Fright Checks¶

vhyl-rpg-expanded-fright.t adds fear and horror encounters: a Will-based Fright Check, its situation modifiers, and the full range of results on a failure, from a moment's stun to coma, catatonia and lasting changes. Source: full-2008, B360–B361, with trait effects from B127, B129, B135 and B162.

Including¶

Include core, progression, Lite, vhyl-rpg-expanded.t and vhyl-rpg-expanded-traits.t, then vhyl-rpg-expanded-fright.t. Characters must be RpgExpandedProfiles with a rules object. Including the module changes nothing until an author calls rpgFrightCheck.

Making a check¶

Describe the encounter with an RpgFrightSituation and call rpgFrightCheck(profile, situation) from an Action.exec, so undo, rollback and saves cover it. The receipt (RpgFrightResult) has a status:

Status	Meaning
resisted	The check succeeded. Nothing else changes.
failed	tableRoll (3d) plus the failure margin gives total; row is the applied result (totals above 40 use row 40).
exempt	The character is Unfazeable. No dice are drawn.
blocked	reason = 'incapacitated': the character is dead or unconscious.

The target is modified Will, reduced to 13 if higher, so a roll of 14 or more always fails. Rolls of 3 or 4 always succeed, even when modified Will is below 3. rpgFrightScore, rpgFrightModifiedWill and rpgFrightModifier are pure queries for previews; they draw no dice and spend no time.

Situation fields¶

All fields are optional and default to no modifier.

Field	Effect
monster	The creature's own modifier, −10 to 0.
count	Number of monsters: −1 at 5, −2 at 10, −3 at 20, −4 at 50, −5 at 100+.
body	'prepared' +6, 'peaceful' +2, 'violent' 0, 'mutilated' −mutilation (1–3).
dependent	−6 more when the body was the character's Dependent. Requires body.
inCombat	+5 when the horror appears during combat.
touched, isolated, dark, alone	−1, −1, −1 and −2. Set dark for daylight if the character is nocturnal.
viewing	'present', 'distant' (100+ yards, +1) or 'remote' (+3).
experienced, briefing	+1 for prior experience; +0 to +3 for advance knowledge.
threat	A stable id. Each earlier exposure to the same threat in the last 24 game hours gives +1.
physicalDanger, charging, swornFoe, strange	Enable Cowardice, Daredevil, Higher Purpose and Xenophilia.
modifier	Any further authored modifier.

Trait ids recognised: fearlessness and combat-reflexes (through the shared Lite score), fearfulness, combat-paralysis, unfazeable, daredevil, higher-purpose, and cowardice and xenophilia, which scale with self-control rating: 4, 3, 2 or 1 at 6, 9, 12 (the default) or 15.

Results¶

Each result either starts one timed condition (an RpgFrightEpisode), applies immediate harm, or records a pending acquisition, and some do several. Dice are drawn in the order shown.

Rows	Result
4–5	Stunned 1 second, then recovers automatically.
6–7	Stunned 1 second, then a Will roll each second.
8–9	Stunned 1 second, then a roll each second against modified Will (episode.score).
10 / 11	Stunned 1d / 2d seconds, then modified Will each second.
12	Retching (retching) for 25 − HT seconds, then HT each second.
13	Pending quirk (−1).
14–15	Lose 1d FP, then stunned 1d seconds as row 10.
16	Stunned as row 10, plus a pending quirk.
17	Faint 1d minutes, then HT each minute.
18	As 17, plus an immediate HT roll; on a failure, 1 HP of injury.
19	Faint 2d minutes, then HT each minute; 1 HP of injury.
20	Faint 4d minutes, then wakes; lose 1d FP.
21	Panic (panicked) for 1d minutes, then Will each minute.
22 / 23	Pending −10 delusion / −10 mental disadvantage.
24	Pending −15 of physical disadvantages.
25	Pending: worsen a related disadvantage's self-control one step, or a new −10 mental one.
26 / 27	Faint as 18, plus pending −10 delusion / −10 mental.
28	Light coma: HT every 30 minutes; −2 for 6 hours after waking.
29	Coma: 1d hours, then HT; each failure adds 1d hours; −2 for 6 hours after.
30	Catatonia: 1d days, then HT; each failure adds 1d days. Without medicalCare, lose 1 HP on day one, 2 on day two, and so on. Afterwards −2 for as many days as it lasted.
31	Seizure 1d minutes, lose 1d FP, then an HT roll: a failure costs 1d injury, and a critical failure also 1 HT permanently.
32	Collapses with 2d injury.
33	Total panic: panicRoll is a 3d reaction roll for the author to interpret.
34 / 35	Pending −15 delusion / −15 mental.
36 / 37	Pending −20 / −30 physical.
38 / 39	Coma as 29, plus pending −15 delusion / −15 mental.
40+	As 39, and −1 IQ permanently.

Conditions and time¶

Only one episode is active per character, and a new one replaces it. While it lasts, it sets stunned, unconscious (faint, comas, catatonia), panicked or retching, and holds Lite's fearSeconds so that ordinary stun and wake checks wait for it. rpgFrightIncapacitated(profile) reports whether one is active.

Episodes advance inside rpgLiteHealthTime through the new RpgLiteProfile.conditionTime hook, so Lite rest and combat clocks drive them without extra calls. Total panic does not advance with time: after playing out the reaction, call rpgFrightPanicReaction(profile). It rolls Will and returns nil when the panic ends, or the next reaction roll. When an episode ends it clears only the flags it set. A lingering −2 (lingeringPenalty) applies to every skill roll and attribute check except defenses, and counts down only after the character wakes.

Pending acquisitions¶

The module never chooses a quirk, phobia or physical change. Failed rows append an RpgFrightAcquisition (kind, points, row) to profile.frightPending. Resolve one with rpgFrightAcquire(profile, acquisition, traits), passing new approved traits whose creationCost() totals exactly points. For 'worsen-or-mental', pass a single owned disadvantage with self-control 9, 12 or 15 to move it one step worse. Traits added this way are marked acquiredInPlay, reduce the character's point value, and may exceed the five-quirk creation limit.

Interpretations¶

The book leaves these choices to the GM. The module rules as follows:

• Recovery rolls against modified Will (rows 8–11, 14–16) are not capped at 13. The cap applies to Fright Checks only.
• Row 20 states no recovery roll, so the faint ends automatically.
• Seizures set stunned and lying posture rather than unconsciousness.
• Stunning or fainting from other causes is cleared when the fright episode ends.
• Rerolling implausible results is the author's call: substitute any row with rpgFrightApply(profile, total, modifiedWill).
• Lite combat does not yet restrict panicked or retching characters. Check rpgFrightIncapacitated before offering actions.