With the alternative rules that I provide below, players will be enabled to find ways to respond to traumatic events in-game without the burden of extreme mechanical alteration unless desired. Incorporating Sanity as a mechanic helps players lean into trauma as well as develop the flaws of their characters, which results in richer roleplay. This really isn’t the fault of the players, most of the time, as they often don’t know how to respond to such events, especially if they are not keen on heavy roleplaying. But more importantly, Sanity encourages and coaches players into responding to in-game events and stressors in a way I’ve yet to encounter in Dungeons & Dragons.Īs a Dungeon Master, there’s no disappointment like creating a scenario of horror or trauma, only to be met with a lack of response or in-game character development. Benefits of Including Sanity in GameplayĪs I’ll describe below, Sanity has a wide array of possibilities as a gameplay mechanic. I’ll use examples from similar TTRPG games such as Call of Cthulhu, Darkest Dungeon, and more, to set the stage for successfully incorporating insanity into D&D 5e. In this article, I’ll briefly explain the rules for Insanity as found in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, then build upon that foundation with detailed ideas and mechanics for incorporating mental health, from trauma response to hysteria to madness.

Additionally, while mental health is an issue players may wish to explore in the safer environment of D&D, the rules as written in the DMG offer neither sufficient flexibility nor satisfactory guidance. In a game where shell shock is as equally likely as magical curses, the rules following page 258 are both ambiguous in their application and inapplicable across the board. In Dungeons & Dragons 5e, the Dungeon Master’s Guide provides rules for madness and sanity that leave a lot lacking. Whether a character must deal with the creeping influence of anxiety or the trauma of watching a person die suddenly, any number of psychoses can and possibly should be explored in tabletop roleplaying games. While an adventurer may be more resilient to the burdens of constant danger than the average person, no sentient humanoid is immune to the effects of stress, especially over long periods of time. Consider clicking our affiliate links to support our small business so that we can continue to bring valuable resources to you. This article contains affiliate links that add gold to our coffers at no expense to our reader. Sanity D&D 5e art for this article is licensed to Wizards of the Coast from the Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage manual.

5e system shock table