"You can't unsee what you've seen. Can't unknow what you've learned. Eventually, your mind adapts... but not always in ways you'd choose."
— Samantha Rodriguez, Hunter Debrief, 1991
Your Sanity Damage starts at 0 and accumulates as you encounter supernatural horrors and reality-breaking events. As you witness the impossible, confront entities that shouldn't exist, and survive experiences that shatter normal understanding of the world, the psychological toll mounts.
When you reach certain thresholds, your psyche fundamentally Breaks—your mind adapts to what you've experienced, sometimes in useful ways, sometimes in devastating ways, sometimes in ways that are simply... different.
Breaking Point Thresholds
As your Sanity Damage accumulates, you cross thresholds that represent fundamental psychological changes:
0-30
Stable
No psychological effects
31-60
Shaken
Roll for 1st effect
61-90
Fractured
Roll for 2nd effect
91-99
Shattered
Roll for 3rd effect
100+
Broken
Complete breakdown - Unplayable
How Breaking Works
When you cross a threshold (31, 61, or 91):
You immediately Break
Roll 1d100 on the Psychological Effects table
Gain that effect permanently
If you roll something you already have, reroll
Your Sanity Damage does not reset—it stays at current level
You keep accumulating Sanity Damage toward the next threshold while carrying all previous effects.
Gaining Sanity Damage
When you encounter something traumatic or reality-breaking, make a Wisdom saving throw. The DC depends on the severity of the experience:
Severity
DC
Fail (damage)
Success (damage)
Minor
12
+2
+1
Moderate
14
+4
+2
Major
16
+6
+3
Catastrophic
18
+8
+4
Critical Success (Natural 20): No damage
Critical Failure (Natural 1): Maximum damage for that severity
Diminishing Returns
Veterans become hardened to routine horrors. As you accumulate psychological effects, you gain resistance to lower-severity threats:
Stable (0-30): Normal saves against all severities
Shaken (31-60): Advantage on saves vs Minor severity
Fractured (61-90): Advantage on saves vs Minor and Moderate severity
Shattered (91-99): Advantage on saves vs Minor, Moderate, and Major severity
Example Triggers by Severity
Minor (DC 12)
Witnessing a fresh corpse
Encountering a lesser supernatural entity (ghost, minor cryptid)
Seeing reality distort momentarily
Being chased by something inhuman
Watching someone die violently
Moderate (DC 14)
Witnessing grotesque or mutilated bodies
Fighting a dangerous supernatural creature
Experiencing a minor mana surge
Being attacked by an invisible entity
Torture or extreme psychological stress
Discovering evidence of impossible things
Major (DC 16)
Witnessing massacre or multiple deaths
Encountering powerful entities (Fey lord, ancient cryptid)
Being present during mana surge explosion
Reading forbidden knowledge that contradicts reality
Watching reality break down around you
Prolonged exposure to impossible geometry
Catastrophic (DC 18)
Witnessing an Old God or cosmic entity
Ground zero of major supernatural event
Direct mental contact with something alien
Extended time in reality-broken environment
Experiencing ego death or possession
Learning truths that shatter your worldview
Psychological Effects (d100)
Roll 1d100 when you Break. The GM can adjust the roll by ±10 if a specific result fits the narrative better. Effects are permanent without extraordinary intervention.
01-03
Prophetic Dreams
Beneficial
You dream of near-future events. Once per session, you can declare you dreamed of this moment and gain advantage on one roll. However, you sometimes wake convinced things that didn't happen did.
04-06
Hypervigilance
Mixed
You're always alert, always watching. Advantage on Perception checks to notice threats. Disadvantage on saves against exhaustion—you can't truly rest.
07-09
Emotional Numbness
Mixed
Strong emotions become distant. Advantage on saves against fear and being charmed. Disadvantage on Insight and Persuasion—you struggle to connect with others.
10-12
Supernatural Sense
Beneficial
You feel when something unnatural is nearby. You can sense supernatural entities or phenomena within 60ft (GM tells you direction but not specifics).
13-15
Intrusive Thoughts
Negative
Dark, violent thoughts intrude constantly. Disadvantage on concentration checks. Must succeed DC 12 Wisdom save during stressful situations or become distracted.
16-18
Photographic Memory
Beneficial
You remember everything you see in perfect detail. Advantage on Intelligence checks to recall information. However, you also remember every horrible thing you've witnessed with perfect clarity.
19-21
Compulsive Behavior
Negative
You develop a specific compulsion (checking locks, counting things, organizing, cleaning rituals, etc.). During any long rest, you must spend at least 1 hour performing your compulsion or you cannot gain the benefits of that long rest (you still spent the time resting for timing purposes, but gain no HP/spell slot recovery).
