Fear and Cowardice

[Ed_Laprade]

You have to ask yourself how much do the characters know about the world they're adventuring in? This is one of those things where skill points simply may not reflect what the character should know. If Mr. Monster Masher is always asking everyone he meets to tell him all they know about any monsters they've encountered he ought to have a better understanding of them than the skill mechanics probably allow. And since all the characters are (usually) monster hunters who spend all/most of their time together even someone who doesn't 'waste' any skill points (or whatever) on it should be much better at it than Joe Average. (4e's +1 to all skills per two levels is a step in the right direction, IMO.)

So when Mr. Bersekers suddenly breaks ranks and runs away, when he's stood toe-to-toe with Death without batting an eye, the other characters not only should give him the benefit of the doubt, but probably ought to have a pretty good idea that the whatziz he ran from had the capability to magic him into doing so. Again, IMO.

 

[MarkB]

Characters who go adventuring in a world where a certain small percentage of monsters are capable of projecting so terrifying an aspect that even the hardiest warrior may quail in fear are likely to know that there are monsters out there which can do this - and that when it happens, it can overwhelm even the most disciplined person's self-control.

So they'll know that, when it finally happens to them or their ally, it's no reflection of that person's character - there are simply some things, whether they're supernaturally scary or simply too horrible to contemplate, that can have this effect regardless of the individual involved.