The Game
"There have always been rumors surrounding the Lakeshore Asylum. The strange fire back in the days of the Great Depression, the scandal involving the administrator and the flayed bodies in the '40s, the missing patients that briefly led to the asylum's closing in the 70s... to those who paid attention, it was clear that something was fundamentally wrong about the city of Lakeshore and its dark, looming asylum."
The players take on the roles of patients who have been sent to the asylum to recover from their mental disorders, only to learn that survival might take precedence over recovery.
Madhouse uses a D10-based "roll and keep" system that provides tactical options while keeping gameplay quick and intuitive. The Insanity mechanic features a "press your luck" mechanic that allows players to "push" to gain bonuses to their dice rolls. Each Push also increases a player's Insanity, however, and if a player accumulates too much Insanity, they might find themselves acting irrationally in situations that call for cool heads and critical thinking.
Core Game Contents
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Preface
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History and Layout
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Game Mechanics
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Character Creation
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Disorders
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Bestiary
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Adventure
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Pregenerated Characters
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Character Sheets
134 Page Full Color PDF
Disorders
Disorders are templates that describe the particular details of a character's insanity. A Disorder shapes the way a character thinks about the world and how she interacts with it. A Psychotic character, for example, most likely reacts to most situations with anger and rage, which is quite different from the typical response one would expect from a Depressive character.
Each Disorder grants a character a variety of special abilities, such as the Delusional Disorder's ability to alter reality or the manipulative talents of the Narcissistic Disorder. These abilities are ranked according to Classes; when you first create your character, she will be Class 1 in a single Disorder and will possess the Class 1 ability of that Disorder.
When your character advances at the end of a session, she will spiral further into madness and gain more abilities. Disorders are not exclusive, so it's possible (and, indeed, likely) for a character to pick up multiple Disorders the longer she stays in the asylum.
Psychotic
The Psychotic Disorder revolves around combat. It enhances a character's melee attacks, enabling her to hit more often and deal more damage. This allows a Psychotic character to quickly cut through even the toughest of enemies.
Delusional
The Delusional Disorder focuses upon control and gathering information. It grants characters the ability to "edit" reality, a powerful ability in and of itself, while also giving them access to a few powerful (if somewhat unreliable) tools for gathering information from NPCs and the GM.
Obsessive
The Obsessive Disorder combines friendly buffs with enemy debuffs, allowing characters to quickly switch between helping their friends and hindering their enemies. Obsessive characters tend to be extremely versatile, though care must be taken not to switch back and forth too often, lest they lose control of themselves at a vital moment.
Depressive
The Depressive Disorder focuses upon durability and debuffing, making it great for characters that prefer to keep the attention of their enemies focused upon them and not their allies. Depressive characters are also very resistant to fear, making them reliable allies even in the face of horrifying monsters and shuffling undead.
Narcissistic
The Narcissistic Disorder revolves around social interaction and manipulation, making it perfect for anyone who enjoys being the "face" of a group. Narcissistic characters excel in squeezing small favors out of NPCs and in creating distractions by starting arguments, making them almost as important to a group as they believe themselves to be.
Psychotic
The Psychotic Disorder revolves around combat. It enhances a character's melee attacks, enabling her to hit more often and deal more damage. This allows a Psychotic character to quickly cut through even the toughest of enemies.
Delusional
The Delusional Disorder focuses upon control and gathering information. It grants characters the ability to "edit" reality, a powerful ability in and of itself, while also giving them access to a few powerful (if somewhat unreliable) tools for gathering information from NPCs and the GM.
Obsessive
The Obsessive Disorder combines friendly buffs with enemy debuffs, allowing characters to quickly switch between helping their friends and hindering their enemies. Obsessive characters tend to be extremely versatile, though care must be taken not to switch back and forth too often, lest they lose control of themselves at a vital moment.
Depressive
The Depressive Disorder focuses upon durability and debuffing, making it great for characters that prefer to keep the attention of their enemies focused upon them and not their allies. Depressive characters are also very resistant to fear, making them reliable allies even in the face of horrifying monsters and shuffling undead.
Narcissistic
The Narcissistic Disorder revolves around social interaction and manipulation, making it perfect for anyone who enjoys being the "face" of a group. Narcissistic characters excel in squeezing small favors out of NPCs and in creating distractions by starting arguments, making them almost as important to a group as they believe themselves to be.
Disorders
Disorders are templates that describe the particular details of a character's insanity. A Disorder shapes the way a character thinks about the world and how she interacts with it. A Psychotic character, for example, most likely reacts to most situations with anger and rage, which is quite different from the typical response one would expect from a Depressive character.
Each Disorder grants a character a variety of special abilities, such as the Delusional Disorder's ability to alter reality or the manipulative talents of the Narcissistic Disorder. These abilities are ranked according to Classes; when you first create your character, she will be Class 1 in a single Disorder and will possess the Class 1 ability of that Disorder.
When your character advances at the end of a session, she will spiral further into madness and gain more abilities. Disorders are not exclusive, so it's possible (and, indeed, likely) for a character to pick up multiple Disorders the longer she stays in the asylum.
Memory Snap Adventure
Terrible things are moving in the shadows of the Lakeshore Asylum. Despite the bodies piling up around them, nobody can remember what happened or determine what who is responsible. Will an unlikely group of patients be able to solve the mystery, or will their efforts be forgotten as well?
Memory Snap is a one-shot adventure for the Madhouse RPG.
