In the Eye of the Beholder [D&D 5E]

[Dormouse]

You find the first letter on the floor of your room; someone must have slid it under the door during the night. It is sealed with plain wax that bears no identifying marks. It reads:

I know what happened to you. I can give you what you most desire: revenge upon those who ruined your life.

Some years ago, you experienced a terrible misfortune. Your parents might have died in suspicious circumstances; or your business might have burned to the ground; or you might have been framed for a crime you did not commit and were sentenced to years of imprisonment.

The next morning, you receive a second letter:

Those who ruined you are part of a shadowy conspiracy. They call the highest offices of Baldur’s Gate their home. Parliament. The patriars. Clergy. Guildmasters. As you are now, they are untouchable. They may as well be gods.

I can help you. I can give you the means to uncover their deceptions, bring to light their names and crimes. But first there is something you must do. Discard all remnants of this, your former life. Burn, break, and bury all possessions that might identify you. You will be reborn.

I will write to you again when this is done.

You gaze about at your dismal residence, your meagre possessions. And you know what you must do.

On the third morning, there is a letter by the door and a heavy book atop a table.

Well done. Now begins your quest. Study the book. Decide on an act you will perform. In three days time, go to the side entrance of the Eye of the Beholder theatre at Brambles Street in the Lower City. All will be ready for you.

With Kindest Regards,

Your Patron

The book is a treatise on performance art, covering everything from singing and dancing, to acting and writing, to acrobatics and other feats of strength and dexterity, to erotic arts. This knowledge floods your mind and burns its way into your subconscious, and you find you can remember each page with crystal clarity. And that is not the only change. You feel stronger and lighter on your feet, capable of performing rigorous routines that before now you could only have dreamt of doing. It is as if both your mind and body have received years of training in only a few hours.

Three days later, you arrive at the Eye of the Beholder. It is modest looking from the outside, but inside it is like a different world. Everything is luxurious, opulent. It is a theatre where only the most elite performers appear on stage before an audience composed of the wealthy, powerful, and famous.

The staff are expecting you and show you to a dressing room backstage, where there is a wooden chest waiting for you. Inside are costumes, instruments, and other things you might need for a performance. Also waiting for you is a letter:

Outside, in the hallway, there is a cabinet. Place the book inside it and close the doors. We will use the cabinet to communicate. You may write a letter to me and place it in the cabinet; and I will read it and answer. If the music box on the sideboard is open you will know there is a message waiting for you.

Time to make your mark.

With Kindest Regards,

Your Patron

A stagehand knocks on the door and says the owners are ready for you.

The stage awaits.



Welcome, adventurer. I’m glad you could make it to your debut. But before you take the stage, there are some things you should know.

This is a D&D 5E game for 3 to 5 players, starting at level 2. Each of you has, at some point in your past, had your life ruined. Recently, a mysterious person calling themselves the Patron has sent letters informing you that this was no accident, that it was the work of a group of conspirators. And the Patron knows of a way to take revenge.

The book they sent you has given you vast knowledge about performance arts. The Patron has arranged for you to audition at the Eye of the Beholder theatre, where you will perform on stage. As your skills and reputation grow, you will have the opportunity to mingle with the wealthy, powerful, and famous; and to discover their secrets. For you will be invited to private performances and social functions where you may search for evidence, either then or at a later time (think of this as something like Mission: Impossible where you have to recover an objective from a guarded location).

This is a roleplay-heavy, character and story focused campaign. I recommend that your characters have a balance of out-of-combat and in-combat abilities. However, you should play the character you want to play.

Expected posting rate is 3 to 4 DM updates per week, 2 to 3 on the weekdays and one over the weekend.

For more information about the campaign, including how to join, please have a look at the Worldbuilding Thread. Recruitment will remain open for one week, until next Monday. I will choose the party on Tuesday, provided there are enough applications. I currently have one player who is interested in playing a halfling bard, and am looking to add up to 4 additional players.

Please ask general questions here. More specific questions may be asked in PM. Thank you for reading and I'm looking forward to seeing some creative characters!