22-24
Truth Sense
Beneficial
You instinctively know when someone is lying. Advantage on Insight checks against deception. However, you become distressed when you can't tell (disadvantage on saves against confusion effects).
25-27
Dissociative Episodes
Negative
During extreme stress, you disconnect from reality. When you take damage equal to half your max HP in one hit, succeed DC 14 Wisdom save or become incapacitated until end of your next turn.
28-30
Pattern Recognition
Mixed
You see patterns and connections everywhere. Advantage on Investigation checks. However, you sometimes see patterns that aren't there and must succeed DC 12 Wisdom saves to dismiss false patterns.
31-33
Fearless
Mixed
You no longer feel fear in a normal way. Advantage on saves against being frightened. However, you don't recognize danger appropriately—disadvantage on Survival checks to avoid hazards.
34-36
Chronic Nightmares
Negative
You're plagued by vivid, horrific dreams. During long rests, you must succeed DC 13 Wisdom save or gain no benefit from the rest (still counts as taking a long rest for time purposes).
37-39
Thousand-Yard Stare
Mixed
You've seen too much. NPCs instinctively recognize you as someone who's been through hell. Advantage on Intimidation. Disadvantage on Persuasion—people find you unsettling.
40-42
Obsessive Focus
Mixed
You can focus intensely on tasks. When you spend 10 minutes studying something, advantage on all related checks for the next hour. However, you struggle to shift attention—disadvantage on Perception to notice things outside your focus.
43-45
Dark Humor
Neutral
You cope through gallows humor and inappropriate jokes. No mechanical effect, but NPCs may find you disturbing or disrespectful. However, this helps you cope—gain inspiration when you make a dark joke that makes the table laugh.
46-48
Paranoid
Negative
You trust no one completely. Disadvantage on Insight checks to judge allies' intentions. However, advantage on saves against betrayal or ambush by someone you know.
49-51
Adrenaline Junkie
Mixed
You crave danger and excitement. Gain +1 to initiative. However, must succeed DC 13 Wisdom saves to avoid reckless behavior in combat. On a failed save, you must use your movement to get closer to enemies this turn. If already in melee, you attack recklessly—you have advantage on attack rolls, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.
52-54
Supernatural Affinity
Mixed
Supernatural entities recognize something in you. You have advantage on Charisma checks when interacting with non-hostile supernatural creatures. However, you also attract their attention more easily.
55-57
Trigger Response
Negative
A specific stimulus (blood, screaming, darkness, etc.) causes panic. When exposed, succeed DC 14 Wisdom save or become frightened for 1 minute. Can repeat save at end of each turn.
58-60
Detached Observer
Mixed
You view events clinically, emotionally distant. Advantage on Intelligence checks during stressful situations. Disadvantage on Charisma checks—people find you cold and inhuman.
61-63
Insomniac
Negative
You struggle to sleep. You only need 4 hours for a long rest, but you have disadvantage on saves against exhaustion and appear constantly tired.
64-66
Mystic Insight
Beneficial
You understand supernatural phenomena intuitively. Advantage on Arcana and Religion checks related to supernatural threats. However, this knowledge weighs on you—when you gain Sanity Damage from studying forbidden knowledge, rituals, or ancient texts, you gain +1 additional Sanity Damage.
67-69
Selective Amnesia
Mixed
Your mind has blocked out specific traumatic memories. You can't remember one major event from your past (GM determines). You have advantage on saves against trauma from similar situations, but gaps in your memory cause social issues.
70-72
Spiritual Sensitivity
Mixed
You sense spirits and echoes of the dead. You can detect undead and spirits within 30ft. However, you see ghosts constantly, even harmless ones—disadvantage on Perception to notice mundane threats.
73-75
Manic Energy
Mixed
You alternate between intense energy and crushing lows. Once per long rest, gain advantage on all rolls for 1 minute. Afterward, disadvantage on all rolls for 1 minute.
76-78
Existential Acceptance
Beneficial
You've accepted how meaningless everything is. Advantage on saves against fear from cosmic or existential threats. However, you struggle to care about mundane problems.
79-81
Violent Outbursts
Negative
Anger erupts unexpectedly. When you take damage in combat, succeed DC 13 Wisdom save or you must use your next action to attack the source. You cannot distinguish friend from foe during the outburst.
82-84
Reality Skeptic
Mixed
You question what's real. Advantage on saves against illusions and mind control. However, you sometimes doubt real things—disadvantage on Insight checks to judge situations.
85-87
Survivor's Guilt
Negative
You can't stop thinking about those you couldn't save. When an ally drops to 0 HP, you have disadvantage on all rolls until they're stabilized or you take damage yourself.
