>
> As for why to simulate this, seeing your current state and watching it
> crumble, shock by shock, generates a sense of suspense and impending doom.
> While the combat rules and potentially failing an investigation roll can
> make a Lovecraftian game with the Call of Cthulhu rules no fun, the Sanity
> rules really
>
> In the CoC rules, by Chaosium, some encounters are so mindblasting that even
> with a successful Sanity check, the investigator still looses some sanity.
> Although this type of encounter tends to be at the climax, not all along the
> way.
>
> One issue I have with the suggestions here is that mental stability
> generally does not affect all skills or abilities. You certainly don't
> become less strong as your sanity slips, so careful use of credibility is
> needed here. (In fact, in some circumstances, your insanity might become a
> augment to raw strength).
>
> Also, making "attacks" against the characters on their sanity would require
> each character to have a trait to defend/recover with. You generally don't
> have to tell a character to bring some sort of combat skill to the table,
> but you may have to require that they have an ability that marks their
> "stability".
>
> So, here's the basic idea I am punting back to the suggestion team (that's
> you guys):
>
> All characters require (in addition to at least one flaw), an ability that
> marks the /relationship/core belief/philosophy that keeps the character
> stable in the face of mentally unhinging incidences. Similar to the Trail of
> Cthulhu system (Gumshoe engine, also by Robin Laws, btw), where "Stability"
> is a trait and characters are required to have a mental touchstone for every
> few points of stability, we could just skip that raw trait and go right for
> marking it with the ability score for the touchstone. (All of this, much as
> Tim Ellis described.)
>
> Shocks are divided into unstabilizing and mindblasting (regular attack and
> Pyhrric victory), partly by story design and partly by pass/fail cycle
> (especially if you limit the p/f to analyzing sanity assaults).
>
> Temporary shocks (minor defeats and major Pyhrric victories) produce a
> Lingering Penalty to all rolls, as the mind reels and actions are unsure.
> Much like the wounding rules.
>
> Longer lasting penalties are centered around continued defense against
> shocks to the character's stability, Complete defeats introduce a new flaw
> that potentially limits the characters action in other ways, such as a major
> phobia flaw.
>
> Building up your Lingering Penalty value to match the ability(s) that
> provide stability results in permanent madness.
>
> Deliberately exercising Mythos abilities (such as the horrid "spells" you
> can learn from Grimores) also functions like a Pyhrric victory, but without
> the stunning effects.
>
>
> All of this may require another tool from the Trail of Cthulhu kit: a drive
> to investigate. In that rule set, each character is required to have a trait
> (which amounts to a HQ2 hook), that pushes the character
> to obsessively investigate, to open that door with strange sounds behind it,
> to demand of yourself that you end this mad intrusion on the world. These
> drives are probably all ready put in place through the rules for character
> hooks, but calling them out as needed for this type of story may be called
> for. You don't want the investigators shirking their duties just because
> they are afraid of going insane or being devoured. You've got children to
> protect!
>
>
> I'll work out some examples this week and see it if passes your (rules)
> credibility tests. Then I can go about converting the mega-adventure Beyond
> the Mountains of Madness into a HQ2 campaign for home play.
>
> --Todd
>
This looks good. I particularly like the requirement of a belief system.
What i don't think is such a good idea is using Pyrrhic Victories in this fashion. It's a tool for the players to use, not something for the narrator to hit the players with. Why not just use a Nearly Impossible rating in those moments of mindblasting horror, or apply the Stretch penalty.
Besides, Pyrrhic Victories gives the player a full mastery bonus, and that just doesn't seem right.