Doppelganger

[whitebeard]

I was shocked to see that nobody has done this / posted about it before… search this forum for Doppelgänger and there is NOTHING. Actually there is one german reference for "Doppelgänger". Wow, and you don't even need a new miniature for this one!

First some background:
I will be adding a very powerful cursed object in the future which ideally gets the heroes fighting amongst themselves. As Zargon, I don't want to take control of a player, instead I just want to plant a very strong suggestion and let the players fight it out. So I need to introduce a plausible alternative in advance so that "fighting another player" is not exactly new territory.

So a quest or two before the cursed artifact...
Enter the Doppelganger:
My plan is to place a pit trap in the first square of a virtually empty room… one goblin at the far side (obstructed against missiles) will suffice, so the heroes cannot search and someone MUST step in it. The player who steps in the trap looses one body point and unbeknownst to the players is imprisoned in a cage (of silence) and immediately replaced by the Doppelganger.

I would like play to continue for an extended period of time, several rooms, then have the doppelganger begin attacking at the most opportune time.

I'm thinking that I will quite publicly pull the player aside (when... I'm not sure) and have a very private conversation with them. Explain that the player is safely locked in a cage and trying to escape. Their movement rolls as the doppleganger will double as escape / lock pick attempts (beginning after 3 turns). When the character emerges from the pit, he will be controlled by Zargon (stalking the party on the most direct route) and represented by the Chaos Sorcerer. Once within a few spaces you explain that it appears to be PLAYER X. Ideally the Doppelganger has begun his attack before this moment… or not. When the doppelganger is killed it transforms into a grey skinned featureless monster.

The player controls the doppelganger until it is killed. A key phrase like "what are you waiting for? Are you going to attack?" will be a signal that the player should attack the other players.

So two quests later, the doppleganger was just a setup… Zargon plays the same mechanic again, merely to cause confusion. So when Zargon pulls the next person aside and tells them… "it was just an empty pit." And even better when I say "What are you waiting for? Are you going to attack?" but says it to the pit victim player on the cursed player's turn (apparently a mistake as Zargon)… now thinking the other character is a Doppelganger! Which is what the cursed object wants. Zargon can even begin a sorcerer marching from the pit (but it's actually nothing)!

So I'm just brainstorming the Doppelganger mechanic. I don't have to tell the player anything IF the doppelganger simply reproduces the character's current physical condition and spells if any. This seems best? Then when Zargon wants the fight to begin he just holds a private conversation and the fighting starts?

If the Doppelganger cannot copy everything the player could do, then you need to tell that player right away. And the player will need to make excuses for not using their special powers. Then how do you disguise the alternate dice? etc. Dice must be the same?

Thoughts?

[cynthialee]

I have used them only in RPG settings, not a Hero Quest game. But I think one could handle them the same as I did.

When a hero interacts with a doppelganger if it is in a one on one situation I pull the player and the dice to a private area and play out the combat. If the monster wins it assumes the form of the hero.
I inform the player that they must now play the monster and if they can successfully kill off and replace the other heroes I will reward their next Hero with a free upgrade of some sort. Now for TT AD&D it was simple, I offered an extra level or a minor magic item. In HeroQuest I guess the best way to offer reward would be an artifact or say 500+ gold coins to equip with prior to play.
When the player played doppelganger isolates a hero I pull the two players and the combat dice to the side and play it out without the other players knowing what happens. The second player of course is walking into a trap and is likely to die as there will be a second doppelganger waiting. Then the two doppelgangers rejoin the party and attempt to lure one of the remaining heroes away from the group. When that happens the two monsters kill the hero and replace him, they show back up to the remaining heroes and they make excuses for why one of the heroes has died.
The best one was when I had 4 player-characters turned into doppelgangers and the four returned to the one remaining hero and when they saw him they just started to laugh with a wicked intention...My brother in law Luis was the last man standing and his face got really scared and serious. "Let me guess...I am dead?" I answered, "I think so....I doubt that this pack of four doppelgangers will let you live." Then his wife, my sister, picked up a dice and grinned wicked then said "Initiative roll".
We didn't roll it out, Louis knew the score.
He was the only one who was not rewarded a free level when new characters were written up. lol

Another good way to use them is to just shift into the form of one of the party and go into battle. If the other heroes try and involve themselves I rule there is a 50/50 chance they will hit their friend if they join the melee. There is no way to tell the difference between the two by sight, and taking the time to figure out who is who based on actions can be difficult.
Probably the best way to tell them apart is to incapacitate them both some how and then do a question session and figure it out.

