Starting HoHR - May need assistance! (Spoilers)

[behemoth]

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The party in my campaign is just starting the HoHR module. They have made it to the Free City, met up with Eligos and are now staying at the Crooked House.

I have conspired with one of the party members to have their PC replaced by the doppleganger.

The part I may have an issue with is this. One of the PC's has just achieved the 3rd level of Church Inquisitor and, as such, has received the Pierce Illusion class ability. The ability is descrbied as:

Whenever the character sees an illision or disguise spell of any sort, he immediately makes a Will save to see through it. He need not interact, or touch, the illusion, visual contact is enough to grant the Will Save.

So...my question is: Does the Doppleganager's ability to assume my PCs form count as either a Illusion or Disguise Spell?

If No...problem averted.

If Yes, possible solutions? I know the module states we shouldn't punish PC's for discerning the ruse early, but I don't want the whole thing to go to waste :)

Thanks

[VanDeBeast]

behemoth wrote:

Whenever the character sees an illision or disguise spell of any sort, he immediately makes a Will save to see through it. He need not interact, or touch, the illusion, visual contact is enough to grant the Will Save.

So...my question is: Does the Doppleganager's ability to assume my PCs form count as either a Illusion or Disguise Spell?

I'd say it isn't an illusion or disguise spell. It is the ability to physically change the doppleganger's shape, combined with its skill at disguise.

[Peruhain of Brithondy]

Doppelgangers' disguise ability is achieved through physical shapechanging (that's why they're listed as shapechanger type). IIRC it's an extraordinary ability, but if it's supernatural, it is the equivalent of a transmutation, rather than an illusion, effect. Your inquisitor should get some kind of spot check to notice the disguise, and perhaps a +4 circumstance bonus since he's presumably trained to detect fakery of all kinds. This probably doesn't get him anywhere against the doppelganger's +20 disguise, though.

[Russ Taylor]

Peruhain of Brithondy wrote:

Doppelgangers' disguise ability is achieved through physical shapechanging (that's why they're listed as shapechanger type). IIRC it's an extraordinary ability, but if it's supernatural, it is the equivalent of a transmutation, rather than an illusion, effect. Your inquisitor should get some kind of spot check to notice the disguise, and perhaps a +4 circumstance bonus since he's presumably trained to detect fakery of all kinds. This probably doesn't get him anywhere against the doppelganger's +20 disguise, though.

The doppleganger shapechange ability, per the MM and the SRD, is SU not EX. True seeing does reveal it, which is notable because true seeing cannot see through normal disguises (not that magic is normal). It is a Change Shape ability, which is indeed transmutation-like, not illusion-like.

Russ

Russ

[Pop'N'Fresh]

Despite what your characters have as far as special abilities go, I would just fudge the Will save regardless and say he failed it, as long as it furthers along the story.

My group just finished the fight with the doppelgangers, and I too had a PC playing Ixiaxian in disguise. He did it perfectly without anyone in the group suspecting him. It was priceless when he revealed himself and took out the wizard with a sneak attack, the jaws hitting the table could be heard in the apartment next door :) He led them through all the traps intentionally, and into the giant octopus encounter as well as all the doppelgangers in the long hallway, who had disguised themselves as hot women to distract the group ;)

Good times were had in this adventure, and for those DM's who are thinking of running the adventure with a PC in on it...DO IT! Just make sure you pick a roguish PC who can keep his mouth shut and has a good poker face.

[behemoth]

I had to have the doppelganger replace the fighter in our group as everyone else has magic or abilities that would have made it pretty hard for them to be emulated.

The good thing is the person playing the fighter is always up for a littel bit of player conflict and she is still relatively new to D&D, so she sometimes forgets to cleave or to put herself into flanking positions :)

I wasn't even thinking about having her leaad tehm into traps, etc! That's a great idea...we should be hitting Sodden Hold in about 2 more sessions, so should be fun...

[Hojas]

I am supposed to be starting HOHR tonight and I can't wait to replace a PC with IX. I am just trying to figure out how to make the journey to Greyhawk and the city itself come alive. I am an old school DM who left the game for years until the AoW and my group has always been the worst at exploring wide open cities etc.. I know a lot of this is my fault because I don't have much experience DM'ing these types of city adventures. I am thinking of putting off tonight's session(or just throw some owlbears at them on the way to the free city) so I have more time to make the free city come alive. I am just real hyped on these guys going to greyhawk for the first time ever and I want it to be memorable. sorry for the threadjack, it just seems like a good place for these questions :)

[Tor Libram]

I have a changeling in my party, so she was a natural choice for the doppelgangers to kidnap and replace. I figured that they would be able to contain a shapechanger being so good at it themselves, so no problems hanging onto her. Plus they would want to find out where this tainted half-breed cousin of theirs came from.

It's been glorious. As the party member with the decent Appraise, Diplomacy and Bluff checks, she's been wandering the Artisan's Quarter of the city, selling off all the stuff that Diamond Lake couldn't afford and then telling the party she could only get about half what the items were actually worth! On top of the "Oh, well I never spotted that pit trap" stuff, the reveal next week is going to be absolutely priceless.