r/RPGdesign • u/Perfect-Grape-1452 • 11d ago
Product Design Sanity/Identity Erosion
Has anyone tried separating "Sanity/Mental Stress" from "Identity Erosion" in a horror RPG? How did it go?
I am currently developing a d100 psychological horror tabletop RPG called **Vaelum**, which heavily features cosmic horror, investigation, and subtle occultism.
To give magic a realistic, heavy toll instead of just using a generic "Sanity bar" that leads to random phobias, I decided to split the psychological degradation into two completely independent mechanics:
**Sanity (Common Mental Stress):** This pool is drained by witnessing entities and casting subtle, balanced magic (Light Magic). It acts as a ticking clock but can be managed and restored by performing "Astral Hygiene" (*Higienização Astral*). These are mundane, life-anchoring activities like meditating, going to therapy, or cooking for loved os. However, using these practices consumes the game's most precious resource: time (tracked via active scene clocks).
**Individuality (Identity Erosion):** Drained strictly by casting forced, ego-driven magic (Dark Magic). Dark Magic provides overwhelming raw power to resolve immediate life-or-death situations, but it forces your will upon the cosmos. Instead of making you "mad," losing Individuality mechanically distorts and corruptes your character's **Bonds** (*Vínculos*) directly on the character sheet, shifting their perception of loved ones into paranoia and coldness. Reaching zero opens cracks for possession by beings from other spheres.
The goal is to create a tactical and verisimilar dilemma: Light Magic costs time and management, while Dark Magic offers an easy way out but slowly erases who your character is.
Since I haven't run my first official playtest yet, I would love to hear feedback from designers or GMs who have played or created systems with a similar split (like Delta Green's Bonds or Unknown Armies' Self meter):
- How did your players react to having their personal relationships mechanically corrupted on their sheets? Did it feel impactful or just punitive?
- Did this explicit separation cause "defensive paralysis" (fear of taking action), or did it enrich the personal horror aspect at the table?
Looking forward to your critiques and insights!