[RedPhoenix]

*makes ooooooooooh noise*

Hi Dormouse! Very interested! I have a character I've been toying with for a bit and I think she might work out great for this!

    Class and race : Alize Cloudborn, Half-Elf Cleric (Arcana)
    Gender and orientation : Cisfemale, Omni
    Personality, including any particular quirks : An idealistic bookworm, constantly quoting old texts.
    History, including what misfortune you encountered : (brief summary)

Alize was born on a private mansion in a demi-plane carved from the elemental plane of air, a place where a great elf wizard Vicaryn had chosen to keep as his private sanctum some centuries ago. He returned only to Baldur's Gate to partake in his place as one of the long serving members of the council, and then would return to his little demi-plane, communicating from there by use of magical means to keep his various schemes and plots on the surface world in order. Transport between the realms is through a stone circular portal that Vicaryn established in his residence in Baldur's Gate.

Vicaryn keeps a large serving staff and every few years his chief seneschal will hire more. Entire families have lived their lives in his private grounds taking care of his fantastic animals, caring for his immense libraries, polishing his magical implements, performing lesser magics to keep the forces of Air at bay, traveling to various prime worlds to buy sundries and entertainment, and tending the shrine to the Mystara. Those who have children name them Cloudborn. While the wizard is generally a mix of absent and benevolent at least to those who serve him, he is prone to outbursts of passion that can sometimes greatly destabilize the lives of his servants.

Alize learned to keep away from him. He seemed to always have a dislike of her, whereas he mostly ignored other children. Alize lost herself in the books and the shrine. Her devotion to knowledge impressed the cleric who tended it, a kindly elf man named Cirrus, himself a Cloudborn, and she was raised as an acolyte of Mystara. She displayed great adept for magic and mundane learning and spent most of her formative years curled up with a book or practicing spells. It was thanks to his advice that she never left the demi-plane without the tools of the trade she would need in case something went wrong. This would end up saving her life.
 
To this day Alize doesn't quite know what happened that caused her to end up in her current predicament. Her father often took her down to Baldur's Gate one day to purchase supplies he would need for his work as one of Vicaryn's stablemasters. While there he met with some people and had whispered conversations. Alize never thought much of it. Naive to politics she did not realize her father was conspiring to deprive the wizard of his political power.

One day when they were returning to the portal Alize noticed the portal's magic shifting. This caused her to pause long enough to study it for a moment before she could call out a warning to her father. Before she could do anything, he screamed as she saw the portal opening not into the peaceful sky, but a plane of pure fire. She leaped back and avoided the scorching heat but it was too late for dad. Devastated, she fled from the area to the one place she might feel safe, Mystara's Temple. She was there for quite some time, huddling in her room, barely eating, wondering what could have possibly happened to have caused her life to be so disrupted. She knew she could not go back, that the fiery death had been meant for both of them, and she hoped that the wizard would not bother to scry for her, or that she would be hidden by the Temple's magics.

Thoughts of revenge were not in her head when her mysterious benefactor first approached her, merely survival. She is skeptical that anyone could truly challenge such a powerful wizard. But she knew she could not hide in the Temple forever. And the thought of justice for her father, and the need to find the fate of her mother burned in her as strongly as her love for Mystara. So with reluctance she set aside the puzzle boxes, the special robes, the other things she had taken from the temple, hiding them in the libraries where she assumed they would be discarded if found, and made her way to start the rest of her life.


    What act you performed at your audition : I like the idea of her being a burlesque satirist, having magically gained confidence and knowledge of the local political scene through the magic invitation
    Future acts you plan to perform on stage : Anything involving plays or productions
    Link to your Ons and Offs; or a brief summary of your Ons and Offs : Linky

[Geeklet]

I've been itching for a D&D game, and not only does this seem like an interesting premise, but it has garnered Red's attention, so I know it is something I should look at as well.

I am curious though, how would sideshow type acts fit into this game, if at all? Fire juggling, sword swallowing, etc?

[Ixy]

Thank you for posting this thread.  It sounds like a fantastic idea.

Here's the pitch-- and forgive me, I'm still inexperienced with 5e.

