[Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Panic Attacks

[johndallman]

Panic Attacks [-5, -10 or -25] is a mundane mental disadvantage. Under stressful situations, you are sometimes overwhelmed by feelings of fear and the fight-or-flight reaction. This disadvantage appeared in GURPS Horror for 4e.

This disadvantage can be triggered by many kinds of psychological stress, including being exposed to a Phobia, failing a Fright Check or making it exactly, withdrawal from Alcoholism or an Addiction, starvation, or a heart attack (!). Whenever it might be triggered, the GM rolls 3d, and on a 6 or less, you have a Panic Attack, whose effects add to any other effects of the situation. Hyperventilating is also a potential trigger, which normally happens after intense exercise, including combat.

Panic Attacks have three levels, worth [-5], [-10] or [-25] as disadvantages. The levels have different durations (2d seconds, 1d minutes, or 3d minutes respectively), and impose penalties to all attributes and skill rolls (-2, -3 or -4) and active defences (-4, -5 or -6). The more severe levels have extra penalties: at [-10], you lose 2FP at the start of the attack, and can’t move from where you stand, unless you flee at full Move; at [-25] you lose 3FP and can’t move from the spot at all, although you can cower by crouching. Also, when a [-25] sufferer reached the end of an attack, it may trigger a new one; the GM makes a new roll.

Horror suggests Panic Attacks as a part of the real-world problems Panic Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This suggests them as a suitable disadvantage for acquisition through prolonged stress, failed Fright Checks, or Corruption (Horror, pp. 146-48). Madness Dossier (also by Ken Hite) makes use of it, but no other GURPS supplements do so.

I’ve never seen this disadvantage used in a game: it feels a bit too close to reality to attract me. Has it been used in your games?

[Anders]

No, but I have Panic Disorder. Now I wonder what level I have...

Apparently [-5] since I can still move.

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by johndallman

I’ve never seen this disadvantage used in a game: it feels a bit too close to reality to attract me. Has it been used in your games?

I suspect that many of its effects should really be results on the Fright Check table, and then you could model panic attacks as a kind of aspected Fearfulness. (But the Fright Check table has its own problems, particularly the high occurrence of "acquire a new Quirk" - part of the problem is that it has to handle all sorts of frights across all genres, and they aren't completely compatible.)

But then again the only time I've even seen Fearfulness taken by a PC is when they want to max out IQ-for-skills and leave their Will and Per at a more normal-human sort of level. Something like this would be right out. Though I might well stick it on a pre-gen for a one-shot game…

[kirbwarrior]

I have the book but I haven't looked through it much. This definitely falls under the list of "stuff that's too depressing to take for anyone involved".

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Anders

No, but I have Panic Disorder. Now I wonder what level I have...

Apparently [-5] since I can still move.

I wish they had predictable durations.
Mine are probably the -5 version but initiated by failure on a Phobia check not any other stressor so far. And on a couple occasions, too rarely thankfully for it to matter in Gurps terms, it got stuck in the on position for days.

I think that's a factor to keep in mind for roleplaying realistic characters. While for rules, certain risks are below the game resolution, that they still can occur affects how one lives their lives. At 46, I've only had two "hell" level attacks that necessitated a hospital visit. But that possibility is always in the back of my mind when I get really anxious for "too long" in a safe place.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

I have the book but I haven't looked through it much. This definitely falls under the list of "stuff that's too depressing to take for anyone involved".

Whenever I even consider making an adventuring version of myself for fun, I always omit those kinds of disadvantages. They're just not playable for long, IMO either.
Maybe fun to add to a character temporarily then fix through montage therapy.

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Whenever I even consider making an adventuring version of myself for fun, I always omit those kinds of disadvantages. They're just not playable for long, IMO either.
Maybe fun to add to a character temporarily then fix through montage therapy.

I could maybe see that. But this, Chronic Depression, and Alcoholism are like the big three disads that I feel are so depressing that it might almost be alienating and I haven't considered them with my groups or new players.

[Flyndaran]

Perfectly reasonable. I feel similarly for Lecherousness. It's just asking for trouble with most players or groups.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by johndallman

I’ve never seen this disadvantage used in a game: it feels a bit too close to reality to attract me. Has it been used in your games?

I've never done a real horror game as opposed to a monster hunting game and there's a reason why that disad was in Horror and not Basic.

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Perfectly reasonable. I feel similarly for Lecherousness. It's just asking for trouble with most players or groups.

It's definitely a thing of different gaming groups. I've never had any issues with Lecherousness or even Sadism, yet I'm certain many people don't have issues with players taking Addiction.