13 thoughts on “Are there any moves for Ravenloft fear/horror/madness checks?”

  2. My few attempts at [fear] moves have always involved marking XP when acting out of [fear]. Player agrees to do what another tells him, and is rewarded.

    Horror, in my mind, has to be stronger; it’s like using up resources, or inflicting restrictions, both physical and mental ones.

  3. Tremulus has the following move:

    Oh, the Horror!

    When a character sees something terrifying or potentially startling (and

    thus, could reasonably cause shock), he must immediately Аcе under

    pressure. You can refer to this as a Sanity check. It is a roll + Reason

    (unless they have moves that indicate otherwise).

    on a 10+, they take 1 less shock and may act normally.

    on a 7-9, they take 1 less shock but are -1 forward.

    on a Miss, they take full shock and are either -1 ongoing (for the scene)

    or the Keeper holds one (Keeper’s choice).

    Shock values of differents events and monsters are described separately in the book. The characters have both Health Tracks and Sanity Tracks with 6 segments. They die or go mad as the appropriate Track reaches the 7th segment.

    BTW, I’m pretty sure I saw Expedition to Castle Ravenloft DW conversion posted here a couple of times. It might have some of those mechanics.

  4. You could have sanity points, similar in size to HP but based on wisdom or charisma rather than constitution. Getting freaked right the hell out could risk losing sanity, perhaps in addition to hit points if the situation is really nasty. Defy Danger as appropriate.

    Just spitballing, but a parallel to Last Breath where the risk is becoming something awful, rather than simply dying, seems a good idea? Perhaps on a 7-9, you pick up mental problems like obsessions or phobias, or other bits of madness and corruption which can inform the fiction.

    As it’s Ravenloft, perhaps you would be negotiating with one of the Dark Lords, either here or with Last Breath or both.

  5. Pavel Berlin You should definitely play Darkest Dungeon if you haven’t already. It’s available on Steam in Early Access. All the tropes of adventurers being mentally disturbed are exploited to the fullest. Characters have a couple of dozen ways to go mad when their stress tracks hits max. They also can persevere and overcome the burden of terror gaining bonuses. That can be a great alternative to the Last Breath move if some sort of stress/sanity point system is implemented.

  7. Oh tremulus. 

    Юрий Ёжикович actualy quoted one of the worst lines in that book. 

    “It’s an act under pressure roll, but uses completely different rules that that move”. 

  8. I can’t find it, but I had a special rule for running a Ravenloftish game.  It was something like :

    When you commit an atrocity or betray someone who you owe your good faith, Roll + Corruption.

    On a 10+, the place you are trapped changes you.  Choose one –

    Take a major, permanent boon and a serious limitation – the MC will tell you the details.  Change your Corruption to zero. (Ex : Large, functional wings sprout from your back, but you can no longer bring yourself to enter private residences.  If your dead body should lie on or in this land’s soil for a week you arise anew, but you may never ever leave.  Etc)

    Take a minor, permanent boon and a troublesome limitation – the MC will tell you the details.  Change your Corruption to zero.  (Ex : Chewing soil and dirt sustains you now, but you can never seem to unsoil yourself and will never be accepted by refined company.  At night or in the dark you see like a hawk, but in direct sunlight you painlessly and without harm bleed slowly from the eyes.)

    On a 7-9 take one Corruption.

    On a miss, do not take XP.  The land ignores you, but your actions may still have consequences…

    You could invert it and rename Corruption into Purity, ticking  downward from some starting point.  I like the 4-3 odds split in favor of a character on their first offense though.

    Horrors themselves?  Unique, ideally.  Tons and tons of custom moves.

  12. Pavel Berlin Done!  If you scroll back through my posts a few months ago. Maybe October/Novemberish you should see a cluster of posts related to DW and Ravenloft.  They usually begin with something like, “Hello Raven World Circle!”

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