D&D 5E What's the best way to mimic a "willpower" mechanic in D&D 5e?

[Emirikol]

What's the best way to mimic a "willpower" mechanic in D&D 5e?

Specifically, these situations I estimate may need to be addressed (I may think of others later):

Mental endurance holding up to torture (for example), repeated insanity effects (to prevent gaining a permanent insanity), the will to survive against overwhelming odds, etc.

How would you work it in 5e?


jh

 

[Tony Vargas]

Seems obvious: WIS save.


Edit: except for the 'overwhelming odds' bit, which'd be morale, something PCs don't traditionally roll dice for.

 

[Kinak]

I believe the 5e answer is Wisdom, but I've always been a big believer in "Charisma as willpower."

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Emirikol]

How about "resist torture?"


Con or Wisdom?

jh

 

[jgsugden]

This is one of those diffuclt lines. In general, players tell you what their character does. If they give in and succumb to torture, they're losing the ability to tell you what they do - similarl to how they'd lose control over their character when they are charmed or dominated.

That tends to be less fun for players. They are no longer playing the game when you throw a circumstance at the players and tell them what they do in response. Generally, not fun. It is excusable in the face of magic, but it is often unpopular without it.

To that end, I would avoid forcing them to succumb to torture. Instead, give them the choice of whether to give in or to resist. Does the PC allow the enemy to beat them down to 1 hp if they know there is a prison break attempt coming that night? Is the PC willing to be permanently scarred by torture? Does the PC choose to let an ally be killed rather than give in? Make it an interesting story choice, rather than just a roll of a die.

 

[Tony Vargas]

How about "resist torture?"


Con or Wisdom?

jh

WIS. /Survive/ torture would be CON.

 

[Paraxis]

How about "resist torture?"


Con or Wisdom?

jh

Depends on the torture, mostly it is about breaking down peoples will so wis save, but some is just about pure pain in that case con save.

Most likely some kind of skill challenge like thing or adapted disease track from 4e for prolonged torture.

 

[Grimstaff]

Mental endurance holding up to torture: Charisma save (keeping personality intact), for more fun maybe even Charisma vs Charisma (torturer vs. victim) opposed check, or series of checks.

repeated insanity effects (to prevent gaining a permanent insanity): Wisdom Save (self explanatory)

the will to survive against overwhelming odds: Intelligence Save (knowing when to run and how best to weigh the odds)

​

 

[Emirikol]

The reason I ask is that I have an upcoming scenario where an NPC or PC (secondary character) will have only so long before they break on the rack and the PCs need to save the character.

I'm interested in seeing different ideas for mechanics beyond single pass/fail saves, but ideas on how long before a person "may" break both mentally and physically (without death,but exhaustion).



Further thoughts?

jh

 

[Emirikol]

This is one of those diffuclt lines. In general, players tell you what their character does. If they give in and succumb to torture, they're losing the ability to tell you what they do - similarl to how they'd lose control over their character when they are charmed or dominated.

I'm not a fan of having to roleplay torture until the player breaks ..but I did read that book...

This gets a bit on the topic of social mechanics:
Along these same lines of thinking, I prefer a solid mechanic for social consequences of "serious" things (e.g. insanity, stress, etc.), rather than a hand-waiving by the players. The reason I prefer that is that I don't believe that a player should be off the hook when they make certain stats "dump stats." There should be consequences to having a low charisma or low wisdom (willpower). We have a mechanic for combat that cannot be hand-waived off by a player, so I prefer games (and game systems) where significant social mechanics have similar consequences. Players who put their points into cha/wis should be mechanically a LOT better inside that system, just as a fighter is good at his combat-monkey stuff.

Some people hate social mechanics (more power to you). My two groups tend to play games with social mechanics by choice (Warhammer Fantasy, for example). I think D&D5e can handle it just as well with just a touch of thought put into that the previous iterations of "4 failed saves and you convince the king to sleep with the half-orc." it should lean towards this: a mechanic that offers players directions of choice. Ok, you failed 5 times to convince the crowd not to burn the witch and you have a twitchy finger on the crossbow...do YOU believe your character would hold out that long? It is justified by the dice roll, not the finally determined by it.

I'm not talking about being seduced by a troll into an uncomfortable situation b/c you fail a single (or 6) wisdom saves, but instead, ongoing, consequential effects for characters who perhaps want to play something better than just combat..and this without spending 14 hours of game play romancing the DM...


Any thoughts how long to let a character try to hold out on the torture (physical and/or insanity) thing?



jh