Zombie RPG - Morale, Part 3

Brian Mitsoda on morale affecting combat in Doublebear's in development Zombie RPG.

This week I wanted to touch on one of the ways that Morale affects combat, and that is the concept of Panic. Panic determines when NPCs lose their will to fight or become frightened.  Panicked allies or enemies will try to flee from attackers and cower or heal themselves, depending on the type of Panic. While in this state, they will have the Panicked status and will not respond to commands.  When enemies panic, the battle tips in your favor, but when allies panic, the only thing that will keep them safe is figuring out the trigger and eliminating it. The player will NEVER panic no matter what – Panic is an NPC-only trait.  Once again – Panic is an NPC trait and does NOT affect the player character ever.