Horror Idea, Need Tips.

[5w337x7007h]

I have an idea for a game I'd like to play with my friends, I'll be DMing the event, and I've got until Halloween to plan it out.
I want my players to be scared in this scenario.
So here's the idea. x number of players, 4th level, all on an assumedly easy quest into a small dungeon to deal with a small problem that has been getting gradually worse. The main doors close or the entrance seals as it leaves their sight. There seems no escape and the room fills with noxious fumes that renders them all unconscious. They wake up in a room, chained by the wrists and feet, no armor, no weapons, nothing.

The adventure continues to the point that they must escape the horrors of this 'asylum'. They're all given the eternal template as they're unconscious so they don't know they can't die until their first death. After that, each time they die they take a trauma from it, the more trauma the more erratic they have to play. Their mental states are deteriorating as they go. Basically, I want them to escape, but I want to see how they'd survive the situation.

Does anyone know of any premade dungeons or something along those lines, even if just a layout, that would fit this idea?

[prufock]

It is pretty much impossible to scare players. Players can play their characters as if scared, but creating real terror or horror in a tabletop game is mostly out of the question. That shouldn't be your goal. Your goal should be to make it creepy, which actually sounds more like what you're doing.


So here's the idea. x number of players, 4th level, all on an assumedly easy quest into a small dungeon to deal with a small problem that has been getting gradually worse. The main doors close or the entrance seals as it leaves their sight. There seems no escape and the room fills with noxious fumes that renders them all unconscious. They wake up in a room, chained by the wrists and feet, no armor, no weapons, nothing.
Are these characters made just for the one-shot, or is this part of a bigger campaign? If the former, I wouldn't even start with the foray into the dragon's den or any of that. Give a little preamble of how they all wake up with no memory, or vague memories of being kidnapped, and find themselves in this asylum.

I'm not sure I would even use 3.5 for this game, but that's a matter of taste. I would probably use a simpler d6 system or crib the straight-style Paranoia rules... each "clone" getting progressively worse. Look into the sanity (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/campaigns/sanity.htm) alternate rules, maybe even applying a long-term temporary insanity or an indefinite insanity right off the bat to each character (inform them of these things, individually and secretly, beforehand).

Otherwise, I like the overall idea. Here are some links that might help.

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=28495&it=1
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=81327
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_State_Penitentiary

[5w337x7007h]

I was thinking of trying something like Cabin in the Woods, where they're offered as sacrifice to a god and must die in a specific order. I didn't want a movie conversion campaign, but the main entrance cave is where I set the mood of the campaign.

The room will be decorated with multiple items, each having its own trigger, and noone having knowledge of how any of them work. It'll be dependent on who activates what first, they'll fall unconscious and wake up in an area correlating with the trigger item.

If my idea goes well, it'd be good for some replay value. Maybe I could even get to start this crazy idea at a convention!

[gawwy]

Needs cadaver golem.

Cadaver golems take limbs of things and stick them to itself to gain bonuses / powers.

The pcs might be immortal but if they wake up missing a limb they will be trying very hard not to die again.

[sakuuya]

I have an idea for a game I'd like to play with my friends, I'll be DMing the event, and I've got until Halloween to plan it out.
I want my players to be scared in this scenario.
So here's the idea. x number of players, 4th level, all on an assumedly easy quest into a small dungeon to deal with a small problem that has been getting gradually worse. The main doors close or the entrance seals as it leaves their sight. There seems no escape and the room fills with noxious fumes that renders them all unconscious. They wake up in a room, chained by the wrists and feet, no armor, no weapons, nothing.

I'd say make sure that your players have some idea what they're in for, because "you're all unconscious, no save" can be annoying in a normal adventure--I've definitely seen players interrupt the session to whine about exactly that happening, and it is an absolute killer for mood and tension. If they know going in that it's a horror adventure and are game for bad stuff to happen to their characters, you won't run into that problem. Plus, if you wait a little bit before making spooky stuff start happening, the players' anxiety can do a lot of the mood/tension for you.

