not sure if i am understanding this right some clarification please.

so assume my pc gets frightened, has a pace of 40 and quick talent. 1) as i understand being frightened i must run (120ft/3ticks) for 12 ticks totaling 480ft at which point i get to attempt the mettle roll again. now 2) the only time im allowed to attack while frightened is if and only if get cornered or trapped in my attempt to run...correct? 3) where would the -2 penalty to combat actions rolls come into play if you can't attack while running away. would it only apply if i was trapped and or cornered?

Yeah, that looks correct. Having a couple PCs bomb a Mettle check can really make a difficult combat impossible. This is why my Nol Dappan is geared towards Mettle checks (Inspirational Presence, Born Leader, soon to have Steadying Word and Stalwart Presence). It isn't good in every fight, but when it is useful it is VERY useful.

These are definitely situations where a good Fate reroll can make a big difference.

Which is why I always spend the Fate to make the fear check and give everyone else a bonus

John

john with the doing away of the "do the impossible" is the use of a fate to auto succeed in that manner legal. seeing as it is not an approved use of fate on pg 319

yeah that fate use in in the COH pg 186

ohhhh well interesting

Failing that, even the most stingy GM should allow you to add your Fate Score to a failed Mettle to make it a LITTLE bit better

what happens to a pc who is frightened yet does not know what it is that is causing the fear, they are not trapped and not cornered, so by the rules making attacks is out of the question, they don't know which way to run, so do they just pick a direction and go, or do they shut down (similar to a panic attack, able to defend themselves if threatened, but nothing more)?

My view: I say if there is a way to run, they will run as far away from the threat as they can. If the threat is on one side of them (in front) they will book it in the complete opposite direction. If they are completely trapped, they will flee to get as far as physically possible, then go helpless except for moving away if the threat gets closer (ie: move to another corner if they can).

running is all good and grand if you know from what your running from....what if a pc is hit by a subtle casting of walking nightmare. frightened says you run from that which scares you, while 2 things happen with the above example 1) the caster successfully cast the spell subtlety thus the pc don'ts know he did it cant run from caster, he's not frightening and 2) the fluff of the spell says so here in this case its something in your own mind, not a physical object or person, that has frightened you. what is the pc/npc to do then? you cant really run from your own mind, hence my question would the person effectively just shut down(retreating into themselves) and only be able to defend oneself if attacked