Insanity within core rules

[Li Shenron]

Without recurring to variant rules, if I wanted to play a character who is insane how should it be represented by the character stats?

I am thinking for example of the character Murdock from the old "A-Team" series of the 80's. He was not stupid, so it doesn't seem that he deserves to simply have a low Int, au contraire he was very skillful; he wasn't either unperceptive of the surrounding, so low Wis doesn't satisfy me either. Basically he was an excellent veteran pilot, who was able to perform hazardous manoeuvres probably thanks to his "crazyness" and lack of fear for the consequences. He was anyway paranoid, typically in every episode of the series he was obsessed by a different thing: one day he had an invisible pet to talk with, the next day he was scared to death by sandwiches, another day he might have believed to be the reincarnation of some famous person of the past, and so on.

I think it could make for a nice PC to have fun with, but I have no idea at the moment about how to adjust his stats to represent it. It is also possible that I shouldn't adjust anything at all...

 

[Tessarael]

Unearthed Arcana has insanity rules. I only scanned them briefly. There might be something useful in there.

Have a look at the Alienist in Tome and Blood. Have a look at Malkavians in Vampyre.

You shouldn't need to adjust your abilities. Just roleplay the crazy personality. Note down what triggers it (e.g. paranoia), and what the effect is.

Example: I have a character who once was charmed by a Vampire and ended up in great trouble as a result. He now eats garlic every day, and carries around a garlic soaked wooden dagger (he used to have a garlic soaked wooden longsword as well, but a Sunblade is better than that except for staking Vampires). And he has a basement to barricade in his house if Vampires came, etc ...

 

[Plane Sailing]

No stat adjustment needed, just role-play it!

 

[shilsen]

No stat adjustment needed, just role-play it!

What he said. That doesn't sound like the kind of character where you need any mechanical pyrotechnics to justify what he does.

 

[The Souljourner]

Role play it! Stats schmats. If you wanted to play someone mentally retarded, then sure, low mental stats... but plain ole crazy? That's all up the the player.

-The Souljourner

 

[der_kluge]

As a DM, I don't think it would be out of line to provide such a character with a bonus to his fear saves. Maybe +2 or +4 depending on the severity of the insanity, and how it is played. I would just talk to your DM and work something out. I agree that it should just role-playing, and I wouldn't worry too much about finding some specific rule somewhere.

 

[Li Shenron]

I would just talk to your DM and work something out.

I am the DM! That's why I asked you... Now, maybe if I started to talk with myself to work something out, that could provide some help to properly roleplay it

 

[Henry]

I am the DM! That's why I asked you... Now, maybe if I started to talk with myself to work something out, that could provide some help to properly roleplay it

Speaking as a man who carried on a fight with himself over 14 posts a couple of weeks ago, I'd say just roleplay it. But take care not to get TOO annoying to other players. Another thing about Murdock from A-Team: the Actor didn't carry on this schtick in EVERY scene, he just used it to flavor the action of the show.

 

[jgsugden]

One of my friends ran an insane, dwarven, knife throwing fighter under 1E rules. He used nothing but roleplaying and it worked fine. I would not recommend a *high* wisdom for the PC, but a normal (11) or lower wisdom would be fine.