Don't tell them about the immortality, though. That'll be much more fun if learned through play. :smallamused:

[Crake]

It is pretty much impossible to scare players. Players can play their characters as if scared, but creating real terror or horror in a tabletop game is mostly out of the question. That shouldn't be your goal. Your goal should be to make it creepy, which actually sounds more like what you're doing.

Considered I have managed to scare my players many times over the course of my games, I highly beg to differ. It takes a certain kind of player though, one that actually has attachment to their character. This pretty much entirely rules out murderhobo players as potential scare subjects, so you need to pick and choose your audience, but it's definitely possible, if your players are immersed enough in your world, and actually care about their characters.

Edit: A halloween one-shot horror game though, that might make it a bit hard to grow attached to your players, unless these characters are being carried over from another game, and will, presumably, continue on after this one, though it is still possible.

[5w337x7007h]

Considered I have managed to scare my players many times over the course of my games, I highly beg to differ. It takes a certain kind of player though, one that actually has attachment to their character. This pretty much entirely rules out murderhobo players as potential scare subjects, so you need to pick and choose your audience, but it's definitely possible, if your players are immersed enough in your world, and actually care about their characters.

Edit: A halloween one-shot horror game though, that might make it a bit hard to grow attached to your players, unless these characters are being carried over from another game, and will, presumably, continue on after this one, though it is still possible.

I see that without any immersion it's impossible to scare your players. It'd be really hard to do with a 1-shot. And since I'm marking them each with the Eternal Template, they won't gain experience except for anything short of divine intervention, which'll happen at the end of their little 'adventure'. So I'll have to make this span a few levels, except that I'll have to adjust the difficulty so that the players are weaker than the encounters, forcing them to flee unless they cooperate.

They can gain items and gear as they progress but it'll be very limited and they'll have to pick and choose their battles. I don't want them to up and circumvent the entire campaign. Characters will find their key items for functionality in a chest in the starting area, no armor, weapons, or anything else will be given. Hopefully this could give an air of mistrust in the group.

[prufock]

Considered I have managed to scare my players many times over the course of my games, I highly beg to differ. It takes a certain kind of player though, one that actually has attachment to their character.
Then I congratulate you, and would actually like to hear that story. Certain types of players definitely get more attached. I've managed to make a player cry once - she was very attached to her character, and it bit the dust. Wasn't a huge deal, since it was level 10 and they could easily afford a raise dead, but she was pretty shocked. I don't think any of my current players would react so strongly, though there are a couple that would probably be upset if their long-term character was killed in some way that couldn't be raised.

[Threadnaught]

Get whatever setting you have and introduce something wrong, something very wrong that is the opposite of the world. Connect it to torture, death and blood. You'll need lots of blood.

Any time my players explored the fallen empire of Taltasqua, they traveled further down the rabbit hole. It culminated in a dungeon delve that left them wanting to leave immediately, almost as soon as they went inside. They hadn't even seen any creatures inside, there was a problem with a basic pit trap and they were 9th level, that was enough to make them want to leave.

[MrSinister]

From an out-of-game standpoint, where you play the game can have a distinct impact on the players.

Kill the lights everywhere but around the playing area. If your players are used to playing sprawled around the living room or around a big table, play all bunched together on a small card table. Take away normalcy and see how it effect them.

My brother-in-law has a screened-in patio with lots of windows. Play in something like that, at night, with one desk lamp illuminating the table. Take your most scardey-cat player (there is usually one in every group) and make them sit with their back to a dark window or, even better, the long dark hallway if you have one. I know this would absolutely KILL me.

Ban cell phones and all light devices. They want to see something better, they can brave moving around and using the one creepy bright lamp. Get up and walk around the room when describing things. Be a real-life rogue and go sit in the dark on the sofa while describing the mad wizard's torture parlor. Always keep your voice calm and a little lower than your normal register.

You would be surprised how these little things can greatly ramp up the fear level, even with Mr. DMM Persist Cleric and Mr. Crazy Time Plane Planar Shepard. True, you and your magebred warbeast familiar/animal companion fleshraker can one-shot my BBEG, but you still have to reach into the darkness for your d20.....

