be required to roll for a new dominant soul splinter at times of extreme stress or trauma; immediately before or after a massive battle, after a severe shock or surprise, or in similar situations. You and your DM should work together before you take your first shattered soul level to determine when you will be required to make these rolls.

It is possible to resist the rise to dominance of a new soul splinter. After rolling to determine which soul splinter will be dominant next, the currently-dominant soul splinter can make a Will save to resist the change. The DC for this save is 10 + the soul splinter's class level + the Charisma modifier of the soul splinter that will be dominant next + 1 for each previous successful attempt to resist. A successful save postpones the rise of a new soul splinter by 10 minutes (or less, as agreed by the player and DM), at which point you roll for a new soul splinter and can attempt another save. After a new soul splinter assumes dominance, the DC for this save resets to its base level.

Use the following methods to determine which soul splinter is dominant, depending on how many soul splinters you have (including your original personality).

Table 2 - Soul Splinter Randomization
{table=head]Number|Randomization Method

2

|Roll 1d2 or flip a coin

3

|Roll 1d3

4

|Roll 1d4

5

|Roll 1d10, assigning two numbers to each soul splinter

6

|Roll 1d6

7

|Roll 1d8 and re-roll all rolls of 8[/table]

Soul splinters do not cease to exist when they lose dominance over your personality. As such, they follow circadian rhythm of your body, resting when your other personalities rest and waking when your other personalities wake. As such, they use and renew per/day abilities as normal, meaning that if a personality assumes dominance more than once during a given 24 hour period, it might have depleted daily resources based on what happened during prior periods of dominance that day.

While you are free to determine the non-mechanical characteristics of your soul splinters’ personalities, each soul splinter’s nature should be somehow related to your original personality and to the base class you have chosen. While a given soul splinter is dominant, you should act as dictated by that splinter’s personality, at least in most cases.

You gain one soul splinter at first level and additional soul splinters as shown on Table 1. You roll randomly between all soul splinters you currently have.

Chaotic Soul (Ex): No matter what your alignment was before becoming a shattered soul, you become appear chaotic to all attempts to detect your alignment. All of your soul splinters can fall anywhere on the alignment spectrum, but the combined effect is one of overwhelming chaos, giving you a chaotic aura the power of which is equal to your character level.

Soul Surfacing (Ex): As you advance as a shattered soul, you begin to develop some accommodation of the chaos in your mind. Once per day starting at 4th level you can temporarily suppress the influence of whatever soul splinter is currently dominant and bring another soul splinter to dominance. You gain additional daily uses of this ability as shown on Table 1. Using this ability is a move action that requires only mental activity. Each use of this ability lasts one round until 9th level and two rounds thereafter. Unlike most times, you can choose which soul splinter comes to dominance for the duration of this ability. Using this ability is a significant shock to your fragmented mind. You are dazed for one round immediately after the duration of this ability expires and shaken for 10 minutes thereafter.

Dual Consciousness (Ex): At 15th level, your soul splinters have reached their most powerful and your mind has expanded to accommodate their chaotic voices. Once per day for one minute you may have two dominant soul splinters simultaneously, giving you access to two sets of class features, feats, and skills. You must still roll to randomly determine which splinters are dominant when you activate this ability. You are dazed for one round immediately after the duration of this ability expires and shaken for 10 minutes thereafter.

Shattered Souls and Multiclassing: If you are a multiclassed character before taking levels in the shattered soul prestige class, you must choose one class in which you already have at least one level to progress as you take shattered soul levels. Once you take your first level in the shattered soul prestige class, you cannot take levels in another base or prestige class until you have completed the shattered soul progression. However, if you are the recipient of a Wish or Miracle spell (or other effect of similar potency, as determined by the player and the DM), the damage to your psyche can be healed. In this case, levels in shattered soul are replaced with levels of the base class you chose to advance while taking levels in shattered soul and, as you level up, you may multiclass as you wish without penalty.

Playing a Shattered Soul

There are as many ways to play a shattered soul as there are base classes. The one unifying feature is that the player can never know for certain what abilities her character will have from day-to-day or even from moment-to-moment.