Name: Mara Keele
Class and race: Human Fighter
Gender and orientation: Female bisexual
Personality: Awkwardly friendly, uncomfortable about her height and 'standing out,' and eager for companionship after initial defensiveness.  Beneath the surface, she harbors resentment, insecurity, and repressed rage.
History: Daughter of a royal swordsmith, Mara was born into comfortable wealth and educated in both schooling and crafting early.  Her father and mother somehow became entangled in a dangerous conflict with either a business rival or a jealous, would-be suitor for her mother's bed, resulting in the defamation of her father, his implication in illegal contracts with rival powers, and his subsequent incarceration and death in prison. Though too young to understand the full gamut of her mother's efforts, the girl was unaware of their dwindling fortunes until her teens, when she became grimly aware that her mother was becoming sick over the years.  Mara lacked her father's skill at swordcraft, but managed to apply enough of his teachings that, with minimal help from sympathetic family friends, she became a mediocre blacksmith and kept her mother cared for until her recent death-- yet her mother's ramblings hinted that she had done more than sell possessions to keep them in their home over the years, and that both she and Mara's father had been deeply betrayed.
Her Act: On stage, she performs a combination of feats for variety.  Exaggerated feats of performance involving throwing knives, bow and arrow, or crossbow bolts and a live "assistant" are the most dangerous-- and greatly received, especially because they're amped up by the sexual overtones of performing in scant clothing (and less) with a lovely young woman of vastly contrasting body-type to her own.  In other performances, she engages in feats of strength-- of course, leverage is the key here, not magic or her own truly superior strength, because it's not that they actually care if she's lifting incredibly heavy stones or simply cast-clay over sand and wood-- it's that she flexes every muscle in her body (not overly muscled, but quite well defined) while coated in coconut oil, and emits sounds of extreme effort.  Still in others, she'll perform in acts of "wrestling exhibition," if she can find a willing partner to fake the whole charade with her.  And... she's not above the occasional strip-tease as a backup partner.  Variety is the spice of life.
Ons and Offs: In case I haven't updated it... I like confidence, detail, all genders, light pain, detailed description, memorable characters, light pain/bondage, spanking, realism, safe sex (yay night tea), multiple partners, fluids but not waste.  Watersports is ok but go easy with the details, light injury is okay, violence before/after but not sexually except some tussling scratching and biting.  I prefer realistic body types and details either slender or curvy or cut, but not non-hentai type shit.  Tentacles had better as hell have a person attached and not be 12 posts of squick squick.  Coercion and even a little non-con as long as it's as part of the story not someone's misogynist objectification fantasy.  Whew.  There's more, just ask if it comes up.

[Brittlby]

I’ll submit a warlock concept shortly. This looks like a lot of fun!

[Dormouse]

RedPhoenix: Hi Red! Very interesting character. For everyone who is planning some form of political commentary or lampooning, I'll try to have a list of major NPCs and some information about them posted by the weekend.

Geeklet: Sideshow acts would fit in very well. I had many different inspirations for this game, including cabaret, vaudeville, burlesque (old and modern), theatre/plays, and talent shows like the 'x Country's Got Talent'. So anything that would fit in a variety show, basically.

Ixy: Very nice character. I had not thought of wrestling at all, and that's a great idea.

Brittlby: Looking forward to it!

[Geeklet]

Alright, when I have a bit more time, I shall work on a character. Been looking for something to use this as inspiration for!

[Chulanowa]

neat, i'm in!

[RedPhoenix]

PM'd my character sheet! (^^)

[HalfTime]

This looks very interesting, I don't have much experience with 5e but I've been wanting to play more of it. I'm working on a rogue as we speak!

[Dormouse]

Geeklet, Chulanowa, Halftime: interested to know more about your characters.

I just realized I'd forgotten something really important: stage names! Each performer at the Eye of the Beholder has a stage name. It can be as simple, elaborate, or ridiculous as you want. In addition to being your professional name, it will serve as your cover identity as you navigate Balduran society.

[Guancyto]

Oh man, this is intriguing. I'll have some manner of character up when I get off work.