This IS a Haloween game. Go nuts. I promise they will all be talking about the atmosphere you created much longer than the time their Feral Mineral Warrior Half-Fey Water Half-Orc Half-Minotaur Warblade killed that purple worm.

[Bloodgruve]

Take a look at Carrion Hill (PF), It's creepy and sends you through an asylum. If players are attached to their characters an easy way to scare them it to start damaging their stats. This asylum run does that. Most fun I had in a game. Our group got some berzerk juice and rampaged through the asylum, granted we took some liberties on the actually mechanics but it was super fun. Our blunderbus weilding halfling was actually used as a projectile weapon wielding a projectile weapon...

Worth a look.

Blood~

[bloodystone2]

As for a few general tips, let me get you.

When your characters die, don't just make them mentally go insane. Physically distort their characters. This could be ripping a leg off, to having an extra head that whispers to your character.

Have the place encased in a permanent darkness spell. Give them a small light source that can break the darkness but only enough to see maybe 5 - 15 feet around the light source. Your players would have no idea what's going on.

Most players are scared of high stat blocks, not actual monsters. Remove them for most monsters. They can fight it, yeah, but they can't kill it or even damage it.

I'd recommend to have several monsters in a very large map. The point is to find an escape route but it's really hard with several monsters with that small light source.

Have a stack of cards with different things the character senses. They could hear something tapping on a metal wall and/or smell heavy perfume. It'll put your players in the character's shoes more often. Relating this back to the monsters, give your monsters different triggers, assuming they're wandering around. One monster may be a mechanical spider so describe the sounds of it moving around. One monster maybe a giant flesh golem, so give it heavy footsteps and breathing with the smell of rotten flesh.

Make sure you describe a lot of things and I'll show you why.

"The darkness of the halls envelops you and with it comes the pungent odor of feces and rotten meat. You can hear a high clicking sound and at intervals of 10 seconds, it sudden stops. You can't see anything in the dark corridor but after maybe three minutes of walking, you see three yellow-whitish dots ahead of you. It bounces up, and it bounces down. As you approach, the smell gets worse, the clicking goes faster and it doesn't stop, the three dots get bigger until you realize they're eyes on a grotesquely created abomination. It's fingers graze your naked chest, slide up your neck until your adam's apple fit into its fingers. It begins to click violently and that's everything you remember"

VS

"Yo a monster showed up and you ded now"

[5w337x7007h]

Considering how the Eternal Template works, they have to be physically fine. Nothing was stated about their mental health. So maybe their physical forms in this plane reflect their mental state?

A character that was crushed by a hammer would carry that wound whenever they are reminded of it, or maybe a character with claustrophobia might grow larger in a standard corridor, thus the feeling of the environment closing in on them.

It's not the gameplay I'm concerned with as much as the environment and roleplay. I want to leave them fearful of what's around the corner, but I don't want them to be too scared to plan, to carefully follow monsters and track their patterns and routines. This dungeon is a test of bravery and sanity. Will they end up as afraid of each other as they are of the very monsters that desire to break them?

[Barstro]

I wouldn't even start with the foray into the dragon's den or any of that. Give a little preamble of how they all wake up with no memory, or vague memories of being kidnapped, and find themselves in this asylum.
I would personally be a bit annoyed by "you wake up and find yourself here" unless (ala Myst) the PCs learn more about themselves along the way.


"you're all unconscious, no save" can be annoying in a normal adventure--I've definitely seen players interrupt the session to whine about exactly that happening
Understandable. But I would personally be fine if the DM said in the preamble; of the dozen people who were stalked, you alone failed your throws.

OR, if they really feel like whining, let them make their throws. If a PC makes the save, that PC was not captured. Those players are done and can go watch TV. Now stop whining.:smallannoyed:


I've had issues with players metagaming in the past. If that is a possible concern then, instead of trying to get them to play characters crazier and crazier, have everyone play the game as sane as possible, but YOU give them facts that are crazier depending on how often they have died. Most crazies (a professional term, I'm certain) are perfectly sane in their own world. It's just that their world doesn't work well with ours.

