The Phobic

He is scared. He may be unable to approach bodies of water, or has a morbid fear of heights, or a fear of open spaces, or of enclosed places, or of certain types of monsters: goblins or umber hulks, perhaps.

Whatever the phobic is afraid of, it prevents him from fully functioning when dealing with the object of his phobia. He may simply refuse to go anywhere near it. This may be represented in gaming terms by giving the character penalties to his attack and damage rolls; penalties of -2 to -5 are suitable. Or he may have to make a saving throw vs. paralyzation to approach the thing he fears.

Best Suited For: Players who enjoy flawed characters will find Phobics good fun to play, though they are more restricted than other character types.

Any alignment or character kit can be used with a Phobic. Sundered dwarves are always claustrophobic. A Phobic may easily be combined with another personality; a Glory Seeker with a fear of water, for example.

Combat Situations: The Phobic performs well until faced with the object of his phobia. Then he becomes reluctant to fight, and may even flee as if affected by a fear spell. A saving throw may be called for in such situations to see whether he continues to fight, or flees.

Role-playing Situations: In most situations the Phobic functions normally, acting as the player wants, but faced with his phobia, he changes dramatically. When he is combined with other personalities, there are intriguing possibilities. Imagine an orc-hating Battlerager who has a suicidal disregard for his own safety when fighting orcs, but turns and flees when faced with a single kobold.

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