You know I would have provided feedback already, but I've been jumping through hoops just to get this account created... but now that I've got it, here goes.Jester of the FoS wrote:Does it suck that badly?
This is a cross-post from RPG.NET, where I gave some suggestions on a Sanity system, with some inspiration from your madness system. Here's my writeup.
Everyone starts with a Sanity score of 20, instead of favoring one set of classes over another (mental ability scores over physical), but some classes might have special feats available to them that interact with the Sanity/Madness system (like classes of the Divine power source having a "Higher Purpose" feat that allows them to resist Sanity loss/onset of Madness). It's also a "death spiral" system, as the effects stack and get worse as you become less sane.Me wrote:How I'd handle sanity is to give players a Sanity score with a range of 0-20. It would be setup similar to Concordance for artifacts. For certain acts, you would suffer Sanity loss, and some creatures could have attacks that target Will/Fortitude that deal damage to your Sanity rating (for example, doing 1d6 + ability modifier psychic damage, and reducing Sanity by 1). Certain events (like gaining a level, certain victories, resisting/recovering from madness, DM's fiat) give you back Sanity. Word of warning, this is kinda a death spiral system, as the penalties stack on top of eachother, just making it worse and worse as you go along.
== Sanity ==
Score --- Mental State
16-20 --- Sane
12-15 --- Troubled
5-11 ----- Disturbed
1-4 ------- Unsound
0 ---------- Insane
Sane: You are in a normal state of mind. You suffer no ill effects.
Troubled: Your grip on reality isn't as strong as it once was. Whenever you take psychic damage, you take an additional +1 point of damage per tier of the attacker.
Disturbed: You are beginning to succumb to your weakness of mind. In addition to the effects of being troubled, you suffer a -1 penalty to saving throws to throw off any effect with the Psychic keyword.
Unsound: You are spiraling downward into insanity. In addition to the effects of being troubled and disturbed, you suffer from madness (see below).
Insane: You are bug-frak crazy. In addition to the effects of being troubled, disturbed, and unsound, you suffer a -2 penalty to Insight checks for madness progression.
== Madness ==
Madness Track: Every madness has at least three states, arrayed on a a row of effects called the madness track: cured (the target is no longer affected), the madness’s initial effect, and the madness’s final state.
- Initial Unsound Effect: When you become unsound, you suffer the madness’s initial effect.
- Moving on the Madness Track: As the madness progresses, you might get worse, moving on the track toward the final state, or you might improve until you are cured. Some effects continue until you are cured, persisting regardless of where you are on the disease’s track, until you improve to the cured state. Other effects end when you move to a better or worse state on the track.
Madness Progression: Once you’re mad, make an Insight check after each extended rest to see if you improve, worsen, or maintain your current condition. Madness specifies three target Insight DCs: the highest DC to improve, a moderate DC to maintain, and a lower DC to worsen. Other common events that trigger an Insight check for madness progression include Sanity loss and special monster powers.
- Improve: When your condition improves, you regain a point of Sanity. If improvement gives you a Sanity score of 5 or higher, and you have reached the cured position on the madness track, you recover entirely. If one of these conditions is not met, you return to the initial effect of the madness.
More feedback to come as I put it together. Great job so far!
edited for language, removed f-bomb - Jester
I'm only beginning to slowly look at it now; my games reading has fallen far behind.
