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.
