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Old 02-26-2021, 09:59 AM   #1
Anders
 
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Default My problem with Phobia, Post-Combat Shakes and Fright Checks

My problems with these advantages is that they send your character down a doomed path of spiraling madness, as Fright checks give you more disadvantages. Does anyone else think this is a problem?

How about making disadvantages suffered as a consequence of a failed Fright Check be temporary, maybe lasting 1d weeks? Does that sound pleasing to the Hive Mind?
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Old 02-26-2021, 10:05 AM   #2
ericthered
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Default Re: My problem with Phobia, Post-Combat Shakes and Fright Checks

A similar fix was suggested before, in the Disadvantage of the Week Thread for Phobias.


Its done a lot to put me at peace with phobias. I haven't used them yet, but next Tuesday I start a game in which two of five players have phobias, something I wouldn't have allowed before.
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Old 02-26-2021, 10:13 AM   #3
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Default Re: My problem with Phobia, Post-Combat Shakes and Fright Checks

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Originally Posted by Anders View Post
My problems with these advantages is that they send your character down a doomed path of spiraling madness, as Fright checks give you more disadvantages. Does anyone else think this is a problem?
Maybe. But the reason game fright effects tend to allow for permanent crippling is that this is something that somewhat frightens the *players*. It's the reason many powerful D&D undead drain levels too (though I understand that's effectively gone temporary too in more recent rules sets). People are supposed to be afraid to face these things, but if the thing can't do something permanent many players won't hesitate a moment. It's the same issue with hit points - real people will go to considerable lengths to avoid any injury, PCs will say things like "It only does 3 hp damage? I jump in."

Personally I think if I were modifying fright checks I'd ditch the table and specific effects in favor of something more like the Influence check mechanic - fail your fright check and you are at a penalty determined by the margin of failure to do anything other than flee.
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Old 02-26-2021, 12:21 PM   #4
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Default Re: My problem with Phobia, Post-Combat Shakes and Fright Checks

I have no problem with them, and I ruthlessly use them in my campaigns, especially horror campaigns. It is really no worse than enforcing crippling rules, which people seem to be less concerned about. Now, I do allow characters to benefit from Psychology (Clinical) and Physician (Psychiatric) to mitigate and/or remove such traits acquired during play, but I assume that any that exist in character creation are resistant to treatment.
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Old 02-26-2021, 01:11 PM   #5
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Default Re: My problem with Phobia, Post-Combat Shakes and Fright Checks

I kind of feel like that's the point of these things. The other day was the anniversary of the raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi, and one of the marines who participated in that iconic photograph was Ira Hayes. Ira's mental health struggles relating to his experience in WW2 would dominate his later life, leading him to alcoholism as a method to cope with his feelings, culminating in his dying face down in a ditch on a winter's night. Ira's story, while tragic, is not unique.
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Old 02-26-2021, 01:30 PM   #6
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Default Re: My problem with Phobia, Post-Combat Shakes and Fright Checks

As a random guess, I would assume common Fright checks occur mainly in two types of campaigns. One is where optimistic to outright cinematic slash ultra tech methods exist to fix psychiatric problems. The other is more cliched Lovecraftian or "war is HELL" where inevitable downward spirals of sanity are expected.
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Old 02-26-2021, 02:03 PM   #7
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Default Re: My problem with Phobia, Post-Combat Shakes and Fright Checks

They are very common in horror and supers settings in my experience. The former because that is really the point of the settings and the latter because of the existence of Terror/Awe/Confusion. Terror/Awe/Confusion challenges many PCs in supers campaigns because they are not normally designed to deal with non-physical challenges.
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Old 02-26-2021, 02:04 PM   #8
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Default Re: My problem with Phobia, Post-Combat Shakes and Fright Checks

Buying off fright check results is a good use of earned CPs. It can also add some fun stories to what your character did between sessions. "Yeah man, puppy therapy, it's all the rage. Totally works too, completely over my fear of zombies now. It, uh, involved the staff wearing costumes. Don't ask."
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Old 02-26-2021, 02:16 PM   #9
ericthered
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Default Re: My problem with Phobia, Post-Combat Shakes and Fright Checks

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
As a random guess, I would assume common Fright checks occur mainly in two types of campaigns. One is where optimistic to outright cinematic slash ultra tech methods exist to fix psychiatric problems. The other is more cliched Lovecraftian or "war is HELL" where inevitable downward spirals of sanity are expected.

Those are the campaigns were fright checks are most appropriate. Thing is, The disadvantages that trigger them are prompted for by the players, not by the GM, which means they can request for fright checks outside of those games.
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Old 02-26-2021, 11:27 PM   #10
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Default Re: My problem with Phobia, Post-Combat Shakes and Fright Checks

I remember thinking that it would be good, and realistic, to have an adjusted Fright Check table where succeeding by a high enough margin could reduce the disadvantages. ( http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread...31#post2296731 ) Did anyone try something like that? Did it work in practice?
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