The Old World: Grim and Perilous

Sanity
The gradual descent into madness is just one
more peril that adventurers must confront.
The Old World is fraught with danger, where
terrifying events and encounters with unnatural
beings place great strain on the minds of
those brave enough to explore its depths.
Treating these mental traumas presents a
unique challenge. Left unaddressed, they
worsen over time, gnawing at the sanity of
even the hardiest indivduals, and seeking help
can be just as perilous. In a world where reality
blurs with the influence of Chaos, distinguishing
between genuine trauma and insidious
forces is a daunting task. Well-intentioned
treatments may inadvertently worsen the affliction,
as healers and scholars grapple with
the intricate connection between mental anguish
and the malevolent powers.
These rules are relevant when a character undergoes
mental trauma, usually stemming
from a fear check resolution. However, at
GM's discretion, trauma may be applied when
a character undergoes a particularly stressful
encounter that results in them exceeding
their strain threshold and falling unconscious.
In this case the exact trauma should relate in
some way to what caused the strain and to the
intensity of the encounter.
When a character experiences a mental trauma
for the first time, select one of the tier
traumas from Table -: Mental Traumas and
apply its effects. If the character suffers from
another mental trauma while still dealing with
the previous one, apply tier trauma effects
alongside the existing ones, symbolizing their
deteriorating mental state. Continue this process
up to tier trauma.
GM and the player should determine the specifics
of the character's trauma, based on the
triggering encounter, and incorporate it into
their roleplaying. These traumas should serve
as both roleplaying prompts and mechanical
effects. For example, 'obsession' might manifest
as mania or addiction to cope with traumatic
events. While the mechanical effects
remain the same, they provide diverse roleplaying
opportunities based on the character's
unique experience.
Table 6-1: Mental Traumas
Tier Severity Trauma Impact on the character
Obsession
You can spend h and d that the character generates to represent an obsession
affecting their ability to interact with the environment.
• hh Add j to the character's social skill checks for the remainder of the
encounter.
• d Increase the difficulty of all of the character's social skill checks by one for the
remainder of the encounter.
Insomnia
A full night's rest (see Recovering from Strain, page Genesys Core Rulebook)
removes only half of the strain the character has suffered (rounding up).
Depression
You can spend h and d that the character generates to represent their depression
affecting their ability to interact with the environment.
hh or d: For the remainder of the encounter, the character suffers strain every
time they perform an action.
Phobia
Neurosis
Psychosis
The character gains a new Fear motivation relating to the circumstances that led to
the fear check.
Whenever the character suffers strain for any reason (volountarily or
involountarilly), they suffer additional strain.
You can spend d that the character generates to represent their delusion affecting
their ability to interact with the environment. For the rest of the encounter or scene,
the character firmly believes something imaginary is true. They may talk to people
who don't exist or believe that one of their allies is, in fact, their greatest enemy.
Broken
Mind
The character's strain threshold is halved (rounding up).
Catatonia The character is incapacitated until this trauma is healed.
Chapter 6: Weakness of Flesh, Frailty of Mind 133