D&D 5E Brainstorming ideas for a Stress system

[Steampunkette]

1	Disadvantage on Cha/Int/Wis ability check
2	Disadvantage on Wis/Int/Cha saves
3	You cant maintain Concentration
4	You can only take the Disengage, Dodge or Dash action in combat.
5	You are unable to see anything farther than 15 feet away from you.
6	Death

I really like this chart. However I would swap number two and number three. I feel like you should lose access to concentration spells pretty early on in stress while having disadvantage on saving throws should come just a little bit later.

So you start out getting distracted and unable to focus on immediate tasks, with the skill check disadvantage. Then you become unable to focus on anything long term. And then you are so rattled that anything which affects your mental state causes further issues.

Maybe have five apply a short-term mental illness and six provide a long-term mental illness?

Could also add another level above one on this chart and split the skill and ability checks out. That way if you're making a strict ability check, like an intelligence check, you have issues focusing on it right away. But when you make a skill check you're able to use the framework of the information that you have gathered and the training you have received to avoid the disadvantage at stress level 1, then your education framework breaks down at stress level 2 all the way down through the list as currently provided.

 

[prabe]

Maybe... I’m not a huge fan of “your character is too mentally broken to be playable.”

That's fair. I was thinking it was a reasonable parallel to Level 6 Exhaustion being Death. Maybe it works if there's magic that restores people from it, the way Resurrection, et al., restore people from Death. You should by no means use a mechanic you don't like.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Yeah I put Death at 6 to mimic the Exhaustion chart. I see it as complete system shock, like in the Massive Damage optional rule from the DMG.

I reaaaaallllyyyy dont like mental illness being something a character is forced to roleplay. I feel it would be too easy to make it a joke, being at best inconsequential and worst, insulting and insensitive.

I think the better would be to replicate the Feeblemind spell as and effect.

'' Your Intelligence and Charisma scores become 1. You can't cast spells, activate magic items, understand language, or communicate in any intelligible way. You can, however, identify your friends follow them.

At the end of every 30 days, you can make a Charisma saving throw against a DC of 20 to end this condition.

The effects can also be ended by greater restoration, heal, or wish''

 

[MarkB]

I kind-of feel like Stress and Exhaustion should have an extra state at the negative end of their tracks, for those times when you're wide awake or super-chill and doing even better than your default state.

For Exhaustion: -1 (Had My Coffee). Double your proficiency bonus on Dexterity and Intelligence checks.
You reach this state whenever you complete a long rest during which you did not need to recover either hit dice or Exhaustion levels. You lose it the first time you spend a hit die, or when you take a level of Exhaustion (which sets you back down to 0 Exhaustion).

For Stress: -1 (Chilled Out). Double your proficiency bonus on Wisdom and Charisma checks.
You reach this state whenever you complete a long rest during which you did not need to recover either hit points or Stress levels. You lose it the first time you fail an Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma saving throw, or when you take a level of Stress (which sets you back down to 0 Stress).

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Yeah, that one is a little strange to me too.

Its to simulate panic shock, where you get something akin to tunnel vision and you have a hard time focusing on anything beyond your immediate surroundings.

The mechanic itself is taken from the Arcane Archer's shadow arrow.

 

[Charlaquin]

Its to simulate panic shock, where you get something akin to tunnel vision and you have a hard time focusing on anything beyond your immediate surroundings.

The mechanic itself is taken from the Arcane Archer's shadow arrow.

Gotcha. Is panic shock generally a long-term condition?

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Gotcha. Is panic shock generally a long-term condition?

No not really, indeed. Maybe everytime you are hit your sight is reduced until the start of your next turn?

Anyway, I think I'd let Calm Emotion supress the Stress penalties for the duration of the spell.

 

[Charlaquin]

Yeah I put Death at 6 to mimic the Exhaustion chart. I see it as complete system shock, like in the Massive Damage optional rule from the DMG.

I reaaaaallllyyyy dont like mental illness being something a character is forced to roleplay. I feel it would be too easy to make it a joke, being at best inconsequential and worst, insulting and insensitive.

I think the better would be to replicate the Feeblemind spell as and effect.

'' Your Intelligence and Charisma scores become 1. You can't cast spells, activate magic items, understand language, or communicate in any intelligible way. You can, however, identify your friends follow them.

At the end of every 30 days, you can make a Charisma saving throw against a DC of 20 to end this condition.

The effects can also be ended by greater restoration, heal, or wish''

I missed this earlier, but I agree fully about having to roleplay mental illness being a really distasteful effect for a mechanic like this to have, and I really like the idea of replicating the effects of Feeblemind for level 6! I wonder if there are other spell effects we could mine for other levels.

 

[Charlaquin]

I’m really liking the idea of tying Fears and Stress together. Here’s what I’m thinking:

Each player starts with a Fear. When a PC encounters something that plays on their Fear (as determined by the player), they can gain Inspiration and make a stress save/morale check/whatever. On a failure, they gain a level of Stress.

At a certain level of Stress (maybe 6?) you permanently gain a new Fear. That way, as your stress builds up, you essentially become more susceptible to Stress, gaining new Fears that can potentially trigger it. But it’s essentially opt-in on the player’s part, with Inspiration as a carrot to encourage engaging with the system.

 

[GMMichael]

Maybe Level 6 is the character can no longer lose levels of this and becomes an NPC under the DM's control?

Level 6: character soils armor.

What about a die to roll that acts as a penalty to all rolls that aren't fight or flight? Gain a level, use the next higher die type.