Sanity and other Soul-shaking horrors

[sjmdw45]

Originally Posted by Rolando

The regular mental disadvantages are always roleplayed, not just rolled for effect.

I believe GURPS/DFRPG handles that quite perfectly..

Roleplaying quirk-level disadvantages like Lechery works fine, but the mechanics of self-control rolls is where it all falls apart, because roleplay is complex and situational, whereas self-control rolls are simplistic and context-free.

I may as well share my houserule for restoring roleplay to mental disadvantages:

1. Roleplay your mental disadvantages per their description.

2. If you try to resist your mental disadvantages, make a self-control roll per DF Adventurers.

3. HOWEVER, on a failed self-control roll, you are not forced to act out the disadvantage. Instead, choose between

3a. Act out the disadvantage, per DF Adventurers as usual, OR

3b. Accept a distraction penalty on all success rolls until you overcome the disadvantage. A pyromaniac might find his mind drifting back to that one PERFECT bonfire that he could have set (if not for the fact that it would have killed the party); a lecher might find himself fantasizing about an attractive individual; these undermine readiness. The penalty is -1 for a mild disadvantage (self-control roll 15), -2 for moderate cases (12), -3 for severe (9), and -4 for crippling (6). New self-control rolls can be made after 1 hour, 1 day, and every day thereafter. A successful self-control roll ends the distraction and allows the character to put it out of their mind.

Result:

Roleplaying takes precedence, and you don't have to worry about being forced by die rolls to act out of character. If you're playing a devoted family man with Greedy (12), you can roleplay your greed to your heart's delight in every way that makes roleplaying sense, without the danger that you will murder your own family just because someone offers you $10,000. The very worst that could happen is that you'd be distracted, obsessed, and guilty for a while about the fact that part of you WANTS to take the $10,000 and perhaps fantasizes about having all that money.