Maddening Whispers - How to depict?

[Berenger]

Hello,

I'm sending a Wendigo against my players soon and am at a loss when it comes to a proper depiction of Maddening Whispers (Su). Maddening Whispers (Su) is an insane whisper that only the victim can hear and that invites the victim to engage in acts of greed, gluttony and especially cannibalism. On a failed Will save, it also drains 1d3 Wisdom per day.

How can I describe this in the most scary, creepy way possible? I fear it will be a bit laughable when it starts with small things like "Eat the tasty cheeseburgers... eat all of them!" and starting with "Rip off your mothers arm and eat it!" may be a little blunt and leave little space for development.

Bonus points if the evil whispers somehow appear "ancient" (the game takes place in 2014, the Wendigo has not been active since the beginning of the civil war). Additional Info: the monsters mental stats are INT 6, WIS 12, CHA 11 so it won't deliver a polished Hannibal-Lecter-speech.

Any thoughts & tips on this would be appreciated.

[Socksy]

The Welcome to Night Vale podcasts have some strange things in them which you could draw inspiration from.

Or you could have it whisper "I know a song that'll get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that'll get on your nerves all day long." repeatedly.

[mucat]

Especially with the Wendigo's low intelligence, less is more. Have it start with "eat". Over time, gradually increase the frequency and urgency of that word, and try to get the characters (and possibly the players) seriously creeped out before adding any specific suggestions of what to eat.

EDIT: By "increase the frequency", of course, I mean have the whispers occur more often. Not have them shift to a high-pitched squeak.

[aberratio ictus]

Take this as an inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI6_AvUAzxs

I think it works best if it is as chaotic and indiscernable as possible, with only a barely understandable phrase or word once in a while.
And I agree with mucat, single words like "eat", "hunger", "all yours", "flesh", later on "manmeat", "tasty"( best when looking at another party member) and things like that, and short phrases are probably more effective than long monologues.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Whatever it suggests them eating, it should be things that ought not be eaten. Doesn't have to start with cannibalism. Telling them to eat dirt, eat clothes, eat all sorts of things--then keep ramping it up.

[Raum]

Any thoughts & tips on this would be appreciated.

Use phrases which aren't all English, don't try to make sense all of the time (throwing an innocuous phrase in the middle of bloody and gluttonous comments should up the creepiness factor), randomize the target by using the highest (or lowest) perception roll, and don't make them roll a save every time they hear something...randomize it a bit.

[Honest Tiefling]

*Use archaic terms from the era? It might not be up on modern speak.

*I don't know much about the creature, but in mythology they were created from other people, so describe the voice?

*Maybe the creature doesn't whisper, so much as change what others are saying. So they'll be in a normal conversation with a shopkeeper who in the middle of things will tell the player how warm and tasty their flesh is. Of course, the shopkeeper didn't hear or say this and gets confused, if not panicked about questions.

*Higher perception = hear the voices better = penalty to saves. So either go blind or go mad, your choice.

[veti]

*Maybe the creature doesn't whisper, so much as change what others are saying. So they'll be in a normal conversation with a shopkeeper who in the middle of things will tell the player how warm and tasty their flesh is. Of course, the shopkeeper didn't hear or say this and gets confused, if not panicked about questions.

This is gold. If the whispers are meant to be 'maddening', I can't think of a faster ticket to Nutsville than consistently mis-hearing what others are saying.

The only problem is, how to apply it when other PCs are speaking. You could try to tell the player to ignore what they heard the other player say... but the effect wouldn't be the same, and it would clue the player in to what's going on with the NPCs.

[Honest Tiefling]

It could only trigger when the PC is alone with someone. No one else to confirm...Or to stop the feeding.

[SiuiS]

> buy wireless speakers
>fasten them covertly behind the chair of each player
> set up laptop/MP3 player to covertly synch to speakers
> get looped data file of creepy whispering

Calibrate the volume so you know how many ticks are quiet, how many ticks are noticeable, how many ticks are mute and how many ticks are 'man, does nobody hear that? Really?'. Then slowly turn the looped whispers up and down from 'silent' to 'just below perception', and get ready to spike it to insane gibbering when the creature attacks instead of flies nearby.

You can do a lot with this. If you set up each speaker on a different channel, then only some players can get it. Or some players get different sounds entirely. And if each speaker generates, say, subtly different jungle noises, immediate ambience! Same for dungeons, with echos, dropping water, footsteps and rustling cloth. It's a grand investment!

[Just to Browse]

I would recommend starting the first whisper by just telling a character (not the player, so refer to them by their name) something impulsive to do. Do it in a serious voice and then act like nothing ever happened. Don't do it more than once every hour.

In later sessions, if a player is doing something that you've already whispered about, force them to make a will save with no warning. Even succeeding on the save will freak them out a little if you describe it right. Again, once per hour or less.

Even later, have their character freak our for just one turn. Standing still, attacking allies, anything they wouldn't normally do. Once per hour tops.

Players will realize by the second stage that they're going crazy. The third is just there in case they don't do anything about it.

[Berenger]

Thanks a lot, cool suggestions.


I think I'll start with innocent mondegreens ("Would you like another piece of Susan?" - "What...?" - "I said: Would you like another sausage?") at the table... when the character is a bit shaky and hopefully isolated from the group, I'll throw in single words and short sentences ("Don't let this food go to waste." - "Eat it." - "We are hungry. So very hungry." - "Don't listen to them. Listen to me." - "Have some meat." - "They are making fun of you." - "It should be yours."). Banging your head on a wall or talking the spirit down in a stern voice seems to silence it... for a short period of time. But it may appear slightly insane.

[Kane0]

"A thought occurs: Why not just kill/take/eat it?"
If you say that often enough at the right times the PC will come to consider the option more and more frequently. Let him drive himself insane.

[Fabletop]

The key with *slapping bug* insanity is it isn't insane
-it's the most logical response.

The player/GM needs to relate what's happening to something close to the character.

Attacking/eating the victim is the right thing to do. Insanity is a perversion of morality. It's Hannibal Lecter eating people on an accord of social justice. It has to make sense to the PC as they fall deeper into their personal abyss.

They use their personal logic to rationalize the act, the way one reasons smoking
cigarettes. The 'Why' of their actions is located deep within the PC drive to even go forward in the adventure, thus feeding future scenes.

[DarkKensai]

I always liked the black wind "Machin Shin" in "Wheel of Time." It's more overt, not as subtle as a lot of other suggestions, but maybe you could find some creepy phrases from it.