SANITY role playing vs roll playing [Archive] - Wizards Community

SANITY role playing vs roll playing [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
R.I.P GMFGD
07-13-06, 07:11 PM I am thinking about using the unearth arcana rules for sanity in my next campaign however i worry that perhaps the roll playing will interfere with the role playing since you have to make sanity checks everytime you cast a spell, and different circumstances and i was just curious if anyone has employed the sanity options in their campaigns and how the flow of the adventure was affected.
Shini Neko Ni
08-05-06, 02:25 AM I have used Sanity rules in a few games before (I used it in my Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil campaign) and found that really with the group I was with it added very little to the game as the rules were written in Unearthed Arcana
I would give a suggestion and that would be take a look at the Heroes of Horror the new Taint system in that book includes rules for a Sanity like option called Depravity however even it has some issues that you would need to work out.
Beyond that the rolls made for Sanity checks did not really slow the game down much but it did not add much in my case (also note that you don't have to make casters do sanity checks unless you really want too)
Anyways just my two coppers

-Shini: Whos Sanity is Always Questioned.
Phoenix Knight
08-05-06, 01:51 PM While it was interesting, I eventually dropped the sanity mechanic in my setting. It just doesn't fit that well into a normal D&D game (not that I run a normal game). I'd say consider just asking your players to roleplay fear at monsters.

Even I did not make them lose sanity every spell cast.
PiedmonSama
08-09-06, 04:30 PM I've used the rules for Sanity from Unearthed Arcana in my campaign, and to good effect I think. Of course, I have a group of pretty good roleplayers, so your mileage may vary. But the way I see it is this: it's ultimately better to decide it with a roll, because really no one will ever choose to have their character go insane. But if you stumble upon the sunken city of Ry'leh and behold the resurrection of Great Cthulhu in all his senses-shattering glory.... well, frankly, whether or not you can hold on to your sanity in front of that shouldn't be up to you.
The_Normal_Anomaly
08-09-06, 07:24 PM I would give a suggestion and that would be take a look at the Heroes of Horror the new Taint system in that book includes rules for a Sanity like option called Depravity however even it has some issues that you would need to work out.

-Shini: Whos Sanity is Always Questioned.

I bought Heroes of Horror pretty much for that mechanic. It is a completely better tool than the sanity checks in my opinion. It just has the feel like it builds in your system like lead, slowly destrying you.
Mc_Bane
08-11-06, 08:51 PM I volantarily had my character go insane. He was a halfing wizard, low levels, and he saw his son brutally murdered by a sadistic kobold.

I had him pretty much never casta spell after that. It was pretty much dagger work for the next 4 levels of his all too short life.

It was actually pretty fun
CryoSilver
08-16-06, 12:43 PM Sanity

Sanity is a system by which a character’s mental health is gauged in-game. It represents both the character’s mental stability and overall health and resistance to insanity. In many ways, this system was derived from that of Call to Cthulu, but adjusted heavily to fit the more heroic world of Dungeons and Dragons.

Initial Sanity = Wisdom * 10
Maximum Sanity = 200 or Wisdom * 10 (whichever higher)
Recovery of Sanity: 1 point per week between instances of Sanity loss, 1d6 Sanity regained at each level up, Restoration restores 1 point of Sanity, Greater Restoration restores 1d4 points. Institutionalizing (which means living at a temple or other place with skilled healers with good bedside manners) restores 2 points per week between losses (but see below).
Sanity loss is based on Will saves and varies based on the experience. For DMs: typical Sanity loss should be such that average damage id equal to the EL of the encounter, or the party’s level, whichever higher or more relevant, with a save DC equal to 10+1/2 the party’s level.

Initial Sanity: A character has this much Sanity upon creation.
Maximum Sanity: A character can never have more than this many Sanity points.

Institutionalizing: Each week, the healer must make a special Heal check with a DC equal to the difference between the characters maximum Sanity and current Sanity (yes, this DC can become obscenely high very fast, but that's half the point). The healer uses his Cha modifier in place of his Wis modifier for this check. Furthermore, he may add half his ranks in Diplomacy as a bonus on this check. If he knows what event contributed most to the patient's insanity, he gains a further +2 bonus on the check. If successful, the patient regains 2 Sanity points. If the check fails by less than 5, no progress is made, but no penalties are assessed. If the check fails by more than 5, the patient loses 1 point of Sanity. If the healer ever rolls a natural 1 on this check, the patient loses 1d4 Sanity and goes temporarily insane. The healer may not take 10 on this check.

