Looking for a more catastrophic Mothership Panic table? Look no further!
Mothership is awesome. Like a truly great horror movie, it’s at its best when you’re waiting for things to happen. The tension as you explore the blood-stained lab, the mystery of the missing scientists’ logs: this is the real meat of a horror game. Like overwinding a clock until it bursts, that slow increase in tension is the juicy part of the game.
So the first 90% of any given Mothership game is great. The rules are perfect for it. My only gripe? Sometimes that last 10%… just doesn’t quite go off.
There are a lot of lukewarm conditions and soft stress boosts included in the Panic table. I’m looking for something bigger! Something bonkers! By the time I get to 20 Stress, I want to feel it. I want things to snowball into chaos.
I want those failed Sanity and Fear Saves to build to a near TPK.
So, with that in mind, I’ve tried to punch up the ol’ Panic table. In some cases, these are just slight modifications on the existing effects: a bit more stress here, a harsher condition there. In others, these are serious threats to the entire crew. I tried to keep things as thematic as possible.
Did we succeed in making Panic deadlier? I don’t know! But I’m looking forward to testing these new rules out and reporting back. If you get there before I do, comment below.
Punchier Panic Effects
1 ADRENALINE RUSH. [+] on Body, Strength, Speed, and Combat rolls for the next 2d10 minutes. Reduce Stress by 2. If you roll this twice in a session, reroll with [-].
2 NERVOUS. Gain d5 Stress.
3 MISFIRE. If you’re holding a gun, discharge your weapon at a random character present. All close Crewmates gain 3 Stress.
4 OVERWHELMED. [-] on all rolls until you rest. Increase Minimum Stress by 1.
5 FLIGHT. Flee from the source of your Panic. Once per round, you may make a Sanity Save to stop running, but otherwise, take no action.
6 GUN SHY. Gain a Condition: the first time each combat that a gun is fired, roll a Panic Check.
7 LOSS OF CONFIDENCE. Gain no benefit from Skills until you next succeed on an Ability Check.
8 DEATH SPIRAL. Gain a Condition: take [-] on a Save type of your choice.
9 CLAUSTROPHOBIA. If you’re indoors, you spend the next 1d10 rounds trying to exit. If you are wearing a helmet, you begin trying to remove it.
10 PARANOID. Gain a Condition: Whenever you share information with a Crewmate, make a Sanity Save.
11 MOTH TO FLAME. Roll a Sanity Save or spend your next round moving, entranced, towards whatever danger made you panic.
12 CARELESS. Lose, discard, or break something you are equipped with.
13 DEATH WISH. Gain a Condition: Whenever something tries to kill or capture you, pass a Sanity Save or be stunned for 1 round.
14 TRAUMA. Raise your Minimum Stress by 1d10
15 CATATONIC. Become unresponsive and unmoving for 2d10 minutes.
16 RAGE. [+] on Damage rolls for the next 1d10 hours. During this time, All Crewmembers gain 1 Stress when you roll damage. At the end of the 1d10 hours, roll another Panic check.
17 FEAR SPIRAL. Whenever you fail a Fear Save, roll a Panic Check.
18 CONFIDENCE COLLAPSE. Gain a Condition: Whenever you fail an Ability Check, raise your Minimum Stress by 1 and roll a Panic Check.
19 HEART ATTACK/SHORT CIRCUIT. Drop to the ground and roll a Death Save. Gain 1d5 Minimum Stress.
20 SPACE MADNESS. The void is calling! Your character becomes an NPC in the Warden’s control and immediately begins trying to slay their fellow crewmates. Roll up a new character to play.
Like Mothership? Check out our Honest Review, our micro-reviews of the system’s modules, or these Nanite Agendas I wrote. Or check out Millenium Trail, a Generation Ship toolkit Gabriel made.