[Threadnaught]

Try making the dungeon itself, alive. It doesn't have to be active, just as long as they know the dungeon itself is effectively a bunch of flesh walls prone to bleeding a lot, dressed up with a couple of paper thin decorative disguises.

Make some key items alive too. Alive doesn't have to mean Creature alive, but more like... Well...

The session that most disturbed my players involved a map on a stone tablet, a pit trap and a lab.
Stone tablet pulsed with a visible heartbeat.
They jumped the pit trap, but before doing so, tried burrowing around it, but after cutting through all 6 inches of stone, started digging through flesh which began bleeding and repairing the wall with the blood as the wound scabbed over. What did they think was in the map? :smallamused:
After that, they entered a lab which was lined with row upon row of sarcophagi, each lid had a clear pane through which the occupant could be seen, several open sarcophagi with varying levels of a clear liquid. The closed ones contained a Humanoid-like creature suspended in the clear liquid. One of which drowned in front of the players, trying to get out.

Earlier they were in a drainage pipe for blood, with the walls and floor of the pipe still encrusted in blood. They found a corpse that was being eaten by the blood on a wall.
Even earlier than that, another lab, a giant wand with organic components, again clearly alive. Surrounded by several Dustblights and pointed at a Crawling Apocalypse.


Give fleshy tumours and sacks of blood to stuff that doesn't need it. Be sure to mention all the weird stuff that doesn't belong every time the PCs should notice something. If you're terrified of your descriptions, then at least you're scaring someone and chances are, your players are bricking it.

[5w337x7007h]

I'm not sure if these things really need fleshy bits to actually be 'alive', but I'll write it down as an option. So far I'm thinking that there should be a subconscious lub-dub of the area that grows louder as they get to the source.
They try getting through the wall, but are only met with additional layers, unable to make any progress. Any crumbs will be picked up by a skinless goblin that giggles about everything, no real communication. It's flesh the color of well cooked meat, burn marks included.

[Shining Wrath]

Picture of Dorian Grey.

The Eternal characters cannot die - but behind unbreakable glass on the walls are pictures of them showing all the wounds they have suffered. Each time you come to, you are staring at yourself with your most recent death blow depicted in loving detail, and the wounds from prior deaths still gape and ooze.

I think that may qualify as creepy.

[5w337x7007h]

But wasn't a stipulation of his immortality prevent him from ever seeing that painting of himself? I could've sworn that if he saw it he'd suffer every death he had endured up to the time of viewing.

Whatever the case, it's a great idea. Maybe each cell has a single destroyed painting, some not destroyed, that reflects each inmate of said asylum? Destroyed paintings end eternal status, but all causes of death are inflicted on the character at once. There's a one-time reprieve for the group, first player or players to die that way expend that reprieve for the rest of the group. Also there's a high will save to discourage such behavior, the feeling that the harm to the painting could result in painful repercussions.

Edit: As a discouragement to keep players from just staying in their cells until the end of the session, the paintings draw the attention of the players of whom they reflect. If the player lingers for too long the painting starts drawing them in, the player can't help but stare into the painting's eyes, they roll a will save. Failure means they have trouble looking away and draw closer, as charm monster, but they need to make a reflex save when next to the painting or be dragged in and trapped, forced to watch their reflection take their place for a period of time. They'd be stuck playing as their reflection, watching as the reflection either kills another player or finds a way to die in the most painful way possible. They feel everything the reflection does.

[atemu1234]

As for a few general tips, let me get you.

When your characters die, don't just make them mentally go insane. Physically distort their characters. This could be ripping a leg off, to having an extra head that whispers to your character.

Have the place encased in a permanent darkness spell. Give them a small light source that can break the darkness but only enough to see maybe 5 - 15 feet around the light source. Your players would have no idea what's going on.

Most players are scared of high stat blocks, not actual monsters. Remove them for most monsters. They can fight it, yeah, but they can't kill it or even damage it.

