Crisis21
2017-03-27, 01:24 AM
Just something that was running through my mind.
Panic is a natural reaction to stress. It's Fight or Flight in its purest most primal form. So why not include it in your game?
Panic involves fear, sure, but it's not just fear. Confusion and uncertainty play a big role too. Just ask any parent who has lost track of their children.
As for what causes panic, well any number of things could. Giant dragon swooping out of the sky and setting fire to the village will do it for many commoners. Adventurers tend to be made of sterner stuff though.
But... what if something sucker-punches your PCs' buttons? Like, say, the love of their life has gone missing and the room they were staying in is stained with blood? Or if the PC has children, they come home to find the house on fire? For a religious PC, like a Cleric or a Paladin, how might they react to find that their God has abandoned them with no warning, no explanation, and no discernible reason? How might the party Wizard or Sorceror feel if they wake up one morning and can't cast spells? Or the mighty quest to save the world has gone horribly wrong and the Big Bad has opened up a portal to the nether realms and let the apocalypse loose on the Prime Material Plane despite the heroes' best efforts?
They'd probably panic.
I'd personally leave the DC up to the DM. Panic reactions, especially for individuals of a PC's mettle, tend to be highly personal.
Instead, I'll go into what I think would be the effects of being under Panic.
- You lose access to all skills and proficiencies (expertises, if any, are downgraded to proficiency)
- You may take only simple actions, such as attack or flee, without Disadvantage
- You (the player) must decide a course of action within ten seconds of being asked or your character goes catatonic for the round and takes no action
- You automatically fail any action which requires or otherwise involves Concentration
- You gain Disadvantage to all INT, WIS, and CHA saves
- You gain Advantage to all STR, DEX, and CON saves (thanks to adrenaline) unless catatonic for the round (at which you instead gain Disadvantage)
- During a round you are not catatonic, you may attempt either an INT or WIS save to end Panic. If you fail, you may not re-attempt the save until a number of rounds equal to how much you failed the save by have passed or another person attempts to assist you. If so assisted, you may make one INT or WIS saving throw at Advantage.
To snap out of Panic:
- If whatever event caused you to panic is resolved positively, you immediately snap out of it
- You succeed on an INT or WIS save
- You fall unconscious, though if the trigger condition hasn't resolved by the time you come to you may be asked to make a new save vs Panic
Panic is a natural reaction to stress. It's Fight or Flight in its purest most primal form. So why not include it in your game?
Panic involves fear, sure, but it's not just fear. Confusion and uncertainty play a big role too. Just ask any parent who has lost track of their children.
As for what causes panic, well any number of things could. Giant dragon swooping out of the sky and setting fire to the village will do it for many commoners. Adventurers tend to be made of sterner stuff though.
But... what if something sucker-punches your PCs' buttons? Like, say, the love of their life has gone missing and the room they were staying in is stained with blood? Or if the PC has children, they come home to find the house on fire? For a religious PC, like a Cleric or a Paladin, how might they react to find that their God has abandoned them with no warning, no explanation, and no discernible reason? How might the party Wizard or Sorceror feel if they wake up one morning and can't cast spells? Or the mighty quest to save the world has gone horribly wrong and the Big Bad has opened up a portal to the nether realms and let the apocalypse loose on the Prime Material Plane despite the heroes' best efforts?
They'd probably panic.
I'd personally leave the DC up to the DM. Panic reactions, especially for individuals of a PC's mettle, tend to be highly personal.
Instead, I'll go into what I think would be the effects of being under Panic.
- You lose access to all skills and proficiencies (expertises, if any, are downgraded to proficiency)
- You may take only simple actions, such as attack or flee, without Disadvantage
- You (the player) must decide a course of action within ten seconds of being asked or your character goes catatonic for the round and takes no action
- You automatically fail any action which requires or otherwise involves Concentration
- You gain Disadvantage to all INT, WIS, and CHA saves
- You gain Advantage to all STR, DEX, and CON saves (thanks to adrenaline) unless catatonic for the round (at which you instead gain Disadvantage)
- During a round you are not catatonic, you may attempt either an INT or WIS save to end Panic. If you fail, you may not re-attempt the save until a number of rounds equal to how much you failed the save by have passed or another person attempts to assist you. If so assisted, you may make one INT or WIS saving throw at Advantage.
To snap out of Panic:
- If whatever event caused you to panic is resolved positively, you immediately snap out of it
- You succeed on an INT or WIS save
- You fall unconscious, though if the trigger condition hasn't resolved by the time you come to you may be asked to make a new save vs Panic