[Anderas]

Hahaha i like the idea of involving the hero players into zorgan's scheme! Super; thank you for these ideas!

[Goblin-King]

Something a little more simple could be to give the player a handout:

Your hero has been replaced by a doppelganger!!!
You still have all your equipment and can do anything you normally could; move fight, search...
However anytime you start your turn in a room with exactly one other player you must attack him.
You are forbidden from mentioning or alluding to the other players that you are in fact a doppelganger.
This effect lasts until the Evil Wizard Player declares it has ended.

[whitebeard]

Hi Cyn,

Great ideas. If I pull the private combat thing, the players will know something is up. I can get a strategically placed snack break and explain at that time.

I also plan to give the doppleganger the special ability to swap squares. So even the player does not know which mini they are. So no random chance... The hero either picks the right one, or not . When the swap happens (or not) it is explained that the two Heros tumble and fight and look identical.

I really like the idea of passing a card. I can randomly pass out blank cards from time to time.

[Goblin-King]

Slightly off-topic...

I'm preparing doppelganger models for the four standard heroes.
Dark grey colors with red glowing eyes...

I'm planning on making an event where one hero is duplicated (Mirror Maze quest pack).
The doppelganger will be an exact copy, from current BP to equipment to spells and potions.
From there it's basically a very strong monster...

I'm considering to allow for the immediately neutralization of the monster if the hero upon which it is based, moves straight up to it and DON'T attack.
(Like in original Prince of Persia)

[cynthialee]

I find Doppelgangers to be one of the most feared of the monsters. I rarely use them as they can panic the crew.
In our TT I have an even more dangerous shape shifter, they are called Morphs and they can do a hell of allot more than a doppelganger. They have complete control of all body cells and can reconfigure their body in split seconds. They not only can they appear as anything, they have the ability to attempt to 'morph away' from damage thus reducing damage rolls. Basically a dice roll is made and it indicates how many points of damage they can ignore from any blow as they moved the flesh away from the attack as it comes at them.

Morphs are a decent species for the most part, but there are villains amongst their numbers.
Doppelgangers are a xenophobic species bent on eliminating competition.
Doppelgangers and Morphs do not see eye to eye...The average Morph is probably worth 5 doppelgangers in combat.
Obviously Morph bad guys are third act monsters, approaching end game levels.

[Goblin-King]

According to my (fantasy) world view, shapeshifters and doppelgangers pose two different kinds of danger.
A shapeshifter is dangerous because it is highly adaptable; can change into anything or anybody.
Doppelgangers on the other hand are dangerous because they are a copy of a specific person. They have the same skill and knowledge as the person they are a copy of.
Being able to shapeshift doesn't necessarily make you a good fighter.
But being a doppelganger of one of the greatest heroes in the realm makes you a formidable foe, especially because you'd have no moral scruples about killing.
As powerful, skilled, clever and resourceful as you'd be, your doppelganger would be equally powerful, skilled, clever and resourceful.

[cynthialee]

Ahh yes the classic Doppelganger.
I have been using the Cursed Mirror of Doppelgangers for about 3 decades now.
The way I work this challenge is that first the mirror is unbreakable. {After the challenge the heroes may cover the mirror.}
The first hero who is reflected by the mirror has a double walk out of the mirror and attack the hero. If a second hero or more is present then their reflections will only come out of the mirror if a hero not the doubled hero attacks the image. When that happens and it always does, the heroes that attacked the first double have their doubles walk out of the mirror and get involved. It is fairly easy for smarter heroes to figure out which is the real hero and which is the double as the double is a mirror image.

If the mirror image kills their progenitor then then mirror copy assumes the life of the hero but the creature is evil and brings woe to the world until destroyed.

[Daedalus]

I was shocked to see that nobody has done this / posted about it before… search this forum for Doppelgänger and there is NOTHING. Actually there is one german reference for "Doppelgänger". Wow, and you don't even need a new miniature for this one!...

...I'm thinking that I will quite publicly pull the player aside (when... I'm not sure) and have a very private conversation with them. Explain that the player is safely locked in a cage and trying to escape. Their movement rolls as the doppleganger will double as escape / lock pick attempts (beginning after 3 turns)....

I found a few references in previous threads using the bolded misspelling in the search window (my reference has the same error), although none of them are nearly as complete as this thread.