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I heard this person talking about a character he wanted to play. It was an alchemist who had a Jekyl and Hyde personality. His Hyde personality was an opposite alignment and opposite general personality then the Jekyl personality. Would you want a character in your party who, under stressful situations (combat), could become a total unknown quality at the worst possible time?
While I understand this might seem like a cool RP character to some, to me it seems more like a time bomb waiting to screw over the group.
But like I said thats just the way I see something like this.
It could go either way, depending on the individual player and the alignments he chooses. I'd allow it, but under a watchful eye.
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If we're talking about two personalities that shift at predictable times, I don't see how it could be a "total unknown quality" - it's really no different from having two characters in the party, save that they're a "tag team."
Are you aware that Paizo already paved the way for something like this?
Final note: Different alignments and personalities aren't what screws a party. Stupid players are.
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I've done it, way back in 1st edition. The GM rolled for my personality at the beginning of game sessions. I played the personality I got for that game session and switched if an event would trigger a switch. It really only causes problems if one of your personalities is specifically antagonistic to the party or a mewling pansy that specifically exists to hinder the party for some reason.
My personalities were a crude mercenary, a quiet thief and kleptomaniac (not a rogue, just a thief - and I didn't get to decide what I stole most of the time), a pompous noble son trained in self defense, and an egotistical low level wizard with a spell storing item that gave him a little punch (but he only showed up when his ring was charged so not often). At first players seemed annoyed, but as I was never disruptive of party activities and the GM used me as a hook for several fun adventures it quickly just became a quirt on my character.
Pan and Closet are right, it's only a problem if a player makes it a problem. That said, don't let a player use something like this as an excuse to do stupid stuff and try to deflect blame.
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The Master Chymist sounds like what the guy was talking about only , I believe, he said it was an opposite personality not just an alternate personality. Maybe I heard him wrong, shrug. I guess if everything is out in the open and the party meets the other ego things could be ok, depending on what that other ego was of course. If the players wasnt up from about what he was it could be bad though.
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Meh, if one personality is CN (NOT CE with CN written on the sheet, but actually CN), and the other LN, they're opposite but still both fit in with most groups.
Just make one anal-retentive OCD annoyingly organized, the other free-spirited easily distracted ADHD.
Opposite personality doesn't mean opposite goals, friendships, and adventures.
To be completely honest, it doesn't matter to me what other players play as long as they (the players) aren't jerks. Some of the best roleplaying comes from characters who don't get along.
I once knew a guy who did this with paladin and anti paladin. It was pretty neat. The evil one kept trying to convince us it was good and would pretend to fool us. It was pretty funny even when people started dying. Like when we walked into a store after he had checked out to be the good one, and then he stabs the shop keeper. "What are you doing?" "I'm the bad one. I lied".
It can be funny if one is smarter than the other, and one tries to convince everyone it is the other one. Go for it. If it doesn't work then say no. They can still be going for the same goal. Our paladin wanted an ancient evil gone, and the anti paladin wanted an enemy that might challenge his masters gone.
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I heard this person talking about a character he wanted to play. It was an alchemist who had a Jekyl and Hyde personality. His Hyde personality was an opposite alignment and opposite general personality then the Jekyl personality. Would you want a character in your party who, under stressful situations (combat), could become a total unknown quality at the worst possible time?
While I understand this might seem like a cool RP character to some, to me it seems more like a time bomb waiting to screw over the group.
But like I said thats just the way I see something like this.
I would like such a character, especially if his/her alignment was true neutral.
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If we're talking about two personalities that shift at predictable times, I don't see how it could be a "total unknown quality" - it's really no different from having two characters in the party, save that they're a "tag team."
Are you aware that Paizo already paved the way for something like this?
Final note: Different alignments and personalities aren't what screws a party. Stupid players are.
I had thought that maybe the Master Chymist was what this player was talking about, only he had been talking about an alternate/opposite personality at 1st level not 7th level (of course I could have heard wrong but they had been talking about 1st level characters) so maybe it wasnt the Master Chymist after all. Maybe he had gotten the idea from the prestige class.
What I remember is that the players had said he wanted to play an evil aligned character and the GM had said no evil alignments. Then the player had brought up the jekyl and hyde character concept.
Well... you could play it as an alchemist whose personality always changes when using a mutagen (but with the appearance not changing until Master Chymist is used). Or a Barbarian whose personality changes only while ranging. Or a bard/skald whose music is powered by an alternate personality that takes over during Bardic Performances. Or a cautious cavalier with a second, glory-driven personality that takes over to make challenges. Or a magus whose arcane pool is powered by an inner spirit of some sort that takes over while enhancing weapons.
I'd say the best way to do it would not be to give either the PC or GM the power to arbitrarily say "okay, I/you now switch to the other personality"—but, instead, to have the alt personality always fire during specific events, such as activating a specific class ability. This would turn it into a roleplaying challenge/opportunity that could be fun to work with, rather than the player abusing it to get away with murder or the GM abusing it to neuter the player.