AFGNCAAP
First Post
Hello,
I'm having a bit of trouble working out a few kinks with a horror adventure idea that I've been working on. I was wondering if anyone here could provide a few ideas & help me out with some potential problems. It'll use the 3.5 D&D system, but I do want to incorporate elements from the Book of Vile Darkness. I intend for this to be used with low-level PCs (1st--4th level), to be more of a challenge.
Note that this isn't a regular theme for my campaign, but more of a side adventure that strays from the main plotline of my campaign.
Essentially, the horror adventure is based off of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It involves a clad of inbred, cannibalistic mongrelfolk who "harvest" anyone that they can. They live deep in the wild, and usually focus on a nearby trail that's often used as a "shortcut" (either to save time, or to avoid travel on the patrolled roads). I'm thinking of having at least four clan members (based on Leatherface, Hitchhiker, Grandpa, & Drayden Sawyer/Old Man), though this may change somewhat after I see the remake.
The adventure will begin as a missing persons case--the PCs are hired to find a missing group of youths (whose parents are minor nobles/wealthy merchants). The PCs will follow the clues to a small village, where they will discover that the youths took the "shortcut" in order to save time. As a side note, the village's graveyard had been vandalized (much like the graveyard in the original movie) just before the youths arrived. There will also be 1 or 2 people who seem to know a bit too much than they should about certain things. Eventually, after following the shortcut & discovering another trail leading from it, the PCs will discover the house of the clan, & learn the horrors that lie within.
Here are a few problems/questions that I need work on:
* I'm thinking about having the PCs stumble across a lone survivor (ala Sally from TCM). However, if I have that occur before they meet the "family," I'm afraid that it may spoil the surprise. Should I have the PCs "rescue" her, or should they bump into her when/if they're fleeing the clan?
* Well before the adventure, I'm considering having a few NPCs tag along with the party. These NPCs have connections to the PCs (friends, family, etc.), mainly to establish a personal connection/bond between the PCs & NPCs. However, these NPCs are intended to be victims of the clan--in essence, a way to really make the story personal. Perhaps the PC/NPC group encounter the survivor before reaching the house--the PCs stay with the girl to calm her down/protect her, while the NPCs go & investigate. Of course, the NPCs never return, and the PCs eventually discover the horrible fate that befell them.
* I'm thinking about throwing in a few red herrings to throw off the PCs. Something to mess with their expectations. Any ideas?
* The cannibal clan's house. I know it will look normal on the outside & terrifying on the outside. However, should I have some sort of magical effects on the property (ala protection from good, curse, or the like)? Something to give the villains a "home court" advantage, if you will.
* Finally, I need help making up members of the clan. The 3 battle-ready members are based on Leatherface, Hitchhiker, & Drayden (may throw in Chop-Top, too). Grandpa will be a non-combatant (too weak). I need to have a formidable batch of foes, esp. since the PCs will have a few spellcasters available (like a mage & priest). All of the members of the clan would be mongrelfolk. Here's what ideas I have for them so far:
** I was thinking of having the Old Man/Drayden Sawyer character be some sort of spellcaster (maybe an adept, or a sorcerer). He's the leader of the group, & intimidates the other clan members easily. Kind of personable & puts the PCs at ease when they first meet him (as a tavern/general store owner). He'd be the one most likely to betray the PCs, if they get his help.
** As for the Hitchhiker character (and Chop-Top, if I include him), I was considering having him be a straight rogue. The most frenetic/visibly insane member of the clan, the one who'll easily freak out the PCs (though hopefully not cause them to kill him outright). Not a heavy hitter at all, but freaky, nonetheless.
** Finally, for the big guy, Leatherface, I was thinking of a rogue/barbarian. He'd have maxed-out Str & Con (tough & hits hard), decent Dex (for stealth), but low Int & Wis (obviously impaired mentally), & bare minimum Cha (a 1). He'd have good hunting skills & good Intimidation, but I'm not sure what else he may have skill-wise. Feats should focus on increasing critical ranges on weapons, bonuses to hit & damage, & anything else to make his attacks hurt a lot. Any stat-boosting points will go into Str.