88-90
Precognitive Flashes
Beneficial
You occasionally see moments before they happen. Once per short rest, you can reroll one attack roll, save, or check. However, you sometimes act on visions that don't come to pass (GM may give false information occasionally).
91-93
Fractured Personality
Severe
Your sense of self becomes unstable. Once per day when you wake, roll 1d6. On 1-2, your approach to problems shifts dramatically—cautious becomes reckless, trusting becomes paranoid, kind becomes cruel (GM and player determine specific shift). You remember your actions but they feel alien.
94-96
The Watcher
Severe
You're convinced something is always watching you. You're probably right. Advantage on Perception but disadvantage on all rolls when you can't see all directions around you (enclosed spaces, darkness). You can't sleep without a light source.
97-98
Savant Focus
Beneficial
Your trauma has unlocked something. Choose one skill—you gain expertise in it. However, you become obsessive about this topic and must succeed DC 14 Wisdom saves to go 24 hours without engaging with it.
99-00
Broken But Functional
Severe
You've gone beyond normal trauma. You gain advantage on all Wisdom saves. However, NPCs instinctively recognize you as deeply broken. The Overwatch Foundation may take interest. You cannot gain Inspiration through normal means—only through facing your trauma directly.
Reducing Sanity Damage
Unlike psychological effects (which are permanent), current Sanity Damage can be reduced through downtime activities:
Rest & Recovery (1 Endeavour)
Spend downtime doing normal, calming activities with loved ones—hobbies, exercise, time with family, caring for pets, meditation, or vacation from the madness.
Make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 10 + number of psychological effects you have)
Success: Reduce Sanity Damage by 1d6
Failure: Reduce Sanity Damage by 1d4
You have advantage on this roll if you maintain connections with non-hunter NPCs (family, friends, romantic partners).
Professional Therapy (2 Endeavours)
Work with a therapist who understands trauma. You may need to use the Cultivate Contact Endeavour first to find a qualified therapist. Cost: $300-500
Option A - Reduce Sanity Damage:
Make a Wisdom save (DC 12 + number of psychological effects you have)
Success: Reduce Sanity Damage by 2d6
Failure: Reduce Sanity Damage by 1d6
Option B - Manage Existing Effect:
Choose one psychological effect you have
Make a DC 15 Wisdom save
Success: The negative aspects of that effect are reduced for the next mission (advantage becomes normal, disadvantage becomes normal, etc.)
Failure: No benefit, but you can try again next downtime
Group Support
Party members who have psychological effects can help each other during long rests. When resting with allies who also have effects, you can grant each other advantage on their next save against effect-related issues.
Living with Psychological Effects
Concealment
Most effects aren't immediately visible to casual observers, but people who know you well will notice changes. Some effects (Thousand-Yard Stare, The Watcher) are obvious to perceptive observers.
Accumulation
Each time you Break, you gain another effect on top of existing ones. A veteran hunter might have:
Hypervigilance (always alert but can't rest)
Supernatural Sense (detects entities)
Emotional Numbness (can't connect with people)
This makes them effective hunters but deeply damaged people.
Permanent Changes
Psychological effects are permanent without extraordinary intervention:
Experimental Foundation procedures (requires infiltration/capture)
Deal with supernatural entity (always has a cost)
Intensive long-term therapy may manage effects but rarely removes them
The Cost of Hunting
This system represents the price of confronting the supernatural. Eventually every hunter accumulates damage. The question becomes: Are you still you? Are you still human in the ways that matter?
GM Guidelines
When to Call for Saves
Don't call for saves on every weird thing. Use them for:
First encounters with new entity types
Particularly gruesome or shocking events
Reality-breaking phenomena
Personal trauma (friends dying, torture, etc.)
Major supernatural events
Hunters become desensitized. The tenth zombie isn't the same as the first.
Adjusting the Roll
When a player Breaks, you can adjust the d100 roll by ±10 if:
A specific result fits recent events perfectly
The character arc would benefit from a particular effect
The random roll doesn't make narrative sense
Don't overuse this—randomness is part of the horror.
Threshold Pacing
With 30-point ranges between Breaks:
Low-intensity campaign: Characters might never Break
Medium-intensity: Expect 1-2 Breaks over the campaign
High-intensity horror: All hunters will Break multiple times
Adjust encounter frequency and severity to match your desired tone.
Unplayable Effects
Some effects (Fractured Personality, Violent Outbursts) require player buy-in. If an effect would make a character unfun to play, work with the player to adjust it or allow a reroll.
Remember: This system is about showing the psychological cost of hunting. Every encounter should have weight, but not every session needs Sanity saves. Balance horror with hope, trauma with moments of humanity.
"We all break eventually. The question is what you become after." — John Hayes, 1993