[Brittlby]

Name: Millicent Stokes, Margolynn Chambers, Kimber Buckley, Adelaide Meeks, etc. currently goes by Brigitte Noone Cuccioli
Stage name: Tuesday Knight
Race/Class/Gender/Orientation: Human/Warlock/Female/Lesbian by preference (Omnisexual by vocation)

Personality:

An illusionist of the highest caliber, she delights in manipulation and pleasing lies, deception is the very air she breathes. After decades under masks, she has a very unusual sense of self. But she readily fills in the gaps with fresh lies.

She was a lover of epic poetry, grandiose opera and interpretive dance even before the gift of the Patron. That said, her knowledge on these subjects is broad but superficial. She embraces her shallow understanding of the arts, very much like Herotodus, retooling history and legend to suit the ebb and flow of a popular storyteller. Her histories are not 100 percent accurate, and her operatic performances tends to focus less on the intrigues of the original and more on violence and sensuality. She revels in exploitation, claiming that she is reproducing them for the common man.

Capricious by nature, Millicent falls in love easily and with a pure intensity that is as sincere as it is dangerous. Woe to the woman who spurns her affections. Those she can not beguile with her charm, she will manipulate and when that fails, often blackmail and threats are brought to bear. Her obsessions burn brightly and fierce but briefly, often losing interest in her paramours.

History:

Millicent found that when you are born into a cult, you are always the last to discover that you are in a cult. The word “cult” has such negative connotations, painting a mental picture of long robes, human sacrifice and burning the enemies of your flock! But to Millicent, it had been family, friends and a way of life.

Admittedly she was not Millicent back then, but it had been so many years and faces ago she was hard pressed to remember her birth name. What she DID remember was that as a rule they didn’t wear robes often. In fact they wore very little, almost as a rule. And the only sacrifice she recalled was occasionally burning holy incense. Most importantly, one of their main tenants was that they never lay a finger on their “enemies”. Violence was a weapon of last resort, because a clever tongue and whispered word could topple kingdoms.

That wasn’t to say there were not rituals of an unsettling nature to outsiders, but it was all between consenting adults and fiends. Case in point, as one of the “favored”, she had caught the eye of one of their “guests”. She said she liked Millicent’s face and asked if she might like to trade. Flattered, she accepted the honor. Admittedly... the ceremonial exchange was NOT bloodless, but as with the agony of childbirth, the human mind is adept at budding out the sharper edges of painful memories. And decades later, she would make the same trade again, as she had never been partial to her bushy eyebrows and cherubic cheeks. Harder lines and higher cheekbones suited her.

Their Order hid beneath a mask of decadence, its adherents providing companionship and entertainment and comfort all in pursuit of secrets. Millicent Stokes was a couturier to wealthy nobles wives, while Margolynn Chambers was a saucy bordello worker who catered to refined clientele, while Adelaide Meeks was a messenger and dilettante who lurked in taverns reading maudlin poetry with political malcontents. They were all the same woman, and all shared the same goal... as a collector of secrets.

For two decades and a handful of loose years, she could measure the passage of time by Adelaide’s growing collection of books and the changes in popular fashion that guided Millicent. Margolynn found that the bordello was a static environment, moans and slapping flesh a soundtrack that never grew unpopular. She added a few dashes of grey and a hint of time creeping in to her disguises, but sometimes she would slum it as an apprentice in the dress shop or a fresh faced whore new to the brothel. She was doing the work of her Lady and despite the unconventional nature of it all, she was quite content.

Until the tragedy...

Millicent of Many Names called her own personal apocalypse by quite a few titles not fit to be repeated in friendly company. But the name her mother gave her was Nicolette Lemoyne. Nicolette was a delicately built creature who had the sort of deep green eyes that one could drown in. A tongue like a cat and skin of cream, her frizzy auburn hair gave her the look of a wide eyed innocent just cresting the summit of adulthood. Like Millicent’s face, it was a mask for a predator. Nicolette’s tongue was sharp and her appetites dangerous...

