D&D Night: Halloween Edition

[Maelynn]

We use a Doodle kind of tool to determine our D&D nights, and one of the dates that came up was the 31st of October. So, naturally, people started about Halloween and having a spooky session. As the DM, I'm happy to oblige...

I've already given it some thought myself, but I'd love to hear some suggestions and advice from the more experienced DMs (and players, ofc) that roam this playground. So I come to you! Anything to flesh out what I already have and to make it as scary as possible. Please, give me your worst!

What I have so far: on the edge of a village stands an abandoned villa. The local children are convince it's haunted and often dare eachother to get close. One little girl, determined to show her big brother that she's no chicken, has gone inside... that was several hours ago. The party will have to go inside to find her and get her out, because the night has fallen and her parents are worried sick.
When they finally find her (after many creepy moments and encounters), they notice that she's not scared at all - she says her doll Tooly kept her safe. In fact, she often goes to the house even when the other kids aren't there. After a few yet-to-be-determined clues, they discover that the girl is actually the very source of the creepy things that happen in the house... she's possessed by a Great Old One (Cthulhu, hence the doll's name) and will put up a fight of a rather powerful Warlock of appropriate CR. After the fight, the girl falls unconscious but will be freed of the entity. The house will be rid of the manifestations and threatens to collapse under the sudden absence of whatever had been stuffed in the walls.

A few things I'm specifically interested in:

- many horror effects are visual, which will lose their power if I have to describe them. How can I make it work from a narrative point of view?
- I was thinking of using one-shot premades*, making them all Humans so they have no Darkvision. I also want to make them feel vulnerable by letting them have no or cruddy weapons, but I'm not sure if that would pan out - especially since I had the idea of setting them at level 4 to give myself enough options as far as encounters go. Can I justify a group of level 4 characters with hardly any armour/weaponry? Are there other ways to make the characters more vulnerable?
- I'm going to stick with 5e, but I'm open to tips&tricks from other systems (older editions or even things like Call of Cthulhu) that would work well in 5e, anything good from there?
- I was thinking of using the Madness rulings from the DMG, but wonder if it would have the right effect - is it creepy enough, or just a mechanic that gimps one's abilities?

*the party already said they have no issue with premades instead of their usual characters, especially because one of them might have to cancel last-minute and this way we won't risk total cancellation. Also, it opens up the possibility of inviting a guest player for the evening

[Vogie]

- many horror effects are visual, which will lose their power if I have to describe them. How can I make it work from a narrative point of view?

You'll have to set the tone early on, and find ways to describe things in a terrifying manner. I recommend picking up a couple episodes of the NoSleep podcast, or other audio horror presentations to get a handle on how to pull that off. The first season of the Cthulu & Friends podcast is a pretty conventional horror podcast that is real-play Call of Cthulu game. The NoSleep Reddit Subforum, which fuels the above-mentioned podcast, will also give you searchable access to those tales and other people's reactions to them.



- I was thinking of using one-shot premades*, making them all Humans so they have no Darkvision. I also want to make them feel vulnerable by letting them have no or cruddy weapons, but I'm not sure if that would pan out - especially since I had the idea of setting them at level 4 to give myself enough options as far as encounters go. Can I justify a group of level 4 characters with hardly any armour/weaponry? Are there other ways to make the characters more vulnerable?

It's really easy - have the conceit that this isn't an adventuring party, it's a group of confused, scared parents and neighbors jumping into something WAY above their head. Sure, they have class levels, but they weren't specifically geared up for a crawl... these are suburbanites and camp counselors, not the Kings of the Wyld.

They'll have largely simple weapons, improvised weapons, save maybe that one guy with a Sword-cane (rapier) or that girl with their Grandfather's greatsword. No one is looking for little Sally from down the street with full plate wielding a glaive.

Other options:

Use a Cinematic alteration of the gritty realism variant, with less healing, but really short rests. Encumbrance rules and ammunition counting are totally a thing.
Having to hunt down bandages (potions) and healing kits throughout the house
Find some Wounding rules that you like, specifically ones that slow and limit use of hands.
There is no resurrection. Have the main party actually be a second or third group that was sent in, and when a PC 'dies', the party will run across member(s) of a previous group, now being played by that player. Lots of premades!
There is no armor, and everyone has either a level of monk or level of barbarian, and everyone has tavern brawler and tough.
There is resurrection of your enemies, often by themselves, and then start walking towards you calmly, Jason-Voorhees-style. Mechanically, this could look like an overzealous use of the Undead Fortitude trait.



