Mental Health

[Kyutaru]

While most settings are busy fending off monsters, some might care about the mental health of subjects.

May we take it for granted that Greater Restoration isn't affordable or accessible to everyone? Psychological drugs may very well have a purpose. Unless the kingdom has universal healthcare, there will still be crazies around living among the villagers.

What targeted services does your game have? Or do you just round up all the insane people and put them into restoration camps?

[Frozenstep]

The crazy people usually end up being picked up by cults. A sad truth.

[Wizard_Lizard]

The crazy people in my campaign are the PC's...

[Lupine]

The crazy people in my campaign are the PC's...

Honesty, so relatable...

[SirGraystone]

The crazy people in my campaign are the PC's...

And they too often drive the DM crazy :smallsmile:

[Zhorn]

The crazy people in my campaign are the PC's...

Q: Why are adventurer's backstories so tragic and their personality so messed up?

A: Happy stable people with their lives together don't feel the need to go out and hunt dragons.

“Hey Jerry, wanna leave your new bride and successful winery for 6 months and rid the land of vampires with me?”
“What are you nuts?”

credit to Marisha and Liam... edited for language

[LibraryOgre]

Cheekily, Prestidigitation might let you make pills... they don't last long, so people need to swallow them quickly.

Modify Memory I could see being used to heal trauma-related illnesses, as might a carefully worded Suggestion (which could also help treat the symptoms of some other disorders). Regenerate might arguably help prevent problems caused by physical trauma, or even repair them. Lesser Restoration could, though that would take a pretty generous reading of the "You touch a creature and can end either one disease or one condition afflicting it." Heal and its related spells might be argued to do the same; Remove curse, with a generous reading, could do the same.

[Dr. Cliché]

Modify Memory I could see being used to heal trauma-related illnesses

Or cause them. :smallamused:

[Mr. Crowbar]

I've seen a few characters who use Calm Emotions to reduce or eliminate panic attacks. Suggestion could maybe be used to help with anxiety in spurts ("you will do the activities you desire without worry"). Maybe Enhance Ability in one of the mental stats could do some good?

My group has mulled over the idea of enchantment-based therapy for my character's PTSD and other mental issues, buuuut the problem is that my character has those issues because of enchantments. If the DM ever brings up such a therapy in-game it will be interesting.

[Kyutaru]

Cool mentions. I brought it up because the PCs seem to think the world should be free of debilitating ailments because there's a spell for that. I humbly pointed out that the cleric possessed such spells and maybe he should take up a lifetime of community service using them. Thankfully, he declined to waste his precious spell slots on poor people.

[Unoriginal]

Cool mentions. I brought it up because the PCs seem to think the world should be free of debilitating ailments because there's a spell for that. I humbly pointed out that the cleric possessed such spells and maybe he should take up a lifetime of community service using them. Thankfully, he declined to waste his precious spell slots on poor people.

As the PHB mentions, if you're capable to cast a spell above 2nd level you can basically name your price for it, because there is relatively people capable of casting them. Even a 1rst level spell can be worth more than one month of a skilled employee's salary.

So, yeah, those PCs' attitude is basically "why are those people not spending a fortune for a rarely available service?"

[Sigreid]

So, in my campaign:

Spellcasters are not that common. Not rare exactly, but there aren't a lot of them and the PCs and their opposition make up the majority of the people alive with any any serious talent or skill. This applies to martial classes as well.

I dont dwell on disease, poverty or mental illness unless there's a reason. There's enough of that in real life.

My players actually tend to spend significant funds to improving the area they call home.

[Kyutaru]

Mine tend to treat the world like it is real life. And in real life, they get paid a lot for similar services while having the same misconception that it's available to everyone and not their problem.

[blackjack50]

While most settings are busy fending off monsters, some might care about the mental health of subjects.

May we take it for granted that Greater Restoration isn't affordable or accessible to everyone? Psychological drugs may very well have a purpose. Unless the kingdom has universal healthcare, there will still be crazies around living among the villagers.