It is, however, crucial that a player who selects this class do so while embracing this fact. It would be possible to build a shattered soul with very similar soul splinters, thus adding achieving a level of predictability that runs contrary to the class’ intended nature. Thus, much of the difficulty of playing a shattered soul comes from the challenges of creating and role-playing a character whose personality can change wildly from moment to moment.

Combat: How a shattered soul approaches combat depends entirely upon which soul splinter is dominant when the combat begins. That said, judicious use of the soul surfacing ability can give a shattered soul almost unlimited flexibility for a very short time. Players should keep this ability in mind but not rely on it except in the direst circumstances.

Advancement: The shattered soul prestige class is intended to be entered at level 6 and taken all the way to level 20. It is, after all, a representation of a fundamental change in an individual’s psyche rather than a specific combat technique.

Epic Shattered Souls: When a shattered soul reaches 16th level and beyond in the shattered soul prestige class, her soul splinters continue to advance in their individual base classes using the normal rules for epic characters. At level 16 and beyond, her soul splinters may also choose to multiclass or select prestige classes for which they meet the requirements, following the normal rules for epic-level multiclassing.

Resources: Almost all shattered souls are too chaotic to join organizations or form normal lasting relationships. Their wild shifts in personality make it difficult for them to interact with others. Thus, they often find themselves facing very limited resources. Additionally, the fact that they have multiple ability sets, many of which need equipment support, means that their finances are almost always strained to the limit.

Shattered Souls in the World

You could almost see it in his eyes and on his face! It would change as he was talking to you; calm one minute, weeping the next, ranting uncontrollably the next. I've never seen anything like it! - A shopkeeper in a village after an unknown shattered soul passed through

Shattered souls are one of the most obvious and distressing examples of the power of chaos. Their relationships with the world and with other mortals can change daily, hourly, or minute-to-minute, based on which of their fragmented personalities is dominant at a given time. The overwhelming majority of people are unable to comprehend their strangeness and react poorly to their erratic behavior. Similarly, a shattered soul's interaction with others is so irregular that they find it difficult to form even the most cursory of relationships.

That said, there are some areas in which shattered souls can find acceptance and success. They thrive on the constant change of the adventuring lifestyle, using the flexibility granted by their soul splinters as best they can to cope with the diverse challenges adventuring presents. They also tend to gravitate toward each other, often forming ad hoc caravans or small settlements of people who understand each others' struggles. Finally, and somewhat less constructively, they are often the target of groups of magi or scholars seeking to better understand the forces of chaos. Some of these groups are benevolent, seeking only to help and understand. Others look to the shattered souls as a source of power in fighting demonic and otherworldly forces.

Daily Life: It is impossible to generalize about the daily life of a shattered soul. Some wake up as a different person every morning. Others swing wildly throughout the day. Every day (every minute, in some cases) brings a struggle between different soul splinters for dominance and wild swings in personality and mood. Most of their time is spent trying to cope with these constant changes.

Notables: While the majority of shattered souls seek merely to continue on, the nature of the changes they have undergone often thrusts them into situations where the must perform great deeds in order to survive. Tijah Shakhs is one such shattered soul who has gone down in legend. When a portal to the abyss opened in his home town and fiends overtook the city, his mind was fractured by prolonged exposure to the chaotic energy. He survived the infestation, fighting tirelessly to rid the city of demons before being drawn through the portal and into the Abyss, closing it in the process.

Organizations: Shattered souls seldom form organizations, nor do they join them. Membership is difficult to maintain when a different soul splinter can terminate the relationship moments after it is initiated. However, there are organizations that, as mentioned, seek to use shattered souls to gain understanding (as objects of study, usually) or combat chaotic forces. However, it is often necessary to coerce the shattered souls or build elaborate ruses around them in order to maintain their membership.

NPC Reactions

Shattered souls are so rare that few NPCs will know of their existence. And depending on how frequently soul splinters assert themselves, it is possible that an NPC who meets the shattered soul in passing might not even know anything is different. However, all but the most understanding and open-minded NPCs who spend any amount of time with a shattered soul will become extremely confused and uncomfortable once a different soul splinter assumes dominance. Fear and distrust are common reactions to the shattered soul's erratic behavior.

