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Doppelganger

Doppelganger

AX.GHW.13.07.05

An entity that exists in a stable non-human form but can assume perfect replicas of specific individuals. Unlike the Skinwalker, the Doppelganger is not human and was never human; it is a shapeshifting predator whose default strategy is impersonation rather than direct predation. It targets isolated individuals, studies them, assumes their form, and integrates into their life. What it does with that integration varies: some are pure predators replacing and consuming their targets, some are working toward a goal that requires a specific identity, some are simply comfortable in borrowed lives.

Type: Shapeshifter (Non-Human Mimic)

Threat Power Package: Standard

Size: Medium

Attributes

  • Body: 3D
  • Speed: 3D
  • Wit: 4D

Talents

  • Deceive: 4D
  • Notice: 3D
  • Brawl: 2D
  • Stealth: 2D
  • Resolve: 2D

Combat Statistics

  • Health: 33 (20 + Body 3 + Standard modifier 10)
  • Defense: 2 (Speed 3 = 1, +1 = 2)
  • Armor: None

Saves

  • Body Save: 3D (Body 3D)
  • Speed Save: 3D (Speed 3D)
  • Wit Save: 6D (Wit 4D + Resolve 2D)

Attacks

  • Composite Strike: Body 3D + Brawl 2D = 5D vs Defense, 3–4 damage typical; the Doppelganger fights with whatever the assumed form's physical characteristics suggest
  • Disorienting Shift: Once per scene as a Minor Action, the Doppelganger shifts to a form familiar to the target. Target must make Wit Save vs Threshold 3 or become Shaken for one Turn from the psychological impact

Shapeshifter Traits

  • Silver Vulnerability: +2 damage; silver breaks the assumed form momentarily. For one Turn after taking silver damage, the Doppelganger's current form flickers visibly, revealing grey-white underlayer.
  • Regeneration: Regains 1 HP per Turn; silver wounds do not regenerate

Special Abilities

  • Perfect Replica: After 24 hours of study (physical observation and access to the target's personal space), the Doppelganger can assume a specific individual's appearance, voice, and observable mannerisms with complete accuracy. At this level, detection requires: supernatural awareness (Psychic Sensitivity reads the predator underneath; True Seeing; Blood Sense Bloodline Read at Threshold 3), the silver-strike form flicker, or catching the Doppelganger in a gap in its studied knowledge.
  • Studied Memory: The Doppelganger does not have the original person's memories; it has studied their observable behavior. Questions about private experiences, specific memories, or knowledge the Doppelganger couldn't have obtained through observation will reveal gaps. A Wit + Notice roll vs Threshold 3 by a character who knows the original person well identifies these gaps; Threshold 2 for a character who knows them intimately.

Tactics

Doppelgangers avoid direct combat with extreme prejudice. They are impersonators, not fighters. When combat becomes unavoidable they use Disorienting Shift to buy time and attempt to escape; they are fast and their shifting capacity makes pursuit complicated. In scenarios where a Doppelganger has fully integrated into a group, its most dangerous capacity is the trust it has built: it knows the party's plans, their resources, and their relationships with each other.

Lore & Ecology

Doppelgangers are ambiguous in terms of origin. Some appear to be a distinct non-human species that has been present in the hidden world for centuries; others appear to be individuals from other categories who have developed extreme form-flexibility through means the Grimoire Compact has not fully documented. They are not Shadow entities, not fae (though some fae have comparable capacities) and not lineage-carrier humans. They occupy an uncertain taxonomic position that the Compact's Threat Classification division debates in its internal working documents.

Destruction

Silver through the heart in any form. The Doppelganger cannot regenerate silver wounds and does not have the physical resilience of a Werewolf or Alpha; it survives through avoidance, not durability. If silver is not available, sustained fire damage is effective.

Scene Materials

  • Evidence of the original target's fate (critical, finding the original person is often the priority)
  • Biological sample in true form (significant to Aldersham: $400–800)
  • Records of the Doppelganger's activities while impersonating the target