Opinions on Sanity

[Apophis]

Hello, Everyone.
A few people in my D&D 3.5 group have shown some interest in using the Sanity variant from Unearthed Arcana, and I wanted to know what others who have played with it think about it.
Also, any advice about using it will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[golentan]

I am against sanity on principle.

Wait, you mean in a game? Oooooh... It's kind of meh either way as a variant rule. My general opinion is if you want madness as a game mechanic, you should be playing either CoC or a whitewolf system depending on your flavor preferences.

[Kelb_Panthera]

It's worth mentioning that the sanity rules are best applied to a somewhat grittier than average game. They really shine in a horror campaign. That said, my opinion is mostly indifferent. Be warned though, if the party has no way of recovering their sanity points, the rate of sanity loss increases as sanity points decrease.

[randomhero00]

Except for specific, horror, shorter campaign games, no. I dislike anything that removes my personal free will of my character (and that includes living on and not dieing lol).

[some guy]

I play D20 CoC, the UA variant uses the same set of sanity rules (and the D20 san rules are almost exact the same as the BRP CoC rules).
On one hand, using sanity rules give play an extra option for excitement. Seeing your sanity points falling away is almost the same as seeing your hitpoints fall away in a gripping battle without hope for healing. It's cool!
On the other hand, I don't know how it will play in DnD where restorative magic can restore your sanity points. The whole point of san in CoC is that your downfall is inevitable, by the day going more and more insane. With magic involved there might be just too much hope.
Maybe you can play a oneshot with your group using the sanity rules and see how that works?

EDIT: as a DM, it's mighty amusing to ask for sanity rolls and play with the sanity rules. That's worth something too.

[Sinfonian]

Except for specific, horror, shorter campaign games, no. I dislike anything that removes my personal free will of my character (and that includes living on and not dieing lol).

Taking something of a devil's advocate position on this:
I think that things that can impede your free will/full control over your character, while potentially annoying on a gaming front (and your objection is perfectly valid), has some merit in providing a measure of verisimilitude. No one is always in full control of their actions, sometimes we can't control what we do.

If you want some sort of mechanical way to represent the mental fatigue incurred by characters of the course of a specific kind of campaign (and I agree that it works best in horror-style), sanity isn't a bad way to go. Some people, perhaps most, would prefer that such things be left to roleplay only. It's not a terrible mechanic, you just need to decide if it fits what you want.

[Antonok]

Never. Ever. EVER. Again. Atleast not with the current system. Too many ways that can completely screw up an adventure.

Some of the things that can happen are pretty fun in game, like a warforged dread necro with the weak will flaw being horrifically stunned almost every time he created an undead.

But it does get rather annoying and hard in battles when half your party either runs in fear, or a char goes insane and tries to kill everything it sees.

[Apophis]

Maybe you can play a oneshot with your group using the sanity rules and see how that works?
I may do this.
Thanks for the input, everyone.

[randomhero00]

Taking something of a devil's advocate position on this:
I think that things that can impede your free will/full control over your character, while potentially annoying on a gaming front (and your objection is perfectly valid), has some merit in providing a measure of verisimilitude. No one is always in full control of their actions, sometimes we can't control what we do.

If you want some sort of mechanical way to represent the mental fatigue incurred by characters of the course of a specific kind of campaign (and I agree that it works best in horror-style), sanity isn't a bad way to go. Some people, perhaps most, would prefer that such things be left to roleplay only. It's not a terrible mechanic, you just need to decide if it fits what you want.
IRL (which is kind of what we're invoking if we're talking verisimilitude) when are you ever not in control? And being drunk or something doesn't count. That's just being less inhibited. If anything being drunk or high or something is *more* control of your character.

[Kelb_Panthera]

IRL (which is kind of what we're invoking if we're talking verisimilitude) when are you ever not in control? And being drunk or something doesn't count. That's just being less inhibited. If anything being drunk or high or something is *more* control of your character.

Ironically enough, when you have a serious mental issue it can rob you of your control of yourself. That's part of what's so terrifying about having such disorders. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is the very epitome of the loss of self-control. So.... yeah.... if there's any mechanic that should mess with a player's control over their character its the sanity system. It should be noted, and indeed is noted in the description of these rules, that having a character with serious, long-term psych disorders can be less-than-fun over an extended period.

[Hawriel]

Check out Ravenlofts sanity system as well. 3rd ed's was written by White Wolf.

[randomhero00]

Ironically enough, when you have a serious mental issue it can rob you of your control of yourself. That's part of what's so terrifying about having such disorders. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is the very epitome of the loss of self-control. So.... yeah.... if there's any mechanic that should mess with a player's control over their character its the sanity system. It should be noted, and indeed is noted in the description of these rules, that having a character with serious, long-term psych disorders can be less-than-fun over an extended period.

Um I have some of these real life disorders you speak of (I see a doctor, take medication and everything) and they are nothing like the sanity rules...they'd be more like really really negative traits or something. I don't even know how to convert them.

[big teej]

Um I have some of these real life disorders you speak of (I see a doctor, take medication and everything) and they are nothing like the sanity rules...they'd be more like really really negative traits or something. I don't even know how to convert them.

in a similar vein, I consider my paranoia to be both a blessing and a curse,

its kinda like having uncanny dodge and "plot sense" ('plot' in the sense of people planning, not the story line)

carries some pretty heavy penalties too though.... :smallfrown: