Need help translating an increase in aggression to game mechanics.

[frogglesmash]

I plan on running a d20 modern campaign where the PCs play super soldiers, and a common thing in fiction is for troops to be either chemically, or hormonally enhanced to be faster, stronger and more aggressive etc. The first two are pretty easy to simulate with bonuses to ability scores and speed, but I don't know how to mechanically represent the increased aggression or if I even should.

Not: I am aware that I could just give them a voluntary/involuntary rage ability, but I'd rather have something that represents a permanent change in personality, not a temporary one induced by combat.

[Crake]

There are no stats, as far as I can tell, for "personality". The closest I could imagine is charisma, but even then, it's hard to say if increased aggression would be an increase or decrease. Charisma represents both likability and force of personality, but agression basically increases one (you have more force behind your decisions, more resistant to other's social influence) but decreases the other (become generally less likable, harder to influence others without intimidation).

If you ask me, I would just say to not worry about a mechanical change, just play out the characters as noticably more agressive, easy.

[Martin Greywolf]

Well, you will need to make this mechanic a bit fluffy, there is no real way to tell if someone is aggressive from hard numbers only. Since this enhancement is supposed to be a straight up upgrade, it can have a form of small bonus whenever a character's turn is before his opponents.

Note that this doesn't necessarily mean just combat, but gets a bit hazier outside of it - someone briskly walking past a checkpoint as if he belonged there is certainly aggressive, but what if someone is making sarcastic comments in response of someone? Is that aggressive? If your players are any kind of mature, they'll not argue it too much, I think, but it is something to keep in mind.

[Firest Kathon]

I think in game terms it would be a wisdom penalty. Wisdom is the score which covers common sense and sense of self-preservation, i.e. the realization that being aggressive may not be the best way of conflict resolution. But as the others said, there is not really a stat for "being aggressive", though your drug could trigger a barbarian rage (as the Pathfinder rage (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/r/rage) spell).

In Pathfinder, the Alchemist (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/alchemist) class gets an ability called Mutagen (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/alchemist#TOC-Mutagen-Su-), which is an alchemical "potion" which grants a bonus to a physical ability score, while giving a penalty on a mental ability scores. The scores have a fixed link (Str/Int, Dex/Wis, Con/Cha). The same exists the other way round (bonus to mental, enalty to physical ability) and this then called a cognatogen (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/alchemist/discoveries/paizo---alchemist-discoveries/cognatogen-su).

[Nifft]

I plan on running a d20 modern campaign where the PCs play super soldiers, and a common thing in fiction is for troops to be either chemically, or hormonally enhanced to be faster, stronger and more aggressive etc. The first two are pretty easy to simulate with bonuses to ability scores and speed, but I don't know how to mechanically represent the increased aggression or if I even should.

Not: I am aware that I could just give them a voluntary/involuntary rage ability, but I'd rather have something that represents a permanent change in personality, not a temporary one induced by combat.

Reward them for the behavior that you want to encourage, or both punish & reward by making it a resource-management mini-game.

So now they (individually or as a group) have a FRUSTRATION bar: [_|_|_|_|_]

Every time they don't flip out on someone, they put a check in the Frustration bar.

When it fills up, they get a Morale penalty of some kind.
If instead they flip out, the bar is cleared, and they get a temporary Morale bonus of some kind.


WHAT CAUSES FRUSTRATION - this changes as they become more "chemically aggressive". At first it's stuff that would frustrate any normal person, but eventually it becomes obvious that they are not behaving as normal people would.

[The Insanity]

Initiative bonus?

[Pyromancer999]

Maybe focus on stuff that makes it easier to seek out combat, like maybe bonuses to Listen/Spot(to better perceive enemies around them), speed enhancements(to get close to enemies faster), Immunity to surprise rounds(may have to be under certain conditions, but they're always ready to go at it), and/or initiative bonuses, as has previously been suggested(for same reasons as previous item).

[ShurikVch]

Aggressive (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterTraits.htm#aggressive) trait?

[Kaje]

Will save to flip out if someone/thing annoys them.

[Red Fel]

Reward them for the behavior that you want to encourage, or both punish & reward by making it a resource-management mini-game.

So now they (individually or as a group) have a FRUSTRATION bar: [_|_|_|_|_]

Every time they don't flip out on someone, they put a check in the Frustration bar.

When it fills up, they get a Morale penalty of some kind.
If instead they flip out, the bar is cleared, and they get a temporary Morale bonus of some kind.


WHAT CAUSES FRUSTRATION - this changes as they become more "chemically aggressive". At first it's stuff that would frustrate any normal person, but eventually it becomes obvious that they are not behaving as normal people would.

Something similar to this, I think, is a great option, because it makes it a choice. That's the key part.

You're basically telling the player, "Your character has been mentally rewired. He needs to vent his rage periodically. When he does so is up to you. Doing so regularly is helpful. Refusing to do so is something you can do, but accrues penalties." Making it a choice, giving the player control, is the key thing.

Instead of just making it a penalty for filling the bar, though, you might also give them a bonus for emptying it. Much like how one of these super-soldiers would probably be wired to find the sensation of totally flipping out pleasurable, you might give the PC a bonus, depending on how "full" the meter is, when they flip out. Again, nothing game-breaking - the penalties can't make them useless, the bonuses can't make them godly - but enough to add a mechanical incentive. They could flip out all the time, and enjoy little or no bonus; they could store it up like a battery, incurring penalties all the while, before completely unloading on something; or they could try to strike a healthy balance.

You'd want to allow flexibility, though. If a player says, "Does this frustrate my character?" If they can give a good reason, the answer should probably be, "Yes, increment the bar." If a player says, "Does this vent my character's rage?" If they give a good reason, the answer should probably be, "Yes, take your bonus and empty the bar."

[Segev]

The "Frustration Bar" suggestions are good for creating a resource to encourage the players to play towards that kind of behavior.

A non-mechanical alternative would be how you RP and describe things. Make a point of exaggerating things that inconvenience the PCs. Depict NPC behaviors as more deliberately irritating than they probably really are. To the PC, they seem to be obnoxious when, to those who aren't suffering increased aggression, they're not really doing anything annoying at all. The players will probably respond appropriately to the level of irritation your NPCs and world inflicts upon them as you depict it. Just remember that, to all NPC observers not sharing their increased aggression, the behaviors seem normal, and the PCs' reactions seem out of proportion.

As a side note, you can get people to act aggressively angry by pretending they already are. I'm sure you can find videos of this in action, where somebody just keeps telling another person (who hasn't yet been at all excitable) to "calm down" and otherwise acts like that person is flipping out in unreasonable rage. It generally leads first to confusion, but then anger at being accused of being angry.

[KillianHawkeye]

I don't remember how different the skill system is in d20 Modern, but in D&D I would do something like penalize Diplomacy while buffing Intimidate and maybe Initiative.

[Thurbane]

Not: I am aware that I could just give them a voluntary/involuntary rage ability, but I'd rather have something that represents a permanent change in personality, not a temporary one induced by combat.

You could have a look at the Tainted Raver template in HoH. Gives perma-rage as a condition.