Looking for Ideas to Creep Out My Players

[Oversquid]

To provide some context, I'm in the process of making a dungeon for my players to explore that was a recently debunked Mental Asylum. Now in my campaign, there is magic, and the way I had it was that this asylum was there for those people who had mental problems, and couldn't afford magic to cure them.

Now then, within this asylum, I'm in the process of making flavor for the adventure, consisting of items such as journals, paintings, scribbling on the walls, or anything that the players might encounter within the asylum that can act as a record of what is going on in the heads of those people, within as whacked up of an image as possible.

My campaign theme revolves around H.P. Lovecraftian ideas, and I want a lot of what is seen within the asylum to reflect on the rest of the campaign as a whole, though I'm also looking for a mixture as well, so maybe just some good old fashioned whackiness is good as well.

TL;DR: I need ideas of craziness that can be put in a mental asylum. H.P. Lovecraftian Horror a major plus.

Thanks guys!

 

[gamerprinter]

Well, I don't know which edition game this is for, so my help is probably limited, since I use Pathfinder as my primary rules set.

In the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide, there is a very cool mechanic that is a combination undead encounter and a trap, called a Haunt. Basically its a magic trap, but the effects are more ghostly in style than the standard presentation of the spell. For example, the spell in a particular haunt could be Blade Barrier, which normally creates whirling blades that spin around the caster as a defensive wall. If somebody breaches the wall they take 1d6 damage for doing so. However as a haunt the effect might be a band of ethereal skeletons rise from the floor wielding scimitars around the center of the haunt. The effect is the same, but the visual description makes it a scary, ghostly encounter.

I use haunts extensively in my adventures. I even have a supplement for my Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story setting for Pathfinder, called #30 Haunts for Kaidan, that are 30 individual haunts, along with 2 unique undead beings and one accursed being statted up as bonus content. Of course these haunts are distinctly Japanese in style, fitting the setting, but could easily be converted to something that works in a typical western European analog setting.

Of course add to this multiple ghosts with rejuvination and malevolence that equally fit a haunted insane asylum.

Note: Rite Publishing, who published my haunt book, also has 3 other haunt books which fit a more standard setting might also help you (inexpensive PDF products): #30 Haunts for Houses, #30 Haunts for Ships and Shore, and #30 Haunts for Objects. These are great resources for Haunts in your game. T. H. Gulliver is the author of my haunt book, as well as the 3 mentioned above.

I'm sure these could be tweaked for 4e, but I can't say for sure.

 

[Oversquid]

Well, I don't know which edition game this is for, so my help is probably limited, since I use Pathfinder as my primary rules set.

In the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide, there is a very cool mechanic that is a combination undead encounter and a trap, called a Haunt. Basically its a magic trap, but the effects are more ghostly in style than the standard presentation of the spell. For example, the spell in a particular haunt could be Blade Barrier, which normally creates whirling blades that spin around the caster as a defensive wall. If somebody breaches the wall they take 1d6 damage for doing so. However as a haunt the effect might be a band of ethereal skeletons rise from the floor wielding scimitars around the center of the haunt. The effect is the same, but the visual description makes it a scary, ghostly encounter.

I use haunts extensively in my adventures. I even have a supplement for my Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story setting for Pathfinder, called #30 Haunts for Kaidan, that are 30 individual haunts, along with 2 unique undead beings and one accursed being statted up as bonus content. Of course these haunts are distinctly Japanese in style, fitting the setting, but could easily be converted to something that works in a typical western European analog setting.

Of course add to this multiple ghosts with rejuvination and malevolence that equally fit a haunted insane asylum.

Note: Rite Publishing, who published my haunt book, also has 3 other haunt books which fit a more standard setting might also help you (inexpensive PDF products): #30 Haunts for Houses, #30 Haunts for Ships and Shore, and #30 Haunts for Objects. These are great resources for Haunts in your game. T. H. Gulliver is the author of my haunt book, as well as the 3 mentioned above.

I'm sure these could be tweaked for 4e, but I can't say for sure.

I do play 3.5 E D&D, but my question was a rather general question so I figure that anyone can chip in with an idea or two no matter their gaming background. But this idea about haunts is interesting, though maybe instead of gearing it towards undead, it can deal with areas in space where reality is rather fragile perhaps.

Thanks for your suggestion!

 

[Aramax]

I just so happen to have an HP lovecraft inspired D&D mental asylem!

