This post belongs to the #AtoZchallenge 2024, where I attempt to turn a word a day into something that can be used in Role Playing Games.

A Fugue is first and foremost a technique to compose music, where a theme is repeated in a slightly different form (akin to the Latin root of the word, which means both „to flee“ and „to chase“). One can imagine a fugue as the theme first fleeing, and then being chased by the second voice, or as a leader stressing a topic which is then echoed by his companions. There is also a psychic illness called Dissociative fugue, which consists of forgetting the own identity combined with unexpected wandering.

How to integrate it into your typical fantasy RPG?

It could be a curse that sets your adventurer back to level 1 with random proficiencies, when the curse is removed the new proficiencies (or at least XP) are added to the main class.

It could be a magic spell that allows two (or more) characters to work in tandem. As long as all of them work together and exactly copy the actions taken by the first acting character, they gain a bonus, but if their harmony is broken, they incur a penalty for the rest of the scene.

It could be magical instrument: When played, it causes fear among the enemies, but also forces at least a token amount of allies to chase them.