Making a Horror Campaign.

[Ramshack]

Hey there playground,

So my friends and I still play 3.5 but we are very much looking forward to 5e. However in the mean time to hold us over a few more months till the book launch I am going to run a horror campaign.

This means low powered characters and restricted gear access. The game elements will focus more on clear and vivid descriptions of locations, locating clues and hidden objects and otherwise puzzle solving. Combat will be sparse and usually the my players at a disadvantage. Think using knives, hammers or axes they found around a house or work shop, maybe find bottles of grease, bags of flower, marbles, and broken glass on the ground as ways to improve their combat chances.

I was hoping you play grounders may be able to share some experiences you have with this. And maybe give some ideas for my first session. So far I'm thinking something like this:

My first play session will be for level 1 characters, using a point buy system, i'm not allowing ACFs or Flaws etc. They will be sent on a mission to deliver a letter to Noble's house through a large expanse of woods that have had strange happenings occur, people gone missing, mutilated animals etc. As they are traveling the path through a storm will build quickly over them and a downpour will start. As lightning and thunder crack over head I hope they will seek shelter, if not i'll start having branches fall for damage etc to enourage them to do so.

They'll eventually hear a gate creaking open and slamming shut repeatedly in the distance. As they approach the gate I'll see if they do Spot/Listen checks and a woman will suddenly appear the character in the rear of the party, she offers them shelter in a house a nearby.

The house is a small cramped place, a pipe lies on the table, the hearth has a few coals left burning, it could use a good dusting. If the players ask what the woman was doing in storm she will tell them she was looking for her husband, he's the groundskeeper here and he's been missing for hours. If the players ask groundskeeper for what, or what is this place etc, they learn it's a cemetery. The woman tells them he last left to investigate a large mausoleum in the North West part of the cemetery. The PCs should offer to help look for him in exchange for shelter from the storm.

Once the PCs set off, if they return for any reason to the home they will find it empty again.

Once they get to the Mausoleum they'll find the stone door has been pried open, inside is dark and dry with just the wind from the open door creating a breeze through the chamber. A large sepulchre will be in the middle of the chamber, a riddle engraved on it will give a clue that it's empty and inside is a lever, pulling it reveals there isactually a stairwell leading down into a basement.

Once in the basement if the PC's did not disable the lever it will snap shut after 5 rounds. Searching the room will lead the PC's to discovering a latern on the ground, there is still fresh oil in it, possibly the care takers.

I will then design a dungeon for the PC's where they navigate a few traps and eventually come upon a group of wizards, who cast sleep on the party. When they awake they'll be without their weapons, exploring the area they realize they are in some kind of catacomb and eventually find a summoning circle, a large beast will be roaming the catacombs with them, successfully navigating the catacombs, finding improvised weapons and defeating the beast will lead them to finding the care taker, he explains he saw cloaked men enter the crypt and he went to investigate and was captured. The care taker will ask how they knew to look for him, or if the PC's otherwise mention his wife the care taker will explain his wife died several years ago and is buried in the graveyard.

He explains he visits her grave every day but missed today when he got taken captive.

End Session.

Thoughts? Improvements, Advice? My concern is there wont be enough action to keep the players interested and of course I'll be playing up the creepy descriptions strange noises etc. And then being stalked by a creature much stronger than them through the catacombs. If it's too short I can have them keep playing seek out the wizards, get their gear back and deal with other creepy crawlies but i was thinking that might be session 2.

[Segev]

Horror, more than any other genre of RPG, requires a dichotomy of the players having agency to do whatever is within their power while limiting their power. "Encouraging" them with heavy-handed tactics is not a good idea.

Why have people been disappearing in these woods? Make it something that is a threat, but which superstition-style actions can hold off. The Headless Horseman's power ended at the bridge; this makes for a great horror story because there IS something the protagonist can do that will save him...but it has nothing to do with FIGHTING the monster.

Perhaps there's a vampire in the woods. The day kept him at bay, at first. Then, when night fell, give them hints they're being stalked. Running water and thresholds of houses into which they have not been invited stops vampires. Have the rain start, and come down heavily. Make it create little streamlets, which make the vampire's path difficult. When they realize what it is that's chasing them, coming across a home that is apparently inhabited may well be a place they can seek refuge until morning. Make it clear somebody NOT the vampire invites them in. Or, perhaps, refuses to invite them in but indicates hospitality is going to be offered if they can enter uninvited.

[defiantdan]

Maybe opt to use the rules found in d20 modern but change the setting to be more 1920's lovecraftian. Call of Cthulu has some cool sanity mechanics. toy around with illusions to create the sensations of danger without there actually being any. Traps, cultists, ritual sacrifices to summon elder evils, deranged serial killers. Maybe throw your players into a Saw:the movie like circumstance where cooperation and selfish behaviour are in a tentative balance.