- I'm going to stick with 5e, but I'm open to tips&tricks from other systems (older editions or even things like Call of Cthulhu) that would work well in 5e, anything good from there?

Two things that would be worthwhile to take from 4th edition:

The Bloodied Condition - that is, when any creature is below half health. This can be used to trigger all sorts of things. Bloodied party members may attract additional attention, Bloodied monsters may go into rages
Skill challenges - You set a DC, and have the players roleplay through encounters, using Skill checks & their imaginations instead of the normal system. Instead of a combat encounter of 5 PCs vs 100 zombies, for example, the players would use their various skills to try to cut down and/or escape said horde. One person uses a Perception or survival check to figure out where to go, another uses a Intimidation or Persuasion check to direct the party where to go, Arcana check to use this aetherpunk flamethrower, Medicine checks to save a fallen comrade, Athletic checks to pry that door open (or slam it closed). The party needs, for example, 6 successes before they receive 3 fails to pass the encounter. Your fail state could be a combat encounter, the party being split, a TPK, et cetera. It makes the encounter feel like a montage.

Other systems:

You could have a specific event or calamity that you're trying to avoid - a helmouth being open, the haunted house collapsing, everyone in the party going mad, et cetera - using the Dread system to install some mechanical fear. Basically, it is just a Jenga tower prominently placed on or near the gaming table, but you would write up some triggers that would remove blocks (destroying parts of the house, too much time passing, witnessing body horror), and when the tower falls, that specific event happens. The people in the
If you pick up (or have) a copy of the board game Betrayal at House on the Hill, you'll gain physical tiles that represent the shape-shifting horror-house and series of other horror tropes around that house.
If you pick up (or have) a copy of board game Mysterium, you could actually play the board game over the course of the one-shot. Each time the party rests, they have a turn of play for Mysterium, receiving a vision from the DM (playing a ghost). Instead of the suspect, location, and murder weapon that the mediums of that game normally hunt down, your PCs instead are directed to a location, person/creature to encounter, and loot to acquire to help them in the final fight.
I don't remember if the Sanity mechanic used in Cthulu & Friends is homebrewed or from Call of Cthulu, but having some way that a person could lose their minds may be useful.

[username1]

I think the way to go about scaring your players is making them fear for their lives. Put them in a place away from settlement. No where is safe, everything is dangerous. Make them worry about food, water, madness. Music is always the way to go setting a tone. If you do keep this story, try something out of the ordinary you don’t see in horror films, something you weren’t ready for. A mission which I think does a good job of this is https://www.dragonsfoot.org/php4/archive.php?sectioninit=FE&fileid=388&watchfile=
It’s first edition but just use the concept.

[furby076]

set the effect in the room. Put on some creepy sounds like dripping water, nails scratching. Put it really low volume to 1) not distract players with noise, and 2) every once in a while a particular sound will catch someone by surprise. Dim the lights. if a player complains that its dim lighting, too bad. So is the creepy house.

Suppress lights in game. PCs see 10 ft normal, 15 ft dim. Magic sight is limited. I like the rules mentioned above.

Split the party...traps, doors closing. What about hearing little boys and girls voices giggling, crying etc. Maybe they find a girl in a room, huddled and crying, only when they get close it's a ghoul. Do temp stat drains, temp max hp lost. Make them stress for resources. If the party is split, monsters with minor illusions to imitate the other pics appear. When the pics get close to their allies, attack. Heck, limited forms of confusion spells, charm, etc. Use it on the pics. Periodically take s player out the room to have s private chat. Sow distrust. Maybe a PC got possessed...

Once they go inside, the entrance slams shut and sealed. Put green glowing infernal script on the door. If the players can read it, "the way is shut, for all except the dead"

[Mr_Fixler]

I'll suggest rooms that change after the PCs leave. Lights are on/off doors are now open/closed. Not too often and not to forced l, subtlety is the key here.

And finally when a PC turns to go through a door, smile and say "what door?" and steadfastly commit to there being no door and never was one there.

