Horror Themed Campaigns

[Stormborn]

I may use something like this, I do make my PC's roll to cast spells with spellcraft and you can have critical failures which do all sorts. The rest of the ideas were neat but do not fit into my setting at all, no large cities nearby, no underworld type deal, etc. The PC's don't cause any horror themselves, the dreadnecro seeks to control undead and the hunter seeks to destroy the rampant evil undead.

Then dont make them large cities the werewolf idea works just fine in a small town or village. If you dont like the ideas thats fine, but don't let some minor point keep you from using them. Everything is adaptable.

 

[Kesh]

Old Ravenloft modules are a godsend for ideas, though often the stories turn out a bit wonky. And, as other said, Call of Cthulhu has great stuff that can easily be used.

Rip off anything creepy you see on TV or in the movies. Does a director make really good use of a scare in a film? Consider turning this into an encounter moment. Does the plot of this TV episode feel like it could become the focus of an adventure? Use it!

I take a lot of inspiration from songs. Listen to the lyrics, pick out a few lines that sound interesting and see what ideas you can get from them. Rob Zombie, Nine Inch Nails and other metal acts are good for this, but you can also pull things from pop artists. God only knows how many plot hooks you can get from a Beatles album!

Don't be afraid to browse game forums and search for terms. RPG.net had a great thread last year about building a creepy town: someone started the thread with some rough notes, and everyone was encouraged to add a vague, creepy locale of their own to the town. Things like this can be fantastic for your campaign.

Finally, read the news. Weird news, horrible news, even happy news can often give you a spark of inspiration for an adventure. A throwaway comment by a politician can become a menacing statement from your Big Bad Evil Guy in the campaign, or a common traffic accident report could be a clue in your mystery.

"Good artists borrow. Great artists steal." - Picasso

 

[Desdichado]

A rural location where teenagers are being murdered relentlessly while having sex and taking showers together.

 

[Meeki]

A rural location where teenagers are being murdered relentlessly while having sex and taking showers together.

I like it! wait.. no, who takes showers in D&D, jeez?

I'm not really asking how to find horror ideas, I already know how to do that. I am asking for people's ideas. I have a ton just looking for different ones.

The main problem with D&D horror type games is that the character are suppose to progress and be "heroic"-ish, doing deeds that normal folk can't. However the key to most horror stories is helpless characters that struggle to survive and often don't. Thus movies and TV plots do not really provide much but the characters may.

I did steal some of the spell casting ideas from Cthulu, I have a mishap table for rolling critical failure on a spell cast and what not. I use a modified demon, where they are more like spirits than actual corporeal creatures. The demons can possess creatures and do have corporeal forms but really do not enjoy being in them. The abyss, in this game, is actually over layed on the material plane, it is the dwelling place of demons. I did this to differentiate them from devils and make the world more interesting.

Anyone have any ideas for a situation/story/etc where the PC's must barter with one evil, probably harmful force in order to defeat another?

 

[Rechan]

The main problem with D&D horror type games is that the character are suppose to progress and be "heroic"-ish, doing deeds that normal folk can't. However the key to most horror stories is helpless characters that struggle to survive and often don't. Thus movies and TV plots do not really provide much but the characters may.

Except in movies like Alien where you have space marines, and other such where you have Talented people who are getting blitzed by something they just don't anticipate.

Horror in D&D works like this: the unknown. If you're not operating out of the Monster Manual, if the PCs have no clue what the hell they're fighting, that puts you a step in the direction of horror. As soon as the PCs see the mini on the battlemat, as soon as they can go "Oh yeah that demon is weak against this", they're Confident, not scared. I plan on having a priest summon blood elementals - a huge pool of blood that will have an Entangle effect, as well as a water elemental with a con-draining slam. I'm not going to tell the players what it is, just describe the hands coming out of the blood grabbing at their legs while the elemental sucks the essence from their veins.

Another aspect is taking away the party's strengths. A blindness/deafness on the mage will ruin his day. Ability damage and negative levels scare everybody. Temporarily take the druid's animal companion away - have it resist going into certain areas, because it's terrified, or have a demon possess it and turn on the druid mid-fight. Survival horror games intentionally give you little ammo and the feeling of being surrounded by enemies to make you worry. A monster with DR/y and no one has material y to beat the DR will make them scramble for ideas. A monster that is way out of their CR range, but can be held at bay by lines of salt or iron, etc. The minute your PCs realize "standard operating procedure doesn't work", you're another step closer to horror.

But that's just mechanical horror, in a sense.

Horror is 9/10ths psychological. Take the players out of their comfort zone. Just things which are creepy and unsettling in general, but have no baring on mechanics. For instance, in the middle of ruins/empty tower/etc, have a room that is utterly pristine - the paint isn't chipped, the furniture's in one piece, it's perfect, and there's no monster in there. And don't give an explanation as to why. An example from one of my games - while the PCs are moving through a deserted, forsaken town, the wind doesn't moan - it weeps and pleads for mercy. Provide no source, no explanation why. It'll put your players on guard.

Read the thread that I linked to up above - it has lots of tips on running a horror game, along with general horror scenarios.

Anyone have any ideas for a situation/story/etc where the PC's must barter with one evil, probably harmful force in order to defeat another?

Not to give spoilers, but the new Castle Ravenloft. There are two evil entities at play, both want to destroy the other, and both say "Hey, the other one is the more dangerous/destructive evil."

 

[roguerouge]

Cage of Delirium is creepy: http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12495.phtml

From paizo:
The Skinsaw Murders looks like Hell House and you can definitely paste it into your campaign. Crown of the Kobold King could be horrifying, depending on how ruthless you're willing to be. The Gallery of Evil, if you like a touch of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Two other recommendations:
1. Have the PCs get lots of NPCs with them. That way the body count can rise, you can signal that a place is dangerous, and all without twirking off the players.
2. I also recommend asking your players what they've found scary. It allows you to figure out what buttons they have AND what buttons it is acceptable for you to push. Horror campaigns should not result in reopening past psychological traumas for the players.

 

[Merkuri]

The best scary movie I ever saw was Mothman Prophecies. It was good - strangely enough - because the writer completely disregarded the "show, don't tell" rule of good writing. Lots of creepy things happened in the movie, but you mostly heard testemonies from other people who went through these things. You had to imagine what it felt like to see and hear the things these people experienced, and what you imagined was probably a hundred times creepier than anything the most expensive CGI could come up with.

It's not jump out of your chair and hide under the bed scary, but the amount of creepiness keeps building until your heart is racing and the slightest thing makes you jump. I made the mistake of watching it while I was home alone. I made the poor dog stick with me the rest of the night because I didn't want to be alone.

I recommend watching Mothman Prophecies as inspiration, and you can also look up mothman legends online (most of the movie is inspired by things people have reported in the real world - I'd recommend watching the movie first so the real-world stories don't ruin it for you).