Temporary Insanity: a character becomes temporarily insane if he loses a number Sanity points equal to his Wisdom score within 1 hour. Temporary insanity lasts 1d4 rounds, plus 1d6 hours of secondary insanity effects.
Possible effects include (but are not limited to): unconsciousness, random actions, fleeing, screaming and not taking any other actions, cowering, drooling like an idiot, oblivious to the world around, etc. Following 1d4 rounds of that, the character suffers 1d6 hours of related but less serious symptoms. These may include: twitchiness, paranoia, insomnia, deafness, muteness, babbling, etc. In general, these symptoms result in a -2 penalty on all checks, rolls, saves, etc, while they are in effect.

Indefinite Insanity: a character becomes indefinitely insane if he loses a number of Sanity points equal to 50% of his maximum Sanity in one day. The effects of indefinite insanity last 3d4 months, and may include any mental disorder the DM deems fitting. In general, these disorders impose a -2 penalty on Will saves and a -1 morale penalty on all other rolls while in effect (though these may change appropriate to the affliction).

Permanent Insanity: if a character ever loses all of his Sanity, he becomes permanently insane. The only way to reverse this is to cast Miracle, Greater Restoration and Heal on the character, in that order. Permanent insanity places the character under the DM’s control, and imposes any number of other interesting effects at his discretion. If playing with Call to Cthulu as a supplement, the character gains the Cult Sorcerer template if he doesn't die or pass beyond the veil of meaningful interaction with the real world.

Alternatively, the Taint system presented in Heroes of Horror may be used... See if I care.

..
kliate
08-16-06, 01:55 PM This depends heavily on the group you play with, but -

You could scrap the "roll" segment entirely. Offer in-game rewards for well-played insanity. Exp is the easy one, but your DMly powers can extend beyond even this. Offer the "insane" character bonuses on certain skill rolls, re-rolls, and the like.

If a player begins acting sane after gaining all of these benefits, then the benefits may begin to fade (hey, he's not crazy anymore so the dark insight into Knowledge: The Planes and Forgery skills must have left him!).
Voran
08-30-06, 04:43 AM This depends heavily on the group you play with, but -

You could scrap the "roll" segment entirely. Offer in-game rewards for well-played insanity. Exp is the easy one, but your DMly powers can extend beyond even this. Offer the "insane" character bonuses on certain skill rolls, re-rolls, and the like.

If a player begins acting sane after gaining all of these benefits, then the benefits may begin to fade (hey, he's not crazy anymore so the dark insight into Knowledge: The Planes and Forgery skills must have left him!).