Millicent saw something of her younger self within the woman when she gazed at her and when she closed her eyes, she dreamed of putting something of her CURRENT self inside Nicolette. The scent and thought of her drove Millicent to madness and as weeks passed she used all of her favorite masks to try to discover some way into her heart. (And failing that, at least a path into her knickers.) But Nicolette was glacial...

A flawless sculpture of ice. Too perfect by far in fact, Millicent should have seen her for the honey trap that she was. Out maneuvered and out played at the game she practically invented, she grew sloppy and Nicolette stole more than her heart. She stole her notebook.

With the secrets of the wealthy elite at her disposal she rose quickly and viciously, blackmail through outside agents furthering her cause. All of Millicent’s best disguises were disgraced or hounded by tax collectors or riddled with scandals. If not for her ability to blend in, she would have been killed or placed in debtors prison a dozen times under seven different names. Licking her wounds, she retreated to a small tavern and made a new identity.

It is here that the Patron reached out to the new tapstress, Kimber Buckley, entreating her to burn what was left of her former life. She had applied the torch to seven other of her names this year... what could one more hurt?

Audition:

Her act brushes just at the edge of copyright infringement of the Valerian burlesque show. Utilizing her acrobatic skills and choreography in conjunction with her mask of many faces, she uses the magic not to alter her features but rather as a quick change parlor trick. She showcases both her the range of her knowledge of dance and tantalizes across a wide array of fetishes from scantily clad priestess to top heavy bar maid to barbarian beauty to girl next door.

Future Acts:

Epic poetry reading in a thousand voices with misty illusions accompanying the tales.

Bawdy dance numbers elevating tavern songs with her own brand of production value.

Opera for Drunkards, testing her vocal range in one woman Opera’s with considerably less clothing and more explosions than scholars of the subject might remember.

Link to your Ons and Offs:

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=9706.msg345746#msg345746

[Dormouse]

Guancyto: Will look forward to it.

Brittlby: Opera for Drunkards should be a national pastime. Very interesting character.

[Brittlby]

Guancyto: Will look forward to it.

Brittlby: Opera for Drunkards should be a national pastime. Very interesting character.

It’s called “Drunk History” and would have been a thing but for Lin-Manuel bitching out and not singing in his recount of Hamilton’s history! Lol

[Hamadryad]

Here is my character idea!

Name and Stage Name (each performer at the Eye has a stage name): Thiala aka Wildheart
Class and race: Wood Elf Ranger
Gender and orientation: Female, mostly heterosexual but with bisexual tendencies.
Personality, including any particular quirks:
Thiala's primary personality trait is her dedication and her love for her friends and those she holds dear. She is a warm personality even to people she doesn't even know, perhaps even to a fault. Though, due to her wild history she typically lacks most sophisticated mannerisms, sometimes coming off as rude or ignorant due to this. Her nickname is also aptly earned, living life as it comes to her and at the highest speed possible. She never stops for consideration and hesitation is a foreign concept to her, where her wild heart goes, she follows.
History, including what misfortune you encountered:
Thiala was born and lived in thick elven forests her entire life. She grew up amidst nature, and followed its rules and general way of life. She was always headstrong like the parents who bore her, and didn't shed even a tear when she left them to find her own way in the woods. She lived amongst animals and creatures of the forest, living off the land and finding her home wherever shelter would provide.

The she-elf has many stories she likes to reclal upon, though none warm her heart more than when she met her beloved, Aidan, a fellow elf of the forest. At first their relationship was a stark rivalry, though harshening conditions in the woods made them become allies out of necessity. Eventually, hearts played at hearts and a night of passion sparked their love. He became everything to her, and her everything to him. They did everything together, hunted, bathed, ate and slept. They even returned to the elven city together to solidify a marriage, and made plans on continuing their species through the making of children.