I was thinking rogue for the sneak attack & barbarian for the HP & raging, but I don't know if any levels in fighter or ranger could work, too. Ranger could work for the favored enemy bonuses, but those would only be good against some party members & not all of them. Fighter could work for the bonus feats, as well as the weapon specialization, but then again, he'd be too high level as a fighter in order to gain the weapon specialization & improved weapon specialization feats.
His mask should be enchanted (fear effects, natural AC bonus, or something along those lines). He'd use a warhammer for sneak attacks (ala the sledge that he used in the movie)--I was thinking of it having the impact & vile weapon powers at least. Instead of the trademark chainsaw, I was going to have him use a serrated greatsword, with the keen & vile weapon powers (at least). I don't really want to use vorpal, since that can possibly kill the PCs outright (I want them to get hurt badly with a single hit, but not insta-killed). The greatsword will be his favored/preferred weapon, though he'll use the hammer for a quick ambush attack/kill (if the 3.5 rules also for using warhammers for sneak attacks or not).
Please keep in mind that I don't want any of the PCs to be able to use any of the personal magical gear for the clan members (esp. Leatherface's). Since the party will all have non-Evil ALs, I wonder if adding the Evil/Unholy magic property to the items will work (at least).
* Setting question: I'm thinking about incorporating this into my Forgotten Realms game. Any setting-specific rules that may help enhance this? Also wondering what evil deities the clan could venerate--maybe Bhaal (though he's no more), or perhaps Malar may work. Any suggestions?
* Finally, please mention an appropriate Challenge Rating for what you come up with--it'll help me determine when to use the adventure best.
I'd appreciate any deisgn help/data/info that you could provide. This is supposed to be an adventure that shows just how bad "evil" can be (more of the depravity of the mind rather than some supernatural horror), & is supposed to be something that should make the players jump in their seats.
And, depending on how well this goes, I may have 1 more horror-based adventure down the line (based off of Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses--I foresee a lot of flesh golems, half-golems, necromancy, & undead--maybe some fiends or fiendish elements, too).
Thanks.
I'm having a bit of trouble working out a few kinks with a horror adventure idea that I've been working on. I was wondering if anyone here could provide a few ideas & help me out with some potential problems. It'll use the 3.5 D&D system, but I do want to incorporate elements from the Book of Vile Darkness. I intend for this to be used with low-level PCs (1st--4th level), to be more of a challenge.
Note that this isn't a regular theme for my campaign, but more of a side adventure that strays from the main plotline of my campaign.
Essentially, the horror adventure is based off of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It involves a clad of inbred, cannibalistic mongrelfolk who "harvest" anyone that they can. They live deep in the wild, and usually focus on a nearby trail that's often used as a "shortcut" (either to save time, or to avoid travel on the patrolled roads). I'm thinking of having at least four clan members (based on Leatherface, Hitchhiker, Grandpa, & Drayden Sawyer/Old Man), though this may change somewhat after I see the remake.
The adventure will begin as a missing persons case--the PCs are hired to find a missing group of youths (whose parents are minor nobles/wealthy merchants). The PCs will follow the clues to a small village, where they will discover that the youths took the "shortcut" in order to save time. As a side note, the village's graveyard had been vandalized (much like the graveyard in the original movie) just before the youths arrived. There will also be 1 or 2 people who seem to know a bit too much than they should about certain things. Eventually, after following the shortcut & discovering another trail leading from it, the PCs will discover the house of the clan, & learn the horrors that lie within.
Here are a few problems/questions that I need work on:
* I'm thinking about having the PCs stumble across a lone survivor (ala Sally from TCM). However, if I have that occur before they meet the "family," I'm afraid that it may spoil the surprise. Should I have the PCs "rescue" her, or should they bump into her when/if they're fleeing the clan?
* Well before the adventure, I'm considering having a few NPCs tag along with the party. These NPCs have connections to the PCs (friends, family, etc.), mainly to establish a personal connection/bond between the PCs & NPCs. However, these NPCs are intended to be victims of the clan--in essence, a way to really make the story personal. Perhaps the PC/NPC group encounter the survivor before reaching the house--the PCs stay with the girl to calm her down/protect her, while the NPCs go & investigate. Of course, the NPCs never return, and the PCs eventually discover the horrible fate that befell them.
