Fright Fest [PF/3.5] How to scare my players silly?

[Hurlbut]

Background info: My game is set in Golarion (Pathfinder Chronicles Setting), the party is based in Absalom, the largest metropolis in the Inner Sea region. They are all 5th level with appropriate wealth for that level; a paladin, a rogue, a ranger (one of his favored foes is undead), wizard, cleric, and sorceress. They recieved 3,800gp each (so their total wealth could be brought up in line with their new levels) and are actively involved in preparing an expedition to the Precipice Quarter. Once the jewel of the vast metropolis Absalom, after the great earthquake 10 years ago half of the district fell to the ocean and the rest was abandoned and became infested by undead. It is complete walled off from rest of the city and no one is allowed out from it during nightfall. Previous expeditions sent to it were either resigned or vanished and all were conveniently covered up by the top city officials.


My question is how do I frighten my player characters so completely that they would be confronted with the decision to abandon the expedition and flee the district? I'm not aiming for TPK or massive damage but rather scaring the wits out of them. My past track record have no occasion of using Horror, not even the Classic Horrors themselves (vampire, zombie, ghoul, mummy, werewolf, etc). So I can say with confidence if I pull this off right, it'll be a shock for the PCs.

[krossbow]

Stat out the Flood and unleash them on your party. One or two NPC's being devoured and infested in a way that would be unrezzable should be more than enough to make the bravest of PC's think twice (I can't be raised?! F*%^!)

[absolmorph]

Stat out the Flood and unleash them on your party. One or two NPC's being devoured and infested in a way that would be unrezzable should be more than enough to make the bravest of PC's think twice (I can't be raised?! F*%^!)

Dying to begin with is still somewhat major at level 5.

[Lord Munchkin]

I'd try looking up the Drowned Undead and other water themed spooks. In fact if you have the Stormwrack source book there are several good ones in it.

A nice addition to this would be some sort of low impact but hard to resist disease they get upon braving the putrid waters of the fallen district. It might only make them pass out initially but it could also weaken their will saves. Then the fun can begin!

Have the entire district infused with negative energy on a minor level. While there may not be anymore undead than you dictate, it wouldn't hurt to have them bombarded with visions. Here's an example.

A large crowd of people are huddled against a closed iron gate, the PC's among them. Slowly water begins to rise, driving the people to fight to get to the front. It should then turn quickly to violence, as even the PCs cleave a skull or two to get one inch closer to freedom. When they finally get to front they find it jammed shut. The water continues to rise until finally the players are submerged. Their last minutes are filled with horror as they drown surrounded by soggy bodies and drenched in red water.

I also suggest giving the visions more meaning. In the example they played the part of a group of people slaying others only to die for none the better. Lead them to the site of the vision slowly, only letting them connect the dots once it becomes convenient for you. If anything blind them with greed. I particularly like the idea of a diamond amulet sparkling amongst the murk, a possession of one of the people they slew in the vision. Then the attack begins. To drive home the vision have an equal number of water ghouls with PC classes for each PC. Also have them target each corresponding PC according to who played who in the vision.

Ah, I envy you truly. To have such untainted sheep as players. Mine have become too inoculated against fear. Thus I've had to up the ante recently. DARK HERESY FOR EVERYONE!

[Heliomance]

Have harrying attacks. Hit and run strikes, night ambushes, the assailants always run as soon as the PCs start to resist, they never get a clear look at who's attacking them. Make them fear every shadow, because an enemy could be hiding in it.

[Kol Korran]

there has been some solid advice so far, especially from Lord Munchkin and Heliomance. lets see if i can help anyway:
1) disrupt the usuall adventure routine conventions:

• resting is really problematic- there are voices in the sleep, and a general panic all around, if the party doesn't pick a good place to hide, they are attacked while they sleep (make these attacks harrying, not difficult, but enough to disrupt the sleep cycle). the party can probably only rest in ruined temples or heavily fortified places.
• healing doesn't work properly: either the cleric heals less, or s/he must roll a caster level check to see it the healing doesn't fail, or something like that. make healing unexpected.
• there are always more enemies in a fight. every few rounds more undead come, and they don't seem to end! the party wil llearn they must pick their fights, and be stealthy/ crafty if possible

2) odd things that happen over time: a disease has been mentioned, but i suggest a slow transmutation- the skin becomes tighter, light hurts their eyes, appetite for normal things is lost, there is a tendency to anger, and so on- small signs of becoming "less living". the effects can be superficial, or infer small increasing modifiers on the characters, your choice. there can be some save against these (i suggest fort), but it increases with each passing hour/ day

3) you need to let their imagination do the work, that's what works best in any thriller. first step is limit the senses to a degree- heavy fog, darkness, areas of unnatural silence and so on. roll dice, lots of dice to see if they hear/ see/ sense things, and smile...
second step is to give out every ocne in awhile some sort of sensory input that can freaks people out. a few examples:

• you hear a child or children crying, calling for his / their mommy. but everywhere you look you either don't find any, or you find corpses of children or you find undead kiddies that leap at your throat.
• the players find a butchery where there are several corpses, with all their organs out, and various runes on them, the undead don't touch these (this could oddly be a great, if disturbing, pleace to sleep!)
• the patter of a hundred little feet all around.... (bonus points if the party then meets Rincewind's lagguage!)
• a fresh smell of daisies all around, especially when the party walks in sewers or in a place of mass gore.

4) things that are... wrong: in the Eberron setting there is a bunch of Mournland horrors with lots of things that just creeps you out. however, i'm unsure how they'd fit with your place. a few suggestions anyway:

• finding an amputated arm, that belongs to one of the (from the jewelery/ tattoos. choose a character that doesn't wear magical rings, or the y would want the extra one). the arm looks like it had been chewed at the shoulder.
• an oozing big gibbering mouther (perhaps undead) made of remants of the previous district people. make it interesting- it can converse to the party, but every setntence or so exchange who is talking. if you make it powerfull enough the party might have to parley with it somehow. what whould such a creature desire?
• "the swarm that won't" die: have the party fight a swarm of undead rats. however, every rat that "dies" links itself together and attacks again! (treat it as regeneration, but iwth some odd requirement to overcome it, such as sea water or the like, something the party might have access to, but that they'll need to be smart about.) this shouldn't be a hard encounter, just a creepy and seemingly invincible one.
• living spells, probably refluffed. i don't have any concreate ideas, but a living desecrate/ bane with added undead might feel wrong.
• a garden of white roses. the party would probably be so freaked out by now they'll avoid it. but if they don't the place could be refreshing for one night's sleep. if they decide to sleep there again, the roses stick their thorns into the sleeping figures (administrating an anestithiac when they do) draw blood and become red (2d4/ 2d6 con drain?)

5) DM's acting: no matter what the players suggest, just smile and jot something down. don't explain. from time to time ask for spot and listen checks, and also for all kind of other bizzare checks ("knowledge nature? why knowledge nature when we're in the middle of an undead infested urban are?")
at most times say the party gets nothing, but at times give some information (especially when the party rolls high. make yourself some notes before hand for succesfull rolls), so as to keep them guessing. some of these might even be beneficial, though the most should be creepy.

i hope this helped,
Kol.