Sanity Info

[ImpInTraining]

Sample Sanity Losses:

__San Loss__| The prompting event
__0 / 1D2___| surprised to find mangled animal carcass
__0 / 1D3___| surprised to find corpse
__0 / 1D3___| surprised to find body part
__0 / 1D4___| see a stream flow with blood
__0/1D4+1__| surprised to find mangled human corpse
__0 / 1D6___| awake trapped in a tomb or coffin
__0 / 1D6___| witness friend or relative's violent death
__0 / 1D6___| see a ghoul
__1/1D6+1__| meet someone you know to be dead
__0/1D10___| undergo severe torture
__0/1D10___| see dimensional shambler
__0/1D10___| see corpses rise from the grave
1D10/1D100_| see Great Cthulhu

Methods of getting sanity back:

• Mission accomplished.
• 90% or more ability in a skill.
• Defeating a monster.
• Therapy.

The Link Between Insanity and Cthulhu Mythos

First instance of Mythos-related insanity always adds 5 points to Cthulhu Mythos (and likewise lowers maximum sanity by 5). Each further episode of Mythos-induced insanity each add 1 point to the Cthulhu Mythos skill, and likewise reduce maximum Sanity points.

Temporary Insanity

Whenever an investigator loses 5 or more Sanity points from a single roll, he or she has suffered enough shock that the keeper must test Sanity, and asks for an Idea roll: if the roll succeeds, then the investigator realizes the full significance of what was beheld, and goes temporarily insane.

If the Idea roll fails, then the investigator does not go mad, but in consequence may not clearly remember what he or she experienced - a trick of the mind to protect itself.

Temporary Insanity Table

roll 1D10| length of insanity
__1 - 4__| 1D10 combat rounds
__5 - 7__| 4D10+10 combat rounds
__8 - 9__| until sunset, sunrise, or similar length of time
___10___| 1D3 or 1D10 game days, Keeper's choice

* Successful application of Psychoanalysis may alleviate or erase temporary insanity.

Indefinite Insanity

If the character loses 20% (one-fifth) or more of his or her total Sanity in 1 hour, he or she goes indefinitely insane. The Keeper judges when the impact of events calls for such a measure. Beginning immediately, indefinite insanity lasts 1D6 months, or until the Keeper indicates.

roll 1D10| resulting form of madness
____1___| Catatonia or Stupefaction
____2___| Amnesia
____3___| Panzaism or Quixotism
____4___| Paranoia
____5___| Phobia or Fetish
____6___| Obsession, Addiction, Tremors
____7___| Megalomania
____8___| Schizophrenia
____9___| Criminal Psychosis
___10___| Multiple Personalities

List of Phobias & Fetishes

• Acrophobia: fear of spiders
• Agoraphobia: fear of open places
• Ailurophobia: fear of cats
• Androphobia (for female investigators): fear of males
• Astraphobia: fear of thunder, lightning, and storms
• Bacteriophobia: fear of bacteria
• Ballistophobia: fear of bullets
• Balonephobia: fear of pins and needles
• Botanophobia: fear of plants
• Claustrophobia: fear of enclosed spaces
• Clinophobia: fear of beds
• Demophobia: fear of crowds
• Dendrophobia: fear of trees
• Doraphobia: fear of fur
• Entomophobia: fear of insects
• Gephydrophobia: fear of crossing bridges
• Gynephobia (for male investigators): fear of females
• Hematophobia: fear of blood
• Latrophobia: fear of doctors
• Monophobia: fear of being alone
• Necrophobia: fear of dead things
• Ophiophobia: fear of snakes
• Pediphobia: fear of children
• Pyrophobia: fear of fire
• Scotophobia: fear of darkness
• Thalassophobia: fear of the sea
• Vestiophobia: fear of clothing
• Xenophobia: fear of foreigners
• Zoophobia: fear of animals

* this is by no means an exhaustive list of phobias. If you need more, check here: http://phobialist.com/

Permanent Insanity

Investigators who reach zero Sanity points go permanently insane. Might as well start making up a new character now.

