Madness: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:42, 25 February 2023

Madness is the measure of the sanity of a character in the face of the horrors that humanity encounters in this dark future. It is a reaction to things humanity was never supposed to witness, things that defy explanation, which will bend their mind until it eventually snaps. This threat might only be to the individual, if the Galaxy was not filled with horrors that are more than happy to make use of individuals whose minds are so shattered that they lack willpower to resist their control.

The average human maintains their sanity through studiously avoiding such horrors - the Imperium actively works to keep them ignorant of the things that truly gnaw at the mind, and through stimulant-laced foodstuffs keeps their mind fuzzy and pliant enough to not truly comprehend the daily horrors around them. An Agent of the Throne cannot afford such luxury - the war the Inquisition fights in the shadows requires their servants to be sharp at all times, even as they stare horrors in the face. No Servant of the Throne can be truly said to be a healthy individual, but their regular exposure to the horrors of the universe does make their minds better able to retain sanity in the face of them.

But no mind is ever truly immune to Madness.

The game team will write personalised Madness cards for your character and email them to you prior to each event you play. You must print these yourself and bring them to the event.

Shaken

When an Agent is exposed to a horror that is too much for their mind to handle - they become Shaken: their mind is now reeling from what it has tried to perceive but cannot. It is not stress (something that most Agents live with daily), nor is it reflective of an individual’s mental health - simply, it’s their mind cracking as it is pushed beyond what it can comprehend.

Roleplaying Shaken is up to the individual - still, we strongly encourage players to avoid trying to replicate real world mental conditions, as such portrayals risk being insensitive to those who live with them daily (even if we do understand that roleplay can unintentionally replicate things without intent). To aid you, you will be issued with a brief before every event with suggested roleplaying effects should you acquire the Shaken status - this brief usually hints at the nature of the Madness effects that will occur when a character Descends into Madness.

Becoming Shaken can happen in two ways:

You hear the cue Your Sanity is Tested! given by a monster or a member of the Game Team, or are instructed to by a written instruction in the game environment. The trait Iron Within allows you to expend Willpower to resist this call.

You choose to become Shaken. We trust our players to know what the mental limits of their characters are better than us; if you feel something in RP would leave -your- character Shaken, then you are free to become Shaken.

When a character becomes Shaken, then they remain so until they are able to perform Observances. There are methods to suppress the effects of being Shaken - but only performing Observances can truly remove it.

Though the condition is a purely roleplaying-driven one, it does come with the additional risk of Descending into Madness and gaining Madness while it remains active.

Descending into Madness

Within the character pack you will be sent before an event, you will receive two Madness cards - these represent permanent fractures in your character's psyche that they will have to cope with for the remainder of the event.

A character who has their Shaken condition suppressed by another character’s traits, for example the Exhorter trait, cannot Descend into Madness until they are no longer suppressed.

Shaken characters will Descend into Madness in two ways:

You hear the cue Your Sanity is Tested! given by a monster or a member of the Game Team, or are instructed to by a written instruction in the game environment. The trait Iron Within allows you to expend Willpower to resist this call.

You willingly choose to. We trust our players to know what would utterly break their character and fracture their mind. In theory, if you feel an effect is so devastating to your character you are free to bypass Shaken and Descend into Madness immediately.

Upon Descending into Madness, a character should select one of their Madness cards and activate it. If you are in combat, you can choose to do it after the end of combat. Once you choose a Madness card, you are no longer are Shaken - the limits of your mind have been exceeded, and the mental fracture represented on your Madness card manifests.

If a character is unlucky enough to repeat this cycle a second time, then they would activate their second Madness card, and cope with both cards. Should a character reach a third cycle in the same event, please check with a member of the Game Team - there may be no additional effects, or there might be unusual consequences - damaged and unprotected minds are an irresistible call for many horrors of the universe.

The Aftermath

The Inquisition deals with madness on a daily basis, and, as such, has a suite of ways to treat it: the most popular are Mind Wipes. Of course, this is not an ideal method, as the process is neither surgical or precise, which can result in several other memories being wiped in the process, and, in turn, causing unforeseen personality alterations. Even then, a mind wipe is not necessarily permanent, as memories are not always annihilated, rather just suppressed, resulting in the Madness leaking back in. Fortunately, for most Agents, they don’t need this kind of drastic intervention… at least, as far as they can remember.

A character is considered to suffer from a Madness effect for the rest of the event, unless an ingame situation allows them to recover before the end of the game. At the end of an event, it is assumed that the character was given time to decompress, or undergo therapies, spiritual purges or even Mind Wipes in order to restore their mind to a (relatively) healthy state - this is to be decided by the player - the game team will not dictate the narrative of how your character recovers (we are always happy to give suggestions, but they will be no more than that).

