DoubleBear ZRPG Development Update

DoubleBear Productions' Brian Mitsoda has once again returned to his discussion on the significance of morale in the latest "ZRPG" design update on the official Iron Tower forums. For this update, we're introduced to the panic concept:
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.

Panic is caused in two different ways from reaching a damage threshold or from Horror, their tolerance for the presence of zombies. Depending on the individual, some will try to get away from danger if they lose too much health, while others will fight until they're bleeding out on the ground. The best way to counter damage-based Panic is too keep an eye on ally health and patch them up regularly you'll probably get a feel for how much punishment they can take after a few combat situations.