Sanity- an optional Virtue for WoD

The Sanity virtue takes the form of an expendable attribute-- like Willpower, it has both a Permanent and a Temporary aspect. The maximum score for permanent Sanity is 10. When a character is generated, the permanent Sanity score is equal to the character's Wits + Charisma. Mega-Attribute ratings do not apply toward this score; each Attribute may contribute only five points. The character's temporary Sanity is always equal to or less than his permanent Sanity.

There are a variety of ways that the character might lose permanent Sanity. First, the character's Cthulhu mythos knowledge (represented in a Knowledge called Cthonic Lore) contributes to mental instability. Each point of Cthonic Lore that a character acquires is matched by a corresponding decrease in permanent Sanity. Even if a character were to increase permanent Sanity in some way, the maximum value of the trait is equal to ten minus her rating in Cthonic Lore.

Additionally, when a character encounters a mythos creature, he must make a Sanity check. He rolls his permanent Sanity, with a difficulty level depending on the particular creature. The typical difficulty is six. A failure indicates that the character loses a number of temporary sanity points appropriate to the creature. A Deep One or similar being would be worth only one point, while a Great Old One would be worth six points or more (maximum of ten). A botched Sanity roll doubles the amount of temporary Sanity lost and inflicts a temporary Derangement on the character, which will last one or more scenes (Storyteller's discretion).

If a character loses all temporary Sanity, a second Sanity roll must be made (difficulty equal to the mutant's temporary Willpower), or lose a point of permanent Sanity, and acquire a permanent Derangement. Every time the character loses a permanent point of Sanity, another such Derangement is acquired. If the character's permanent Sanity ever drops to zero, she becomes an NPC under the control of the Storyteller.

Temporary Sanity may be restored through peaceful meditation or rest. It can be restored at a rate of one point per day of relaxation, which is the safer route. Meditation can be quicker, but is more risky. This entails a Wits + Enigmas roll (difficulty 8), with each success counting as a point of Sanity restored. A failure results in loss of another point of temporary Sanity (dwelling on the issue can sometimes be harmful...) and botching the roll results in the loss of two points of temporary Sanity.

Permanent Sanity can be increased with Experience points, but only under certain conditions. First, the maximum score can not exceed the sum of Wits + Charisma, so these attributes must be high enough before permanent Sanity can be increased. Second, no character who has a Derangement or less than full temporary Sanity may increase permanent Sanity. These issues must be resolved beforehand. If these conditions are met, the cost in Experience points is 5 x current.

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