[CoC] Sanity Loss from ohter events

[danzig138]

So, after participating in the Combat and Sanity Loss thread, it seems to me that different people have very different views on how traumatic certain types of events can be. This got me to thinking (uh-oh)...how would certain other events impact Sanity? For example, a few months ago, a couple that I know and game with had their child taken away by DHS for suspicion of abuse (interestingly enough, DHS didn't take their younger child, an infant). Now, I know that this was traumatic for them, far more so than seeing someone get shot would be (the husband did about 4 years in prison and is far less caring than I am), so what would the Sanity loss for that be? What about

1. Witnessing an epileptic seizure for the first time?
2. Witnessing a friend's violent overdose?
3. Witnessing a stranger's violent overdose?
4. Witnessing a friend's violent rape?
5. Witnessing a stranger's violent rape?
6. Killing someone with a knife, or other up-close and personal weapon?
7. Torturing someone?
8. Killing someone as a prison executioner?

I'm sure there are more instances that you can think of.

 

[kengar]

1. Witnessing an epileptic seizure for the first time?
2. Witnessing a friend's violent overdose?
3. Witnessing a stranger's violent overdose?
4. Witnessing a friend's violent rape?
5. Witnessing a stranger's violent rape?
6. Killing someone with a knife, or other up-close and personal weapon?
7. Torturing someone?
8. Killing someone as a prison executioner?

Interesting question!

I tend to think of CoC Sanity loss as having more to do with things like having your fundamental notions of reality shaken, but you're right in that other things can rattle your cage too.

In game terms, I would probably rate the first three as 0/1d3, potentially disturbing, but not likely to land you in the nuthouse unless you were already on edge.

A friend's rape? Probably 0/1d6.

A stranger's rape? 0/1d4.

An "intimate" killing? 1/1d3 unless the character had killed before.

Torture? Oooh, that's a bit mucky. Let's say 2/1d6. Torturing someone is probably going to make a person's psyche shift a bit.

Acting as an executioner? Hmmm. I would say 1d3/1d6 the first time, then after that, 0/1d4. I don't know whether a lot of executioners "burn out" on the job fairly quickly or adjust, but I imagine the fact that you are carrying out a legal sentence and acting officially makes it easier to bear.

I realize some of these may look kind of low, but I am trying to keep them in proportion with the less mundane horrors that are in CoC.

 

[danzig138]

Re: Re: [CoC] Sanity Loss from ohter events

I realize some of these may look kind of low, but I am trying to keep them in proportion with the less mundane horrors that are in CoC.

No, no. Those numbers seem right to me. I tend to shoot for the lower end with mundane events also.