However, we also recognise that players might feel incorporating a permanent RP effect into their character is something they would like, and have fun with. For this reason, you are free to decide that your character's mind is not restored following the game, and continue roleplaying the effect. In some cases, this may also be the basis of a very valid Scar, if you want to add a mental one into your character.

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-Madness is the measure of the sanity of a character in the face of the horrors that humanity faces in the dark future of this distant time. It is a reaction to things humanity was never supposed to witness, things that defy explanation or shock the mind until it bends… and eventually snaps.
+Madness is the measure of the sanity of a character in the face of the horrors that humanity encounters in this dark future. It is a reaction to things humanity was never supposed to witness, things that defy explanation, which will bend their mind until it eventually snaps. This threat might only be to the individual, if the Galaxy was not filled with horrors that are more than happy to make use of individuals whose minds are so shattered that they lack willpower to resist their control.
+The average human maintains their sanity through studiously avoiding such horrors - the Imperium actively works to keep them ignorant of the things that truly gnaw at the mind, and through stimulant-laced foodstuffs keeps their mind fuzzy and pliant enough to not truly comprehend the daily horrors around them. An Agent of the Throne cannot afford such luxury - the war the Inquisition fights in the shadows requires their servants to be sharp at all times, even as they stare horrors in the face. No Servant of the Throne can be truly said to be a healthy individual, but their regular exposure to the horrors of the universe does make their minds better able to retain sanity in the face of them.
+But no mind is ever truly immune to Madness.
+''The game team will write personalised Madness cards for your character and email them to you prior to each event you play. '''You must print these yourself''' and bring them to the event.''
+=== Shaken ===
+When an Agent is exposed to a horror that is too much for their mind to handle - they become '''Shaken''': their mind is now reeling from what it has tried to perceive but cannot. It is not stress (something that most Agents live with daily), nor is it reflective of an individual’s mental health - simply, it’s their mind cracking as it is pushed beyond what it can comprehend.
+'''Roleplaying Shaken''' is up to the individual - still, we strongly encourage players to avoid trying to replicate real world mental conditions,  as such portrayals risk being insensitive to those who live with them daily (even if we do understand that roleplay can unintentionally replicate things without intent). To aid you, you will be issued with a brief before every event with suggested roleplaying effects should you acquire the Shaken status  - this brief usually hints at the nature of the '''Madness''' effects that will occur when a character '''Descends into Madness'''.
+'''Becoming Shaken''' can happen in two ways:
+*You hear the cue '''Your Sanity is Tested'''! given by a monster or a member of the Game Team, or are instructed to by a written instruction in the game environment. The trait [[Iron Within]] allows you to expend Willpower to resist this call.
+*You choose to become '''Shaken'''. We trust our players to know what the mental limits of their characters are better than us; if you feel something in RP would leave -your- character Shaken, then you are free to become Shaken.
+When a character becomes '''Shaken''', then they remain so until they are able to perform [[Resources#Willpower|Observances]]. There are methods to suppress the effects of being Shaken - but only performing '''Observances''' can truly remove it.
-This is represented by a series of cards known as the '''Madness Track''', four of which (representing the first three levels) are issued before a game, the last of which, ‘'''Overwhelmed'''’, is contained in a sealed envelope handed to you at the game by the game team. Madness is a personal experience to each character based around their fears, trauma and background, it can be anything from delusions of grandeur to repressed memories bubbling up from your past. This is why it’s important to fill in the Madness section when completing your character signup form as it helps the game team tailor a personal track for your character. The less detail we have to work with the more we will struggle to find an enjoyable roleplaying experience for you.
+Though the condition is a purely roleplaying-driven one, it does come with the additional risk of '''Descending into Madness''' and gaining '''Madness''' while it remains active.
-There are four levels of Madness, representing increasingly severe damage to the character’s mind. A character begins the game with NONE of these levels active and they activate over time. They are read in the following order:
-'''Brushed''' > '''Touched''' > '''Marked''' > '''Overwhelmed'''
+=== Descending into Madness ===
-There will always be '''two''' ‘Brushed’ cards in every track, this is because we have found that due to low-level madness effects ‘Brushed’ is activated and healed quite regularly, so two cards enables some variance in the effects experienced at that level. Madness cards look like the example beneath:
+Within the character pack you will be sent before an event, you will receive two '''Madness''' cards - these represent permanent fractures in your character's psyche that they will have to cope with for the remainder of the event.
-[[File:Madness Card.png]]
+A character who has their '''Shaken''' condition suppressed by another character’s traits, for example the [[Exhorter]] trait, cannot '''Descend into Madness''' until they are no longer suppressed.
-Descending into Madness
+'''Shaken''' characters will '''Descend into Madness''' in two ways:
-You should look over the first four cards in advance, to plan how you might roleplay them when they are activated but also to ensure you clarify how they are cured with Refs if it is unclear. The final Overwhelmed card, in its sealed envelope, should only be read when it becomes applicable. While the first three levels of Madness represent states of sanity a character can recover from, becoming Overwhelmed will leave a permanent Derangement (similar to a Scar) on the character’s mental state. If a character is Overwhelmed multiple times they will likely be rendered too mad to continue play.