What targeted services does your game have? Or do you just round up all the insane people and put them into restoration camps?

I have been running a “guard/police” campaign and my players are the guards. They don’t really handle that side of it, but they just recently dealt with a mentally unstable old man who smelled of urine and alcohol. I had them take him to the jail for drunk and disorderly behavior (he had a knife but nobody was harmed). After a few questions I explained that the magistrates would likely have him convicted but he would probably spend his time in a church oriented healing facility. I didn’t go much past that since my players are just beat cops.

[Wizard_Lizard]

So, in my campaign:

Spellcasters are not that common. Not rare exactly, but there aren't a lot of them and the PCs and their opposition make up the majority of the people alive with any any serious talent or skill. This applies to martial classes as well.

I dont dwell on disease, poverty or mental illness unless there's a reason. There's enough of that in real life.

My players actually tend to spend significant funds to improving the area they call home.

The pc's in my campaign left their home town in flames....
because someone looked at them funny!

[Sigreid]

The pc's in my campaign left their home town in flames....
because someone looked at them funny!

I've played that guy too. It can be fun for a little while.

[LibraryOgre]

The pc's in my campaign left their home town in flames....
because someone looked at them funny!

A quote from a long-ago Castles and Crusades game

"We're PCs. We all have arson as a secondary skill."

[Kyutaru]

I've played that guy too. It can be fun for a little while.

That guy is every member of my PC party.

DM (me): "You encounter a defenseless kobold in the mine."
Party: "We tie it up, interrogate it, violate it, then sell it into slavery for more gold."

DM: "The village chief refuses to offer higher payment than what was agreed."
Party: "We kill him, burn the village, take all valuables, then sell the villagers into slavery."

DM: "The villain is fleeing but the hostages are still trapped in the snake pit."
Party: "We pursue the villain, throw antidotes to the hostages, and promise we'll be be back later."

DM: "The king is pleased with your work and wishes to make you all knights."
Party: "We negotiate for Lordships, demand personal castles, and threaten the kingdom."

[Unoriginal]

That guy is every member of my PC party.

DM (me): "You encounter a defenseless kobold in the mine."
Party: "We tie it up, interrogate it, violate it, then sell it into slavery for more gold."

DM: "The village chief refuses to offer higher payment than what was agreed."
Party: "We kill him, burn the village, take all valuables, then sell the villagers into slavery."

DM: "The villain is fleeing but the hostages are still trapped in the snake pit."
Party: "We pursue the villain, throw antidotes to the hostages, and promise we'll be be back later."

DM: "The king is pleased with your work and wishes to make you all knights."
Party: "We negotiate for Lordships, demand personal castles, and threaten the kingdom."

Then a party of adventurers show up and kill those obvious villains.

[Kyutaru]

Then a party of adventurers show up and kill those obvious villains.

We need more Good monsters. The books kind of assume that the most evil thing in the room is who or what you're fighting.

[Sigreid]

That guy is every member of my PC party.

DM (me): "You encounter a defenseless kobold in the mine."
Party: "We tie it up, interrogate it, violate it, then sell it into slavery for more gold."

DM: "The village chief refuses to offer higher payment than what was agreed."
Party: "We kill him, burn the village, take all valuables, then sell the villagers into slavery."

DM: "The villain is fleeing but the hostages are still trapped in the snake pit."
Party: "We pursue the villain, throw antidotes to the hostages, and promise we'll be be back later."

DM: "The king is pleased with your work and wishes to make you all knights."
Party: "We negotiate for Lordships, demand personal castles, and threaten the kingdom."

It can be fun for a while, but to me eventually gets old. To each their own.

[Unoriginal]

We need more Good monsters. The books kind of assume that the most evil thing in the room is who or what you're fighting.

NPC statblocks are pretty useful for that.

Seriously, if your PCs did half the things described on your post, there should be people looking to kill them. Not necessarily good people either.

[Knaight]

This is also one of those areas where it is entirely reasonable to declare as a GM that you're unwilling to GM that particular game full of murderhobos.