D&D is a Horror Game

I'm working on a dark fantasy setting

I'm working on a dark fantasy setting with the intentions of publication (OGL), and as dark fantasy there are supposed to be many horror elements. But does that mean it will be perceived as horror by players in that setting. While there are some mechanics built into my setting that is supposed to induce horror, and may very well seem horrible the first time players run into it. Over time however, I see players either considering it happening again as either inconvenience or mechanics for a power gamer and not horror at all.

Horror elements in my setting:
1. Ressurrection, raise dead do not work in this setting. Reincarnation however is hard-wired into the system. When a PC dies, he/she will reincarnate always, as part of cosmological requirements of the setting. And though upon reincarnation ones memories of a previous life is lost, thus they have to "reroll" a new character - this could be a real inconvenience for gaming. So I've allowed the possibility for a survivors in a party of adventurers to locate their former companion in body of another individual. Also that individual's lost memories can be regained.

The problem, once PCs get used to this mechanic, it means PCs never actually die, they just change clothes and become "multi-class". I even predict PCs once achieving a certain level of skills and feats, would desire death so they could be something else added to what they are now.

What was intended as a horror element will become a power gamer's mechanic and not horrible at all.

2. All undead are classified as Japanese ghosts. Like Ravenloft, you can't judge the appearance of a given undead with the traditional tropes that belong to it in D&D. In other words an animated skeleton, might not be what it appears, but instead a skeletal form of a lich, or other type of undead, or it might just be an animated skeleton. Appearances do not define what a given monster's powers are. Ghostdom becomes a template with specific powers, tropes and challenges applied to any form of undead. The templates go from vengeful ghosts to death knight and beyond.

Each becomes a new kind of undead monster and expectations of specific powers are unknown - still this becomes a challenge of discovery and unless a DM is willing to invoke fear through explanation or lack of it. Undead loose their horror aspect and become simply another "opponent" for the PCs.

In the end no matter how I build the system, I cannot permanently invoke horror unless the DM and the players are willing to allow it or perceive so.

I guess my next issue is to figure out what other elements or mechanics of horror can I place into my setting to increase the level of horror that I want in it. Ideas, anyone?

GP

gamerprinter said:

I'm working on a dark fantasy setting with the intentions of publication (OGL), and as dark fantasy there are supposed to be many horror elements.

<edit>
Horror elements in my setting:
1. Ressurrection, raise dead do not work in this setting. Reincarnation however is hard-wired into the system. When a PC dies, he/she will reincarnate always, as part of cosmological requirements of the setting. And though upon reincarnation ones memories of a previous life is lost, thus they have to "reroll" a new character - this could be a real inconvenience for gaming. So I've allowed the possibility for a survivors in a party of adventurers to locate their former companion in body of another individual. Also that individual's lost memories can be regained.

The problem, once PCs get used to this mechanic, it means PCs never actually die, they just change clothes and become "multi-class". I even predict PCs once achieving a certain level of skills and feats, would desire death so they could be something else added to what they are now.

<edit>

2. All undead are classified as Japanese ghosts. Like Ravenloft, you can't judge the appearance of a given undead with the traditional tropes that belong to it in D&D. In other words an animated skeleton, might not be what it appears, but instead a skeletal form of a lich, or other type of undead, or it might just be an animated skeleton. Appearances do not define what a given monster's powers are. Ghostdom becomes a template with specific powers, tropes and challenges applied to any form of undead. The templates go from vengeful ghosts to death knight and beyond.

Each becomes a new kind of undead monster and expectations of specific powers are unknown - still this becomes a challenge of discovery and unless a DM is willing to invoke fear through explanation or lack of it.

<edit>
Hopefully in August this will be republished along with a setting manual for Pathfinder RPG - got my fingers crossed.

GP

Click to expand...

I sincerely wish you luck.

I also suggest you take a close look at the old Dark Sun setting.

1) As I recall, that was the setting in which the "Character Tree" mechanic was introduced. That would give you a nice way to deal with deceased PCs and how they get reincarnated.

2) Dark Sun had only general classifications of undead- Corporeal and Incorporeal; Sentient and Nonsentient, and so forth, with only a few refinements. Each undead you encountered was essentially unique.

This went a long way towards interjecting a bit of fear & loathing on the players' side of the DM Screen- they simply had no way of knowing what the undead they faced could do until they did it, and that uncertainty got you some nice reactions.