-A character only suffers the effects of the card of their current level (or one of them if Brushed) so the effects do not stack together.  There are a couple of ways in which your character can be driven down this path:
+*You hear the cue '''Your Sanity is Tested'''! given by a monster or a member of the Game Team, or are instructed to by a written instruction in the game environment. The trait [[Iron Within]] allows you to expend Willpower to resist this call.
-●	The first and most common way is when a Ref or a dramatic effect/Blight effect dictates that you either go to a specified level on the track or increase your madness level – because Brushed cards are supposed to be automatically cured after they are triggered, if you have an untriggered Brushed card and are instructed to increase your Madness level, treat this as triggering the effect instead.
+* You willingly choose to. We trust our players to know what would utterly break their character and fracture their mind. In theory, if you feel an effect is so devastating to your character you are free to bypass Shaken and Descend into Madness immediately.
-●	When faced with the call Dread (usually the result of a horrific sight) characters may choose to flee in terror. However if they don’t and stand and fight against the horror instead, they immediately go to the Touched madness level, orif they are already Touched or Worse then they increase their Madness level one step.
+Upon '''Descending into Madness''',  a character should select one of their '''Madness''' cards and activate it. If you are in combat, you can choose to do it after the end of combat.  Once you choose a Madness card, '''you are no longer are Shaken''' - the limits of your mind have been exceeded, and the mental fracture represented on your Madness card manifests.
-●	Besides these two points you are allowed to simply self-ref your madness, if you see something that you think would cause your character’s sanity to diminish then you are free to increase your madness level. Just remember that the more your sanity declines the more Derangements a character will develop. This can make them hard to continue in play and a threat to other characters, so manage your increases carefully.
+If a character is unlucky enough to repeat this cycle a second time, then they would activate their second Madness card, and cope with both cards. Should a character reach a third cycle in the same event, please check with a member of the Game Team - there may be no additional effects, or there might be unusual consequences - damaged and unprotected minds are an irresistible call for many horrors of the universe.
-Recovering from Madness
+=== The Aftermath ===
-Before a character goes Overwhelmed and develops a Derangement it is possible for those around them to bring them back from the brink of destruction, even if in their madness they might well not seek the aid that they need. A character’s madness level reduces in a few ways.
-●	Brushed cards contain a single action that is triggered by a specific reactive or proactive event, once that action has been triggered and carried out they are cured, and the character reduces their madness level to ‘normal’.
+The Inquisition deals with madness on a daily basis, and, as such, has a suite of ways to treat it: the most popular are Mind Wipes. Of course, this is not an ideal method, as the process is neither surgical or precise, which can result in several other memories being wiped in the process, and, in turn, causing unforeseen personality alterations. Even then, a mind wipe is not necessarily permanent, as memories are not always annihilated, rather just suppressed, resulting in the Madness leaking back in. Fortunately, for most Agents, they don’t need this kind of drastic intervention… at least, as far as they can remember.
-●	Touched cards contain a persistent behaviour but can often be cured by seeking help such as a medicae or a commanding officer/spiritual figure, or someone who the character respects and trusts enough to rely on. By roleplaying though confronting the roleplaying effects on the card and overcoming them they are cured, and the character reduces their madness to a lingering Brushed effect – and when that triggers they are reduced to normal.
+A character is considered to suffer from a '''Madness''' effect for the rest of the event, unless an ingame situation allows them to recover before the end of the game. At the end of an event, it is assumed that the character was given time to decompress, or undergo therapies, spiritual purges or even Mind Wipes in order to restore their mind to a (relatively) healthy state - this is to be decided by the player - the game team will not dictate the narrative of how your character recovers (we are always happy to give suggestions, but they will be no more than that).
-●	Marked cards are severe in their nature, often altering a character's perception of the world, or bringing out the worst in them. They tend to be more of an ordeal to remove, traditionally requiring a spell in a Sanitorium, psychic intervention, or some other drastic measure. Should you want to remove a Marked effect from yourself or another you should Get a Ref who will determine the best method.
+However, we also recognise that players might feel incorporating a permanent RP effect into their character is something they would like, and have fun with. For this reason, you are free to decide that your character's mind is not restored following the game, and continue roleplaying the effect. In some cases, this may also be the basis of a very valid [[Scars|Scar]], if you want to add a mental one into your character.
-●	Overwhelmed cards are unique in their nature; a character cannot be reduced from this level in any way. The roleplaying effect can be suppressed as if Marked (i.e. with Ref approval) but for the remainder of the event any effect that interacts with Madness (regardless of its wording) re-triggers this roleplaying effect (in some unique cases this may not be applicable; if you are ever unsure ask a Ref).
+[[Category:Rules]]