Doppelgangers as a PC race

[John Lynch 106]

Inspired by the Vigilante playtest and Occult Adventures, I thought I'd create a doppelganger PC race. This takes some liberties with how doppelgangers have been presented thus far, although the abilities associated with doppelgangers can be put down to those doppelgangers having levels in either Vigilante or a psychic class. Here's a (hopefully) playable take on them.

Doppelganger
Doppelgangers are a poorly misunderstood race that has the ability to alter their physical appearance with a mere thought. In their natural form, doppelgangers look like any other race, although they lack any colouring whatsoever, with grey skin, white hair and colourless eyes. Due to their alien appearance, doppelgangers prefer to live amongst other races appearing as them.

Doppelgangers are feared for their ability to change their appearance as others believe them able to impersonate anyone. In truth, doppelgangers rarely impersonate individuals of other races as it can take years to master the ability to impersonate specific individuals. Instead doppelgangers will spend years crafting unique personas.

Starting from childhood, they will take years to build up the contacts and relationships of a specific identity. The right identity can be worth a small fortune to another doppelganger. It is not unheard of for a doppelganger to spend years cultivating the right contacts and then sell it to a younger doppelganger and retire into a quieter persona.

Doppelganger Statistics
+2 Constitution, +2 Charisma, -2 Wisdom: Doppelgangers are hearty and charismatic, although not the wisest of creatures.
Medium: Doppelgangers are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Darkvision: Doppelgangers can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Greater Shapechange: Doppelgangers can assume the appearance of a Small or Medium humanoid as the alter self spell, save that it does not adjust its ability scores.
Languages: Doppelgangers begin play speaking Common. Doppelgangers with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Orc, and Tengu.

Favoured Class Options
Instead of receiving an additional skill rank or hit point whenever he gains a level in a favored class, a doppelganger has the option of choosing from a number of other bonuses, depending upon his favoured class. The following options are available to all doppelgangers who have the listed favoured class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the listed favoured class reward.
Bard: Add +1 to Perform (Act) checks.
Investigator: Add +1/3 to the total of their inspiration pool.
Mesmerist: Add one spell known from the mesmerist’s spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell the mesmerist can cast.
Rogue: Doppelganger rogues add +1 to Disguise checks.
Sorcerer: Add +1/4 to the DC for spells of the enchantment school.
Vigilante: Add +1/4 to the number of social identities that can be maintained.

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What do people think? Doppelganger seems a bit thin. However shapechange is definitely a potent ability.

[My Self]

Make the Bard and Rogue bonuses a bit bigger. Like +1 to Perform checks or +1 to disguise AND bluff or something. Otherwise you might as well pick up the skill rank.

Is Greater Shapechange (Su) or (Sp)?

Maybe a racial bonus to Disguise and/or bluff.

Remember to have Humanoid (Doppelganger, Shapechanger)

Shapechange is something that could be picked up by a Kitsune with a feat to spare.

[nighttree]

I was just working on a pitch for my DM for the same thing.....
Using the Race building rules...a 0 HD race version comes out at 26RP, which puts it in the Svirfneblin range (but this is the full monty more or less)....May have to see if I can tone it down to closer to yours....

[Azothath]

Doppleganger's are parasitic social mimics. They pick a subject and attempt to replace them, both in person and socially.

So Alterself will give them the form, and it should be by touch or taste (making it personal) to mimic a specific person. Just having a non-living sample of a person won't work (such as a lock of hair or old hairbrush). Lastly, they can't just shift into a generic human, it has to be SOMEONE. In an emergency - they could to it by touch or taste as a standard action and just get the organic form (no skills or clothes). Thus a set spare clothes will be standard. Certain magic items will be "must haves" for successful doppelgangers.

Copying the skills and personality: I'd suggest a skill pool like a robot. They have 6(or 10?) +2*HD in the skill pool and it takes 1 min (60r) with concentration maintaining touch/taste to form a copy of a person's skill set. This would make them very adaptable and means they are going to have to get up close and personal to make a good copy.

I'd limit memorized forms at any one time to CHA bonus with 3 rounds of concentration to reset the skill pool with each transition.

I think like a vampire, they NEED to copy someone. They just can't be themselves. So it's a compulsion with a will save that once they've copied someone it abates for awhile. I'm not sure at this moment what the vulnerability or drawback should be... I leave that to you. There just has to be a reason otherwise they'd hangout like mindflayers in their own superior enclave. Just doing it to trick humans is silly.

They should be able to take normal classes like Fighter, Cleric, or Wizard.

Racial levels would boost their skill pool, include some roguish skills, HPs etc.

They would have to copy background information through study, like anyone else.

[My Self]

Azothath wrote:

I think like a vampire, they NEED to copy someone. They just can't be themselves. So it's a compulsion with a will save that once they've copied someone it abates for awhile. I'm not sure at this moment what the vulnerability or drawback should be... I leave that to you. There just has to be a reason otherwise they'd hangout like mindflayers in their own superior enclave. Just doing it to trick humans is silly.

...

They would have to copy background information through study, like anyone else.

As a compulsion, why not have it that their regular form is unusually weak? Light sensitivity, penalty to social skills, sickened condition, or whatever, if they fail their save when not transformed?

Instead of copying background information through study, why not a way of reassigning ranks, like the Ghoran? Also, a racial bonus to make checks for their imitated creature (such as a circumstantial bonus to knowledge (nobility) checks about the noble they impersonated) would be nice.

[Azothath]

My Self wrote:

Azothath wrote:

I think like a vampire, they NEED to copy someone. They just can't be themselves. So it's a compulsion with a will save that once they've copied someone it abates for awhile. I'm not sure at this moment what the vulnerability or drawback should be... I leave that to you. There just has to be a reason otherwise they'd hangout like mindflayers in their own superior enclave. Just doing it to trick humans is silly.

...

They would have to copy background information through study, like anyone else.

As a compulsion, why not have it that their regular form is unusually weak? Light sensitivity, penalty to social skills, sickened condition, or whatever, if they fail their save when not transformed?

Instead of copying background information through study, why not a way of reassigning ranks, like the Ghoran? Also, a racial bonus to make checks for their imitated creature (such as a circumstantial bonus to knowledge (nobility) checks about the noble they impersonated) would be nice.

your first part is about the vulnerability or how to work that disadvantage. I think that after having a copied form like an addict they'd feel sickened for a bit and want it back... but I don't see them as naturally weak or sick... that's like saying mindflayer's are sickly or weak...

one of the limits of a doppleganger(DG) is the personal background and history of their target. If a good friend asks a DG about a past event the DG won't know it as they don't have the experience the original had. Copying skill ranks doesn't give that history. They have to learn it like a spy, investigator, or girlfriend... by asking questions of the target and his friends. So copying a prorated skill template is what they do - they do not copy personal memories.

The skill pool allows you to move ranks in skills around. It takes time. DGs would need a template to prevent them from just schmoozing the ranks around however they want, all the time. +8 to Perception, then a minute later +8 to Disable Device... etc... They need a template or form to copy otherwise it's too good.
like;
"Marty" template; +2 Bluff, +2 Diplomacy, +3 Perform(string-violin), +1 UMD.
"Rocky" template; +2 Fly, +1 know(geography), +2 know(history), +1 know(nature), +1 Ride(moose), +1 Survival.