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So I am about to start Hall of Harsh Reflections - and can't decide who should be the doppleganger plant. The PCs consist of a Thri-kreen PsiWarrior/Psion, a Dwarf Cleric, a Ghost Halfling Druid and a Human Monk.
So - which PC do I take out? They all have special powers that they use regulalrly - powers that teh doppleganger will not be able to duplicate. All of the players are up to the task of role playing the swap. But I can't see how the swap would work until past the first minor combat.
Any ideas?
Host of Angels
My first thought is the dwarf cleric. Give the doppleganger maxed out ranks in Use Magic Device (if he doesn't already have it, I just can't remember) and a wand of Cure Light Wounds. It's okay if the others see him using the wand instead of casting his own spells, unless your group is phenomenally paranoid they probably won't even notice.
Change the doppleganger's class levels to something that will match more powers of the character you wish to replace, but be careful not to change his CR too much. Also, consider announcing to the players, after allowing them all to engage in solo activities in the Free City, that one of them has been replaced by a dopp, but not telling them who. A good time to spring this information on the players is after the attack by Elaxan at the Crooked House, either after the party drops Elax and he reverts, or, should he escape, they get around to thinking of dopplegangers as the obvious culprits in the "case of the stolen identity".
Also, be aware that the mirror maze sort of assumes that dopps can do things they can't, so either give the dopp guards a class level that lets them cast disguise self, or count on your players not being fooled when they come across their wizard in studded leather armor with a heavy steel sheild and a longsword.
Another problem with the mirror maze is that if the party enters from the planning room, it kind of funnels them to the final encounter, which sucks if one of the PCs is actually still tied up in the hall of deception. My advice if this happens to you is to move walls around to ensure that the party gets back together before the big fight, because if one of the players is still controlling a dopp when the brawl with Telakin begins, a TPK should be almost certain.
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The illithid at the end of the hall, he's listed as CR 11 in the magazine, as an mind flayer + 7 levels of sorcerer. But in the MM 3.5, the mind flayer sorcerer presented is 9th level, and like CR 17. So shouldn't the illithid in HoHR be like, CR 15 ?
aside: whats up with making the favored class for mind flayers wizard and then presenting an advanced sorcerer as the main higher level version of the monster in the MM?
The illithid at the end of the hall, he's listed as CR 11 in the magazine, as an mind flayer + 7 levels of sorcerer. But in the MM 3.5, the mind flayer sorcerer presented is 9th level, and like CR 17. So shouldn't the illithid in HoHR be like, CR 15 ?
aside: whats up with making the favored class for mind flayers wizard and then presenting an advanced sorcerer as the main higher level version of the monster in the MM?
That has been discussed a lot up to this point...the MM is wrong and it has been errataed. The sorcerer levels are non-associated.
The associated levels are psion.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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That has been discussed a lot up to this point...the MM is wrong and it has been errataed. The sorcerer levels are non-associated.
The associated levels are psion.
That's not in the current MM errata. A monster can easily have more than one associated class level. If you follow back over the discussions here, it's pretty clear that Zyrog's EL is too low for his capabilities, even if the one in the MM is too high.
Of course, it doesn't help that the author and/or editor messed up his DCs - the DCs for the mind flayer abilities need to be reduced by 3, as only racial HD count for those DCs.
Russ
However, back to the original point:
I would say that the monk's abilities would be the easiest to impersonate. The sudden lack of casting would be too obvious. As long as the monk cannot achieve either of the escape conditions mentioned in the module (can't remember the DC's off the top of my head, but it's a Str check or an Escape Artist one) then they would be the best to copy.
So long as the player declares a stunning fist attack and makes the rolls as normal, only you and they need know it's not actually one.
Also, in my group, I replaced the rogue with Ixiaxian. She led the party through the mirror maze (I nearly killed myself trying not to laugh at the "I don't *think* there are any traps" routine) straight to Telakin and then sneak attacked the druid in mid-summon. It very nearly was a TPK; if the rogue had hit with a couple more sneak attacks then the only survivor would have been the fighter who threw a strop and didn't come down into the dungeon at all!