Certain characters suffer from psychological stress which is so potent that it causes them to lapse into a state of temporary paralysis - they are literally scared stiff.
Some creatures are described in the Bestiary as causing Fear in other creatures (for example, undead creatures cause Fear in living creatures). When characters confront any creature which causes Fear in them, a standard Fear test must be made.
Test against Cl to see if they are affected - a successful result means they have resisted the effects of Fear (no further tests are necessary during that encounter sequence). A failed request, however, indicates that the characters are paralysed with fear and may not move, fight, or perform any other actions that round. If attacked whilst paralysed, they may parry as normal, but may not use Dodge or other skills to avoid damage. The roll is repeated at the beginning of each round until the characters overcome their fear, after which no further Fear tests are made for that encounter sequence.