Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[BerkaZerka]

I'm working on a post here in a day or two to show how you can introduce Horror and Insanity in your BHB games, based on the already established character trait of Psychosis.

Stand by for some mind shattering Insanity...

BZ

[BerkaZerka]

Maddening Horror and BHB

The following is provided for those who would like to introduce an element of horror into their Bounty Head Bebop or i20 games.  It is taken from the development that is going into our Fantasy Worlds Supplement, which when complete will provide players a ruleset for playing Fantasy i20 or bringing urban fantasy into their modern setting BHB games.

When To Make a Horror Roll
The GM may call for a Horror roll anytime the Characters see or experience something above and beyond the normal – whether supernatural in nature or just exceptionally gruesome.  Additionally, certain ‘Horrors’ are harder to cope with than others, giving the GM a bonus to his rolls to Oppose the Character’s Willpower Save to resist the effects of the Horror.

Once a Horror has been rolled for (pass or fail), the Character is then somewhat deadened to that same horror for a while, and further Horror checks are no longer necessary until a day or so passes without exposure to said Horror.  For example, seeing a mangled body in your neighbor’s fridge would require a Horror roll, but after that, the other mangled corpses down in the basement wouldn’t be too surprising – unless one of them rose up as a zombie to attack!

How to Make a Horror Roll
A Horror roll is made by having the Character make a Willpower Save Opposed by the GM’s roll, using the Character’s Psychosis Score as the TN.  As noted above, some Horrors are so imposing, that they give the GM a bonus to his Opposing roll.  In the event that a Character’s Psychosis Score is zero, then the Willpower Save is Unopposed.  Below are some examples of what types of Horrors would give the GM a bonus to his roll.

~ Horror Modifier

Bonus	Sample Horrors
+0	Any Natural Horror; such as seeing a mutilated body, someone eaten alive by wild animals, accidentally contributing to an innocent’s death, or intentionally killing more than a dozen people with a single attack.
+2	An Unnatural Horror; such as a monster that should not exist (like a Werewolf or Undead), witnessing a loved one killed in a gruesome manner, accidentally contributing to mass innocents’ death.
+4	A Supernatural or Demonic Horror; such as a truly fearsome monster (like a Dragon or Fiend)
+8	An Incomprehensible Horror (such as some formless god or otherworldly entity not subject to the laws of reality).

[BerkaZerka]

Consequences of Failure
Failing a Horror roll has a number of awful consequences, determined by adding the value of the GM’s Psychosis X-Roll (or the X-Roll of the Character’s Willpower Save in the event that his roll was Unopposed) with the Horror Modifier (+0 to +8) as noted above.  Consult the chart below to determine the effect of a failed Horror roll.  

Additionally, all Horrors with a +8 Bonus to the GM’s roll (whether he rolls or not) are so incomprehensible and maddening, that they increase the Character’s Psychosis Score by one point, even when the Character succeeds at his Horror roll.  This is in addition to any additional Psychosis point increases that might be gained from failing the roll (as outlined below).

Total	Effect(s)
1	Nauseated
2	Shaken & Gains +1 Psychosis
3	Stunned & Gains +1 Psychosis
4	Gains +1 Psychosis
5	Stunned
6	Shaken
7	Stunned & Shaken
8	Panicked
9	Character Panicked & Wets Self
10	Character Faints & Gains +1 Psychosis
11	Character Blinded By Fear & Gains +1 Psychosis
12	Character Paralyzed With Fear & Gains +1 Psychosis
13	Character Panicked, Gains Temporary Insanity, & +1 Psychosis
14	Character Panicked, Hair Turns White, & Gains +1 Psychosis
15	Character Panicked, Gains A Flaw, & +1 Psychosis
16	Character Goes Berserk, Gains Temporary Insanity, & +1 Psychosis
17	Character Enters Psychotic Rapture, Gains Permanent Insanity, & +1 Psychosis
18	Character Goes Catatonic, Gains Permanent Insanity, & +2 Psychosis

[BerkaZerka]

Explanation of Effects

Gain Flaw
The Character permanently gains one of the following Flaws (if the Flaw rolled is one already possessed by the Character, he gains no new Flaw):

