|
I'll be starting running Strange Aeons for my group soon, and I'll be implementing a modified Sanity System, since I think the one introduced in Horror Adventures is too harsh, and sort of unfitting. I feel like madnesses will be acquired too quickly, and I don't want that. So, here's what I've got:
Sanity Score and Edge are calculated exactly the same, but the big difference is the Sanity Threshold. I've changed it so that it is equal to the sum of all mental modifiers, as opposed to the highest.
I will be implementing something called a Fear Threshold as well, which is equal to the highest mental modifier, much like the original Sanity Threshold. For every point of sanity damage a character takes, they are afflicted by a level of fear (also introduced in Horror Adventures) equal to the amount of sanity damage taken past their Fear Threshold. For example, if their FT is 2, if they take 5 sanity damage, they suffer from the Scared affliction.
Similarly, if the amount of sanity damage exceeds their Sanity Threshold, they are confused for a number of rounds equal to the amount of points exceeding their threshold. Using the previous situation, if the character's ST is 4, then they will be confused for one round, as well as Scared. However, uncertain how long these fear affects should last.
Any thoughts on this? Too easy? Too unforgiving? Too complex?
Hi, Ultimagus!
I've started a campaign in theses boards that also uses the sanity and fear rules and much like you I tweaked them a bit, even if a little differently. In my game both the sanity and the fear have in general common triggers, but separated checks to allow bonuses against fear to take full effect (like bravery, or the haalfling racial bonus, etc).
There are two different triggers in my game: combat and social triggers.
- Combat: A save for each category is required whenever my players encounter a horrifying creature (generally aberrations, chaotic or evil outsiders, undead) for the first time... so the first time they fight a zombie, they need to check, but a second encounter would not incur such risk as their minds "slowly gets used to the horror surrounding them". The DC of both checks are 10 + CR of the creature (or 15 + CR in the case of truly horrifying creatures). In the case of a failure in the Fear check, they advance in the fear scale as normal, and a failure in the Sanity check they loose 1/2 the creature CR (rounded up) or 1/4 the creature CR (rounded down) on a success.
- Social: For social triggers, I created 3 different stages... 'Mild Horror/Fear' (Will DC 10) with 1 satiny damage on a failure; 'Standard Horror/Fear' (Will DC 15) with 1d3 sanity damage on a failure or 1 sanity damage on a success; and 'Strong Horror/Fear' (Will DC 20) with 1d6 sanity damage on a failure or 1d3 sanity damage on a success. The fear level increases by one in each case on a failed Fear check.
________________________________
On a comment of your system, I think that if you are worried about the effects of the sanity rules, the correct way to do it would be decreasing the damage of each occurrence, and not increasing the threshold. The Sanity Threshold is not like a DR for sanity that decreases the damage you take... it just reduces the chance of an insanity, and to be honest the insanity is the 'fun part' of the system.
Increasing the Sanity Threshold could potentially eliminate any insanity, leaving the players with just a 'second hp' to keep track, although much more difficult to heal. Also, have in mind that if your game has a high point-buy (more than 15-20), many players will already be pretty resistant to insanity (like having an 18 in a mental score) so you'd need no changes at all.
About your fear rules, I think it would be better to make two separate saves instead of one, simply because they might have bonuses to will against fear effects. If you make the saves together, you can give the bonus to sanity as well (making these bonuses more relevant than they should be) or ignoring them (making them useless for the players who got it).
I also think that increasing more than one 'step' of fear might be problematic, since it could make the players get the shaken condition too often, and -2 to all rolls in the lower levels is HUGE.