When making up mechanics like this, it is always better to put in roleplaying restrictions rather than simple mechanics like these ones. Personally, rather than making rolls, which makes the problem less likely to occur, but takes it out of the GMs control (sure, you can fudge it, but then why bother having the roll at all).
To restrict the 'suicide bomber' effect, I would try a few strategies. The first is that it is a minor heroquest path. Then make the knowledge of it relatively rare and restricted (after all, you don't want the most promising young initiates going berserk and dieing in a bloodbath at the smallest slight to their honour). This puts the control of it the GMs hands for a start. Quite possibly such heroquests have fairly strict requirement as well - for example it may require the target to have committed particular breaches of honour (some may be useful only against known liars, frex).
And heroquests are never that reliable - Humakti ones, for example, often involve meeting Humakt or one of his important servants, which is pretty scary, even if they do not (as Greg maintains they do) involve a very large chance of meeting Humakt in his most direct form, as death (your own). And the greatest magicians of the enemy are often on guard - you may meet them unexpectedly on the hero plane, if they know what you are planning.
This is a bit more work for the GM - but if it ever happens, the players will feel a lot better about having invoked a complex and secret magic than they would have about a good roll.
Cheers
Dave
>Scott
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