Roll	Flaw
1	Absent Minded
2	Animal Antipathy
3	Chain Smoker
4	Clean Freak
5	Coward
6	Cry Baby
7	Heavy Drinker
8	Klepto
9	Lecherous
10	Phobia: Being Alone
11	Phobia: Cats
12	Phobia: Crowds
13	Phobia: Darkness
14	Phobia: Deep Water
15	Phobia: Dogs
16	Phobia: Enclosed Places
17	Phobia: Heights
18	Phobia: Snakes
19	Squeamish
20	Superstitious

Berserk
The Character is out of control and attacks anyone and everyone within sight, using his most effective attacks to do so. He may not use Defense Actions and can only use Move Actions to get closer to potential targets. He will spend Surge Points when beneficial (including for Extra Attacks), but will not use Surge where it will cause Fatigue.  Berserk Characters never bother to reload, going for Close Quarter Combat after expending all Ranged Combat capabilities.  After one minute (10 rounds) of being Berserk, the character can make a Willpower Save each round to regain control of himself (with a +1 bonus each additional round until he succeeds).

Blinded By Fear
The Character cannot bear to look, covering his eyes or experiencing extreme tunnel vision.  He treats everyone as if they had full concealment, and must move at half speed to avoid injuring himself on obstacles in his path.  Additionally, he cannot read or use the Spot skill, needs outside guidance to use the Drive, Pilot, or Operate Heavy Machinery skills, and suffers a –2 penalty to all die rolls.  The Blinded By Fear Condition lasts until the situation that caused it is resolved.

Catatonic
The Character’s Wisdom Score drops to zero.  The lights are on, but nobody’s home. The Character is lost in his own mind and unable to interact with the real world, except to stare blankly and drool a lot.  If left alone, the Character will sit unmoving until he starves to death.  Catatonic Characters are considered Helpless and recover at the normal rate for Ability Damage (one point per week).

Note that Characters can spend a Luck Point to avoid this particular fate, as it can effectively take them out of the game.  In this case, simply change the value of the GM’s roll from 20 to 19 and apply that effect instead.

Faint
The Character faints dead away and is Unconscious and Helpless for at least a minute (10 rounds).  After one minute (10 rounds), the Character can make an Endurance Save each round to regain consciousness (with a +1 bonus each additional round until he succeeds).

Fatigued
Characters who are Fatigued cannot Run and suffer a –2 penalty to all Strength and Agility based skills.

Gains +1 (or +2) Psychosis
The Character’s Psychosis Score increases by one or two points as appropriate.

Hair Turns White
The Character’s hair turns white from fright.  If the Character has already taken this effect, then he goes one step further, turning completely albino.  Once albino, the Character is immune to further exposure to this particular effect.

Nauseated
Nauseated Characters are unable to attack, use powers, or even concentrate on anything other than their roiling stomach distress.  They may only take a single Action each round for either Movement or Defense, although they can still use surge for an additional Action (even an Attack Action) if desired.  The Nauseated Condition is similar in duration to Unconscious, in that it lasts for at least a minute (10 rounds).  After one minute (10 rounds), the character can make an Endurance Save each round to shake off the Nausea (with a +1 bonus each additional round until he succeeds).

Panicked
The Character is overcome with fear and must do everything in his power to immediately leave the area.  Once the Character is at a safe distance (GM’s discretion), he regains his composure and may once again act normally.

Paralyzed By Fear
The Character temporarily loses all Strength and can do nothing more than lie unmoving, barely able to speak.  Although unable to move, a Paralyzed Character may still use purely mental based powers if he has them.  Paralyzed Characters are considered Helpless.  After one minute, the Character can make an Endurance Save each round to recover from this type of Temporarily Paralysis (with a +1 bonus each additional round until he succeeds).  The Paralyzed By Fear Condition lasts until the situation that caused it is resolved.

Psychotic Rapture
Psychotic Rapture fills the Psychic’s head with a powerful euphoria, impairing judgment and imposing a –4 penalty to all Wisdom Based die rolls for a number of hours equal to (15 – WIS).

Shaken
The Character experiences extreme anxiety over a particular situation, suffering a –1 penalty to all die rolls until the situation is resolved.

Stunned
The Character is confused or knocked senseless for a moment (but not out) and must take a round to regain his bearings.  Stunned Characters lose all concentration and get no Actions for one round, also losing the benefit of any prior Defense Actions taken.  Stunned Characters are not considered Helpless however.  Stunning effects do not stack.  

Wets Self
The Character temporarily loses bodily control and wets himself.

Temporary Insanity
The Character gains some form of Temporary Insanity that lasts a number of days equal to (100 divided by the Character’s Wisdom Score), before clearing up by itself.

