So for my upcoming D&D campaign I was planning to play a Jekyll and Hyde type of character. I want the DM to just look at me whenever and tell me to roll for whatever stat involves willpower to switch personality or not. So which stat involves willpower?
1 Answer
Unless it's an "evil campaign", don't.
Simply put, unless the campaign is specifically designed to revolve around playing evil characters, and everyone else is on board with this, don't. The identity of "Hyde", in the original novel, was simply an excuse Jekyll used to act on his desires to do evil things. Unless everyone is planning on playing an evil campaign, a character that acts on impulse to indulge his desires is very disruptive.
That said, the stat that represents willpower in DnD 5e is Wisdom, which is why a lot of mind-altering magic allow for Wisdom saves. On page 237 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, it says that Wisdom checks are used for "perceptiveness and willpower", and on the next page, it says that Wisdom saves are used for "effects that charm, frighten, or otherwise assault your willpower". However, there are no mechanics for rolling your Wisdom to change between split personalities.
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2\$\begingroup\$ +1, but I think you’re going a little far here saying it has to be an evil campaign. So long as both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have valid, in-character reasons to stay with the party and generally act in the party’s interests, this doesn’t have to be disruptive. Even evil characters can be motivated to work alongside allies. The real key is to work out—as a group—what sort of behavior is and isn’t acceptable, and how each of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fit into that. After all, if you did have an all-evil campaign, a civil and moral doctor might be just as disruptive. \$\endgroup\$– KRyanCommented Apr 9, 2022 at 3:42
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3\$\begingroup\$ @KRyan I think the point is that Mr. Hyde is not merely evil but is unable to control his bestial urges, which is a big red flag for My Guy syndrome. \$\endgroup\$– richardbCommented Apr 9, 2022 at 13:39
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2\$\begingroup\$ @richardb In the book, sure, but I didn't get the impression that OP was looking to play precisely that character, just a character with a similar “flip-switching.” And a conversation with the group about what is acceptable is still the correct way to handle the situation no matter what was meant. \$\endgroup\$– KRyanCommented Apr 9, 2022 at 14:20