Template: Broken Mind

Preface

I present to you a template for Disassociative Identity Disorder, D.I.D to your gaming table. I do not exist with this condition and find the psychology very interesting. It is my intention to honor those who live with this every day by giving them representation to the best of my ability within my understanding and gaming mechanics. If any of you, or someone you know, can better educate me I would greatly appreciate the chance to do things correctly.

For gaming purposes I have written this in the style I generally run (D&D 3.5) where possible I have made notes for adjusting backwards, or forwards, in the D&D rule set. This is designed as a general outline and is offered up to adjust to your game system if you so choose. 

Description

Some beings suffer traumas, be it in childhood, or through adventuring, that can break their psyche. When this happens, alters are born, sometimes with the host (herein called the base creature) being completely unaware. When the alter/ alters have control of the body, whole new abilities may manifest

Creating a Broken Mind Creature

“Broken Mind” is a template that can be inherited or added to any corporeal creature that is humanoid (referred to hereafter as the base creature).  Inherited: a player may add up to 3 alters *4 personalities* at GM’s discretion. Acquired: Add 1 alter max 3 appropriate to the triggering event that causes the mind to break.

A broken mind creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. 

Racial Traits: While an alter may consider itself part of a different race than the base creature this is not biologically true. All racial traits of the base creature remain regardless of the alter helming the body. The base creature may take on a more muscular appearance, lean, gain a sickly pallor, or other “minor” physical shift based on the alter but they will not change being completely.

Special Qualities: Trigger: Each alter has a specific trigger that will force that particular personality into control of the body. 

Ex: Ka’lon the Half-Elf Cleric (Base Creature) is an Inherited Broken Mind with 3 alters. Muk half-orc barbarian physical attack on the body will force this self into the light, Helvik High Elf Wizard Intellectual insults or 3 failures on a puzzle, and Eror Half-Elf Rogue overwhelming odds of death

As an added flare. Discuss with the GM about allowing for random Alter shifts be the rolls made by the GM. Ex: the player for Ka’lon numbers the alters 1-4 and the GM makes a 1D4 roll when appropriate and tells Ka’lon’s player the result to then take on the subsequent persona.

Abilities: When an alter is created, use the same 6 numbers in the base creature’s attributes, but move all of them around to fit the new identity. ability increases should be applied to the stats of the base creature, then appropriately adjusted on the subsequent ability of alters. E.G if the base creature rolled 15, 16, 18, 12, 14, 14 and the player increases one of the 14s each alter must increase a 14.

Hit Points: Same as base creature’s class(es) adjust up or down for alter only if con score changes
Class/Skills/ Feats: The alter, while using the same numeric value of the base creature’s ability scores re: above, has their own class, skills, and feats. Abilities, skills, and feats gained through this template only apply when that alter is in control. If an alter is a spell caster and is removed from control all spells immediately end. Barbarian alters lose their rage bonuses *still suffering the fatigue*, etc.

Template designed by Guy E. Hanington, Owner, Adventureawaitsttrpg LLC . Public Release date: 8-3-2025