Temporary Insanities are determined by the GM and should be comparable to Flaws in detriment to the character, though significantly more unusual and psychotic in nature.  Some examples of Temporary Insanities might include things like:

~Roll	Insanity
1	Compulsive Hand Washing – because everything is dirty
2	Compulsive Licking Disorder – must… taste… EVERYTHING
3	Compulsive Tagging – ‘Bob Was Here’ or other such graffiti
4	Compulsive Undressing
5-6	Ends Every Sentence “because [insert unusual name here] says so.”
7	Explains Himself To Inanimate Objects – because they are so damn inquisitive about what he is doing all of the time.
8-9	Gains A More Serious Phobia Than The Norm, such as one of the following:
	..... 1-2    Fear of Being Touched (Haphephobia)
	..... 3-4    Fear of Crossing Streets (Dromophobia)
	..... 5-6    Fear of Flying (Pteromerhanophobia)
	..... 7-8    Fear of Foreign Languages (Xenoglossophobia)
	.... 9-10   Fear of Looking Up (Anablephobia)
	... 11-12   Fear of Mirrors (Catoptrophobia)
	... 13-14   Fear of Opposite Sex (Heterophobia)
	... 15-16   Fear of Sleep (Somniphobia)
	... 17-18   Fear of Stairs Or Steep Slopes (Bathmophobia)
	... 19-20   Fear of Washing Or Bathing (Ablutophobia)
10-11	Gains The Shakes and a –1 penalty to all Agility based skills until cured
12-13	Having A Hand That Uncontrollably Gropes Anyone That Comes In Range
14-15	Hearing everything he says echoed back to him in a foreign language
16	Losing The Ability To Control One’s Bladder (Incontinence)
17	Losing The Ability To Speak
18	Paranoia – believing that one of his associates or friends is out to get him, but who?
19	Pyromania – Compulsive need to see things burn
20	Seeing ‘Ghost Cats’ in the periphery of their vision that disappear when they look directly at them

Permanent Insanity
These the same as Temporary Insanities in effect, except that they do not go away by themselves and require not only a thirty day institutionalization to get rid of; but must also be bought off with Experience as if a Flaw (spend 4 XP to remove them).

[BerkaZerka]

Maxing Out Psychosis
When a Character’s Psychosis score reaches 20 the Character goes insane and becomes an NPC under the control of the GM.  If the rest of the Characters (or the authorities) can catch the crazed maniac and get him to a Psychotherapy clinic, then he can come back as a Character again (with a new Psychosis score of 16), after six months of intense treatment.

Psychosis can also be reduced with XP through the Psychotherapy XP Option at the rate of 4 points for every 2 XP.  In this case however, the Psychotherapy XP Option can only be used directly following an event that actually raises the Character’s Psychosis Score.

Hope this helps

BZ

[BerkaZerka]

Questions or Comments, feel free to post 

BZ

[BerkaZerka]

Oh, and if you are going to bring the Occult into your game, you need a Skill to reflect this.  In our upcomming magic system (Hexslinging), we use the Advanced Skill:  Occult Sciences.


Occult Sciences (INT)

The Occult Sciences skill represent the study and knowledge of the occult, the arcane, and the methodology of casting spells.  It is used as an Opposed or Opposed Straight Roll against the Drain of a spell to determine if a spell can be cast successfully and whether it will harm the Hexslinger as he does so.

BZ

[BerkaZerka]

Surge Points and Horror

Overcome Fear (Shaken or Panicked)

A Surge Point can be spent to overcome the effects of Shaken or Panicked, but not the more serious Effects of Fear.

BZ

[BerkaZerka]

Note that I've clarified the Durations of Berserk and Nauseated in the information above 

BZ

[BerkaZerka]

I noticed that it is possible to go stark raving mad on any horror failure, whether a simple mangled corpse or an eldritch horror in process of swallowing the earth before your very eyes (it seems the later would be more likely to cause full blown madness than the first).

So I am going to tweak the rules a bit to allow for some staged consequences of failure, based on the four modifier levels mentioned above.

I’ll get back to it here in a bit…

BZ

[BerkaZerka]

Working...

And there it is (see above) 

BZ

[LadyZerka]

My favorite insane things you gain are " Cause Shawn says so" or " Ghost cats". 

[BerkaZerka]

I did another tweak on the table above to reflect the bell curve (which as it was before, was causing a lot of Nausea), so what I have now better spreads effects out  

BZ