Reference: Call of Cthulhu handbook, 5th edition - by Sandy Petersen & Lynn Willis (Et al.)
1992 - Chaosium Inc.

[ImpInTraining]

If an investigator loses 20% (1/5th) or more of current Sanity points in one game hour, he or she goes indefinitely insane. The keeper judges when the impact of events calls for such a measure. Some keepers never apply the concept to more than the result of a single roll, since this state removes investigators from play for extended periods.

Usually the symptom of the affliction is obvious, and the keeper needs make no random roll. In some cases the nature of the affliction will not be obvious from the context of the shocking event. The keeper should then choose one appropriate to the investigator. A random D10 roll, though provided for, should be made cautiously. Indefinite insanity has a profound effect upon an investigator.

The state of indefinite insanity is encompassing and incapacitating. For instance, a schizophrenic may be able to walk the streets babbling and gesticulating, find rudimentary shelter, and be able to beg for enough food to survive, but most of the business of the mind has departed into itself: he or she has nothign left for friends, family, and acquaintances. Conversation, cooperation, and personal regard have vanished.

Within such bounds, investigators with indefinite insanity could continue to be played. But such restrictions are difficult to accept in the game. For the great part, remove from active play all investigators who are indefinitely insane.

Thus the indefinitely insane are in limbo, little able to help themselves or others. The skill Psychoanalysis can be used to restore sanity points during this period, but the investigator may still remain insane.

After recovery, the victim retains definite traces of madness - tiptoeing on a bridge, for instance, even though he knows the bridge will not collapse. The investigator is changed, but in control.

Reference: Call of Cthulhu handbook, 5th edition - by Sandy Petersen & Lynn Willis (Et al.)
1992 - Chaosium Inc.

[Laraqua]

Bleh! What if someone goes insane through 20% of mundane terror? Or even sheer grind... I doubt they'd be incapable of functioning, even if they've died a little inside...

What rule covers Dysthymia, Depression, panic disorder (which is incapacitating only for certain periods of the time), PTSD, etc.?

I'm assuming there's a different rule that provides for phobias then, as most phobias won't entirely incapacitate...

I say indefinite insanities should be picked up like tic tacs! Yum yum! But then, in a survival horror, where's the fun if people can't play insane? Assuming you aren't already, of course...

[ImpInTraining]

Someone insane may gain unnatural insight into the problems or monster facing him. This happens just after going insane, if the player can roll a D100 result greater than the investigator's INT x 5. The keeper should offer any subsequent insight, not the player.

Example: Glimpsing a vampire in the Carpathians, Chastity Thirstwhistle loses her mind. Her Idea roll is 75% and her player rolls a 99, gaining an insight, but her player does not know that she saw a vampire. The keeper determines that in her delirium she remembers that vampires are repulsed by garlic, but she finds no words to say that. The keeper rules that she screams, "Get into the kitchen!" even though they are outside. Then she starts picking various plants.

Whether anyone realizes what she is doing, or questions her, is up to the players.

Reference: Call of Cthulhu handbook, 5th edition - by Sandy Petersen & Lynn Willis (Et al.)
1992 - Chaosium Inc.

[ImpInTraining]

When they say "The state of indefinite insanity is encompassing and incapacitating", I believe they mean that the indefinite insanity may be such that will lock the character up in a time of dire need for action - and thus could mean the character's untimely death. In some cases, the indefinite insanity symptom is more incapacitating than others... under certain circumstances. But even a phobia can be the thing that ends up killing a character.

[Laraqua]

No indefinite insanity beats personality 'quirks' for number of PC deaths, usually! Besides, sometimes that phobia is the one thing that keeps you alive... By the rules, sure, indefinite insanity is ruinous. But where's the fun in that? Nothing should ever be so simple.

[ImpInTraining]

I was just quoting out of the book... take it for what its worth. Use it or not.

[Laraqua]

Of course I wasn't arguing with you! I argue with the book frequently. CoC? Rules-lite? Bah! I swear the rules are far more arcane than WoD...

Everyone wanna convert to d10s?