I'd recommend to have several monsters in a very large map. The point is to find an escape route but it's really hard with several monsters with that small light source.

Have a stack of cards with different things the character senses. They could hear something tapping on a metal wall and/or smell heavy perfume. It'll put your players in the character's shoes more often. Relating this back to the monsters, give your monsters different triggers, assuming they're wandering around. One monster may be a mechanical spider so describe the sounds of it moving around. One monster maybe a giant flesh golem, so give it heavy footsteps and breathing with the smell of rotten flesh.

Make sure you describe a lot of things and I'll show you why.

"The darkness of the halls envelops you and with it comes the pungent odor of feces and rotten meat. You can hear a high clicking sound and at intervals of 10 seconds, it sudden stops. You can't see anything in the dark corridor but after maybe three minutes of walking, you see three yellow-whitish dots ahead of you. It bounces up, and it bounces down. As you approach, the smell gets worse, the clicking goes faster and it doesn't stop, the three dots get bigger until you realize they're eyes on a grotesquely created abomination. It's fingers graze your naked chest, slide up your neck until your adam's apple fit into its fingers. It begins to click violently and that's everything you remember"

VS

"Yo a monster showed up and you ded now"

This is essentially SAN variant rules from UA and CoCD20.

[Barstro]

But wasn't a stipulation of his immortality prevent him from ever seeing that painting of himself? I could've sworn that if he saw it he'd suffer every death he had endured up to the time of viewing.

That was a League of Extraordinary Gentleman version. Which makes it odd that he wanted the painting back and impossible to know if he ever did get it back. One of many flaws with that movie.

In the book, it was stabbing the painting that killed him.

[Blackhawk748]

That was a League of Extraordinary Gentleman version. Which makes it odd that he wanted the painting back and impossible to know if he ever did get it back. One of many flaws with that movie.

In the book, it was stabbing the painting that killed him.

He finally wanted to die, which was why he wanted it back, and he did because Mina killed him with it

@Threadnaught: BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!!!

Ok so goin for creepy, eh? Id look into Silent Hill, as that is freakin creepy as all hell, fog is always good, especially indoors where it doesnt belong.

Also, let them kill the nasty nasty monsters. Nothing annoys me more than having "the monster is unaffected" "oh come on! i hit it with a truck." because then it turns in to, what havent i tried yet. Now that being said, max out its HP and give it 3 lvls of Warrior (which you can do without increasing CR) now you have a very durable, thing. And use templates, all the templates.

Other than that, bleeding walls are good, Evil Deadite clones of themselves are awesome, Bloody Skeletons are annoying as all hell (especially if your only weapon is a chair leg). That being said are they gonna get their equipment back?

[Threadnaught]

@Threadnaught: BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!!!

The blood isn't the important thing, the fact that the terrain is alive when it isn't supposed to be is. I listened to My Heaven, Dark Again and Bachman Road while coming up with creepy stuff.


Also, let them kill the nasty nasty monsters. Nothing annoys me more than having "the monster is unaffected" "oh come on! i hit it with a truck." because then it turns in to, what havent i tried yet. Now that being said, max out its HP and give it 3 lvls of Warrior (which you can do without increasing CR) now you have a very durable, thing. And use templates, all the templates.

Personally, I'd have a weak monster that deals scratch damage follow them around and be immune/resistant to nearly everything they try throwing at it. It worked in Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil 3, why not here?
Silent Hill and Resident Evil are my inspirations when I crank up the creepy factor. I wonder if the third session is too early to begin. :smallamused:

Are Horror Campaigns any fun? I've never run one myself.

[Blackhawk748]

The blood isn't the important thing, the fact that the terrain is alive when it isn't supposed to be is. I listened to My Heaven, Dark Again and Bachman Road while coming up with creepy stuff.



Personally, I'd have a weak monster that deals scratch damage follow them around and be immune/resistant to nearly everything they try throwing at it. It worked in Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil 3, why not here?
Silent Hill and Resident Evil are my inspirations when I crank up the creepy factor. I wonder if the third session is too early to begin. :smallamused:

Are Horror Campaigns any fun? I've never run one myself.

