Optional Rules

“Follow your inner moonlight. Don't hide the madness.”

—Allen Ginsberg

Madness

In a horror-themed game, player characters will be subjected to gruesome, disturbing, and mind-wrenching situations that could negatively impact their mental well-being.

Seeing another person torn to shreds by werewolves, possessed by a demon, or rising from the dead as a zombie, for example, could push the psyche beyond the breaking point, resulting in madness.

There are two types of madness:

1. Temporary Madness: Lasts for a short duration, from a few seconds to a few hours.

2. Sustained Madness: Lasts until cured via psychology, counseling, or magical intervention.

Resisting Madness

To resist madness, a player makes a “madness save” by rolling Will.

Note: If a character has six or more Strain, this roll is made with a penalty.

• Complete success: No madness. Your sanity holds… for now.

• Partial success: Gain a temporary madness.

• Fail: Gain a sustained madness.

• Critical success: Your mind blocks out the event entirely. Lose D2 Strain.

• Critical failure: Your mind breaks. Gain a sustained madness, D6 Strain, and become stupefied for one minute (see Conditions). If your Stain reaches 12, become Incapacitated.

When to call for a Madness Save:

• A character fails a Panic roll during a horrific situation.

• A character surpasses 6 Strain during a horrific situation.

• A character gains 3 or more Strain in a single turn during a horrific situation.

• A character encounters an extremely terrifying entity, such as a greater demon or Eldritch horror.

Temporary Madness Table (D6)

Duration varies.

1. Pass Out: You fall unconscious (See Conditions). On your next turn, make a Brawn roll. On a full success, you regain your senses. On a partial success, you wake up but remain stupefied for D2 rounds. Otherwise, you remain unconscious.

2. Stricken: Suffer temporary blindness (see Conditions) for D2 rounds.

3. Paranoia: Suffer severe paranoia for D6 hours. Everyone is out to get you. Trust no one.

4. Manic: For D6 hours, you feel compelled to repeat a specific compulsive activity over and over, such as praying, counting your money, sharpening your knife, etc. Suffer -2 Will for the duration.

5. Turn Tail: You spend D6 rounds fleeing from danger with no regard for the situation or allies.

6. Deranged: You devolve into fits of incoherent babbling, laughing, screaming, or crying for one minute. During this episode, you are Stupefied (see Conditions).

Sustained Madness Table (D6)

You gain a condition that lasts until cured.

1. Shell Shocked: You suffer -2 Will. Whenever you gain Strain, roll a D6. On a 1, you temporarily break from reality, experiencing hallucinations and becoming Stupefied (see Conditions) for one minute.

2. Obsessed: You become infatuated with a member of your party (chosen randomly), believing they are the most important person in the world. You will do anything to protect them and win their approval, with zero regard for your own safety. You also periodically become paranoid of other allies, believing they are trying to undermine you.

3. Possessed: Whenever you gain Strain, your face contorts into a rictus of insanity. Any character within twenty feet of you that can see you when this happens must roll Will, gaining D2 Strain on a failure. You also suffer -1 Mind.

4. Tormented: The “Thrum of Doom” overtakes you, dulling your senses. You suffer -1 to Agility.

5. Staggered: You gain a permanent tremor and suffer -1 Brawn.

6. Mania: You gain a random mania (D6):

   1. Kleptomania: You are compelled to steal something at least once a day and will steal from allies if there is no other option.

   2. Egomania: You become convinced of your own superiority and will prioritize yourself first whenever making any decision or action. You must always be first and best. Otherwise, you will fly into a rage.

   3. Mythomania: You become a compulsive liar. When you speak, it’s always an untruth, significant exaggeration, or complete fabrication.

   4. Pyromania: You are compelled to light something on fire at least once a day. The bigger, the better.

   5. Megalomania: You become obsessed with wealth and power. You must be the most successful, influential, and respected individual in the group… and eventually the world.

   6. Logomania: You talk incessantly and can’t seem to control it. You cannot bear to be quiet for more than a few moments at a time. You always have to get in the last word.

Consuming Alcohol

In a setting shrouded by darkness and evil, it’s no surprise that some would reach for a stiff drink to cope with the stress. Although alcoholic beverages can reduce Strain, drinking does have risks. In addition to potential impact on a character’s mental faculties, there is also a risk of becoming dependent. Each time a character drinks alcohol, roll Brawn:

• Complete success: No side effects.

• Partial success: -1 Mind (restored after a long rest).

• Failure: Gain the Stupefied condition. Any more drinking prior to a long rest will cause violent nausea (and incapacitation). A long rest removes the Stupefied condition.

• Critical success: 2X Strain reduction.

• Critical failure: Gain the Stupefied condition and D3 Strain.

If a character becomes Stupefied from drinking alcohol, they must roll Will.

• Failure: The character becomes dependent on drinking and must drink once a day or take D6 Strain. Curing alcohol dependency requires spending a month in a sanatorium (200S).

• Partial success: The character avoids dependency but suffers a penalty on their next Will roll to resist alcohol dependency.

• Full success: No additional ill effects.

• Critical success: Lose the Stupefied condition.

• Critical failure: The character becomes severely dependent on drinking and must drink twice a day or become incapacitated. Suffer a permanent Stupefied condition until alcohol dependency is cured.

Also note:

• Drinking alcohol during combat takes two turns (and is generally not recommended).

• A person cannot drink alcohol if they are incapacitated.