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playable; now the player gets to play a character with interesting new quirks and behaviors and really stretch their roleplaying legs Degrees of Madness The first thing you need to determine is just how insane a character is For ease, madness can typically be subdivided into three categories First Degree: Neurotic Aftereffects After a brush with dread, or after recovering from a psychotic episode, it is unlikely that a person will completely return to normal Instead, he will have quirks, nervous tics, and a somewhat shaky grasp of the world If his insanity was instigated by reading terrible tomes, for instance, then other books may make him nervous or even give him a panic attack He may hoard objects or avoid keeping anything He may be constantly concerned about the possibility of insects crawling under his skin He might hear voices but (usually) know that they are not real Look for quirks to make your character fun, but not unplayable Second Degree: Psychotic but Aware At this stage, the character, while clearly insane, is aware of their surroundings and capable of interacting with other characters, and can take normal actions, such as walking, eating, and possibly fighting Picture a character in a film or book who has gone beyond being simply “odd” to the point of demonstrating unusual behaviors and attitudes at all times, which flavor their methods and interactions with others but still allow them to function Remember that playing an insane character is not the same as playing an annoying character Instead, strive to play your insane character with humor and intelligence One critical aspect to madness is to never confuse it with stupidity: an insane character may 98