Sanity

[Trifletraxor]

I do not like sanity as per the Cthulhu rules, but I do like the PCs having some reactions to new frightening and disturbing encounters.

My house rule is the following: If the GM deceids that an encounter is new and fightening/disturbing to a character, he has to succeed a roll POWx5 or become demoralized.

Anyone else who uses some modified or light sanity rules?

SGL.

[Simlasa]

I don't mind the COC sanity rules but we've have sometimes gone with the 'madness meter' from Unknown Armies... there's a lot of stuff in UA's rules I don't care for, but there are some really useful ideas as well.

[Atgxtg]

I think there is a difference between CoC's "Sanity Loss" for seeing things that are beyond human mind's ability to accept, and being scared out of your wits.
A "fright check" sort of thing, makes sense to me, just as long as it is applied reasonably. For instance, a modern person would probably be frightened by a charging wolf, while a veteran warrior from the middle ages either would be less frightened, or frightened, but still able to act effectively.

The POW roll seems alright to me, but I'd vary the multiplier, based on just how scary the threat is, and how experienced/brave the character is.

Pendragon's Valor roll system might be worth swiping for BRP to handle this. In Pendragon, whener a character faces some sort of frighting foe (or other scary event), he must make a Valor roll. The roll gets modifers based upon just how scary/danageous the foe is. A bear might mean a straight Valor roll (a trait generated with a 3d6 roll, but modfied by background, and can be raised or lowered during play), while a Wrym might be at -5 or -10 (on a d20 roll).

We could either swipe the trait, or convert it to a BRP skill, based off the POW roll, but improvable.

[Nightshade]

Yeah, honestly, because of the Lovecraft premise, Sanity lumps together fear and mind-shattering alieness in a way that isn't useful for general purposes. If I wanted to implement a fear system, I'd probably do something where you made POW rolls against a resistance value, and depending on how badly you failed or succeeded, I'd apply different effects (some of which might be accumlulative).

[Atgxtg]

Eek! A Mouse!

Probably not mind-shattering, unless you are the mouse.

[NickMiddleton]

Originally Posted by Trifletraxor

I do not like sanity as per the Cthulhu rules, but I do like the PCs having some reactions to new frightening and disturbing encounters.

My house rule is the following: If the GM deceids that an encounter is new and fightening/disturbing to a character, he has to succeed a roll POWx5 or become demoralized.

Anyone else who uses some modified or light sanity rules?

SGL.

I did, waaaay back in eighties, use the variant of SAN from the second Stormbringer Companion for a few games, which worked reasonably well. I've also used, with RQIII, a variant mechanic designed by Ben Monroe called "Stress" which is designed to do the sort of "mental collapse" one often sees in various horror films (which differs from the erosion of mental stability SAN depicts). Ben's mentioned that it may see print at some point.

The Blake's 7 RPG that the B7 fan-club did was basically a BRP variant and had an interesting variant on the SAN idea: a character accumulates stress points from stress inducing situations and as their accumulated stress level passes predetermined levels (multiples of their Will, a characteristic analogous to POW), they suffer increasing ill effects, until their Stress exceeds their Will times 5, at which point they suffer a Mental Breakdown. Drugs and therapies can reduce Stress.

Another possibility would be to rate how "shocking" something as a number and then make players make Pow vs. Shock value rolls on the Resistance table - if they succeed they are fine, if they fail they are "shocked" (GM determines severity of penalties and duration perhaps?) and a fumble gives them a specific problem? Just an off the cuff thought.

Cheers,

Nick Middleton

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by NickMiddleton

The Blake's 7 RPG that the B7 fan-club did was basically a BRP variant and had an interesting variant on the SAN idea: a character accumulates stress points from stress inducing situations and as their accumulated stress level passes predetermined levels (multiples of their Will, a characteristic analogous to POW), they suffer increasing ill effects, until their Stress exceeds their Will times 5, at which point they suffer a Mental Breakdown. Drugs and therapies can reduce Stress.

I don't suppose you have a copy of that still? BRP's "no frills" approach seems like a natural fit for B7's "no frills" setting. Probably a better match than using one of the pre-existing Sci-Fi RPGs.

[soltakss]

Use SAN for creepiness and prolonged shocks and it works really well. Imagine teenagers in a Haunted House, teenagers being chased by mass-murderers, teenagers hunted by mutants, teenagers .....

Using SAN for shock value works fairly well. Imagine turning up to see your doctor and finding him with his skin peeled off.

Using SAN to scare hardened adventurers doesn't really work that well. You see something big and dark covered in tattoos with a huge club and it ... "Oh, it's a troll, what cult is he in?" You see a beast-like creature, foul and covered with filth, with a powerful odour and it's coming closer to you ..."Oh, it's just a broo, we'll kill it!" You see a horned winged creature, taller than the tallest of men, the air is full of the smell of brimstone ..." Oh, it's just a demon, we'll kill it!"

It's like soldiers. Some come back with Post Traumatic Stress, something that can be modelled with SAN. Most don't as they get used to seeing things and it's only really extreme things that bother them.

[Enpeze]

Originally Posted by soltakss

It's like soldiers. Some come back with Post Traumatic Stress, something that can be modelled with SAN. Most don't as they get used to seeing things and it's only really extreme things that bother them.

In this respect the little house rule of Trifle does work well, IMO. Those soldiers which are are coming back stressed just didnt manage their POWx5 roll.

The CoC sanity model is quite good in simulating the specific horrors of the lovecraftian (or any similar) setting. But I dont think its an universally usable BRP mechanic.

[Simlasa]

Originally Posted by soltakss

It's like soldiers. Some come back with Post Traumatic Stress, something that can be modelled with SAN. Most don't as they get used to seeing things and it's only really extreme things that bother them.

UA's 'madness meter' covers that sort of thing really well... you either start to go nuts in the face of the horrible, or you start to get 'hardened' and slowly lose your humanity.

I misinterpreted the original post though... as I thought it was wanting a replacement for sanity in COC... rather than looking for a fear mechanic for non-horror settings.
Though combat/war usually is a kind of horror of it's own... just ask Colonel Kurtz.