[Gildedragon]

I would not say no to either flaws or acfs. Flaws would have more an effect (probably a horror check when confronted with it)
But for an horror campaign try can be extremely useful for rounding out fears, taboos, and failings.
I would however limit magic outside of incantations. And have magic be wonky (taint mechanics, healing spells hurt another target...)

Check the ravenloft books for mechanical and fluff ideas

[Ramshack]

Thank you guys I appreciate the feedback,

I am using the Heroes of Horror supplemental for ideas as well.

[Ramshack]

Using the headless horseman as inpiration as mentioned earlier, what if I made the monster in the catacombs more a puzzle than a combat challenge. For instance perhaps there is a symbol mentioned once or twice inocuously in the dungeon and the beast can't harm or bypass that symbol. If the players have chalk, or water and flour or ink they can draw the symbol and use it as a shield against the beast. Or maybe have certain rooms marked with it and they have to go into the correct rooms or be attacked lol. Thoughts?

Also any ideas where I should go with cloaked wizard. I would like to avoid a nercomancer raising an army lol. I could have it be the groundskeeps that found a book of dark magic and was trying to reanimate his wife or what not, and when the players mention his wife lead them there he rushes back to the house or grave and trys to summon her spirit.

I also need to think about what the real evil is in the woods, this is just supposed to be a side quest caused by the evil creeping through the area.

[Diachronos]

I'm assuming the caretaker was captured by the same wizards that Sleep'd the party?

How did he escape when they so easily overpowered the players? Is he one of the horror elements the party shoukd be concerned with? ;)

[jiriku]

A puzzle encounter for the beast is a great idea. Be sure you're open to the players "solving" the puzzle in unexpected ways, though. I find that when I include puzzles, 90% of the time players do not find/use the solution method that seemed most obvious to me.

Overall, I think you've got a great story idea here. It's moody, it's dark, it's very evocative. However, it's also pretty railroady, and may prove unsatisfying for the players. Below I've identified the pressure points where your plot hinges on "false decisions" by the players where your story path might break. If you clean up these points, you'll be in good shape.

1. It is unclear why a group of brave adventurers who are accustomed to life outdoors would seek cover from a rainstorm. Players understand that there are no game penalties for getting wet, so they're not going to associate rain with a need for cover. Also, seeking cover in an abandoned house during a rainstorm is such a dreadfully overused trope that players are likely to avoid any abandoned houses they come across because nothing good ever happens to people who shelter in abandoned houses during rainstorms in the movies.

2. At the gate, it's not clear why Spot or Listen checks are required for anything. The adventure breaks if the players refuse the woman's offer of shelter.

3. At her house, the adventure breaks if the players do not offer to help search for the missing caretaker, or if they abandon the search once the woman disappears and they realize they cannot find her.

4. In the mausoleum, finding the lantern may cause the players to decide not to explore the hidden passage, since logically the caretaker would not have entered a dark passageway without a light source. The adventure breaks if they do not open the crypt or enter the passage. Consider putting the lantern immediately inside the hidden passage, possibly knocked over and damaged from blunt impact.

5. When the wizards cast sleep, it is possible that a lucky PC may save against all the sleep spells, or that a poor initiative roll by the wizards could result in the players overwhelming them on the first round before they act. It's possible that the party might separate and some could be captured by the wizards while others are not present. These possibilities present complications for your story.

6. Why do the wizards deposit the players in a catacomb? Also, it isn't quite clear how you'll force the players to deal with the beast in order to escape the catacombs. If it roams, they may simply avoid it.

Note: A lot of the struggle you've got here is that you've incentivized the players to ignore your story hook. Their job is to deliver a letter. Sitting out a rainstorms, searching for missing persons, and exploring abandoned crypts is a side-trek away from their job of delivering the letter. Goal-directed PCs may say to the others "Hey, it's great that we've found this secret passage, but we've got a letter to deliver, guys. Let's go take care of that letter."

[Segev]

Have the letter be to a descendent of the once-owner of your haunted house. Introduce the woman by the name of the letter's intended recipient. They now have incentive to drop it off with her.

When the mystery is done for this area, have her comment that it's not for her, now that she's read it. This should jive with their instructions to carry the letter THROUGH the woods, not just into it. They go on to deliver it.

Possibly now with an additional message from the recipient's ancestor. Or an additional..."something." If you want to go that route.

