Fear and Cowardice

[Aberzanzorax]

I'm wondering how you all play fear effects (or for that matter other effects that require a character to make a roll or lose control of their actions).

The scene: party of stalwart heroes faces up against the terrible monster. The monster, when you see it, requires a roll (in this case a will save) or you flee in fear. All of the characters, except one, stay and fight. The one who leaves, runs away in terror, dropping items behind him to get away faster.


My questions:

1. How do you roleplay this? It that character seen as a coward? Do the others just overlook it? Is it attributed to something supernatural? Something else?

2. However you do handle it, do you feel that it is metagaming? Here I don't just mean "its best if we all just get along, and it makes sense that they'd react this way anyway"...I mean if your characters do get along, how to the characters rationalize it, or do they? Do they assume it is supernatural? Do they have any way of knowing this?

So, how do your groups treat these sorts of situations?

 

[blargney the second]

If my character is the one under the fear effect, I ham it up. It's funner that way.

If my ally is affected but I am not, I usually try to find ways to keep them from running away. My favourite in 3.5 is to make an AoO on my ally and trip them.
-blarg

 

[Aberzanzorax]

But if they run away, how do you react to them later? Do you call them a "deserter" or a "coward"?

I know if I was in a war and when the chips hit the fan, one of my allies started running at full speed away from the battle, our relationship would be strained to say the least (If I didn't shoot him for disobeying orders/deserting).

 

[blargney the second]

Nah, I don't think it's cool to be aggressive like that towards other players.

I'd rather turn it into something funny and use prestidigitation to clean up their soiled pants.
-blarg

 

[MrGrenadine]

Since most of the time rolls that result in fleeing in fear are prompted by unusual circumstances--an incredibly huge monster, a powerful spell, a particularly violent or grotesque tableau, etc.--its quite different than your wartime example. Its not like the group has been training for years to fight orcs, and then someone runs away the first time they see an orc, (or worse yet--the fifteenth time). Rather, its more likely to happen when a group trained to fight orcs turns a corner and bumps noses with a demon or a dragon. So as long as the circumstances really warrant the reaction, I think it makes sense.

As for what the characters think about someone fleeing...it depends on how each character is being RP'ed. In general though, I think highly trained and experienced adventurers, (which, an argument can be made, describes characters even at level 1)--who know there are dangers in the world that could destroy them, and know there is magic in the world that could affect their bodies or minds--would see someone reacting in fear as just part of the job. Unless the character is being RP'ed as cowardly, my assumption is that he or she is in fact courageous, and has a good damn reason to be breaking ranks. And unless a character is being RP'ed as distrustful or suspicious or belittling, I think most characters would pat their ally on the back after all is said and done, and say "you'll get 'em next time".

After all, every character is going to lose it at some point if he or she lives long enough.


All that being said, I always hate losing control of my character. Sitting powerlessly while the game goes on without you is the height of not fun, IMO. I would much rather be given the option of taking some penalty, like a -3 to all attacks and damage as a fear effect, instead of actually running out of the room. Again, its based on RP--if I'm playing a physically weak character, or one who has a deathly fear of whatever it is we're fighting, then running makes sense. On the other hand, my raging halfling barbarian should be given the chance to grit his teeth and fight through it.

 

[Hammerhead]

Well, it's generally a supernatural effect. It's not like failing a save against a dominate means that your PC is a traitor.

That said, the PCs that make the saving throw against fear effects tend to laugh at the people who didn't after the fight. And we all laugh at the guy who failed his Fort save against Finger of Death .

 

[Aberzanzorax]

Ok, I get the gamist perspective on this. I think I asked my question in an unclear way.


How does throgdar the barbarian know that the reason his ally just turned heel and ran crying like a baby is due to magic or the supernatural?

Knowledge arcana? Spellcraft? Experience?



I'm not talking about how the players act, I'm talking about how their characters understand the happening.

 

[Malakye]

I think it depends on how you describe fear effects and what happens when you save.

I generally go with the idea that you know what type of effect just hit you and that you fought it off. If you have the proper knowledges, you might be able to determine the exact spell but even the untrained should have an idea.

For example, Throgdar the barbarian saves against a fear spell. Blingo the rogue does not.

"The black robed wizard points his staff at the party and chants a spell. A wave of fear hits you, trying to work its way into your mind. Just as you think you are about to run away, you manage to shake it off, gritting your teeth and howling in rage."

Throgdar would see everybody else go through the same thing, clenching their teeth, shaking their heads etc. Poor Blingo just couldn't shake it and ran off.
Now, does Throgdar think Blingo is a coward? Maybe, but he's probably just as likely to think that Blingo is weak minded or was caught off guard.

 

[Umbran]

But if they run away, how do you react to them later? Do you call them a "deserter" or a "coward"?

For me, that's determined by the relationship between the players, and the relationship between the characters, and what the characters know about the monster and the effect. If it would be more fun to play the coward line, sure, we'll play that. If it would make the game less fun for the afflicted character, then I'd probably not play it that way.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

How does throgdar the barbarian know that the reason his ally just turned heel and ran crying like a baby is due to magic or the supernatural?

I think of magical or supernatural fear effects as generally being pretty obvious to those that experience them.

Throgdar the barbarian recognizes that Simkin the rogue turned tail and fled due to a supernatural assault on his mind because Throgdar himself experienced the same thing, only he was able to overcome the fear, probably because of his heartier diet.