Though, as all good things come to an end, so did this. Her husband was killed by human invaders after a decade of marriage, and Thiala was left in shambles. She left the forest and found herself moving from town to town, drinking and fucking her sorrows away, trying to find a replacement for her husband where there was none. Such a decadent lifestyle made a permanent imprint on her, and followed her to Baldur's Gate.
What act you performed at your audition: Thiala performed what appeared to be a traditional elven dance, though unbeknown to the judges her monkey companion was stealing their posessions. After introducing the monkey into the act, she began to juggle the judge's possessions and perform a lewd and raunchy comedy show, doing dirty and irreverant acts with the stolen goods.
Future acts you plan to perform on stage: General beastmaster acts, performing animals and semi-staged fights against dangerous animals while wearing minimal clothing.
Link to your Ons and Offs; or a brief summary of your Ons and Offs:https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=277010.msg13609992#msg13609992 Here!

[Guancyto]

This is rooooough but I needed to be in bed hours ago D:

Name: Sharell Zenteno
Stage name: Five Eyes
Race/Class: Human Wizard (Diviner)
Gender/Orientation: Female mysterysexual (women and men are fun, sure, but what could be more pleasant than mystery?)

Personality: Sharp-tongued and more playful than would be strictly according to type, nonetheless a hard-boiled investigator who can be counted on to save the day, get the girl, and have them both ruined in the prologue of the next movie.

History: It was the middle of summer and hotter than an Amnish dancer's thighs. The flies were buzzing in thick clouds, stinging everything in reach like a mother-in-law slighted on her own nameday, and even the stray dogs were taking shelter so they wouldn't get eaten to the bones. Damned apropos, that's exactly what she was. She lit up the room the second she walked through the door, strawberry-blonde hair, expensive fur and legs for days. The legs said she was going to be trouble. The fur said she was going to be worth it. Actually the way she had her tongue between my legs inside of three minutes said she was going to be worth it. She said she didn't have anywhere else to go and that was definitely a lie, but it was one I was happy to indulge.

Even more so when she brought out a real puzzler. Living in an age of sorcery's nice when it fills your toolbox a hundred times over, but it also makes the impossible a little too easy. Locked room? Teleportation. Secret's got out? Scrying. Artifact missing out of the most magiced-up vault that's ever been? There's always a bigger fish.

On the other hand, poor little Artificer Crispin smashed to a pulp by his own golem out of the blue for no reason? Lot of reasons that couldn't happen, and one pulpy floor pizza reason why it could. The first thing I should've wondered was what the lady's connection to the good artificer was, but I was so caught up in having a real challenge that a lot of those important details fell through the cracks.

I could go on about how that one shook out, but what would be the point? We know the ending. I was about ready to decide if I was going to lay out some justice on the real culprit (the old golem switcheroo trick) or see how deep the rabbit-hole went, and all I needed was to get home and get a good night's sleep of it. 'Course, that's when I spotted Fists surrounding my home, passing around what looked like a golem control rod - the real golem didn't have a control rod and that was the point of it, but what about the fake? I knew a setup when I saw it and decided to take a quick vacation to the land of still having my head attached.

Then I got the book. Didn't even have my liquor on me. Burn everything? Easiest choice I ever made. Performing - playing somebody else's game - now that's going to be harder. But if this is what it takes to crack the case, there's not a force in the planes that'll stop me.

Audition: Sharell didn't need a magical book to teach her how to act, but performing a short tragedy while playing all of the parts and keeping them all straight and distinctive enough to appreciate the play as though it were five people on stage instead of one definitely required a little boost. Especially the knife-fight at the end.

Future Acts: A little private investigation and a little cold reading to become a mighty oracle! And proceeding to roast the poor audience volunteer, whether personally or while 'channeling the spirits.'

A dizzying array of card tricks and feats of legerdemain, spiced up by finding your coin in some very strange places indeed

Link to your Ons and Offs: https://elliquiy.com/forums/onsoffs.php?u=56325

[TheGlyphstone]

So this definitely looks interesting, but I'm not sure if the character I have in mind would be functional here - I'll do my best to summarize.

Henry Heid is an alchemist, who was looking for a way to alchemically purify his own mental and moral flaws. His experiments backfired and instead split his mind in two to create the pure and morally upstanding person he wanted to be alongside a sub-personality that calls itself Jackal, a distillation and fusion of all the desires and impulses he wanted to get rid of. Neither of them are happy with the situation and desperately search for a way to fix their predicament. For the purposes of this incarnation, they'd be convinced someone sabotaged Henry's experimental elixir and want revenge.

