A more realistic Fear/Horror/Madness system

[crazybantha]

You could also use a variant of the taint system (either Oriental Adventures or the Heroes of Horror version). I believe the Heroes of Horror version allows for tainted characters to develop mental instabilities.

There's this Dark Side Points system from SW Saga. It's a more gradual approach then the step-by-step system from the official rules, so it suits the most for what I'm looking for. I'm still thinking if and how to marry it with a sanity system. Thanks anyway.

Warhammer FRPG has a nice little Insanity Point system you might want to take a look at. The one in V1 is pretty comprehensive, but V2 has more flavor...

Thanks for the reference. I've never touched a Warhammer book before, and chances are I wont, unfortunately. Is it open license? (I hope this is the correct legal term... I mean like a SRD where I can read it)

I did some 4e stuff (...).

There's also the alternate sanity system used in d20 Call of Cthulu and found in the SRD:
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/campaigns/sanity.htm

I saw your 4e sanity checks when it first came out, cool stuff.

And about the SRD, wow, I was needing a link like that. It's much more thorough and richer on options. It'll be one of my main references. Thanks a million.

Maybe every time you fail an horror check you get "horror points" equal to the difference between the DC and your result (...)

Perhaps a Sanity point system, akin to Hit points (...) It's not perfect, but maybe a start?

A sanity hit point system is a perfect start, thanks for the ideas. I had a quick look at True20's sanity system and it's the same basic idea. I'm still not decided if I'll use this hit point system or just tweak the official system to my taste (I'm reading the books for now and leaving mechanics for later) but it's definitely solidifying my options.

[crazybantha]

Rucht and I were working years ago on a guide to madness of sorts, one of the many abortive projects laying aorund in my hard drive. I'll see what I can dig up.

That would be so cool for me. I'm looking forward to homebrewed stuff, especially since you mentioned you have a major in psychology. A buddy of mine is a psychology student and he's also running a RL campaign, so every help in the form of academical knowledge would be most welcome.

As someone who has an interest in psychology, I have always had somewhat of a problem with most RPG madness systems. Mainly - they all assume that one can develop pyschological disorders such as multiple personalities and schizophrenia from fear and horror alone.
(...)
Yes...I wouldn't expect a system where you a an "extremely realistic" system of mental illness (if such a thing was truly possible). Yet, I think that many rpg systems entirely trivialize or even unknowingly mock mental illness. Organizations like NAMI (http://www.nami.org/) work to make sure that mental illness is not stigmatized in the public.

I think shadows' words explain one of my main reasons for wanting a new sanity system. I also agree that a too realistic system could be emotionally uncomfortable or would deviate from the real fun, but I also think that that doesn't stop us from de-stigmatizing mental illnesses.

My experience in personal life thaught me that and I suffer, shall I say, a need to tell everyone "hey, it's not an alien thing, you know". One of my players was reticent about my project and the example I give is like: Imagine darth vader. He's troubled person, no question about it - what's the difference if you diagnose an illness on him or not? It's just a label. The coolness of relating to a tragic figure like him is what's important, so we shouldn't worry to acknowledge he has X or Y illness.

Besides, rambling incoherently and trying to suicide is not what I'm looking for in a table. Some illnesses are simply not interesting, from a roleplaying perspective at the table. These are better suited for NPCs. I'll just insert them in the system for coherence's sake. I would like the PCs, instead, to become emotionally scarred, but in a cool way, and if an illness' label can be sticked in his forehead just for mechanical reasons, it'd be ok, I think.

My reasoning is this - there are illnesses interesting from a roleplaying perspective, and there are those who need a specific approach not to detreact from the fun at the table. It always depends on the approach.