[Ramshack]

Wow guys this all great advice I really appreciate that. I hope to have it written up this weekend, if it goes over well i'll share it as a level 1-2 adventure you're welcome to try out.

[squidpope]

Are you planning on continuing the horror campaign after this particular story arc?

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

If you're against flaws for power reasons, you could try offering one feat in exchange for two flaws. Might be interesting to see how many people take you up on it.

[Ramshack]

Are you planning on continuing the horror campaign after this particular story arc?

I am, I'm planning haunted house/murder mystery at the noble's mansion once they get there

[Ramshack]

If you're against flaws for power reasons, you could try offering one feat in exchange for two flaws. Might be interesting to see how many people take you up on it.

I was against flaws and ACFs etc because I want to avoid character optimization part of a horror campaign is feeling weaker than the monsters. I want players to think twice before taking the direct combat route.

[Hazrond]

I was against flaws and ACFs etc because I want to avoid character optimization part of a horror campaign is feeling weaker than the monsters. I want players to think twice before taking the direct combat route.

I can understand flaws but maybe you should allow ACFs on a case-by-case basis, most ACFs are built to be balanced against what they replace and in some cases it's flat better, such as an Underdark Knight in a underground campaign. ACFs honestly in my opinion aren't overpowering most the time and it narrows the list of playable concepts by removing them and that's not fun :smallannoyed:

[Ramshack]

I can understand flaws but maybe you should allow ACFs on a case-by-case basis, most ACFs are built to be balanced against what they replace and in some cases it's flat better, such as an Underdark Knight in a underground campaign. ACFs honestly in my opinion aren't overpowering most the time and it narrows the list of playable concepts by removing them and that's not fun :smallannoyed:


Everyone in our group takes Whirling Frenzy and Pounce ACF's with levels of Barbarian and The Immediate Teleport action when playing a wizard. Knowing my group and their propensity to make fully optimized characters I am simply trying to get them back to a place where they think twice about combat, where they might be scared of an encounter.

[Hazrond]

Everyone in our group takes Whirling Frenzy and Pounce ACF's with levels of Barbarian and The Immediate Teleport action when playing a wizard. Knowing my group and their propensity to make fully optimized characters I am simply trying to get them back to a place where they think twice about combat, where they might be scared of an encounter.

Then ban those specific ACFs instead of all of them? :smallconfused:

[Segev]

Everyone in our group takes Whirling Frenzy and Pounce ACF's with levels of Barbarian and The Immediate Teleport action when playing a wizard. Knowing my group and their propensity to make fully optimized characters I am simply trying to get them back to a place where they think twice about combat, where they might be scared of an encounter.

Oh, no, no no. You can have fun with this.

Horror is about atmosphere and things being beyond your capability not because of enormous numbers, but because they can't touch them.

That vampire? He's in mist form. Whirlwind attacking doesn't do much to that. Especially if you can't tell the vampire from the Obscuring Mist he cast.

The wizard's teleportation? THat just gives him ways to be skittish! Give him things that are "attacking" him periodically. Build your atmosphere until he'll 'port at the slightest provocation. He'll get to a point where he isn't 'porting to save it, or where he's out of them. That's when you strike. Not with anything lethal, just something that he would have wanted to dodge. Then go back to the "it's really nothing" threats for a while.

[jiriku]

Everyone in our group takes Whirling Frenzy and Pounce ACF's with levels of Barbarian and The Immediate Teleport action when playing a wizard. Knowing my group and their propensity to make fully optimized characters I am simply trying to get them back to a place where they think twice about combat, where they might be scared of an encounter.

I can relate with where you're coming from. It's possible to work around the most powerful ACFs when you build encounters, but it is work. There's nothing wrong with restricting character creation options in order to ensure that you won't have to spend all your nights and weekends figuring out how to keep your plots from shattering against the hammer and anvil of PC optimization.

[Ramshack]

I can relate with where you're coming from. It's possible to work around the most powerful ACFs when you build encounters, but it is work. There's nothing wrong with restricting character creation options in order to ensure that you won't have to spend all your nights and weekends figuring out how to keep your plots from shattering against the hammer and anvil of PC optimization.

Thank you, While I have let my players run plenty of optimized campaigns before, it really does take a lot of extra work on the DM side. No longer can I open up the monster manual and pull out CR ewquivilent monsters. When a single character can take an equal level CR by himself it really puts the onus on the DM to create unique characters or monsters in order to keep the fights interesting.

In this campaign I specifically want the characters to be a little unconfident in their fighting prowess, I do wholly intend to mess with the characters with plenty of false threats too, but the goal is to make them THINK of how to beat the monster, solve the puzzle, etc and not just power attack scorching ray through it.