Author Topic: Fear Resistance and Undead in RMSS  (Read 1489 times)

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Offline HawksNut

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Fear Resistance and Undead in RMSS
« on: March 31, 2017, 08:24:01 AM »
Folks I have a question for the GM's out there. I am running a game and one of the Elves in our party has a broadsword that is Holy vs Undead. But her Fear resistance is so low she keeps having to run away from a fight against any Wights, Wraiths or other non-corporeal undead and it is getting frustrating for her. Should I allow her sword to impart its +30 vs undead as an additional save bonus. Without something significant, I think her character is going to be pretty useless in this ancient crypt I created. Just want to get others opinion. I have two other elves in the party but none of them have any kind of magic item that could remotely improve there situation.

Offline jdale

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Re: Fear Resistance and Undead in RMSS
« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2017, 09:46:51 AM »
If you are concerned about it feeling artificial, you could say that each incident in which the sword lets her successfully fight such foes reduces the fear (e.g. +10 RR each time up to a certain total). It's a perfectly natural response that people should fear things that are unknown, unnatural, and unbeatable. But as those things become known and you realize they are beatable, that fear begins to fade. The sword might build on that (allowing something that works against natural fears to also work against this magical fear).

You could also introduce a separate item for the same purpose, maybe on the corpse of another hero who apparently was too brave to flee when they should have!
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Offline vector

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Re: Fear Resistance and Undead in RMSS
« Reply #2 on: March 31, 2017, 10:58:17 AM »
I second jdale's suggestion. For a long time now I have house ruled that characters in my game get a small, permanent bonus to the fear generated by Demons, Dragons, and Undead after each successful encounter, up to a maximum bonus of +30.

Offline Sable Wyvern

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Re: Fear Resistance and Undead in RMSS
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2017, 04:35:15 AM »
I'd actually suggest pondering whether or not you believe the elven SD penalty should give a penalty to Fear RRs in the first place, as I'm guessing that's at least part of the problem.

Personally, I have no problem with the elven SD penalty in general, but I give elves a corresponding bonus vs Fear.

Offline Majyk

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Re: Fear Resistance and Undead in RMSS
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2017, 08:55:18 AM »
I wanna say Fear became a new thing well after Will back in RM2.

Though Will is more for contests with mastering Items, use it for times where the PC is countermanding an Items purpose as an override to fleeing.

I would still have the PC make regular Fear checks just for the possibility of a heart attack - but after Failing:
Have a Will vs Will contest with the sword getting its Undead/Holy bonus. 
If it wins, it cancels the Fear effect insofar as a Fleeing/Paralyzed result, but keep the negative mods or halve them(the PC shouldn't become a God able to totally defy their innate Achilles' heel...they don't have to be Munchkins and play Elves, heh.)
;)

Offline mtpnj

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Re: Fear Resistance and Undead in RMSS
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2017, 11:44:45 AM »
Even though we use RMSS we still look to the old rolemaster companion either 1 or 2 for the results of a fear failure.  That system does give a +5 bonus(I think 5) each time that particular fear is faced.   To run away I think you have to fail by more than 50, fail by 100 is the heart attack.  Depending on how bad you fail you may get a 10% penalty, 25% penalty or run away.   SO that system would still allow the elf to stay and fight.  If I remember I will look for the book and page tonight when I get home.

Offline mtpnj

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Re: Fear Resistance and Undead in RMSS
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2017, 11:48:17 PM »
Having not seen a better option we use the chart on page 18 of Rolemaster companion 2.  If the fear roll fails by:
01-10   -25 to all actions
11-25   -50 to all actions
26-50    breaks and runs
51-99    paralyzed
100+     special(heart attack, etc.) 
It also talks about the character learning  a "fear" skill based on encounters. Every time a character encounters a specific type of creature the character gets 1 skill rank in Fear Control for that creature.   That equals the +5 I mentioned above.   We like this easy system.