[WW] Fear checks... Shooting... and Substances

[LiveDaD@aol.com]

Hey all,

I'm resending this because I don't think it made it the first time =)...

This is mostly a cosmetic issue... I have used fear checks for such things as artillery barrages and before a battle. I make it a simple Will DC or have the character become shaken for a set amount of time. Well, I never liked the idea of calling it a Fear Check (Too Ravenloft =). Instead I'm going to refer to it as a Nerve check (I'm also going to allow the characters to add their level to their Will bonus). Does anyone else use Fear Checks? When do you use them?

Next is a tiny little interesting tidbit. I was reading a book about German paratroopers when one of the men interviewed proudly commented 'Each of us could manage to shoot ten well placed shots per minute' (Meaning a killing or incapacitating shot). This coupled with another tidbit I heard a long time back (Which was that it takes roughly three seconds to set up a 'normal' shot) really fits the d20 round quite well! I thought it was rather interesting...

Lastly I wish to tap into the resources of the history dabblers out there... The paratroopers in the book have twice mentioned taking pills before battle to 'quicken the heart and the reflexes but it gave them an awful thirst'. Now this is not the first time I have heard of the Germans using meth, but I was wondering this... The Germans had their speed, the Japanese had their Sake before their charges, but has anyone ever heard a vet or read if the US tampered with drugs during WW2? I am talking sanctioned use, not torpedo juice and the like. In the movie the Big Red One there was a casual mention of having saltpeter in the food to keep the men... limp. But other then that I haven't ever heard of anything to alter their state of mind/body (On the contrary, I have read numerous accounts of fatigue so bad that men simply passed out...)

Until Later................... K