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I've always loved the idea of possession so I thought what if I made a character that's possessed by something. How can I pull this off without breaking AL rules?

My initial idea was to reskin the flavor text of the Warlock class. I don't know if this is allowed under AL rules however. The goal is for the character to be possessed by some other entity and for the entity to gain control over the character as they level.

For reference I've never played D&D before and am currently borrowing some materials from a coworker. I currently have the PHB, Volo's Guide to Monsters, and SCAG on hand.

I got my inspiration from a video game character detailed here and here and was trying to replicate it as closely as possible. (warning: it is pretty depressing)

Summary: (warning: still depressing)

the character is friends with some kind of spirit (unspecified) and find herself traumatized by certain events the spirit decides to help her in the worst way possible first by showing her illusions to make the world seem like a happy place and when that fails replacing her and sealing her away to "protect" her.

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    \$\begingroup\$ How thoroughly have you read the PHB's treatment of the Warlock class? Have you played a Warlock yet in D&D 5e and want to try something new, or are you trying to make the Warlock class fit a concept or idea that you have? Related questions are here and there \$\endgroup\$
    – KorvinStarmast
    Commented Feb 27, 2019 at 1:00

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A possessed character is already AL compliant

So long as you aren't expecting stat bonuses for gradually transforming, no AL rule is broken by saying that your warlock, for example, broke his pact and is stealing the power instead, causing the entity to gradually exert more control over the warlock until he's just a pawn of the entity.

This is difficult to do in the AL setting of game stores, with folks rotating in and out and not always caring about roleplaying that much, but especially with an AL legal group of friends this could work out very well.

That being said, you should talk to your DM about who is responsible for this second entity, and whether the entity would want to work with the party when it takes full control. If the entity is not willing to work with the party, be prepared to wave your character goodbye (at least for the current party/campaign).

You should also think about what happens when someone inevitably casts dispel evil and good, because of its explicitly possession-removing effect.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I read in the link below (can't format that link for the life of me) that the Monster Manual describes a method of possession demons who are bound in an object can possess someone who is unfortunate (or dumb enough) to break them out. rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/78514/… \$\endgroup\$
    – Mage in the Barrel
    Commented Feb 27, 2019 at 16:03
  • \$\begingroup\$ In AL, can you just say that you are possessed or does that have to happen in-session by the DM via an encounter? \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Commented Feb 27, 2019 at 16:16
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    \$\begingroup\$ @NautArch There's no rule against just a flavorful possession, so long as it doesn't change how the world interacts with you. For example, the possessing entity shouldn't give you immunity to possession from other monsters. \$\endgroup\$
    – Blake Steel
    Commented Feb 27, 2019 at 16:39
  • \$\begingroup\$ Gotcha, just making sure it is flavor and not mechanical to remove the concern you had about getting it removed. \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Commented Feb 27, 2019 at 16:42

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