How often do you call for Horror/Fear/Madness checks?

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Nox
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How often do you call for Horror/Fear/Madness checks?

Post by Nox »

Simply as the title say:
How often do you call for those checks?
Do you do it every time they should be called, or do you skip some of them to use just at the most climatic moments?

I ask this because i'm reading and preparing Touch of death, and I see that there are many horror and fear checks in this adventure.
I was wondering if you use all of them or you tend to make them more rare and impactful.

Thanks in advance
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DustBunny
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Re: How often do you call for Horror/Fear/Madness checks?

Post by DustBunny »

In our game they were used _very_ sparingly and only if it was important.
Unfortunatly, the published modules as written toss F/H/M checks around like candy and used them as a sledgehammer. Seas of Madness and the Hexad are awful with this. :-x

Eg:
*Fighter* Okay we've fought our way through the tomb of infinite zombies, the vampire coven and Jack the Rippers playhouse.
*DM* A 1hp arthritic kobold zombie jumps out from behind a tree going "booga booga"
*Fighter* Crap I rolled a 1. Wow I faint from fright. Fun


We did is lift a 'get used to it' rule from Call of Cuthulu, but for the most part the DM excised a lot of the checks as they appeared more a way to beat down the players than set the mood.
Someone sent me a postcard picture of the earth. On the back they had written, "Wish you were here."
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Nox
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Re: How often do you call for Horror/Fear/Madness checks?

Post by Nox »

DustBunny wrote:In our game they were used _very_ sparingly and only if it was important.
Unfortunatly, the published modules as written toss F/H/M checks around like candy and used them as a sledgehammer. Seas of Madness and the Hexad are awful with this. :-x

Eg:
*Fighter* Okay we've fought our way through the tomb of infinite zombies, the vampire coven and Jack the Rippers playhouse.
*DM* A 1hp arthritic kobold zombie jumps out from behind a tree going "booga booga"
*Fighter* Crap I rolled a 1. Wow I faint from fright. Fun


We did is lift a 'get used to it' rule from Call of Cuthulu, but for the most part the DM excised a lot of the checks as they appeared more a way to beat down the players than set the mood.
I suppose that they set the mood letting the players realize they should actually be frightened by the scene, but I agree with you when you say that too much is not good.
I will probably cut half of those checks, keeping only the most significant ones.
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DustBunny
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Re: How often do you call for Horror/Fear/Madness checks?

Post by DustBunny »

Nox wrote:I suppose that they set the mood letting the players realize they should actually be frightened by the scene, but I agree with you when you say that too much is not good.
I think it is a matter of 'show dont tell'. If you can get players (not the characters) to wince, or say 'oh crap' when they run into a monster or situation, you dont need checks. :P
I understand the reasoning behind them, as simulating F/H/M situations without coming off cheesy can be very difficult to say the least.

But F/H/M checks can easily be overdone, and they become less about F/H/M and more of just another annoying saving throw they have to make - "Oh gee I'm scared again".
And as always Rule 0* takes precedence over any other rules - even in Ravenloft.


*Rule 0: It's a game, have fun. :D

On edit: Sorry to yabber on - I hope the mods dont mind :oops: . One idea may be to make their fear checks _secretly_. If they fail, start dropping hints to symptons they feel - dont tell them 'they are scared'. One feels a sudden chill after the zombie lord pointed at them (did he cast a spell? Why is it cold? Chill thouch? Crap), they hear something in the shadows (which spot checks dont detect? Maybe its invisible?), or they swear they heard the zombie chanting their name (just nerves putting words to the Zombies moaning). Let the players jump to conclusions for you.
Someone sent me a postcard picture of the earth. On the back they had written, "Wish you were here."
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