Is there anyone who has had experience with playing an insane character or running a campaign where insanity was a key element? If so, how did it reflect in the characters or how did it influence the game?

With this I'm specifically referring to genuine derangement and clinical insanity, not simply "quirkiness". Nor am I talking about "SAN-check failed - game over" games. I mean characters and campaigns where (in)sanity is a persistent element that guides or at the least influences characters.

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Aernoud Van Brabant: Heir of the House. Proprietor of the Beer Wagon.
"Go to the Mayfields, have a pint, and wait for this to blow over."
Aurelius: Sunmaster of Amaunator. Contemplative. Aspirant to Transcendance.
"Sol Invictus"

Can you give us more specificity in why you're asking? Is it for a character you might create, a campaign you might be running, an NPC you ran into?

Burning has played with this in the Caraigh Asylum, I think, around the effects of magic on a resistant and traumatized culture. Any DMs around the Salandrans and those who play Salandran PCs. It's definitely been a part of my character's stories, too, as I firmly believe that mental health impacts every story and life and the world doesn't talk about any of it enough.

Yeah, I'm not sure what you're asking, but I play a couple characters who most people would deem clinically insane, so maybe I can help. I've also been involved in several plotlines that have helped fuel that insanity on them!

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a.k.a. Audrey Zinata

Find whoever played Tyd. That was just insanity played right.

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...I concur.

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a.k.a. Audrey Zinata

I ran an asylum plot some years ago and beforehand talked at length with a friend of mine who works in a mental institute about various mental diseases. So perhaps I can help. Can you give some information what kind of behavior this character would/should have?

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Isnt aurelius insane?

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-Ja'acira Arrows'R'Us
-Balorin Wolfhammer- A dwarf so old he remember when the Beer stein was invented
Saisha Jai'diem Knight of bahamut, and abit of a looker

Don't forget about Va. Va and Tyd were Amia's Ross and Rachael in insanity.

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Adair - Druid and part time treant cosplayer

Roleplaying Clinical insanity can be a touchy subject, since it's sorta making fun of disabled people... I think that it is not that mean or offensive to Roleplay disfunctionally obsessed people, since that's pretty much a parody of what everyone who plays this game suffers from. I don't think roleplaying a verbal "tick" is all that offensive either, since it is so rare in real life. If I was going to role-play insane, I would stick to criminally insane, personally.

I recommend giving Heroes of Horror a read through. It's good for inspiration on ones character slowly losing ones mind in DnD.

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Eli Hodgewall <{/,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X
Sven <=={o===========>
Qeelak \ | / ,

The best place to start is here with what joe points out. When it comes to genuine clinical insanity and deranged behavior, the worry is less that you are trivializing another player, but rather trivializing (or triggering bad emotions associated with) another player's experiences with insanity, usually in family and close friends or other tragedies that can surround people who suffer that way. I actually had this happen to me and had to change a character in a tabletop game because the GM admitted that the character was disturbingly close to a sociopath he knew who was convicted of the attempted murder of a mutual friend of theirs. As soon as I was told I complied quickly, no questions asked. The table is to be a safe place for everyone, GM included.

Dusty steers you in the right direction with Heroes of Horror, too. Even aside from how it treats encroaching madness, it is an entertaining read.

I have played a variety of characters with different kinds of clinical madness and derangements over the years. Most have been subtle rather than overt, because "overt" can quickly become a shameful parody.

The only game I can think of immediately where insanity is a key element is CoC. GMs may of course run different stories or settings where insanity is a key element, but I don't recall ever being in a game where it was, so I do not think I can answer that directly.

However, I would say that the PCs I play in campaigns that are clinically insane or deranged have about as much as impact on the direction of the story as any of my characters who are not insane or deranged - meaning, sometimes they have major impact, sometimes they have lesser impact, and it all depends upon how the characters interacts with the setting, the plot, and the rest of the cast. Most of this a player actually gets to determine, so you can "take control" of your PC's insanity and use it only in ways that advance the story and don't call a halt to it or bring about some tragedy that just leaves everyone feeling like garbage.

