Article:Fear and its effects

From HofWiki

By Matthew Kearns

Frodo is wary of an approaching rider and hides with his companions on the side of the road. The rider turns out to be one of the Nazgûl, a fearsome creature of unnatural origins that exudes fear and malice. This innate power to cow and dismay others is an unseen force that comes from the creature, affecting those nearby, even if they cannot see it. Frodo and the others remain silent in fear and anxiousness until the Nazgûl passes. Later on at Weathertop, they once again encounter the Nazgûl, though en masse. They again secrete a dark fear about them, but the Hobbits have a better idea of what to expect and are able to stand up to the threat somewhat better than they did before.

Fear is a strange mechanic. The use of Intimidate (Fear) can cause a horde of weak-willed foes to break ranks and flee or cause an individual to cower in a corner until the source has left his presence. How to apply it, when to use it and encountering the same source of fear repeatedly are the foci of this article.

Using Fear

Intimidate is the skill used for unsettling or instilling fear into others. The specialties Fear, Power, and to some extent Majesty are different aspects or means of cowing others. The Fear specialty should be used mainly, if not only, by NPC’s of an evil nature, while Power would be used by PC’s and NPC’s of a good nature. Majesty, for the most part, is used separately in ‘courtly’ situations by characters of noble descent or bearing.

There are two ways to cause fear effects in others -- a direct use of the skill where an opposed roll is made (Intimidate vs. Willpower) or a passive use by creatures that have the Terror ability, where they have a constant aura of fear about them and anything that enters the aura’s radius must make a Willpower test against a TN equal to 2d6 + 1/2 total modifier. For the effects of failing a save against fear, see the Fear Effects table in the CRB.

When to Use Fear

This skill can be used at just about any time, including and especially combat, costing # action(s). A well-placed use of intimidation can frighten foes into submission or cause them to flee the battlefield altogether. Using this skill while under favorable conditions (friendly stronghold, brandishing an item that instills fear, etc.) can improve your chances and the effect of the Intimidate attempt.

Many creatures have Intimidate (Fear), and then there are those powerful foes like dragons, balrogs, and Nazgûl that have the Terror ability, which can enhance the disruption fear can cause in the midst of action because this aura is on constantly and doesn’t require actions to use.

Besides creatures using Intimidate to cause fear, there are other psychological sources such as encountering strange creatures or people for the first time or the source of a character’s phobia (heights, water, creepy crawlies, etc.) that can warrant the use of a Willpower save against fear. See the Fan Flavour section for more info on the Fear flaw.

Sources of Fear

In my opinion, repeated encounters with the same source of fear (albeit an individual or type of creature) will become less effective over time. With this in mind, the potentially overpowering effect of fear in a game should diminish over time. When characters encounter terrifying or greatly unusual creatures (that may or may not have the Terror ability), they must make the usual Willpower save. A successful save grants a +1 bonus the next time you encounter the same source of fear (Witch-king, wargs, a giant bear, etc.). This effect is cumulative (+2 bonus for two successful saves, etc.). If you make a number of successful saves equal to the creature’s or specific character’s Bearing modifier, the following apply:

• Further failed saves vs. fear from this source are reduced by one level of success (minimum Marginal) when it uses fear at full strength (e.g. making the appropriate skill test)
• If the creature or character has the Terror ability, the worst effect of a failed save is a Complete Success from the ability’s effect

Since supernatural creatures (Nazgûl, undead, Balrogs, etc.) and dragons are beings with the darkness woven into their very essence, the rules stated above could be ignored or altered at the Narrator’s discretion. Similar rules could be used as well to overcome/negate Fear flaws, though I would also advise spending 2 Advancement picks to remove the flaw.