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Message: <blockquote data-quote="dave2008" data-source="post: 8279449" data-attributes="member: 83242">Ravenloft has two new "mechanics" in this area: Fear and Stress, and roll playing incentive Seeds of Fear. There are also Dark Gifts which are kinda cool.Seeds of Fear:[spoiler]<h4>Using Seeds of Fear</h4>When a character encounters one of their Seeds of Fear, and interacts with the situation in a way that reinforces the seed, such as screaming or stumbling back from a horrid event, consider giving the character inspiration for their fear-focused reaction (see “<a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/personality-and-background#Inspiration" target="_blank">Inspiration</a>” in the <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb" target="_blank">Player’s Handbook</a>). Once a character gains inspiration in this way, they shouldn’t be able to do so again until they finish a long rest.[/spoiler]These are basically incentives to have players role player their characters fear.  Not my thing, but really outside the mechanics of Sanity and Madness in the DMG.Fear:[spoiler]An overwhelming foe or horrid monster doesn’t need magic or some supernatural ability to strike fear into the most stalwart adventurers. During any frightful encounter, you can call on a character to make a saving throw to resist being scared. The character must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/appendix-a-conditions#Frightened" target="_blank">frightened</a> until the end of their next turn.[/spoiler]This just gives permission to DMs to give any monster they want a weaker version of a dragon's Frightening Presence. It supports horror, but really has nothing to do with Madness or Sanity.Stress:[spoiler]Charging headlong into terrifying situations is the stock in trade for adventurers. Among the Domains of Dread, though, periods of respite between harrowing experiences can be rare. Even the hardiest adventurers find themselves worn down over time, their performance suffering as they struggle to cope with the dread and despair.Various circumstances might cause a character stress. Stress can be tracked numerically as a Stress Score, increasing in trying situations and decreasing with care. At your discretion, a character’s Stress Score might increase by 1 when one of the following situations occurs:[/spoiler]Basically this is granular penalty to all attack rolls, checks, and saving throws. Each point of Stress you get is another point you subtract from all your rolls.This seems to work well with the Sanity variant ability in the manner [USER=18]@Ruin Explorer[/USER] mentioned as it could be used in opposition.  As you get more knowledge you Stress goes up, reducing your ability to succeed on Sanity checks, which could increase your stress..... However, this is not specifically mentioned.Dark Gifts: [spoiler]A character can select a Dark Gift from the “<a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/vrgtr/dark-gifts#DarkGiftDescriptions" target="_blank">Dark Gifts Descriptions</a>” section. This supernatural gift expresses both a mysterious power and insidious influence.Example:<h3>Echoing Soul</h3>Your soul isn’t your own or, at least, it wasn’t always yours. Whether you’ve lived past lives, your soul was swapped into a different body, or you have a link connecting you to another being, you experience echoes from another life. These echoes grant you knowledge, talents, or even languages you can’t always explain, but they also intrude on your perceptions and beliefs unexpectedly.Roll on or choose an option from the Soul Echoes table to determine the nature of this Dark Gift. Additionally, you gain the traits that follow.<h4>Soul Echoes</h4> <table style='width: 100%'><tr><th>d6</th><th>Echo</th></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>My soul is linked with that of a person elsewhere, perhaps another domain, world, or plane.</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>I have lived many times before, my soul reincarnating each time I die rather than passing on.</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>My consciousness was removed from my original body and implanted in this one.</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>I was physically and spiritually merged with another being.</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>I share my body with an intangible, otherworldly force.</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Time fractures around me, and I sometimes collide with my own past or future.</td></tr></table>Channeled Prowess. You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.Inherent Tongue. You can speak, read, and write one additional language of your choice.Intrusive Echoes. Immediately after you make an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw and roll a 1 on the d20, your soul’s memories emerge and overtake your perceptions and experiences. You might see people around you as someone other than who they are, or you become disoriented by a double-experience of the world around you. Roll on the Intrusive Echoes table to determine the effect of these vivid memories and perceptions. Once one of effects occur, these intrusive echoes can’t manifest again until you finish a short or long rest.<h4>Intrusive Echoes</h4> <table style='width: 100%'><tr><th>d6</th><th>Effect</th></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>You are <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/appendix-a-conditions#Charmed" target="_blank">charmed</a> by a creature you can see (of the DM’s choice) for 1 minute or until the creature damages you.</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>You are <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/appendix-a-conditions#Frightened" target="_blank">frightened</a> by a creature you can see (of the DM’s choice) for 1 minute, or until the creature damages you.</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>You perceive another time or place around you until the end of your next turn. During this time, you are <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/appendix-a-conditions#Blinded" target="_blank">blinded</a> to your actual surroundings.</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>You perceive a different time or place overlapping your surroundings. Your speed is halved until the end of your next turn.</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Memories and sensations overwhelm you. You are <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/appendix-a-conditions#Incapacitated" target="_blank">incapacitated</a> until the start of your next turn.</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Your memory is one of triumph. You can reroll the ability check, attack roll, or saving throw that you just made. You must use the new roll.</td></tr></table>[/spoiler]These are basically little horror flavored benefits with a cost.  The could be added to any campaign.</blockquote>

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