I can elaborate if you like, but my prime example is a psychopath I have played in various tabletops. A CE bard. Simply put, he does not believe himself to be insane, but he is self-aware and knows he is different and has "a problem". He interprets the problem as a constant struggle with ennui peppered with insurmountable moments of anxiety that he can only set right by reestablishing "control" over his life and the situations therein. The horrific detail is the psychopathic element - the utter lack of empathy - which results in acts of harm being done to others (ranging from slander, deception, and humiliation to acts as terrible as assault, torture, and murder) as a means of feeling "in control" again. For this PC, no moral compass exists which tells him what he does is bed, although he is savvy enough to know that other people see it that way and he will get in trouble for it. But it works for him and his inability to feel guilt (ability to feel most anything save anger and greed, perhaps, hence his feelings of constant ennui) makes hurting others in some way the most convenient form of dealing with his anxiety.

I think the proper implementation of mental disorder depends greatly on the overall tone of the game. If Amia was more realistic, most if not all adventurers would be suffering from some form of PTSD, for example. But even small events could have major long-term consequences; if your character has been Dominated, wouldn't he/she risk serious mental issues over it? It sounds like a profoundly traumatic experience (though Enchantment and Illusion are some of the worst described concepts in D&D overall).

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Aernoud Van Brabant: Heir of the House. Proprietor of the Beer Wagon.
"Go to the Mayfields, have a pint, and wait for this to blow over."
Aurelius: Sunmaster of Amaunator. Contemplative. Aspirant to Transcendance.
"Sol Invictus"

Exactly that, yeah.

A lot of characters already suffer a lot from such things!

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a.k.a. Audrey Zinata

Being Dominated by Arronax is what prompted Idan to seek out a means of dealing with mages, I.E. his custom feat. He can't really be intrinsically uncomfortable with magic, because magic is a big part of Arcane Archery. But he is uncomfortable with mages he doesn't know, and any sort of magic that deals with the mind. So there are definitely experiences that dictate certain psychological aspects of a character.

I've always been interested in how psychological aspects effect certain forms of rp. Crunch, for instance, was brought up by dwarves. (Yes, I know. Don't hate on it here. It was my first character.) Because of this, he wasn't overly fond of elves, severely distrusted other half-orcs, and absolutely loathed full-blooded orcs.

Sundyr was brought up in wealth, so he had that arrogance that money could solve any problem, rendering him invincible.

Baralor...was just a big bag of crazy, so that's too much to sum up.

Caelyr was brought up in a very abusive environment. Therefore, he was afraid of characters that could wield whips, or anything along those lines.

So there are a ton of ways psychological aspects effect a character. The only character I came to close to full insanity while playing was Baralor, because of his circumstances. But I've never really played full insanity. Not really because I don't think it can be done, but more because I don't think it can be adequately done by ME.

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I experimented with a character who, in retrospect, could be said to have had PTSD. He was born and raised in South Cordor as a devout servant of Tymora, always facing tragedy in his life contrary to the promises of the clergy. Being so traumatized by his miserable life, he sought relief in alcohol and soon grew so paranoid that he believed misfortune was stalking round every corner. False hopes of good fortune coupled with the steadfast religious upbringing didn't only leave him embittered, but very confused, conflicted, afraid, and subservient to greater powers. His life was essentially a vicious cycle of being haunted by his past, soothing his shaken mind with alcohol, being paranoid that Beshaba has cursed him with misfortune, acting against his nature so as to be spared from further mental and physical pain by descending to doing Beshaba's bidding, and finally, loathing himself for it.

I played him as a comic relief for the sake of common courtesy. I don't want to arouse any spectres from people's pasts with my stunning portrayal of a proper drunk; it's a heavy subject for a gaming environment full of strangers whose lives you know nothing about. So, I just went about patting on people's shoulders with a happily drunken demeanor, preached about the dangers of life and how Beshaba would vex you if you didn't fear her, grieved about the phantoms of the past, and lapsed into murderous bouts of madness with lachrymose endings, e.g. stabbing a minotaur while crying for your father to forgive you. It's also probably a good idea not to be too graphic with it.