* I'm thinking about throwing in a few red herrings to throw off the PCs. Something to mess with their expectations. Any ideas?
* The cannibal clan's house. I know it will look normal on the outside & terrifying on the outside. However, should I have some sort of magical effects on the property (ala protection from good, curse, or the like)? Something to give the villains a "home court" advantage, if you will.
* Finally, I need help making up members of the clan. The 3 battle-ready members are based on Leatherface, Hitchhiker, & Drayden (may throw in Chop-Top, too). Grandpa will be a non-combatant (too weak). I need to have a formidable batch of foes, esp. since the PCs will have a few spellcasters available (like a mage & priest). All of the members of the clan would be mongrelfolk. Here's what ideas I have for them so far:
** I was thinking of having the Old Man/Drayden Sawyer character be some sort of spellcaster (maybe an adept, or a sorcerer). He's the leader of the group, & intimidates the other clan members easily. Kind of personable & puts the PCs at ease when they first meet him (as a tavern/general store owner). He'd be the one most likely to betray the PCs, if they get his help.
** As for the Hitchhiker character (and Chop-Top, if I include him), I was considering having him be a straight rogue. The most frenetic/visibly insane member of the clan, the one who'll easily freak out the PCs (though hopefully not cause them to kill him outright). Not a heavy hitter at all, but freaky, nonetheless.
** Finally, for the big guy, Leatherface, I was thinking of a rogue/barbarian. He'd have maxed-out Str & Con (tough & hits hard), decent Dex (for stealth), but low Int & Wis (obviously impaired mentally), & bare minimum Cha (a 1). He'd have good hunting skills & good Intimidation, but I'm not sure what else he may have skill-wise. Feats should focus on increasing critical ranges on weapons, bonuses to hit & damage, & anything else to make his attacks hurt a lot. Any stat-boosting points will go into Str.
I was thinking rogue for the sneak attack & barbarian for the HP & raging, but I don't know if any levels in fighter or ranger could work, too. Ranger could work for the favored enemy bonuses, but those would only be good against some party members & not all of them. Fighter could work for the bonus feats, as well as the weapon specialization, but then again, he'd be too high level as a fighter in order to gain the weapon specialization & improved weapon specialization feats.
His mask should be enchanted (fear effects, natural AC bonus, or something along those lines). He'd use a warhammer for sneak attacks (ala the sledge that he used in the movie)--I was thinking of it having the impact & vile weapon powers at least. Instead of the trademark chainsaw, I was going to have him use a serrated greatsword, with the keen & vile weapon powers (at least). I don't really want to use vorpal, since that can possibly kill the PCs outright (I want them to get hurt badly with a single hit, but not insta-killed). The greatsword will be his favored/preferred weapon, though he'll use the hammer for a quick ambush attack/kill (if the 3.5 rules also for using warhammers for sneak attacks or not).
Please keep in mind that I don't want any of the PCs to be able to use any of the personal magical gear for the clan members (esp. Leatherface's). Since the party will all have non-Evil ALs, I wonder if adding the Evil/Unholy magic property to the items will work (at least).
* Setting question: I'm thinking about incorporating this into my Forgotten Realms game. Any setting-specific rules that may help enhance this? Also wondering what evil deities the clan could venerate--maybe Bhaal (though he's no more), or perhaps Malar may work. Any suggestions?
* Finally, please mention an appropriate Challenge Rating for what you come up with--it'll help me determine when to use the adventure best.
I'd appreciate any deisgn help/data/info that you could provide. This is supposed to be an adventure that shows just how bad "evil" can be (more of the depravity of the mind rather than some supernatural horror), & is supposed to be something that should make the players jump in their seats.
And, depending on how well this goes, I may have 1 more horror-based adventure down the line (based off of Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses--I foresee a lot of flesh golems, half-golems, necromancy, & undead--maybe some fiends or fiendish elements, too).
Thanks.
