So I had an idea for a campaign where part of the campaign involves Quantum-Leap-style time travel. Link to the Wikipedia page for those unfamilar with the show. The PCs would occationally (maybe 10% of the time) wake up and find themselves in control of the same 5 NPCs that are legends in the modern day. So the players will roleplay their PCs, who are currently in the bodies of NPCs.
The campaign would revolve around a) trying to figure out why they are time-traveling, b) seeing how stories differ from actual history, and c) seeing how changes in the past affect the modern world.
I wanted to start the PCs around level 2, and legends of the NPCs will be introduced early, but the time-traveling will not begin until level 5+. The NPCs around level 12, and have the PCs level up much faster than the NPCs, so by the end of the campaign, the PCs and NPCs are all about level 16.
I already have ideas as to the character classes the NPCs should be (a Paladin, a Cleric, a Wizard, a Rogue/Sorcerer, and a Warrior). The PCs are playing an Inquisitor, an Oracle, a Summoner, a Rogue, and a Ranger. Unfortunately, the Inquisitor and the Ranger are not strong in understanding the game mechanics, so I am worried that they would feel lost being asked to play any character other than their own, let alone a different character class.
My questions are:
1) Should I adapt my NPCs to mirror my PCs, in either class or role?
2) Should I ask for player input into the NPCs (thus giving away part of the surprise) or should I build the NPCs myself?
3) Should I even attempt this concept with my current group? I'm beginning to think this would work better with a more mechanically strong group?
4) Should I even attempt this as a relativly new GM? This seems like an ambitious concept and I am fairly new to GMing.
5) Any other suggestions to make this idea work?
Cool idea. What percentage of time do you see being spent on the past vs present? I think it would be interesting to mismatch or dice roll the npc to pc roles but then allow the abilities of the pc to bleed through in some way to make sure the players still feel connected to their own character. Being gestalt would make a great reason for why they ended up as legends.
You should not fear to try an ambitious idea due to inexperience. Decide not based on the players current rules knowledge but on their inherent ability to understand and adapt in general.
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1) Absolutely mirror the NPCs to the PCs if you think that is what your players would be more comfortable with, or if you think the mirroring is elegant conceptually
2) Ask for input if you are worried that you will not be able to build NPCs that your players will enjoy playing. If you are confident your players will enjoy the concept and the surprise but want their build input, you can be sneaky about this. For example, ask them to design a cohort, friend, relative, or mentor which you will introduce later in the game and who they might have an opportunity to control.
3) You can consider it, but if you're worried about whether your players will take to the idea you should consult with them even if it means ruining the surprise. The mechanical weakness can be dealt with by making the NPCs as similar mechanically to the PCs as possible. For example, make the Warrior NPC a fighter with the same weapon style as the Ranger, and use similar feats where possible. For your weaker players, favour feats with static bonuses rather than ones that require special mechanics to take advantage of. Also if your weaker players have played other classes before, you might want to draw from those classes.
4) Sure. Just have a Plan B in case it gets too much to handle.
5) Gestalt isn't a bad idea, since it's in line with the Quantum Leap theme and lets the players hold on to their familiar abilities while adapting to the new ones. Tread carefully, though, because it also adds a layer of complexity.