TLDR: A lot of the responses here seem to be song and dance routines to achieve the same effect. It is far simpler to let doppelgangers imitate clothing, too. DM's do not need to orchestrate full musicals to achieve the same ends.
Honestly, I'd probably do a bunch more to make them actually work properly. For example, here's a much better set of traits and actions for terrifying PCs with evil mimics.
Trait: Deceptive Surprise: the doppelganger may achieve surprise with Deception (vs Insight) instead of Stealth (vs Perception), as long as it is in a form the PCs would not expect to be hostile.
Trait: Mirror Image: if a creature deceived by a doppelganger tries to target either the doppelganger or the creature the doppelganger is imitating, roll a d20. On 1-10, target the wrong creature.
Trait: Sneak Attack: the doppelganger has 3d6 sneak attack (as a rogue), and its natural weapons count as finesse. This replaces Surprise Attack.
Bonus Action: Change Shape: the doppelganger changes its shape into a small or medium humanoid it is familiar with. As part of this action, it may use Mimic Gear and make a Deception check. The doppelganger has advantage on melee attacks against the creature whose form it is in.
Bonus Action: Mimic Gear: the doppelganger can create cosmetic replicas of mundane items out of its tissue (these do not provide any bonuses).
A doppelgänger is going to know the limitations of its own transformation and adjust accordingly. It is not going to wear a flamboyant and easily recognisable set of armour - if is going to wear clothing that blends into its surroundings.
Imagine you are chasing a man down the street wearing something relatively generic - a plain white button down and khakis, or something similarly generic for the environment you are in. Without you noticing, they transform into someone who looks completely different - different hair, different skin colour, different gait, etc. You pass them on the street and your mind likely will not even register they’re the same clothing due to the major difference in every other feature.
In game, you can add to this effect by throwing in other NPCs wearing similar clothing. Could lead to some interesting moments when the party starts tracking someone just trying to get home from work, having confused that person for their target.
Fine in a big city, but in the wilderness? Or even a small town or neighbourhood where everyone knows everyone? And your bottom line there is going the opposite way, having the other NPC's conveniently dressing like the doppelganger. This whole limitation on them is just adding additional challenge to the DM, but the DM has unlimited power. The DM can indeed have everything so conveniently yet inexplicably done, but then, why not simply let doppelgangers be doppelgangers and let them mimic clothing too?
I see that a lot like saying, “yes, the artic fox’s white coat is great at hiding in snowy lands, but what about in the jungle?
There are good reasons to put this limitation on doppelgängers - it gives the party the ability to actually identify the creature using various checks. A DM, of course, is welcome to change things as they see fit, but, personally, I think RAW leads to better gameplay outcomes.
In 4e, it sounds like they realized the clothing thing to be an oversight so came up with the 'higher level' version, rather than admit their oversight.
Nah, it's because they expected the higher level versions to function differently. A level 3 doppelganger sneak is just the spy you have to find. A level 11 doppelganger infiltrator is the monster where you expect it to use its abilities in combat.
Pardon, but what in blazes does illusory clothing have to do with combat? Originally, they were scary because they could easily literally 'replace' people. Or sow confusion by there suddenly being two of a person there. If they cannot replicate clothing then they do what? Run in naked and steal the clothing of the person they plan to imitate? Conveniently have similar enough clothing that.. has to fit them and that they have to change into?
Their main ability is massively hampered if you start tossing in such limitations.
Taking a 'humanoid form' IMO doesn't include clothes unless it specifically says that it does. Clothes are not naturally part of a humanoid. Though maybe older editions interpreted rules differently, going by the 5E nature of 'abilities only do what they say they do' I'd be inclined to say no here.
If two people are wearing a horse costume, are they still appearing humanoid? Clothing is part of appearance and they change their appearance. They literally re-work their flesh. They can simulate the appearance of scales of a dragonborn or lizardfolk but cannot simulate worn leather armour?
Do dopplegangers have to strip naked to transform? If not, what happens to the clothing when they change into a form with a larger build? Do they run around naked until they find new, more appropriately sized clothing?
How, exactly, does this work in practice?
To me 'humanoid appearance' reflects only the body, not the clothing. They can change their body but not external things like clothes. That's how it reads to me anyway. Whether this is better or worse for how to use them in practice is a separate question , but that's how 'humanoid appearance' reads to me, and it feels like they would have specified they could alter their clothes if they could. The humanoid appearance is their body not what they're wearing.
That seems like a lot of brute force power expansion when only the last is really needed. The second to last, if implemented, should also function against friends and acquaintances of the person mimic'd, but not sure why that would need to be a labelled action. It implies that someone using normal disguise kit proficiency and the deception skill could not achieve the same thing, simply because that is not specifically listed. Or that the only way to get advantage is specifically stated methods, despite the rules clearly saying that advantage and disadvantage can be given any time at the DM's discretion.
Deceptive Surprise and Mirror Image should probably be universal rules, but they aren't, and personally I find that spelling things out rather than requiring the DM to come up with a fair ruling on the fly speeds things up; YMMV.
Doppelgangers typically maintain their identity rather than switching to hide, but cast off and throw on cloths are easy to prepare, a creature intending to do so wouldn't really struggle to work around it. The easy way is illusion, prestidigitation, Glamor armor and cloak of fashion.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Honestly, I'd probably do a bunch more to make them actually work properly. For example, here's a much better set of traits and actions for terrifying PCs with evil mimics.
I see that a lot like saying, “yes, the artic fox’s white coat is great at hiding in snowy lands, but what about in the jungle?
There are good reasons to put this limitation on doppelgängers - it gives the party the ability to actually identify the creature using various checks. A DM, of course, is welcome to change things as they see fit, but, personally, I think RAW leads to better gameplay outcomes.
To me 'humanoid appearance' reflects only the body, not the clothing. They can change their body but not external things like clothes. That's how it reads to me anyway. Whether this is better or worse for how to use them in practice is a separate question , but that's how 'humanoid appearance' reads to me, and it feels like they would have specified they could alter their clothes if they could. The humanoid appearance is their body not what they're wearing.
Deceptive Surprise and Mirror Image should probably be universal rules, but they aren't, and personally I find that spelling things out rather than requiring the DM to come up with a fair ruling on the fly speeds things up; YMMV.
Doppelgangers typically maintain their identity rather than switching to hide, but cast off and throw on cloths are easy to prepare, a creature intending to do so wouldn't really struggle to work around it. The easy way is illusion, prestidigitation, Glamor armor and cloak of fashion.