I like this approach. It gives a measure of control to the player, and allows them to test their reactions to such a system without having to be stuck committing to it. The idea of fading 'bonuses' makes sense too. A Happy Batman is a less effective Batman, than the Darkly Screwed Up Knight.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
R.I.P GMFGD 07-13-06, 07:11 PM	I am thinking about using the unearth arcana rules for sanity in my next campaign however i worry that perhaps the roll playing will interfere with the role playing since you have to make sanity checks everytime you cast a spell, and different circumstances and i was just curious if anyone has employed the sanity options in their campaigns and how the flow of the adventure was affected.
Shini Neko Ni 08-05-06, 02:25 AM	I have used Sanity rules in a few games before (I used it in my Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil campaign) and found that really with the group I was with it added very little to the game as the rules were written in Unearthed Arcana I would give a suggestion and that would be take a look at the Heroes of Horror the new Taint system in that book includes rules for a Sanity like option called Depravity however even it has some issues that you would need to work out. Beyond that the rolls made for Sanity checks did not really slow the game down much but it did not add much in my case (also note that you don't have to make casters do sanity checks unless you really want too) Anyways just my two coppers -Shini: Whos Sanity is Always Questioned.
Phoenix Knight 08-05-06, 01:51 PM	While it was interesting, I eventually dropped the sanity mechanic in my setting. It just doesn't fit that well into a normal D&D game (not that I run a normal game). I'd say consider just asking your players to roleplay fear at monsters. Even I did not make them lose sanity every spell cast.
PiedmonSama 08-09-06, 04:30 PM	I've used the rules for Sanity from Unearthed Arcana in my campaign, and to good effect I think. Of course, I have a group of pretty good roleplayers, so your mileage may vary. But the way I see it is this: it's ultimately better to decide it with a roll, because really no one will ever choose to have their character go insane. But if you stumble upon the sunken city of Ry'leh and behold the resurrection of Great Cthulhu in all his senses-shattering glory.... well, frankly, whether or not you can hold on to your sanity in front of that shouldn't be up to you.
The_Normal_Anomaly 08-09-06, 07:24 PM	I would give a suggestion and that would be take a look at the Heroes of Horror the new Taint system in that book includes rules for a Sanity like option called Depravity however even it has some issues that you would need to work out. -Shini: Whos Sanity is Always Questioned. I bought Heroes of Horror pretty much for that mechanic. It is a completely better tool than the sanity checks in my opinion. It just has the feel like it builds in your system like lead, slowly destrying you.
Mc_Bane 08-11-06, 08:51 PM	I volantarily had my character go insane. He was a halfing wizard, low levels, and he saw his son brutally murdered by a sadistic kobold. I had him pretty much never casta spell after that. It was pretty much dagger work for the next 4 levels of his all too short life. It was actually pretty fun
CryoSilver 08-16-06, 12:43 PM	Sanity Sanity is a system by which a character’s mental health is gauged in-game. It represents both the character’s mental stability and overall health and resistance to insanity. In many ways, this system was derived from that of Call to Cthulu, but adjusted heavily to fit the more heroic world of Dungeons and Dragons. Initial Sanity = Wisdom * 10 Maximum Sanity = 200 or Wisdom * 10 (whichever higher) Recovery of Sanity: 1 point per week between instances of Sanity loss, 1d6 Sanity regained at each level up, Restoration restores 1 point of Sanity, Greater Restoration restores 1d4 points. Institutionalizing (which means living at a temple or other place with skilled healers with good bedside manners) restores 2 points per week between losses (but see below). Sanity loss is based on Will saves and varies based on the experience. For DMs: typical Sanity loss should be such that average damage id equal to the EL of the encounter, or the party’s level, whichever higher or more relevant, with a save DC equal to 10+1/2 the party’s level. Initial Sanity: A character has this much Sanity upon creation. Maximum Sanity: A character can never have more than this many Sanity points. Institutionalizing: Each week, the healer must make a special Heal check with a DC equal to the difference between the characters maximum Sanity and current Sanity (yes, this DC can become obscenely high very fast, but that's half the point). The healer uses his Cha modifier in place of his Wis modifier for this check. Furthermore, he may add half his ranks in Diplomacy as a bonus on this check. If he knows what event contributed most to the patient's insanity, he gains a further +2 bonus on the check. If successful, the patient regains 2 Sanity points. If the check fails by less than 5, no progress is made, but no penalties are assessed. If the check fails by more than 5, the patient loses 1 point of Sanity. If the healer ever rolls a natural 1 on this check, the patient loses 1d4 Sanity and goes temporarily insane. The healer may not take 10 on this check. Temporary Insanity: a character becomes temporarily insane if he loses a number Sanity points equal to his Wisdom score within 1 hour. Temporary insanity lasts 1d4 rounds, plus 1d6 hours of secondary insanity effects. Possible effects include (but are not limited to): unconsciousness, random actions, fleeing, screaming and not taking any other actions, cowering, drooling like an idiot, oblivious to the world around, etc. Following 1d4 rounds of that, the character suffers 1d6 hours of related but less serious symptoms. These may include: twitchiness, paranoia, insomnia, deafness, muteness, babbling, etc. In general, these symptoms result in a -2 penalty on all checks, rolls, saves, etc, while they are in effect. Indefinite Insanity: a character becomes indefinitely insane if he loses a number of Sanity points equal to 50% of his maximum Sanity in one day. The effects of indefinite insanity last 3d4 months, and may include any mental disorder the DM deems fitting. In general, these disorders impose a -2 penalty on Will saves and a -1 morale penalty on all other rolls while in effect (though these may change appropriate to the affliction). Permanent Insanity: if a character ever loses all of his Sanity, he becomes permanently insane. The only way to reverse this is to cast Miracle, Greater Restoration and Heal on the character, in that order. Permanent insanity places the character under the DM’s control, and imposes any number of other interesting effects at his discretion. If playing with Call to Cthulu as a supplement, the character gains the Cult Sorcerer template if he doesn't die or pass beyond the veil of meaningful interaction with the real world. Alternatively, the Taint system presented in Heroes of Horror may be used... See if I care. ..
kliate 08-16-06, 01:55 PM	This depends heavily on the group you play with, but - You could scrap the "roll" segment entirely. Offer in-game rewards for well-played insanity. Exp is the easy one, but your DMly powers can extend beyond even this. Offer the "insane" character bonuses on certain skill rolls, re-rolls, and the like. If a player begins acting sane after gaining all of these benefits, then the benefits may begin to fade (hey, he's not crazy anymore so the dark insight into Knowledge: The Planes and Forgery skills must have left him!).
Voran 08-30-06, 04:43 AM	This depends heavily on the group you play with, but - You could scrap the "roll" segment entirely. Offer in-game rewards for well-played insanity. Exp is the easy one, but your DMly powers can extend beyond even this. Offer the "insane" character bonuses on certain skill rolls, re-rolls, and the like. If a player begins acting sane after gaining all of these benefits, then the benefits may begin to fade (hey, he's not crazy anymore so the dark insight into Knowledge: The Planes and Forgery skills must have left him!). I like this approach. It gives a measure of control to the player, and allows them to test their reactions to such a system without having to be stuck committing to it. The idea of fading 'bonuses' makes sense too. A Happy Batman is a less effective Batman, than the Darkly Screwed Up Knight.