Sanity and other Soul-shaking horrors

Queetser · 01-12-2023, 02:18 PM

Hi,

I am going to lean into the horror aspect of Dungeon Fantasy RPG*. I'm going to give my inner Lovecraft/Howard/Wagner a day out to play. One of the defining elements of Lovecraftian horror is the lost of sanity due to seeing/experiencing things, 'Man is Not Meant to Know'.

I don't like the idea of crippling my players due to psychological or even physical disabilities before we get to March Madness (my tentative name for the truly otherworldly stuff coming after we get our feet wet).

To represent the loss of 'sanity' DF RPG GURPS provides helpful Disadvantages, everything from delusions and phobias, to odious personal habits or odd ritual behaviors, even quirks for lower level 'frights'. While not an absolute number like some game systems, I think that with a little work this will actually work better.

I am playing with the idea of having various Esoteric healing traditions as well as Holy/Cleric type of intervention being capable of restoring 'sanity' essentially allowing the characters to 'heal' the psychic/psychological damage perhaps with a quirk left over if the bout was of a particularly difficult nature. Or perhaps allowing some kind of healing over time. Or a combination of the two with particularly Holy/peaceful areas more conducive to healing.

I would appreciate any feedback.

*Not to say there won't be plenty of 'regular' DF RPG badguys. Plenty of room for Orc or Ogre soldiers/guards, undead being disturbed due to eldritch energies, or abominations being created by careless wizards and alchemist types or deliberately created by dedicated insane cultists, demoniacs (a word Lovecraft enjoyed using).

Sometimes a cannibal witch grabbing children to fatten up and eat is just a regular old cannibal witch, "Hungry fer victuals I couldn't raise nor buy."

01-12-2023, 02:18 PM	#1
Queetser Join Date: Jan 2023	Sanity and other Soul-shaking horrors Hi, I am going to lean into the horror aspect of Dungeon Fantasy RPG. I'm going to give my inner Lovecraft/Howard/Wagner a day out to play. One of the defining elements of Lovecraftian horror is the lost of sanity due to seeing/experiencing things, 'Man is Not Meant to Know'. I don't like the idea of crippling my players due to psychological or even physical disabilities before we get to March Madness (my tentative name for the truly otherworldly stuff coming after we get our feet wet). To represent the loss of 'sanity' DF RPG GURPS provides helpful Disadvantages, everything from delusions and phobias, to odious personal habits or odd ritual behaviors, even quirks for lower level 'frights'. While not an absolute number like some game systems, I think that with a little work this will actually work better. I am playing with the idea of having various Esoteric healing traditions as well as Holy/Cleric type of intervention being capable of restoring 'sanity' essentially allowing the characters to 'heal' the psychic/psychological damage perhaps with a quirk left over if the bout was of a particularly difficult nature. Or perhaps allowing some kind of healing over time. Or a combination of the two with particularly Holy/peaceful areas more conducive to healing. I would appreciate any feedback. Not to say there won't be plenty of 'regular' DF RPG badguys. Plenty of room for Orc or Ogre soldiers/guards, undead being disturbed due to eldritch energies, or abominations being created by careless wizards and alchemist types or deliberately created by dedicated insane cultists, demoniacs (a word Lovecraft enjoyed using). Sometimes a cannibal witch grabbing children to fatten up and eat is just a regular old cannibal witch, "Hungry fer victuals I couldn't raise nor buy."