In the rare instances where an NPC knows of the existence of shattered souls, they are wary at best upon meeting one. Stories of shattered souls who committed heinous crimes prejudice those who hear them against these individuals and few willingly seek them out or remain in their presence. Once they know with whom they speak, NPCs will often try to end the interaction as quickly as possible.

Finally, those few who seek out shattered souls always approach them cautiously. Even those with the best of intentions might seek to incapacitate or restrain a shattered soul, given that the next soul splinter is as likely to be violent and angry as it is to be docile and helpful. Those who interact with shattered souls are often opportunistic, trying to limit their interactions to those soul splinters they know aren't aggressive. And many have dubious motives, disregarding the safety and well-being of the shattered souls in order to further their own goals.

Shattered Souls in the Game

Shattered souls bring an interesting challenge to both players and DMs. Both parties should discuss how they envision the class playing out in there game before the first level is taken.

Adaptation: Shattered souls work best in campaigns with strong chaotic presence, whether from strongly-chaotic beings or direct exposure to chaotically-aligned planes. In these contexts, any NPC can be a shattered soul and any PC could potentially become one.

Encounters: The nature of an encounter with a shattered soul depends entirely upon which soul splinter is dominant when the encounter begins. This means that different encounters with the same shattered soul could be completely different.

The Many Faces of Rehman Kesh: EL 8

Excerpt from an interview with Siddhartha Deva, Dean of Transmutation at the Vendiagam School

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Rehman was one of our best young researchers. He was working on very cutting-edge stuff, you know. Weakening the barrier between our world and Limbo to allow for the passage of energy. We all thought his work showed promise; casting more powerful spells, sparking beneficial mutations, all kinds of things.

I guess it showed promise to others as well. He had been working late in the portal lab when we heard a scream and he came barreling into the rotunda with a death slaad and a glabrezu on his heels! He was covered in blood and staggering around with his head in his hands, not even paying attention to the two hideous creatures following him. We didn't know what to do at first; even here that sort of thing never happens.

After a few seconds we started to recover, which I could tell the creatures realized. Even they would have a tough time with the whole school, so they just winked out, probably back to their home planes. But you could tell that whatever they did to Rehman was already finished. He stood there in the middle of the rotunda for a second, then dashed out into the night, clutching his head and screaming.

Case notes of Superintendent Inspector Khan, Pech City Guard

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March 11

Report of a disturbance near the central library. Arrived on the scene to find a young man, later identified as Rehman Kesh, staggering through the square, crashing into passersby and shouting. Obvious evidence of magic present at time of incident. Officers accosted Mr. Kesh, who was subdued and incarcerated with significant force.

The following morning, I interviewed Mr. Kesh. He had calmed down significantly, though his eyes still darted to the door and the room's corners constantly and he jumped at small noises. He spoke calmly and quietly about some research project; magical vocabulary beyond my understanding. As I was about to leave the room, however, his manner changed. He grew imperious and angry, yelling at me to release him. He said, "They won't stop looking for me! I'm the only one who knows. None of the others do. The ones in here." At this point, he pressed his fingertips hard into his temples. "They don't have it. I'm the only one they care about, but they'll get us all in order to find it!"

He continued along these lines, growing more and more agitated until he needed to be subdued. When he awoke in the cell later, we interviewed him again, but he was once again calm and had only vague recollections of the moments before he was subdued. He hadn't broken any laws, so we were forced to release him.

Fragment of parchment found in the last place Rehman Kesh stayed before leaving Pech

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Have spent days in hovels like this. Can't go back to Vendiagam, they know how to find me there. And the angry one knows the information they want. The others are there all the time. Can hardly keep them back. Which will it be tomorrow?

In addition to his original, somewhat studious and reserved personality, Rehman Kesh has two soul splinters. One is angry and belligerent, a sorcerer named Ghusa who values straight-forward power. The other is cautious, a scout named Hifz who is a manifestation of Rehman's instinct for self-preservation. While all of Rehman's personalities are in some ways familiar with their research, only Ghusa knows the secret to extracting energy from chaotically-aligned planes; a secret for which Rehman is chased by various chaotic beings bent on subjugating them and either destroying this knowledge or exploiting it.