1)'The Dragon" an inmate who has a 'hoard'in the hall way,filled teeth and has scared his body to look like scales.His 'breath' is a sanity loss inducing nightmare of stench
2) Black Mane.He is the evil embodyment of YOU as the DM.He is tecnicly a barbarian w/ the ability to alter reality in any way 3 times a day.He is THE most powerful being in my campaine. He lives in a large complex of rooms w/ several incredible high cha women(who mouth 'Kill Me" to the PCs).He can be apeased w/ gifts of women who are unusual.The room complex has pouring water like a warm heavy rainfall where the water never touches the ground.He radiates evil and menace.He is not inclined to involve himself w/ anything other than the pursute of pleasure.He is best used as evil 'fluff'.He is a menace that doesent do ANYTHING.
He has an exact opposite named Lion who has the ability to gather
any three pieces of information a day and to planeswalk,he is very crypyic and is accompanned by fog.Black mane lives in the insane asylem to keep off the beaten path and to avoid company.

 

[Niccodaemus]

Silent Hill has some of the best Asylum ideas I've seen. The entire mental state of the character you are playing is in question.

Generally, books that once read, make you see things others can't see. "Recordings" of disturbing things. Artifacts that are made of strange materials... clues found later reveal just how strange.

Sealed ceramic jars that hold captured screams. PLayers seeing ghostly versions of themselves in straight jackets or on operating tables. Floorplans that constantly change.

Make the characters themselves FEEL mad

 

[Oversquid]

I just so happen to have an HP lovecraft inspired D&D mental asylem!

1)'The Dragon" an inmate who has a 'hoard'in the hall way,filled teeth and has scared his body to look like scales.His 'breath' is a sanity loss inducing nightmare of stench
2) Black Mane.He is the evil embodyment of YOU as the DM.He is tecnicly a barbarian w/ the ability to alter reality in any way 3 times a day.He is THE most powerful being in my campaine. He lives in a large complex of rooms w/ several incredible high cha women(who mouth 'Kill Me" to the PCs).He can be apeased w/ gifts of women who are unusual.The room complex has pouring water like a warm heavy rainfall where the water never touches the ground.He radiates evil and menace.He is not inclined to involve himself w/ anything other than the pursute of pleasure.He is best used as evil 'fluff'.He is a menace that doesent do ANYTHING.
He has an exact opposite named Lion who has the ability to gather
any three pieces of information a day and to planeswalk,he is very crypyic and is accompanned by fog.Black mane lives in the insane asylem to keep off the beaten path and to avoid company.

Those things are very inspirational. If you have any more, I'll be happy to hear more!

 

[Oversquid]

Silent Hill has some of the best Asylum ideas I've seen. The entire mental state of the character you are playing is in question.

Generally, books that once read, make you see things others can't see. "Recordings" of disturbing things. Artifacts that are made of strange materials... clues found later reveal just how strange.

Sealed ceramic jars that hold captured screams. PLayers seeing ghostly versions of themselves in straight jackets or on operating tables. Floorplans that constantly change.

Make the characters themselves FEEL mad

That last sentence of yours is spot on, and your ideas do get me thinking. If you've got more, do go on.

 

[was]

add in the two creepy, twin little girl ghosts speaking simultaneously
-also check out The Shining or House on Haunted Hill

 

[Niccodaemus]

One thing you can do to freak players out is to work behind the scenes with other players.

Choose one player in the group you can trust, and send him/her an email in private. Write down a list of things for that character to say or do. Inform the player that the character is not actually doing these things... so there will be no repercussions for the behavior... it is just that the other player SEE and HEAR the character doing these things.

For instance... the player says "I'm slitting my wrists and writing something in blood on the wall"

DM: What are you writing?"

PLayer: "You will all die"

Other players... WTF??? To player: "What the hell are you doing?"

PLayer: "What are you talking about?

Other players: "You why did you write that?"

Player: Write what? I didnt' write anything

Other players: "That on the wall right there"

DM: "There is nothing written on the wall"

Other players: "But he cuts his wrists"

DM: "His wrists are fine"

 

[Aramax]

Its been a very long time since I looked at my notes for this(in fact I think they are lost)but I got one more that I can remember.

There is a wizard named Keltos Friendslayer who is not as bad as the name implies,hes just been known to miscast afireball here and there.
He suffers from bouts of depresion and enters the asylem to regain his mental faculties.While he is in there he changes to an evoker and calls him self Lewis.He spends his dyas coming up w/Mythos inspired evocations that he scribbles on the wall in his own blood.If approached carefully he could be the source of great magical knowlege,amoung the things he has invented are a cantrip that when cast w/ Magic Missle addes 1 missle to the spell,he has another cantrip that adds a d6 to any fire spell.
He has a first level spell that is permanantly memorized and adds +2 to his Bab.

I think thats going to be it from my old notes if I think of anything else Ill post some more!