Descent Into Madness

The character experiences an acute sense of dislocation or wrongness in his surroundings. They are certain that they belong somewhere else, although they can't say where that might be. An alienated character regards everything in their surroundings - people, places, and things - as unnatural and threatening. As the condition progresses, the character loses their function in society and gradually sinks into dementia praecox or catatonia over the course of 1d6 months.

The character purges their mind of anything that reminds him of the horrors he has experienced. Only their languages remain; everything else - class skills, proficiencies, knowledge of people and places - vanishes. Maximum and current hit points remain, but for all other purposes the character is now a 1st level character with no proficiencies. The amnesiac has a noncumulative 10% chance of recovery each month. During his amnesia, the character may actually begin his adventuring career again.

The catatonic completely withdraws from reality, ignoring all forms of external stimulus. They cannot move, speak, or act in any way, and may even ignore food placed in their mouth or painful injuries. There is only a 5% chance per month (noncumulative) that the catatonic will recover, although it's possible to provoke a catatonic into a temporary rage lasting 1d6 rounds by continuously annoying or pestering the individual.

The character lapses into a state of delirium lasting for 3d4 days during which they wander aimlessly and mumbles to themselves or rants and raves. They do not recognise friends and are incapable of any rational action; they are easily frightened and flee most encounters. They cannot cast spell. If restrained or threatened by combat, they become catatonic for 1d6 hours. After the delirium passes, the character returns to normal (though their memories of this time period may be fuzzy and confusing).

This condition is similar to melancholia, but consists of a hopelessness or loss of volition. The character just can't bring themselves to care about what is going on around them, even ignoring direct attacks or immediate threats to their life. Each time the character attempts an action, such as undertaking a journey, participating a fight, or casting a spell, there is a 50% chance that their dementia overwhelms them and they do nothing. If the character loses their will to fight, they will not even defend themselves. Dementia praecox persists until magically treated.

The character's surroundings make no sense to them, and they are temporarily unable to recognise places, people, or even their own possessions. The character retains command of their normal skills and abilities, although they have disadvantage on all weapon and spell attack rolls. However, they have a difficult time initiating or following through on actions; if told to stay put, they may wander off, or if their comrades flee from a monster, they might remain behind, unaware of their danger. The character has a 5% chance per day, cumulative, of recovering from his state.

The character perceives sights, sounds, or sensations from awful, alien dimensions that parallel our own. To other characters, the victim appears to be hearing things, seeing things, or experiencing things that don't exist. These hallucinations have a very tangible reality for the character, and for any given action they undertake - casting a spell, making an attack, even trying to walk across a room or study their spells - there is a 33% chance that one of their hallucinations distracts them, preventing them from completing the action. Each month, there is a noncumulative 10% chance that the character learns how to ignore these frightful apparitions and regains control of their perceptions.

A character suffering from hebephrenia withdraws from reality, wandering aimlessly, becoming child-like, and babbling or mumbling to themselves constantly. This condition is completely debilitating. The character is effectively under the effects of a feeblemind spell, unable to participate in normal society or survive without constant care. The character may never recover from such a profound shock and has only a 5% chance (noncumulative) per month to recover.

The character develops a persona that delights in mayhem and murder, and wants nothing more than to kill until it is sated. The character will stalk and kill victims (often those closest to the character), often employing bizarre or disgusting methods to further its enjoyment. Each month there is a slight, noncumulative chance (5%) of recovery.

Terror of unimaginable depth turns the character into a stark, raving madman. Every day, there is a 25% cumulative chance that they will suffer a manic episode lasting 1d6 hours, during which they attempt to attack or destroy anything around them. The maniac's Strength is incredible; a character's Strength increases by 5 points, to a maximum of 19. While the maniac is raging, they can easily turn on and kill people close to them, but they're just as likely to run off or try to gnaw the bark off a tree. Even if the character is temporarily in control of their senses, they cannot cast spells or embark on a long or complicated tasks; the struggle to retain control consumes too much of their attention. The character has a noncumulative 5% chance per month of recovering their stability.

A character afflicted with melancholia suffers endless fits of brooding and depression. Each day, there is a 5% cumulative chance that the character experiences an acute episode that completely disables them for 1d3 days. The melancholic will have no volition to travel, fight, cast spells, or even look after their own survival, although their friends may be able to lead them along on a journey or keep them out of the way on an adventure. Melancholia persists until magically treated.

The character becomes convinced that agents of hidden groups are abroad in their world, their homeland, and even in their home town. They could be anywhere. At first, they are merely suspicious of strangers, but as the condition progresses, their suspicion spreads to those nearest to them - their friends and family - and grows in strength, so that they begin taking precautions to guarantee their own safety. These precautions eventually include lethal attacks and plots against their former allies and friends.

The condition only grows worse as time passes; without magical healing or psychic surgery, no recovery occurs. Generally, a paranoid PC becomes an NPC under the DM's control after 1d6 months have passed, or wherever the DM feels that the player isn't role-playing their character effectively anymore.

This leaves a lasting mark in the character's psyche and makes him mortally afraid of some condition or creature. A character confronted with the subject of their phobia automatically flees the scene with all possible speed for at least 1d3 full turns. If the character cannot escape the condition, he lapses into a catatonic state that lasts for 1d6 days.