Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Random Encounter 19 06-30-04, 10:27 PM	For my new campain world, I want to insure that characters don't go poking around in every tomb. Sanity has broader applications, and slamming them with wisdom damage at the same time seems to be double dipping. On the other hand, just having horribly corrupted areas leech sanity doesn't fell right. Sanity loss is mostly sudden shock, not leeching evil-and tainted areas shouldn't (always) be obvious. Do most people just use one or the other? Which one? Why?
Lady Fierna 06-30-04, 10:35 PM	I'm currently throwing around the idea of a low-power campaign model that utilizes both (I may post it on the Horror thinktank board soon). Insanity would be caused by encounters with the unimaginable, from monsters to spellcasting. Taint would be caused by staying in cursed lands. They aren't the same, but they often go hand in hand in leading someone to corruption.
Random Encounter 19 06-30-04, 11:06 PM	I'd be prone to agree with you (about them not overlapping) if the effects of taint didn't include "severe paranoia" and "fits of uncontrolable, disturbing laughter". No, tait causes insanity. So we need a way to make them mesh. (IMHO)
Lady Fierna 07-01-04, 11:19 AM	Originally posted by Random Encounter 19 I'd be prone to agree with you (about them not overlapping) if the effects of taint didn't include "severe paranoia" and "fits of uncontrolable, disturbing laughter". No, tait causes insanity. So we need a way to make them mesh. (IMHO) That's illustrated in wisdom reduction. Wisdom affects starting sanity (Wisdom*5), so the simplest way to have them work together is by having 1 point of taint equal 1d10 points of sanity damage (or to reduce starting sanity, and thus sanity restorable by psychoanalysis by five). I think I'll use the second option.
Xychotic 07-01-04, 09:19 PM	I do actually use both, to an extent. I reserve Sanity for shocking or mind-numbing events. Such as seeing your friend fall apart into a chaos beast. It works nicely enough. I don't use Taint in that "distilled evil" sort of sense. Taint represents irredeemable corruption of the very laws of existence... the sort that only the Far Realm ( :D ) could cause. As for working together, they each have their own applications. Gaining a Taint score in no way changes your Sanity score, remember that you can have 99 Sanity and still be stark raving mad (which comes up when you get Tainted). Also, changes to your Wisdom do not affect your current Sanity. They work well together, but my players very much hate Taint because I don't let them get rid of that last point.
Aurotuli 07-03-04, 12:07 AM	I also use sanity and taint, but I use the sanity rules from Ravenloft rather than those found in Call of Cthulu (which is the source of the rules found in UA). Ravenloft simply treats it as a Will save used when in conditions where the PC might come unhinged. (There are Fear checks, Horror checks, and Madness checks.) Maybe it is just because I prefer the setting far far more, or perhaps it is the unusual pattern of the system compared to the rest of the d20 mechanics, but I just never managed to get into the whole 'sanity points' idea.
vebor 07-03-04, 10:31 PM	Sanity rules dont mesh because the sanity system was originally from Chaosiums call of cthulhu, a d% based system.
vebor 07-03-04, 10:43 PM	Double post sorry.
Masterful_Norg 07-04-04, 01:28 AM	Maybe a sanity injury system would be more fitting to d20.
Senko 07-06-04, 07:20 AM	I also use the ravenloft system in my game so it works like this. Taint (corruption points for my APC's) = a slow infestation of evil that worms its way into your soul slowly dragging you down into darkness. It comes from places where horrible events have taken place such as mass murders, continual serial killlings, single massive events such as the death of a champion of darkness and so on. It can be protected against and there's a counter agent which slowly makes you more noble and good if your exposed to it found in places where really good things happen (normally speaking although the death of a champion of light could infuse an area with some of their essence) such as temple of peace and charity that nothing could disturb. Insanity = When a persons mind snaps for one reason or another and they aren't able to handle the world as it is. For instance if you saw your best friend and fellow adventurer suddenly transform into a slaad and eat someone you'd need to make a horror check. Fail that and you can start having nightmares and a phobia about certain things. Also there are numerous levels the worst of which requires you to make a madness check (plenty of things that could require this especially exposure to the far realms or spells) and you and your character suddenly suffers all sorts of things from catatonia through a belief anyone with green on them is out to get them to multiple personalities or any of the problems listed in the books. If you don't want it to be obvious simply note down the slow twisting effect of the ara on a private set of notes individually informing the players as they succumb to it. Such as the continual "insert example here" starts getting on your nerves you want to tell them to stop it, you want to snap at them not to do it, you want to hit them, your going to hit them if they don't stop it, you hit them. They should figure out somethings wrong fairly quickly.