Mechanically I tend to favor a Human Barbarian(Berserker) chassis, with 'Rage' depicting the Jackal fully taking control to beat the crap out of bad guys. But this looks to be a very low-combat game, so is there a way to (mechanically or non-mechanically) reflect the two personalities being in control at different times? I've got a nice mental image of the two of them performing a one-man play together, switching back and forth to portray different parts - but everyone appears to be doing one-person plays, so I'd also need more than that to stand out.

[Dormouse]

I need to run, so some stuff will have to wait until tonight.

Hamadryad: Character looks good. I have a couple of questions about your act, will send a PM later.

Guancyto: At first I was like, omg purple prose. Then I realized what was going on, and a coworker came to my cubicle to see what was so funny.

TheGlyphstone: I think we could make your character work. I have a couple of ideas, will share them later.

[Dormouse]

Mechanically I tend to favor a Human Barbarian(Berserker) chassis, with 'Rage' depicting the Jackal fully taking control to beat the crap out of bad guys. But this looks to be a very low-combat game, so is there a way to (mechanically or non-mechanically) reflect the two personalities being in control at different times? I've got a nice mental image of the two of them performing a one-man play together, switching back and forth to portray different parts - but everyone appears to be doing one-person plays, so I'd also need more than that to stand out.

Ok, I've had a chance to think about this. Mechanically, barbarian rage seems like the best way to represent it. I will rule that rage also increases the amount you can lift and carry as if you were one size category larger, making feats of strength something you could use.

For combat, there probably won't be much at first. That could change later, but it depends on the decisions the PCs make. I can't predict what players will do, and it's entirely possible for clever players to wreck change my plans. I can only say that, as you learn the identities of your enemies and move against them, there is potential for more combat.

Quite a few are doing plays, but they each have their own take or spin on them. Maybe you could choose some genres, styles, or influences you enjoy and are interested in writing, and look at how you can incorporate your character's talents into those choices?

[TheGlyphstone]

I think the only mechanical issue then becomes that Rage ends immediately if you don't make an attack every turn, a limitation that doesn't go away until Persistent Rage becomes a feature at level 15. So either I get an (admittedly minor) class feature 13-14 levels early, or the only performance my rage-state half could do is combat demonstrations/exercises.

On the non-mechanical side, I just want to be able to portray both personalities more than 2/day, to make RP more dynamic and interesting. So if I do link Jackal and Rage directly, I don't want to hit a narrative pitfall of having him only be able to manifest during a rage, instead of (as envisioned) it's just when he has total dominance to the point of causing physical changes.

[Dormouse]

I think you could represent the Jackal with changes in voice, mannerisms, and expressions? Kind of like when Smeagol and Gollum are arguing in Return of the King?

[TheGlyphstone]

Yeah, that was the idea -a Smeagol/Gollum sort of situation.

[Ershin]

Ah, this sounds quite interesting. I had originally been thinking of a Circle of Spores druid whose fungal spores were a pheromone to make ensorcelled suitors willing to do her bidding for an hour rather than zombies when something dies in her aura (waaaay down the line should she hit 6th level), but then I noticed the Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica isn't on the approved sourcebook list. Ah well, back to the drawing board ~

Currently wondering if a fledgeling Arcane Trickster might be fun, or a dextrous, flexible performing Monk

[RedPhoenix]

I think the only mechanical issue then becomes that Rage ends immediately if you don't make an attack every turn, a limitation that doesn't go away until Persistent Rage becomes a feature at level 15. So either I get an (admittedly minor) class feature 13-14 levels early, or the only performance my rage-state half could do is combat demonstrations/exercises.

On the non-mechanical side, I just want to be able to portray both personalities more than 2/day, to make RP more dynamic and interesting. So if I do link Jackal and Rage directly, I don't want to hit a narrative pitfall of having him only be able to manifest during a rage, instead of (as envisioned) it's just when he has total dominance to the point of causing physical changes.

Have a stage assistant slap you or slap them during each part of the act. =]