My players seem to enjoy mine. Also im not against monsters that only have one weakness, im against ones that are immune to everything. Though the tiny 1 damage per attack monsters are freakin hilarious, ive made one that could only be killed with a magic missile. Drove my players crazy trying to find a way to get rid of it.

[5w337x7007h]

I'm seriously pondering the idea that they wake up in an derelict asylum, controlled by whoever, and they have to plan an escape or lose their minds to whatever is in control. Make it more of a RP game than a combat-oriented game.

Lets do that instead. They won't have paintings, things like that. They'll be stuck with eternal templates, but they have to be ruthless in their efforts. Stealth, Will, Slight of Hand, Perception, Sense Motive. Anything you'd need to survive.

There would be several other patients, medicine times, therapy sessions, scheduled meals, free time, jobs around the asylum. The players will have to navigate ways of escape that involve avoiding the attention of the Orderlies and the Doctors. Maybe even a couple of plants that pose as patients to disrupt the group plans if someone happens to have the gift of gab. They'll earn points from performing their jobs well, using those points to gain certain benefits, like the ability to carry a weapon, or maybe a room in a less guarded area.

There'll be areas of the asylum that require self-defense to get through, so that'd be where the weapon privilege comes in.

I definitely want to make this session more RP oriented than combat. Survival and Escape will still be key.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Crake
It takes a certain kind of player though, one that actually has attachment to their character. This pretty much entirely rules out murderhobo players as potential scare subjects, so you need to pick and choose your audience, but it's definitely possible, if your players are immersed enough in your world, and actually care about their characters.

I can confirm this, based on painful and frustrating experience.

It can be very difficult to find players who really care about their characters. Cherish those few who do.


Originally Posted by MrSinister
True, you and your magebred warbeast familiar/animal companion fleshraker can one-shot my BBEG, but you still have to reach into the darkness for your d20....

Heh.


Originally Posted by atemu1234
This is essentially SAN variant rules from UA and CoCD20.

Sounds interesting, but can you unroll all those acronyms?

.

[atemu1234]

I can confirm this, based on painful and frustrating experience.

It can be very difficult to find players who really care about their characters. Cherish those few who do.


Heh.



Sounds interesting, but can you unroll all those acronyms?

.

Sanity, Unearthed Arcana, Call of Cthulhu d20.

[Threadnaught]

Can murderhobos be afraid?

Of course, just give them something they can't fight. Or something that no sells the majority of their moves.

[Vhaidara]

For a villain, I recommend using Orphanicus Undeadicus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18795513&postcount=100) from Sam K in the recent Villain optimization contest as the endgame of the dungeon. I could assist you in a Pathfinder port (IIRC, your group uses PF instead of 3.5).

Creepy is definitely the way to go. And deadly undead orphan is definitely creepy.

[5w337x7007h]

For a villain, I recommend using Orphanicus Undeadicus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18795513&postcount=100) from Sam K in the recent Villain optimization contest as the endgame of the dungeon. I could assist you in a Pathfinder port (IIRC, your group uses PF instead of 3.5).

Creepy is definitely the way to go. And deadly undead orphan is definitely creepy.

That would be odd... An orphan child in charge of an entire asylum.

So I'm going to develop a prison/asylum layout. Like a cross between Alcatraz and Bedlam.

[atemu1234]

That would be odd... An orphan child in charge of an entire asylum.

So I'm going to develop a prison/asylum layout. Like a cross between Alcatraz and Bedlam.

Definitely use the sanity system, then. Bonus points for having the bottom layer contain an eldritch horror. Bonus points on the bonus points for having it be completely separate from the campaign. You're playing heroic fantasy when all of a sudden you're thrust into a survival horror. Triple bonus points for never explaining what that abomination really was.

[5w337x7007h]

All I need now is to designate orderlies, doctors, and patients. I'm thinkin' all patients should be creatures of the material plane, but I'm not sure where I want the Doctors or Orderlies to come from.