Sanity

 

Sanity

Abominations from deep dimensions. Vile undead fiends. Knowledge that man was not meant to know. These are all things that can cause a normally well adjusted individual to lose their eggs. The following simple rules will assist in utilizing sanity in D&D games.

Characters start with a number of sanity points equal to five times their WIS. Whenever the character is exposed to something that could affect his sanity, roll 1d100 against their current sanity score. If the roll is equal to or less than the score, the player is fine. If he rolls over his score, he is affected as follows:

Missed roll by Effect (Condition Summary)

1-10 pts Stunned

11-20 pts Sickened

21-30 pts Nauseated

31-40 pts Shaken

40-50 pts Frightened

51-60 pts Panicked

61-70 pts Cowering

71-80 pts Paralyzed

81-90 pts Helpless

91-100 pts Dead (FORT DC 20 to avoid, becomes helpless)

Aberrations, Oozes and Undead make the Sanity roll more difficult for the character by adding a number of points onto the roll equal to their CR, minus the characters total level (i.e. a 5th lv character encounters a CR 8 undead, he adds 3 onto his roll). Characters must also make a SAN check whenever they roll to check the Forbidden Knowledge skill. The points added to the roll is 1/2 the DC being attempted.

Paladins and those that are immune to fear will still need to check to see if they are affected. However, the character gets a roll of 1d20 + ECL bonus vs a DC of 15. If this roll is successful they no not need to make a Sanity check.

When the character is completely out of SAN, she has gone completely off the deep end. The DM will pick one of the following insanity effects, based on what drove the character insane (lost their last point):

Autonomic Hyperactivity - Sweating, racing heart, dizziness, clammy hands, flushed or pallid face, rapid pulse and respiration even when at rest, and so on. All attack rolls, saves, and checks take a -2 penalty.

Bipolar Mood Disorder - The character oscillates between mood states, sometimes staying in one mood for weeks at a time, sometimes rapidly switching from one to another. It is also known as manic depressive disorder.

Compulsions - The character insists on performing ritual actions, such as touching a doorway at left, right, and top before passing through it. Though she may agree that the actions are senseless, the need to perform them is overpowering and may last for 1d10 rounds. Even in times of great stress, the character may ignore her survival in order to perform the actions.

Depression - Symptoms of this illness include changes in appetite, weight gain or loss, too much or too little sleep, persistent feeling of tiredness or sluggishness, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt, leading in severe cases to hallucinations, delusions, stupor, or thoughts of suicide. All attack rolls, saves, and checks take a -4 morale penalty. A predisposition to use alcohol or other mood-altering substances in an attempt at self-medication exists. A character suffering from severe chronic depression may give up virtually all effort from feelings of hopelessness - for example, deciding not to get out of bed for two years.

Dissociative Amnesia (Psychogenic Amnesia) - This is the inability to recall important personal information, brought on by a desire to avoid unpleasant memories. The character must make a DC 20 Will save to recall such details or the cause of the amnesia. Since the horror of evil creatures and disturbing truths is the probable cause of this amnesia, as an optional rule the GM may choose to reset the character’s Knowledge (forbidden lore) modifier to +0 and her maximum Sanity to 99 while this disorder holds sway: The horror returns only when the character’s memories do.

Dissociative Fugue - The character flees from home or work and cannot recall her past. Once the flight halts, the character will likely assume an entirely new identity.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder) - The character appears to harbor more than one personality, each of which is dominant at times and has its own distinct behavior, name, and even gender. The player needs to keep track of the character’s different personalities. (Each one has the same ability scores and game statistics, but different goals, outlooks, and attitudes.)

Expectations of Doom - Anxieties, worries, fears, and especially anticipations of misfortune. All attack rolls, saves, and checks take a -2 morale penalty.

Intermittent Explosive Disorder - The character is recognizably impulsive and aggressive, and at times gives way to uncontrollable rages that result in assault or destruction of property.

Mania - The character has a fairly constant euphoric or possibly irritable mood. Symptoms include a general increase in activity, talkativeness, increased self-esteem to the point of delusion, decreased need for sleep, being easily distracted, willingness for dangerous or imprudent activities such as reckless driving, delusions, hallucinations, and bizarre behavior. All attack rolls, saves, and checks take a -4 morale penalty A predisposition to use alcohol or other substances in an attempt at self-medication exists.

