Emotions as a game mechanic?
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2018 6:25 am
This is a pretty common trope, pretty much in any Fantasy or Sci-fi setting, but it seems much more common in fantasy: How a character's emotions and state of mind affect their ability, and the world around them. I'd like to try and incorporate this into the system somehow, but I'm not sure how to go about it and would welcome advice. There's 2 major scenarios that tend to come up:
Magic is fuelled by emotion:
This is very common in fantasy fiction: A spell won't work, or won't work as well, if you're in the wrong frame of mind (example, Harry Potter's unforgiveable spells require unadulterated rage (Crucio) or an absolute, undiluted desire to kill (avada kedavra) in order to do anything, while in other universes, spells don't operate off a specific emotion, but they won't work unless you're calm). Could this perhaps be done with a Mental Endurance check if your character is experiencing any kind of unhelpful emotion? Fail and you can't summon up the spell?
Creatures feed off emotion:
Another very common trope: A creature that feeds off, or at the very least gains a measure of power from, the presence of certain emotions. Either the creature physically needs it in the same way most beings need food (a lack of emotion to suck would cause emotional or mental instability, lethargy or even death in some species), or it doesn't NEED it, but the more it has the stronger it gets. Many creatures with this need have some power that can simply incite the emotion in question (whether it be hate, love or fear), or have illusions and spells they can use to trick the target into feeling that emotion. A common trait is that after enough time being drained of your emotions, you'll fall into a coma and/or die, as if by sucking your emotions away, the creature is actually feeding on your life-force. Alternatively, perhaps having your emotions sucked out just leaves you a blank, staring husk, either fully functional but lacking any capacity to feel emotion, or in a sort of zombie-like state; fully conscious, but unable to realize that you need to move, feed yourself, or basically do anything that's not automatic like breathing.
Magic is fuelled by emotion:
This is very common in fantasy fiction: A spell won't work, or won't work as well, if you're in the wrong frame of mind (example, Harry Potter's unforgiveable spells require unadulterated rage (Crucio) or an absolute, undiluted desire to kill (avada kedavra) in order to do anything, while in other universes, spells don't operate off a specific emotion, but they won't work unless you're calm). Could this perhaps be done with a Mental Endurance check if your character is experiencing any kind of unhelpful emotion? Fail and you can't summon up the spell?
Creatures feed off emotion:
Another very common trope: A creature that feeds off, or at the very least gains a measure of power from, the presence of certain emotions. Either the creature physically needs it in the same way most beings need food (a lack of emotion to suck would cause emotional or mental instability, lethargy or even death in some species), or it doesn't NEED it, but the more it has the stronger it gets. Many creatures with this need have some power that can simply incite the emotion in question (whether it be hate, love or fear), or have illusions and spells they can use to trick the target into feeling that emotion. A common trait is that after enough time being drained of your emotions, you'll fall into a coma and/or die, as if by sucking your emotions away, the creature is actually feeding on your life-force. Alternatively, perhaps having your emotions sucked out just leaves you a blank, staring husk, either fully functional but lacking any capacity to feel emotion, or in a sort of zombie-like state; fully conscious, but unable to realize that you need to move, feed yourself, or basically do anything that's not automatic like breathing.