Integrity and modifiers

[LukeZS]

A high Integrity score gives a bonus to resist losing an Integrity dot, so a high Integrity character will lose Integrity less frequently then a low Integrity character. Is this correct?

[Satchel]

Assuming the same breaking points and the same Resolve + Composure otherwise, yes.

[LukeZS]

Yes, thank you.
I always thought that a high Integrity character would have a thougher time keeping his high score than a lower Integrity character...

[saibot]

Imagine a low Integrity character not as jaded (as it would have been with Morality in 1e) but already partially broken. Once the first cracks are there, pressure creates even more fractures.

[Tessie]

What Saibot said. Integrity is largely a measure of mental stability (though not necessarily mental health). A more stable person is less likely to be destabilised by breaking points, while a less stable person is more likely to be destabilised.

[Heavy Arms]

Another way to look at is that Integrity is a human's sense of self. People with strong senses of self are more resilient towards challenges to who they see themselves as, while people with a weak sense of self are more easily thrown off by such challenges. The human mind is very powerful when it comes to protecting self-image, and the stronger it is, the more easily the brain will work to justify/excuse/dismiss things that would seem hypocritical or out of character.

[Stupid Loserman]

A completely different argument: game design.

Integrity alone isn't a high-impact trait. A few supernatural powers occasionally test for it. It's used in exorcisms, if you're playing a character who knows enough to try. Unlike 1e's Morality, there aren't situations that are breaking points at one level of Integrity but not breaking points at another level. The major mechanical impact of your Integrity trait is what Condition you're likely to suffer when you experience a breaking point: none on a successful roll, a minor Condition on a failed roll, or a severe Condition on a dramatic failure. Of these, there's not a major difference between success or failure, but a massive difference on dramatic failure.

It doesn't make sense for large penalties to accrue at high Integrity, because that makes dramatic failure's severe Conditions like Broken and Madness more likely to afflict characters with strong, stable Integrity. It does make sense for large penalties to accrue at low Integrity, because those characters are meant to be fragile and harrowed. You could also argue large penalties shouldn't accrue at any level of Integrity, but this would make dramatic failure so unlikely as to be near impossible, which would render the entire trait almost entirely toothless.

So: breaking point penalties accrue at low Integrity, because that's what Integrity does. If your Integrity is really low you might suffer severe trauma from shock or stressors. Integrity doesn't do much else that has a big impact mechanically.

[Satchel]

The major mechanical impact of your Integrity trait is what Condition you're likely to suffer when you experience a breaking point: none on a successful roll, a minor Condition on a failed roll, or a severe Condition on a dramatic failure. Of these, there's not a major difference between success or failure, but a massive difference on dramatic failure.

The difference between ordinary success and failure on a breaking point roll for Integrity is whether you lose a dot of Integrity or not; you take a Condition from the same set of options in either case.

[Stupid Loserman]

Ah, that's a dumb mistake on my part, yeah.

Though I would say that only reinforces my argument further, as it's about where the consequences of losing Integrity lie.

[Satchel]

Ah, that's a dumb mistake on my part, yeah.

Though I would say that only reinforces my argument further, as it's about where the consequences of losing Integrity lie.

Oh, for sure, I just wanted to make sure the mechanic was clear, since Hunter and Demon run on a similar system but do differentiate success and failure by their Condition lists in addition to Trait loss/retention.