I've begun tinkering around with some possible mechanics for fear and madness using the Legend system. Yes there is Call of Cthulhu with its tried and true sanity system, but I felt like trying to make something different. This is what I have so far.
When a character is first confronted by a scene of horror or monster, he must roll his Persistence skill vs the Horror Rating of the creature or situation. If the character succeeds their psyche is unaffected, and the situation proceeds normally. If they fail there are consequences. To determine how screwed your character is, use this matrix:
Character succeeds – Fear roll critical – Table One
Character fails – Fear roll succeeds – Table One
Character fails – Fear roll critical – Table Two
Character fumbles – Fear roll fails – Table One
Character fumbles – Fear roll succeeds – Table Two
Character fumbles – Fear roll critical – Table Three
Each table has a series of potential consequences. The higher the table, and D20 roll, the worse off you'll be. Table One might just make your character lose a Combat action or two from fright. Table two can make your character temporarily insane. Table three can cause permanent insanity, or die from fright.
I'm still working out the tables and the consequences. This is what I have so far for possible table results.
Dazed – the character cannot attack for 1D3 combat actions
Stunned – the character forfeits the next 1D3 combat actions
Frozen in fear – the character cannot move for the next 1D3 combat actions
Paralyzed – the character cannot move for the duration of the encounter
Fight or flight – The character has a 50/50 chance of either going berserk (as per the Fanaticism spell), or fleeing the encounter
Unconsciousness – The character loses consciousness for the duration of the encounter
Temporary mental illness
Permanent mental illness
Heart attack – the character suffers enough damage to the chest to cause a major wound. They must make a Resilience roll vs the Horror Rating or die.
When a character is first confronted by a scene of horror or monster, he must roll his Persistence skill vs the Horror Rating of the creature or situation. If the character succeeds their psyche is unaffected, and the situation proceeds normally. If they fail there are consequences. To determine how screwed your character is, use this matrix:
Character succeeds – Fear roll critical – Table One
Character fails – Fear roll succeeds – Table One
Character fails – Fear roll critical – Table Two
Character fumbles – Fear roll fails – Table One
Character fumbles – Fear roll succeeds – Table Two
Character fumbles – Fear roll critical – Table Three
Each table has a series of potential consequences. The higher the table, and D20 roll, the worse off you'll be. Table One might just make your character lose a Combat action or two from fright. Table two can make your character temporarily insane. Table three can cause permanent insanity, or die from fright.
I'm still working out the tables and the consequences. This is what I have so far for possible table results.
Dazed – the character cannot attack for 1D3 combat actions
Stunned – the character forfeits the next 1D3 combat actions
Frozen in fear – the character cannot move for the next 1D3 combat actions
Paralyzed – the character cannot move for the duration of the encounter
Fight or flight – The character has a 50/50 chance of either going berserk (as per the Fanaticism spell), or fleeing the encounter
Unconsciousness – The character loses consciousness for the duration of the encounter
Temporary mental illness
Permanent mental illness
Heart attack – the character suffers enough damage to the chest to cause a major wound. They must make a Resilience roll vs the Horror Rating or die.
