Need to make my session more Halloweeny

[Redhood101]

So I'm planning a one shot for some friends for Halloween and I have my adventure mostly designed (lets say 85%) but I feel like it's not Halloweeny enough and could use some help on how to add that something special to make it a true Halloween adventure. I'm also going for more of a spooky scary skeletons vibe than a full horror vibe.
The set up is that they are hired to go this party being hosted by someone that died 6 years prior. Locals are nervous because the guests are all monsters. The dead man turns out to be a brain in a jar with a piece of a world destroying artifact locked in his vault. The idea is the players mingle, learn about the vault and the magic item, deal with it, then deal with the brain.
I'm just worried that it will feel like regular old dnd and not a spooky Halloween treat. Anyone have any advice?
The players are level 6 and the piece of the world destroying artifact makes a monster that the players can stab to death. It's just a sliver of the artifact so it holds less of its power. Also the Brain is hosting the party to announce his plan to take over the world and wants to see who else will join him.

[Tawmis]

So I'm planning a one shot for some friends for Halloween and I have my adventure mostly designed (lets say 85%) but I feel like it's not Halloweeny enough and could use some help on how to add that something special to make it a true Halloween adventure. I'm also going for more of a spooky scary skeletons vibe than a full horror vibe.
The set up is that they are hired to go this party being hosted by someone that died 6 years prior. Locals are nervous because the guests are all monsters. The dead man turns out to be a brain in a jar with a piece of a world destroying artifact locked in his vault. The idea is the players mingle, learn about the vault and the magic item, deal with it, then deal with the brain.
I'm just worried that it will feel like regular old dnd and not a spooky Halloween treat. Anyone have any advice?

World destroying artifact?

What level is this?

One thing you can do is use natural things acting unnaturally.

That helps generate an unusual thing happening.

Dogs barking at nothing. Squirrels dead on the ground, by the dozens, but no wounds on them.

Have the party go through a corn field, where there's scarecrows - and have the scarecrows move - so they pass Scarecrow 01, and ten minutes later, they see Scarecrow 01 to their right - but they're not going in circles.

Use creepy music (tabletopaudio.com can help).

[Unoriginal]

So I'm planning a one shot for some friends for Halloween and I have my adventure mostly designed (lets say 85%) but I feel like it's not Halloweeny enough and could use some help on how to add that something special to make it a true Halloween adventure. I'm also going for more of a spooky scary skeletons vibe than a full horror vibe.
The set up is that they are hired to go this party being hosted by someone that died 6 years prior. Locals are nervous because the guests are all monsters. The dead man turns out to be a brain in a jar with a piece of a world destroying artifact locked in his vault. The idea is the players mingle, learn about the vault and the magic item, deal with it, then deal with the brain.

Is the Brain in a Jar holding some sort of auction for the artifact piece, and all the guests are potential buyers?




I'm just worried that it will feel like regular old dnd and not a spooky Halloween treat. Anyone have any advice?

Well for starter I'd say: go into full overload.

The building is the Brain's lair, and such is altered from a boring ruin into a full-blown, grotesquely decorated, mist-surroundered, only-accessible-by-a-narrow-road, impossibly large and convoluted Gothic Manor-that-might-as-well-be-a-castle with secret passages, mad scientist labs, torture chambers, a gigantic pipe organ, a hedge maze in the garden, etc, due to the Brain's Regional Effects.

Among the guests, I'd count:

-A vampire and at least a couple spawns

-One hag of each type

-Several werewolves

-A creepy bard with an half-mask

-A sapient Flesh Golem

-Unconvincingly disguised Kuo-toas

-One undisguised fish-person

-A seemingly normal older gentleman called Dr. Seek, who regularly drinks a potion

-A Horned Devil

-A mysterious figure clad in red from head-to-toe, wearing a skull mask (in reality an Avatar of Death here to finally take care of the Brain in the Jar, who's been cheating death for too long)

-Someone cursed to be invisible

-A silent, massive Barbarian wearing a white mask

-A Mummy priest

Thing is that as midnight come closer, the Brain-in-the-Jar's power is weakening, culminating in the Avatar of Death revealing itself on the twelfth stroke. At this point, the Brain's can no longer enforce the "won't tolerate violence" edict that made everyone not try to kill each other, and all hells break lose as they attack each other and the Brain's security forces.

Before midnight a few events that could happen:

-PCs are invited to share a drink, with the inevitable comment that the vampires don't drink... wine

-The creepy bard sees that the guests need to evacuate their animosity somehow and decides that a dance contest is what everyone needs to vent out. Most of the guests agree to participate due to Bardic charisma. This provides the PCs with a chance to sneak and steal the item, provided at least one of them managed to keep the contest going long enough (by participating or by manipulating the guests).

-No one is allowed out of the Manor until after the auction, but it's theoretically possible to escape by the hedge maze... if one dares brave its danger.

-The auction starts a bit before midnight, meaning all hells break lose when everyone is sitting in the auction hall.

-When all hells break lose, the creepy bard goes and tries to cut what's preventing the giant chandelier from falling on everyone.



Have the party go through a corn field, where there's scarecrows - and have the scarecrows move - so they pass Scarecrow 01, and ten minutes later, they see Scarecrow 01 to their right - but they're not going in circles.

A corn maze might be better than a hedge maze, after thinking it over.