For further ideas, and how to get into the "mindset" of a deranged person, I'd suggest reading good literature. For example, American Psycho was made my skin crawl with its five page long descriptions of the physical qualities of house furniture, and later on, five page long descriptions of the physical qualities of a dead woman. And then you can self-school yourself with psychology books on mental and personality disorders. Jolly!

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Every time you clock in the morning, I feel you just want to kill
All my innocence while ignoring my purpose to persevere as a better person
I know you heard this and probably in fear
-Kendrick Lamar, good kid

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Xalibossk, Body Tamer & Terror Of The Underdark

I really respect all of the sensitivity around mental disorders in this thread, so since that's all been said already, I'm going to approach this from a Creative standpoint based on experiences roleplaying. And by that I mean I'll be talking out my ass.

Insanity in a PC is one of those things that's most often a cliche thing overused to make a CE character, bring interpersonal drama to a PC or make a character who "falls," but after one becomes a more seasoned RPer I think it's safe to come back to and try again.

I love the concepts of "the mad king," someone who used to have respect but now only has power. This concept is dynamic and intriguing because you can't just pity or ignore the god damn king. For a PC, basically take any position of legal power/responsibility/immunity, add dangerous decisions.

There's also the "coolly unhinged," like when a detective in a movie is investigating the existence of something the AUDIENCE knows is real, but everyone he turns to says he's crazy. He still has a job, he's still professional, you still respect him, he's used to going by-the-book--but his determination and internal struggle with trusting his instincts makes his obsession slowly unravel him. In the end he was right all along, but by that time it's too late for him. He's paranoid and committed violence, broken laws, etc.

My favorite 'insane' PC was from another server a long time ago. He was calm, but he'd talk to other voices, or inanimate objects, and his speech was dodgy. What helped was he was a high-magic outsider plane-traveler so you can believe he was just so culturally weird and exposed to different magic that...maybe... he knew something you didn't? Maybe there WAS a spirit behind that wall but you just couldn't hear it. But he really didn't match any culture and none of that stuff was real. He was weird without being AGGRESSIVE, chaotic I guess. If some whitebread pale elf mage of Insert Boring God did the same stuff it wouldn't have worked.

One thing to ask yourself: was this character always a little exotic/rebellious, or were they the picture of normal aka boring before? The King and Detective were Turned, the Outsider was always exotic, but you still might call both 'insane.'

How do you want your audience to feel about them? Pity? Disgust? Sympathy? Horror? ....Attraction?

You'd also have to define their 'insanity. 'Auditory hallucinations? Visual? Imaginary friend? Manic episodes? Homocidal ideation? Paranoia? Will you be the PC that denies he's insane, or the one disturbingly aware? Are you calm like a sociopath or eccentric like a manic? Insanity doesn't = PERSONALITY. Making their affliction and personality blend, or contrast can matter.

The CE-ultra-violent-hyper or "LOL I'm so random"-wears-flourescent-colors 'quirkiness' trope, you're right, gets annoying after a while simply because it demands too much reaction/attention, like a little kid that just won't leave you alone. But it isn't always terrible. Even cliches can be done well. That type of insanity is better in small doses from a DM-possessed NPC.

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Laura is on the fine line between non-violent psychotic and sociopathic disorders. She's fully aware she's different, she knows other people see her as evil and repulsive, but doesn't understand why they see her as such. She uses reason and logic to justify herself to others, and others just continue to blurt out that "it's evil" without any sound evidence to back up their claim, and when they do, she simply doesn't understand why they care so much about other people.

Personally I think she's more neutral, but Book of Vile Darkness is a mere check list for Laura.