Rehman is desperate to find a way to escape from the fiends and slaadi that are hounding them. Their whole life since the accident has consisted of a prolonged madcap flight, and all of their soul shards except Ghusa just want it to stop. Ghusa wants it to stop too, but is convinced that the only way to do so is to take revenge on the creatures who originally attacked them.

Either way, Rehman needs a safe location. They have become convinced that Reardan, an arcanist in the village where the PCs are staying, can transport them, either to a safe demi-plane or warded location (in the case of Rehman and Hifz) or to the Abyss (in the case of Ghusa) where he can attempt to wreak his revenge. Panicked after a long chase, he will stop at nothing to get Reardan to help him. Reardan knows what has afflicted Rehman and doesn't want to risk dealing with him.

Rehman Kesh
Chaotic Neutral Male Human Wizard 5/Shattered Soul 3
{table=head]|Rehman (Wizard 8)|Ghusa (Sorcerer 8)|Hifz (Scout 8)
Initiative|+4|+8|+9
Senses|Listen +2, Search +4, Spot +2|Listen +1, Search +2, Spot +1|Listen +13, Search +15, Spot +13
Languages|Common, Elven, Abyssal, Draconic, Celestial|Common, Draconic|Common, Elven, Dwarven, Goblin, Halfling
AC|19 (15 touch, 15 flat-footed)|19 (15 touch, 15 flat-footed)|19 (15 touch, 15 flat-footed)
HP|35 (5d4+3d8+8)|35 (5d4+3d8+8)|35 (5d4+3d8+8)
Saves|Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +8|Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +7|Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +4
Speed|30 ft (6 squares)|30 ft (6 squares)|40 ft (8 squares)
Melee|quarterstaff +4 (1d6)|quarterstaff +4 (1d6)|sickle +10/+5 (1d6)
Ranged|--|--|+1 composite shortbow +11/+6 (1d6+1)
Base Atk/Grapple|+4|+4|+6/+1
Attack Options|||Skirmish +2d6, +2 AC
Spells|0 detect magic (2), resistance, prestidigitation <br />1 mage armor, charm person, expeditious retreat, silent image, protection from chaos <br />2 hideous laughter, invisibility, alter self, scorching ray <br />3 dispel magic, stinking cloud, fly, slow<br />4 dimension door, solid fog, polymorph|0 resistance, detect magic, read magic, daze, prestidigitation, mage hand, dancing lights, ghost sound <br />1 mage armor, protection from chaos, magic missile, charm person, shocking grasp <br />2 scorching ray, shatter, alter self <br />3 fireball, fly <br />4 black tentacles|
Abilities|Str 10, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 19, Wis 14, Cha 13|Str 10, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 19|Str 10, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 13
SQ|Familiar (Rat)|Familiar (Rat)|Trapfinding, trackless step, flawless stride, camouflage
Feats|Spell Penetration, Spell Focus (Transmutation), Scribe Scroll, Extend Spell, Eschew Materials, Craft Wondrous Item|Spell Penetration, Spell Focus (Evocation), Empower Spell, Improved Initiative|Point Blank Shot, Improved Initiative, Rapid Shot, Weapon Finesse, Manyshot, Greater Manyshot (XPH)
Skills|Concentration +12, Decipher Script +15, Knowledge (arcana) +15, Knowledge (religion) +15, Knowledge (the planes) +15, Spellcraft +15, Use Magic Device +6|Bluff +15, Diplomacy +9, Concentration +12, Knowledge (arcana) +13, Spellcraft +13|Balance +15, Climb +11, Escape Artist +15, Hide +15, Jump +13, Listen +13, Move Silently +15, Search +15, Sense Motive +13, Spot +13, Survival +13, Swim +11, Tumble +17[/table]

Possessions: Gloves of Dexterity +4, quarterstaff, MW sickle, +1 composite shortbow, +2 chain shirt, ring of protection +1, scrolls (comprehend languages, disguise self, floating disk, true strike [2], ray of enfeeblement, darkvision, fox's cunning, knock [2], protection from arrows, nondetection, vampiric touch [2])