– Alexander Jurkat, Bernard Trombley, William Borrell

Much of what an Aegis agent encounters in the field has been described in training classes or has been experienced in previous missions. Other encounters, however, are far beyond the pale of reasonable explanation, and operatives who are faced with these events for the first time can be badly frightened. To duplicate the effects of severe emotional shock and sudden fright on the agents, the following Fear test is employed. Any agent who witnesses a frightening event must roll a Willpower test against a varying Df, as determined by the GM. Some examples are given in the box below. If he succeeds the test, the agent will continue to react without penalty. Failure requires a roll on the Shock Table in the box at right.

Subsequent Fear tests called for by the Shock Table need not be made if the frightening event no longer exists. All agents with the Combat Experience trait gain a -1 modifier to their rolls when faced with non-paranormal frights. All agents with the Death Wish, Detached, or Veteran traits gain a -1 modifier to all rolls. Agents rolling on the Shock Table a second or subsequent time in the same encounter gain a -2 modifier to their rolls.

Mental Stability (MS)

Mental Stability is a measure of an agent's peace of mind. It is recorded in MS points. Each agent can safely accumulate MS points equal to 3 times her Willpower.

MS points are gained only once in each encounter. Thus, if an agent fails more than one Fear test, and rolls more than once on the Shock Table, only the worst result applies. For example, if the first roll on the Shock Table was a 3 (Annoyed, +1 MS point) and the second was an 8 (Terrified, +3 MS points), only the latter result (+3 MS points) would be applied.

When the MS point maximum is exceeded, all MS points are removed and the agent must roll on the Negative Psych Profile Table (at right). Any agent subject to a Horror Struck result on the Shock Table must immediately roll on the Negative Psych Profile Table. Such an agent also loses all MS points accumulated to that point.

Downtime: Additional Therapy Rules

During Downtime, an agent can try remove MS points. Each attempt is a long term Psychology or Parapsychology project. Each breakthrough removes one MS point.

Example of Play:

Morgana Welsh and her Cellmate/close friend Ajax Bram are investigating a warehouse for suspected criminal activity. They divide up, but stay in hands-free radio communication.

Morgana rounds a corner of the building and spots a Saurian in its natural form crouched behind some crates. She rolls an immediate Fear test at Df3. Morgana's Willpower is 3 and she is a Veteran, so the Df drops to 2 and she automatically succeeds. Morgana levels her auto pistol and begins to take careful aim. Suddenly, Ajax comes around the other side of the crate and the Saurian slashes with a Plasma Claw.

Ajax gets cut bad and goes down.

The shock of seeing her partner injured is a Df4 Fear test for Morgana. With the Veteran Df modifier, she must roll a 7 or less to succeed. Sherolls a 10 and fails.

Morgana then moves to the Shock Table, where she rolls a 9. Modified to an 8 by her Veteran trait, Morgana is Terrified and gains +3 MS points. Morgana freezes and tries to keep silent as the Saurian delivers a coup de grace to Ajax. During the subsequent 30 seconds, the Saurian moves off. When Morgana is able to move again, she is not required to roll another Fear test.

Several months later, Morgana has accumulated 5 more MS points. After a particularly nasty encounter, Morgana gains 3 more MS points. She is now over her Willpower-times-3 threshold and gains a negative Psych trait. She rolls a 7 on the Negative Psych Profile Table, and the GM assigns her a phobia related to whatever caused Morgana's latest fright. The extra 2 MS points that Morgana gained are ignored, and she returns to 0 MS points.

Fear Test

Type of Shock

Difficulty of Test

Massacre of innocent bystanders	Df2
An obviously dangerous, but not immediately threatening Forsaken	Df2
Wild, obviously mad person	Df2
Getting shot	Df2
Atlantean use of nanotech (noticeable)	Df3
Grey (non-threatening)	Df3
Cryptozoological creature (non-threatening)	Df3
Ghost or paranormal event (non-threatening)	Df3
Saurian (in natural form; non-threatening)	Df3
Enraged Forsaken	Df3
Death or severe injury of comrade	Df3
Grey abduction	Df4
Cryptozoological creature (threatening)	Df4
An obviously dangerous, but not immediately threatening Incarnate	Df4
Poltergeist	Df4
Death or severe injury of good friend or loved one	Df4
Demon	Df5
Enraged Incarnate	Df5
Ghost, Poltergeist or paranormal event (threatening)	Df5
Saurian (in natural form; threatening)	Df5

Shock Table

2D6	Mental Stability
2	Annoyed no points
3	Annoyed +1 point
4	Disturbed +1 point
5	Disturbed +2 points
6	Frightened +2 points
7	Frightened +3 points
8	Terrified +3 points
9	Terrified +4 points
10	Panic Stricken +4 points
11	Panic Stricken +5 points
12	Horror Struck automatic

Annoyed: All actions incur a -1t penalty for (6-Willpower) combat rounds.

Disturbed: All actions incur a -2t penalty until the agent has calmed down. Reroll Fear test in (9 - Willpower) combat rounds. Subsequent results cannot be more serious than Disturbed.

Frightened: All actions incur a +1Df penalty until the agent has calmed down. Reroll Fear test in (9 - Willpower) combat rounds. Subsequent results cannot be more serious than Frightened.

Terrified: Agent may only act if directly confronted, and will do so at a +1Df penalty to all actions not involving self-defense. Reroll Fear test in (9 - Willpower) combat rounds.

Panic Stricken: Agent is completely unable to act or flees in blind panic. Reroll Fear test in (9 - Willpower) combat rounds, or if attacked.

Horror Struck: Agent is completely unable to act or flees in blind panic. Reroll Fear test in (9 - Willpower) combat rounds, or if attacked.

Negative Psych Profile Table

2D6	Effect
2	Acute Paranoia (Main rulebook)
3	Phobia: Major (Main rulebook)
4	Jumpy (Aegis Handbook)
5	Flashbacks (Main rulebook)
6	Cautious (Main rulebook)
7	Phobia (Main rulebook)
8	Impulsive (Main rulebook)
9	Paranoid Delusions (Main rulebook)
10	Detached (Aegis Handbook)
11	Schizophrenia (Main rulebook)
12	Clinical Depression (Aegis Handbook)

The traits listed are explained in either the Conspiracy X main rulebook, or the Aegis Handbook.

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