[Maelynn]

You guys are amazing, so many great suggestions. I'm very grateful! <3


I recommend picking up a couple episodes of the NoSleep podcast, or other audio horror presentations to get a handle on how to pull that off. The first season of the Cthulu & Friends podcast is a pretty conventional horror podcast that is real-play Call of Cthulu game. The NoSleep Reddit Subforum, which fuels the above-mentioned podcast, will also give you searchable access to those tales and other people's reactions to them.

This looks like it's exactly what I need to get a grip on narrative. I also got the advice to look at something called creepy pasta, which seems to have a lot of short horror stories. I think that's the way to go, to get sources with descriptions that have a fast buildup, rather than try and convert audiovisual horror effects.


Other options:

Use a Cinematic alteration of the gritty realism variant, with less healing, but really short rests. Encumbrance rules and ammunition counting are totally a thing.
Having to hunt down bandages (potions) and healing kits throughout the house
Find some Wounding rules that you like, specifically ones that slow and limit use of hands.
There is no resurrection. Have the main party actually be a second or third group that was sent in, and when a PC 'dies', the party will run across member(s) of a previous group, now being played by that player. Lots of premades!
There is no armor, and everyone has either a level of monk or level of barbarian, and everyone has tavern brawler and tough.
There is resurrection of your enemies, often by themselves, and then start walking towards you calmly, Jason-Voorhees-style. Mechanically, this could look like an overzealous use of the Undead Fortitude trait.


Going for brawly brawny types is a good one, it allows me some leeway with armour/weapons. And if any of the premades are casters, they'll be very limited in what spells they can cast... no healing, ofc... *smirks*

And I too had considered fallen enemies getting up again. A skeleton that falls apart with the killing blow, but then the bones start to quiver and fly back to form a whole skeleton again. See if they realise the smartest move is to just run.

I also want to focus on confusing them. Like, two of the premades will be siblings, and then when they face some creepy monster I'll have it ask one of them, "where is your brother?" - and if they think, well he's just standing next to me, I'll let them know he isn't - and inform said brother that he suddenly finds himself in another room...


Other systems:

You could have a specific event or calamity that you're trying to avoid - a helmouth being open, the haunted house collapsing, everyone in the party going mad, et cetera - using the Dread system to install some mechanical fear. Basically, it is just a Jenga tower prominently placed on or near the gaming table, but you would write up some triggers that would remove blocks (destroying parts of the house, too much time passing, witnessing body horror), and when the tower falls, that specific event happens. The people in the
If you pick up (or have) a copy of the board game Betrayal at House on the Hill, you'll gain physical tiles that represent the shape-shifting horror-house and series of other horror tropes around that house.
If you pick up (or have) a copy of board game Mysterium, you could actually play the board game over the course of the one-shot. Each time the party rests, they have a turn of play for Mysterium, receiving a vision from the DM (playing a ghost). Instead of the suspect, location, and murder weapon that the mediums of that game normally hunt down, your PCs instead are directed to a location, person/creature to encounter, and loot to acquire to help them in the final fight.
I don't remember if the Sanity mechanic used in Cthulu & Friends is homebrewed or from Call of Cthulu, but having some way that a person could lose their minds may be useful.


Haha, I have Betrayal and it had already crossed my mind to use its tiles as a map. Thanks for suggesting it, it confirms that it's not just a silly idea. ^^'

And 4e Bloodied was indeed interesting, I might incorporate that. Parts of it. I especially want to mix some bits and pieces of rules, so that I can throw off one of the players who has a good grasp of all the rules.


I think the way to go about scaring your players is making them fear for their lives. Put them in a place away from settlement. No where is safe, everything is dangerous. Make them worry about food, water, madness. Music is always the way to go setting a tone. If you do keep this story, try something out of the ordinary you don’t see in horror films, something you weren’t ready for. A mission which I think does a good job of this is https://www.dragonsfoot.org/php4/archive.php?sectioninit=FE&fileid=388&watchfile=
It’s first edition but just use the concept.

That was a very interesting read, thanks. I got a few elements from it that I can surely incorporate into my own story.


set the effect in the room. Put on some creepy sounds like dripping water, nails scratching. Put it really low volume to 1) not distract players with noise, and 2) every once in a while a particular sound will catch someone by surprise. Dim the lights. if a player complains that its dim lighting, too bad. So is the creepy house.