Motor Tension - Jitteriness, aches, twitches, restlessness, easily startled, easily fatigued, and so on. All attack rolls, Fortitude and Reflex saves, and all checks involving Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution take a -2 penalty.

Obsessions - The character cannot help thinking about an idea, image, or impulse incessantly, often involving violence and self-doubt. These ideas are frequently repugnant to the character, but they are so strong that during times of stress she may be unable to concentrate on anything else, even if doing so is necessary for her survival. Obsessive impulses can be very dangerous when combined with auditory hallucinations, since the “voices” may urge the character to take some dangerous or hostile course of action.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - This illness manifests in one of two main forms, obsessive thoughts or compulsive actions; some characters exhibit both.

Panic Disorder (Panic Attack) - This illness is marked by a discrete period of fear in which symptoms develop rapidly. Within minutes palpitation, sweating, trembling, and difficulty in breathing develop, strong enough that the victim fears immediate death or insanity. Burdened with the recurrence of these episodes, she fears their return.

Personality Disorders - These long-term disorders have almost constant effects on a character’s behavior, making it difficult for him to interact with others and often making him unpleasant to be around as well. This is an important point to keep in mind when roleplaying— few players want to spend time with another player character suffering from a personality disorder. In game terms, the character takes a -4 penalty on all Charisma based checks. In addition, the attitudes of NPCs the character encounters are shifted in a negative direction. When determining NPC attitudes, the player must make a Charisma check for the character. On a successful check, the attitude of the NPC in question shifts one step toward hostile; on a failed check, the attitude of the NPC in question shifts two steps toward hostile. Personality disorders are classified in the following categories:

» Antisocial - Short-sighted and reckless behavior, habitual liar, confrontational, fails to meet obligations (job, bills, relationships), disregards rights and feelings of others.

» Avoidant - Oversensitive to rejection, low self-esteem, socially withdrawn.

» Borderline - Rapid mood shifts, impulsive, unable to control temper, chronic boredom.

» Compulsive - Perfectionist, authoritarian, indecisive from fear of making mistakes, difficulty expressing emotions.

» Dependent - Lacks self-confidence; seeks another to look up to, follow, and subordinate herself to (“codependent”).

» Histrionic - Overly dramatic, craves attention and excitement, overreacts, displays temper tantrums, may threaten suicide if thwarted.

» Narcissistic - Exaggerated sense of self-importance, craves attention and admiration, considers others’ rights and feelings as of lesser importance.

» Passive-Aggressive - Procrastinator, stubborn, intentionally forgetful, deliberately inefficient. Sabotages own performance on a regular basis.

» Paranoid - Jealous, easily offended, suspicious, humorless, secretive, vigilant; exaggerates magnitude of offenses against oneself, refuses to accept blame.

» Schizoid - Emotionally cold, aloof, has few friends; indifferent to praise or criticism.

Phobia - A character afflicted by a phobia persistently fears a particular object or situation. She realizes that the fear is excessive and irrational, but the fear is disturbing enough that she avoids the stimulus. A DC 15 Will check is required for a character to be able to force herself into (or remain within) the presence of the object of her phobia, and even then the character takes a -2 morale penalty as long as the object of fear remains. In severe cases, the object of the phobia is imagined to be omnipresent, perhaps hidden—thus, someone with severe acrophobia (fear of heights) might be frightened when in an enclosed room on the upper story of a building, even if there were no window or other way to see how high up the room was. As many phobias exist as one cares to notice or name—the lists provided below cover merely some of the more common phobias that might affect d20 characters.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - After a traumatic event, the character begins to relive the trauma through persistent thoughts, dreams, and flashbacks. Correspondingly, the character loses interest in daily activities. She may return to normal once the memories have been thoroughly explored and understood, but that process may take years.

Vigilance - Distraction, inability to focus, insomnia, irritability, impatience. All Will saves and checks involving Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma take a -4 morale penalty.

Healing

Characters will automatically regain a number of Sanity points equal to their level + CHA bonus each game session. Characters that have gained insanity do not regain Sanity points.

If a character goes insane, he may make a WILL save, DC 25, to lose his insanity each game. He then begins to recover Sanity points at the normal speed.