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Hold onto your d6’s, because ‘Turn of Fortune’s Wheel’—an adventure set in the Planescape setting ofDungeons & Dragons—unveiled a brand-new twist on character creation. Instead of one singular player character, you’ll now be making three ‘glitched ones’ that’ll appear throughout the adventure.
Each ‘glitch’ might have a different appearance, background, class or even species—but despite everything, it’s still you. If this already sounds confusing, the rabbit hole goes even deeper with a reincarnation mechanic and a seven-level jump in the adventure that involves all three ‘versions’. But don’t fret; this guide aims to demystify the process of building and running “glitched” characters for players and DMs alike.
What Is A Glitch Character?
In the D&D 5E adventure ‘Turn of Fortune’s Wheel’, your player character has gotten themselves caught up in something much bigger than themselves.
The character has become something thatthe multiverse cannot make senseof—for reasons that will be explained in the later parts of the adventure. As such, each time you die, your character isreplaced with a “glitched” versionof themselves.
A glitch character comprisesthree different incarnationsof the same character. The difference between each incarnation can range from somethingas small as eye color or hairstyleto something thatcompletely changes the character, such as yoursubclass, class, or even species.
Imagine the other versions of your character asoriginating from alternate realities, where any number of things can beidentical or differentfrom your own universe.
Reincarnating As A Glitch Character
If you’re playing ‘Turn of Fortune’s Wheel’, you’ll quickly become familiar with thereincarnation mechanic of the adventure. Here’s the rundown:
Glitch Character Nexus Features
Because reincarnations might not alwaysrespawn near the party, and because they might lookcompletely differentfrom their previous incarnations, it’s important to have at least onedefining featurefor the party to recognize them by.
Nexus features are characteristics that stay constant between all three incarnations of the character.
These Nexus features can be aphysical trait, such as a scar or a birthmark, oran object or prized belonging, such as a family heirloom or childhood trinket.
How To Build A Glitch Character
Now that you know exactlywhat a glitch character is, how do you go about starting to build one?
Here are some questions you can consider whenbuilding your character and their incarnations.
This list assumes that you’d prefer to have each incarnationcarry narrative significance. If you and your table would prefer the incarnations tovary in smaller ways, much of this list might not apply.
Tips For Playing A Glitch Character
The concept of glitch characters lets you delve deep intothe alternate realities of a single character. When taken advantage of, it can be a thrilling exploration ofdestiny, choices,and the intertwiningpaths of the multiverse.
Here are some tips to help you get the most out of this unique mechanic throughout your journey, toweave a compelling storyandform memorable bondsbetween both your party and your incarnations.
Tips For Running A Campaign With Glitch Characters
For most DMs, this multiversal-reincarnation stuff is all new territory. Here are some tips to ensure youradventure proceeds smoothlyand that all your players have a good time.
You know your table better than we do (probably!), so treat the following as a list of loose suggestions. If you’re certain your table would enjoy another playstyle, then that’s the way to go!
Things To Decide With Your Table Before The Campaign
As you might imagine, there are a ton ofnew mechanicsto running a campaign withreincarnations and multiverses. ‘Turn of Fortune’s Wheel’ is, unfortunately, not entirely clear about some of them, which mightpose a problem for crunchier groups.
Here are some variables you may want todecide with the tablebefore starting the adventure.