I found a website called ambient-mixer.com where you can combine various sound effects and set them at random intervals of x per y minutes. Then I won't have to manage it during the game. Use whispering as base noise, with dripping water and slamming doors every once in a while. If the party goes quiet, the sounds will be more prominent.


Split the party...traps, doors closing. What about hearing little boys and girls voices giggling, crying etc. Maybe they find a girl in a room, huddled and crying, only when they get close it's a ghoul. Do temp stat drains, temp max hp lost. Make them stress for resources. If the party is split, monsters with minor illusions to imitate the other pics appear. When the pics get close to their allies, attack. Heck, limited forms of confusion spells, charm, etc. Use it on the pics. Periodically take s player out the room to have s private chat. Sow distrust. Maybe a PC got possessed...

Very good points! Especially sowing distrust among the party should prove very effective. And children's voices/laughter is always creepy, even more so when it's a little girl they need to find. Oh, and talking dolls. Brr.


I'll suggest rooms that change after the PCs leave. Lights are on/off doors are now open/closed. Not too often and not to forced l, subtlety is the key here.

And finally when a PC turns to go through a door, smile and say "what door?" and steadfastly commit to there being no door and never was one there.

Yes! I plan exactly this, that when the party enters the mansion the entrance door will have vanished. And I can definitely play with the layout too, especially since I had the idea to use Betrayal tiles (like suggested above).

[EyelessStarfish]

Really like the idea! Though maybe having the PCs roll up sanity scores for the adventure could work, if you aren't already.

[Maelynn]

Really like the idea! Though maybe having the PCs roll up sanity scores for the adventure could work, if you aren't already.

Oh yes, I want to incorporate the rules on Madness/Sanity as described in the DMG.

I wondered how I was going to add a Sanity score to my premades, and decided to let the players do it themselves. At least that way they'll only have themselves to blame. :smallamused: After they picked the character they want to play (I'll give them a short description of each character and hand out the char sheets once they made a decision) I'll let them roll 4d6, remove the lowest. "got it? Good. That number is your Sanity score - write that down in the inspiration field. You'll need it..."

[Finback]

I have, for different groups, had Christmas themed games depending on how close to the day it occurred. Last year, my players were in Chult, so I had them encountering an unnerving situation - they noticed animals fleeing the jungle, and then the river near them began to freeze over, the temperature dropped... and the Krampus appeared! (I did similar a year or two before for my 4e group).
I use it as an excuse to give them little trinkets - minor magic items that are more cosmetic or fun, or backstory items. Last year they got:
* the tabaxi cleric who had to free her homeland - a picture of her birth parents (her father was victim of a political assassination when she was a child*, and she fled her stepfather)
* the tiefling blood hunter - got a map which shows the location of the town he was found in, before being placed in an orphanage (if he wants to purse his parentage, somewhere to start)
* the dragonborn ranger, who wanted a religious experience** - she found a scale of Bahamut himself
* the duergar bard - actually, I don't recall. I think it was a fake beard (as he lost his beard in a tragic accident with the Barber of Silverymoon module)
* the firbolg druid - the seed of a life-tree; if she planted it, it would be the origin point for a new forest, over time
* the old human wizard - the cuddly dolly she had as a child (she was verging on a few hundred years old at this point)

So, my next game is a bit before Halloween, but I'm thinking of just making it a lighthearted bit of a battle - no major exploring, just a fun little setpiece, involving: a vampire, a werewolf, a flesh golem, a mummy and a sahuagin. One player wants to retire her PC, so this might be the time to introduce the new one.

So, in summary - why not play it very lighthearted - throw in all the tropes of a haunted house or the graveyard, put in lots of terrible puns, and even have the traps, etc. be thematic - a giant pumpkin "boulder", or little statues of devils that shoot fireballs.

(Now I'm reminded of the first time I played 4e, as a cleric and we fought a huge flesh golem. I got a crit, and yelled, "it was a graveyard SMASH!" - feel free to subject your PCs to that one!)




* plot twist - she was being hunted down (flyers saying "wanted alive", other PCs wondered if she was hiding a criminal past) - nope, her father is alive!
** She did GET that.. except she unwittingly did a favour for Tiamat, who gave her a "blessing" - so she felt she was now tainted by evil, so this was a moment for hope.