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Elwyn Sabel - Laura Jarshall - Mordoc Ebonhand

Discord: Bhaalorian#5715

I do think that in most D&D settings insanity/madness is too easily dismissed as "evil behavior". Insanity as an RP element shouldn't just be a skewed view of things, IMO, it should be a genuine mental disorder - those afflicted by it genuinely suffer. It's hard to implement that kind of penalties in a meaningful way (though the World of Darkness made an effort), I think.

That said, has anyone DM'ed or been part of a campaign where madness was a strong element (Call of Cthulhu would be an obvious example)? And if so, in what way did it manifest?

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Aernoud Van Brabant: Heir of the House. Proprietor of the Beer Wagon.
"Go to the Mayfields, have a pint, and wait for this to blow over."
Aurelius: Sunmaster of Amaunator. Contemplative. Aspirant to Transcendance.
"Sol Invictus"

I like playing my crazy guy.

I just can't do it properly as of late. Plus... too many evil schemes that can't be done.

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Whomst've'll'd'mn't I play:
Salema Nefahri :: A penny for your thots
Zrae'a'stra'fryn :: That which nightmares are made of
Khasir :: From the East a storm is coming

If by implementing penalties and having characters suffer you are referring to something mechanical in nature, such as a ruleset, there is this which translates into most d20 systems. Imperfectly, I might add; I use a variation on this and have it apply for a variety of different things, like obsessive personality disorder (pick your obsession!), neurosis and such. It can get embarassing and I would never share the way I do it with any reputable psychiatrist out of shame. The rules simply do not do mental disorder any justice, but this is the closest I've seen to making it a form of "challenge" where the game element is concerned.

The aforementioned character of mine suffers the Psychosis insanity listed on that page. He makes a save each week, but the DC never decreases because his insanity is incurable. On a successful save he lives a relatively normal life, though he does still get involved in some pretty deranged behavior. As an example, in our party, I discreetly approached the GM and suggested that my PC was actually the birth son of another PC, but that other PC was unaware of this fact (due to a form of amnesia he suffered). In addition, the player was also unaware! My PC knew of his own problems and he believed the key to understanding his condition lied in understanding his father. And how did he choose to try to understand his father? By watching him, observing him, talking to him, but never revealing their familial relationship.

The other player's PC announced to the group that during his downtime he was visiting a local whorehouse to have fun with the girls. I discreetly informed the GM that I would also be attending the whorehouse, but only to pay the madame for a "voyeur's room" in order to watch my own father engaged in carnal relations with a variety of women. This is behavior most people look to as being deranged. Maybe it is. I used it to express his disassociation from normative feelings of disgust or shame or guilt.

When he fails a Psychosis save, he becomes a little more agitated, but not manic. I sometimes choose to have his psychosis manifest in the form of hallucinations (audial and visual). I have also opted for the sake of party unity and his own survival to have him go the opposite direction from some psychotics who may go manic because their hallucinations are frightening and violent - his hallucinations are frightening and violent, but instead of reacting to them like they were real, he has instead learned that he hallucinates often and as such treats a lot of interactions in his life as though they very well may be hallucinations. This is what leads to his odd mannerisms, because when he is interacting with you he may very well be under the assumption that you aren't real, and thus may laugh at things you say because of their relative absurdity to him. Also, while talking to you he may seem utterly unresponsible, probably because he is in a hallucinatory fugue imagining strangling you with piano wire until you say his name and he blinks and smiles and gives some meaningless platitude.

All in all, though, I would not say the character's madness has anything to do with him suffering. He is a very evil person, in spite of the fact that he doesn't think that way about himself. He is not a tragic figure worthy of pity, even though a combination of incredible Bluff skill and the Glibness spell along with several traits and feats that give him bonuses when lying about his criminal activities make him seem truly and genuinely repentant and desirous to change his ways, to accept your help and your aid, to be a better person and never, ever hurt a living person or stomp on a kitten or dig up the corpse of a dead child and leave it on the doorstep of his grieving parents ever, ever again.