[Mothership] Making Panicking More Fun: Part 3
Clever Girl. - Robert Muldoon, Jurassic Park.
This post continues on from my previous one where I am creating new Panic tables that aim to be more useful in one-shots. The theme of todays panic table? Being hunted.
TLDR: At the bottom of the post is a monster hunting focused panic table perfect for slasher/monster scenarios like my own: Beneath Ice and Snow.
In the previous panic table I wanted to create something that would produce interesting results regardless of the situation that was occurring. However, there is only so general you can be, and sometimes being specific allows for you to get more interesting results (albeit in more limited situations). Now within the Player Survival Guide the wound table acknowledges this, depending on how the player has been injured, you roll on a different column. So, similarly, why not have it so that, depending on the situation, you roll on a different panic table?
The table below is supposed to only be rolled after the players know there is something (or someone) that is hunting them. All of the entries give immediate effects that either lead to the monster searching for or ambushing the players, or result in some difficulty in the next encounter with the monster. I have also tried to incorporate some horror/sci-fi movie inspired role playing prompts into most of them too (or a hard choice).
This table would be the perfect pairing to Ypsilon 14, the year of the rat, my own scenario Beneath Ice and Snow, or any scenario involving a monster! Have fun!
The Hunted Panic Table
- Adrenaline Rush. For the next 1d10 minutes, [+] on all rolls.
- Terrified. Start whispering that you are all doomed. Next time the monster appears +2 stress, Fear Save / Panic.
- Speech. Tell everyone you’ll get through this. First failed roll against the monster, Sanity Save / Panic + 2 stress to everyone.
- Clumsy. You knock something over, scream, or make any noise. The monster hears you.
- Shocked. Jump, bang the table, gasp loudly. The monster hears you. Fear Save / You need someone else to get you to leave.
- Lost Confidence. Tell the table why you can’t do this. Sanity Save / Your next roll against the monster is [-].
- Denial. Loudly explain to a character why this isn’t really happening. The monster hears you. Sanity Save / +2 Stress everyone
- Weakness. You are convinced you know the enemy’s weakness. Add this as a Trained Skill. If you use this skill and it fails, it is a critical fail and you lose the skill.
- Take Charge. Decide on a terrible plan. Loudly explain to the players why this is the best course of action. The monster hears you. Fear Save / +2 Stress.
- Self Preservation. Next time the monster appears, knock down another player and run. They lose their next action.
- Surrender. It can’t be stopped. Fighting is pointless. Loudly exclaim that the situation is lost. The monster hears you. [-] next Combat check. Fear Save / +2 stress everyone.
- Focused. Replace all your skills with the monster or enemy hunting you while you are hunted. All failed rolls are a critical fails.
- Grit. Next time you fight the monster, Fear Save before every action. Success: [+] on next roll. Failure: Immediate critical failure. Attacked by the enemy.
- Reverence. Next time the monster appears, for your first try to appeal to it, beg it for forgiveness. Sanity Roll / Repeat this action
- Rage. Next time the monster appears, attack it relentlessly until it retreats, you die, it dies, or someone saves you from the madness.
- Ambush. The monster appears. It immediately attacks you.
- Relentless Ambush. The monster appears. Immediately attacks. Fear Save / It attacks again
- Cowards Ambush. The monster appears. It immediately attacks another player of your choice. If no one else is near, it attacks you twice.
- Deadly Ambush. The monster appears. It immediately attacks you and another nearby character.
- Sacrifice. You find a hand grenade (5d10 DMG). Next time the monster appears, pull the pin and sacrifice yourself. Give a good speech.