D&D and Sanity

[Olive]

Now I know that D&D is a heroic game, but i've often wondered if there wasn't a way to make the game a bit nastier...

orcs and goblins shouldn't ahve sanity checks...but a room full of warewolves eating babies? maybe that should.

does the CoC book have much about SAN in D&D games? Personally I had though that outsiders and wierd monster shoudl haev SAN costs, plus san for extra wierdness and nastieness.

 

[kengar]

There is an appendix re: COC in D&D campaigns. Adopting Sanity rules is probably best done on a campaign-by-campaign basis.

 

[Vacuum Elemental]

Along with the firearm rules, the sanity checks for encountering D&D monsters is one of the most usefull crunchies in CoC.

 

[LGodamus]

it suggest d&d characters due to their heroic nature have a small bit of san resistance(3 +1 per level) .....so no going insane from seein pokkey the 3 toed goblin

 

[Olive]

it suggest d&d characters due to their heroic nature have a small bit of san resistance(3 +1 per level) .....so no going insane from seein pokkey the 3 toed goblin

well as far as i see it, goblins etc. arn't monsters...or at least they're day to day enough for them not to be a threat to sanity...i mean if orcs are then so should halflings.

 

[Tsyr]

I'm sure some BADD banner-toters will be quick to suggest Dragons having Sanity checks, but I think sanity checks should be reserved for primarily outsiders, and maybe not even all of those.

 

[Axiomatic Unicorn]

I'm sure some BADD banner-toters will be quick to suggest Dragons having Sanity checks, but I think sanity checks should be reserved for primarily outsiders, and maybe not even all of those.

Seeing a dragon? Nope, that is just a fear check.

Seeing a dragon use the thigh bone of the guy you were just talking to as a toothpick, THAT requires a sanity check.

 

[Olive]

actually i was wondering about making fear of a magical sort require a SAN check...i mean feeling that scared should have some effect on you right? of course if you pass the will save for fear then no SAN check. That would include dragons i guess.

if you were going to do this properly then i guess you'd need to re look at all the spells that mess with your mind as well as ones like contact other plane

 

[Tsyr]

If you have magical fear risk a san loss, you might have to rebalance some spells...

 

[ruleslawyer]

Y'know, the San rules for D&D cover all of this quite nicely. And, as LGodamus notes indirectly, the game designers suggest that D&D characters should have SAN resistance equal to 3+character level, meaning that characters are unlikely to get freaked out by creatures equal to their CR or minor craziness, but will still go ga-ga at the major sanity-busters.