Idea for my game

[Lhurgyof]

Okay, so I'm running a horror-esque game, and I have an idea for a side-quest for the PC's.

There's a mysterious town, out in the middle of nowhere, and it's just a small community. The town is populated by weird people (any ideas for a non-evil race that look like humans with some mysterious features? Elans would do, but any other suggestions?). And they're in a current peril, every time the clock strikes (hourly, every 6, 12, or 24 hours. Undecided as of yet) one of the inhabitants turns into an animal (any ideas for a useless animal that would make sense here?) and so the party would soon discover this "curse" and venture out to the clocktower (if they so wish, they don't need to, but that would be a little bit on the lower end of the neutral spectrum) and investigate. I'm thinking a gargoyle or two, along with an evil spellcaster at the end, who's using an item to help amplify a version of were-doom. (race/class?) It's lower to high mid optimization level 5 or so game with a horror feel. Any comments or helpful suggestions?

[Aran Banks]

Things I have to note:

• If people are being picked on by magic, then they need to be innocents. Elans are creepy and would not fit the niche
• There should be a reason that everybody doesn't just pick up and leave
• Why Curses? The evil magicaster needs some reason for being such a prick...
• If the people turn into some animal, they should run off and disappear... then, when the players go to the tower, they should find dire version of whatever the people turned into... at the end, the dire animals turn back into the people. Except they're probably all dead, because the PCs killed them all. Interesting twist thar
• It'd be cool to have the final boss be a Druid gone crazy.
• Gargoyle's are just decent. You shouldn't use them here.
• The PCs need to make good relations with an NPC, and then he needs to turn into an animal. It'll give them a good reason to go adventuring.
• Every midnight, a transformation should occur. That way it's not too fast, but it's scary

You could do it like that TV show they aired this summer where 7 people are stuck in an empty town. When they try to escape, they end up looping back where they started.

Dreams are always a great way to get points across. Give the players dreams where they all turn into the animals and get slaughtered or something (Dire Pig? lol) while the evil caster watches and says, "THIS IS YOUR FATE AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!". It's a good motivator.

[freebiewitz]

Ideas.

Every time the inhabitants try to leave they turn into animals and come back.
They try make the adventurers not sleep in there town for if they spend even one night here same thing happens and they stay.
Every time they turn into creatures they go homicidal and kill everything. The next day everyone is alive and fine and have no memories.

The PC's of course do because they have not been in the town for so long.

Sound good? No? Yes maybe?

[Lhurgyof]

Things I have to note:

• If people are being picked on by magic, then they need to be innocents. Elans are creepy and would not fit the niche
• There should be a reason that everybody doesn't just pick up and leave
• Why Curses? The evil magicaster needs some reason for being such a prick...
• If the people turn into some animal, they should run off and disappear... then, when the players go to the tower, they should find dire version of whatever the people turned into... at the end, the dire animals turn back into the people. Except they're probably all dead, because the PCs killed them all. Interesting twist thar
• It'd be cool to have the final boss be a Druid gone crazy.
• Gargoyle's are just decent. You shouldn't use them here.
• The PCs need to make good relations with an NPC, and then he needs to turn into an animal. It'll give them a good reason to go adventuring.
• Every midnight, a transformation should occur. That way it's not too fast, but it's scary

You could do it like that TV show they aired this summer where 7 people are stuck in an empty town. When they try to escape, they end up looping back where they started.

Dreams are always a great way to get points across. Give the players dreams where they all turn into the animals and get slaughtered or something (Dire Pig? lol) while the evil caster watches and says, "THIS IS YOUR FATE AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!". It's a good motivator.

Hmmm, very good ideas, very good ideas indeed. So I'll have them just be regular humans.

A druid as the BBEG? I like it. Have the tower be in his creepy forest, about a day's travel out.

[Lhurgyof]

Ideas.

Every time the inhabitants try to leave they turn into animals and come back.
They try make the adventurers not sleep in there town for if they spend even one night here same thing happens and they stay.
Every time they turn into creatures they go homicidal and kill everything. The next day everyone is alive and fine and have no memories.

The PC's of course do because they have not been in the town for so long.

Sound good? No? Yes maybe?

I do like the idea of the animals becoming hostile. (sorry for double-post)